Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 96

Xiao Rong nodded. “I know.”

They looked at each other in silence, eyes unguarded, overflowing with love.

Xi Rong smiled. “Then… shall we sleep?”

Xiao Rong agreed, gathered the cat in his arms, drew up his legs, and inched his way onto the bed.

Xi Rong carried the basin of used water out and returned quickly.

Xiao Rong handed him the tabby cat for him to settle, but Xi Rong didn’t take it right away. “If you want to hold him while you sleep, let him stay on the bed,” he said.

“Better not,” Xiao Rong shook his head. “Let him go back to the cage.”

“You are truly not holding him?”

“No.”

When Xi Rong came back after settling the cat, Xiao Rong was already lying on the inner side of the bed. He was well-practiced at this, now wrapped tightly from neck to toe in a thin silk quilt, only his head showing.

Xi Rong removed his outer robe and belt, then lay down on the outer side.

No sooner had his head touched the pillow than Xiao Rong rolled over, smiling sleepily like a little fox, and wrapped his arms around Xi Rong’s waist.

Xi Rong froze.

Resting against his chest, Xiao Rong murmured, “If I were holding A’Li, I wouldn’t be able to hold Your Highness.”

“Rong Rong…” Xi Rong felt his very heart tremble. He couldn’t help but lift a hand, gently stroking the youth’s slim back. Looking up at that fine, beautiful face above him, he still half-believed he was dreaming.

“If I hold Your Highness like this,” Xiao Rong whispered, asking, “won’t it be too warm for you?”

Xi Rong thought, even if he were to be steamed alive in the heat, he would never utter a single complaint.

“If Your Highness feels hot, then just bear with it for a while.” So said the person above him, overbearing and unreasonable.

Xi Rong couldn’t help but laugh again. “I’m not hot,” he said softly. “Come a little higher. Lying up here will be more comfortable.” The usually cold, untouchable Crown Prince’s voice was now full of gentle indulgence.

Xiao Rong, obedient as a slippery eel, climbed up a little higher along his body. This way, when he lifted his head, he was nearly brushing against Xi Rong’s chin.

The scene, something so beautiful it had never appeared even in dreams, made Xi Rong’s mind blur with tenderness. Yet, slowly, reason began to return.

“Rong Rong,” he called softly again. “You, in the end—” He was going to speak of something serious.

However, Xiao Rong yawned, drowsy beyond resistance. “Your Highness, I’m so sleepy,” he murmured. “Let me sleep for a while, alright?”

That nearly pleading tone made Xi Rong swallow back his words.

They were already here, together like this. Although they both lived in the same capital, it always felt as if a great, unbridgeable river lay between them.

Even if it was only one night of abandon, so be it.

Even if the price were ruinous, he would still accept it.

Xi Rong let emotion win over reason and thought, ‘Just this once.’

The person in his arms truly was exhausted. Soon, soft and steady breaths rose against his chest. That warm breath, seeping through the fabric of his robe, warmed Xi Rong’s own heart.

That night, Xiao Rong slept deeply.

Partly because his chill hadn’t fully healed and partly because the warmth of the chest he was holding gave him a sense of peace.

Because his sleep was so deep, Xiao Rong dreamed, something rare for him.

He dreamed of Yongning Temple, a place he hadn’t seen in many years.

Bamboo and trees cast cool shade; winding paths led into tranquil groves. He was still a child then, having just finished playing with a few little monks on the back hill, walking the path back to his quarters.

“Prince Xiao has just quelled the rebellion in Longyou, but now there’s another fierce struggle with the Northern Yan Army for control of Xiangzhou,” came a murmur from behind a boulder.

“That Yan Ju has already seized all of Northern Yan and now he wants to extend his power into Xiangzhou. If this keeps up, won’t the capital itself fall under the Yan clan’s claws?”

“What can be done? Yan Ju has always been arrogant and conceited. The Emperor has only just taken the throne, the court is unstable, and of course, the man runs rampant. It’s only natural he’d seize the chance to profit from chaos. Still, one reason Prince Xiao was able to escort His Majesty safely back from the northern tribes was because Northern Yan didn’t interfere too much. Yan Ju relies on that so-called ‘merit of aiding the dragon’ to do as he pleases. Prince Xiao cannot allow him to succeed.”

The young Xiao Rong stopped in his tracks, listening.

Xiao Rong recognized the two men speaking in the shadows. They were the same Silver Dragon Cavalry who had come the previous day, bearing gifts in the name of Prince Xiao.

Prince Xiao rarely sent anyone to visit him. Outwardly, Xiao Rong had remained calm and indifferent, even aloof, but in truth, he had been quietly overjoyed. His father had not forgotten him after all.

So for the past few days, his mood had been unusually good. He had even shared the pastries brought by the guards with the little monks at the temple.

The guards’ voices continued from behind the rocks.

“Yan Ju has just inherited the title of Prince Yan. His power is at its peak and he’s known for his madness in warfare. I wonder if our lord can win this battle.”

“What’s there to fear?” The other man let out a strange, mocking laugh. “Doesn’t our lord still have a little pawn hidden here in this temple? With that pawn in place, how could his grand plan ever fail?”

“You mean—”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. If not to restrain Northern Yan, why else would our lord keep that cursed child alive, even letting that bastard become the heir of the Xiao clan?”

It was a bright, sunny day, yet the small boy pressed against the corridor pillar suddenly felt as if his whole body had turned to ice.

He didn’t know how long he stood there. By the time darkness fell completely, an old monk passing by called out to him in concern. The boy was sitting on the ground, knees drawn to his chest, trembling.

