Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 73

I would not be updating the novel here any longer. Please head to Mistmint Haven for continuous updates. See yall there~

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When Mo Qing heard the news, he came in person.

Xiao Rong was already seated behind his desk, sipping a chilled drink. At Mo Qing’s entrance, he merely lifted his gaze slightly and said, “What is this? I merely chastised two insolent lackeys of the Jin Royal Residence and it has startled even General Mo into coming here himself. Rest assured, should my father, the Prince, choose to pursue the matter, I will take full responsibility. I would never allow General Mo to be implicated.”

“Your Highness exaggerates.” Mo Qing smiled as he took the seat opposite. “Since the Young Prince serves in the army, you naturally have the authority to discipline its ranks on behalf of the Prince. Had I been present just now, I would never have dared interfere with the Young Prince. The Young Prince acts impartially. Why would the Prince ever hold you to blame?”

Xiao Rong said, “That may not be so certain. Who doesn’t know now that the Prince of Jin is His Highness Prince Xiao’s chosen heir to the throne? By acting this way, I have not only offended the Prince of Jin’s dignity, but also Prince Xiao’s. Tell me, could there be anything more certain to earn a man’s resentment?”

Mo Qing replied, “If the Young Prince says so, then this general is truly ashamed.”

“What’s there to be ashamed of? None of you is willing to play the villain, so I’ll be the one. But let me put the ugly words up front. Since I’ve already taken this role, should I come across such a thing again, I won’t stop at disciplining only the Prince of Jin’s men.

“Grains of sand may take years to build a tower, but however tall a tower, its collapse often comes in an instant. You, General Mo, should know better than anyone how the Silver Dragon Cavalry gained its present reputation. Now that you gentlemen have risen high, of course you understand the ways of officialdom far better than I do. But the army is not like other places. When Prince Xiao entrusted you with the command of this force, surely it was not so that you might play the indulgent gentleman?

“If today’s matter is to be tacitly accepted among the Silver Dragon Cavalry and if such indulgence becomes a custom, then what difference will there be between the Cavalry and those useless Imperial Guards?”

The words of the heir-apparent were merciless.

Yet Mo Qing neither showed displeasure nor took offense.

On the contrary, he felt a strange sense of bewilderment.

The heir, only nineteen years of age, already bore a shadow of the Prince himself in his youth. He was no longer the mischievous little boy in memory.

Xiao Rong continued, “I am blunt by nature and care little for how you may judge me. But so long as I am in the army, I will not tolerate grit in my eyes. The Prince’s heir is unlikely to be changed any time soon, so I beg you to endure my ill temper.”

“It is we who must beg Your Highness’s forbearance.” Mo Qing rose from his seat, dropped to one knee, and said solemnly, “This general will bear the Young Prince’s words today firmly in mind.”

Zhang He was still waiting outside. Seeing Mo Qing emerge, he hurried forward. “How was the Young Prince? Has his anger cooled?”

Mo Qing sighed. “Other than the first time I led the Silver Dragon Guard into a defeat, never have I felt such loss of face.”

Zhang He froze. “What? The Young Prince scolded even you?”

Mo Qing laughed.

Zhang He was bewildered. “What are you laughing at?”

Mo Qing patted his shoulder. “I am happy for the Prince. The Silver Dragon Cavalry will have someone to inherit its command in the years to come.”

Xiao Rong remained in camp for three more days before news arrived that the Emperor would soon hold the summer hunt.

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The hunt was set in the imperial hunting ground located in the northern suburbs. Because of the heat of summer, the grounds contained the Bright Spring Palace, a retreat built for cooling and leisure.

The garden stretched more than thirty li in each direction, thick with forest and rolling hills, abundant with birds and beasts. It had long been one of the favored hunting grounds of Da’an emperors.

Perhaps because the Emperor had only just recovered from his grievous wound and was in high spirits, his attention to this year’s hunt was greater than ever. He decreed that all civil and military officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital must attend.

As the heir of Xiao Royal Residence, Xiao Rong could not avoid it.

Fortunately, he was already stationed at the northern garrison, not far from the imperial hunting ground. On the day of the hunt, he leisurely enjoyed breakfast in camp before setting off by carriage. Dozing lightly along the way, he awoke to find the hunting park before him, the sun already nearing its zenith.

