Over the years, the Youning Emperor dared not mention this child because he did not wish to recall how his personal ambition and lust for power had driven him to kill his own brother and seize the throne. He believed that the Empress Dowager, being the child's biological grandmother, would never resort to such cruelty.
This was precisely why, when His Majesty feigned illness and insisted on meeting Xiao Juesong, Shen Xihe produced a genuine Qilang.
By making the Emperor suspect the Empress Dowager—Shen Xihe had already deduced she was the most suspicious party—the Empress Dowager's words to Xiao Huayong must have contained falsehoods. Shen Xihe deliberately visited the imperial mausoleum to pay respects to the late Empress.
Legend claimed that Qian Wang's consort's "daughter" had died young and thus wasn't interred in the imperial mausoleum. Yet the Empress Dowager and the Emperor knew this "daughter" was actually born to the Empress. Regardless, the child should have had a gravesite, even if not beside the Empress, and there should have been irregularities during memorial rites. Shen Xihe observed none.
She sent Ziyu to investigate and found that palace staff tasked with conducting sacrifices never prepared extra offerings. Thus, Shen Xihe surmised the real "daughter" hadn't died. But if she were merely a princess, even if swapped to become Qian Wang's consort's daughter, her survival would threaten no one. Why find a substitute to die young and send the real one away?
From this, Shen Xihe formed a bold conjecture: there never was a princess—it was a tale told to the world. Both Qian Wang's consort and the Empress had given birth to sons.
If the Empress Dowager truly masterminded everything, having sacrificed her own son, why would she spare a grandson once removed? This grandson's survival posed too many variables; she would inevitably eliminate him.
Those sent to silence the child would themselves be silenced to bury the secret forever.
Armed with this audacious theory and lacking concrete evidence, Shen Xihe took a risk: she fabricated that Xiao Juesong had raised the true Crown Prince, instilling in him hatred for being sacrificed, and that he had returned to seek vengeance against the Emperor.
The appearance of the real Crown Prince made even the Empress Dowager uncertain of the truth.
The Empress Dowager couldn't have witnessed the murder of the Empress's son herself—doing so would have risked the Emperor's detection. The assassins must have been utterly loyal, but if they had failed and the child was truly abducted by Xiao Juesong, would they dare report truthfully? That would be suicide.
These nuances of human nature made Shen Xihe's scheme flawless.
She had verified every detail meticulously.
All eyes turned to the Empress Dowager, who, as Shen Xihe predicted, gradually regained her composure: "I know not either."
She truly hadn't intended for the child to live. The assassins reported the deed done, and she had them killed afterward. But the child's appearance during last year's sacrificial rites...
As Shen Xihe anticipated, the Empress Dowager couldn't be certain of past events.
The Youning Emperor's gaze shifted to Shen Xihe's stern face: "What does the Crown Princess think?"
"If even the Empress Dowager knows not, how could I?The Emperor indeed suspected last year's prayer attendees. Yet, even with doubts, he'd rather err than risk omission—burying the person in the imperial mausoleum and legitimizing their identity.
Whether out of guilt toward Qian Wang, his own son, or both, remained unclear.
The Youning Emperor fixed a heavy stare on Shen Xihe: "Let this end here. Cease now."
"Your Majesty, the death bell has tolled. There is no turning back." Shen Xihe's eyes darkened with resolve, yielding not an inch.Everyone gasped sharply. She was trying to turn the Emperor's feigned death into a real one.
Otherwise, how could she follow the Youning Emperor's wishes, use herself as bait to lure out the Empress Dowager, and confront her first?
Ultimately, it was about ensuring her son would legitimately inherit the throne, where the Emperor still held the advantage in popular support.
"What audacity," the Youning Emperor sneered coldly.
"Your Majesty, though I do not know why you appear healthy, you have at most two days left. Why pretend with me? Even if I truly gave up, would you spare me or the Northwest?" Shen Xihe questioned.
The Youning Emperor fell silent for a moment before replying truthfully, "Between me and the Northwest, there is only victory or defeat—no letting go."
This battle was inevitable.
"I am also the daughter of the Northwest King," Shen Xihe declared, naturally standing with her family through thick and thin.
The Youning Emperor's eyes darkened. "If you were not a daughter of the Shen family..."
He left the rest unsaid, for there was no "if" to begin with.
Changing the subject, the Youning Emperor said, "Then let me see your capabilities."
"Let me also truly experience the might of Your Majesty's Invincible Army!"
The confrontation was intense, with neither side yielding an inch. Everyone noticed that the seemingly delicate Crown Princess held a presence that did not lose to the Emperor, who had ruled for over twenty years.
Just then, the night watch drum sounded—it was already the fourth watch.
"Princess Lie, take your people to prepare Prince Lie's body for burial," Shen Xihe instructed Moyu to move Xiao Changqing to a nearby couch before turning to You Wenjun.
Tear stains still fresh on her face, You Wenjun gave Shen Xihe a complicated look but complied with the order.
The Youning Emperor did not send anyone to stop them. Instead, he sat across from the Empress Dowager at the table. "You remain composed, as if you fully understand my plans."
"How dare I presume to guess Your Majesty's intentions," Shen Xihe said humbly, elegantly taking a seat at the round wooden table. "These are merely acts of self-preservation."
"Since there's nothing else to do, why not share your thoughts with me?" The situation was unresolved, yet both sides, though tense, remained calm, waiting for the overall picture to shift.
At Shen Xihe's signal, Moyu poured her a cup of water. It was somewhat cold, but Shen Xihe didn't mind, taking a small sip.
Her action made the Youning Emperor's gaze deepen.
At this moment, given Shen Xihe's caution, her willingness to consume anything from the Hall of Diligent Governance could only mean she was certain the water was safe.
What gave her such confidence?
This was something the Youning Emperor found deeply worth pondering.
"Your Majesty's Invincible Army, if I am not mistaken, is divided into three parts," Shen Xihe set down her cup silently. "One led by Xun Wang is likely on its way to storm the palace and will arrive within a quarter of an hour.
Another has long been lurking outside the Northwest, and the third is advancing toward the Northeast."
The Youning Emperor remained expressionless. "Go on."
Since everyone was waiting for an outcome, Shen Xihe saw no point in sitting idly. Moreover, with so many of the Emperor's consorts present—women who were more or less closely tied to the former court—it was an opportunity.
Through their accounts, today's events would spread to those circles, ensuring no one would dare bully the orphaned and widowed in the future."The northeast is the region where Xun Wang stabilizes for Your Majesty, including the Chief Military Commissions of Shiwei, the Blackwater Tribe, and Bohai. All are Your Majesty's trusted allies. With just a rallying call from Your Majesty, hundreds of thousands of troops can be assembled. Even if turmoil arises in the palace or incidents occur in the northwest, they would likely receive the imperial decree to 'purge the court of evil ministers' that Your Majesty had already dispatched, and march forth to attack." Shen Xihe spoke unhurriedly.
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