Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 60

After returning home, Xiao Rong moved directly into the residence on the Jade Dragon Terrace. Partly because it was convenient for reading during the day and partly to prepare for his upcoming coming-of-age ceremony.

Naturally, it was also because the Jade Dragon Terrace had beautiful scenery and was pleasantly cool during summer, perfect for enjoying the view and comfortable living.

Perhaps due to the approach of summer, Xiao Rong had recently been suffering from heat and restlessness at night.

Xiao En, concerned that he might not be used to being back at the estate, had personally stayed by his side for the past two days. That day, just as he reached the residence, a servant reported, “Young Prince, someone from the Eastern Palace has delivered a congratulatory gift for your coming-of-age ceremony.”

Xiao En wasn’t very surprised. He only asked, “Would the Young Prince like to see them?”

“The Eastern Palace?” Xiao Rong seemed to recall something. He tapped his chin with a folding fan and smiled. “Aren’t all these imperial sons and grandsons in the capital supposedly petty and vindictive? Doesn’t the rumor say the Crown Prince is vengeful and bloodthirsty? Why would he kindly send me a congratulatory gift?”

Xiao En smiled, “Your coming-of-age ceremony is a major event in the capital. Even His Majesty ordered the Ministry of State Affairs to prepare a gift. If the Crown Prince doesn’t send one, he would be criticized. Besides, you only wrote that essay ‘On Yaksha’ while drunk. It was an accident, not intentional. If the Crown Prince still holds that against you, it would make him look petty.”

Xiao Rong clearly didn’t believe that explanation. Based on what he’d heard about the Crown Prince’s temperament, there was no way he wouldn’t bear a grudge. He was probably dreaming of flaying him alive. Still, the exchanges of formalities were all just for show. With little concern, he replied, “I don’t want to see him. Grandfather, you can handle it.”

Xiao En nodded.

The congratulatory gifts for the coming-of-age ceremony had already piled up to fill the whole room. There was no real need for the heir to personally appear for every visit.

Furthermore, the Xiao Royal Residence had already allied with the Prince of Jin faction. Forget a subordinate of the Eastern Palace; even if the Crown Prince himself came, Xiao Rong didn’t need to give him face or socialize with him.

Back in his chamber, Xiao Rong had just taken a sip of tea when Mo Qing arrived with two personal guards in tow, allowing Xiao Rong to make his selection.

Xiao Rong sat behind the long table, sleeves spread out. He lifted his eyelids and lazily glanced across the table. “Where’s the previous one?”

“Which one does the Young Master mean?”

“That stiff-headed disciple of yours.”

“Do you mean Mo Dong?” Mo Qing shook his head regretfully. “He failed in his duties and has been demoted to a lower-tier shadow guard to retrain from the beginning. He’s currently not qualified to serve you. You’ll have to choose another.”

Xiao Rong said, “I want him. Isn’t the rank a matter of your word, General Mo?”

Mo Qing was caught off guard. “As I recall, the Young Prince didn’t even like him. Why would you want him back?”

“Guess I got used to him. I don’t like switching to new people,” Xiao Rong said casually.

Mo Qing smiled and nodded. “Looks like he’s destined for good fortune.”

***

Elsewhere, Jiang Cheng returned to the Eastern Palace after delivering the congratulatory gift.

In the council hall were only Song Yang and Xi Rong. Zhou Wenhe had gone to the Court of Judicial Review to check in on a few old friends and to push for progress on a case, taking Jiang Cheng’s place.

The weather was getting hotter by the day. Song Yang sat with his collar open, fanning himself with a feather fan.

Xi Rong, in contrast, was still dressed entirely in dark garments. He sat behind the desk, attire perfectly tidy, collar buttoned all the way up. Unlike Song Yang’s carefree manner, Xi Rong remained impeccable in appearance. What surprised Jiang Cheng, though, was that His Highness seemed to be cradling in his arms… that fat tabby cat they brought back from Songzhou!

This was a scene that would have been nearly impossible in the past.

That cat also seemed to have been forced to crouch timidly at His Highness’s sleeve, looking cautious and wary.

