Chapter 69
In the Hall of Chéng Qián, the Emperor, Empress, and Noble Consort Xue were all present. The Emperor wore his usual kind and amicable expression, smiling as he said, "I noticed yesterday that you seemed a bit thinner. I was rather worried, so I called you in to take a look."
Qi Xiao lowered his gaze. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your care."
The Empress Feng followed suit, smiling and turning to ask Jiang Deqing about what Qi Xiao had been eating lately, how well he slept, what time he went to bed and woke up, and other such trivial matters. Jiang Deqing answered them all. Empress Feng nodded. "When Xiao'er is outside the palace, this palace cannot rest easy."
Recently, there had been many matters in the harem. The imperial clan had reminded the Emperor more than once that the Empress, as the mother of the palace, had committed no major faults and should not be so neglected. To appease the imperial clan and to avoid giving the remonstrance officials more to say, the Emperor could no longer leave her entirely idle and would occasionally have her manage some affairs. But as for what truly lay beneath... Qi Xiao only needed to look at the exhaustion that Empress Feng could not hide in her brow and the corners of her eyes to understand clearly—the Emperor had thoroughly detested the Feng family. Now, as for Empress Feng, he was merely going through the motions.
Qi Xiao always wore that same indifferent expression, nodding slightly. "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty, for your concern."
Empress Feng smiled. "This child... why must you be so formal? By the way, this is the deer antler your maternal uncle sent up yesterday, freshly arrived from the north. Take it home and have them make you a good soup with it."
Qi Xiao bowed in thanks. The Emperor shook his head with a light sigh. "But just taking tonic isn't enough... Xiao'er, being outside, truly has no proper person to attend to you."
Qi Xiao smiled inwardly. Here comes the real topic.
Noble Consort Xue handed the Emperor a cup of tea, smiling gracefully. "If Your Majesty is worried, why not find a few suitable people for the Crown Prince? That maid Your Majesty gave Qi'er last time was excellent—she made superb soups. Not just Qi'er, even this concubine is quite fond of her. She truly is someone from Your Majesty's palace, proper in every way."
The Emperor seemed to recall something不经意ly and said to Noble Consort Xue, "Indeed, speaking of this... last time I asked you to select a few outstanding ones from the newly admitted palace maids, to be prepared to serve the princes. It's been quite some time, and I'd nearly forgotten. Have you made the selections?"
Noble Consort Xue smiled charmingly, rising to curtsy. "For girls to serve the princes, both appearance and character must be outstanding. This concubine and the嬷嬷们筛选了一遍又一遍, like panning for gold, and could only find a few worth looking at."
The Emperor waved dismissively. "Never mind. As long as they're competent, even one is enough. Bring them in." The Emperor turned to smile at Empress Feng. "These days, what we think is good, the children often don't fancy. Last time I gave Xiao'er two maids, and I heard he just tossed them to the back courtyard without even giving them a glance."
Qi Xiao raised his eyes to glance at the Emperor but did not respond. Empress Feng hesitated, not understanding the Emperor's intent. It was Noble Consort Xue who understood his心思通透, smiling and chiding playfully, "No wonder the Crown Prince. A thousand people have a thousand eyes. When Your Majesty chooses attendants for the children, naturally you prefer those with good tempers who know how to serve. But when it comes to them... they probably prefer those whose looks catch their fancy."
The Emperor shook his head with a laugh, truly playing the role of a doting father to a mischievous son, helplessly saying, "Very well, I can't guess your心思 anymore. Xiao'er, since you came first today, I'll let you have the first pick. Choose one, and then your younger brothers can choose from what's left."
As he spoke, a rustling of jewelry sounded from outside. Fu Hailu led in seven or eight girls, some slender, some fuller, each with their own charm. Qi Xiao's phoenix eyes swept across the group. When his gaze fell upon the last girl, his heart stirred. Only then did he understand the Emperor's purpose in this elaborate production today.
Qi Xiao, however, was disinclined to follow the Emperor's script. He turned his head, lowering his gaze. "Your son is foolish and does not understand the merits of servants. I leave it entirely to Your Majesty's judgment."