“This servant greets the Young Prince.”

To his surprise, Zhang Fu, the chief eunuch at the Emperor’s side, was waiting in person at the gate.

Xiao Rong felt no fondness or interest in such a man, but as he served the Emperor, Xiao Rong offered through the carriage door, “How is it you have leisure to wait here, sir?”

“Word came that the Young Prince was near. Fearing you might not know the way on your first visit, His Majesty specially sent this old slave to escort you to the palace.” Zhang Fu’s face wrinkled with two smiling creases.

Xiao Rong nodded, alighted from the carriage inside the garden, and followed Zhang Fu toward the palace.

Troops were stationed throughout the grounds and cavalry moved in patrols; the severity of the defense was plain to see.

The Bright Spring Palace lay on the eastern side, not far from the entrance. Built by a lake, its eaves let water trickle down from all four corners, so that with every breeze, the halls filled with coolness. It was indeed a rare refuge from summer heat.

The Emperor awaited in the central Sweet Spring Hall.

When Xiao Rong entered, led by Zhang Fu, he saw that besides the Emperor seated high upon his throne, both sides of the hall were already filled.

To the left sat Prince Xiao, robed in silver, his knees bent in composed ease. To the right sat a man in crimson court robes patterned with serpentine dragons, around fifty years of age, bright-eyed and long-bearded, his temples white beneath his official cap. It was none other than Cui Daohuan, Minister of State Affairs and head of the Cui clan.

Below Cui Daohuan were gathered other senior ministers of the court, and further down, the likes of Cui Xie and Wang Hui, sons of the noble clans.

After Prince Xiao, it was the turn of the other imperial princes, members of the royal clan, and several accompanying generals.

Everyone had been chatting and laughing with the Emperor when Xiao Rong entered, but at his appearance, the hall instantly fell silent.

Almost every gaze turned toward the youth, whose brilliance, as luminous as fine jade, seemed to dim the entire Sweet Spring Hall. Eyes ranged from admiration to scrutiny.

Xiao Rong ignored them all. He walked into the hall, composed, and bowed deeply. “Your servant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years.”

The Emperor, only recently recovered from serious illness, looked thin and still carried some pallor, but his vigor was visibly restored. He immediately smiled. “Quickly rise and come to Us. Let Us have a proper look at you.”

Xiao Rong rose, advanced to the foot of the throne, and once again knelt in salute.

“In Our presence, there is no need for such a rigid ceremony.” The Emperor studied the youth closely, his eyes brimming with affection, nodding repeatedly. “Two years away studying and you’ve grown far more stable. More and more, you carry the spirit your father had in his youth. We still remember the first time We saw you at the Xiao Royal Residence. You were only up to Our knees then. Quick-witted but mischievous, too naughty, and your father had punished you to stand beneath a tree reciting the Classics. Even at that tender age, you could rattle off the entire Tao Te Ching backwards.

“We were just telling your father that if Our own useless sons had even half of your intelligence, We wouldn’t be so worried about state affairs day after day.”

At those words, the Prince of Wei was the first to rise in alarm. “It is this son who is unworthy, failing to ease Imperial Father’s burdens.”

The Prince of Jin followed quickly, also rising. “This son too is unworthy.”

The last to stand was Xi Rong. He bent in silent admission of guilt, without a word.

Prince Xiao turned his wine cup in his hand and spoke at just the right moment, “The princes shine like pearls and jade, how could they be compared to a little monkey like him? If Your Majesty keeps indulging him, he will only grow ever more arrogant and lawless.”

However, the Emperor kept his gentle smile. “A boy this age ought to be lively. That’s what makes youth worthwhile. To be solemn and lifeless all day would waste the best years. We like Rongrong’s nature. Only his father keeps picking faults in him, far too strict. Rongrong, these few days you shall stay at Our side. We want to see who dares restrain you then.”

Xiao Rong said, “If Your Majesty says much more, your servant will only be punished again upon return.”

The Emperor laughed outright. “Always so sharp-tongued! Enough. After such a long journey, you must be starving. Zhang Fu, set a table right next to Ours.”

Zhang Fu acknowledged the order.

