Xue Shen soon received news of the deaths of the Tibetan king and his eldest son, Chali.
"Has my elder brother returned to the Third Prince's residence to report?"
Wen Rao nodded: "Yes, General Shen left before us and should be at the Third Prince's residence by now."
Xue Shen pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, we might as well take this opportunity to kidnap the Fourth Prince."
Wen Rao was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Why not just kill him?"
Xue Shen said, "If they kill all the sons of the Tibetan king, they can quickly support a new king. But if the fourth prince is still alive, but becomes mentally impaired and easily manipulated, the Qingmu tribe will never allow anyone else to covet the throne."
Wen Rao understood and cupped her hands in greeting, saying, "Your subordinate will take care of it immediately."
*
When Xue Shen arranged for someone to kidnap the Fourth Prince, Shen Xiuyi had already returned to the Third Prince's residence to report to Chahar.
When Chahar heard that Shen Xiuyi had returned alive, his face lit up with excitement, and he immediately summoned her in.
Shen Xiuyi entered the hall, glanced around and saw that Chahar's confidant was also there, and said, "I have important matters to report to Your Highness in private."
Chahar glanced at his confidant, knowing that Aye had always been at odds with the other party, so he didn't suspect anything. He gave his confidant a look, signaling him to leave for a moment.
The confidant then withdrew.
Shen Xiuyi then spoke: "Your subordinate was ordered to kill the eldest prince, but found that the king had already died. The eldest prince concealed the news of the king's death and searched for the edict of succession in the palace."
Chahar was shocked upon hearing this and exclaimed, "What? My father is dead?"
But he soon understood what Chali had done. He paced around the palace with his hands behind his back, saying, "No wonder, no wonder, no wonder Chali sent so many men to surround the palace. It turns out he was trying to force Chali to abdicate and seize the throne."
Chahar turned his head with a grim expression and looked at Shen Xiuyi, saying, "Did you kill him?"
Shen Xiuyi replied, "Your subordinate has not failed in his mission."
He then took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and presented it to Chahar with both hands: "When I arrived, the eldest prince's men had just found the edict. After I killed him, I also brought out the edict."
Chahar's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. He patted Shen Xiuyi's shoulder forcefully, once again marveling at how wise his decision to keep Shen Xiuyi was. Shen Xiuyi was truly a sharp and useful knife.
He said "good" three times in a row and couldn't wait to take the imperial edict from Shen Xiuyi's hand.
However, when he unfolded the edict, he found that it was completely blank.
He looked up at Shen Xiuyi in confusion: "What's with this imperial edict—"
He had barely finished speaking when a sharp blade suddenly pierced his chest, catching him completely off guard.
Shen Xiuyi pulled out a dagger and tightly covered his mouth to prevent him from making a sound.
Chahar finally realized it was all a hoax. He glared at Shen Xiuyi with bloodshot eyes and struggled to speak: "You... you remember?"
Shen Xiuyi shook her head and lowered her voice, saying, "I didn't think of it, but that doesn't stop me from killing you. But you won't lose out either, because I did kill the eldest prince for you, and you brothers will soon be reunited in the underworld."
Chahar stared at him intently, and in a fit of immense despair and rage, he breathed his last, dying with his eyes wide open.
Shen Xiuyi dragged his body behind the screen and arranged it in a sitting position. She then cleaned up the bloodstains splattered on the ground before putting away the dagger, tidying her clothes, and slowly pushing open the door to leave.
Chahar's confidants did not leave; they waited outside the palace.
Shen Xiuyi nodded to him without changing his expression, and said in a less than friendly tone, "His Highness wants you to come in."
His confidant glanced at him, then pushed open the door and strode inside.
A moment later, his trusted aide rushed out shouting, "Quickly! Something's happened to His Highness! Where's A-Ye? Seize A-Ye! He killed His Highness!"
However, Shen Xiuyi had already left the Third Prince's residence by this time.
He returned to the inn with a cheerful expression and met up with Xue Shen and Shen Youying.
When Shen Youying saw him return safely, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, and her expression brightened: "I have already ordered people to pack the things, and Yuan Jin said he will set off immediately."
Xue Shen nodded and said, "I'm afraid the city gates will be sealed off and strictly inspected soon. If we delay, things might change. Let's leave immediately."
Shen Xiuyi nodded and left with them.
*
Xue Shen's guess was correct. Shortly after they left the city, their scouts reported that the royal court was in chaos, the city gates were heavily guarded, and everyone entering and leaving was subject to strict checks.
Meanwhile, Xue Shen and his men were already resting ten miles away from the royal court.
Because Shen Youying was pregnant, they dared not travel too fast, and could only travel as quickly as Shen Youying could manage. The kidnapped fourth prince was hidden under the carriage and brought out with them.
Shen Youying sat under the shade of a tree to rest, while Xue Shen and Shen Xiuyi discussed how to deal with the fourth prince.
Chamu has suffered a series of major misfortunes in the past few days. He was still in a daze when he was kidnapped and did not seem to realize his dangerous situation.
He was riding high on his success when he arranged the marriage with the Aoki tribe. But just two days later, his fiancée was mauled to death by a white lion on the main street, leaving no trace of her body.
He was right next to Baozhu when the white lion pounced. He sensed the danger and instinctively dodged to the side. However, Baozhu didn't know martial arts and was caught off guard by the white lion, who bit off her arm.
The spurting blood even splashed onto his face. Chamu was stunned by the cruel and bloody scene, and with no guards around, he hesitated only slightly before the pearl was torn to pieces by the crazed white lion.
Sometimes he would involuntarily recall the scene, Baozhu's desperate screams for help would always echo in his ears, and her body torn to pieces...
Since Baozhu's death, he has never been able to get a good night's sleep.
His father summoned him to the palace and gave him a severe scolding. He also ordered him to personally escort Baozhu's body back to the Qingmu tribe, explain the situation to his maternal grandfather, and try to appease his maternal grandfather and uncle to gain their understanding.
But Chamu was unwilling to go. Just thinking about the situation he would face, just seeing the coffin containing Baozhu's body, made him tremble uncontrollably, sinking into an inescapable fear and guilt.
Just as he was filled with fear, someone suddenly broke into the Fourth Prince's residence and kidnapped him.
Chamu not only did not resist, but even cooperated fully.
Only when he heard Xue Shen say that he would be sent back to the royal court did he manage to utter a strained voice: "Take me away, I don't want to go back, please."
Shen Xiuyi glanced at him with a mocking expression: "With him in this state, there's no need for us to put in any more effort. Even if he's found and brought back, he'll be a cripple."
Xue Shen nodded in agreement, saying, "When we pass by Wuming Village, let's leave him nearby. I've left a clue at the Fourth Prince's residence; someone will come looking for him."
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