98. Evil Seed

The due date had not yet arrived, and he was so weak that he almost had a miscarriage due to the shock. He lay in bed unconscious for several days.

Xuanyuan Ying stood up with a slight tremor, took a few breaths, and looked up at Eunuch Li.

The pressure in his abdomen almost made it difficult for him to breathe.

Eunuch Li leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Your Majesty, the eldest prince requests an audience."

Xuanyuan Ying closed his eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice after a long time.

“…Xuan.”

Qin Duan walked slowly, had a graceful figure, and a bright smile on his face. Today he was dressed simply but with a low-key luxury. His jade crown was embroidered with delicate patterns and inlaid with gold, and his robe was smooth and elegant, like an immortal.

He saluted gracefully, his eyelashes fluttering like crow feathers.

"Father, are you alright?"

Xuanyuan Ying paused, his expression as cold and majestic as ever, he just lowered his eyes to look at him, even though his face was extremely pale.

“…No problem.”

How can this be considered unharmed? This, this body is already like this...

Hearing his words "It's okay", Eunuch Li's tears were about to flow again.

His Majesty has had this temper since he was a child. He is competitive and never likes to give in. I'm afraid only Madam Yun can see some softness in him.

Qin Duan still smiled and nodded, his voice smooth and elegant, "As long as your father is alright, I'm glad you're alright. I found some ginseng, it's very nourishing."

As he spoke, several waiters brought in boxes of ginseng. The ginseng was extremely thick and obviously very old. Even looking at it... there were only a few pieces in the national treasury.

Xuanyuan Ying's eyes turned cold.

He knew very well that Qin Duan had a hand in the gold mine incident. This wealthy ginseng... must have come from the profits made from the gold mine incident.

——This is a provocation.

Qin Duan has always been like this. He has always been smiling but hiding a knife behind his back since he was a child. He has a gentle smile on his face, but he is secretly trying to trip him up.

Xuanyuan Ying lowered his eyes, and no emotion could be heard in his voice.

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

Qin Duan nodded and retreated with a smile.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Xuanyuan Ying suddenly called him.

"...Qin Duan."

Qin Duan had his back to him, his back straight, and said nothing.

Xuanyuan Ying's voice was cold and hoarse, with a dry and dark tone.

"Although I'm pregnant and weak, I'm still more than capable of dealing with you. Stop your little tricks... I'm only giving you some face because you're Jinniang's respected brother. Don't be ungrateful."

Hearing the word "Jinniang", even though it was just her back, Qin Duan's figure froze.

"I will accept this ginseng. Since you are so filial, you can stay at home and copy Buddhist scriptures for me, and pray for the safe birth of my child."

"...Get out."

Qin Duan went out without saying a word.

Eunuch Li looked at Qin Duan's departing back, lowered his head cautiously and asked Xuanyuan Ying.

"Your Majesty, this eldest prince...isn't being treacherous, and he even offered me ginseng. Why are you punishing him?"

Xuanyuan Ying closed his eyes and his voice became hoarse.

“…You don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Xuanyuan Ying knew it very well, but he didn't have the energy to explain. He just murmured, turned his head to the side and slowly fell asleep.

Qin Duan, who was going out, lowered his eyes and looked at Yuanzi Luo who was waiting outside the hall. Yuanzi Luo greeted him with a smile and whispered.

"Why do you look like that?"

He pursed his lips, his expression cold. He just lowered his eyes to glance at Yuanzi Luo, then glanced away again and was about to leave.

Yuanzi Luo followed her, and she suddenly stopped, sneered, and looked down.

"Hey, there's blood."

Only then did Qin Duan stop and turn to look at her.

"I say your hand is bleeding."

Qin Duan lowered his eyes and looked at the palm of his hand.

The nails dug into the flesh, and drops of blood flowed down the palm of the hand and dripped onto the floor, which was particularly shocking.

Yuanzi Luo seemed to be deliberately ignoring the cold and gloomy look on his face and continued to speak.

"Why do you look like that?"

Qin Duan suddenly took a step forward, his expression gloomy and dark. He moved closer to him, his eyes particularly cold, no longer as refreshing as before.

"...It will do you no good to provoke me."

He paused, his voice filled with an irrepressible dryness and gloom.

"Why? Such a vicious old man won and even got her pregnant?!"

"Do you know? He asked me to pray for the unborn bastard..." Qin Duan suddenly chuckled and sneered, his voice becoming increasingly gloomy. "Why does a mere bastard have the right to carry her bloodline?! What on earth is Xuanyuan Ying doing?!"

He took a deep breath, then calmed down all of a sudden and walked away expressionlessly.

The dense jealousy and hatred almost burned him.

If it weren't for Xuanyuan Ying, he wouldn't have left the palace at a young age and gone to the border alone to guard it for many years. If it weren't for Xuanyuan Ying, his Jinniang wouldn't have been abducted and her promise to "marry him" would not have been fulfilled... If it weren't for Xuanyuan Ying, his father wouldn't have died.

Qin Duan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and his expression was no longer out of control.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard Yuanzi Luo speak.

"What about me?"