Song Yang asked, “How did it go?”

Jiang Cheng replied, “The chief steward of the Xiao Royal Residence, Xiao En, personally accepted the gift and delivered an invitation, inviting His Highness to attend the coming-of-age ceremony of the Xiao clan’s heir-apparent two days from now.”

After his report, Jiang Cheng respectfully placed an exquisitely crafted invitation on Xi Rong’s desk.

He sighed, “The gates of the Xiao Royal Residence are truly beyond lofty. When I arrived today, I saw several carriages belonging to first- and second-rank officials. Those of lower rank couldn’t even get close.”

Song Yang rested his feather fan on his knees and said, “Prince Xiao shares a bond of hardship with His Majesty. Back when His Majesty was chosen to be a hostage among the barbarians, most of his attendants fled, but Prince Xiao alone stayed loyal. Later, His Majesty was able to return from the barbarian lands to the capital and take the throne entirely thanks to Prince Xiao. At that time, the national military power was controlled by several major families and to escort His Majesty back from the barbarians was an almost impossible feat. Prince Xiao’s ability speaks for itself. Moreover, the heir-apparent of the Xiao clan is not only his sole heir but also the last and most valued disciple of Grand Chancellor Qi. Naturally, his status in the capital is far from ordinary.”

Zhou Wenhe couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Isn’t Grand Chancellor Qi from the Qi clan of Qizhou? Why would he take such an arrogant and unruly youth as a disciple? Could it be that the Qi clan also wishes to climb the high ladder of the Xiao clan?”

Song Yang shook his head. “That’s because you haven’t read that youth’s proper essays. It’s said his writing is brilliant, filled with life and splendor, majestic like thousands of peaks contending for beauty and myriad streams competing in flow. He effortlessly uses intricate classical references, yet never falls into mere showmanship. He’s leagues beyond the likes of Cao Ancheng. Grand Chancellor Qi is a man who treasures talent, so choosing him as a disciple is not surprising at all.

“I’ve heard that for the coming-of-age ceremony, the Xiao Royal Residence has sent invitations to all the Five Great Clans and Seven Noble Houses. It will surely be a grand and impressive affair. Will Your Highness be attending?”

Naturally, Song Yang could see that the Xiao Royal Residence had only sent the invitation to the Eastern Palace out of formality and politeness. After all, the Xiao clan’s Jade Dragon Terrace was not a place ordinary people could easily step into.

His question was purely out of curiosity, wanting to witness the grandeur himself.

Xi Rong didn’t even glance at the ornate, gold-worthy invitation. His expression remained calm and indifferent as he said, “We’ll see.”

With that, he stood up and ordered Jiang Cheng to prepare the horse.

“Your Highness is going to…?”

“To the palace, to attend to my father’s illness.”

Everyone looked worried.

Song Yang said, “If Your Highness goes today, I fear His Majesty may not even agree to see you.”

Xi Rong tugged at the corner of his lips. “Even so, I must go.”

Song Yang naturally understood his logic. He gently reminded him of another matter, “Your Highness, it’s time to take your medicine.”

In truth, Xi Rong should have started taking the Ice Soul pill during the journey back to the capital. But several days had already passed and he seemed to have completely ignored it, allowing the fire poison illness to once again show signs in his eyes.

Xi Rong ultimately did not take the medicine.

When he arrived in front of the Thousand Autumns Palace, as usual, Zhang Fu came out unhurriedly to meet him.

Zhang Fu stood with his horsetail whisk in hand and said in a shrill voice, “His Majesty has spoken. He does not wish for an unfilial and heartless son to attend to his illness. His Highness may do as he pleases.”

Xi Rong said nothing. He looked silently at the tightly shut palace doors and then knelt down in the open courtyard without a word.

***

All morning and through noon, the sun had blazed fiercely, making everyone sweat profusely. But by afternoon, the sky was suddenly overcast with dark clouds, and out of nowhere, torrential rain poured down.

Palace maids and eunuchs all hurried under the eaves to avoid the rain, but Xi Rong remained kneeling in the middle of the courtyard, unmoving. His robes and hair were soaked through, yet he knelt there like a statue cast in iron.

