Princess Pingyang vs. Crown Prince Xiao Zhian

The main hall was brightly lit.

Crown Prince Xiao Zhian sat and waited, with his guard Xuan Ge standing by his side.

All nineteen officials from the princess's residence knelt in the hall.

Princess Pingyang walked gracefully towards him, and as soon as she appeared, Xiao Zhian reached out to greet her: "Come here."

"No." Pingyang stopped at a distance, standing in front of his officials like a protective eagle, raising his right arm and saying, "You may all step back."

Upon hearing this, the officials were deeply moved.

When their master spoke, their master protected them; their master stood up against the Crown Prince who was in charge of the state. The officials were deeply grateful, but none of them dared to do anything.

The Imperial City Guard discovered White Lotus rebels and stolen military equipment from the Ministry of War at the Erwang Temple. The once prestigious private temple of the princess had become a notorious den of thieves. The princess was implicated, and the royal family's reputation was utterly ruined. As officials of the princess's household, none of them could escape responsibility.

The best outcome would be to die without implicating one's family.

With His Highness the Crown Prince personally present, the officials dared not hope for anything more; they only wished for a complete body.

The nineteen officials in the hall waited quietly for their orders. Princess Pingyang's words carried no weight in her own princess residence, and she did not even listen to her own servants. She stared intently at Xiao Zhian, her expression gradually turning grim.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhian couldn't bear to offend her, so he raised his hand and said, "Fan Xun stays, everyone else step back," and then reached out to Pingyang, "Come here."

Pingyang did not move.

She stood there, hearing the officials behind her bow and retreat, and seeing Xiao Zhian affectionately inviting her to take his hand, she felt utterly disgusted.

This mansion, bestowed upon him by Xiao Zhian, he gave it away as he pleased, and he interfered with it whenever he wanted. He truly is a loving and devoted elder brother to his younger sister. But the day he tires of playing the role of a good elder brother, she, the princess who has her hands outstretched, will have nothing left.

She won't wait until that day. She'll take what she wants herself; she won't accept anything from others.

Pingyang stood still. Xiao Zhian knew she was unhappy, so he got up and went over. He had someone bring a chair, pressed Pingyang down into it, and squatted down in front of her. He coaxed his sister in a very humble manner: "Don't be angry. Your brother knows you are wronged and will find out as soon as possible why the White Lotus Sect has occupied your private temple."

"Do we even need to investigate why?" Pingyang's eyes reddened, looking pitiful. "They're throwing mud at me all to implicate you. Who dares to covet your position? Isn't it that pregnant woman in the palace—"

“Pingyang.” Xiao Zhian shook his head and interrupted, “You must not speak ill of the inner palace. I was just afraid you would overthink things, so I came to see you as soon as I finished what I was doing. I will definitely investigate thoroughly and clear your name. However, the people in your household who failed to manage their property properly, which led to today’s disaster, must also be severely punished.”

"I won't allow it." Pingyang glanced at the trembling Fan Xun, stepped on Xiao Zhian's knees, leaned down and pressed her forehead against his, and said in a fierce but coquettish tone, "It's clearly because you, my royal brother, have given me too many properties that you can't manage at all. I'm being smeared because I'm suffering for you. Why is it that my people are the ones who get severely punished in the end? I think you're the real culprit. Quick, kowtow to me."

Pingyang fired off a barrage of rebuttals and lectures, leaving Xiao Zhian speechless.

Xuan Ge, standing behind him, tightened his grip on his sword—with so many people watching, Princess Pingyang's disobedience and overstepping of the Crown Prince's authority should be immediately addressed and brought to justice!

Xuan Ge was on guard, staring intently at Xiao Zhi'an, ready to act at the slightest gesture or glance.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Zhian hesitated for a moment, then immediately grabbed Pingyang's face. Pingyang grabbed him back, and the four hands were crossed together, neither giving way to the other.

The two siblings were playfully fighting, and Xiao Zhian was overjoyed—she hadn't been temperamental with him in a long time; was she complaining that he was too good to her and causing her trouble?

If I had known better, I wouldn't have let those people go. I should have held their heads down and made Pingyang beg and plead for them one by one.

Xiao Zhian adored her current adorable appearance; she was his spoiled little sister, and if she acted coquettishly, he would give her the whole world.

Princess Pingyang, seeing how incredibly stupid he was, figured he would probably agree to anything she asked, so she made a quick decision and started crying out in pain.

