Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 82

Xiao Rong wasn’t as strong as him; he couldn’t snatch the wine back. A little displeased and a little confused, he asked, “Not like what?”

“It’s not what you think,” Xi Rong answered seriously. “I don’t dislike you and it’s not that I don’t care about you. I’m no sage; I’m just a man who can’t quite let go. When I saw you travel with the Prince of Jin, putting him first in everything and risking your life to save him, I couldn’t help feeling anger and jealousy. The person I treasure most, the one I cherish like something precious, was ready to throw his life away for someone else, while I don’t even have the right to stand beside him in public. Rongrong, if you were me, could you really remain calm?

“In truth, I know this isn’t your fault. You’re the heir of the Xiao clan. In all you’ve done, there is no wrong. The one at fault is me, for knowing all this was fate’s cruel jest and still being unable to control my heart, still refusing to accept reality, still indulging in foolish dreams.

“You deceived me but have I not deceived you as well? If, back in Songzhou, I had told you who I truly was from the start, perhaps none of what followed would have happened. All of this, in the end, was born of my selfishness.”

Xiao Rong was stunned for a long time. Then he felt warmth spill from his eyes. The next moment, a familiar arm wrapped around him, pulling him into a burning embrace.

In the dimness, Xi Rong murmured softly, “Do you know? Yesterday, in the imperial hunting grounds, when I heard you’d stayed behind alone and were surrounded by the hounds, my heart was full of panic and regret. Regret that I spoke so harshly to you before, saying one thing and meaning another. That night by the lotus pond, it wasn’t a coincidence that I passed by. I’d been hiding in the shadows, watching you. I saw you barefoot at the water’s edge, bending down to catch fish. I was afraid you’d slip and fall in, and that’s why I showed myself.”

The body in his arms trembled softly.

Xi Rong held him tighter, an arm firm around his narrow waist. “Rongrong, I have never hated you. From now on, don’t carry such guilt in your heart. I promise I won’t speak to you cruelly again, or say things meant to hurt you. And if, one day, we truly face each other as enemies on the battlefield, don’t hold back. Don’t feel remorse. We owe each other nothing. Back in Songzhou, it’s true I risked my life to save you but haven’t you done the same for me? You always say you’re callous, cold, and unfeeling. But if you were truly so, why did you use your own blood as a catalyst to make those pills for me? Why take the blame for the attempt on Yan Hemei’s life?”

Xiao Rong lifted his head, eyes searching Xi Rong’s face.

Xi Rong said, “Tell me I’m wrong. If you hadn’t taken the blame, would Prince Xiao have pressured the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to halt the investigation? As for those pills, at first I only thought they tasted strange. But after you disappeared, I sat alone in that mountain hut. By chance, I saw traces of blood beneath the furnace and then, under the mat, a dagger. I suddenly remembered that you used a similar dagger when making the pills. You’d said it was for cutting ingredients, but the blade was spotless and the hilt unstained. It didn’t look like a tool for herbs at all. And in that instant, I realized that the ‘medicine catalyst’ you spoke of was your own blood.

“I still don’t understand,” Xi Rong continued quietly. “Why is it that your blood can serve as the catalyst that melts the Ice Soul that even the Gu King from the Western Regions couldn’t dissolve?”

Xiao Rong was silent for a moment and then said, “When I was young, my body was cold and weak. I took a powerful warming herb for years. Perhaps that’s why. I discovered by accident that my blood could melt the Ice Soul.”

“Then wouldn’t my blood work too?” Xi Rong asked.

Expression calm, Xiao Rong replied, “That’s hard to say. Whether medicines thrive or clash, it’s a mysterious balance. As for Yan Hemei’s case, Your Highness, you risked yourself because of me. It’s only right that I clean up the aftermath. My father wouldn’t truly punish me; he’d do his best to cover for me. But you’re different.

