Chapter 131: Mutual Peace of Mind

"That is only natural. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, a message to reassure him is the proper thing to do," the Prince Regent replied.

Consequently, the Prince Regent dispatched one of his subordinates to find a way to deliver a letter to the Ninth Prince.

The Ninth Prince was currently at the post station, discussing with Lord Dongfang and several other officials how to respond to the Fourth Prince’s sudden onset of hostilities. Suddenly, a servant approached to report, "Your Highness, a man from outside has delivered a letter. He insisted it be given directly to you and that only you may read it."

"Oh?" The Ninth Prince took the letter and opened it. As he read, the grave expression on his face softened into one of relief. The aura of hostility that had surrounded him for days slowly dissipated, leaving those around him astonished. They had been on edge due to the Ninth Prince’s foul temper following the disappearance of the Princess Consort; why did he suddenly seem so composed? Could it be that they had found her? Yet, that seemed unlikely, as they had deployed almost everyone along the border to search for her to no avail. How could word of her whereabouts surface so suddenly?

"You may withdraw," Shen Hezhi said, folding the letter and tucking it into his robe. He returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, ready to resume the discussion on war strategies. Although the Ninth Prince appeared to have returned to normal, the officials remained jittery, weighing every word before speaking, terrified of inciting his wrath. After all, they had been living in a state of terror for days; even a slight misstep would trigger a thunderous outburst from the Prince. While he had not punished them, his anger was truly fearsome.

Lord Dongfang, banking on his relatively good relationship with the Prince, ventured to ask, "Your Highness, looking at you now, have you received news of the Princess Consort?"

The other officials broke into a cold sweat for him, feeling as though he were pulling teeth from a tiger. Yet, Shen Hezhi’s temperament seemed to have truly improved. Faced with the question, he showed no anger; instead, he smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes, that matter is now behind us, so you need not worry any longer. Let us focus our attention on how to deal with the Fourth Prince. He has managed to seize the Third Prince’s military forces—surely he did not do so through honorable means, or the Third Prince would never have surrendered them."

The group then began to focus their efforts on strategies to counter the Fourth Prince.

***

After delivering the letter, the servant returned to the Prince Regent. Seeing him return, the Prince Regent immediately pressed, "Did you deliver the letter safely to the Ninth Prince?"

The servant nodded and replied, "Yes, and I saw with my own eyes at the gate that the Ninth Prince read the letter and smiled."

The Prince Regent nodded in satisfaction and dismissed the servant. He turned to Yan Heru, who was sitting beside him, and said, "Rest easy now. The message was delivered safely; your husband will no longer worry about your safety."

"Oh, that is wonderful," Yan Heru said, feeling a great weight lift from her heart knowing Shen Hezhi would no longer be anxious.

"Father, Sister, the Fourth Prince’s current situation must be a coincidence. Since we are also concerned about the Third Prince’s troops, should we not first search for the Third Prince?" Qi Shengsheng asked.

The Prince Regent pondered this carefully and shook his head. "If the Fourth Prince did not obtain the Third Prince’s forces through legitimate means, and yet the Emperor has expressed no grievance, then there are only two possibilities. The first is that the Emperor is aware but powerless to stop it. The second is that the Third Prince genuinely and voluntarily handed over his command, which is why the Emperor has not intervened."

Yan Heru agreed with the Prince Regent’s analysis and added, "However, given that the Emperor has issued no other commands, I suspect it is highly likely that he knows but is unable to intervene. From any perspective, the Third Prince would never willingly hand his power over to the Fourth Prince."

The Prince Regent and Qi Shengsheng both agreed with this assessment.

"In that case, we should go and search for the whereabouts of the Third Prince," Qi Shengsheng proposed.

Yan Heru nodded, but after a moment of thought, she felt it was not enough. "We cannot all go searching for the Third Prince. Others should investigate what is actually happening with the Fourth Prince. Why would he suddenly obtain the Third Prince’s military power? The whole matter is far too suspicious."

Qi Shengsheng thought hard and suddenly recalled a detail that had been overlooked. "It feels as though the Fourth Prince suddenly acquired those troops after you were taken by me! Originally, he intended to take you to the Imperial Palace, but I intercepted you halfway, so he couldn't complete his plan. Yet, I heard he entered the palace anyway. Could it be that something has changed within the palace walls?!"

Qi Shengsheng’s expression shifted at the thought, and the Prince Regent and Yan Heru found her analysis compelling. It was a logical conclusion; if the palace remained unchanged, the Emperor would never have permitted the Fourth Prince to seize the Third Prince’s military authority. Furthermore, with the Fourth Prince currently leading an army and neither the Emperor nor the Third Prince making a move, it was highly probable that both had been captured and imprisoned by the Fourth Prince.

"These insights are very reasonable. We three should divide into three separate paths. However, I am a stranger here and lack my own influence, so..." Yan Heru looked at the other two in embarrassment. She was truly helpless, lacking both local connections and her status as the Ninth Princess Consort, leaving her unable to command anyone.

Hearing this, the Prince Regent shook his head with a smile. "Do not worry. How could I let you face such a predicament? I will entrust a portion of my men to your command."

Yan Heru looked up at the Prince Regent, initially wanting to decline the kindness, but seeing the smiles on the faces of both him and Qi Shengsheng, she swallowed the words back. This was what family meant, wasn't it? To refuse would be to waste their heartfelt intentions.

And so, Yan Heru smiled.