Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 95

By this hour, the outer gates of the outer palace were already closed. But Xiao Rong could still come and go using the Chancellery’s seal. He only needed to register, as the rules required.

A crescent moon hung high in the sky, spilling faint, silvery light. Here and there, a few government offices still burned their lamps.

Xiao Rong led his horse down the solemn, silent street.

Even after making such a grave decision, he felt no panic. Only calm. He knew this would likely be the last peaceful night he would ever spend in the capital.

Logically, he should have found an inn nearby, rested for the night, and the next day, rented a small house to live in. But right now, there was only one place he wished to go.

So, despite the many troublesome formA’Lities, he came all the way to Heavenly Avenue.

The same moonlight lay gently over the Eastern Palace.

Xi Rong had always been a late sleeper. It was common for him to sit in the council hall deep into the night, reading or handling affairs of state. Tonight was no different.

When Jiang Cheng came to report, Xi Rong slowly lifted his head from behind the desk. The next instant, he shot to his feet so suddenly that the long table nearly overturned. He strode swiftly toward the palace gates.

The attendants waiting outside looked on in shock and confusion. In all their time serving in the Eastern Palace, they had never seen the Crown Prince so visibly lose his composure.

Tonight’s wind was gentle and mild.

However, as Xi Rong walked briskly, his dark ceremonial robes flared and rippled behind him, lifted by the force of his steps.

Jiang Cheng, following closely, had to draw on his inner strength just to keep up.

They hurried all the way to the great gates of the Eastern Palace before Xi Rong suddenly stopped. He stood frozen, scarcely daring to breathe, staring at the figure below the steps, a young man holding a horse’s reins.

“Rongrong.”

It took him a moment before he could force the word from his chest.

Xiao Rong had been idly kicking at a pebble. When he heard the call, he looked up, a faint smile curving his lips.

Xi Rong felt as if he had just awakened from a long dream. He strode forward, studying Xiao Rong closely, his voice filled with disbelief and wonder. “Rongrong, how are you here?”

Xiao Rong kept nudging the pebble with his foot. Hands clasped behind his back, he said, “It’s late. I’ve nowhere else to go. Would Your Highness take me in for the night?”

The words sounded absurd; the heir of the Xiao clan having nowhere to go in the middle of the night.

However, Xi Rong’s heart was already too full of astonished joy to care. He laughed softly. “Of course you can. Come whenever you wish. My doors will always be open to you. Jiang Cheng, take the horse.” There was only gentle warmth left in Xi Rong’s normally cool, composed eyes as he looked at Xiao Rong and gave the order.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Jiang Cheng replied at once, taking the reins from Xiao Rong.

“Come,” Xi Rong said, grasping Xiao Rong’s hand tightly. “Let me take you inside.”

He had walked through the gates of the Eastern Palace countless times, but never before had they looked so pleasing to the eye, so grand and resplendent. He could hardly wait to step within. The Eastern Palace was vast and the road to the main hall was long. Yet for the first time, Xi Rong found the distance easy to bear.

Once inside the main hall, he led Xiao Rong to sit behind the only long table. Then he lifted the teapot, intending to pour a cup of tea.

“It’s gone a bit cold. I’ll brew a fresh pot. Wait here for me,” Xi Rong said.

Xiao Rong quickly replied that it was unnecessary.

However, Xi Rong insisted.

The attendants moved forward to help, only to be waved away.

He rummaged through the cabinets, took out the finest tea in the Eastern Palace, and brewed a new pot himself. Returning to the hall, he personally poured Xiao Rong a steaming cup. “Drink this first. I’ll be right back.” He stood again to leave.

Seeing the Crown Prince’s forehead damp with sweat from haste, Xiao Rong began to wonder if his arrival was too abrupt, too poorly timed. He said at once, “Does Your Highness have important matters to attend to? Don’t worry about me. Please go on. I can wait here.”

“It’s not that,” Xi Rong said, smiling. “I just need to tidy up the inner chamber a little.”

“Oh,” Xiao Rong replied softly, nodding. “Then, Your Highness, please go ahead. But, shouldn’t this sort of thing be left to the palace attendants?”

“They wouldn’t do it properly. Wait for me a moment. It’ll be quick.” Xi Rong turned and walked toward the bedchamber.

The tea’s temperature was just right; not too hot, not too cold. Xiao Rong took a small sip, then lowered his gaze and saw the long desk piled high with memorials and documents. Only then did he realize he seemed to be sitting in Xi Rong’s usual seat.

That was clearly improper.

However, this was Xi Rong’s main hall, not his audience chamber, and there was only this one long desk.

So Xiao Rong could only sit there with a clear conscience.

Xi Rong was known for his meticulousness; his sleeping quarters could not possibly be messy. Xiao Rong thought he would return quickly but after a while, even after several sips of tea, Xi Rong still hadn’t reappeared.

Curious, Xiao Rong lifted his eyes to study the room’s layout.

Compared to his own study, cluttered to every corner with scrolls and books, Xi Rong’s residence was immaculate, orderly and restrained, not a single misplaced volume in sight.

As he looked around, a faint, anxious mewl suddenly came from one corner of the hall.

It sounded familiar.

At first, it was just one cry, and then several, followed by the sound of scratching.

