HomeAfter I Bloom Hundred Flowers DieChapter 533: Only You Can Stand as My Equal

Chapter 533: Only You Can Stand as My Equal

Sang Yin staggered back a step, barely steadying himself with one hand against the table. “What do you have in mind?”

Geng Liangcheng’s heart leaped with joy – Sang Yin agreed: “The King’s suffering through this is painful. You must have some peaceful medicine in your possession.”

This was asking him to administer poison, making him Geng Liangcheng’s accomplice – afterward, he could never expose him.

Though Sang Yin knew Geng Liangcheng was calculating, he still felt he had underestimated him all along.

“Let me think about it.” Sang Yin walked away, appearing somewhat dazed.

Geng Liangcheng stood up, watching him leave without stopping him. For Sang Yin, such a decision couldn’t be made hastily, but he had ways to make Sang Yin commit.

When Sang Yin returned to the Northwest King’s mansion to check Shen Yueshan’s pulse, he found it stronger than yesterday, which relieved his anxiety. Shortly after returning to the Sang residence, the gatekeeper delivered a box. Inside was a bracelet he had given his wife, along with a letter threatening that next time it would be his wife’s hand.

Soon after, Geng Liangcheng arrived with another box containing one of his wife’s earrings and a similar letter threatening that next time it would be his wife’s ear.

“Old Sang, we can’t delay anymore. They won’t give our loved ones a quick death – they’ll torture them! If the King knew, he would surely prefer to trade his life for our families!” Geng Liangcheng pleaded.

Sang Yin stared at the box in his hands, fingers tracing the bracelet for a long while before speaking in a hoarse voice: “Tomorrow… we’ll act tomorrow…”

Suppressing his joy, Geng Liangcheng placed a heavy hand on Sang Yin’s shoulder: “Old Sang, the King… the King won’t blame us…”

Sang Yin ignored Geng Liangcheng, clutching the bracelet as he went inside without acknowledging him. Geng Liangcheng wasn’t concerned – to him, this reaction seemed natural.

That evening, Xiao Huayong slipped into Shen Yingruo’s chambers. She had just laid down when he removed his outer robe and joined her: “Tomorrow Geng Liangcheng will make his move. In two more days, His Majesty’s people will arrive in the Northwest.”

“What about Uncle Sang’s family?” Shen Yingruo was concerned.

“Don’t worry. Geng Liangcheng proved cleverer than we anticipated. Rather than just threatening Uncle Sang by capturing his family, he had his wife kidnapped too, staging it as Prince Jiachen’s men taking them all, demanding they conspire to kill your father.” Xiao Huayong couldn’t help but smile at this. “He’s thinking long-term – putting himself in the same boat as Uncle Sang, he won’t harm Sang’s family.”

It was a multi-purpose plan: achieving his goal of getting Sang Yin to help poison Shen Yueshan; concealing his true nature; and securing an ally for when Shen Yunan meets with an “accident.”

Had Sang Yin not known the truth beforehand, he might have believed it all. Faced with both his loved ones and his close friend’s family, he might have compromised, since he couldn’t save Shen Yueshan anyway. If it were just himself and his family, he could bear being the Sang family’s sinner, but could he live with betraying a close friend’s family?

Xiao Huayong guessed he might have taken Shen Yueshan’s life and then sacrificed himself once Shen Yunan secured the position.

Geng Liangcheng wouldn’t let Sang Yin die – he had ways to keep him alive. He could reveal the truth to Sang Yin’s family, have them beg together, or declare they would die with him, thus keeping Sang Yin alive.

If Shen Yunan then met with an “accident” that pointed to His Majesty, Sang Yin would seek revenge. Geng Liangcheng could approach him about their shared hatred – how could Sang Yin not support him then?

“His thoughts aren’t deep enough. How did he manage to hide this from father for so long?” Shen Yingruo wasn’t surprised.

Geng Liangcheng’s ability to hide so well stemmed partly from his relationship with Shen Yueshan, who wouldn’t easily suspect his loyalty to His Majesty, and partly from his caution and cunning.

“It’s just a pity…” Shen Yingruo lifted her eyes to look at Xiao Huayong, “a pity he encountered you.”

Xiao Huayong was half-reclining against the headboard, looking down at her: “Even without me, once exposed, could he escape your grasp?”

In all the world, in matters of strategy, he acknowledged only the person in his arms as his equal.

“Without you, dealing with him would not be easy.” Shen Yingruo had been considering how she would handle Geng Liangcheng without Xiao Huayong. She had methods, but none as clean and efficient as his.

“My lady’s praise brings me great joy. If there could be some tangible reward…” Xiao Huayong’s silver-bright eyes fixed on Shen Yingruo’s pink lips, his meaning clear.

Xiao Huayong always teased Shen Yingruo like this, before and after marriage, unchanging. Previously, she would either avoid him, handle him helplessly, or change the subject.

To Xiao Huayong’s utter surprise, Shen Yingruo suddenly lifted her neck, their lips meeting briefly before she lay back down. Xiao Huayong remained frozen, staring blankly as if spellbound, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.

Seeing Xiao Huayong so dumbfounded, Shen Yingruo couldn’t help but laugh. This was the same Xiao Huayong who commanded the world’s fate and determined victory from thousands of miles away. All people were merely pieces on his board; none had ever escaped his calculations.

Yet this same man who could manipulate the world in his palm had all his cleverness shattered instantly before her. This realization filled her heart with warmth, softness, and satisfaction, like cotton stuffed in her chest.

Shen Yingruo’s laughter brought Xiao Huayong back to his senses. His slender, graceful fingers unconsciously touched his lips, as if seeking her lingering warmth. Though they were married and had kissed countless times, especially in bed, this was the first time Shen Yingruo had initiated a kiss. Even though it was so brief it felt almost imagined, it still set Xiao Huayong’s heart pounding, his eyes burning as they locked onto her.

Meeting his passionate gaze, Shen Yingruo’s smile froze. Before she could retreat, caught under his forceful advance, she still tried to remind him between breaths: “Bath… you… haven’t bathed…”

“I bathed before coming.”

He had bathed not out of ulterior motives, but knowing her love of cleanliness. How could he dare lie on her bed without bathing first?

The rest of Shen Yingruo’s words were silenced. She deeply realized how dangerous it was to ignite such a fire.

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