The Emperor lightly stroked the扳指 on his left hand, pressing quietly. "There's no need... I selected them for you. If they're not to your liking, you'd just treat them like vase flowers in the back courtyard. Don't be shy. Simply point out which one you like."
Qi Xiao raised his eyes, gazing quietly at the Emperor, then suddenly smiled. He turned and pointed to the girl he had been watching all along. "This one."
The Emperor had not coordinated this with Empress Feng beforehand. She had been sitting there in a daze the whole time. When she saw Qi Xiao's choice, she glanced over and exclaimed in shock, "This... this girl..."
Noble Consort Xue smiled knowingly. "Your Majesty also finds this girl familiar, doesn't she? When this concubine first saw her, I was puzzled too. I thought perhaps I had met her before. Later I remembered—her features somewhat resemble those of the Young Prince of Lingnan."
Qi Xiao coldly smiled. It was more than "somewhat"—those eyes, that nose, were seven or eight parts similar to Bai Ren. The Emperor had gone to great lengths to find such a person.
The Emperor looked at Qi Xiao, smiling with deep meaning. "So Xiao'er likes this type after all."
Noble Consort Xue hastily called the girl forward, smiling. "The Crown Prince claimed not to understand the merits of servants, yet picked the most outstanding one right away. This girl's name is Zé Pèi. She entered the palace just last year and knows the rules well. She's considerate and, among all these girls, her needlework is the best."
The Emperor felt triumphant inwardly, smiling. "Since she's the best, Xiao'er should take her back quickly. Your younger brothers will be arriving soon, and I wouldn't want them to see her and grow envious, then complain to me again about me favoring you."
Noble Consort Xue, this flowers that understand words, quickly teased with a laugh, "Well, others would be justified in saying that... Your Majesty does favor the Crown Prince a bit more. But... that's only natural. Even this concubine, as Qi'er's birth mother, must concede—among all the princes, the Crown Prince is indeed the most outstanding and most deserving of affection."
Hearing this, Empress Feng felt greatly displeased. She shot Noble Consort Xue a look, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Indeed... even Hua'er is a far cry from Xiao'er. No wonder people favor him."
Qi Xiao quietly watched these people trade veiled barbs, smiling faintly. "Then I thank Father Emperor."
Qi Xiao led the girl out of the palace. Jiang Deqing had held back for quite some time. Once they were in the carriage, he finally said bitterly, "Your Highness... this was clearly a trap. Why did you walk right into it? That Zé Pèi, her face clearly looks like..."
"I know." Qi Xiao cut him off. "As if not choosing her would make the Emperor forget about my affair with Bai Ren."
Jiang Deqing was speechless. Qi Xiao coldly laughed. "He's merely using this girl to warn me, to make me rein myself in. Hmph... Does he really think I see Bai Ren as a catamite? Fine, let him think that. It saves me considerable effort."
Qi Xiao嗤笑一声 as he recalled the Emperor's smug appearance. "In this past year or two, he's eaten many哑巴亏 from me. Finally getting this bit of leverage, of course he wants to make a grand show of it."
Jiang Deqing nodded. "Exactly! Just now the Emperor's eyes never left Your Highness. He was practically aching to see you panic. Bah! Your Highness has planned everything perfectly. You knew long ago that he had been investigating!"
Qi Xiao lightly stroked the jade pendant at his waist, speaking slowly. "This time I was careless, undone by those two scars. But thankfully those scars made the Emperor think I merely treat Bai Ren as a plaything. You'll see... in a day or two, the Emperor will definitely seek out Bai Ren, implying he needn't fear me... that he should seek a new patron and turn against me instead."
Jiang Deqing grinned with satisfaction. "He miscalculated from the start, and then pulled this自以为是的 stunt. All for nothing!"
Qi Xiao lightly mocked. "In the end... it still comes down to his own糊涂. He actually doesn't believe I could truly fall for Bai Ren."
Jiang Deqing felt relieved at first, then a new worry crept in. He sighed inwardly. It was good that the Emperor couldn't find a weakness to exploit, but honestly speaking, Jiang Deqing didn't want Qi Xiao to truly develop real feelings either.
