After listening to him, Shen Xihe’s obsidian eyes remained calm: “I neither dislike it nor am I annoyed.”

Her response left Xiao Huayong feeling as if he’d punched cotton—powerless and unsure how to describe his current feelings. He feared her genuine annoyance yet didn’t want her to be so indifferent.

Lowering his eyelids, he said softly: “As long as Youyou don’t mind…”

Shen Xihe was extremely sensitive to others’ emotional changes, and there was an unmistakable passive-aggressive undertone in Xiao Huayong’s words. She chose not to explore why he felt this way, as there were more pressing matters: “About Prince Xun’s body—do you intend to have it dissected?”

With proper handling, they could certainly drive a wedge between the current Prince Xun, Xiao Changfeng, and His Majesty.

Xiao Huayong looked at Prince Xun’s body: “Uncle devoted his life to the Northeast. Though we ended up serving different masters, his achievements cannot be erased. His body shouldn’t be desecrated after death.”

While he could have followed through with everything he’d threatened Prince Xun with, some things he wouldn’t do—this was the respect due to a general who had protected his country.

Shen Xihe’s lips curved into a smile. Xiao Huayong’s respect for Prince Xun made her appreciate his character even more: “Send him to the Prince Xun Manor?”

Fallen leaves return to their roots—even in death, people hope to be buried in their ancestral graves, honored by future generations. If they were to show respect, they might as well go all the way.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Huayong nodded: “I’ll have my people lead Xiao Changfeng to discover Uncle’s body.”

Shen Xihe nodded without further comment—Xiao Huayong wouldn’t overlook any details. She turned to leave the secret chamber, with Xiao Huayong following closely behind.

Leaving the courtyard, Xiao Huayong looked up at the westward-moving moon. He desperately wanted to invite Shen Xihe for a night excursion—sailing down the river under lantern light, sharing tea and conversation, taking in the beautiful scenery and moonlight by the river. It would be unforgettable.

But Shen Xihe hadn’t fully recovered, and lack of sleep would greatly harm her health. Xiao Huayong could only sigh internally.

“Your Highness, are you contemplating the Divine Army situation?” Shen Xihe turned her head, catching a fleeting melancholy in Xiao Huayong’s eyes through the moonlight.

Xiao Huayong: …

He didn’t dare let her know his mind had been full of romantic thoughts, so he simply mumbled: “Mm.”

“Prince Xun was forced to reveal himself less than ten days ago,” Shen Xihe didn’t board the carriage, instead accepting a veil from Mo Yu and walking alongside Xiao Huayong under the moonlight. “Ten days isn’t enough to reach many places, but that’s assuming departure from the capital. If His Majesty sent word to commanders stationed near the Divine Army’s location, that’s another matter.”

Xiao Huayong wanted to remind Shen Xihe to return and rest early, but he cherished this moment walking with her through quiet alleys in the dead of night. After hesitating for a moment, looking at the narrow stone path ahead, he answered: “When His Majesty left the hunting grounds, he dispatched six Embroidered Guards from the capital. My people lost track of three.”

Zhao Zhenghao was still being punished with house arrest for the previous incident, causing him to miss this opportunity—such was fate, Xiao Huayong couldn’t help but sigh.

Shen Xihe was slightly startled. She had never dismissed her suspicion that Xiao Huayong was the mastermind behind Hua Fuhai’s impersonator, even though Xiao Fuhing’s appearance had drawn more suspicion.

While Shen Xihe was certain Xiao Fuhing was Hua Fuhai’s impersonator, she wouldn’t rule out any suspects until she unveiled whether Xiao Fuhing belonged to Xiao Huayong or Prince Jing Xiao Changyan. Hearing Xiao Huayong’s words now, her suspicion of him decreased slightly. Xiao Fuhing had impersonated Zhao Zhenghao, an Embroidered Guard. There were only about a dozen Embroidered Guards, and six were sent out to create confusion.

Even without Zhao Zhenghao among them, as fellow Embroidered Guards, he should have provided some useful leads to his master. Xiao Huayong wouldn’t have cast such a wide net only to lose track of four people.

The Embroidered Guards were highly secretive—no civil or military official knew their identities. Even Duke Zhao didn’t know Zhao Zhenghao was an Embroidered Guard. Dong Biquan only knew because he too was His Majesty’s confidant.

Therefore, very few people knew the details of an Embroidered Guard’s punishment. Shen Xihe couldn’t penetrate Emperor Youning’s inner circle and thus didn’t know about Zhao Zhenghao’s house arrest, which caused Xiao Huayong to miss this opportunity.

This shifted suspicion toward Prince Jing Xiao Changyan. Shen Xihe had considered asking Xiao Huayong directly, but although they intended to marry, they weren’t yet wed. Until then, there could be variables—one shouldn’t meddle in affairs beyond their position. She had no right to ask Xiao Huayong these things yet.

Gathering her thoughts, Shen Xihe said: “Your Highness, I wonder—even if His Majesty sent word to his confidants to relocate the Divine Army, it’s not just a few hundred men. How could they move suddenly without drawing attention?”

Well-trained soldiers carried themselves differently—their bearing and demeanor would stand out in a crowd. One or two might pass as caravan guards or wandering warriors, but how could a large group move unnoticed?

“There are three ways: moving from one mountain to another, thus avoiding anyone’s notice,” Xiao Huayong had considered this before.

“That method is too risky,” Shen Xihe felt His Majesty was too shrewd to be so rash.

Xiao Huayong nodded in agreement: “Their station is near rivers and sea—moving by boat at night wouldn’t alert local officials.”

This was the best solution Shen Xihe had considered, and she agreed with this assessment.

If this were the case, they could mark the possible range on a map based on travel time, then examine which riverside and coastal areas could hide troops. Moving by water would require many ships, creating significant activity—had locals noticed large numbers of vessels?

Though such an investigation would be time-consuming, it might yield a direction.

“There’s a third way,” Xiao Huayong’s eyes sparkled with slight amusement. “His Majesty never kept the Divine Army in one place.”

Shen Xihe frowned. Coming from a military family, she had heard Shen Yueshan and Shen Yun’an discuss military strategy and historical battles without concealment: “If the Divine Army trains separately, how can they work together? Without coordination on the battlefield, wouldn’t they scatter like sand?”

His Majesty wouldn’t allow such an outcome after investing so much effort and depleting the treasury to build the Divine Army.

“Making them aware they’re one unit doesn’t require living together constantly. They only need to gather initially, then separate, meeting every half year or season for martial competitions and joint training for a few days,” Xiao Huayong understood His Majesty better than Shen Xihe did.