The palace maids passed by constantly, but it was as if they were all used to the sight. No one dared to spare him an extra glance, let alone stop. After all, the Crown Prince not only lacked imperial favor but also carried the terrifying reputation of a violent killer, known as the ‘Demon Yaksha.’

The Prince of Wei, dressed in a fur robe, stepped out from within the hall.

Upon seeing the scene, he asked Zhang Fu sideways, “Why hasn’t anyone given the Crown Prince an umbrella?”

Zhang Fu bowed and smiled in reply, “His Majesty ordered the Crown Prince to reflect quietly on his faults. How could we lowly servants dare to disobey?”

The Prince of Wei said no more. He only curled his lips into a faint smirk and left with his attendants.

Zhou Wenhe stood under the eaves of the Eastern Palace, pacing anxiously as he watched the downpour. “Are we just going to do nothing and let His Highness kneel there like that?!”

Song Yang let out a long sigh. “His Highness failed to return to the palace in time to attend to His Majesty’s illness and has since faced repeated censure from the Censorate. If he cannot earn the Emperor’s forgiveness, he will bear the name of an unfilial and heartless heir. How can such a prince gain a foothold in court? The Prince of Wei and the Cui clan would never let go of such a chance to strike. His Highness understands all this and that’s why he insists.”

“I understand the reasoning, of course! But I’m worried about His Highness’s health. Kneeling in the rain like that and refusing to take his medicine, what if something happens to him?”

“Then we can only leave it to fate!” Song Yang clenched his teeth and said, “Your Highness has always been isolated and unsupported in the capital. If he wishes to keep his position as the Crown Prince, he must silence the wagging tongues. Do you think I’m not worried or anxious? But what good is anxiety? Right now, we might as well pray this rain stops soon.”

However, heaven seemed determined to go against the Eastern Palace today. Even as dusk approached, the rain showed no sign of stopping. On the contrary, it only grew heavier.

Xi Rong’s legs had long since gone numb from kneeling, yet he remained still, maintaining a perfectly upright posture. The grand doors of the Thousand Autumns Palace stayed tightly shut, just like the endless downpour. Only the palace lanterns lit one after another, flickering dully in the rain-soaked night.

A figure stepped out slowly into the rain, his shadow stretching in the flickering lamplight. The man held a silk umbrella with snowy bamboo ribs. From behind its edge, he looked down, voice tinged with amusement. “Is this pathetic, miserable state what Your Highness truly desires?”

Xi Rong did not look up. He stared blankly ahead, his face expressionless. Rain poured down, making his features sharp and cold as a blade. With palpable disgust, he spoke each word slowly, “You’re blocking my light. Get out of my sight.”

The man’s hand on the umbrella handle suddenly tightened.

His smile remained unchanged. “Your Highness’s unyielding pride is indeed admirable. But how long do you think that alone will keep you standing? The suffering you endure now, I could end it all with a single word. Why must you be so stubborn?”

Xi Rong let out a cold laugh. “Your words are truly revolting.”

“Revolting or not, stubborn or not.” The man leaned down slightly. “I’ll be waiting for the day Your Highness’s bones are crushed, crawling beneath my feet, tail tucked and begging for mercy.”

“Minister Cui.”

A young eunuch hurried over under an umbrella. “His Majesty is asking you to come inside and explain the scriptures to him.”

Only then did Cui Xie straighten up and withdraw his gaze. He brushed the rain from his robe and followed the eunuch into the palace.

In the end, Xi Rong was carried back to the Eastern Palace on Jiang Cheng’s back.

He had knelt the entire day, taken neither food nor water, and his complexion was deathly pale. His body was clearly on the verge of collapse, yet he still sat upright in his soaked ceremonial robes behind the desk, listening as each official reported their affairs and calmly issuing decisions.

Even Song Yang, who was known for his composure and focus on the greater cause, couldn’t help but get misty-eyed. “Your Highness must take care of your health.”

“I am fine.”

This kind of humiliation and physical punishment was nothing compared to the years of bloodshed and hardship he had endured.

