“Such deep brotherly affection.” Whether sarcastic or not, Shen Xihe gave this praise before standing to leave.
She didn’t linger at the county office, immediately ordered preparations, and without notifying Xiao Changyan and the others, led her people back to Wendeng County.
After hearing this, Xiao Changyan said to Xiao Changzheng: “Why go to such lengths? This wasn’t your fault.”
Throughout this entire matter, Xiao Changzheng had been merely a victim. Now taking all the blame, the Emperor would surely not be lenient.
Usually, being rash and impetuous wouldn’t matter much, but this was during disaster relief. Still thinking about claiming sole credit for capturing the traitor while neglecting disaster victims – when their primary duty was disaster relief – this was a dereliction of duty that could result in having their titles stripped, just like the second prince.
“Even if my title is stripped, that’s fine – I can always earn it back. After all, we didn’t cause too much trouble. Though the Emperor may be angry, he won’t punish too severely,” Xiao Changzheng remained optimistic. “But if punishment is required, my injuries have healed, and I can withstand a hundred or so strikes. Eighth Brother, you…”
Xiao Changzheng didn’t finish, but Xiao Changyan understood. His situation was different. As the elder brother, not having gone himself to lure Xiao Jueson, even the same explanation would only chill people to the bone. Using his younger brother as bait for glory, and then concealing his month-long disappearance – this went far beyond Xiao Changzheng’s mere glory-seeking offense.
For Xiao Changyan, the consequences would be more severe than just losing his title.
Both Xiao Changyan and Xiao Changzheng understood this, as did Xiao Changfeng and Shen Xihe. That’s why Shen Xihe had sarcastically remarked on their brotherly affection. Xiao Changyan looked at Xiao Changzheng with sincere eyes and extended his palm: “Brother, I accept your kindness.”
Xiao Changzheng also reached out, their palms meeting in a firm grip.
When Shen Xihe returned to the residence in Wendeng County, Biyu handed her a wax ball. Shen Xihe opened it to find news of Xiao Changfeng leaving the capital from her spy in his household. Unfortunately, it came one step too late – otherwise, Xiao Changyan would be dead. Still, Shen Xihe was grateful it arrived so quickly here; perhaps it was simply that Xiao Changyan’s fate wasn’t sealed.
“No rush. With Little Twelve by his side in the future, he won’t be much of a threat,” said Xiao Huayong, standing behind Shen Xihe. A full head taller than her, he could read the message above.
“If it’s heaven’s will, there’s no use rushing,” Shen Xihe was wary of the person skilled in mysterious soul techniques by Xiao Changyan’s side, which had made her completely change her mind about keeping Xiao Changyan alive. Who knew he’d be so lucky?
However, after this incident, Xiao Changyan would likely trust Xiao Changzheng completely. They’d have to see if they could track down this soul technique expert through Xiao Changzheng.
“When will you take me to see your falcon mews?” Shen Xihe suddenly asked.
Xiao Huayong’s gaze moved from the letter Shen Xihe had thrown into the fire basin, seeming to understand: “How many do Youyou want?”
She had finally found her message delivery method too slow and wanted to use his falcons. It was also a sign of gradually lowering her guard with him – using his falcons meant that if he wished, all her correspondence would fall into his hands, equivalent to having no secrets from him.
This was the beginning of letting down defenses and absolute trust. Xiao Huayong’s eyes lit up with joy, his pupils reflecting starlight, enchantingly beautiful.
“Let me pick – I’ll take as many as I like,” Shen Xihe said, somewhat greedily.
Xiao Huayong embraced her: “Everything I have is yours. Take as many as you want.”
Shen Xihe’s lips curved upward: “When shall we go?”
“Whenever Youyou wishes,” Xiao Huayong appeared ready to go whenever she wanted.
Remembering how when they married, Xiao Huayong had promised to take her to the Northwest and had kept his word, he seemed to have never deceived or failed her. After careful consideration, Shen Xihe said: “Winter’s coming, and I hear it’s especially cold there. Let’s go next year.”
Winter was the hardest season for Xiao Huayong. The capital was cold enough, and it would be even colder further north. Shen Xihe wasn’t in a hurry, and since his falcons were already trained, they could be used as soon as taken, so she wasn’t rushed.
Knowing she was considering his welfare, Xiao Huayong felt warmth and sweetness in his heart. He held her, resting his chin on her shoulder: “Youyou treat me so well.”
Though the couple was intimate, it didn’t prevent Shen Xihe from quickly writing a detailed report to Emperor Youning. Notably, to maintain their lie, Xiao Changyan and Xiao Changzheng specifically mentioned they had detected Xiao Jueson’s traces while watching Yu Gong’s family.
When this memorial reached Emperor Youning’s desk, he immediately summoned the Marquis of Pingyao and threw the document in his face. Emperor Youning hated no one more than Xiao Jueson.
In his youth, despite being the legitimate prince, he was constantly tormented by Xiao Jueson, his half-brother born to that bewitching consort. After Xiao Jueson’s escape, it became his greatest concern. Now his trusted subordinate had connections with Xiao Jueson – how could he not be furious?
“Your Majesty, I am wrong! I have no dealings with the traitor!” The Marquis of Pingyao swore to heaven.
“If you didn’t deal with the traitor, your brother did it for you!” Emperor Youning shouted.
The Marquis of Pingyao fell to his knees: “Your Majesty, I failed to discipline properly, and didn’t know that after years away, he would dare such things. Please forgive me.”
At this point, he couldn’t protect Yu Gong anymore. If only the Crown Princess had accused Yu Gong of colluding with Xiao Jueson, he could still plead innocence, using the discord between the Emperor and Crown Princess to maneuver. But now it was Xiao Changyan and Xiao Changzheng who truly accused Yu Gong of colluding with Xiao Jueson.
How could he possibly explain why two imperial princes would frame his brother?
The Marquis of Pingyao was still bewildered by this, even beginning to wonder if this wasn’t someone’s plot but rather his brother truly being foolish enough to join the traitor. How else could this be explained?
It couldn’t be that the opposing Prince Jing and Crown Princess had conspired together. For them to conspire just to deal with his brother or him – that would be giving the Yu family too much importance.
Yu Gong was executed for colluding with the traitor, and the Marquis of Pingyao was also implicated. Emperor Youning didn’t dismiss him from office but stripped his marquis title. The Pingyao Marquis Manor would exist no more.
When news reached Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe, she was satisfied: “The Emperor has lost another trusted man.”
“This is just the beginning,” Xiao Huayong’s eyes revealed a meaningful smile.
With one Marquis of Pingyao colluding with Xiao Jueson, the Emperor would suspect there was a second. And Xiao Jueson was a chess piece controlled by Xiao Huayong – he could place it wherever he wished, gradually eroding the Emperor’s power base piece by piece.