Many of the ministers exchanged startled glances. After all, to dine directly beside the imperial desk was an honor not even the princes present had been granted. The Emperor’s fondness for the heir of Prince Xiao was anything but ordinary.

Zhang Fu swiftly had attendants set the place.

Yet Xiao Rong remained standing.

The Emperor asked, “Why not come sit?”

Xiao Rong answered solemnly, “If Your Majesty does not allow the princes to be seated, how dare your servant sit? Otherwise, your servant would be guilty of a great offense.”

The Emperor shook his head again, laughing. At last, he cast a glance at his three sons still standing stiffly in place and his eyes took on a shade of imperial authority. “Sit.”

The three answered respectfully and sat.

Even then, Xiao Rong firmly declined the seat beside the Emperor’s desk, requesting instead to sit out in the hall.

“That place is not for one such as your servant. If Your Majesty insists, your servant truly will not dare return home.”

So he said, and the Emperor could only smile helplessly and relent.

Only one seat remained unoccupied beside Prince Xiao’s. Clearly, it had been left vacant on purpose.

Xiao Rong walked straight toward it without glancing aside. Just as he was about to move behind the table and sit, his steps faltered.

For that seat lay before Prince Xiao, but directly behind him was Crown Prince Xi Rong.

Xi Rong, clad in dark robes and hair bound with a black coronet, sat with stern dignity, gaze fixed ahead. When Xiao Rong approached, he merely raised his own cup and drank, his eyes unruffled, as if the two of them truly were strangers who had never crossed paths. The hem of his dark robe spilled across the space between the two seats.

Xiao Rong lifted his foot carefully, avoiding the robe, and sat down at the table. The moment he did, he felt two sharp gazes strike across at him. He looked up to see a young general in purple robes, seated beside Cui Xie, with dragon-like brows and tiger-like eyes, his expression harsh, proud, and cold.

At that moment, two piercing gazes seemed to bore straight into him.

Xiao Rong thought for a moment, quickly discerning the other party’s identity, then chose to ignore it. Without a change in expression, he lifted the wine cup before him.

After a brief exchange of small talk, the Emperor ordered the meal to be served.

As the Emperor had yet to fully recover from his injuries, the imperial kitchen had prepared dishes that were light and mild in flavor.

Suddenly, Minister of State Affairs Cui Daohuan pointed to a dish of fish soup on the table and said, “The heir has long studied in Qizhou. He must be quite familiar with Jiang Taigong’s Fish-and-Celery. Would he be so kind as to give us his opinion on whether this dish has been prepared well?”

Jiang Taigong’s Fish-and-Celery was a specialty of Qizhou.

Cui Daohuan’s words, on the surface, sounded perfectly reasonable.

The Emperor showed a look of amusement. “Minister Cui, from your words, one would think you doubt the skill of the chefs in my imperial kitchen.”

Cui Daohuan replied, “This old servant has long admired the local delicacies of Qizhou, but burdened as I am with official duties, I have never had the chance to visit and taste them myself. Thus, I must ask the heir to enlighten me.”

“Rongrong, why don’t you taste it and tell us how it is?” the Emperor said with a smile.

Xiao Rong respectfully acknowledged, lifted the spoon, and sampled a piece of fish. After a light taste, he said, “The flavor is excellent. However, in Qizhou, when preparing this dish, they typically use local needlebeam fish, not crucian carp.”

“Oh? And what is needlebeam fish? What a peculiar name,” the Emperor asked.

Xiao Rong smiled and gave an explanation. At the end, he added, “If this servant is not mistaken, there is still one ingredient missing from this soup: ginger.”

The Emperor nodded approvingly. “Indeed. I have never been fond of ginger, so when they make soup for me, they always leave it out. Minister Cui, are you satisfied with this answer?”

Cui Daohuan gave a faint, inscrutable smile. “The heir has quite a sharp tongue. This old servant is impressed. It seems, however, that I have no such fortune and will never taste an authentic Jiang Taigong’s Fish-and-Celery.

“But as it happens, an official from Songzhou has arrived in the capital today to report on his duties. He has brought with him a local specialty fish soup from Songzhou, which he wishes to present to His Majesty for tasting.”

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I would not be updating the novel here any longer. Please head to Mistmint Haven for continuous updates. See yall there~