“I also thought it was not possible.” Shen Qiu was somewhat bewildered, “But those guards said that when they were up on the mountain they heard HuangFu Hao shouting the Crown Prince’s name and said loudly that the Crown Prince was the culprit. Since they are HuangFu Hao’s guards, there was no reason to let the real culprit go and frame another.”
Luo Xue Yan asked, “HuangFu Hao’s guards were not with HuangFu Hao? Why did they say they heard it?”
“This is the key point of doubt.” Luo Ling continued, “According to HuangFu Hao’s guards, today it was the Crown Prince who invited HuangFu Hhao over to appreciate incense and it was the Crown Prince who sent an invitation to HuangFu Hao. HuangFu Hao’s guard recalled that the Crown Prince’s invitation indicated that there was something important to discuss with HuangFu Hao and wanted HuangFu Hao to leave the guards at the waist of the mountain and only let HuangFu Hao go up alone. But the Crown Prince said that this was not mentioned when he wrote the invitation. The officials went to search for the Crown Prince’s invitation but one did not know if the invitation was long thrown by HuangFu Hao. Now there was no evidence and each side had their story, thus making one anxious.”
Luo Tan muttered, “The Crown Prince invited HuangFu Hao to appreciate incense. But why the invitation that Wang Furen sent to me and Youngest Biao Sister did not mention about the two people?”
The people in the room were startled.
They all only paid attention to the Crown Prince and HuangFu Hao and ignored Shen Miao’s end. At this moment when Luo Tan mentioned it, they remembered that it. Why was Shen Miao and Luo Tan were brought along when the Crown Prince and HuangFu Hao went to appreciate incense? Not mentioning Luo Tan, since she had no relations to the people in Ding capital, Shen Miao was different as she was Shen Xin’s daughter.
When Shen Dong Ling sent the invitation over, it was not possible for her not to know that the Crown Prince and HuangFu Hao were also coming so why did she not mention it to Shen Miao? Was it because she had forgotten or was it deliberate? If it was deliberate then why did she do it and what was being planned?
Everyone could not help but gave a cold sweat.
Luo Xue Yan said, “This cannot do. One has to ask Shen Dong Ling clearly.”
“Mother.” Shen QIu stopped her, “Shen Dong Ling and Wang Bi are already in prison and one cannot rush to visit them at such a time else it would not be good for others to think that we have anything to do with her.”
Two Crown Princes went to appreciate incense and one died, while the other had unfantomably became a murderer. When Emperor Wen Hui knew of the matter, he was so angry that he almost fell off. At one end one had to calm the Qin people’s anger and arrest a few people to show that Ming Qi was doing things ‘righteously accordingly to the laws’ but at the other end Emperor Wen Hui was unable to vent his entire anger. Since it is Wang Bi who brought up the appreciation of incense, then he was the beginning of everything. There would never be an explaination for a moarch’s fury and Wang Bi was still dreaming of a sweat dream when one ruthlessly broken it. Not only that, this time one was not even able to save one’s life or even speak anything.
Seeing everyone having various expression and only Shen Miao was as calm as before. It was as if the things that she had listened had nothing to do with her and indeed it had no connection to her. She said, “This has nothing to do with us so just wait to see how it is dealt with.”
Shen Qiu noticed Shen Miao’s expression and asked, “Younger Sister, why are you not in one bit surprised with the assassination of HuangFu Hao or not astonished that it was the Crown Prince that killed HuangFu Hao?”
Shen Miao smiled gently, “There is nothing to be astonished. Just like what those people said, the Crown Prince discussed some matters with HuangFu Hao privately and during the negotiation process, there was no agreement or a fierce disagreement erupted that it was possible that it mad the Crown Prince kill another in a fit of anger. It is not that there were no such cases in Ming Qi before so why the need of making so much fuss out of nothing?”
Shen Qiu was speechless. Shen Miao’s words actually said that the entire house of people were unable to remain calm. It was not wrong for Shen Miao to say as such but to kill another so fiercely, not to mention the other party was the Crown Prince of a country. Even if Emperor Wen Hui was so angry that he lost all sense of reason, he would not just eliminate another cleanly like this.
