Chapter 726 Reunion (First Update)

Xiao Heng's clothes were not made of particularly expensive materials, but even in a simple robe, he still looked handsome and dashing.

The room was very quiet.

Whether they were mesmerized by his presence or the king's reaction made everyone hold their breath, no one knew.

Or perhaps both.

The crown prince mustered his courage and called out, "Father...Father Emperor?"

The king either didn't hear it, or he did hear it but ignored it.

The distance from the door to the bedside was only a dozen steps, but the king took a long time to walk it.

He was past the age of getting excited or thrilled by something; all his emotions were hidden in his weathered eyes.

He came to the child.

The last time the two faced each other like this, the eldest grandson of the emperor was only a five-year-old child. He returned to Shengdu with Shangguan Yan when he was less than two years old.

At the age of three, the Xuanyuan family plotted a rebellion.

At the age of four, the Xuanyuan family was destroyed.

At the age of five, she was imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum along with the crown princess.

From then on, the king could only see him from afar in the Grand Preceptor's Hall almost every two years.

But each time, the king would have the Grand Preceptor paint his portrait, so he recognized the child, no matter how far away he was.

The king stopped in his tracks and stared intently at Xiao Heng: "...Qing'er."

A hint of surprise flashed across Xiao Heng's eyes: "Your Majesty?"

Everyone was taken aback.

The king asked in astonishment, "You still remember me?"

Xiao Heng: Wait, shouldn't "I" remember you? "I" return to Shengdu once every two years, haven't you two, grandfather and grandson, met?

This minor situation was naturally no challenge for Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng glanced at the Crown Prince, who was still in shock at the door, and said without changing his expression, "That person called you Father Emperor. I think that apart from His Majesty, no one in Yan Kingdom deserves that title."

The king snapped out of his daze: "So you just recognized me. No wonder you left so decisively in the carriage last time."

Xiao Heng paused for a moment before realizing what the carriage and the last time were.

No way.

Is that bald old man you?

This happened on the night Han Ye was chasing him. The assassins who came to rescue him threw him into a carriage, which was then split open. He only recognized Zhang Dequan.

The king asked, "Now that you've come to Shengdu, why haven't you shown yourself? Why haven't you returned to the palace to find me?"

Xiao Heng lowered his eyes and said sadly, "Because someone is chasing me, my mother told me to hide and not come out, but when I heard the news that my mother was injured, I really couldn't continue to hide."

The king's face immediately darkened.

The crown prince seemed a bit out of sorts.

First of all, he didn't recognize Xiao Heng. When he first saw him, he really thought it was Shangguan Qing who had returned.

He only snapped out of his daze when he heard the word "hunt down".

He never sent anyone to hunt down Shangguan Qing; he only ever dealt with Xiao Liulang.

That boy's original name was Xiao Heng. His father was Xiao Ji, the Marquis of Xuanping of Zhao State. When he was fourteen, he sent someone to assassinate Xiao Heng, but Xiao Heng faked his death and escaped, surviving under the identity of Xiao Liulang.

The crown prince sometimes habitually called him Xiao Liulang.

But that doesn't make sense either. Didn't Xiao Heng remove the beauty mark under his right eye?

So is it Shangguan Qing or Xiao Heng?

He felt that Xiao Heng was more likely, since Xiao Heng was in Shengdu, while Shangguan Qing had not been heard from for a long time.

But Xiao Heng was unaware of his own background, wasn't he?

How could he possibly impersonate Shangguan Qing?

The crown prince's mind was in complete disarray, and he was utterly unable to sort out his thoughts in this situation.

Meanwhile, the little princess skipped and hopped into the room.

The king introduced, "Xiaoxue, this is Shangguan Qing... According to seniority, he should call you Aunt."

Having spent so much time at Lingbo Academy and constantly interacting with Xiao Jingkong, who was the same age as her, the little princess almost forgot that she was a junior.

She straightened her back, put on a serious face, and looked up at Xiao Heng, saying, "I am Shangguan Xue..."

Yay!

This person is so good-looking!

I really want to grab her little face and scream!

The young princess had actually met Xiao Heng on her first day of classes at Lingbo Academy, but at that time Xiao Heng was wearing the uniform of Canglan Women's Academy and a veil, so his appearance was not visible.

