Chapter 79
That evening, as he lay holding Bai Ren, Qi Xiao was still caught in a dream. It was already Qixi Festival—the seventh day of the seventh month—and Bai Ren had been in the capital for a year. No matter how the outside world's power shifted, how it turned the world upside down, Qi Xiao felt nothing could surprise him. Only Bai Ren. Even now, Qi Xiao couldn't quite process it—that Bai Ren would actually fall in love with him, and so utterly, so hopelessly.
Qi Xiao gazed at Bai Ren's sleeping face, his heart overflowing with tenderness. Bai Ren had once said he must have accumulated immeasurable meritorious deeds in a past life to have the fortune to meet Qi Xiao in this one. But Qi Xiao felt it was the other way around—for him to meet Bai Ren, and then to have Bai Ren's heart so completely, that was using up all his luck for eternity.
Qi Xiao lowered his head and gently kissed Bai Ren's lips. His mind churned with a thousand thoughts. The coming year would certainly be the most turbulent one yet: killing Qi Jing, purging his factions, stabilizing the court, securing the nation. Every day, Qi Xiao walked on a blade's edge, not daring the slightest negligence. Just moments ago, Qi Xiao had nearly revealed his plans to Bai Ren, but he held back at the last moment. In the end... he simply couldn't bear to worry him.
Qi Xiao sighed softly in his heart. Very well, he would wait a bit longer. When the arrow was nocked and could no longer be withheld, he would send Bai Ren far away. Once he had ascended to that throne and secured the realm, he would bring him back. But... with Bai Ren's temperament, he would definitely be angry. As if sensing something in his dream, Bai Ren frowned slightly, as if about to wake. Qi Xiao smiled faintly and, with practiced ease, patted his back gently. Soon Bai Ren was asleep again. Qi Xiao laughed softly—it would be fine. Bai Ren had a good temper. At worst, he would make a fuss with him, and a proper哄哄 would settle everything.
Qi Xiao also lay down, but perhaps due to Bai Ren's Three Wishes from earlier, he couldn't summon even a trace of drowsiness. His mind raced with thoughts, and he didn't sleep peacefully the whole night. At the second hour of the night watch, there was a sound outside. Qi Xiao felt a surge of irritability and simply sat up, draped a robe over himself, took the lamp, and walked outside. He pushed open the door and asked coldly, frowning, "What is it? What's the commotion out there?"
The several senior maidservants on night duty hastily knelt to beg forgiveness. They had been guarding this place all along, so naturally they didn't know what was happening outside either. One maid, after apologizing, turned to ask the elderly nanny at the gate to open the courtyard door and send someone to inquire. Before anyone could return with answers, however, the cloud-shaped wooden plaque at the second gate began to sound—four times, exactly.
Qi Xiao suppressed his unease and said in a low, steady voice, "Summon Jiang Deqing."
Shortly after, Jiang Deqing arrived in a hurry, hastily straightening his clothes as he came through the moon gate from the west side of the corridor. Seeing Qi Xiao standing outside, he hurried forward to pay his respects. Qi Xiao waved him off. "Who has died?"
Jiang Deqing's face went pale. He dropped to his knees. "News has just come from outside the city, the Prince of Lingnan... the Prince of Lingnan has passed away."
Qi Xiao felt as though his mind had gone blank. The candle wax on the lamp trembled, and drops of red wax fell onto Qi Xiao's hand, but he showed no reaction at all. Jiang Deqing's heart was also racing, his voice shaking. "Now... the proper thing is to arrange for the heir to return to the Lingnan residence first. I'll go call Shunzi right away."
Qi Xiao steadied his breathing and said in a cold, steady voice, "Don't use my carriage. Find an ordinary flat-topped cart, cover it with white cloth. If anyone asks, say you're going to the Lingnan residence to deliver the obituary... Go quickly."
Jiang Deqing glanced inside. "The heir..."
"I'll tell the heir myself." Qi Xiao took a deep breath and suppressed his rising anger, saying coldly, "Immediately send people to investigate... Investigate thoroughly for me. I want to know exactly who is courting death!"
Jiang Deqing hastened to agree, then turned and hurried away.
Qi Xiao turned and walked back inside. In the inner chamber, Bai Ren had already woken. Bai Ren sat on the bed, his face ashen, his voice hoarse. "Did I hear wrongly? I just heard the cloud plaque... it rang four times..."
Qi Xiao walked into the inner room, set down the lamp, and after a pause, said quietly, "You didn't mishear. Bai Ren..."
