Chapter 820: Rather Lose This Game
The next day, the long-ailing Youning Emperor forced himself to attend court.
The civil and military officials harbored different thoughts, speculating endlessly about yesterday's assassin. The Emperor's reaction and his subsequent order to properly handle the assassin's body left countless question marks in their minds.
Seated on the Dragon Throne, the Youning Emperor looked somewhat haggard, but his eyes still held authority. After scanning the court, he spoke slowly, "Yesterday's assassin was the son of my elder brother."
Xiao Changqing gently closed his eyes and let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
Although the Emperor's various reactions yesterday had been enough to make him firmly believe in Shen Xihe's speculation, it was only at this moment that the matter was truly settled.
The Emperor's words lifted a weight off Xiao Changqing's shoulders, but they stirred up a storm among the officials.
"But... didn't Prince Qian's consort give birth to a princess back then?"
"Yes, yes! The princess was frail and passed away that very night."
"How... how could there be a prince?"
The ministers couldn't help but whisper among themselves, disregarding the setting. The Emperor's words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving their minds in chaos.
It was only after the Youning Emperor let out a light cough that the officials fell silent.
"Back then..." The Youning Emperor took a deep breath. "My sister-in-law and the Empress gave birth one after the other, both to sons. It was my negligence that allowed the rebel Xiao Juesong to abduct my elder brother's son. The matter was of grave importance, so we had no choice but to announce to the public that my sister-in-law had given birth to a daughter."
Xiao Changqing lowered his head, the corners of his lips curling into a faint, mocking smile.
However, the officials found the Emperor's explanation easy to accept.
The political situation at the time was indeed extremely complex. Prince Qian's troops were at the city gates, and most of his followers were trusted aides. If they had known that Prince Qian's only heir had been abducted, they would have exhausted all efforts to find him and might not have readily accepted the Emperor's ascension to the throne.
Half of them might have genuinely supported only Prince Qian, while the other half were driven by selfish motives—a young ruler would be far easier to manipulate than the steady-handed Emperor.
As for dealing with the eunuchs, they lacked such foresight and were only concerned with their immediate interests.
"Your Majesty, since he is Prince Qian's son, how do you intend to handle this?" the Minister of the Imperial Clan stepped forward to inquire.
They were in no position to offer advice on this matter—it was far too sensitive. Although he was an assassin, he had been lost since childhood and raised by Xiao Juesong to harbor deep hatred for the Emperor. Moreover, yesterday he had the chance to seriously injure or even kill the Emperor but held back. How should such a case be judged?
"He is already dead. In the end, I failed him. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan shall arrange his burial according to the rites of a prince's grand funeral." The Youning Emperor's voice was not loud, but his tone brooked no argument.
The officials exchanged glances and bowed in unison. "Your Majesty is wise."
Every step unfolded exactly as Shen Xihe had predicted.
Thus, the Emperor would indeed no longer dare to harm the child in Shen Xihe's womb. However, he would never allow Shen Xihe's child to become the heir to the throne either. Shen Yueshan held too high a position and wielded too much power. A young emperor ascending the throne had always been the root of maternal relatives seizing power.
"Brother, how did she determine that Prince Qian's consort gave birth to a son back then?" Xiao Changying, who had followed Xiao Changqing back to Prince Xin's Residence, couldn't hold back his curiosity.
Xiao Changqing had conspired with Shen Xihe without involving Xiao Changying. But Xiao Changying was accustomed to clinging to his elder brother. Since Xiao Changqing had not remarried and there were no women in the household, there was no need for him to avoid suspicion. Moreover, after his own marriage, Xiao Changying had even less desire to return home.Xiao Changqing had not concealed many matters from him, and Xiao Changying also knew that the person from yesterday was arranged by Xiao Changqing. After all, it was Xiao Changqing’s death warrior, whom Xiao Changying had met once and remembered vividly due to his appearance.
The matter of Princess Qian giving birth to a daughter had long been considered settled, yet Shen Xihe had overturned it!
Xiao Changqing looked at his younger brother, who probably still believed that His Majesty’s loss of composure yesterday was due to having killed the only child of his elder brother.
