sbdcsierra Chapter 278 See Through
Chapter 278 See Through
Hearing Concubine Zhou's words about establishing a crown prince, Xie Qian'an's expression turned colder, and he asked in a cold voice, "Want to be the crown prince?"
"He has to come back from the border alive first!"
Concubine Zhou's face was originally solemn, but when she heard Xie Qian'an say this, she relaxed a little.
He glanced at Xie Qian'an and said, "Oh? Prince An, what are your plans?"
Xie Qianan sneered and said, "Just watch with peace of mind, mother. Xie Nanyuan's military exploits were not easily earned."
"This time, I will definitely eliminate them all and let Father know that I am the most suitable candidate for the throne!"
In the Yanx Palace, Concubine Zhou took good care of Xie Qian'an and let him rest in peace, but the eyes of people outside the palace were all focused on the Yanx Palace.
Shen Qionghua was sitting quietly on the embroidery stool, holding a travel book in her hand, but she didn't read a single word, and her eyes kept looking towards the door.
This posture lasted for more than half an hour.
Finally, near dusk, Luo Xiyao stepped into Shen Qionghua's yard under the fiery sunset.
Shen Qionghua's eyes lit up and she quickly poured a cup of tea.
Luo Xiyao sat down on the embroidered stool, took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
"How is it? Have you found out anything?" Shen Qionghua asked.
Luo Xiyao nodded and said, "I've found out everything. Prince An was indeed seriously injured. The most serious knife wound was only an inch away from his heart and lungs. The emperor ordered him to rest in the palace."
Shen Qionghua did not show any gloating when he heard this, but instead frowned even more tightly.
In his previous life, Prince An stayed at the border for a year and a half without being seriously injured. How come in this life, the time he spent at the border became shorter, but he was seriously injured instead?
Moreover, the timing of Prince An's injury was too coincidental.
He cleverly resolved the dilemma he would face upon returning to the palace and publicized it with great fanfare.
She had some doubts about the authenticity of Prince An's injury, but she had no connections in the palace or the army, so she could not verify it.
Only then did Luo Xiyao go and investigate.
But I didn't expect that I would actually be injured, and the injury was so serious.
Shen Qionghua tapped her fingers lightly, lowered her eyes in deep thought, and suddenly seemed to have thought of something. She looked at Luo Xiyao and asked, "Do you know why Prince An was injured?"
Luo Xiyao said, "I heard that one night, the State of Chen sent assassins to sneak into the camp and kill King An. King An fought desperately with them and was injured."
"Are all the assassins dead?" Shen Qionghua asked solemnly.
Luo Xiyao nodded. "I heard that Prince An and the assassin were both injured. The noise they made attracted the patrolling guards. Seeing that he couldn't escape, the assassin committed suicide by taking poison."
Suicide by taking poison...
Shen Qionghua pursed her lips, her expression becoming increasingly unsightly.
Then he asked, "When was Prince An injured?"
Luo Xiyao thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be the period after my cousin left the capital and before the emperor's decree reached the border."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qionghua placed the teacup in her hand heavily on the table, making a dull sound.
Luo Xiyao noticed that Shen Qionghua looked uneasy and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Qionghua? Is there something wrong?"
Shen Qionghua paused, then looked at Luo Xiyao and said, "Prince An's injury... I'm afraid it wasn't the work of Chen's assassins..."
Luo Xiyao's mind was still unclear for a moment, and she subconsciously said, "How is it possible? If it wasn't for what Chen Guo was doing at the moment, why would Prince An say that? Moreover, all the soldiers in the army saw this kind of thing, so even if he wanted to lie..."
Suddenly, Luo Xiyao paused, opened her eyes wide, and said in disbelief: "Qiong...Qionghua, you don't mean to think..."
Shen Qionghua nodded confidently and said, "Prince An's injury was most likely self-inflicted."
"No way?" Luo Xiyao hesitated.
Shen Qionghua said, "Don't you think about it? Now Daiyue is at a disadvantage, while Chen is in the upper hand. According to the previous trend, Chen is unstoppable and will capture other cities sooner or later. Why would Chen send assassins to kill Prince An?"
"Even if someone was to be sent, it should be Prince An who should send assassins to kill the commander of the State of Chen."
"If they are really assassins from the State of Chen, they must have hit the target with one strike. They must have sent a lot of people, and their skills must be very outstanding."