Qi Xiao sat down beside Bai Ren and, after a moment, said, "The Prince of Lingnan has passed away. News just arrived. You..."
Bai Ren looked up at Qi Xiao, his brow furrowed, and cried out, "My father? That's impossible..."
Qi Xiao's heart clenched painfully. No matter how the Prince of Lingnan had treated Bai Ren before, they were still bound by blood—a father and son. For one's biological father to suddenly pass away, how could Bai Ren not be devastated? Qi Xiao said softly, "We don't yet know exactly how it happened. Don't panic just yet..."
Tears instantly rolled down from Bai Ren's eyes. He opened his mouth, but after a long moment could only say hoarsely, "He... he was fine, how could he possibly..." Like a lost little beast, Bai Ren looked at Qi Xiao in bewilderment, tears streaming down his face. Qi Xiao's heart ached terribly. He pulled Bai Ren into his arms and softly coaxed him, "Cry if you need to. Don't hold it in... Bai Ren, it's alright. We haven't determined the facts yet. I've already given orders... we will get to the bottom of this, Bai Ren. Right now, there's no time to waste. The moment I received this news, the palace must have as well. They've probably already sent people to your residence. You can't stay here."
Under no circumstances could Bai Ren receive news of the Lingnan Prince's death while lying in Qi Xiao's bed. Normally, Qi Xiao could act as freely as he wished, but at this critical moment, the Lingnan people must never learn that Bai Ren had been in Qi Xiao's bed when he received word of the former Prince's death. Qi Xiao continuously kissed Bai Ren's forehead, his heart sinking. It was all too sudden. Neither Bai Ren nor he had made any arrangements regarding the southern situation. If things went smoothly, Bai Ren would ascend to the throne imminently, and pacifying the people would be the top priority. If not smoothly... Qi Xiao refused to dwell on possibilities before receiving confirmed news.
Bai Ren closed his eyes and nodded, tears still falling. He rose, changed into plain clothes, then turned and walked out the door.
Qi Xiao was still worried. He had Shunzi called over and, looking the man in the eye, gave his instructions word by word. "Take a squad of men and go there. Don't come back right away. The prince's residence is full of mixed company. Keep your eyes sharp. Stay with the heir at all times. Do not leave his side for a single moment. If anything happens..."
Qi Xiao's voice turned ice-cold. "Kill ten thousand by mistake rather than let one slip through. In short, Bai Ren must not come to any harm whatsoever. Do you understand?"
Shunzi's heart went cold. He bowed low. "Your Highness, rest assured. If the heir comes to any harm, I will present my head."
Qi Xiao let out a long breath and patted Shunzi on the shoulder. "Go. Persuade him not to cry so much. He must not skip meals."
After sending the man off, Qi Xiao stood quietly by the window, lost in thought. Actually... he had considered before the idea of sending the Lingnan Prince to his death.
Back then, when Wen Yu hadn't been ruined yet, when Kang Tai's reputation wasn't yet destroyed, Qi Xiao had worried that the Lingnan Prince might suddenly find some pretext to petition the Emperor to depose the heir. Qi Xiao had feared that Bai Ren's position as heir would be jeopardized, so he had considered cutting the Gordian knot—ending the Lingnan Prince before any southern move could be made, allowing Bai Ren to ascend to the position earlier. But this had been merely a fleeting thought; Qi Xiao had never spoken of it to anyone.
First, he hadn't dared guarantee he could execute such a plan flawlessly. If Bai Ren ever found out in the future, with the crime of patricide hanging between them, Qi Xiao and Bai Ren would truly be finished. Second, Qi Xiao wasn't certain—uncertain whether, after the Lingnan Prince's death, it would definitely be Bai Ren who would inherit.
Qi Xiao closed his eyes. This was his fault. Recently, he had been so focused on administering the poison that he had barely given any attention to the southern situation. He had been careless... and now this had happened.
Now... he could only pray that the Lingnan Prince had truly died of natural causes, and not in the unspeakable way he had feared...
Half an hour later, Jiang Deqing returned. Qi Xiao still stood by the window, saying coldly, "Did you find out?"
Jiang Deqing nodded. He turned and instructed the young eunuch accompanying him to go outside and guard the door, then entered the inner chamber himself, speaking in a low voice. "Your Highness... the situation has become rather troublesome."
Qi Xiao said, "Speak."
