Chapter 0261: A Headache Amidst the Chirping and Twittering, Two Sisters with Their Own Schemes
As dawn broke, Shen Yuan met with Wuhen and Wuji at the rendezvous point. The expressions of all three were exceptionally grave, clearly indicating no good news.
“We’ve searched all the palaces where someone could be hidden, especially those heavily guarded areas—we deliberately searched them twice—but there’s no trace of His Highness,” Wuji frowned, his usually gentle and smiling peach blossom eyes now tinged with a chill. “Wuhen, what about your side?”
Wuhen shook his head. “Same.”
The two turned to look at Shen Yuan, who was lost in thought, his fingers lightly rubbing his arm. After a moment, he said slowly, “The heavily guarded places are likely decoys set up by the Crown Prince.”
Xie Jinyu couldn’t possibly have failed to anticipate that Shen Yuan would search for Xie Chengze. After all, they had spent ten years together, and Shen Yuan could still grasp some of Xie Jinyu’s intentions. However, when it came to Xie Jinyu’s treatment of Xie Chengze, Shen Yuan didn’t dare to be overconfident.
Wuji had clearly lost patience. “This search is too slow. Why not just kidnap the Crown Prince and ask him where His Highness is?”
Wuhen nodded in agreement.
“Don’t cause trouble for His Highness,” Shen Yuan said, somewhat exasperated by these two wild horses who could bolt at any moment. “After all, he is the Crown Prince. An outright confrontation would do His Highness no good.”
After thinking for a while, he added, “Search again. This time, focus on palaces with very few or no guards, especially those remote halls that are rarely visited.”
“You’d better be right,” Wuji said, then vanished into the dawn light using his qinggong.
Wuhen glanced at him. At this moment, he wasn’t wearing his dark eye veil, and his sharp, frosty sword-like eyes stared unblinkingly at Shen Yuan. The cold, unreadable gaze felt as if he were appraising a worthless piece of goods, making Shen Yuan’s back prickle.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Yuan asked.
Wuhen didn’t speak, just continued to stare.
Just as Shen Yuan was losing patience and about to turn and leave to search for Xie Chengze, Wuhen slowly pulled a bright yellow object from his sleeve.
At first, Shen Yuan found it familiar, but as the object was halfway drawn out, the corner of his eye twitched violently. “How did you steal the imperial edict?!”
“Unimportant,” Wuhen said slowly, unrolling the edict and staring at the bold, flowing script. “It says you and His Highness are to form a blessed union.”
Wuhen looked up and asked seriously, “Who is the husband?”
Shen Yuan: ?
As if sensing Shen Yuan’s confusion, Wuhen slowly rolled up the edict and explained, “According to Jian’an law, the husband may take concubines. Between you and His Highness, who is the husband? Who is the wife?”
Shen Yuan: …
It was then that Shen Yuan realized he had overlooked a very serious issue.
He had thought that relying on the late emperor’s decree would allow him to stay by Xie Chengze’s side to protect him and legitimately fend off those coveting the position of the prince’s consort—especially Xie Jinyu. But Wuhen’s sudden question made Shen Yuan gradually come to his senses.
A prince’s inner court doesn’t only include a principal consort but also secondary consorts, concubines, and attendants…
No wonder Emperor Jian had insisted on the marriage so forcefully, without even consulting Xie Chengze. It was merely to use the title of prince’s consort to bind Shen Yuan, ensuring he could only protect Xie Chengze, rather than hoping for anything more between them…
The thought of residing in Cheng Huan Palace in the future, having to guard against the new emperor who might go mad at any moment while also keeping an eye on the various beauties in Xie Chengze’s harem, gave Shen Yuan a headache.
Seeing Shen Yuan’s shifting expressions, Wuhen felt reassured. He rolled up the imperial edict and tucked it back into his sleeve, then left the spot with a slightly lighter step.
When he passed by the Imperial Study, he had unexpectedly found an imperial edict hidden in the secret room—no one knew who had left it there—and thought that if Shen Yuan were to become the emperor’s consort, he would castrate him on the spot.
This would prevent Shen Yuan from feeling lonely in the future and betraying His Highness by taking wives or concubines.
Unaware of what he had nearly lost, Shen Yuan didn’t idle around after Wuhen left. Instead, he continued searching the palace.
The Crown Prince would attend court during the day, leaving him little time.
He hoped the two princesses would have good news.
Meanwhile, Xie Ping’an and Xie Shu scoured the underground secret rooms of the inner palace but found nothing.
“How strange,” Xie Shu tapped her chin thoughtfully. “How could there be nothing? Did our elder brother, the Crown Prince, hide Second Brother somewhere above ground?”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t hide him above ground,” said Xie Ping’an, who had years of experience with storybooks. “Second Brother is so beautiful and vibrant. If I were the Crown Prince, unable to win his love and facing societal disapproval, I’d definitely lock him away in a dark, airtight secret room to conceal this forbidden, morally corrupt affection.”
Xie Ping’an deliberately exclaimed with emphasis, “Ah! ‘You were born when I was born, no need to regret the timing; I thought nothing stood in our way, yet blood ties bind us!’”
Xie Shu: “…Elder Sister, you’re so twisted. If this year’s Tanhualang doesn’t like you, you wouldn’t resort to forced seizure and lock him in a secret room, would you?”
Xie Ping’an pondered seriously: “Hmm, if he has no family, it might be worth considering.”
“But actually, love isn’t that important,” Xie Ping’an patted Xie Shu’s shoulder, speaking with profound gravity. “Younger Sister, if Second Brother and the Crown Prince have no descendants, the future heir will inevitably be chosen from among the children of the other imperial offspring.”
“Mother Empress would never choose Eldest Brother’s son as heir, and Fourth Brother’s chances are slim. That leaves only the two of us.”
Xie Ping’an’s gaze grew profound. “So, finding a husband isn’t important; having a son is. Once we outlive Mother Empress, we can sit back and enjoy being Empress Dowager!”
Xie Shu: !!!
“Good heavens!” Xie Shu exclaimed in astonishment. “That makes so much sense!”
Xie Shu began secretly contemplating whether she should start looking for a future husband early, making sure to bear the eldest son before her elder sister. That way, she could become Empress Dowager, secretly control the court, and use her expanded power to build her own intelligence network—!
Thus, she would have eyes and ears everywhere within and beyond Jian’an!
Meanwhile, Xie Ping’an withdrew her profound gaze, a barely perceptible, sinister smile of triumph curling at the corner of her lips.
Hahaha, let your heart stir and waver!
When you’re stuck as the Empress Dowager, forced to live a secluded and abstinent life in the rear palace, your elder sister will marry three thousand male consorts outside the palace, all employed in the storybook publishing industry. Through the propaganda in those books, I’ll influence the thoughts of thousands in Jian’an, achieving a following that responds to my every call and unites in common cause!
And you, my dear sister, you’ll always be one step behind me!
The two sisters, each harboring their own thoughts, decided to search the secret rooms in the outer palace through the inner palace’s hidden passages after confirming Xie Chengze was not in any of the inner palace’s secret rooms.
While passing through one of the passages, Xie Shu suddenly remembered something. “Elder Sister, should we go see Father?”
Emperor Jian’s body was placed in Taiji Hall, where the Empress, consorts, princes, and princesses took turns keeping vigil. Xie Ping An and Xie Shu had already kept vigil on the night of Emperor Jian’s passing, so they hadn’t returned.
Xie Ping An nodded. “Very well, after all, he is our father.”
The two turned in the passage, climbed out of the side room, and headed toward Taiji Hall.