After returning to his residence, Qi Xiao had intended to send word to Bai Ren. Unexpectedly, before he could even pick up his pen, Princess Dunsu arrived just like timely rain.
The matchmaker Princess Dunsu had been bored in the residence. She suddenly remembered that Roujia's wedding was approaching, yet they still hadn't selected a woman of fortune to see her off. She loved organizing such affairs and had many candidates in mind. Since she had nothing to do in the residence anyway, she simply brought Qi Xiao along to visit the Lingnan Prince's mansion. Qi Xiao smiled inwardly—whatever he needed, it arrived.
Princess Dunsu had originally only cared about Roujia because of Qi Xiao, but over these two months together, she had genuinely grown fond of this gentle and modest young miss. She wanted to teach Roujia everything she knew about managing a household. The two hadn't seen each other for just a few days, yet once they sat down, they had endless things to discuss.
While Princess Dunsu and Roujia chatted in the back courtyard, Qi Xiao in the study dismissed everyone and briefly told Bai Ren about the earlier events, lowering his voice. "If the Emperor summons you, just pretend to be afraid. Don't bother trying to act like nothing's wrong. Such things are not uncommon in the imperial family. If I were his true son, perhaps he might intervene. But someone like me... at most he'll try to use you, to harm me through you. It's nothing serious."
Bai Ren frowned deeply. "Will it really be okay? I..."
"It's not just me comforting you. It will truly be fine." If the Emperor knew their deep affection for each other, that might truly cause trouble. But as things stood, everything was under control. Qi Xiao smiled apologetically. "It's all my fault. Why did I have to torment you unnecessarily, leaving such a handle for him?"
Bai Ren's face flushed slightly. He was no stranger to major storms either. After careful thought, he relaxed. Suddenly, he remembered the girl Qi Xiao mentioned. He blinked. "Is that person... really that much like me?"
Qi Xiao nodded. "Her eyes are seven or eight parts similar... the rest is nothing special."
Bai Ren's alarm bells rang loudly. He试探道, "Is she pretty?"
Qi Xiao said casually, "Not bad."
But Bai Ren didn't quite believe him. Qi Xiao was always discriminating. His "not bad" probably meant "quite good" for anyone else. Bai Ren felt uneasy, speaking quietly, "Are you staying for lunch?"
Qi Xiao shook his head. "No. Aunt needs to go to the Hong'an Prince's mansion at noon. Something about... their second young miss coming of age? I can barely remember."
Bai Ren抿了抿 lips, growing anxious. "Then what about you? Are you going too, to another young miss's coming-of-age ceremony?"
Qi Xiao looked at Bai Ren, then suddenly burst out laughing. He deliberately said, "No, I'm returning to my residence. I only came to accompany Aunt. Once she leaves, what reason would I have to stay?"
Bai Ren felt even worse upon hearing this. Normally, unless he drove someone away, Qi Xiao would never leave on his own. Besides, Qi Xiao had just said that now they couldn't deliberately avoid each other, or it would only make the Emperor more suspicious. If that was the case, why rush back?
Bai Ren couldn't help but think of the girl the Emperor had just given Qi Xiao. He felt even more uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say, so he could only say stiffly, "Then... go ahead."
Qi Xiao watched Bai Ren's别扭 little expression. The slight gloom in his heart from before vanished instantly. He deliberately smiled. "Then I'm leaving?"
Bai Ren hesitated, his brow slightly furrowed. "My head feels a bit uncomfortable..."
Qi Xiao fought back a smile, saying nothing. Bai Ren rubbed his brow, murmuring softly, "Probably caught a cold..."
Qi Xiao feigned concern. "Should I summon a court physician?"
Bai Ren still looked uncomfortable, shaking his head. "No... no need to make such a fuss. I just need someone to massage me."
Qi Xiao readily agreed. "Shall I massage you?"
Bai Ren felt a surge of joy but only nodded. "Then I'll trouble Your Highness."
The Crown Prince, whom no one could scheme against no matter how they plotted, was thus trapped by this crude little trick. His body was detained, his feet were stopped, and he could no longer leave. Qi Xiao smiled, pulling Bai Ren into the inner chamber.