Xiao Zhian immediately stopped, then noticed that there were still many maids and guards in the hall. He felt slightly embarrassed, coughed, stood up, glanced at Fan Xun, and lowered his eyes.

Let's leave the severe punishment for now.

Xiao Zhian decided to handle it gently.

He had promised his mother that he would take good care of Pingyang, but he had broken his promise once when he was young and powerless to protect his sister, leaving her to face the darkness alone. Now he was the Crown Prince Regent, and he could give her everything he had. They would depend on each other and never doubt one another.

Xiao Zhian originally didn't think Pingyang would have any connection with the White Lotus Sect, and the Ministry of War theft case was even more absurd. He came to comfort her for being innocently implicated, and also to discipline her servants to prevent a repeat of the same mistake.

Now that he has come, everyone below will keep their tails between their legs. If Pingyang wants to protect his own, then he can spoil him.

Thinking this, Xiao Zhian waved his hand and said to Pingyang, "That's enough. You should properly instruct your men. If you need more manpower, go to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. It would be against etiquette for me to come here so late at night, so I'll be leaving now."

“Brother Emperor,” Pingyang called out to Xiao Zhian.

She rubbed her cheeks, looking as if she had been bullied and wronged. In her heart, she knew that the White Lotus Sect was nothing, and if they couldn't find her, they certainly couldn't find Shen Congyun. But the Ministry of War was a different story. Shen Congyun had been in contact with Zhao Changji, and she wouldn't feel at ease if she didn't ask him.

"Your Majesty, you really need to be careful of Consort Hui. She's already implicated the Ministry of War. I'm afraid she might harm you." She deliberately shifted the blame.

Xiao Zhian was completely unsuspecting of her, only thinking that Pingyang was genuinely worried about his safety. He deliberately stepped back and patted her shoulder to comfort her: "It probably has nothing to do with her. As long as we find out about Minister Zhao's urgent memorial, everything will come to light."

“I see. It’s good that you know what’s going on, Your Majesty.” Pingyang pried his hand away, turned around and walked away while yawning: “Go on, don’t cause me any more trouble.”

Xiao Zhian watched her walk away helplessly, then stepped out of the palace. The moon and stars were sparse outside, and he was in a good mood. He instructed Xuan Ge: "Quickly conduct a thorough investigation of everyone in Pingyang Prefecture. She is young and too protective of her own, and is easily deceived by her subordinates."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As Xiao Zhian boarded the carriage and left, Pingyang snuggled back into Shen Congyun's arms.

Her cool little body bumped into Shen Congyun's hot chest.

She kissed him lightly, and he groaned, his lips exhaling hot breath, his skin becoming wet and hot inch by inch. He moved softly to Shen Congyun's ear, and Pingyang whispered, boasting about the victory she had seized from Xiao Zhian: "The Imperial Secretary can't be kept. Let him take Zhao Changji's urgent memorial and surrender himself."

"Hmm." Shen Congyun's emotions were running high, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He restrained himself, his mind regaining a sliver of clarity, and he managed to respond: "At that time, the Crown Prince will only find out that the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat colluded with the White Lotus Sect, stole weapons, and suppressed urgent reports. It was all done by him alone."

“That way, my brother Yun can get away unscathed.” Pingyang kissed his lips to celebrate.

In her view, the investigation of the Erwang Temple was due to Qin Luo's eagerness to make a contribution. He found a clue and arrested them all. The matter was very simple and should not involve any conspiracy.

The only problem is that Qin Luo is very cautious in his actions and shouldn't have caused such a scandal, spreading rumors that the princess was harboring the White Lotus Sect.

Pingyang clearly felt that an invisible hand was stirring up a storm, heading straight for her. Moreover, this hand was extremely powerful, and its influence spread throughout the capital within a few hours, as if it was deliberately putting pressure on the Crown Prince to severely punish her.

She didn't tell Shen Congyun about this intuition, because her only suspect at the moment was her father—the current emperor.

As a child, she stumbled upon her father's most shameful secret. She hated him and believed that in his heart, she was a thorn in his side that had to be removed.

But would the Emperor really disregard the royal family's reputation just because he dislikes her?

Or was it that the Emperor knew his elder brother would protect him and make a scene, but actually wanted to use this opportunity to weaken his authority as regent and crown prince?

Even half-dead, he was still scheming.

What are we, his children, really in Father's eyes?

Pingyang sneered, then thought about Zhao Changji's assassination attempt.