Shen Xin and Luo Xue Yan were frowning. Shen Miao need not think that much but they were officials of the country and every move that the courts made could implicate their future way of living. Moreover this time HuangFu Hao died in Ming Qi and the guilty person was the Crown Prince of Ming Qi. One thought that those guards should have already send people back to pass the message and after the Emperor of Qin country knew that his pair of children had passed on in Ming Qi, who would be the one bearing this thunderous anger?
It would be very difficult for Ming Qi and Qin country to form an alliance and moreover it was unknown of what kind of actions would Great Liang take.
On this night, because of this sudden matter, even the atmosphere in the Shen mansion was also heavy. However this was not because of sympathising HuangFu Hao or the Crown Prince but because of the possible variable changes in the future.
When Xie Jing Xing came over to look for Shen Miao, Shen Miao was in a daze by the window.
HuangFu Hao died just like that. In the previous life HuangFu Hao and Princess Ming An had been the nightmare that she could not get rid of when she went to the Qin country as a hostage. Princess Ming An was arrogant and malicious but HuangFu Hao liked to get others to torture her. HuangFu Hao was the Crown Prince of Qin country so when he tortures someone, the others would follow suit. In fact, there was no hatred between Shen Miao and HuangFu Hao and Princess Ming An but with such malicious insults, it finally accumulated lots of grievances.
Unlike others, Shen Miao did not think of letting HuangFu Hao and Princess Ming An pay for their lives because it was not them who harmed the Shen family the most. At most, these people only threw stones for a period of her life when she was struggling.
If it was not that they have schemed her, Shen Miao would not be bothered to pay any attention to these two people.
Now that these people were gone, Shen Miao was somewhat at a loss.
After the rebirth, the road that she had taken had always been revenge and protecting the Shen family from repeating the mistakes of the past. But as long as the Fu family people were alive each day, they would definitely not let the Shen family go. Her enemy was very powerful in the beginning and it was not enough to just have a desperate heart. Shen Miao sometimes also doubt if she could walk all the way to the end.
The figure under the tree waved his hands in front of Shen Miao. Shen Miao recovered to her senses and saw Xie Jing Xing’s mischievous smile, “Miss me so much that you are in a daze?”
Shen Miao closed the windows with a ‘pa’ sound but Xie Jing Xing’s hands quickly held it and jumped into the room smoothly. He used one of his arms to press Shen Miao’s should and did not let her move as his other hand close the window, “Be careful not to be frozen silly.”
Cong Yang who was standing outside at the corner of the frozen wall, “…”
Shen Miao pulled off Xie Jing Xing’s hand and sat in front of the table in the room before asking, “How is it handled?”
“No problem.” Xie Jing Xing also followed to sit down and gestured for Shen Miao to pour him tea.
Shen Miao sighed and poured the tea out before unwillingly pushed the teacup over and asked, “You are sure that the people of Qin country will not discover it?”
“Unable to discover anything.” XIe Jing Xing laughed, “Not everyone is as intelligent as you and me.”
Shen Miao rolled her eyes. If one were to praise others, just praise. There was no need to add his own praise in. Seeing that the purple clad youth was drinking tea opposite, a slight ripple formed in her heart.
Today’s matter was planned by her and Xie Jing Xing. Xie Jing Xing had various specialists among his subordinates and some had the ability of disguising appearances and some had the ability to imitate other’s voices and there were even those who could write exactly the same handwriting after taking a look at it. The matter between HuangFu Hao and Fu Xiu Yan, one only changed HuangFu Hao’s invitation and changed the timing too. Thus HuangFu Hao and Fu Xiu Yan would climb up the mountain one after the other. After going up the mountain, Xie Jing Xing’s people would disguise themselves as the ‘Crown Prince’ and the ‘guard’ that was following by the Crown Prince’s side with his head bowed was speaking for the Crown Prince.
Even though HuangFu Hao and the Crown Prince were familiar with one another, they were not at a position where one would be totally devoted to another. They also did not grow up with one another so they could hardly detect that the person opposite was like the plum tree that withered in place of the peach tree. In all, it was all a series of misunderstandings.