"Let's not even talk about how they accurately found Prince An's tent among all the other tents. How Prince An managed to deal with so many assassins is also a question."
"From what I know, although Prince An also practices martial arts, his skills are better than those of ordinary martial artists, but he is not as good as those assassins and killers."
"Under so many sieges, Prince An was able to hold on until the patrolling guards arrived. Therefore, we can conclude that this serious injury was just a trick of Prince An." Shen Qionghua said firmly.
"But...but, why did he do this?" Luo Xiyao was a little confused.
Isn’t it a good thing to be able to return safely from the battlefield?
Why would someone stab themselves before dying?
Is this not mentally abnormal?
Luo Xiyao is not stupid, she just got into a rut of thinking and can't get out of it.
The Duke of Zhenguo has been guarding the border for many years, and Dai Viet and Chen State often clashed. Whenever the two countries went to war, Luo Xiyao always prayed in his heart that the Duke of Zhenguo and King Rui could return safely.
It's not just Luo Xiyao who is like this. All families with men who have joined the army are like this.
I don't ask for great achievements, but I just want to return safely.
This is what most people think, but it is definitely not what Xie Qian'an thinks.
Xie Qian'an was ambitious and naturally unwilling to just become Xie Nanyuan's wedding dress.
What was even more unreconciled was that Xie Nanyuan made more military achievements and gained even higher prestige in the army and in the hearts of the people.
Even if he was forcibly recalled to Beijing, he would still struggle one last time. At least he couldn't let all his previous efforts go to waste. He had to let the people know that he had also contributed to the country.
Using a sword to make the people remember his merits, make the emperor love him, and give him the opportunity to participate in the border war again to prepare for the next plan, this is definitely a good deal for Xie Qian'an.
Seeing Luo Xiyao's confusion, Shen Qionghua clearly hadn't thought about that yet, so she reminded him, "Think about the attitude of the people after Prince An returned to the capital, and the emperor's rage when he received the battle report..."
Luo Xiyao suddenly slapped her forehead and said with sudden realization: "Qionghua, you mean that Prince An is...playing the victim?"
Upon hearing this description, Shen Qionghua chuckled and said, "That's exactly what I mean. Prince An probably came up with this idea out of reluctance."
"He was using his injuries to remind the people of the capital and the emperor that even if he ultimately lost the battle, the injuries he had suffered and the suffering he had endured would be indelible."
"It would not only win the hearts of the people, but also make the emperor cherish him. Maybe..."
Maybe there are other plans, which Shen Qionghua has not thought of for the time being.
But she knew Xie Qian'an very well. He was a vindictive man who would do anything to achieve his goal.
This time he almost risked his life, so his intention must be more than just this.
But one thing is certain, the emperor sent Xie Nanyuan to the border to replace Xie Qian'an. Xie Qian'an must be holding a grudge and will look for opportunities to retaliate.
Now that Xie Nanyuan and the Duke of Zhenguo are not in the capital, she and Luo Xiyao have to be careful.
Especially Luo Xiyao, the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion must not bear the reputation of treason as in the previous life.
When Luo Xiyao heard what Shen Qionghua said, she was stunned at first, and then her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Because as Shen Qionghua said, it is more likely that Prince An directed and acted in the film himself.
After all, even she was wondering whether Prince An would be punished when he returned to Beijing since the emperor was so angry.
But now all his attention was drawn to Prince An's injury, and he had completely forgotten about this matter.
Luo Xiyao slapped the table and said angrily: "How cunning!"
Even she was fooled, and thought that although Prince An's character was not good, he at least understood the righteousness of the country. Now it seems that it is really...
Shen Qionghua nodded. Seeing Luo Xiyao so angry, she took the opportunity to agree, "That's right, it's so cunning!"
"So, Xiyao, you have to be extra careful recently. He's a thorn in our side, and his methods are despicable. It's hard to guarantee that he won't do something bad."
"You must keep a close eye on the study in the Zhenguo Mansion."
The study is an important place and is guarded by guards. But my father has gone to the border, so even if someone deliberately sneaked into the study, there would be no important secrets.
Although Luo Xiyao didn't know why Shen Qionghua repeatedly told her to keep a close eye on the study, she knew that Shen Qionghua was doing it for her own good and didn't want to refute her, so she agreed.
Seeing this, Shen Qionghua finally smiled with satisfaction.