Chapter One Hundred and Four
After seeing all the royal relatives safely on their way, Empress Feng detained Qi Hua. Once she had tidied herself, she dismissed all attendants and pulled her son down to sit beside her. Sighing, she said, "You saw it, didn't you? The moment your father collapsed, Qi Xiao swept in. Most of these people are just watching from the sidelines. It's easy to offer flattery when times are good, but when trouble comes, getting them to lend a helping hand? Nearly impossible."
Qi Hua had barely managed to choke down his meal either. Fuming, he retorted, "Before this, Qi Xiao secretly released the Prince of Lingnan—that was a serious offense! Aunt merely had him caned a few times, and those old fools in the imperial clan carried on as if someone had desecrated their ancestors' graves, scrambling into the palace to beg for mercy. And now? That wretched Third Prince, acting all theatrical with his mother, putting on a show of opposing me at every turn, humiliating us so—what happened to justice then?! They weren't watching from the sidelines at all; they were clearly picking sides based on who has power! Mother! What's so great about that阴测测 (sneaky, underhanded) creature Qi Xiao? Why does everyone keep gravitating toward him?"
Empress Feng's heart was exhausted. She sighed quietly, "You think they're siding with Qi Xiao? Don't be naive. The reason they show him respect is his bloodline and status."
Even though she hated to admit it, Empress Feng understood perfectly. Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "How has your father treated them over the years? Wasn't he generous enough?! Yet these old relics haven't forgotten the late Emperor Wu's kindness, and those wretched schemers—they actually dare compare me to Empress Xiao Xian! They, they—"
Qi Hua waved her off烦躁ly, "Forget it, Mother. Don't mention any of this."
Empress Feng took a deep breath, shook her head, and pushed those thoughts aside. She took Qi Hua's hand earnestly and asked, "Did you see your maternal grandfather when you went out today? What did he say?"
Qi Hua's face stiffened. After a long pause, he said nothing. Empress Feng焦急地 grabbed his hand, "What were you sent out to do?! Tell me!"
Qi Hua clenched his jaw and turned away. "Grandfather said... he said for Mother to first focus on caring for His Majesty. If he can be saved, that's best. But if, if..."
Empress Feng's heart ached with anxiety. She shook his hand, "If he's beyond saving?!"
Qi Hua said愤懑ly, "If it's truly beyond saving, then arrange His Majesty's funeral properly, and afterwards... handle the matter of the Crown Prince's succession well!"
Empress Feng's face instantly went ashen. After a stunned moment, she suddenly shrieked, "What nonsense are you spouting?! Let Qi Xiao take the throne? What about you? What about me?! Once he ascends, will there be any path left for us?!"
Qi Hua couldn't understand it either. He slammed his fist on the tea table. "That's exactly what I said! Qi Xiao knows about what happened before. Once he becomes emperor, not to mention whether he'd seek revenge for past grievances, just the events of these past few years alone would give him enough reason to kill me several times over! Not only are we supposed to not stand in his way, but we're supposed to help pave the road for him—isn't that digging our own graves?!"
Empress Feng racked her brain trying to understand. After some contemplation, she hastily summoned the palace attendant who had accompanied Qi Hua on his outing. Anxiously, she demanded, "Tell me exactly what your grandfather said. Every word, without omitting a single character, or I'll have your skin peeled off!"
The attendant trembled and knelt down, desperately trying to recall every detail of the meeting. Stammering, he said, "The master said... said, oh yes, the master said for the Empress to take good care of His Majesty. He's also searching for renowned physicians outside. They must save the Emperor no matter what..."
Empress Feng was extremely impatient. Physicians from outside? With all the vast lands under heaven, and with the empire's resources at her disposal, could there possibly be better doctors than those in the palace? The Emperor's condition was clearly beyond saving. She waved her hand烦躁ly, "Skip to the next part. What if things go badly? What did the master say then?"
The attendant's expression turned strange. After hesitating, he said, "The master said, if things don't turn out well... then the Empress must appear magnanimous. In public, she must never let anyone think she favors the Second Prince. After... after His Majesty passes, she should handle everything as protocol demands. She must appear flawless before others, leaving no handle for criticism."
Empress Feng was dumbfounded. "Father... what has come over Father?"
The attendant forced himself to continue, "The old master said, the Feng family... is already too weak to compete with His Highness the Crown Prince. We've reached the point of no return. Instead of fighting to the death, it would be better to immediately withdraw, to be obedient like the Xue family. Officially, the Empress is after all the Crown Prince's stepmother, and without any major faults, even if the Prince harbors ill intentions, when he's just ascended the throne, he won't dare act rashly. At most, he'd strip the Feng family of all power, remove the Second Prince from his actual positions, and leave Your Majesty as an empty-shell Empress Dowager. That's all. Though we'd be ruined, at least we'd preserve our lives."
