If they want to silence witnesses and turn the tables on us, they’ll have to see if Shen Xihe agrees first!
The guards stationed deep in the southern mountains were all highly skilled martial artists. Shen Xihe had sent Mo Yuan to cautiously monitor them for a long time before finally discerning their rotation patterns. They intercepted two guards right after their shift ended yesterday—the very two who were carried into the grand hall.
To avoid leaving any clues, the men had been killed only recently.
Since these two had not yet been replaced on duty, no one was aware of their disappearance.
Given the presence of these guards, a direct assault was impossible. They also anticipated that if the matter were brought before the Youning Emperor, he would inevitably shield Prince Kang and exonerate him, leaving them vulnerable to false accusations instead.
Seeing a fleeting smile grace his sister’s lips, Shen Yungan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was he no longer worried about Shen Xihe, but he also felt assured that their entire plan was foolproof.
He recalled the words Shen Xihe had spoken to him a few days earlier: “Youyou, if we alert Prince Kang, what makes you so certain it will provoke his murderous intent? He might report it to His Majesty. After all, he holds the Emperor’s favor!”
“No, he will definitely take a risky move,” Shen Xihe asserted. “There are four reasons for this. First: If he reports to His Majesty, he would be admitting his own incompetence. The Emperor would no longer trust him with important tasks, yet fearing that Prince Kang knows too much, His Majesty might even arrange for his sudden demise.
Second: If someone deeply entrenched in the capital had discovered this, Prince Kang might act cautiously. But since it’s you and I who uncovered it, he will assess our influence here. Killing us would be easy, and we wouldn’t spread the news. Moreover, we lack the power to disrupt the weapon-forging operation.
Third: Even if everything is exposed, the worst outcome is that His Majesty learns of his incompetence. Given the high stakes and the Emperor’s vested interests, no matter how furious His Majesty is, he will still clean up the mess for Prince Kang. In fact, under such circumstances, even if the Emperor despises him, he would not let Prince Kang die an unnatural death.”
Otherwise, it would be a self-incriminating admission that Prince Kang’s weapon-forging operation was suspicious.
“Fourth: Even if he temporarily overcomes this crisis and preserves his life, His Majesty still needs trusted aides to handle unsavory tasks. Prince Kang may lack ability, but he has loyalty in abundance. Once the Emperor’s rage subsides, Prince Kang will still have opportunities to redeem himself through merit.”
Though Shen Yungan had always believed his sister was the most intelligent person in the world, it was at that moment he was profoundly struck by the depth of her insight.
For a fleeting instant, an absurd and bizarre thought crossed his mind—that the person before him was not his sister.
Immediately, he slapped himself hard across the face. How could he doubt his own flesh and blood, the sister he had cherished and protected since childhood?
How heartbroken would she be if she knew?
Back in the northwest, she simply never had the chance to showcase her talents. She had always strived to be a carefree young lady, unwilling to cause him or Father any worry.
“Since you know His Majesty will protect Prince Kang no matter what, even if we plan every step meticulously, how can we break through the Emperor’s scheme?” Shen Yungan felt it was like an arm trying to twist a thigh—a futile struggle.
The only person in the world who could distort right and wrong was the one seated high upon the Dragon Throne, revered by all!
No wonder so many people rushed headlong toward that position, willing to wade through blood and bones to claim it.
At that moment, Shen Xihe was gently and tenderly stroking Duanming the cat from head to tail.
Whenever she petted Duanming like this, the cat would kneel submissively, adopting a docile posture and emitting soft, ingratiating meows."Some matters cannot be shrouded by a single hand, no matter how much Your Majesty desires it." Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "He wishes to send men to silence witnesses, but I shall force his agents to uphold impartial justice!"
After sending away Yu Xiaodie, she had arranged for several people to integrate into farming households in nearby villages, building goodwill and establishing rapport with them.
As for the heavenly fire phenomenon, it merely involved identifying another mountain range and launching fireballs via catapults. The impact of catapult fireballs would inevitably create considerable commotion, and with the forest blanketed by dry autumn leaves, the flames spread rapidly.
Even though surrounding villages were quite distant from the raging forest fire, Shen Xihe's planted agents leveraged their influence by explaining the imminent danger and taking the lead. Having received their beneficence, the villagers naturally followed without hesitation.
"I shall time it precisely - only after His Majesty's men pass through the city gates will I signal all parties to act."
Coincidentally, today was the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration, with His Majesty decreeing nationwide festivities.
Fireworks illuminated every corner; a couple more would hardly raise suspicion. "Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, the Embroidered Uniform Envoys will arrive just as nearly a thousand commoners confront the mountain guards. Could they possibly dare to exterminate dozens of surrounding village populations all at once?"
Shen Xihe had calculated every detail meticulously. Though she dared not gamble on the Youning Emperor's benevolence, she refused to let countless civilians perish because of her schemes.
As final insurance, those rallying villagers to fight the fire would have village chiefs jointly report to authorities. The Golden Guard patrols, the Capital Prefecture governing the metropolitan area, even the city gate commanders...
All would be notified. These forces would arrive moments after the Embroidered Uniform Envoys. Even if the Envoys remained cold-blooded and disregarded civilian lives, would they dare to simultaneously eliminate the Golden Guard, Capital Prefecture constables, and garrison soldiers?
Naturally not!
Since silencing everyone was impossible, they could only fulfill their original mission of searching the mountains and apprehending suspects.
However formidable these guards protecting the illicit weapons forge might be, could they possibly surpass the Embroidered Uniform Envoys?
"Only by making His Majesty taste the agony of his own forces destroying each other can he comprehend the resentment and hatred of those who fell beneath his blade when he turned against his meritorious subjects."
Shen Xihe's words still echoed in Shen Yungan's ears, leaving him in utter admiration of his sister's brilliance.
The outer hall remained deathly quiet, all present visibly witnessing the Youning Emperor's darkened countenance.
Except for Wang Zheng who kept his eyes closed in silence, and the pensive Xue Heng and Cui Zheng, most attendees assumed the Emperor was suppressing rage over Prince Kang's deception, hardly daring to breathe.
This didn't prevent their minds from racing. As Wang Zheng had noted, unless Prince Kang had lost his mind, why would he commit such treasonous acts?
Though none suspected the Youning Emperor's involvement, they speculated wildly about which imperial prince Prince Kang supported and for whom he labored.
The oppressive atmosphere persisted until Embroidered Uniform Envoys delivered the corpse of the guard captain from the weapons forge via eunuchs. The corpse's torn sleeve revealed an arm bearing the same tattoo as the assassins who targeted Shen Xihe and Shen Yungan.
The Youning Emperor finally erupted, kicking the trembling Prince Kang to the ground: "Imprison Prince Kang! Dispatch Embroidered Uniform Envoys to confiscate his estate pending formal sentencing!"
With a furious sleeve flick, the Emperor stormed away.
Ministers departed with hushed steps while Shen Yungan carried his unconscious sister into a carriage leaving Hibiscus Garden."Brother, you must arrange trustworthy people at the Court of the Imperial Clan to observe who visits Prince Kang!" Shen Xihe opened her eyes, her gaze clear yet unfathomably deep. "Let us see whether the one we suspect is truly the Crown Prince or Prince Jing."
The Youning Emperor remained uncertain about how much evidence Prince Kang had retained, and thus would not immediately take his life.
She was convinced that the suspect would seize this opportunity to force Prince Kang to talk and obtain whatever could compromise His Majesty!
This was the final layer of meaning behind the trap she had set.
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