Chapter Seventeen
Jiang Deqing retreated with his orders, and Qi Xiao turned to look at Bai Ren. "It's getting late, and with your injuries it's not convenient for you to leave the palace. Stay in my chambers tonight."
Bai Ren's face changed the moment he heard this. Qi Xiao scoffed with a laugh. "Don't worry. You're injured, and while I may be shameless, I'm not so base as to force myself on you at a time like this."
Bai Ren felt relieved and slightly lowered his head in silence. He was only wearing a cream-colored silk inner robe, wrapped in a soft鹅 yellow blanket. Because of his exhaustion, his whole person seemed languid and lazy. Sitting on the couch in this state, surrounded by more than a dozen delicate cushions, he looked simply adorable.
"Cold?" Qi Xiao pretended to pull the blanket up for Bai Ren, but as he did so he subtly drew the young man into his embrace, then let out a low laugh. "It'd be fine if you were this soft and pliable all day long. It's when you have spirit that you're truly insufferable."
Bai Ren only caught on to what was said after the words were spoken. His heart panicked and he tried to pull back, but Qi Xiao certainly wasn't going to let him escape. Instead, he pulled the young man fully into his arms and said softly with a smile, "Alright, I've already promised not to touch you. Tit for tat, you should give me some benefit to taste... Don't move. Be careful not to strain your wounds."
His greatest weakness was still in someone else's hands. Bai Ren dared not push too hard, so he endured with all his strength. When Qi Xiao saw that Bai Ren had stopped struggling, his hands became even more unruly, slipping along the slightly raised hem of Bai Ren's robe and going in...
"Prince!" Bai Ren exploded instantly. But try as he might, he couldn't push the other away—his eyes went red with anxiety. Qi Xiao remained completely unruffled, carefully avoiding Bai Ren's injuries while keeping the young man firmly held. He lowered his voice and laughed. "Why are you so afraid? Like an unmarried young lady... Alright, stop fussing. I have some questions for you. If you answer them well, I'll let you go."
Bai Ren was furious. Did he have a choice?! He had come to realize that Qi Xiao was a smiling tiger—gentle and mild on the surface, but with more wicked ideas than anyone else. And yet he had no way to resist!
Looking at Bai Ren's flushed face, Qi Xiao found it adorable. His hands grew even gentler, softly caressing the skin along Bai Ren's back as he slowly asked, "Tell me the truth... when you were in Lingnan, did you have any concubines?"
Qi Xiao had already had people investigate everyone in Bai Ren's residence in the capital. There was no one who had served Bai Ren through the night. But Bai Ren was already fifteen—having a concubine in Lingnan wouldn't have been strange.
Bai Ren was so flustered by Qi Xiao's touching that it took him a while to shake his head. Qi Xiao rewarded him with a kiss on the forehead, his voice growing even gentler. "Then have the servant girls ever served you through the night?"
Bai Ren's face grew even redder. His mother was from a military family, and she most disliked raising boys among powder and rouge, fearing it would change their temperament. Unlike other noble sons, Bai Ren had never liked having servant girls attend to him since childhood. Add to that the situation with the concubine, and whenever Bai Ren selected servant girls, he only dared to choose those who were quiet and honest. There were only a dozen or so girls in his courtyard, none of whom were striking in appearance. That kind of thing... of course there had been none.
Qi Xiao didn't need Bai Ren to say it to understand. His satisfaction grew. He lowered his head until their foreheads touched, and in a low voice he said, "Then what about Cen Chaoge? Have you two done... that?"
Bai Ren felt secretly annoyed. When he looked at Qi Xiao, there was anger in his eyes. If he told the truth, it would only make Qi Xiao even more smug. But if he lied... Qi Xiao also knew about how Cen Chaoge had played him for a fool. Telling Qi Xiao that he had done such things with Cen Chaoge... wouldn't that make him seem even more stupid?