The attendant's voice grew softer and softer. "As long as the Empress appears magnanimous in public, handles the succession properly without causing trouble, and everyone sees her virtue, the Crown Prince won't have grounds to act against her."
Empress Feng flew into a rage. "This is nothing?! And who says the Feng family is too weak to compete with Qi Xiao?! My father and elder brother's actual power may be gone, but I'm still here! As long as the Emperor hasn't breathed his last, I'm the legitimate Empress of Daxiang! What is there that I can't accomplish?! And what's so special about that orphan?! Hah, don't make me laugh—he only has the support of those clan members from the敦肃 line, and a few old ministers still reminiscing about Emperor Wu. So what?! Can he mobilize troops? Can he issue imperial edicts?! It's still anyone's game! Why is Father so resigned?!"
The attendant cried inwardly. He couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, from what this servant has learned recently, the Crown Prince's power extends far beyond what meets the eye. Over the years, the Prince has not少安插 his people throughout the Three Departments and Six Ministries. Those visible alone are many, not to mention those hidden underneath. Moreover, in these past two years, His Majesty has repeatedly削弱 our household. Many matters have long been beyond our grasp. There's also... the Emperor's sudden unconsciousness came at a most opportune moment. He had just disciplined the Second and Third Princes, then openly promoted the Fourth Prince. Now everyone in the capital is at a loss. Everyone is cautious with their words, afraid of being mistaken as having picked a side. At this time... even those old allies probably won't help us anymore!"
Empress Feng seemed to have heard the greatest joke. She let out a couple of hollow laughs. "So what? Should I just accept my fate? Happily help Qi Xiao onto the dragon throne? Hah... The Feng family disappears into nothing. I, this Empress in name only, live the rest of my days at someone's mercy, watching their脸色. And my骅儿... probably gets made a Prince, then quietly shipped off to some barren territory as a vassal king. Hah, hah..."
The attendant kowtowed repeatedly. "Your Majesty, forgive me! These are all the old master's exact words. This servant didn't dare add or omit a single thing!"
Empress Feng laughed without stopping. After a long while, she finally composed herself. Waving her hand, she said阴着脸, "Go... and guard your tongue."
The attendant, soaked in cold sweat, kowtowed once more and retreated backwards.
Empress Feng turned to look at her pale-faced son Qi Hua. Her expression softened, and she smiled垂眸. Slowly, she said, "Good child. Your maternal grandfather has grown foolish in his old age. What he said—you needn't take it to heart..."
Qi Hua's expression was unsettled. He whispered, "Mother... what should we do?"
A cold smile crept to Empress Feng's lips. After a long moment, she said quietly, "Stop listening to words that boost enemy morale and crush our own spirit. As long as the Emperor hasn't passed, as long as the new Emperor hasn't formally ascended, the outcome remains undecided. Rest assured... Mother fears living at someone's mercy even more than you do. Mother... will never let him take the throne!"
---
Late at night, two people lounged together in the Crown Prince's residence, eating a midnight snack. Qi Xiao pushed his bowl of sugar-steamed酥酪 toward Bai Ren, smiling fondly, "The cook remembered your preference. She specially added fruit meat inside."
Bai Ren smiled, took it, and ate contentedly. Qi Xiao wasn't very hungry. He simply kept Bai Ren company, picking at the food casually before setting down his chopsticks. After a while, he said quietly, "When I had them send that letter to Lingnan last month, didn't I tell you? There's no need to rush back."
Bai Ren blinked. "I missed you, that's all."
Qi Xiao smiled faintly. "I believe that. I'm just afraid there might be other reasons. The Prince of Lingnan has quite a few spies in the capital, doesn't he?"
Bai Ren paused, also setting down his chopsticks. He took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth quietly. "Your Highness... you can't expect me to be blind."
The moment those words left his mouth, Qi Xiao regretted them. Seeing Bai Ren's expression darken, he quickly smiled and said, "I misspoke... Bai Ren, you know I'm not blaming you for having your own people in the capital. It's just that I don't want..."
"To have me wade into this mess, right?" Bai Ren interrupted, fixing him with a steady gaze. "But I came anyway. Does His Highness the Crown Prince intend to punish this prince?"
