“Second Brother only had his Prince of First Rank title stripped?” Xiao Huayong was quite dissatisfied upon seeing Emperor Youning’s punishment decision.

Not only had the Emperor not completely stripped him of power as he had done with Fourth Brother years ago, but he’d even left him with the title of Prince of Second Rank.

What Xiao Changmin had done indeed hadn’t greatly hindered Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong, but as Shen Xihe had said, it had disturbed public sentiment to a certain extent. The fact that Shen Xihe could control the situation didn’t mean Xiao Changmin’s actions weren’t serious enough.

Tianyuan kept his head lowered. There was no need for him to explain, as the message detailed everything.

As Xiao Huayong continued reading, he saw that Xiao Changmin had voluntarily gone to beg for punishment. Before the Emperor, he swore to heaven, tears streaming down his face, claiming he hadn’t fabricated rumors but had merely let some things slip while drinking with people of ill intent, which led others to take matters into their own hands. Seeing his head bloodied from kowtowing, Emperor Youning had decided to be lenient.

“Second Brother went to beg for punishment?” Xiao Huayong was somewhat surprised. Based on his understanding of Xiao Changmin, he shouldn’t have known in advance that Shen Xihe would make her move. He rubbed the black piece between his fingers, tapping it lightly on the board twice. “Send someone to investigate.”

What had made Xiao Changmin unexpectedly clever this time?

The truth wasn’t that Xiao Changmin had become clever, but rather that Yu Sangning had accidentally learned that Xiao Changmin had used her uncle to spread rumors in Dengzhou. She immediately went to find the Marquis of Pingyao: “Father, something terrible has happened. Prince Zhao has used Third Uncle’s influence to spread words about the Heaven-blessed Crown Prince’s concealment from the Emperor to Dengzhou.”

After hearing this, the Marquis of Pingyao didn’t take it seriously: “They’re just some rumors. What’s done is done.”

Neither the Marquis of Pingyao nor his brother, the Governor of Dengzhou, had taken these matters to heart. That’s why when they received Xiao Changmin’s instructions, thinking of the upcoming marriage alliance between their families, they casually complied.

How many rumors circulated throughout the empire each day? The Emperor hadn’t taken them seriously. These words weren’t fabricated by them or even Prince Zhao; he had merely passed them along.

“Father!” Yu Sangning grabbed the Marquis who was about to leave. “This isn’t just women’s gossip. The Emperor hasn’t expressed his stance because he first believed in the heaven-sent strange stone, and must also consider maintaining imperial dignity. No one dares assume what he truly thinks.

While this matter seems trivial to you, Father, for the Crown Prince it’s like a sword hanging over his head. The Crown Princess won’t ignore such future troubles.

Father, the Crown Princess is no ordinary woman. Think about how she obtained palace authority from the Noble Consort. How did she easily dispose of the An family daughter who was determined to marry into the Eastern Palace? How does she contend with the Emperor himself without falling behind? She even dares to scheme against the Emperor!”

The Marquis’s expression began to grow serious. Setting aside other matters, their Yu family had been involved in the An family affair, which the Marquis remembered vividly.

“You mean your Third Uncle has fallen into the Crown Princess’s trap?” The Marquis’s expression turned stern.

Yu Sangning smiled bitterly: “Father, someone like the Crown Princess doesn’t need leverage. Once she determines who’s responsible, she can make anyone’s guilt irrefutable!”

Yu Sangning both envied and admired Shen Xihe. She had considered herself the smartest woman in the world before meeting Shen Xihe. But after meeting her, she realized there was a type of woman who disdained competing with other women or being compared to them. Her eyes were set on the world’s affairs, looking down upon all heroes.

The An family incident showed that once Shen Xihe wanted someone to suffer, she never needed to find past misdeeds as leverage. She could easily trap her prey in a specially crafted deadlock, leaving no room for escape.

Moreover, Shen Xihe rarely made moves, but when she did, she left her prey with no chance of recovery.

Unless Xiao Changmin could handle this matter perfectly, not only leaving no trace but also ensuring Shen Xihe couldn’t suspect him at all, she would make him pay a terrible price.

“Father, do you think the recent praise and admiration for the Emperor from Jiangnan is truly spontaneous singing from the common people?” This was the best way to counter rumors about the Crown Prince being more blessed than the Emperor.

If this had nothing to do with Shen Xihe, Yu Sangning wouldn’t believe it at all. Shen Xihe had already begun to act. The fact that there was no sign of her moving against Xiao Changmin wasn’t because she had forgotten, or didn’t dare, or was too busy, but rather the calm before the storm.

Shen Xihe was like the jungle’s best hunter – though she had already begun setting traps, she didn’t alert her prey at all. She even let them walk into her traps without noticing, until it was too late to realize they were trapped.

This was why Yu Sangning feared her most.

“You seem quite afraid of the Crown Princess,” the Marquis noticed that his usually composed daughter became tense and secretive when mentioning Shen Xihe.

“Father, a woman like the Crown Princess commands fear,” Yu Sangning admitted frankly. “Your daughter wouldn’t dare… ask yourself, how many people under heaven dare expose their ambitions before the Emperor?”

No one, except Shen Xihe.

All princes had to be cautious before the Emperor, hiding behind various disguises. Officials had to flatter and submit before the Emperor, acting foolish when needed and clever when required.

Only Shen Xihe dared to move against the Emperor and emerge unscathed. She dared to reveal her intention to use her position as Eastern Palace’s wife to one day claim the palace throne, yet the Emperor couldn’t easily move against her.

Thinking deeply about it, the Marquis could no longer view it lightly: “According to you, the Crown Princess has already moved against Prince Zhao?”

“Yes.” Yu Sangning nodded with certainty. She had no source of information, just an intuition, an understanding of Shen Xihe. “Father, look how everyone in the empire is now singing the Emperor’s virtues. Who still remembers the talk about the Crown Prince’s blessings surpassing the Emperor’s?

With natural disasters at hand, some people are praising the Emperor’s virtues, stabilizing public sentiment for him. Meanwhile, others are spreading rumors, hoping for chaos, disrupting the father-son relationship between the Emperor and Crown Prince. Comparing the two, if presented before the Emperor, these rumormongers…”

The outcome was obvious – did it need saying?

The answer was self-evident. The Marquis felt a chill down his spine. This was truly an invisible killing blade – seemingly unrelated, yet easily able to condemn someone to death, without having to wield the knife or spill a drop of blood oneself.

“If that’s the case, it’s too late to turn the tide,” the Marquis frowned.

Yu Sangning suppressed her inner frustration. Forget turning the tide – being able to preserve one’s life from Shen Xihe’s hands would be fortunate enough: “The only option now is for Father to persuade Prince Zhao to confess voluntarily before the Emperor acts, and to push forward a mastermind – sacrifice the rook to save the king.”