This trick from the perspective of outsiders was that the Crown Prince killed HuangFu Hao. No matter what was the excuse, no matter what misunderstanding there was, it was an undeniable and unchangeable fact. The Qin country would not let it lying down, needless to discuss about having an alliance, one feared that they want to be enemies with Ming Qi. Not mentioning that the broken alliance, in order for Emperor Wen Hui to appease to the Qin Emperor’s anger, he would sacrifice others and that includes the Crown Prince.
“Why are you so confident that the Emperor will sacrifice the Crown Prince?” Xie Jing Xing’s eyebrows raised as he asked, “That is his own son.”
Shen Miao smiled gently, “Do you remember my Second Shu?”
“Remembered.”
“At the beginning Shen Yuan was also his own son but when Shen Yuan got into trouble, he was busy clearing his relationship with him. The Emperor is also an ordinary person and the Imperial family view relations even lighter. For the sake of the rightness of the world, what does punishing one’s family for righteousness matters? Even if one knows that the Crown Prince was wrongly accused, the Emperor would swallow this bitter fruit.” Shen Miao spoke with sarcasm but a faint anger leaked out from the corner of her eyes.
Xie Jing Xing stared at her thoughtfully.
As far as the Fu family was concerned, Shen Miao would always have a kind of hatred for them. Even though she had done her best to cover it up, there would always be a moment where she could not conceal it. These moments were caught by Xie Jing Xing and suspicions formed in his heart but he would not ask forcefully. He said jokingly, “You seemed to know the Imperial family very well and spoke like you have personally experienced it.”
Shen Miao’s eyes hang down. Didn’t she experience it personally in her past life?
After marrying to Fu Xiu Yi, because of the fight of the heir apparent, he actually fought the rest of the brothers to death. In the nine brothers, there were those that died and some whose whereabouts were unaccounted for. Even if one barely lived, at the end when Fu Xiu Yi ascended to the throne, they would be eliminated by some unwarranted charges.
It was the Fu family’s inherent instinct not to leave any future troubles.
Even between Fu Xiu Yi and Emperor Wen Hui, there would be Emperor Wen Hui guarding against his son’s usurping the throne and Fu Xiu Yi looked forward for his father’s early death. There was still the Empress, Dong Shu Consort and Xu Xian Consort in the Inner Palace. Whoever talked about family relations, whoever would be the fool.
It was a pity that she did not understand it in her previous lifetime and always thought that people had heart and soul. She had forgotten that Fu Xiu Yi had dealt with his own brothers and father so naturally he could deal with his son.
When Shen Miao was deep in the Inner Palace, those ladies who initially had strong love and hate, they were all smoothen out till it was almost gone. As for Fu Xiu Yi’s remaining love, all of it were built on him as Wan Yu’s and Fu Ming’s father. SHen Miao thought that no farther would not dote on their children.
However Fu Xiu Yi at the add send his own daughter to the XiongNu for a marriage alliance and forced his son up the road of death.
She would definitely personally demand this stack of debts back.
Seeing a change in the expression in Shen Miao’s eyes and at the bottom of it there were some painful emotions, Xie Jing Xing’s brows wrinkled as he did not know what had touched Shen Miao’s unhappiness. He hesitated a bit before saying slowly, “If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. I will solve it for you.”
Shen Miao looked up at him, “You speak as though you can do it.” But she was very clear in his heart that Xie Jing Xing could definitely do it. He said kill and two Crown Princes were killed. Even though the Crown Prince and Emperor Wen Hui knew clearly that they were schemed against, there was no chance to refute it. This kind of sinister methods, only Xie Jing Xing could carry it out. His guts were so big that it could pierce the skies and he was so cunning and sly that others would not have any leverage on him. It was like there was nothing in the world he could not do.
Shen Miao suddenly had a thought that pop up in her head. If only she had met him in her previous life.
But she only said, “If one wants you to change the entire face of the country, can you do it?”
When the purple robe youth holding the jasper tea cup heard it, he only smiled and his features were beautiful, as if the Begonia’s petal were opening as in spring and elegance oozed out from one’s bones. Even though his gaze was as sharp as a sword, his tone was slightly in a teasing manner.
“Just some Imperial power. If you want it, it will all belong to you.”