Qi Xiao laughed helplessly. He pulled Bai Ren into his arms, pressed a kiss to his hair, and哄道 softly, "There, there. I only asked one question and you're already getting serious. I spoke carelessly. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness."
Bai Ren was still a bit angry. He turned his head away and said coldly, "I'm not brave enough."
" Brave enough to what?" Qi Xiao was completely different from how he'd been at the family banquet—gentle and attentive now, smiling and coaxing. "Whether I'm Crown Prince now or Emperor later, don't I have to watch your every脸色? If you're still not satisfied, just assign a couple of people to watch me day and night, constantly monitoring me. I won't say a word of complaint. How about that?"
Seeing Bai Ren's expression relax slightly, Qi Xiao smiled and continued, "If you're still worried, then don't go anywhere else from now on. Stay with me day and night. That way, anything I want to do will be impossible to hide from you. Alright?"
Bai Ren couldn't keep up his stern front any longer. He murmured抱怨, "Let's talk about serious matters..."
"This IS a serious matter." Since they'd been through that upheaval together, Qi Xiao's temperament toward Bai Ren had softened tremendously. Not only did he never put on a cold face for Bai Ren anymore, but the moment Bai Ren showed any real emotion, Qi Xiao's heart would melt. Since Bai Ren didn't like being reminded of this, Qi Xiao let it drop. At present, the capital's situation was still manageable. It was fine if Bai Ren stayed here for now. Qi Xiao changed the subject with a smile, "How is the Imperial Noble Consort?"
Bai Ren nodded. "Mother loved the calligraphy and paintings from the former dynasty you sent along. She kept praising them, saying it was so thoughtful. She told me to thank you properly."
Qi Xiao slightly furrowed his brow. After a long moment, he suddenly smiled. "When you went and came back like that... didn't the Imperial Noble Consort ask what was going on?"
Bai Ren was startled. He抿了下嘴唇 and said quietly, "Mother... although she's kind-hearted, she's perceptive about everything. I think she knows... something."
Qi Xiao laughed lightly. "What did the Imperial Noble Consort say to you? Did she tell you to get married?"
Bai Ren shook his head. "Father King only passed away half a year ago. Why would there be talk of marriage? Mother didn't say anything like that to me, but... but I always feel like Mother knows something. It's just that before, when I was with..." He abruptly stopped, embarrassed.
Qi Xiao said凉凉, "When you were with Cen Chaogong."
Bai Ren immediately felt in the wrong. He讪笑ed and continued, "Back then... I also felt vaguely that Mother had noticed something. She didn't say anything then, but I knew—she was somewhat worried inside."
Qi Xiao was speechless. He said quietly, "I just hope the Imperial Noble Consort will come to understand in time."
Bai Ren seemed失神. Qi Xiao paused, then suddenly asked, "If the Imperial Noble Consort tries her hardest to oppose our relationship in the future, what will you do?"
Bai Ren blurted out, "I would never separate from you."
Qi Xiao's expression didn't change, but a smile spread through his eyes. Bai Ren felt somewhat embarrassed. After hesitating, he slowly said, "When that day really comes, I'll sit down with Mother and talk it through properly. I'll start from how you tirelessly helped Princess Roujia find a suitable husband, all the way to how you shouldered the heavy responsibility in the Southern Frontier, defied the imperial order to release me. Event by event, I'll tell her everything, word for word."
Bai Ren looked up at Qi Xiao, his gaze clear and bright. "In the end, I'll kneel before her and beg her, beg her... not to let me be like Father—marry a good woman and then disappoint her for a lifetime."
Bai Ren's eyes reddened. "Mother has seen for herself how I've lived through these past six months. She... she won't have the heart to make me live that kind of life forever."
Qi Xiao's heart ached fiercely. He lowered his head and lovingly kissed Bai Ren's lips. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Don't worry. When that time comes, I won't let you face it alone. If you kneel, I kneel. If you beg, I beg. The Imperial Noble Consort is a compassionate person. She won't have the heart."
Bai Ren nodded. Like a wronged little beast, he nestled into Qi Xiao's embrace,低声抱怨, "Why did you have to bring this up?"
Qi Xiao smiled and哄道, "Let's not talk about it anymore... My precious, have you eaten enough? It's about time for bed. Blame me for not being considerate, for not letting you rest properly."
Bai Ren's face flushed. Then he suddenly said, "There's also... what's the situation now? Will the Emperor... wake up?"
A cold ruthlessness flickered in Qi Xiao's eyes. "He'll wake up, of course. But before that... I need to deal with all those obstacles—those who are rushing toward their own destruction—one by one."