Chapter 70
As Qi Xiao had predicted, the next day the Emperor indeed summoned Bai Ren.
The Emperor did not receive Bai Ren with the same grand ceremony as when he had met Qi Xiao that day. Instead, he had Fu Hailu stop Bai Ren on his way out from the Haixin Academy.
"No need for formalities. Sit." The Emperor smiled. "Yesterday the Xue family presented some Huangya tea. I recall you enjoy tea, so I had them set some aside for you. Fu Hailu..."
Fu Hailu stepped forward carrying a small tray. On it sat two small, sealed porcelain jars painted in gold and colorful designs, sealed tightly with beeswax—clearly top-quality goods. Bai Ren rose and respectfully bowed. "Thank you for your imperial gift."
The Emperor smiled gently. "Just enjoy it. Rise. Fu Hailu, go brew some of this tea for Bai Ren to taste."
Fu Hailu bowed with a smile. "I knew the young lord was coming today, so I've already been brewing Huangya since this morning." As he spoke, he turned to accept the tea cup brought by a young eunuch behind him and personally offered it to Bai Ren. But when he reached Bai Ren's front, his hand suddenly trembled. The tea cup looked set to splash onto Bai Ren's sleeve. Bai Ren's eyes darkened slightly, and he swiftly sidestepped, avoiding it. "Clatter"—the cup shattered and tea spilled.
The Emperor frowned, casting an dissatisfied glance at Fu Hailu. Fu Hailu's heart sank, repeatedly apologizing. Bai Ren said calmly, "It's nothing. The tea was just brewed and is still scalding hot. It happens that Your Lordship didn't hold it steady."
Fu Hailu kowtowed repeatedly. "This servant has disgraced himself before Your Majesty. This servant deserves death, deserves death."
The Emperor waved his hand. "Enough. Hurry and bring another cup." Only then did Fu Hailu scramble to his feet, hastily bringing another cup of tea to Bai Ren. Bai Ren took it steadily, took a sip, and lowering his gaze, said, "Thank you for the imperial tea. Huoshan Huangya truly lives up to its reputation."
The initial move had failed. The Emperor felt impatient inside, but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled. "It's a pity the snow water this year isn't ideal. Tea brewed with snow water may have a brighter color, but it lacks a certain crispness."
Bai Ren lowered his head. "Indeed. Fortunately its flaws don't overshadow its merits. The tea is excellent, and the brewing technique is spot on. It's already rare enough."
With outsiders, Bai Ren always maintained this polite yet distant demeanor. The Emperor's punches kept landing on cotton, and his patience wore thinner. He gave Fu Hailu a meaningful glance. Fu Hailu understood and led everyone else out of the hall.
"Speaking of tea... I've heard the Crown Prince often invites you to his residence to brew tea for him. Is this true?" The Emperor shook his head with a smile. "My Crown Prince... I've spoiled him since childhood, so he couldn't help but become a bit overbearing. Though you're no outsider, it's still improper to constantly trouble you with such matters."
A flicker of something crossed Bai Ren's face, as if his vulnerable spot had been touched. A trace of disgust flashed in his eyes, then he turned his head away, pretending to taste his tea. When he looked up again, he still wore his usual serene, indifferent expression. The Emperor's heart laughed. As expected, his guess had been correct.
Bai Ren set down his teacup and said quietly, "Your Majesty is too kind. It's a minor matter, not worth mentioning as trouble."
The Emperor sighed. "No need to make excuses for him. Who knows a son better than his father? I know the Crown Prince's temperament best. He's insufficiently magnanimous and overly domineering. Being around him long enough, one can't help but suffer his temper. You're different from others—being the respectable Prince of Lingnan. If he usually mistreats others, I won't interfere, but if he causes you grievance, I will most certainly seek justice for you."
The Emperor was confident Bai Ren was intelligent. Having spoken thus, he didn't believe Bai Ren would fail to understand.
Bai Ren's expression showed a hint of hesitation. After a long moment, he said gloomily, "Thank you for Your Majesty's concern. The Crown Prince has been most courteous to me. He has never caused me grievance."
The Emperor assumed Bai Ren was simply too frightened by Qi Xiao to speak up. He gently comforted, "You needn't fear him. With me here, no one can bully you. Just like when Hua'er injured you—I'm the first to have punished him for it. All my children... their hearts aren't bad. They're just cursed with quick tempers that need constant restraint."
Bai Ren's lips twitched, but in the end he said nothing. He lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty worries too much."
The Emperor smiled. "Good. Qi Xiao after all isn't like Hua'er—he doesn't lack a sense of propriety. If that's the case, I'm relieved... By the way, what books have you been reading lately? You haven't gone to the Haixin Academy for many days because of the Rujia matter. The Imperial Tutor hasn't sent me your assignments either. You've been busy preparing for the wedding—have you fallen behind on your studies?"
The Emperor changed the subject, no longer mentioning the previous matter, and began examining Bai Ren's studies instead. After questioning for a while, he praised him and had someone see him out properly.
"Your Majesty." After seeing Bai Ren off, Fu Hailu entered to apologize. "It was this servant's clumsiness just now. I failed to... It's all this servant's fault."
The Emperor shook his head. "It's nothing... Bai Ren never had any intention of complaining. Even if you had succeeded just now and made him reveal those marks, he would have found excuses to explain them away."
