The confessions were genuine – under Shen Xihe’s torture, unless they were completely insensate death soldiers, few could withstand such torment. They revealed everything in detail: their origins, their contacts, how they normally concealed themselves, where they originally came from, and so on.

Of course, they didn’t know they were working for the Emperor – His Majesty would never put himself in the open for such matters. These were all embellishments Shen Xihe added in writing. It didn’t matter that there was no evidence, as dead men tell no tales, and the various clues revealed in these people’s confessions naturally pointed to who was behind it all.

“Crown Princess, do you realize this is challenging imperial authority!” Wang Changfeng hadn’t expected Shen Xihe to be so bold. How dare she – how dare she give him the heads to deliver to His Majesty’s presence?

“Challenging imperial authority?” Before Shen Xihe could respond, Xiao Huayong looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Youyou, what did you send to His Majesty?”

Speaking as if unaware, Xiao Huayong extended his hand, letting Tianyuan support him as he walked toward the box to investigate.

Shen Xihe stepped forward before him, closing the box lid: “Just a few heads, Your Highness shouldn’t look. No need to frighten Your Highness.”

“Heads?” Xiao Huayong’s face turned slightly pale, both shocked and anxious. “You… why did you send heads to His Majesty, you…”

“Your Highness.” Shen Xihe called to him softly, stepping forward to hold his hand, speaking gently, “These people claimed repeatedly they were acting on imperial orders to drive a wedge between the Western Border generals and my father. Father has always been loyal to the court, and His Majesty has praised him as a pillar of the state. These people must have been used by someone, attempting to disrupt the harmony between the court and the Western Border.

Under severe torture, they confessed to some fabricated nonsense. I wanted to send these people back to the capital for His Majesty’s judgment, but the Western Border is far from the capital, and these people were broken by torture. If we sent the complete bodies to the capital, they would likely be completely decomposed and unrecognizable – how could His Majesty investigate thoroughly then?

After much consideration, only their heads remained intact. I had people apply some fragrance to preserve them, so naturally His Majesty could see them clearly and conveniently investigate. I truly had the best intentions.”

Wang Changfeng stared at Shen Xihe in astonishment as she transformed completely before his eyes, showing such a gentle and respectful demeanor toward Xiao Huayong, every bit the image of a virtuous wife and mother.

Xiao Huayong, seeming to recover from his initial shock, calmed down and after careful consideration said: “Sending heads directly to His Majesty is still inappropriate, it offends imperial dignity and shows disrespect. Better to send them to the Court of Judicature for thorough investigation and handling.”

Wang Changfeng’s eyelid twitched – wouldn’t sending this to the Court of Judicature make this matter even bigger? Who knew if Shen Xihe had other evidence in hand? Whether she did or not, once it reached the Court of Judicature, they would need to give some explanation. Moreover, these confessions, once at the Court of Judicature, would likely be previewed by the Six Ministries and Three Departments. Even if nothing concrete came of it, everyone would form their conclusions, and His Majesty would likely lose face.

If the matter spread, other regional military governors would inevitably become suspicious. If someone took advantage of the situation to cause more trouble, who knew what complications might arise?

Now Wang Changfeng finally understood why Shen Xihe dared to be so brazen, even deliberately acting in front of Xiao Huayong – she wanted to use Xiao Huayong’s hand to blow this matter up.

“Your Highness speaks wisely, I was short-sighted.” Shen Xihe said with lowered eyes and a submissive manner. “Let’s do as Your Highness says…”

“Crown Princess.” Before Shen Xihe could finish, Wang Changfeng spoke first, “This matter is of great importance. Perhaps I should report to His Majesty first, let Him decide.”

Shen Xihe frowned with concern: “That’s not good. As the Crown Prince said, this would be disrespectful to His Majesty. I was hasty earlier, and knowing petty people were trying to sow discord, my judgment was lacking…”

“Your Highness.” Wang Changfeng didn’t want to argue with Shen Xihe – her acting skills were truly refined. He addressed Xiao Huayong directly, “This concerns the Western Border and the court. Reporting to the Court of Judicature without going through His Majesty would seem to bypass imperial authority.”

Xiao Huayong nodded in agreement after hearing this: “What you say makes sense. Let’s follow your suggestion.”

“Your Highness…”

“Youyou, I think Prince Xun’s proposal is more appropriate,” Xiao Huayong gently held Shen Xihe’s hand and persuaded her.

Shen Xihe cast a cool glance at Wang Changfeng and forced a smile: “If Your Highness thinks it appropriate, then it must be so.”

Xiao Huayong pulled Shen Xihe inside with an indulgent yet helpless expression: “In this matter, His Majesty and I will certainly give you an answer…”

Reaching the dividing screen, Xiao Huayong didn’t forget to give Wang Changfeng a look, signaling him to leave.

Wang Changfeng quickly ordered people to lift the box and strode away, while Xiao Huayong’s voice comforting Shen Xihe grew distant.

“Satisfied?” After Wang Changfeng left, Shen Xihe opened the window and watched the direction he disappeared. Xiao Huayong stood behind her and asked softly with a laugh.

“Satisfied.” Shen Xihe’s lips curved slightly.

She specifically wanted to send the heads to Emperor Youning’s presence, wanted to anger him until he coughed blood, wanted him to know clearly that she was challenging him, yet he could do nothing about it!

Putting on a show with Xiao Huayong in front of Wang Changfeng was because Wang Changfeng was Emperor Youning’s confidant. She wanted to create an image in front of Wang Changfeng of Xiao Huayong as someone who doted on his Crown Princess but still retained some clarity, seemingly still salvageable.

It remained to be seen if Wang Changfeng and His Majesty would take the bait, whether they would try to save Xiao Huayong, attempting to pull him away from the bewitchment of her, this scheming enchantress. If they came…

Shen Xihe turned to look at Xiao Huayong, smiling meaningfully – that would make for quite a show.

Knowing her thoughts, he flicked her nose gently: “His Majesty isn’t so easily fooled. Even if he truly wants to use me against you and your father, he would certainly be wary of me.”

“Wary of you? Can His Majesty guard against you?” Shen Xihe smiled lightly. “In terms of scheming, who could match Your Highness?”

Especially this Western Border trip made Shen Xihe deeply appreciate the exquisiteness and far-reaching nature of Xiao Huayong’s planning.

“So in Youyou’s heart, I am invincible.” Xiao Huayong was very pleased.

In contrast to the couple’s pleasure, Emperor Youning’s face turned iron-gray with anger upon receiving the heads Wang Changfeng delivered, even though he had only read Wang Changfeng’s message and hadn’t seen the heads placed on his imperial desk.

He had thought a few people remained, never expecting Shen Xihe to detect them so quickly, even completely uprooting them, catching them all in one sweep!

This further convinced him that the earth-shattering changes in the Western Border were all long planned by the three of them. Caught between Shen Xihe’s delivered heads and Shen Yunan’s delivered alliance treaty with the Turks, Emperor Youning felt a dull pain in his skull.