HomeAfter I Bloom Hundred Flowers DieChapter 564: Indeed, One Sentence Was Enough to Appease Him

Chapter 564: Indeed, One Sentence Was Enough to Appease Him

Under such circumstances, it was natural for Xiao Huayong to feel resentful and hurt if Shen Xihe still kept him at arm’s length.

Xiao Huayong turned his face away, gritting his teeth, looking utterly dejected.

Shen Xihe cupped his face with both hands, forcefully turning him to face her, their eyes meeting: “I only feel this matter is extraordinarily serious. His Majesty already suspects you know about your origins. If Father and I don’t take responsibility for this entire scheme, why would you oppose His Majesty? You are the legitimate Crown Prince, and His Majesty openly shows you special favor. We can’t let His Majesty become certain that you hate him. He is the Emperor, and there’s no evidence of what happened back then. Even if there were evidence, after so many years, the court officials want stability – how could they openly support you over events from the past?

We can’t directly confront His Majesty. Father and I are already thorns in his side. In previous years, he merely viewed me as a woman, not worth his attention. After this incident, as long as Father and Brother can hold the Northwest, just as I can’t easily kill Prince Xun now, even if I’m under His Majesty’s constant watch if he can’t find any fault with me, His Majesty can’t do anything to me.”

“He may not be able to act openly, but do you know how many methods he has in secret…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Xihe interrupted Xiao Huayong. “Even if I am someone who can be bullied…” She paused, her obsidian eyes twinkling with a faint smile, “Besides, I have you by my side. I believe that even if I sink into a swamp, you can pull me out unharmed.”

The Crown Prince, who had been feeling uncomfortable with a weight in his chest and full of grievances, immediately felt refreshed upon hearing these words, as if a cool breeze had blown through the summer heat. He couldn’t help but break into a smile.

Standing at a distance, Zhenzhu, who had been cowering like a quail since the Crown Prince and Princess Consort began arguing, suddenly remembered how Princess Consort had said she could appease the Crown Prince with just one sentence. Now she truly believed it.

No matter what situation I find myself in, I believe you can protect me completely.

How could the Crown Prince stay angry after that?

This was telling the Crown Prince that the Princess Consort acted so boldly because she had someone to rely on and that someone was the Crown Prince himself.

Though he knew these words were meant to comfort him, knew that deep down she didn’t think this way – such a capable woman wouldn’t pin her hopes on a man’s protection, and whenever she encountered danger, she would always choose to save herself.

Nevertheless, hearing her words, Xiao Huayong’s accumulated frustration instantly dissipated, like clouds parting to reveal the moon, bright light enveloping his entire being, making him involuntarily radiant.

He suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace: “Youyou, I… I don’t know what to do with you.”

His entire life was destined to be in Shen Xihe’s hands. Especially now that she knew how to comfort him, she had an even firmer grip on his heart. With just one sentence from her, he would willingly give her his whole heart.

Shen Xihe’s lips curved slightly upward as she returned his embrace, even tilting her head to rest on his shoulder.

This melted Xiao Huayong’s heart completely – never mind, as long as she was happy.

And so the Crown Prince compromised.

Meanwhile, although Shen Xihe believed Xiao Changtai was determined to die, she still had people follow him – not secretly, but openly. After all, they would need to collect the bodies; how else would they know where he would end it all?

Xiao Changtai took Ye Wantang back to the small village where they had settled for the past year. They had a new home there. That night, after lying down with Ye Wantang, he never woke again, having taken the same poison as her.

The people following them discovered the couple’s embracing bodies the next morning. There were several envelopes on the table in the room, all of which were delivered to Shen Xihe by her servants.

These contained information about the complex relationships within the court that Xiao Changtai knew of, as well as some officials’ private matters. His wealth was hidden in two locations – Ye Wantang had only revealed half, and now Xiao Changtai disclosed the other half.

“A cunning hare has three burrows,” Shen Xihe couldn’t help but remark. There was a good reason why Xiao Changtai had managed to survive and stay hidden in the margins for so long.

Having received these items, Shen Xihe also fulfilled Xiao Changtai’s last wishes. She sought out a feng shui master to find an excellent burial site for the couple and ordered a lavish funeral.

It was around this time that news of Pei Zhan’s death finally reached Emperor Youning in the capital. Upon seeing the news, Emperor Youning suddenly stood up, his vision darkening, nearly collapsing. Fortunately, Liu Sanzhi was quick enough to support him.

The Emperor soon recovered, but his chest felt painfully tight. The power he had carefully and quietly cultivated in the Northwest for so many years had been eliminated this time. Pei Zhan’s forces and those surrounding Xiao Huayong were only half of it. Emperor Youning had thought that would be enough – if so many people couldn’t handle Xiao Jueson, there was no point in sacrificing more people.

But he hadn’t counted on Shen Yueshan hiding in the shadows, who had ruthlessly eliminated the Emperor’s other deeply buried forces, taking the approach of better to kill wrongly than let someone escape!

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Quickly summon…”

“No need!” Emperor Youning raised his hand to stop him.

He took a cup of tea from a young eunuch’s hands, and took a sip to catch his breath, but grew increasingly angry as he thought about it. He furiously threw the teacup, frightening all the palace maids and eunuchs in the room into kneeling, not daring to breathe.

The Northwest was lost, completely beyond his control.

Pei Zhan was also gone; the Eighth Prince must be recalled from An’nan City.

“I truly underestimated those three…” Emperor Youning closed his eyes briefly.

Since the Xiao family incident years ago, the three Shen men have maintained a superficial ruler-subject relationship with the court. The Shen father and sons neither caused trouble nor easily left behind any handles to grasp. He had focused on stabilizing the court and enriching the treasury, and things had remained peaceful.

Now the court was entirely in his hands, with only the Northwest remaining as a major concern. Shen Yueshan was issuing a warning to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, could the King of the Northwest and Crown Prince Jiachen…” Liu Sanzhi cautiously reminded him. He always felt that while this matter appeared to be planned by the three Shen men, and indeed they benefited the most, everything wouldn’t have gone so smoothly without Xiao Jueson playing a key role.

At least His Majesty wouldn’t have sent people to assassinate Xiao Jueson, which led to everything being exposed.

Emperor Youning tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose: “Shen Yueshan is too proud to ally with Xiao Jueson.”

The reason Emperor Youning had left Shen Yueshan to deal with last, rather than first joining forces with Gu Zhao to deal with Shen Yueshan before dealing with Gu Zhao, was firstly because with Tujue and Tibet watching like tigers eyeing their prey, Shen Yueshan couldn’t act rashly, and secondly because of Shen Yueshan’s well-known debt of gratitude to the three of them – mother and sons.

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