“You’ve already done too much for me. You shouldn’t have put yourself in such danger. You saw it yourself. Even Gongsun Yu didn’t dare point fingers at me in public, let alone someone like Yan Hemei. The Cui clan thinks they can use this old case to convict me and strike at the Xiao clan; it’s absurd.”

Xi Rong pondered for a moment and then said, “No, Rongrong, you’ve mistaken cause and effect again. In Songzhou, the first time you impersonated the Thirteenth Protector of Prince Yan, it was to save me. The second time, it was to get me medicine. If not for that, the Cui clan wouldn’t have noticed you, nor would Jing Xi have exposed you on the spot. All of it began with me, so how could I stand by and do nothing?

“But I’ve always wondered, what grudge lies between you and Prince Yan? Why, two years ago, did you sneak alone into the northern military camp to assassinate him? Do you realize how dangerous that was?”

“Of course I do,” Xiao Rong said quietly. “But you should know my temper by now. Prince Yan and my father have always been at odds. For years, he insulted my father in letters and, even at court, he humiliated him publicly. My father wouldn’t retaliate, but I couldn’t stomach it. So I took the risk to kill him.”

“That’s all?” Xi Rong asked.

“Of course,” Xiao Rong replied, meeting his gaze. “What other reason could I have?”

Xi Rong truly couldn’t think of one.

Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that even if Xiao Rong was arrogant and headstrong, attempting to assassinate Prince Yan for such a reason was far too reckless. Then again, two years ago, Xiao Rong had only been sixteen or seventeen.

And when Xi Rong was seventeen, he too had done things desperate and mad, things no one else could understand.

“Then why did you run away from home,” he asked softly, “and go to Songzhou all on your own?”

Since the wine jar was already taken and there was no more drinking to be done, Xiao Rong merely smiled.

Xi Rong lowered his eyes and asked quietly, “What are you laughing at?”

Xiao Rong countered, “Your Highness, are you interrogating a prisoner?”

Xi Rong shook his head. “How would I dare interrogate the bold and unruly heir of Xiao Royal Residence? I merely wish to know everything about you.”

“I’ve caused such a great disaster,” Xiao Rong said calmly, “so of course I didn’t dare return home. I could only run away.”

“So you chose Songzhou,” Xi Rong continued, “because it’s under the Cui clan’s control, a place where the Xiao Royal Residence would find it difficult to reach you. But that time, when you took us to your two uncles to hide, you had already prepared to expose your whereabouts, hadn’t you?”

Now that they faced each other with their true identities laid bare, Xi Rong’s insight came as no surprise to Xiao Rong. He didn’t pursue the topic further. With a faint trace of drunken warmth on his breath, Xiao Rong turned back to meet Xi Rong’s eyes, cool and steady, yet carrying a familiar softness, and asked, “Your Highness, did you come tonight to make everything clear, to untie the knot in my heart, and then, for us to cut all ties, never to be connected again?”

Xi Rong said nothing. Only the silver moonlight fell through the window lattice, resting quietly upon his shoulder. After a while, he said softly, “You can’t hold your liquor. Don’t drink like that again.”

Xiao Rong had been gazing at him the whole time. Hearing that, he seemed to understand what Xi Rong meant. He nodded and smiled faintly. “Your Highness,” he said, “I heard you fell into a trap yesterday and must have been injured. Let me tend to your wounds.”

Before Xi Rong could refuse, Xiao Rong had already risen, fetched the medicine and bandages, and brought them to the table. He drew the curtains around them closed and spread his robe before kneeling down. Now they were enclosed in a narrow space, close enough to move freely within it.

Xi Rong’s eyes followed his shadow, the candlelight flickering within them. “You’re still a bit drunk,” he said. “I can do it myself.”

Dipping a clean cloth into a copper basin, Xiao Rong wrung it out deftly. A faint gold shimmer brushed his eyelashes. “I’m not drunk,” he replied. “I’ve enough strength.”

