“To break the spell, you need either someone deeply versed in this art or the original caster,” Xiao Huayong pondered, unsure if he could find the expert he’d met years ago. With such a capable person behind the Eighth Prince, Xiao Huayong felt he needed to expend some effort finding them. Though he didn’t fear encountering them himself, he worried about Shen Xihe’s safety. “That master briefly mentioned to me that soul-capturing isn’t just one technique…”
Soul-capturing wasn’t as extraordinary as those unfamiliar with it might imagine. The methods varied based on the practitioner’s preferences, but all required a medium to cast the spell and control someone’s thoughts.
If they could find this medium and destroy it, the spell could be broken.
With this thought, Xiao Huayong suddenly looked up at Shen Xihe: “Youyou, don’t act rashly.”
“Hm?” Shen Xihe didn’t understand his sudden warning.
“Youyou, you’ve fallen for their trap,” Xiao Huayong said softly.
“I’ve fallen for their trap?” Shen Xihe was more confused.
“Don’t you think it’s overkill for the Eighth Prince to deploy such a powerful person just to deal with Yu Gong?” Xiao Huayong asked rhetorically.
Shen Xihe paused briefly, pressing her lips together in silence.
After a moment, Xiao Huayong continued: “The entire Rongcheng County is under the Eighth Prince’s control. He’s been in Dengzhou for so long – if he wanted to make Yu Gong a scapegoat, he had many ways to do so. Yet he chose to use such a capable person because he’s suspicious. He suspects everything is being manipulated and suspects Yu Gong’s scapegoat role came too conveniently. He’s casting bait to see if his guess is correct – that everything is a trap set to drive him in.
How else could he pique your curiosity or wariness? Only such an extraordinary expert could make you worried enough to investigate, hopefully leading you to eliminate this powerful asset of his in the process.”
Shen Xihe’s heart skipped a beat – this was exactly what she had been thinking, and if Xiao Huayong hadn’t warned her, she would have acted accordingly.
“What a clever way to draw me out,” Shen Xihe praised.
She had almost fallen for Xiao Changyan’s plan. He was willing to reveal such an important card just to make her show her hand. There were likely more traps ahead, following this soul-capturing expert’s trail step by step.
“I truly underestimated him,” Shen Xihe realized.
“You didn’t underestimate him – he deliberately let you lower your guard,” Xiao Huayong wasn’t merely comforting her but analyzing the situation objectively. “Since Pei Zhan’s death in the Northwest, he’s been wary of you. After your actions at the temporary palace, he found you even more formidable. So since you arrived in Dengzhou, he’s been feigning weakness, letting you suppress him repeatedly to lower your guard and misjudge him…”
Among his brothers, three were the most difficult to deal with: Fourth Prince Xiao Changtai, Fifth Prince Xiao Changqing, and Eighth Prince Xiao Changyan.
The Fourth Prince was vicious and cunning. As long as he refused to give up, he could survive like a lizard shedding its tail even when cornered. If not for Ye Wantang being his weakness, he wouldn’t have died so easily.
The Fifth Prince was cautious and meticulous. He wouldn’t act rashly or make enemies easily, but once he set a target, he would devise foolproof plans to deliver a fatal blow, leaving no room for survival. His caution extended to both offense and defense, leaving no weaknesses.
The Eighth Prince was patient. Perhaps nothing in this world was beyond his endurance. He used patience to mask his depth, letting others see only his surface flaws, then striking unexpectedly with devastating effect.
Although Shen Xihe had investigated all the princes, she hadn’t truly interacted with each one, knowing particularly little about Xiao Changyan.
“In a few years, the Prince of Yan won’t be easily dealt with either,” Shen Xihe sighed.
Emperor Youning had raised his children well – none of his grown princes were fools, and many were brilliant.
“Following your logic, I shouldn’t investigate Yu Wulang further. If I do, the Prince of Yan’s injury will have been for nothing.”
If she continued investigating, it would reveal that she was behind everything. Xiao Changgeng’s timely revelation about Xiao Juezong’s connection to Yu Gong would no longer seem coincidental, exposing Xiao Changgeng and wasting all their careful efforts to get close to Xiao Changyan.
“You can’t investigate, but that doesn’t mean I can’t,” Xiao Huayong’s smile grew mysterious. “It’s perfect timing to let him meet his ‘Imperial Uncle’ and dispel his suspicions.”
Since they’d already involved Xiao Juezong, wouldn’t it be wasteful not to use him?
“When you make your move, I’ll cover for you.” This situation truly required Xiao Huayong to impersonate Xiao Juezong to investigate. Shen Xihe was both extremely curious and wary about this soul-capturing expert – the sooner they could investigate clearly, the better.
However, she still had to caution: “Be careful, don’t force things. If it doesn’t work, I still have the Prince of Yan.”
It wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t track down this person using Xiao Juezong’s identity. As long as Xiao Juezong appeared, Xiao Changyan’s last doubts about Xiao Changgeng would vanish. With Xiao Changgeng by his side afterward, they needn’t worry about being unable to discover who was behind him.
“I’ll handle it carefully. This matter should be dealt with sooner rather than later. Why not tomorrow…” Xiao Huayong whispered several sentences in Shen Xihe’s ear.
Before nightfall, Shen Xihe summoned Yu Gong and asked directly: “Governor Yu, your son has confessed to his crimes. Do you have anything to say?”
Yu Gong’s body sagged in dejection. What could he say? Plead innocence?
His son had confessed, and he had tried persuading, scolding, and beating him to no avail. He’d even stripped his son’s clothes to check his birthmark, confirming this was indeed his son.
“Crown Princess, I knew nothing of my son’s actions. I failed to teach him properly, failing His Majesty’s trust,” Yu Gong spoke wearily.
“Whether Governor Yu knew or not isn’t for me to decide – that will be determined by imperial judgment. However, your son’s crimes are clear. I said before that digging channels was crucial to addressing the urgent situation. Anyone who interfered would be treated as defying imperial orders and punished by His Majesty’s law – death without pardon,” Shen Xihe said sternly. “To prevent public outrage from affecting disaster relief and diminishing the people’s unity, he will be executed at noon tomorrow.”
Yu Gong opened his mouth to object, but looking up, he saw the imperial gold token held by Biyu at Shen Xihe’s side. The words that the Crown Princess had no authority to condemn caught in his throat.
To some extent, Shen Xihe now represented the weakened Crown Prince. The heir was still royalty, and with clear evidence of Yu Wulang’s crimes, Xiao Huayong had absolute authority to deal with them. Even if he objected to Shen Xihe, it would only result in the Crown Prince intervening – he couldn’t save his son.
Now he could only think of ways to protect himself and the Pingyao Marquis Manor.