A highly skilled archer shot and killed Zhao Changji at the exact moment the Erwang Temple was being investigated. The timing was so coincidental. Could it be that he knew beforehand that the Erwang Temple would be investigated and was silencing her?

Pingyang is currently unsure whether the other party is friend or foe, and what their motives are. The incident occurred suddenly, and while the current situation is passive, it is not yet considered dangerous. Rather than getting bogged down in this troublemaker, it would be better to speed up the process, assassinate Xiao Zhian, and quickly gain control of the situation.

Shen Congyun was a meticulous man. He thought of Zhao Yanxiu, the son of Minister Zhao. He strongly suspected that Zhao Yanxiu knew about his conspiracy with Minister Zhao to form a faction. Keeping Zhao Yanxiu alive would be a disaster. He had to eliminate him completely and frame the mysterious archer.

For Princess Pingyang, with the Erwang Temple raided, she only had two thousand White Lotus followers left to rely on. Right now, the most important thing was money, without a doubt. Shen Congyun said he would take care of it.

He didn't mention Lin Huaiyin. He didn't want to bring up other women in front of Pingyang, especially since she was just a stupid stepping stone and didn't deserve to be heard by Pingyang.

Shen Congyun told Pingyang that Shen Zaiyuan would be returning to the capital soon, and nine "high monks" had already secretly escorted him there.

By using Shen Zaiyuan's help, he and Pingyang would not need to make direct contact. These "high monks" would go directly to Xiangguo Temple so that they could assassinate Xiao Zhian on the night of the Buddha's Birthday prayer.

Of course, before the Buddha's Birthday, the Shen family held a banquet, and there was another good show to watch.

Princess Pingyang teased, "With my Brother Yun in charge, does Su Jinggui really dare to go to the Shen residence to meet his childhood sweetheart?"

"Don't worry." Shen Congyun kissed her hair and murmured, "The Su family's spies haven't been removed yet. I have all of Su Jinggui's movements under control. He will definitely go."

——

Shenfu.

As the night passed, apart from the three servants of Qingyin Pavilion, everyone in the inner quarters of the Shen family mansion tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Old Madam Shen talked incessantly with her deceased husband all night long.

Shen Lanyan had never met His Highness the Crown Prince, but that didn't stop her from nestling in his arms. With a flick of her delicate hand, the Crown Prince bestowed gold and silver jewels upon her close friends. With another flick, the heartless man surnamed Liu was chopped up and made a eunuch.

Xu Mama shivered and had a high fever all night. Whether she opened or closed her eyes, she couldn't escape Lin Huaiyin's cold, piercing gaze.

Those who bullied Qingyin Pavilion feared retaliation.

Those who had never shown their faces before were wondering how to catch the eye of the Madam and her two older sisters and get transferred to serve her since the Madam was pregnant.

Yu Li and Xie Ao were excited for a while, and then slept the sweetest and most restful sleep they had in half a year.

Lin Huaiyin lay on the scars from her past life, her nightmares and reality flashing back and forth.

She woke up drenched in sweat, wanting to go out and inquire whether Princess Pingyang had been dealt with by the Crown Prince, and whether Shen Congyun had also been arrested. However, when she opened the window, the cold moon hung high and a cool breeze was blowing.

The capital city remained soundly asleep.

Lin Huaiyin hugged herself tightly, shivered, and laughed at her own stupidity.

Instead of hoping that the Crown Prince will clear the way ahead, we should think carefully about how to deal with Shen Congyun.

The Shen family mother and daughter are easy to fool, but Shen Congyun is deep-thinking, meticulous, and thorough. He is a man who will not tolerate any wrongdoing. After the incidents at the Erwang Temple and the Ministry of War, he will be more vigilant and in greater danger than usual.

The White Lotus Sect was cultivated by him and Princess Pingyang. As long as there is money, rebels will keep pouring into the capital.

He desperately needs money right now, and if he doesn't get the money and instead finds out I'm pregnant...

Lin Huaiyin thought of Shen Congyun's nonchalant, pretentious face and wondered what expression he would have underneath after the crack appeared.

However, she had confidence in Shen Congyun. For Princess Pingyang's ambition to become empress, Shen Congyun could endure what ordinary people could not. He would not break down; he would only become more ruthless and exploit her to the bone.

And what else could she, this little wife who deeply loved her husband, do but obediently listen and willingly give everything?

Moonlight shone on Lin Huaiyin's face and streamed onto the floor of the room behind her.

She fumbled to put on her clothes, did her hair and makeup, and quietly walked out of the room toward Shen Congyun's Ligou Garden.