Suddenly, thunder rolled outside the hall.

It meant the rain would likely continue through the night.

Song Yang had already instructed the attendants to prepare a hot bath. Just as he was about to persuade Xi Rong to bathe and change clothes, the prince lifted his eyes and looked toward the thunder-lit sky beyond the hall, murmuring, “He’s terrified of thunder. Right now, he must be so afraid.”

Song Yang was stunned for a moment before realizing that the prince was referring to the young man who had left without a word.

For a moment, a strange ache welled up in him too.

He knew that although they had returned to the capital, the prince had never truly let go of that young man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of bringing that tabby cat back from Songzhou, nor would he, unprecedentedly, keep it in his personal quarters. He wouldn’t have continued to punish himself daily, refusing to take the Ice Soul pill, letting the fire poison erode his meridians unchecked.

Yet the shadow guard stationed in Songzhou hadn’t reported the boy’s return.

So much time had passed. That young man had most likely already left Songzhou. Da’an was vast, filled with people. Trying to find someone skilled at hiding and deception was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Song Yang knew the prince had fallen truly, deeply in love, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.

Perhaps stirred by the stormy night, Xi Rong suddenly rose to his feet. “I’m going out for a ride.”

Everyone was startled.

He had already ordered the attendants to prepare a horse and was striding out of the hall.

Although the attendants were confused as to why His Highness would go out in such a heavy downpour, they dared not disobey and quickly went to fetch the horse.

Xi Rong rode straight out of the palace gates.

Song Yang and Jiang Cheng hastily mounted and followed him.

The rain was torrential, the streets nearly deserted. Xi Rong was able to gallop freely, his black steed, sensing no clear direction, simply sprinted wildly through the capital’s roads.

The sharp raindrops hit his face like knives, but Xi Rong felt nothing.

The sensation brought his mind back to the flower valley in the Songzhou mountains. It reminded him of galloping with someone else through fields of blossoms.

He could almost hear the other man’s carefree laughter in his ears.

Even after a day of kneeling, cold and hungry, whenever he had a moment to breathe, the only image that lingered in his mind was that boy’s silhouette.

He missed him so much.

This dense, almost poisonous longing tormented him every night like needles under the skin.

So much so that he even forced himself to overcome his obsession with cleanliness just to hold that cat in his arms. He thought that since he often slept holding that cat, the cat must have absorbed at least some of his scent.

Lately, he hadn’t been looking at that cold and heartless farewell letter as much.

The letter paper had nearly been crumpled to bits by him. If he kept reading it, the only thing he had left from him would be destroyed by his own hands.

The thought that he might never see him again in this life made it hard for him to breathe. The conviction he had built up over the years with sheer willpower seemed to collapse in a single moment.

When Xi Rong returned to the Eastern Palace, he had already developed a fever. Yet the next day, he still insisted on kneeling outside the Thousand Autumns Palace.

There had been a torrential storm the day before, but now the sun hung high overhead, blazing fiercely. Xi Rong’s lips were dry and cracked, and he was on the verge of collapse, but he continued to grit his teeth and endure, letting beads of hot sweat drip down his temples and fall onto the scorching ground baked by the sun.

“Our Crown Prince really can endure, can’t he?”

The Prince of Wei stood under the corridor, watching from afar, his eyes full of smug satisfaction.

A trusted aide standing behind him chimed in flatteringly, “It’s all thanks to Your Highness and Young Master Cui’s fine planning. Now the Censors’ memorials accusing the Crown Prince are piling up like snowflakes. If His Highness doesn’t at least put on a show, I’m afraid even the position of heir apparent won’t be secure.”

After kneeling for two days, exacerbated by his old illness, Xi Rong’s face was utterly bloodless.

As the sun was setting that evening, Zhang Fu finally came over and said, “His Majesty says His Highness should return and reflect quietly. Come back in a few days to attend to His Majesty’s illness.”

Xi Rong stared fixedly at the two palace doors and slowly bowed to the ground. “This son thanks Imperial Father for his grace.”