Fu Hailu was puzzled. Frowning, he said, "The young lord's nature is cold and indifferent. He doesn't care to make connections with others. Why would he be different with the Crown Prince? He's... already been reduced to the Crown Prince's plaything, yet still refuses to speak of it. This..."
The Emperor smiled mysteriously. "It's not that he won't speak—it's that he doesn't dare."
Fu Hailu didn't understand. "What does Your Majesty mean?"
"Didn't you see it just now? When I mentioned Qi Xiao, there was hatred in Bai Ren's eyes. A dignified Prince of Lingnan, being toyed with by Qi Xiao like this—how could he not hate? Before this, I was also careless and didn't see through it. This marriage between Rujia and He Zichen is clearly a deal between Qi Xiao and Bai Ren."
Only then did Fu Hailu understand. He exclaimed, "So it was... the Crown Prince using the Princess to threaten the young lord?"
The Emperor nodded. "Rujia marrying into the He family means she falls right into Qi Xiao's palm. He Zichen was raised by Qi Xiao from nothing. Whatever height Qi Xiao can elevate him to, he can just as easily make him fall from. Rujia's entire future is in Qi Xiao's hands. How would Bai Ren dare provoke him?"
Fu Hailu grew anxious. "But if the young lord prioritizes the Princess, or thinks of his own dignity, and grits his teeth refusing to say anything, then... then how would Your Majesty convict the Crown Prince?"
The Emperor smiled. "No need to rush... I won't need to lift a finger. Do you remember what happened in the side hall that time? Hua'er only made some cold remarks, yet Bai Ren caused such a huge commotion—he practically wanted Your Majesty to order Hua'er's death to satisfy him. It's been a year now, and he still hasn't softened toward Hua'er. Someone this vengeful—can he possibly tolerate Qi Xiao riding roughshod over him forever?"
The Emperor leaned leisurely against his bolster, certain. "From the look on Bai Ren's face just now, I know he'll strike eventually. Having him act is always more devastating than if I publicly condemned Qi Xiao. Just wait... There's no thief who thieves every day, but there's no one who can guard against thieves every day. As long as Qi Xiao someday gives Bai Ren even the slightest opening to exploit, Bai Ren will strike back to the death to settle today's score. Me? I just need to sit back and reap the fisherman's gains."
Fu Hailu thought further and said, "But if the Prince of Lingnan finds out, he'll surely blame the capital for deliberately humiliating their young lord. They're the type to make a mountain out of a molehill. What if they find out..."
The Emperor smiled faintly. "That's precisely why I summoned Bai Ren today. I did ask him—did the Crown Prince bully him? He himself said everything was fine. Even if he suffered losses, I can't be blamed. I was willing to speak up for him, but he wouldn't let me help. He even made excuses for Qi Xiao. Who's to blame for that?"
Fu Hailu suddenly understood and hastily flattered, "Your Majesty truly employs excellent schemes. This way you silence everyone's mouths while also using the young lord and Lingnan to strike at the Crown Prince. Magnificent indeed."
The Emperor laughed lightly. "Magnificent? It's nothing more than using one force against another. Poor Bai Ren... Such a fine boy, yet tangled up with Qi Xiao. What a waste..."
That night, in the Crown Prince's residence. The "poor" Bai Ren lay趴在 in Qi Xiao's arms, happily recounting everything that had happened in the Qianqing Palace that day to Qi Xiao in detail. Bai Ren's smile was cunning. "I deliberately acted as if I hated you but was afraid of others finding out. The Emperor's eyes lit up. He really thought he'd seen through my heart. Hee hee... He kept trying to lure me into telling him, and I went along with it too—looking like I wanted to speak but hesitated. The Emperor believed it all."
Qi Xiao leaned against the bolster on the luohan bed, smiling as he listened to Bai Ren chatter. Hearing this, he gently ruffled Bai Ren's hair and laughed. "Silly thing. He wasn't really trying to get you to complain, you know. Didn't I tell you the day before yesterday? Making a move now wouldn't benefit him much. He wants to let this small ulcer fester into a big hidden danger, so he can one day pull me out by the roots..."
Bai Ren frowned. "Pull me out by the roots... Watch your language."
Qi Xiao hastily apologized. "Yes, yes. Alright, now we know what the Emperor's planning. It's not easy to deal with. If he wants to drag things out, we drag things out too. Neither side mentions it, that's better. Speaking of which, the day after tomorrow is Rujia's wedding. How are the preparations coming?"
Bai Ren nodded. "Everything that needs preparing is ready. Fortunately, Princess Dun Su has been managing everything front to back. Otherwise I truly wouldn't have been able to handle it all."
Qi Xiao smiled faintly. "You've never experienced major life events like weddings before, so naturally you're unfamiliar. In the future, just wait for Rujia's child's满月酒 and hundred-day ceremony. Gradually, you'll get the hang of it."
Qi Xiao's words touched exactly what was in Bai Ren's heart. Bai Ren smiled. "That's right. In a year or two, I'll be an uncle."
Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow. "You like children?"
Bai Ren nodded. "I used to watch my little auntie take care of my cousin. Children are truly adorable when they're little—soft little bundles."
Qi Xiao smiled, then rolled over and pressed himself on top of Bai Ren. Lowering his voice, he said, "Since you like them so much... why not bear one for your husband..."