Looking at Bai Ren's indignant expression, Qi Xiao found it amusing. He was really just teasing. He didn't actually care whether Bai Ren had been intimate with anyone else. But judging from this expression... could it be that he had actually gotten the great bargain?
Qi Xiao couldn't help but smile. "So you haven't."
Bai Ren desperately tried to maintain what little dignity he had left and said coldly, "I'm sorry to disappoint Your Highness, but yes, there was."
Qi Xiao found it hilarious. His face, however, showed a look of believing, and he continued to ask one intimate question after another. The more he asked, the more Bai Ren couldn't bring himself to answer. Qi Xiao was thoroughly enjoying himself, having reduced Bai Ren to such embarrassment that he was speechless. Finally, he lightly tapped Bai Ren's head and laughed. "Dare to lie to me? You don't even know these things, yet you dare claim you had something good with Cen Chaoge."
Bai Ren's face fell as his old底 was completely exposed. Qi Xiao was still smiling pleasantly. He said softly to soothe him, "It's nothing. I just saw you were angry today and wanted to cheer you up. If you're not feeling so bitter inside, I'll have them prepare a table of food for you. Eat something and go to bed early."
Bai Ren hadn't expected Qi Xiao to remember this. He blinked and nodded. Only then did Qi Xiao let him go and turned to call out, "Jiang Deqing."
"I'm here, Your Servant." Jiang Deqing had been waiting in the outer room all along. When he heard Qi Xiao call him, he hastily responded. "Is Your Highness going to the front?"
Qi Xiao said, "Not just yet. Go have the kitchen prepare some light dishes. The young lord needs to watch his diet, so make sure they pay attention."
Jiang Deqing acknowledged and was about to leave when Qi Xiao glanced at Bai Ren's thin frame and added, "Also... don't make it too bland. Make a bowl of beef stew, cooked until it's very tender. And... I remember they had excellent pickled quail. Open a jar and bring some of the good ones."
Jiang Deqing hurried away with his acknowledgments. Qi Xiao turned back to Bai Ren with a smile. "I'm afraid you won't be able to eat well with me here, so I'll be going now."
Just moments ago he had been acting like a lecher, and now he was being gentle as if he were Bai Ren's elder brother. Bai Ren truly couldn't make sense of it. He could only nod and watch as Qi Xiao turned and left.
Compared to the warmth and intimacy in Haiyan Hall, inside the inner chambers of Qianqing Palace, a thunderstorm was raging.
When the Emperor was meting out punishment to Qi Huo, the current Empress Feng was in the middle of exchanging pleasantries with several titled noble ladies who had just entered the palace. Everyone had come for Princess Dunsu, but by protocol they had to first come pay their respects to the Empress. Empress Feng had been tired from a full day of pleasantries and was just looking for an excuse to send the nobles to see Princess Dunsu when she received the news. Her heart nearly stopped, but she managed to maintain her composure while dismissing the noble ladies, then took her sedan chair straight to Qianqing Palace.
Despite Empress Feng's haste, she couldn't save Qi Huo. It was only twenty strikes of the board—a matter of moments. By the time the Empress arrived at Qianqing Palace, Qi Huo had already been carried back to Zhaoyang Hall. The Empress's heart ached terribly, but after learning it was merely flesh wounds, she felt slightly relieved. She turned and entered the inner chamber to petition for forgiveness from the Emperor.
Empress Feng's petition for forgiveness was a pretense; what she really wanted was to demand accountability. On any ordinary day, the Emperor probably would have let it slide. But today the Emperor was truly furious. He coldly laughed and said, "Empress, you needn't blame yourself. Raising such a son is my greatest crime. I was just thinking of finding an appropriate day to petition the ancestral temple!"
Empress Feng was stunned by these words. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Your Majesty... whatever do you mean..."
The Emperor roughly recounted what had happened. When he came to the part about the things Qi Huo had shouted, the Emperor's anger flared again. He slapped the table and roared, "He's afraid there aren't enough people who know about the events of those years! Qi Xiao grows bigger every day—that face, those eyes... he's a perfect copy of Eldest Brother! In recent years, many veteran ministers have begun subtly helping Qi Xiao. How dangerous a time! And Qi Huo..."