Yuanzi Luo suddenly sneered and looked at his back, "She is your sister, but what about me...? I am much closer to her than her, right?"

"She is your sister, so I am not?"

"You keep saying that your sister is an obsession, but when I was in front of you, did you ever treat me as if I loved her? Qin Duan... do you know what you really want?"

"I have been chasing you. I have been the sharp knife in your hand and the biting dog. Have you ever considered me as your sister?!"

"I was born in a remote area and my father died young. You pulled me out of the quagmire, but you also said... you have a younger sister. She's not related to you by blood, but I am."

"Brother, Royal Brother, you... look at me. I, I can do better than her."

Yuanzi Luo's voice was a little choked.

Yuanzi Luo looked at his back with red eyes. Qin Duan only paused for a moment after hearing her words, then continued to walk forward with his voice soft.

"...You are different from her."

Qin Duan still had no expression on his face and continued to walk forward, but Yuanzi Luo stood still, just looking at his back.

After a long time, he whispered something, but it reached Yuanzi Luo's ears.

"But, it's just a bastard."

Yuanzi Luo's whole body was stiff, leaving only silence.

…

Mother Wen was pouring tea in her hand, her expression was thoughtful and solemn. She pursed her lips and spoke to Wen Yanhe beside her.

"You must not enter the palace on the day Her Majesty gives birth."

Wen Yanhe paused, stopped painting, and asked in a low voice.

"…Why?"

Mother Wen sighed lightly, frowned slightly, and seemed a little confused.

"I don't know... No, after Queen Mother Cheng fell, her power was taken under His Majesty's command, and then power was transferred to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. This court still seems to belong to the Xuanyuan family, but..."

She frowned.

"The Third Prince was previously appointed Crown Prince because Your Majesty was suffering from a cold constitution and was unable to conceive... But now that Your Majesty is pregnant, the Crown Prince position is open to discussion... In short—"

"On the day Her Majesty gives birth, you must not enter the palace."

Mother Wen closed her eyes, stopped analyzing, and said no more.

Wen Yanhe was not stupid and knew what she meant. He paused and nodded.

He had been running around for food and fodder, and his skin, as smooth and white as jade, had taken on a hint of dark color. The food and fodder had already been delivered, but he was still frightened and pursed his lips, looking absent-minded.

Mother Wen also noticed it, took a sip of tea and spoke.

"I know you're worried, but it's pointless. She's a lucky person. Since there's no body, she's not dead."

Wen Yanhe's eyes were a little red and his voice was hoarse.

"How can you be so comforting... Don't you like her quite a bit?"

Mother Wen paused, her voice hoarse, and her eyes filled with a hint of nostalgia.

"She's quite similar to her mother..." She stroked her teacup and scoffed. "Yun Qianli is both stubborn and straightforward. That stubbornness is exactly the same between mother and daughter. Yun Zhihe, on the other hand, is a bit more gentle than Yun Qianli. Not only in her temperament, but also... in her thinking and adaptability."

"Yun Qianli's death was understandable. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism were paramount, yet she died alongside her husband, leaving behind her poor little daughter... She was foolish and naive, saying whatever she wanted. No wonder she was impeached daily and reduced to a sixth-rank official. She didn't even care about her own life..."

Mother Wen sneered, "Back then, it was just the Chen and Xuanyuan families fighting for power. As a minister, you should support whoever is the emperor. You should turn a blind eye and do your duty. Why do you have to do this? Why do you have to be a shield to block the knife?!"

“How foolish—!”

She raised her voice, almost criticizing harshly, but her eyes were slightly red.

The two of them had always been at odds, but they were once close friends. They parted ways just because of their different ideals. Wen's mother regarded her as an imaginary enemy at the time and secretly opposed her. She knew how to be flexible and tactful, and she thrived in officialdom.

Yun Qianli, however, has been following his own ridiculous "Tao" for ten years, not taking it seriously and continuing to do as he pleases. In the end, he was so foolish as to block a knife for a foolish emperor.

If you think about it carefully, all those years of tit-for-tat were meaningless.

At that time, Mother Wen seemed to be imagining the girl who was betrayed by her best friend, and she was angry with herself. Looking back now... she still misses Yun Qianli a little.

Mother Wen took a deep breath and said nothing more.

Seeing her lose her composure like this, Wen Yanhe paused, lowered his eyes and said nothing.

After a long time, Wen's mother sneered.

"The daughters of the Yun family are all more powerful than the other, and they all haunt the Wen family."

She took a sip of tea and said, "Even now, I would stand in front of Yun Qianli's grave and congratulate this stubborn fool for getting himself buried."

Wen Yanhe laughed with red eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "How can you miss your friends as much as you do?"

Mother Wen didn't respond to him. She just looked up, closed her eyes, and sighed softly.

“It really looks like…”

She covered her face and scoffed softly.

"One, acting on his own, thought he could single-handedly turn the tide, only to die while shielding himself from the sword of a tyrant. Another, willing to bear the infamy of his own life in exchange for a counterattack, remains unknown..."

Mother Wen chuckled softly, as if expressing her helplessness and melancholy.

“It really looks like…”

Just sigh.