A thought stirred in Xiao Rong’s mind. Setting down his teacup, he followed the sound and sure enough, found a cat cage near the south-facing window.

The cage looked familiar.

Xiao Rong froze, staring at the wicker cage for a moment, heart pounding. He bent down and opened the door. A plump tabby cat immediately leapt out and into his arms.

“A’Li!” Certain he hadn’t mistaken it, Xiao Rong’s eyes lit up; he cried out in delight.

The tabby nuzzled its head against him affectionately, nearly wriggling in his arms with joy.

Xiao Rong could hardly believe it.

If there was anything he still missed after leaving Songzhou, it was this tabby that had kept him company in the mountains for nearly a year and a half. He never dreamed he would see it again.

Back in Songzhou, he’d known Xi Rong didn’t particularly like cats and never allowed them near him. Yet here the cat was, in Xi Rong’s own residence.

It was clearly well cared for; healthier, even plumper, than before.

Holding the cat tightly, Xiao Rong hesitated for a moment when he saw Xi Rong still hadn’t come out. Then, softly and carefully, he carried it into the inner chamber.

Xi Rong was there, wholly focused on making the bed. When he finished, he seemed dissatisfied, pulled off the bedding, and replaced it with a softer, smoother set. He smoothed the surface inch by inch until the cover lay as flat as a mirror.

Then he studied it again and thought the color looked too somber, fitting his own taste but not Xiao Rong’s. He should have the attendants bring something better.

The pillow color wasn’t right either; too stiff, too plain, poorly shaped.

He hadn’t known Xiao Rong would come, so he was completely unprepared. Now his mind whirled with a hundred thoughts, displeased with everything, not knowing where to begin.

He was still frowning in concentration, as though planning a difficult campaign, when a soft cough reached his ears.

Startled, Xi Rong looked up, only to see Xiao Rong standing by the screen, a cat in his arms, watching him. The lamplight cast its glow over the young heir, outlining his fine, clear features in gold.

This scene was something Xi Rong had scarcely dared to imagine before.

“Your Highness wasn’t coming out, so I came to take a look,” Xiao Rong said softly, stroking the tabby cat’s sleek, glossy fur. Then he glanced toward the bed. “Your Highness, have you not finished tidying up?”

“Almost,” Xi Rong replied. “But this mattress isn’t good enough. I’ll have them bring a better one.”

Xiao Rong finally seemed to understand what had kept him so long. He stepped closer, looked at the bedding, and said, “It’s not good? I think it’s perfectly fine. Besides, I’m just a guest. I should stay in the guest room. Your Highness doesn’t need to trouble yourself.”

“How could that do?” Xi Rong refused flatly. “Even if I stayed in the guest room, I couldn’t let you stay there. Since you like it, we’ll leave it for now. Tomorrow, I’ll have them change it for something finer. I’ll ask them to prepare a bath for you.”

“There’s no need,” Xiao Rong quickly stopped him. At Xi Rong’s pace, if he waited for that bath to be prepared and finished, dawn would likely be breaking. “I’m a bit tired. Why don’t we rest sooner instead?”

“All right,” Xi Rong agreed immediately. “I was being inconsiderate.”

Even so, Xi Rong brought in a basin of hot water himself and had Xiao Rong sit at the bedside, helping him soak his feet.

Xiao Rong, holding the cat in his arms, watched Xi Rong kneel on one knee before him, removing his boots and socks. Even with his usual composure, he felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Your Highness, let me do it myself.”

“No need,” Xi Rong said pleasantly. By the way, are you hungry? I can have the kitchen prepare some supper.”

Xiao Rong shook his head. “I’m not.”

“Good.”

Xi Rong neatly set aside the boots and socks, tested the water’s warmth, and gently placed Xiao Rong’s feet into the silver basin.

“Why didn’t Your Highness tell me?” Xiao Rong asked.

Xi Rong looked up with a smile. “Tell you what?”

“A’Li. Why didn’t Your Highness tell me you’d brought A’Li back?” Xiao Rong asked softly.

Xi Rong replied simply, “It was a last-minute thought.”

“Only a whim?” Xiao Rong asked.

Xi Rong paused for a moment and then smiled. “Of course not. I brought him back to keep a memory for myself.”

The hall fell silent.

Neither of them spoke.

Then, suddenly, something cool brushed across Xi Rong’s forehead, as light as a feather. He froze, disbelief locking his body, and slowly lifted his head.

Xiao Rong had already turned his face away, though the tips of his ears were burning red.

“Rong Rong, you—” Xi Rong’s hands stopped mid-motion.

“Mm.” Xiao Rong still didn’t look at him; his voice, too, was as soft as a feather. “I accidentally kissed Your Highness. If Your Highness minds, then you can kiss me back.”

Such a blatant tease nearly broke Xi Rong’s composure.

Yet he still clung to his last shred of reason and asked quietly, “Rong Rong, tell me honestly. Did something happen tonight? Is that why you came here so suddenly?”

Xiao Rong turned his face toward him then, eyes lowered, gaze carrying a touch of willful dominance. “If I say I don’t want to talk about anything tonight and that I only want to sleep well, will Your Highness still press for answers?”

“Of course not,” Xi Rong answered seriously. “Rong Rong, you don’t know how long I’ve waited for this day. I—I’m almost happy enough to lose my mind.”