“I, too, do not know how she determined it,” Xiao Changqing said with a faint smile.
Xiao Changying was incredulous: “Brother…”
Shock, lingering fear, and relief—these complex emotions intertwined on Xiao Changying’s face, rendering him speechless for a long time. It took him a while to finally blurt out: “Brother, you’ve gone mad!”
This was utterly insane; it was nothing like his elder brother.
Without any evidence, how dare he act so recklessly? It was like gambling with his own head in a perilous move.
Xiao Changqing patted Xiao Changying’s shoulder: “But didn’t we win?”
As for the matter of Xiao Huayong being the son of Prince Qian, Xiao Changqing had no intention of telling his brother. It wasn’t due to distrust, but because it was too complicated and too ugly. He had already lost all hope for this imperial family—why drag his brother into the endless chill as well?
Let him know that their father, for the sake of the supreme throne, had killed his own brother and abandoned his own son?
Xiao Changying was inherently straightforward and somewhat intolerant of evil. If he were to learn of this, he would inevitably reveal it when facing His Majesty in the future.
In the Eastern Palace, Shen Xihe, draped in a light fur cloak, stood beneath the eucommia tree.
Amidst the golden hues, a touch of pure white stood out gracefully.
The bleak wind rustled the fur piled around her neck, brushing against her bare, makeup-free face.
“Your Highness, you’ve won—why do you not show any joy?” Zhenzhu did not understand.
They had been waiting for news from the Hall of Diligent Governance, and the reports that came were all within Shen Xihe’s expectations. Yet, after hearing them, Shen Xihe remained expressionless.
Shen Xihe was a calm and self-possessed person. She rarely experienced extreme joy or sorrow, nor would she gloat over a victory. But at the very least, she wouldn’t appear so burdened, as if she had lost, her brows heavy with worry.
“Actually…” Shen Xihe gazed at the drifting eucommia leaves filling her sight, “I would rather have lost this round.”
Losing would only mean a tough battle ahead, and winning also meant a tough battle—but some things were just too despicable.
Zhenzhu was puzzled and glanced at Tianyuan, who was also taken aback. Biyu and the others all wore expressions of confusion.
Just as Zhenzhu was about to ask further, Shen Xihe spoke first: “Has the matter of the ink been properly handled?”
The ink had now been brought to light. The person arranged by Xiao Changqing had pointed it out before dying, and His Majesty would surely believe it was a retaliation from him and Xiao Juesong. But while the mastermind was identified, how it had entered the palace still needed thorough investigation.
This was the very thing that had truly harmed His Majesty’s life. Anyone involved would likely pay the price.
“Your Highness, Prince Xin has taken responsibility for this matter,” Zhenzhu reported.
With such a harmful substance entering the palace and causing His Majesty to fall victim, His Majesty would investigate ruthlessly. Though Shen Xihe held palace authority, even if she appeared completely uninvolved, she would still bear the charge of mismanaging the palace. However, she now had the protective talisman of the child in her womb. As long as the Youning Emperor found no evidence of her involvement or even any knowledge of the matter, no matter how displeased he felt, he would not vent his anger on her.Upon hearing this, Shen Xihe immediately understood Xiao Changqing's intention. For a moment, she was at a loss for words, only managing to say after a long pause, "Please convey my gratitude to Prince Xin. I owe him this favor."
Xiao Changqing taking over would undoubtedly advance the timeline for the ink's entry into the palace, pushing it to before Noble Consort Rong took charge of the palace affairs.
I noticed some readers mentioned that I previously wrote about the Empress giving birth to a daughter. This is not incorrect. That section was written from the Crown Prince's perspective, reflecting what he knew rather than the actual events. There is no contradiction or conflict in the plot.
Here, when Xiao Changqing states that Qian Wang's consort gave birth to a princess, this outcome is based on what the Crown Prince knew—the result of the children being swapped. This aligns with the Crown Prince's belief that the Empress bore a daughter and Qian Wang's consort bore a son.
In reality, neither gave birth to a daughter; both actually had sons.
This is covered in Chapter 400. Interested readers can revisit it. Additionally, there will be further developments regarding this matter. You can ponder it carefully or wait for me to reveal it.
(End of Chapter)
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