"The people from the gambling den have withdrawn, so our intelligence was delayed. The details came through people at the Confucius Temple..." Jiang Deqing's face was pale. He lowered his voice. "The Lingnan Prince truly did not die a natural death. It's said that on the day the Lingnan Prince passed, during the daytime he had discussed the summer harvest with Prime Minister Wen of Lingnan. Because he had gone out of the residence, many people saw the Prince. The Prince's demeanor was no different from usual—nothing like the obituary claimed about 'being bedridden for many days.' Furthermore, to keep tabs on whether the Princess Consort's health was improving, our people have been on good terms with several imperial physicians at the Lingnan residence. They inquired—the Prince did have some excessive liver fire that day, but nothing serious at all. There was absolutely no possibility of sudden death."
Qi Xiao's voice turned icy cold. A cold smile crossed his face. "If it's not a natural disaster, then it's man-made."
"Yes." Jiang Deqing lowered his voice, his tone trembling. "We don't have conclusive proof yet, but... but it's said that after the incident, Concubine Xia kept blocking Prime Minister Wen and the others, refusing to let them examine the body. She said it would desecrate the Prince's noble body and delay his swift journey to the Western Paradise. She also said the deceased is gone, so finding out what illness it was would be pointless. Indeed, in Lingnan, it's not customary for outsiders to touch the deceased. There's a belief that it would disturb the departed and prevent them from resting in peace. But Your Highness... it's the seventh month of summer! If she keeps blocking the examination, the body will soon decay, and there won't be anything left to examine!"
Qi Xiao gave a cold, mirthless laugh. His eyes were filled with murderous intent. "Can't you see? She's not afraid anymore. Since she dared to administer the poison, she's already committed to a desperate gamble. The Prince is dead. The Princess Consort has no family backing her and has never had much influence. But Lady Xia? Her two sons and one daughter are all at her side, and her family has controlled Lingnan's internal affairs for years. Now she can do whatever she wants. Even if someone examines the body and finds proof of her hand in it, so what? Is there anyone who can hold her accountable?"
Jiang Deqing felt a cold sweat break out across his body after hearing Qi Xiao's analysis. His voice quavered. "Does Your Highness mean... Lady Xia intends to install the Second Young Master? Is she mad? The Second Young Master is now no different from a eunuch. How could he possibly be fit for a princely throne? And without the Emperor's decree, without the imperial seal, how could Wen Yu possibly succeed?"
Qi Xiao's voice was bone-cold. "A decree? A seal? Hmph... They won't need those. If I'm not mistaken, by now, Wen Yu has already rebelled."
Jiang Deqing's legs went weak. He nearly collapsed to the ground. After a long moment, he rasped, "They... they actually dare..."
"Why wouldn't they dare?!" Qi Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, terrifyingly fierce in the darkness. "Lady Xia and Wen Yu are perfectly clear—there's no way for them to succeed peacefully. If they wait until Bai Ren takes the throne later, there will be no good end for them. So... they struck first."
If he hadn't constantly pressed the attack. If he hadn't insisted on dealing with Wen Yu. If he hadn't been so determined to annihilate them without mercy... Lady Xia and Wen Yu would not have been forced into desperation, would not have mutinied rashly. Qi Xiao's heart was a complicated mess of emotions. He grabbed the glass Ming dynasty wine vessel from the windowsill and hurled it violently to the floor!
Jiang Deqing was startled. He rushed forward and threw himself at Qi Xiao's legs, desperately trying to appease him. "Your Highness, please calm your anger... Even so, it won't necessarily be a disaster. Lady Xia is merely a woman, Wen Yu merely a pampered young master. How many people can they muster? Even if they mobilize the entire strength of Lingnan, could they possibly defeat us? The Emperor need only send a few tens of thousands of troops, and he could—"
"It's not about who wins or loses!" Qi Xiao's eyes were crimson. Through gritted teeth he hissed, "As long as they've rebelled—whichever rebel it may be, as long as the rebels are from Lingnan—the Emperor will have a legitimate cause to dispatch troops and utterly pacify Lingnan! The Emperor has wanted to strip the feudal lords of their power for so many years. Do you think he would willingly miss such a perfect opportunity? Under the banner of quelling rebellion, he would directly reclaim the Lingnan princely title! And Bai Ren... Bai Ren, being the former heir—do you think the Emperor would let him go?"
Qi Xiao drew a long, ragged breath. His voice turned hoarse. "And besides... the Princess Consort is still in Lingnan now..."
Jiang Deqing slumped to the ground in despair. No more words came.