Xiao Changtai carried Ye Wantang away. When Shen Xihe’s subordinates and Xiao Changfeng’s men tried to stop them, Shen Xihe commanded, “Let him go.”
“Princess Consort, Xiao Changtai is a traitor who colluded with foreign enemies,” Xiao Changfeng wasn’t as obedient as Shen Xihe’s subordinates.
Xiao Changtai continued walking as if he hadn’t heard Xiao Changfeng’s words.
“Prince Xun, this is the Northwest. If you don’t wish to become the next Pei Zhan, don’t defy me,” Shen Xihe warned in a deep voice.
As soon as she finished speaking, Mo Yuan and others had already drawn their swords with hostile expressions toward Xiao Changfeng and his men.
“Let’s talk this through, let’s talk this through.” Bu Shulin, who was technically one of Xiao Changfeng’s subordinates, stepped forward to mediate. Seeming to have persuaded Shen Xihe, she turned to Xiao Changfeng and said, “Commander, the wise adapt to circumstances. You and I are merely ordered to protect Her Highness the Princess Consort. We have no authority over other matters – who is a traitor and who is a rebel is not for us to judge.”
Regarding the accusation that Xiao Changtai colluded with foreign enemies, no one had evidence. Besides Xiao Huayong and Geng Liangcheng, no one had witnessed Xiao Changtai’s actions in Tujue firsthand, and their secretly received intelligence reports couldn’t serve as proof.
Previously when Xiao Changtai had fled and was presumed dead, His Majesty had ordered his clan’s execution but hadn’t issued an arrest warrant for a “dead man.” Though Xiao Changfeng now wanted to capture Xiao Changtai, he had no legitimate authority to do so.
Moreover, given the Provincial Governor’s reverence toward Shen Xihe, Xiao Changfeng truly couldn’t leave the governor’s mansion with just one word from her.
While killing him would be difficult for Shen Xihe to explain and would cause numerous problems – which was why she hadn’t ordered his death after weighing the pros and cons – if pushed too far, she could potentially fabricate charges to have him executed.
Xiao Changfeng could only watch helplessly as Xiao Changtai left. After Xiao Changtai’s departure, he too was kept under Shen Xihe’s watch, forbidden from leaving the governor’s mansion.
Shen Xihe went to visit Xiao Huayong. Yesterday when she had returned, she had used a secret entrance. Even though Xiao Changfeng had heard some movement, he couldn’t have seen her. He had no way to confirm whether Xiao Huayong had ever left the governor’s mansion.
“You let him go?” Xiao Huayong had received the news before Shen Xihe arrived.
“He has nothing left to live for. Why not grant him a final shred of dignity?” Shen Xihe replied indifferently.
“You trust him this much?” Xiao Huayong was somewhat surprised.
Xiao Changtai was a man who would stop at nothing – like wildfire that couldn’t be completely extinguished, sprouting anew with the spring breeze.
“All these years, he never had another woman.” Not even in secret – his feelings for Ye Wantang were genuine.
This was also why Ye Wantang would rather die than let him go. It was hard to say whether this was Ye Wantang’s fortune or misfortune.
“Based on this alone, you believe he wasn’t lying?” Xiao Huayong pondered thoughtfully.
“If he had used any other reason, I naturally wouldn’t have believed him. At this point, he wouldn’t use the Ye family to escape.” Seeing Xiao Huayong’s persistent questioning, Shen Xihe began to waver slightly and added with a smile, “If he truly proves to be utterly shameless, I won’t let him escape the Northwest.”
Seeing how his casual questioning had made Shen Xihe lose confidence, Xiao Huayong found it both amusing and somewhat gratifying. It was because she valued his abilities that she took his doubts seriously. He dropped the matter and concealed his smile, saying, “If certain people fail to know what’s good for them, killing them wouldn’t be amiss.”
Seeing his gloomy expression, Shen Xihe immediately understood he was referring to Xiao Changfeng. She shook her head and said, “It can’t be done cleanly.”
Setting aside Xiao Changfeng’s capabilities, his men had become elite forces after the incident at Liangzhou Post Station. He must have also left men outside the mansion. Most importantly, Bu Shulin was one of Xiao Changfeng’s subordinates. Let alone being unable to eliminate Xiao Changfeng and all his men in one stroke, even if they could accomplish this, leaving Bu Shulin alone would put her in danger.
If they killed Xiao Changfeng on trumped-up charges and gave Emperor Youning a perfunctory explanation, while the Emperor couldn’t openly rage, he could use the fact that only Bu Shulin survived the total annihilation to endlessly torment her.
Moreover, Bu Shulin was a woman and couldn’t be sent to prison – if her identity was exposed, the consequences would be even more unthinkable.
This was why Shen Xihe repeatedly showed forbearance toward Xiao Changfeng.
Additionally, they had already caused quite a stir in the Northwest this time. They couldn’t continue making trouble, or they would incur the Emperor’s hatred. The Emperor was still the sovereign who held great power – in a confrontation, they would certainly be at a disadvantage.
“I thought you had already decided to kill him,” Xiao Huayong’s brows furrowed slightly.
Given Shen Xihe’s character, not finding an excuse to send Xiao Changfeng away but keeping him in the governor’s mansion, even occasionally restricting his movements, was tantamount to exposing her actions to him. How could Xiao Changfeng not report this to His Majesty?
Even without evidence, His Majesty would deeply believe Xiao Changfeng’s words, unless Shen Xihe deliberately wanted His Majesty to know everything. His eyes sharpened as he suddenly sat up, fixing his gaze on Shen Xihe: “Youyou, you—”
Being as clever as he was, he could easily understand why Shen Xihe would act this way – she intended to take all responsibility for everything that happened in the Northwest upon herself and the Shen family!
“How can you do this to me? Have you truly never considered me family?” In his agitation, Xiao Huayong’s hidden anxieties and insecurities burst forth all at once.
Shen Xihe had expected Xiao Huayong to be displeased once he understood, but she hadn’t anticipated such an extreme reaction. She was slightly stunned: “How could you think this way?”
“Why wouldn’t I think this way?” Having already spoken the words buried in his heart, Xiao Huayong decided to lay it all bare. “You keep me carefully hidden away, yet completely expose yourself and your father. You simply want His Majesty to direct all his attention toward you and your father. To avoid involving me, you’re willing to let His Majesty view you as a thorn in his side, deliberately letting him see your methods!”
Since they had known each other, whether as the fake Xiao Huayong or the real one she later exposed, he had never raised his voice to her so harshly. Shen Xihe found herself unable to refute his words – his reasoning was correct, but his understanding of her intentions was not.
She grasped his trembling hand, gently stroking it, saying nothing.
Xiao Huayong wanted to pull his hand away but couldn’t bring himself to do so. Being silently comforted by her like this made him feel extremely awkward – though he was very angry, he couldn’t maintain his anger. He simply kept his face stern.
When his face was no longer so flushed, Shen Xihe finally spoke in a gentle voice: “I’m not doing this out of gratitude to you, nor out of fear of implicating you, and certainly not, as you said because I’ve never considered you family.”
To show his determination to stand with them, he had expended great effort this time to completely uproot His Majesty’s power in the Northwest. Shen Xihe understood his grievance.