Chapter 814: The Emperor's Doubts
Shen Xihe, wrapped in a thick and warm cloak, stood before the Empress's mausoleum, facing the cold wind.
As the daughter-in-law, since she had come to the imperial mausoleum, it was only natural for her to first pay respects to her mother-in-law, the Empress. After offering incense, Shen Xihe paused for a moment in front of the mausoleum before proceeding to the Crown Prince's tomb. She knew full well who was buried inside, yet she still went through the entire act.
After offering incense, she extended her hand from within her cloak and gently touched the tombstone, her gaze fixed dazedly on the name Xiao Huayong carved upon it.
Regardless of who was buried within, Crown Prince Xiao Huayong was truly dead. By choosing this method, he had made it impossible to ever return under the identity of Xiao Huayong.
In this struggle for power, he had withdrawn early for her sake—a complete and irreversible retreat.
Otherwise, with his capabilities, even if he had no choice but to leave, he could have found other ways. He could have still saved His Majesty—perhaps by falling off a cliff or into the sea for His Majesty's sake—and always found a way to return.
Even if His Majesty did not live long enough for his return and the throne passed to another brother, Shen Xihe believed that if he wished, he could still seize it back.
Everything about him, usually unnoticed, now surfaced vividly in her mind as she looked upon his name.
Shen Xihe couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips at the memories.
In that moment, she suddenly realized that ever since she had met him, all he had left her with were beautiful memories.
Lost in reminiscence, Shen Xihe didn't even notice her hand, still touching the tombstone, had turned bright red from the cold. The palace maid sent by the Empress Dowager couldn't help but step forward, draping her cloak over Shen Xihe's fingertips. "Your Highness, beware of catching a chill."
Snapping back to reality, Shen Xihe finally felt the chill and withdrew her hand, clasping it with her other hand inside the cloak. "Mm."
Shen Xihe realized her legs had also stiffened, so she had to lean on Biyu and the palace maid to slowly move. As they walked farther and were about to turn the corner, she couldn't resist looking back one more time at the characters on the tombstone.
The incense offering wasn't complicated and took only about an hour, but Shen Xihe naturally couldn't return immediately. She couldn't endure such fatigue, so she stayed overnight at the resting quarters provided for the imperial family at the mausoleum, planning to return to the palace the next day.
Shen Xihe's journey to the mausoleum went smoothly, and her return was equally uneventful, much to everyone's surprise.
In fact, given the timing—Shen Xihe was over seven months pregnant, and His Majesty had been claiming illness and avoiding court—her sudden decision to visit Xiao Huayong at the imperial mausoleum led many to speculate that she was going there to induce labor.
Giving birth on the road would make it easier to manipulate things. If the child wasn't a boy, it would also be the easiest time to swap the baby. Many had prepared themselves for the big news of the Crown Princess returning with an imperial grandson. However, Shen Xihe disappointed them by quietly returning without any fanfare.
Her belly was still intact, as if she had truly only gone to the imperial mausoleum to pay respects to the Crown Prince.
"Was there really no unusual activity at the imperial mausoleum?" Even the Youning Emperor found it hard to believe.
"Your Majesty, Embroidered Uniform Envoys were secretly following, and the Invincible Army was also stationed at the mausoleum. Her Highness the Crown Princess only offered incense to the Empress and the Crown Prince. There were no other actions, and her entourage did not speak with the mausoleum guards."
The guards at the imperial mausoleum weren't just assigned soldiers; there were also exiled members of the imperial clan.
"Was she really just there to pay respects?" The Youning Emperor remained skeptical.If it truly was pent-up melancholy as Shen Xihe claimed, why go through the trouble of traveling to the imperial mausoleum? It would be better to hold a Buddhist ceremony at Xiangguo Temple and make offerings instead.
Shen Xihe possessed a profound and intricate mind. The Youning Emperor had encountered many intelligent women, but few were as deeply calculating as Shen Xihe.
He had initially suspected that Shen Xihe was worried he might not recover from his illness and had begun preparing for childbirth to strengthen her position.
"She certainly knows how to bide her time," the Youning Emperor remarked meaningfully.
Why was Shen Xihe so composed? To claim she had no ambition for the throne or that she was purely virtuous and upright—such words were not even believable to the Youning Emperor himself.
Since Shen Xihe’s ambitions were clear, her lack of reaction upon hearing that the Emperor remained unconscious for so long seemed highly unusual.
Even if she had guessed he was feigning illness, she should have made some preparations.
It was too quiet...
"What about the Fifth and Twelfth Princes?" the Youning Emperor asked again.
"Prince Xin has made some moves, mobilizing over half of his forces. Prince Yan has also frequently inquired about Your Majesty’s condition at the Imperial Hospital and has discreetly activated the personnel left to him by the Eighth Prince," Liu Sanzhi reported. "However, neither has shown any intention of storming the palace."
They were merely taking defensive measures.
"So, only the Eastern Palace remains as steady as Mount Tai?" the Youning Emperor summarized. "And Xiao Juesong has shown no reaction at all?"
This entire scheme was designed to lure out Xiao Juesong. He had even gone so far as to collapse the tomb of Xiao Juesong’s birth mother, yet Xiao Juesong still had not appeared. The Youning Emperor found this increasingly suspicious.
Xiao Juesong valued filial piety deeply and was not a cowardly or spineless man. He should have emerged long ago, even if it meant a hopeless fight to the death.
"There has been no unusual activity in or around the capital," Liu Sanzhi replied truthfully.
"Wait two more days..." to see whether Xiao Juesong had not yet returned from thousands of miles away or was simply unable to appear.
If Xiao Juesong was unable to appear, then the person who had shown up at the summer retreat back then might not have been the real one.
When that Xiao Juesong had appeared, who had benefited the most?
At the time, the Emperor had been fixated on suspecting that the Crown Prince was pretending and had arrested him to probe his depths. The sudden emergence of Xiao Juesong had disrupted everything.
If Xiao Juesong had been an imposter from the start, this would have been the Crown Prince’s most brilliant move to dismantle the Emperor’s test. All subsequent events related to Xiao Juesong could only be linked to the Crown Prince.
If that were the case...
The Youning Emperor’s gaze turned cold and sharp. "If no one appears in two more days, arrange for the personnel at the imperial mausoleum to secretly open the Crown Prince’s coffin!"
Opening the Crown Prince’s coffin, no matter how discreetly done, might not go entirely unnoticed. Thus, it had to be handled with extreme caution. Unless absolutely necessary, the Youning Emperor did not wish to take this step.
Shen Xihe did not know she only had two days left, but she was aware that the Youning Emperor’s patience was limited.
After returning from the imperial mausoleum, she too began to take action. She discreetly started making arrangements within the Imperial Harem, mobilized her own guards, and subtly revealed some of the forces the Crown Prince had cultivated in secret—all of which were insignificant.
If the Crown Prince had cultivated no forces at all, the Youning Emperor would likely not have believed it.
All of this required only her verbal commands. Tianyuan and Difang would handle everything seamlessly. She focused her efforts on investigating the events of that year.
Haidongqing had returned to the palace ahead of her and brought a letter from Shen Yueshan. The letter contained everything he could recall about the day Qian Wang and his wife were murdered, and the Emperor killed his brother to seize the throne.A thick letter, when unfolded, made Shen Xihe chuckle involuntarily. It was clearly dictated by him, with Brother being roped in to serve as the scribe.
Twenty-four years ago, on that windy night, the scenes described by Shen Yueshan gradually became vivid and clear before Shen Xihe's eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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