The horse whinnied as Xiao Huayong lowered his head in the gently swaying carriage, his gaze falling on his slowly opening hand. His hand was broad and sturdy, carved like ivory with clear lines, appearing full of strength.
“For me to make you disappear from this world without a trace would be as easy as turning my palm over.”
“Your Highness speaks truly, this humble subject believes it without doubt,” Xie Yunhuai remained composed. “But, would Your Highness do so?”
Xiao Huayong suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp, shooting directly at Xie Yunhuai.
Xie Yunhuai spoke calmly and gently: “If Your Highness wished to end my life, just now would have been the perfect opportunity.”
Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe had coordinated perfectly. Shen Xihe had bought enough time at the Xie residence for Xiao Huayong to set up his plan, then caused a commotion at the residence, essentially helping Xiao Huayong narrow down the area where someone could be hidden.
When Shen Xihe arrived at the palace wielding the golden token with an imposing manner, she created an opportunity for Xiao Huayong to launch a surprise attack.
However, the Xun Prince was no ordinary person. He had grown alert after Shen Xihe entered the ancestral hall, and to be safe, he had planned to escape, only to run into Xiao Huayong’s men who had infiltrated the hall and taken down the guards.
If it had been a moment later, the Xun Prince would likely have chosen to cause a disturbance, preferring to fall into His Majesty’s hands rather than be captured by Xiao Huayong.
This time, Xiao Huayong personally took action, which was why he could quickly subdue the Xun Prince, but Xie Yunhuai was in the hands of the prince’s subordinates.
Xie Yunhuai unconsciously touched the sword mark on his neck. At that time, the Xun Prince’s subordinate had demanded Xiao Huayong release the prince, or they would kill him.
What kind of person was Xiao Huayong? No one understood him better than Xie Yunhuai. Including Xiao Changyu and Xiao Changgeng who had only seen the tip of the iceberg, while he had seen everything. He knew Xiao Huayong would not compromise.
The Crown Prince never compromised with anyone, including the current Emperor.
If he died here, it would have nothing to do with Xiao Huayong, no one would know why he died, and the culprit could only be Xie Ji.
What he never expected was that Xiao Huayong released the Xun Prince.
When the Xun Prince retreated toward his subordinate, Xiao Huayong’s hidden men swooped in, directly attacking the prince. The person holding him hostage instinctively moved to protect the prince, and in that instant, before he could even see clearly how Xiao Huayong had struck, hot blood had already splattered onto his face.
But the person attacking the Xun Prince was seriously wounded by him. The Xun Prince shouted, alerting many guards of the Xie residence who came running. He made a quick decision to intercept them, claiming he was being detained by Xie Ji. The guards were all drawn to him, trying to capture him, which gave Xiao Huayong another chance to capture the Xun Prince.
It was so close – Xiao Huayong had almost let the Xun Prince escape to save his life.
Xiao Huayong quietly withdrew his gaze as the carriage turned into an empty alley and stopped. He stepped out: “Just now was not the best opportunity. I will not allow you to leave an indelible mark in her heart.”
With Shen Xihe’s intelligence, she would quickly understand why Xie Yunhuai had risked his life. If Xie Yunhuai died at the Xie residence, even if she didn’t know or blame herself for not saving him, she would still feel guilty about it.
When people are alive, anything can be changed, but once someone dies, it becomes difficult to erase certain traces.
“If that’s the case, it won’t be easy for Your Highness to kill me,” Xie Yunhuai lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze meeting the tall, jade-like figure of Xiao Huayong. “This humble subject and the Princess consider each other lifelong kindred spirits.”
Xiao Huayong looked at him sideways.
Xie Yunhuai continued: “No matter when I die, the Princess will grieve, and she will think of me every Qingming Festival and Memorial Day.”
Xiao Huayong raised his hand and struck the carriage shaft, the powerful force causing Xie Yunhuai to crash heavily into the opposite shaft. As he sat up straight, clutching his aching arm, he heard Xiao Huayong’s emotionless words.
“Killing you would be easy, and concealing the news of your death for a lifetime would also be a simple matter for me,” Xiao Huayong walked with measured steps, his voice growing distant. “I simply don’t want to deceive her, it’s not that I can’t deal with you.”
Only after Xiao Huayong’s figure disappeared into the alley did Xie Yunhuai let out a light chuckle.
“Doctor Qi, are you heading home?” the carriage driver attendant asked from outside.
Xie Yunhuai: “Go to the Princess’s residence.”
If he returned home, Shen Xihe would surely come looking for him, so he might as well wait for her return at the Princess’s residence.
When Xie Yunhuai arrived at the Princess’s residence, he had Sui Axi help him with acupuncture and prepare some medicine before Shen Xihe returned with Zhenzhu and the others.
“Are your injuries serious?” Shen Xihe asked with concern.
“If I say they’re not serious, you might not fully believe me, so I simply had Axi treat my injuries. Princess can ask Axi directly,” Xie Yunhuai said with a smile.
Shen Xihe did indeed look toward Sui Axi, who said: “Princess need not worry, Doctor Qi only has some external injuries, and the internal injuries are minor. Rather, the bruising on his arm is more serious. There’s some bruising, I’ve applied needles, it might hurt for a day tomorrow, but will be fine the day after.”
Hearing this, Xie Yunhuai unconsciously touched his arm.
Shen Xihe felt relieved after hearing this and said seriously: “Thank you for this time.”
Although she didn’t know how Xie Yunhuai had learned about the Xun Prince’s matter, given that he had previously been able to investigate the Jiannanchun incident, it was clear he had connections in the capital. Shen Xihe didn’t pursue the matter further.
But she could understand that Xie Yunhuai must have known that the person Duke Xie sought him to treat was likely the Xun Prince, which was why he went this time, to help her find the Xun Prince. The Xun Prince and Xie Yunhuai had no personal grudge; if not for helping her, he would never have agreed.
“Princess need not thank me,” Xie Yunhuai smiled elegantly. “Indeed, I went because I knew it was the Xun Prince, but it wasn’t entirely to help the Princess.”
Shen Xihe looked at him questioningly.
Xie Yunhuai said tactfully: “I heard Xie Ji has been stripped of his military authority.”
“Was this what you wanted?” Shen Xihe seemed to understand.
“I did indeed know the Princess wanted to capture the Xun Prince, and I also wanted to deal with Duke Xie. It benefited both of us and wasn’t entirely selfless,” Xie Yunhuai smiled frankly.
Shen Xihe thought for a moment, and it was indeed so, Duke Xie had suffered misfortune this time, but she said: “If that were truly the case, you should have let His Majesty know he was harboring the Xun Prince.”
“That would certainly have angered His Majesty,” Xie Yunhuai shook his head with a smile. “Xie Ji is cunning and eloquent, as the Princess probably knows somewhat. Firstly, I cannot see His Majesty; secondly, even if His Majesty knew the Xun Prince was in his residence, he could still shirk responsibility, such as claiming he was coerced by the Xun Prince.
Thirdly, the Xun Prince officially only faked his death, so even if Xie Ji harbored him, it wouldn’t be a major offense. His Majesty probably wouldn’t even openly dismiss him from office. As for arousing His Majesty’s suspicion, he would have ways to dispel it.”
Weighing it like this, the current outcome was better. Xie Ji had schemed and calculated for years without ever being trapped by others. This time, he finally got a taste of being schemed against, which was probably more uncomfortable than being dismissed from office.
“Speaking this way, it seems I used the Princess instead.”
Shen Xihe laughed: “We need not debate what your initial intentions were. It’s good that we each gained what we wanted.”