Empress Feng inwardly cursed. She had rushed over in haste, only knowing that Qi Huo had come to blows with the Wang family's young lord from Lingnan. She never imagined Qi Huo had actually said such critical words. She hastily tried to soothe him. "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. Your health is paramount... Huo-er... he just spoke without thinking..."
"Spoke without thinking?!" The Emperor coldly laughed. "Are these words that can be bandied about so carelessly? And he wasn't even close to Bai Ren, yet he could 'speak without thinking' around him. Who knows how many times he's already 'spoke without thinking' to others!"
The Empress was also furious at Qi Huo's recklessness, but seeing the Emperor in such a state, she could only try her best to make excuses for him. She said gently, "Huo-er is still young, not yet steady... Your Majesty has also punished him. With this lesson, Huo-er will surely be more careful in the future. I'll have him apologize to the young lord later, and this matter can be considered closed. If that doesn't suffice... I'll have someone select some fine treasures to send to the young lord as a proper gesture of comfort..."
"The most dangerous thing isn't Bai Ren." The Emperor's brow was deeply furrowed as he thought again of the composed, unruffled expression on Qi Xiao's face when Bai Ren was saying those things. "What I'm worried about is Qi Xiao... From the look of it, he's known for a long time."
This part didn't surprise the Empress. No matter how她和皇帝怎么封锁消息，头一个敦肃长公主的嘴他们就没法堵上。 As for Qi Xiao's parentage, Empress Feng had known from the beginning that it couldn't be kept secret forever—merely a matter of buying time. On the surface, she had never treated Qi Xiao unfairly. To outsiders, she seemed to treat Qi Xiao even better than Qi Huo. She wasn't worried at all about anyone being able to accuse her of anything.
The Emperor sighed. "Empress... what I'm talking about isn't Qi Xiao's parentage. It's... Eldest Brother's edict, and also... the matter of Empress Xiaoxian."
At the mention of Empress Xiaoxian, Empress Feng's expression instantly changed. She managed a smile and shook her head. "Your Majesty worries too much. The events of those years... even Princess Dunsu doesn't know about them. How could Qi Xiao possibly know..."
"There are no walls that don't have cracks. It was my oversight. I only thought Qi Xiao was like Eldest Brother, naturally cold and distant. But I never considered... he might have known everything since he was a child. I never believed it, thinking that if he knew, it would surely show on his face. Who could have imagined he would have hidden it for so many years..." The Emperor thought of Qi Xiao's unruffled composure just now, then thought of Qi Huo. The Emperor rubbed his temples wearily and slowly said, "The son does not take after his father..."
Empress Feng's heart sank. The son does not take after his father... The Emperor didn't have only one son, but the Empress only had this one legitimate child.
Empress Feng felt a chill run through her. She was no longer young, and while the Emperor treated her with respect, he lacked genuine affection. It was impossible for her to have another prince. The Emperor was in his prime, and there would be more and more illegitimate sons. The Empress didn't think the Emperor would have much attachment to this legitimate son, because after all... the Emperor himself was illegitimate.
Empress Feng closed her eyes briefly, pushing aside the pain in her heart, and said gently, "Your Majesty, rest assured. When Huo-er has recovered, I will certainly teach him strictly. He will not disappoint Your Majesty again."
But the Emperor was not so optimistic. Qi Huo was already sixteen. Sixteen years old and still like this. The Emperor didn't think he could ever amount to much. Even if he improved somewhat, he would still be far behind both the Emperor himself and Qi Xiao.
Empress Feng watched the Emperor's unconcerned expression and felt an even deeper coldness spread through her... It was time to have a serious talk with Qi Huo. And while she was at it... she needed to keep those concubines who bore princes firmly in check, lest they be blinded by foolish ambition and harbor inappropriate designs.