The commotion stirred by the Imperial Guards was considerable, soon alerting Liang Jingchen and others.
He raised his hand, intending to call guards to stop them. They had committed evil deeds and thought they could return to report. That was impossible.
But Shen Yun stopped him. "Second Young Master, it's best to let them go."
Liang Jingchen pondered for a moment, understood, glanced at Shen Yun, and cupped his fist in a bow. He expressed his thanks outwardly, but inwardly he mused, "When it comes to being black-hearted and ruthless, it still has to be Shen Xuzhi."
Su Xiaoqi, not understanding the unspoken communication between the two, looked at Shen Yun, questioning with her eyes.
Shen Yun didn't play coy. He said casually, "My dear, why don't you think about whether they are returning to the palace or heading to the Eastern Palace?"
Su Xiaoqi shook her head. How could she know where they intended to go? Considering they were Imperial Guards, did they have to return to the imperial palace? She answered, "To the imperial palace."
Shen Yun smiled. "The one in the Eastern Palace is their true master."
Su Xiaoqi understood. So these people, seeing the situation turning unfavorable, were going back to the Eastern Palace to report.
Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't this be like announcing our identity and revealing our weakness?"
Shen Yun chuckled. "That's why I asked the Second Young Master not to interfere." Seeing their hurried escape, it was clear they were truly panicked.
Su Xiaoqi thought that they must not have rehearsed before acting, or perhaps they never imagined they would lose. Thus, they hadn't prepared for such an eventuality or any backup plans. Once they saw their scheme exposed, they panicked and only wanted to flee and report.
"Letting them escape back means informing the Crown Prince in advance," Su Xiaoqi didn't understand. At this moment, they should be stopped, preventing the Crown Prince from knowing, and then catching him off guard.
Shen Yun held her hand and whispered, "We want him to know. If he doesn't know, it won't be as fun." Shen Yun's face was full of calculation.
Su Xiaoqi shivered inwardly. Ah, she preferred the gentle and considerate Shen Yun. The calculating Shen Yun was too terrifying.
Su Xiaoqi's subconscious reaction made Shen Yun feel a bit hurt. He leaned close to her ear and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "My dear, don't worry. Your husband loves you more than you can imagine. I won't plot against you, so don't be afraid of me."
Liang Jingchen, seeing the couple's intimate display as if no one else were present, felt a surge of unbearable sourness.
Soon, Shen Yun reminded him, "Second Young Master, it is time."
Liang Jingchen took a deep breath, looked at Shen Yun with a complex expression, and then turned to the Prince of Duan, who was scolding Huang Fengxian in anger.
"Ahem... Father, now is the opportune moment. I implore Father to make a decisive move and lead the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Minister Huang to the Eastern Palace. State that the Crown Prince has privately made a dragon robe, intends to rebel, falsely accused, and harmed his own kin."
Prince Duan was startled and hesitated, seemingly undecided.
Liang Jingchen immediately urged, "Father, indecision leads to ruin. If we don't seize this fleeting opportunity, by the time the Crown Prince reacts and makes another move, we might not be so lucky."
In truth, their luck hadn't been good this time. They were only a breath away from disaster. If not for Su Xiaoqi's presence today, the dragon robe would have been discovered. Prince Duan's manor would have been implicated and punished. Even if they were eventually cleared, the best opportunity would have been lost. By the time they were proven innocent, the one in the Eastern Palace might have already ascended the throne. That would be the true moment of reckoning.
Prince Duan was no longer the magnanimous Crown Prince of fifteen years ago. Having endured numerous hardships, he had grown significantly. However, a shred of his former kindness made him reluctant to frame and cause conflict among brothers. But there was no choice. What Liang Jingchen could think of, he quickly mulled over in his mind. He realized, as his legitimate son Liang Jingchen said, that opportunities were fleeting. If not seized, not only would great achievements be impossible, but even their lives might not be saved. It could even lead to the downfall of the entire Prince Duan's manor. He might not care about the throne or power, but he couldn't afford to lose the peaceful life he had regained. Over the past fifteen years, he had lost too many things. What remained were those he wished to preserve. He would not allow them to be taken from him again.
Following Liang Jingchen's advice, Prince Duan, along with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and others who had learned the truth, escorted Huang Fengxian away from Prince Duan's manor and rushed towards the Crown Prince's mansion in the Eastern Palace.
After everyone had left, Su Xiaoqi let out a long sigh. Her body had been tightly strung, like a broken string, tense until it snapped. When the "twang" sounded, the string broke, and her limbs went limp. She slumped down.
"Xiaoqi..." Shen Yun quickly rushed to support her.
Liang Jingchen, not far away, also reached out to her immediately. But at the very last moment, Shen Yun skillfully turned, blocking Liang Jingchen, and firmly embraced Su Xiaoqi.
As Su Xiaoqi collapsed, the sandalwood box that had mysteriously disappeared from behind the three reappeared.
"Xiaoqi!" Liang Jingchen could hardly believe his eyes. He touched the golden lock on the sandalwood box and then looked at Su Xiaoqi. This was real. When they had found the box earlier, everyone was anxious and worried. Only Su Xiaoqi was not worried, comforting them and saying it would be fine. She said she had a way to hide it when they entered. Trusting Su Xiaoqi, he believed her words. However, his heart remained unsettled. But when Huang Fengxian, leading the Imperial Guards, barged in, he was so nervous he broke out in a cold sweat. He had even grasped a dagger, ready to kill, but Su Xiaoqi tugged at his sleeve to stop him.
Just then, Huang Fengxian ordered them to move aside, not to block the soft couch behind them. He almost numbly stepped aside, fully prepared to rush forward and stab Huang Fengxian to death with a single blow. But seeing Huang Fengxian's jaw drop in astonishment, he knew Xiaoqi had succeeded. He turned around, and the sandalwood box behind him was gone, vanished at some unknown time. He secretly glanced at Su Xiaoqi, and she was smiling at him. He then looked at Shen Yun, whose eyes held a flicker of surprise that hadn't had time to appear but which he had concealed well. He thought, perhaps Su Xiaoqi's trick was similar to street magic, so he quickly put away all his doubts and presented a calm and collected demeanor. Indeed, Huang Fengxian hadn't found it.
But his attitude remained arrogant. Why? Merely relying on that imperial sword. On impulse, he drew the dagger he had prepared to kill him and broke the imperial sword. He might not kill him with his own hands, but he couldn't let him go.
The box suddenly disappearing and then reappearing. Liang Jingchen felt filled with questions. But when he met Su Xiaoqi's bright, dark eyes, he couldn't ask. He decided, no matter what, he wouldn't question Xiaoqi anymore. Unless she was willing to tell him herself. If she didn't want to speak, then so be it. After all, he knew that Xiaoqi was on his side, and that was enough. It was truly enough. What virtue had he earned to receive so much help from Xiaoqi?
Liang Jingchen thought a lot, but in reality, only a few moments had passed.
Shen Yun asked, "Can my dear still travel?"
Su Xiaoqi took a breath and tried to say, "I, I should be able to."
Shen Yun nodded. "Good. We'll take it and head to the Eastern Palace immediately."
Liang Jingchen felt a pang of concern for Su Xiaoqi. Her face was ashen. In his opinion, she should rest longer before traveling.
Su Xiaoqi now understood Shen Yun's plan. She said, "No need. We must hurry, or we'll miss the grand play." Since they were going to do it, they should do it thoroughly. Su Xiaoqi said this because she had understood Shen Yun's plan, and this was her way of declaring: she was willing to help them.