“Is this matter related to Prince Jing?” Shen Xihe furrowed her brows, a wisp of hair floating delicately in the wind, dancing between her eyebrow and temple, adding a touch of soft radiance and spirit to her appearance.
Xiao Huayong’s gaze was focused and gentle, his voice involuntarily softening: “The Pei family’s ancestral home is in Mizhou, not far from Dengzhou. This drought has affected Mizhou as well.”
Shen Xihe raised her eyebrows: “Did the Pei clan cause trouble?”
The disaster in Dengzhou was now a hot potato. The matter of His Majesty praying at Xiangguosi Temple had spread widely, though subsequent rumors of heaven’s warning and an assassination attempt on His Majesty had somewhat reduced the impact.
If the Dengzhou disaster hadn’t occurred immediately after, the common people might not have thought much of it. Now, with significant public resentment in Dengzhou, anyone with sense would avoid volunteering for disaster relief there, as one wrong move could make them His Majesty’s scapegoat.
Prince Jing was certainly no fool. Having just returned to the capital and immediately assuming the position of Minister of War, one of the Six Ministries, he should have been keeping a low profile. This was why, despite suspecting the Shen family and Shen Xihe’s involvement in Pei Zhan’s death, he had remained inactive.
Now suddenly volunteering for disaster relief in Dengzhou, taking on a task everyone else was desperate to avoid, there must be a reason compelling him to go personally.
Shen Xihe had also felt that the disaster had only just begun, and this wasn’t a time of chaos – how could civil unrest suddenly erupt? Someone had manipulated events to provoke this uprising.
“News from the Dengzhou area has been stagnant, with someone deliberately concealing information. I haven’t received much intelligence,” Xiao Huayong smiled slightly. “However, here in the capital, some have suggested that I, being a person of continuous fortune, should represent His Majesty in Dengzhou for disaster relief, using my praying for His Majesty as precedent.”
“The Pei family has completely blamed Pei Zhan’s death on you and set up this trap,” Shen Xihe immediately understood the complexities.
Xiao Huayong’s influence extended throughout the empire, with an intelligence network built on Hua Fuhai’s commercial enterprises, jointly controlled by Tianyuan’s brother Difang and another confidant Lüling, one public and one secret. However, they hadn’t infiltrated government offices. The Pei family was a great clan – though Pei Zhan’s direct line had dwindled to just Pei Ce, Prince Jing Xiao Changyan’s cousin, there were still many clan members within five degrees of mourning, deeply rooted in the Mizhou area, flourishing and prosperous.
Their glory was the Pei clan of the capital, and Pei Zhan’s death was a massive blow to them. At a minimum, his passing meant the power structure in the entire Henan Circuit would need reshuffling, forcing the Pei clan to reluctantly lie low.
Their hatred for Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong was understandable, as it affected the entire family’s prosperity and interests.
Thinking of this, Shen Xihe couldn’t help but laugh coldly: “The Pei clan is quite bold.”
To dare set a trap for the Crown Prince without any evidence.
“Don’t be angry,” Xiao Huayong held Shen Xihe’s delicate hand. “To say they’re truly that bold would be giving them too much credit. Pei Zhan’s death is a thorn in their hearts, and while they suspect you and me, they can’t find evidence, which must be frustrating.
In the capital, Eighth Brother wouldn’t dare act rashly, but in Dengzhou or Mizhou, they have plenty of ways to test my capabilities.”
They wouldn’t even need to act personally. The Henan Circuit, besides Luoyang and Henanfu, had twenty-four other prefectures, adjacent to the capital, and was the most prosperous region outside the capital. With various powers gathered there, using others to achieve their goals would be simple.
“Unfortunately, Eighth Brother is too cautious,” Xiao Huayong sighed regretfully at last.
He would have been happy to go to Dengzhou for disaster relief, as it would have allowed him to make some moves in the Henan Circuit, removing the disobedient and those who shouldn’t remain.
The Pei clan members wanted to help Xiao Changyan by sending Xiao Huayong to Dengzhou, but Xiao Changyan was deeply wary of Xiao Huayong, or perhaps of Shen Xihe. Thinking of the recent Northwestern incident, he worried that if the Crown Prince and his wife went to Dengzhou, the Pei clan’s minor schemes would be insufficient, and might instead allow them to plant seeds of destruction for the Pei clan in the Henan Circuit.
This forced him to take on the task personally.
One could imagine the expressions of the Pei clan members upon seeing Xiao Changyan.
Their expressions were indeed poor. As soon as Xiao Changyan arrived in Dengzhou, Pei clan members secretly came to pay respects. The two who came were those who had advocated helping Xiao Changyan: Pei Guanxiang, Xiao Changyan’s maternal uncle approaching forty, the eldest son of the Pei clan leader, and Pei Guanyan of the eighth branch who controlled the clan’s economic lifeline.
“Your Highness, why did you come to Dengzhou personally?” Pei Guanxiang was very anxious. Though they had orchestrated the civil unrest in Dengzhou, the actual situation wasn’t good, otherwise, how could the wave of resentment have risen so easily?
The original plan was to involve the Crown Prince, test his capabilities, and use the civil unrest to diminish him quietly.
“If I hadn’t come personally, would I let you destroy the Pei clan?” Xiao Changyan’s expression was cold and stern, his sharp gaze piercing the two men. “Do you think the Crown Prince and the Shen family are easy to deal with? This recent Northwestern incident was suspicious throughout, seemingly unrelated to the Crown Prince yet intricately connected. The Crown Prince is far from powerless as rumors suggest. I’ll overlook your independent actions this time, considering your intentions to help me. But if there’s a next time, don’t blame me for disregarding our blood ties.”
The two men were shocked. Though Prince Jing had just come of age, he had fought in battles and settled internal disputes within the Pei clan, uniting the fragmenting family like twisted hemp rope. He had long been the clan’s behind-the-scenes leader, and when he spoke thus, they dared not question him.
“Your Highness, how should we handle the Twelfth Prince?” Pei Guanyan could only change the subject.
Xiao Changyan twisted the jade ring on his thumb: “Test him.”
Xiao Changyan’s test was direct and brutal, quite beyond Xiao Changcheng’s expectations. That very night, someone risked their life to deliver evidence damaging to Xiao Changyan and the Pei clan to him.
“Prince Yan, please help us seek justice!”
Xiao Changcheng held the evidence in his hands. This evidence seemed genuine, and if presented to His Majesty, it would be enough to execute three generations of the Pei clan. Even Xiao Changyan would be implicated – at best losing his princely title, at worst losing his qualification to compete for the throne.
“Besides this, do you have other evidence or witnesses?” Xiao Changcheng inquired with a gentle expression.
The two hesitated, so Xiao Changcheng said: “This matter involves my elder brother. How could I easily take your side without solid evidence?”
Finally, they revealed some things. Xiao Changcheng sent people to bring the items and individuals, and under their eager, hopeful gazes, he burned all the evidence and executed all the people with a single stroke.
Before coming, the Crown Prince had instructed that gaining trust was paramount. If he truly dared to oppose Eighth Brother now, he probably wouldn’t make it out of Dengzhou alive.
Eighth Brother was truly not one to be trifled with.