He had first openly visited the Prince of Kang, and then Shen Yingruo visited afterward. Even if someone suspected Shen Yingruo’s visit had ulterior motives, they wouldn’t connect it to Prince Zhao.

To conceal himself and avoid arousing suspicion, he hadn’t considered her status as the illegitimate daughter of the Northwest King, nor had he thought about how, as the Prince of Kang’s legitimate niece, being suspected of trying to profit from her dying uncle like others would make her appear despicable and break her uncle’s heart.

This was the man she had once loved. Back when her mother was imprisoned and she had begged him to help her see her mother, only to be flatly refused, Shen Yingruo realized that power and reputation meant more to him than she did.

“County Lady, should we go to the Princess’s mansion to explain things to the Princess and Young Master?” the wet nurse asked softly.

In the wet nurse’s view, Shen Yingruo was truly pitiful, having lost everything overnight.

“No need. Brother and Elder Sister don’t like seeing me,” Shen Yingruo smiled bitterly. “They neither like nor hate me. They won’t grow distant because I visited Uncle, nor will they warm to me if I hadn’t visited him.”

To them, she was someone who shouldn’t exist, her presence constantly reminding them of how they lost their mother. Not being resentful was already a testament to their noble character. It would be better to stay out of their sight as much as possible in the future.

Shen Xihe and Shen Yun’an learned of Shen Yingruo’s visit to the Prince of Kang before she had even left the Court of the Imperial Clan.

Shen Yun’an remarked indifferently: “She is the Prince of Kang’s legitimate niece after all. Going to see him at this time is understandable.”

Shen Yun’an wasn’t angered by this at all. He had never considered Shen Yingruo’s family, so her closeness to her maternal relatives seemed natural to him and didn’t make him think she couldn’t distinguish between close and distant relations.

Shen Xihe lowered her brows and instructed Mo Yuan: “Go investigate which prince she’s been in close contact with.”

“Do Youyou think she didn’t visit the Prince of Kang out of blood ties?” Shen Yun’an frowned.

This made him somewhat disgusted. While the Prince of Kang was their enemy, for his closest relative to use him for others’ benefit under the guise of family affection when he was near death, he didn’t sympathize with the Prince of Kang but found such behavior cold-blooded.

“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Shen Xihe evaluated Shen Yingruo as a stranger, neither liking nor disliking her. “I don’t know if she went for personal gain, but I do know her timing for the visit was off.”

The Prince of Kang had been imprisoned for a night, and this couldn’t be kept secret – everyone knew.

If Shen Yingruo was simply paying her respects or saying goodbye, she should have gone early. Once the sentence was passed, visits would be impossible, and who knew how long the investigation and sentencing would take?

Now it was nearly dusk, making it seem as though she went on someone’s behalf or prompting. Note how Prince Zhao visited last night.

However, when Mo Yuan returned from his investigation, he was quite ashamed: “This subordinate is incompetent and couldn’t find evidence of the Second Young Lady having close relations with any prince.”

Shen Yingruo was Princess Changling’s companion. Princess Changling had no blood siblings, and her birth mother had died early. It was said her features resembled the Empress’s, and Emperor Youning especially favored her.

“No matter. If it weren’t deeply hidden, they wouldn’t be His Majesty’s sons.” Shen Xihe wasn’t disappointed but smiled slightly. “I thought they would all show their true colors, but it turns out they’re all clever.”

They even knew how to use Shen Yingruo to achieve their goals without leaving traces.

“If you want to know, just summon her and ask,” Shen Yun’an suggested bluntly.

“Brother, let the previous generation’s grudges end here. Whether we acknowledge her or not, whether we like her or not, she shares our blood,” Shen Xihe spoke gently. “As long as she doesn’t provoke us, it’s best to maintain peace and not trouble Father.”

Shen Yingruo was still Shen Yueshan’s flesh and blood. No matter how much he disliked her, he had responsibilities and obligations as a father.

Before Madam Xiao had stood between them, allowing Shen Yueshan to remain uninvolved, but now he couldn’t.

“Knowing or not knowing makes no difference,” Shen Xihe wasn’t curious. Whoever benefited from this situation made no difference to them. “Better to watch the show quietly. The Emperor must be the most anxious right now.”

Emperor Youning was indeed very anxious. Pinning it on Prince Zhao would look too obvious and wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny, but everyone else’s careful behavior was giving him a headache.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Prince Ding Xiao Changtai requested an audience. As soon as he saw Emperor Youning, he fell to his knees, weeping: “Son has been unfilial, conspiring with Uncle. Please punish me, Father.”

Emperor Youning looked sharply at Prince Ding, seeing genuine remorse in his tearful eyes: “Son was blinded by greed and harbored improper thoughts. Please give your son a chance to live, son will certainly reform.”

“Do you know what you’re saying?” Emperor Youning asked gravely.

Prince Ding kowtowed: “Everything was son’s fault. Son is willing to take all responsibility, though son won’t be able to serve at Father’s knee in the future. Please take care of yourself, Father.”

Emperor Youning’s thoughts churned as he stared heavily at Prince Ding, silent for a long time.

The hall was completely silent, incense smoke curling up, floating and sinking, dispersing soundlessly.

“Go to Tanshan to guard the imperial tombs and repent before the ancestors,” Emperor Youning said tonelessly.

“Son, thank you for your mercy,” Prince Ding kowtowed heavily, his expression relieved, a fleeting smile crossing his lips.

This was a dangerous move. After years of keeping a low profile, his façade of being uninterested in power had been torn away, leading to marital discord and loss of imperial favor. Staying here now felt like sitting on pins and needles.

From last night until now, he and his advisors had discussed countless times, finally deciding to take the blame for his Imperial Father, regain imperial favor, and once again maintain a low profile, as the timing wasn’t right with His Majesty still in his prime.

Furthermore…

Xiao Changtai stumbled back to his mansion, face pale, and rushed to Ye Wantang’s courtyard: “Wanwan, this time I’ve truly given up everything, confessing all to His Majesty. I’m no longer a noble prince, just a criminal at the imperial tombs, unable to leave without imperial decree. If you’re unwilling… we can divorce.”

“What happened?” Ye Wantang supported him, asking worriedly.

Xiao Changtai gazed at her dazedly: “Wanwan, I’ve given you everything you wanted, everything…”

Only when the imperial decree was read at Prince Ding’s mansion, stripping Xiao Changtai of his title, reducing him to a commoner, and punishing him to guard the tombs at Tanshan, did Ye Wantang understand what had happened?

She firmly gripped Xiao Changtai’s hand: “I will accompany you. I am your wife.”

Both Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong were stunned by Prince Ding’s desperate gambit for future survival.

“Heh, Fourth Brother had such courage. I truly underestimated these brothers,” Xiao Huayong laughed, then sighed deeply.

“Why does Your Highness sigh?” Tianyuan asked, confused.

“Another one gone, one less scapegoat for the future,” Xiao Huayong’s handsome, thick eyebrows showed a trace of worry. “Youyou will likely find it easier to recognize me.”

Tianyuan: …