Without answering, he bolted back to his room, tore the half-written letter on his desk into shreds, then buried his face into his pillow and began to sob. That day, he cried for a long, long time, until he could hardly breathe. His heart felt swollen with grief and injustice.

“Rong Rong!”

Just as he thought he might truly cry himself to death, a deep, anxious voice pierced through the darkness, breaking the suffocating quiet of the monastic cell.

Xiao Rong jolted awake.

He blinked, disoriented, then realized he was not in Yongning Temple’s meditation room, but pressed against a warm, solid chest.

Xi Rong always kept a small lamp burning when he slept, so the gauzy light now filled the bed curtains with a faint glow.

“Rong Rong?” Xi Rong’s expression was tense and worried as he took in the tear stains on Xiao Rong’s face. “What’s wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?”

Xiao Rong came fully awake and then, shame dawned on him. He was a grown man, and yet he’d been crying in his sleep, right in front of Xi Rong, no less.

Embarrassing. Utterly humiliating.

He quickly scrubbed at his eyes and muttered, voice still thick from sleep, “It’s nothing. Just a bad dream.”

Xi Rong seemed a little surprised. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he said gently, “I’ve heard the imperial physician say that sleeping face-down makes one prone to nightmares.” He sat up, gathered Xiao Rong into his arms, and helped him lie properly on his side. Then he got up to pour a cup of warm water and handed it to him.

Perhaps because he had been crying so long in the dream, Xiao Rong’s throat did feel sore and dry. He obediently took two sips and then looked up awkwardly. “I must have disturbed Your Highness’s rest.”

Xi Rong smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. I was only wondering, what kind of dream could make you react so strongly?”

“Oh… nothing much,” Xiao Rong said quietly, brushing the question off vaguely. Before Xi Rong could press further, he reached out and handed back the teacup. “I’d like some more.”

As expected, Xi Rong immediately took the cup and turned to refill it.

The next morning, the two had breakfast together in the Eastern Palace. Xi Rong then left for court, while Xiao Rong said he would first return to Xiao Royal Residence to change into his official robes before heading to the Chancellery.

That meant they couldn’t go the same way.

Xi Rong had planned to ask again about what had happened the night before, but each time he tried to bring it up, Xiao Rong would divert the topic or answer vaguely. Morning court could not be delayed, so Xi Rong had no choice but to depart first.

Xiao Rong also led his horse toward the other side of the palace road.

He first went to the Chancellery to request three days of leave, then headed to Vermilion Bird Avenue to look for a place to rent. Hearing that Xiao Rong was an official serving in the capital, the housing agent grew very enthusiastic and took him to see several residences in fine locations.

Xiao Rong, however, tactfully said that his purse was rather light and asked to be shown cheaper options.

“If you don’t mind sharing with others,” said the agent, “I do have a few good places to recommend. The only drawback is that they’re shared lodgings, but much closer to your place of work. If you live too far, the daily commute will be quite a strain, young sir.”

He then led Xiao Rong to a courtyard house tucked behind Vermilion Bird Avenue, a neighborhood where every inch of land was worth gold. Willow trees shaded the entrance, the environment was tranquil, and the interior was bright and spacious. The rent was far cheaper than leasing a whole residence, since many officials in the capital preferred to co-rent houses with familiar colleagues.

For convenience, a low wall had been built through the middle of the courtyard, with a moon gate connecting both sides.

“How could such a fine house be sitting vacant until now?” Hearing the agent say it had been empty for half a year, Xiao Rong asked curiously.

The man replied, “Well, since I’m in this line of work, I won’t hide the truth from you, young sir. The person living next door is quite the difficult one; picky, temperamental, and from a powerful background. Always barking orders and putting on airs. The previous tenants couldn’t stand his bad temper, yet didn’t dare offend him either. All of them moved out within a month. If that bothers you, I can look for another place.”

“Who is he, exactly?” Xiao Rong asked.

“A guest official under the Prince of Wei’s household,” said the agent, lowering his voice. “They say he’s one of the famous ‘Four Young Masters.’”

Xiao Rong thought for a moment and then smiled. “I’ll take it.”

The agent was overjoyed and immediately signed the lease with him.

Since Xiao Rong wasn’t sure how long he would stay, and likely not for long, he signed for a three-month term. After the agent left, he began unpacking. He had brought very little: one set of official robes and two changes of clothes.

Carefully, he took out a small porcelain jar containing four treasured items and placed it in a shaded corner where no sunlight reached.

***

Xi Rong, of course, knew none of this.

By the time he sensed that something was wrong, the news that Prince Xiao’s heir, Xiao Rong, was about to be expelled from the Xiao clan had already spread like wildfire through court and capital alike.

Rumors swirled. Some said it was because Xiao Rong had defied his family’s stance by testifying publicly for the Crown Prince at the Court of Judicial Review, enraging the entire Xiao clan. Others claimed that Prince Xiao had long disliked his only son and had been planning to name a new heir for years. This incident merely provided a convenient excuse. Still others whispered that preparations were already underway within the Xiao Royal Residence for the investiture of a new heir.

When Xi Rong returned to the Eastern Palace, even Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe had heard the gossip outside.

“In fact,” recalled Jiang Cheng, “I thought something seemed odd last night. The horse the heir led away had a bundle strapped on it. It looked like clothes and maybe some kind of jar or pot inside.”

Putting together the events of the night before, Xi Rong’s expression finally changed drastically. He spurred his horse and galloped out of the palace.