Xiao Heng pretended that it was his first time meeting the little princess. He knelt down on one knee, looked at the little girl at eye level, and smiled slightly, saying, "Hello, Aunt Xiaoxue."

The little princess was surrounded by countless pink bubbles.

This nephew is so cute!

Unlike that annoying Prince Ming!

From today onwards, she will protect him!

The young princess's eyes shone brightly, almost sparkling, but she tried her best to remain composed and said, "Hello, little nephew."

Shangguan Qing took his mother's surname, which is somewhat similar to the children born from a woman's marriage to another man. Therefore, he is not the king's grandson and should not be called the king's maternal grandfather, but rather the emperor's grandfather.

However, Xiao Heng would not easily utter the title "Grandfather" at the moment.

Based on the king's attitude towards him, Xiao Heng made a preliminary judgment on the king's status in the eldest grandson's heart—the king cared about this eldest grandson, even more than he had imagined.

Xiao Heng's decision was actually very risky. If the king didn't like Shangguan Qing at all, then he would have been exposed for nothing.

Two people were lying on the two beds in the room. One was Shangguan Yan, who had just undergone surgery and was still in a coma, and the other was Gu Jiao, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

The king's gaze swept over the two of them, finally landing on Shangguan Yan, and he asked, "Has the doctor said anything about your mother's condition?"

Xiao Heng glanced at the sleeping Gu Jiao, clenched his fingers and said, "According to this doctor surnamed Xiao, my mother broke two vertebrae. In order to save my mother's life, eight nails were driven into her back."

Iron nails were driven into the bone!

The king's aura instantly turned cold, and a murderous intent filled the entire room in a flash.

Even though the young princess wasn't afraid of him, she subconsciously hopped closer to Xiao Heng's feet, turning her head to look at the king while hugging Xiao Heng's leg, becoming her little nephew's leg ornament.

Xiao Heng didn't move, letting her hang it there.

The king was furious about the severity of his daughter's injuries. Whether this was due to the remaining father-daughter bond or a challenge to his authority as king, it is unknown.

Xiao Heng secretly planned what to say next.

"I heard that my mother accidentally fell down the hillside."

The king looked at him.

"My mother's martial arts were crippled before she went to the imperial mausoleum." This was common knowledge and not a secret. Xiao Heng had heard about it long ago, but he had to make up the rest of the story based on Shangguan Yan's performance at Tianxiang Pavilion. "But in recent years, in order to improve my physique, my mother would practice martial arts with me. I am not talented and have not mastered anything, but my mother has developed a little skill."

To say that Shangguan Yan has resumed martial arts training would make her seem like she has ulterior motives, but if we say that she did it to teach Shangguan Qing, who is weak and sickly, then there is no doubt about it.

The king recalled how Shangguan Yan had scaled the wall of the cold palace; she did indeed have some rudimentary skills.

It shouldn't be too serious, otherwise they wouldn't have had to crawl out of the palace through a dog hole.

Nan Shi Niang had also had her martial arts skills crippled, and Xiao Heng knew the highest level one could reach by relearning martial arts, so he didn't exaggerate how skilled Shangguan Yan really was.

He continued, "My mother is very clever and has some martial arts skills. I don't believe she would fall and hurt herself like that."

"That's the palace! Would anyone dare to harm your mother in the palace?" The Crown Prince wanted to say this, but if he did, he would appear highly suspicious.

The crown prince strode forward and personally carried a stool for the king to sit down by the bed.

Ah, he's the one who's truly filial.

The king has been standing there for so long.

"Father," the Crown Prince said with a sorrowful expression as he helped the King sit down, "I also feel that there is something strange about this matter. Since you have already confined Shangguan Yan to her feet for three years, I believe that she would not have run out of Zhaoyang Palace on her own. Perhaps she discovered someone suspicious, which is why she chased after her."

Good heavens, on the surface they're saying Shangguan Yan's injury is suspicious, but in reality they're subtly emphasizing that Shangguan Yan disobeyed the king's order to stay at home.

Who gave you permission to run out of Zhaoyang Palace in the middle of the night?

If we just obediently listen to the king, wouldn't everything be fine?

What else could this be but asking for trouble?

The young princess couldn't understand what they were saying, so she clung motionless to her little nephew's lap, acting like a bewildered little girl.