Xi Rong knew that tonight, having come with a certain resolve, he should refuse.

But he couldn’t.

He sat there motionless, like a carved figure of stone, allowing Xiao Rong to approach and loosen his robes.

Xiao Rong was still dressed in the same silver robe he had worn earlier that day, when he attended the sentencing and the imperial banquet; light, luxurious silk embroidered with intricate clouds and flowing water, glimmering under candlelight as though ripples moved across it. His hair was bound with a silver crown and a matching band.

It was Xi Rong’s first time seeing him up close in full court attire.

Although he had often seen him from afar, poised and radiant, now, face to face, Xi Rong’s gaze was caught and could not move away. It felt as if every candle in the curtained room had flared back to life at once, flooding the chamber with light.

The once wild youth from the mountains of Songzhou had become the noble heir of the Xiao clan, the scent of pine and grass long gone from him.

Xi Rong had to force himself to look away.

He feared that in the next heartbeat, he would regret coming tonight, that he would lose control, go mad, and claim the other man for his own.

His wounds were not light. The worst was a deep gash along his right arm where the flesh had been torn open. Xiao Rong had guessed as much. A fall into a trap could hardly have caused such a wound; it must have been deliberate; a false injury Xi Rong had inflicted upon himself to mislead the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, so that no one would suspect him of shooting Yan Hemei.

Besides the arm, there were many other cuts and scratches, long and short, as though he had rolled through a thicket of thorns.

Xiao Rong suddenly remembered back then, Xi Rong had come searching for him through the mountains in the rain, bearing these same wounds.

Fortunately, Xiao Rong was no stranger to treating injuries. He cleaned the blood around the cuts with the damp cloth, dabbed medicine powder carefully with a cotton stick, and bound the wounds with steady hands.

One focused on tending; the other sat straight and silent. Neither spoke.

After about a quarter of an hour, all the wounds, large and small, were bandaged.

In the process, Xiao Rong saw the old scars that marked Xi Rong’s body; some faded while some were deep. When they were in the mountains, Xi Rong had only allowed him to touch them in the dark, never to look. But now, he sat bare before him, unflinching, letting him see everything.

Xiao Rong couldn’t help but reach out and brush a scar across his waist.

Xi Rong seemed not to notice. He remained still, composed, the very image of a calm and proper prince, and let him touch.

‘This was not a body befitting a crown prince,’ Xiao Rong thought.

“Is it done?” Xi Rong asked quietly when Xiao Rong drifted into thought.

Xiao Rong drew back his hand and nodded.

Xi Rong pulled his robe back over his shoulders and rose to his feet. His tall, imposing figure cast a long shadow across the curtain. “Promise me one thing,” Xi Rong said suddenly.

Xiao Rong, still seated, lifted his gaze to him.

“From now on,” Xi Rong said, “don’t do such things for the Prince of Jin again.” When he finished, he lifted the curtain and strode out.

Xiao Rong sat alone within the draped space, unmoving.

A moment later, Mo Dong’s voice came from outside. “Young Prince, His Majesty has sent the imperial physician to examine you.”

“No need.” Xiao Rong set down the medicine bottle and applicator in his hand. “I’m fine. I’ll attend the banquet now.”

***

It was a celebration banquet and the atmosphere remained lively. Aside from Prince Xiao, who was detained by military affairs, most of the accompanying officials and generals were present.

Xi Rong, now changed into a fresh court robe, sat among them.

Xiao Rong’s arrival clearly pleased the Emperor. After asking about his condition and learning that it was merely a touch of heatstroke and he had recovered, the Emperor even instructed the imperial kitchens to prepare a light meal especially for him.

Xiao Rong gave thanks and took his seat. After exchanging a few polite words with the Prince of Jin, he heard Wang Hui remark, “My lord, you missed quite the spectacle.”

“What happened?” Xiao Rong asked.

