With those words, Xiao Huayong pulled the reins, steering his horse away. Though he knew his wife wasn’t afraid, he still wanted to spare her from the bloody scene.
Shen Xihe remained silent throughout the journey until she noticed Xiao Huayong deviating from their return route. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“Wherever you wish to go,” Xiao Huayong whispered in her ear.
Seated before him, Shen Xihe turned her head slightly. “You knew Prince Jing set up an ambush here. You used his scheme to separate us from Prince Xin and the others. After we left the rockslide site, did you arrange for people to impersonate us?”
This was the only explanation Shen Xihe could think of for Xiao Huayong’s brazen behavior. It couldn’t be a simple disappearing act – besides delaying their journey, it would alert both Prince Jing ahead and Emperor Youning behind.
“Nothing escapes your notice,” Xiao Huayong said, slowly guiding the horse. If not for the drizzling rain, onlookers might have mistaken them for lovers out on a casual excursion.
“Why do this?” Shen Xihe asked.
“Fighting and killing can be rather dull. Let Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother tire themselves out. It’s rare to have a chance for just the two of us to travel together – how could I pass that up?” A relaxed smile played on Xiao Huayong’s lips.
“Your impersonators won’t fool Prince Xin for long.”
Xiao Changqin was exceptionally clever. During the rockslide, when Xiao Huayong charged through using her as cover, he might have fooled others but not Xiao Changqin, who already knew Xiao Huayong’s true nature.
So when Xiao Huayong deliberately separated from them, it had already raised suspicions in Xiao Changqin’s mind.
Once the road was cleared and the groups reunited, Xiao Changqin would pay extra attention and easily spot the deception.
“What if he knows they’re fake? What else can he do besides maintaining the pretense?” Xiao Huayong remained unconcerned.
Since Xiao Changqin already knew his true nature, there was no need for subterfuge. Xiao Huayong was essentially openly letting Xiao Changqin know that he and Shen Xihe had left.
Xiao Changqin’s responsibility was to escort them. Even knowing they weren’t there, he couldn’t reveal it without taking the blame. Moreover, Xiao Changqin wouldn’t worry about their safety, as this incident showed him everything was part of Xiao Huayong’s plan.
“You deliberately set them against each other,” Shen Xihe instantly understood Xiao Huayong’s intention.
If there was an ambush here, the road ahead wouldn’t be peaceful either. If Xiao Huayong were present, Xiao Changqin, knowing Xiao Huayong’s capabilities, would certainly reserve his strength, waiting for Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe to act.
But now that the couple was gone when encountering Xiao Changyan’s ambush, Xiao Changqin would have to fight with all his might. Especially after discovering the Crown Prince and his wife had been replaced and not immediately exposing it, if he failed to protect the fake couple now, he would become the prime suspect in a plot against them.
Without Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe, Tianyuan, Zhenzhu, and the others following Xiao Changqin could use their uncertainty about whom to obey as an excuse to stay passive. In essence, Xiao Huayong’s disappearance had pushed Xiao Changqin directly into Xiao Changyan’s blade.
“Isn’t it pleasant to watch from the sidelines?” Xiao Huayong’s gentle laugh carried an indecipherable hint of malicious pleasure.
“Aren’t you concerned Prince Xin might become angry and ally with Prince Jing?” Shen Xihe asked quietly.
“If so, that’s Fifth Brother’s choice. Whom he chooses to conspire with is his right.” Xiao Huayong remained composed, his casual tone suggesting he didn’t consider their potential alliance a threat.
Shen Xihe fell silent.
The horse descended another path, following a winding but level narrow trail. Looking at this path, though the rain had washed away most traces, Shen Xihe somehow sensed it had been newly created.
“You had people scout this route,” she stated with certainty.
“Since I brought you along, I naturally had to be thorough,” Xiao Huayong admitted gracefully.
Shen Xihe fell silent again. Since he had arranged everything, there was no need for further questions.
The mountain path was muddy, horse hooves splashing soil. The damp air carried the scent of earth and mountain forest. The pattering rain and absence of animal sounds made everything eerily quiet.
Deep autumn had arrived, flowers had withered, and frequent rains made the ground sodden. Unable to pick flowers or accompany Shen Xihe gathering rare herbs in the wilderness with her medicine hoe, Xiao Huayong broke their silence: “Eighth Brother has trained a group of shadow guards.”
While wealthy families secretly maintained strong household guards and noble clans trained death squads, Xiao Changyan, harboring imperial ambitions, naturally kept his trump card, just as Xiao Huayong had his secret forces.
“These shadow guards are trained in military combat. In single combat, each can fight ten men. In group battles, they reportedly coordinate flawlessly and can defeat armies of tens of thousands,” Xiao Huayong continued. “Moreover, these shadow guards move like wind on land and swim like fish in water.”
Shen Xihe detected Xiao Huayong’s particular interest in Xiao Changyan’s shadow guards. “You think he’ll deploy them this time?”
Xiao Changyan merely wanted to probe who was interfering in Dengzhou or test Xiao Huayong and Xiao Changqin’s depths. He wasn’t yet ready to kill, so why would he reveal such an ace?
Coming from a military family, Shen Xihe understood elite troops better than most. Training soldiers who could each fight ten men was no simple task. Setting aside the effort required, the financial cost alone was staggering. This explained why Emperor Youning’s Divine Warrior Army had drained the treasury. For Xiao Changyan to train shadow guards in Annan in just five years while keeping it from Emperor Youning showed remarkable ability.
That these shadow guards excelled in water operations impressed her even more.
“Fifth Brother has his own trained men,” Xiao Huayong wasn’t sure if the two would fight to the death. Originally, he had planned to intervene, pushing them into a blind rage to weaken both sides, ultimately achieving mutual destruction.
However since Shen Xihe wouldn’t allow him to set this battlefield in Dengzhou, he had to shelve his original plan.
“Fifth Brother used to be His Majesty’s confidant, secretly handling unspeakable tasks. The men he trained are all ruthless, even more vicious than the most notorious assassins who strike fear into people’s hearts.” Xiao Huayong couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
If they truly clashed, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Even if it didn’t end in death, given their cunning, it would still be quite a spectacle.