Xiao Heng's gaze turned cold, and with the spirit and temper of a young man, he said, "How does Your Highness know that my mother was lured out, and not kidnapped?"

The prince choked: "This..."

Xiao Heng said coldly, "I heard that not long after my mother returned to the palace, His Highness the Crown Prince ordered his guards to beat her up."

The crown prince retorted, "I didn't! It was the guards who did it! I tried to stop them, but it was too late! It all started when your mother pushed me! She pushed me down the steps of the pavilion! Do you know how high that pavilion is?"

Xiao Heng countered, "So Your Highness held a grudge and had my mother thrown violently down the high hillside?"

The crown prince's eyes flickered, and he suddenly raised his voice: "I didn't!"

"Enough, all of you, stop arguing!" the king said sternly.

The little princess covered her ears with her fingers.

The king said to Zhang Dequan, "Take the little princess out."

"Yes." Zhang Dequan walked over and carried the little princess out.

"You'll know the details once your mother wakes up. How are you feeling?" the king asked Xiao Heng.

Just as Xiao Heng was about to say that he was fine, he remembered that Shangguan Qing was sickly. He abandoned his youthful and energetic demeanor and said listlessly, "The same as always."

The king said, "Since you're here, let the royal advisor take a look at you later."

Xiao Heng remained silent.

The king frowned and glanced at him: "What's wrong?"

Xiao Heng lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Anyway, it can't be cured, so there's no need to waste medicine on me."

The king looked at the frail and sickly eldest grandson, and then at the seriously injured and unconscious Shangguan Yan, and frowned deeply.

An eerie silence fell over the room once again.

The prince's heart sank.

The king was getting old. Although he was still capricious and tyrannical, there was a part of him that was not so hard-hearted.

This can be seen from his attitude towards the young princess.

He had never been this tolerant of Shangguan Yan, not even when she was a child.

Does he prefer the young princess?

No, it's just that he's not as ruthless as he was when he was young.

Shangguan Yan's injury and the Crown Prince's illness struck a nerve with him.

The Xuanyuan family was destroyed at just the right time. If it were now, and the Empress Xuanyuan pleaded, who could guarantee that the king would still raise his sword against the entire Xuanyuan family, not even sparing the infants in their swaddling clothes?

The Crown Prince bowed and said, "Father, leave this matter to your son to investigate. Your son will definitely get to the bottom of what happened last night and give Third Sister justice."

This time, the king did not correct him regarding the term "third sister".

The crown prince secretly clenched his fingers.

"I have my own plan for this matter," the king refused.

The Crown Prince was not surprised by his father's decision.

He didn't really want to take responsibility; he was just expressing his opinion to his father.

The king glanced at Shangguan Yan with a complicated expression, then said to Xiao Heng, "Take good care of your mother... Your bedchamber has not been moved."

The last sentence was undoubtedly about welcoming the eldest grandson of the emperor back to the palace.

Xiao Heng replied almost without hesitation, "No, I want to stay at the Imperial Preceptor's Hall to help my mother recover."

The king said nothing, stood up and walked out the door.

The crown prince instructed his servants to leave the tonics behind, then turned and followed.

As he crossed the threshold, the king paused slightly, as if waiting for something.

However, he never got to see it.

Xiao Heng did it on purpose. He knew that the king was waiting for the word "Grandfather." In fact, it was just an act. He could say it a hundred times, but he didn't want the king to get his wish too soon.

After all, things that are too easily obtained are not cherished.

Xiao Heng carefully recalled his performance just now and made sure that he had not made any major mistakes.

The king's affection for Shangguan Qing was an unexpected delight, and one reason for the king's favoritism towards Shangguan Qing was that Shangguan Qing was nearing the end of his life.

The king was wary of anyone associated with the Xuanyuan family, but a grandson who was not long-lived posed no threat to his imperial power.

The Crown Prince's performance today was mediocre; he was impulsive, easily angered, and quick to explode, unable to remain calm.

But considering the Crown Prince's secret actions, he suspected that this was just a disguise.

The goal is to make people think that he can't keep secrets and can't play dirty tricks.

Xiao Heng touched the beauty mark under his right eye, which he had doodled with ink, and said calmly, "Then let's see who can pretend better."

(End of this chapter)