Back at the Eastern Palace, Xi Rong finally collapsed completely. After taking medicine, he slept in a dazed stupor through the night. When he awoke the next day, the sky was already bright, much later than his usual waking time.

He had dreamt a lot the previous night; sweet, yet cruel dreams.

As a result, he looked extremely pale.

There were still important matters to attend to today, so Xi Rong didn’t rest any longer. After finishing his morning meal, he immediately ordered the palace staff to prepare a horse. Song Yang and the others accompanied him.

In contrast to the empty rain-swept streets of last night, today the streets were packed with bustling traffic and filled with the cries of street vendors.

Xi Rong wasn’t in the mood to admire the sights. He rode straight toward his destination but suddenly halted halfway and turned his horse toward a side path.

The followers behind him, including Song Yang, were puzzled.

When they caught up, they discovered Xi Rong had stopped in front of a stall selling osmanthus candy.

The vendor was a young man, loudly hawking his wares. When he saw how noble and finely dressed Xi Rong appeared, he immediately smiled and asked eagerly, “Would the honored guest like to buy some osmanthus candy?”

Before Xi Rong could respond, a cold voice interrupted, “Our young master will take all the osmanthus candy here.”

Jiang Cheng turned toward the voice. It came from a young guard in silver-white armor, a sword at his waist.

The guard placed a whole silver ingot at the corner of the stall after speaking.

The vendor hadn’t expected to land such a big-spending customer so early in the day. Beaming with joy, he picked up the silver and began packaging the entire stock in batches.

Just by observing, Jiang Cheng could tell that the man was no ordinary guard. But as the commander of the Eastern Palace guards, he had a duty to protect his lord’s interests, and he couldn’t help but frown. “There’s a rule of first come, first served. We were clearly here first. Why are you cutting in line?”

The guard gave Jiang Cheng a cold glance and replied coolly, “Whatever our young master wants, no one dares to take it from him. Go buy it elsewhere.”

His tone was completely matter-of-fact.

Jiang Cheng had originally just wanted to call out their bad behavior, but that response truly made him angry. “Isn’t your young master a bit too domineering? Even if he wants the candy, shouldn’t he at least leave some for others? Can he even finish this much?”

The guard replied, “Our young master has always been domineering. I told you, go buy it somewhere else.”

Jiang Cheng was about to argue more when Song Yang shook his head to stop him.

The vendor ended up using ten whole sheets of cowhide paper to wrap up all the candy. As the guard left carrying the bundles, Jiang Cheng scowled and asked, “Lord Song, why did you stop me just now?”

Song Yang replied, “Didn’t you notice?”

“Notice what?”

“That wasn’t just an ordinary guard. The token at his waist belongs to the personal guards of the Xiao Royal Residence.”

“I saw that too. But just because he’s from the Xiao Royal Residence, does that give him a pass to act so unreasonably? He’s even more outrageous than the Cui clan!”

Song Yang looked in the direction the guard had gone and shook his head again. “Normal people wouldn’t behave so arrogantly. If I’m not mistaken, the ‘young master’ that the guard spoke of is most likely the famously arrogant and domineering heir to the Xiao Royal Residence. That young man is notorious for being difficult. Making an enemy of him would bring no benefit to His Highness.”

Jiang Cheng still looked indignant.

The vendor, trying to salvage the situation, said to Xi Rong, “Honored guest, why don’t you come back tomorrow? I’ll give you two taels’ worth for free.”

“No need. Just give me that one.” Xi Rong’s gaze was fixed on one spot. His face was pale and grim, his features sharp and well-defined, but the sorrow in his eyes clashed harshly with his usual imposing aura.

The vendor looked down and realized that a piece of candy had fallen to the ground during packing.

He said, “That one’s dirty now. I’m afraid it’s not edible.”

“It’s fine.”

“Uh… alright.”

The vendor picked it up and handed it to Xi Rong, unable to help giving him a look like he was seeing a weirdo.

Song Yang and the others stood silently by, not daring to say a word.

The author has something to say:

Xi the Dog: After returning to the capital, my wife is glorious beyond compare, while I’m down and out like a stray dog.
Thank you all, happy reading!