Wang Hui grinned. “Just now, His Majesty toasted the generals and brought up the upcoming martial arts tournament in the capital half a month from now. Normally, that’s nothing new, but this time, even the Northern Yan Army will participate! From what Gongsun Yu said, Prince Yan himself might come to the capital. Apparently, this whole matter was arranged by Minister Cui Daohuan. No wonder the minister’s in such good spirits tonight, even lowering himself to toast Gongsun Yu personally.”

The other officials were also murmuring about it.

“In previous tournaments, the Imperial Guards were always crushed by the Silver Dragon Cavalry. With the Northern Yan Army joining this year, the outcome may be quite different.”

Xiao Rong lifted his eyes toward Gongsun Yu’s table.

The man was surrounded by several officials from the Cui faction, one after another raising cups in toast.

Xiao Rong watched for a moment, then picked up an empty cup, gestured for Mo Dong to fill it, and rose from his seat.

Xi Rong was the first to glance up. Prince Jin and Wang Hui both looked startled.

Mo Dong was shocked too and immediately followed.

All eyes turned as the young heir of Xiao Royal Residence walked straight toward Gongsun Yu’s table.

Mo Qing, chatting nearby with other generals, nearly dropped his own cup at the sight.

“I’d like to toast General Gongsun,” Xiao Rong said evenly. “Surely General Gongsun wouldn’t refuse to share a drink with me?”

The Cui officials surrounding the table hesitated and then stepped aside to clear a path.

Gongsun Yu was clearly taken aback. He quickly picked up his own cup and rose, feigning respectful unease. “Young Prince, you honor me too highly,” he said. “It should be I who offers you the toast.”

Xiao Rong replied lightly, “That wouldn’t do. Everyone knows General Gongsun is unmatched in valor, the foremost warrior under Prince Yan’s banner. How could I, a mere heir, dare accept a toast from such a man?”

Gongsun Yu said seriously, “To drink with you, Young Prince, is my privilege. Allow me to go first.” With that, he drained his cup in one swallow.

Xiao Rong watched him and then, suddenly, his wrist tilted. The wine in his cup poured out, drop by drop, onto the floor.

The hall fell utterly silent. All eyes were fixed on him in shock.

Xiao Rong smiled faintly. “My apologies. I lost focus for a moment and let the cup slip. But surely a man of General Gongsun’s magnanimity won’t hold that against me?”

Gongsun Yu sighed inwardly. “How could I dare?” he said calmly.

Under the stunned gaze of the crowd, Xiao Rong tossed aside the empty cup and turned back to his seat without another word.

Only after he left did one of the Cui officials finally exclaim, “How could the heir of Prince Xiao be so discourteous to General Gongsun? Arrogant! Far too arrogant!”

“Please, General Gongsun, don’t be angry,” another official hurried to smooth things over. “Allow me to offer you another toast.”

Gongsun Yu merely said it was fine, but as his eyes swept the room, they suddenly paused, falling upon Xi Rong’s table. He leaned toward the nearest official. “Who is that?” In truth, he had noticed Xi Rong when he first sat down, but since the man had left midway earlier, he hadn’t looked closely.

“That is His Highness the Crown Prince,” came the reply.

Just then, Cui Xie approached, smiling faintly as his eyes gleamed. “His Highness recently took command of the southwestern forces and spent quite some time in Songzhou. It’s not surprising that General Gongsun hasn’t met him before.”

“The Crown Prince…?”

Gongsun Yu’s heart gave a jolt as memories of that night in Songzhou surfaced. Although it had been dark, he would never mistake that face.

The Xiao clan now stood behind the Prince of Jin. If that young man was indeed Prince Xiao’s heir, then why had the Crown Prince risked his life that night to storm an inn and save him? Their connection, it seemed, was far from simple.

Cui Xie, of course, knew the truth, but he kept his expression smooth and only asked, “Why? Does General Gongsun know His Highness the Crown Prince?”