Chapter 77 Father, it's time to take your medicine.
Xiao Shao entered the palace an hour early.
To the palace servants, this was nothing unusual. Ever since Prince Huan returned to Jinling, his popularity in the court had soared, far surpassing that of any other prince. Even if His Majesty disliked this son, he had no choice but to grant him more and more power day by day, allowing him free access to the palace and making him the most powerful heir apparent in the court.
As people close to His Majesty, the palace servants of the Hall of Diligent Governance usually only needed to follow His Majesty's lead. However, none of them dared to offend Prince Huan. So they still bowed and scraped and led him to the emperor with smiles on their faces.
The emperor was still getting up at dawn.
Upon hearing the news, he had no choice but to put on an overcoat and come to see his son first.
As the current emperor of the Yong Dynasty, Emperor Lin Yuan ascended the throne at the age of fifty and has been on the throne for nineteen years. He will soon reach twenty years and be seventy years old.
He sat at the head of the table, and although his health was very poor, the majesty unique to the imperial family remained.
"What brings you here so early in the morning?" he asked Xiao Shao.
"Father, there is news about my eleventh brother that I learned this morning. I dared not delay and immediately felt I should tell you. That is why I rushed to the palace first. I hope you will not be offended!" As a son and a subject of the emperor, Xiao Shao always bowed his head very low whenever he saw his father.
"Oh?" The emperor narrowed his already half-closed eyes. "What does Prince Yi need you to report?"
Ever since he was forced to summon Xiao Shao back to the capital, Emperor Linyuan's biggest concern about his son has been to avoid seeing him altogether.
He disliked his son Xiao Shao. When Xiao Shao was young, he didn't even remember having such a son. When Xiao Shao grew up and achieved military merits, he felt that his son was somewhat useful. Later, when he ascended the throne, Xiao Shao's military achievements increased and his prestige in the court grew. He realized that he needed to suppress his son, so he arranged an irresistible marriage for their royal family.
He thought that was the end of it, but three years later, Xiao Shao suddenly turned the marriage into a worthless piece of paper and the bride into a handful of dust.
In the blink of an eye, he became the beloved Prince Huan again, back in his presence, vying for the throne with his most beloved youngest son.
How could Emperor Linyuan possibly find him pleasing to the eye?
However, Xiao Shao is no longer someone he can simply prevent from staying in the capital.
So he could only turn a blind eye.
"Father, you are not aware of what has recently happened to my eleventh brother, are you?"
Knowing full well that he cared about the eleventh prince, Emperor Lin Yuan grew increasingly displeased that he was still deliberately asking such cryptic questions. He asked, "What exactly are you trying to say? What's wrong with the eleventh prince?"
Although Emperor Lin Yuan was about to reach seventy, he himself did not know whether he would be able to live to seventy.
In recent years, his health has been deteriorating, especially this year. He has been sick seven or eight times, and last month he even spent half of his time in bed. He doesn't know how much longer he can hold on, but before everything is completely settled, he still wants to do his best and try to persevere. Maybe, maybe, he can still fight for some opportunities for his eleventh son...
He had only come over early in the morning and said a few words, but the emperor was already extremely impatient.
Xiao Shao clenched his fist tightly in front of him, and couldn't help but think about how the father and son would interact if Prince Yi were in front of the Emperor.
They must be a loving father and a filial son, right?
After all, if the eleventh prince hadn't been so utterly incompetent, he would have already firmly grasped the position of crown prince, and there would be no need for him to take the throne.
The more Xiao Shao thought about this, the reddened his eyes became.
But he still managed to remain calm and composed as he spoke to the emperor: “Father, according to my people, my eleventh brother recently went to Yong County on the border, seized the county government office, and oppressed dozens of local officials…”
Xiao Shao did not directly inform the emperor of the Prince Yi's death, but instead began by recounting how the Prince Yi had seized control of the Yong County government office and kidnapped Mu Zhaozhi.
Although the emperor found his son absurd, he was able to listen to these things calmly at first, until he heard that the Prince Yi had kidnapped Xiao Mingzhang's child.
"Mingzhang's child?" he asked, trying to sound more alert.
"Yes." Xiao Shao clenched his fist even tighter, revealing the thick, bulging veins on it without any attempt to hide them.
The reason he laid so much groundwork for the news of Prince Yi's death today was to have another opportunity, another chance, to observe his father's expression...
Given Xiao Mingzhang's attitude, Yunzhu's matter could no longer be kept secret at this point. Since the emperor would find out sooner or later, it was better for him to speak up himself.
Xiao Shao looked up, staring intently at Emperor Lin Yuan's expression, not daring to relax for a moment, and told the emperor about Yun Zhu and the child, half true and half false.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Lin Yuan's entire demeanor was vastly different from what it had been moments before.
So the woman from the Western Regions who was originally assigned to Xiao Mingzhang didn't die? If she didn't die, doesn't that mean she's still Xiao Mingzhang's heir apparent, and that their Huanwang Mansion still has a heir apparent from the Western Regions?
His joy, his excitement, his sense of relief and unexpected breakthrough—all of these contrasted sharply with the gloomy morning, and all of this was observed by Xiao Shao.
"How are that woman and child now? Where is the eleventh prince? How could he, as an uncle, do such an absurd thing?"
These words seemed to be a rebuke to Prince Yi, and seemingly a concern for Yunzhu and the child, but Emperor Linyuan understood, and Xiao Shao also understood, what he truly cared about.
Xiao Shao finally gave up.
Over the years, countless attempts to test the waters have only resulted in repeated disappointment and heartbreak.
Perhaps what Ying said was true. For so many years, the soldiers had been afraid to move, and only he himself knew what they were afraid of.
Because he was essentially a coward, he dared not admit that his father did not love him.
After so many years of dreams, it's finally time for them to shatter.
He cupped his hands in front of him, staring at Emperor Lin Yuan's face, which was faintly filled with undisguised joy, and said, word by word, "Father, this is precisely the point I wanted to make today. My eleventh brother kidnapped Ming Zhang's child. After Ming Zhang sent people to retrieve the child, he wanted to send guards to question him carefully about his treasonous dealings with the enemy. However, the guards who went there accidentally killed my eleventh brother... Now, my eleventh brother has passed away, and his body is on its way back to Jinling..."
"What did you say?"
From immense joy to immense surprise, the ups and downs of Emperor Lin Yuan's life happened in the blink of an eye.
Upon hearing the news of his son's death, even the oldest father can suddenly stand up.
He rushed forward, grabbed Xiao Shao by the collar, and asked, "Say it again, what happened to the eleventh prince?"
All of this was exactly what Xiao Shao had expected.
Before this complete test, he felt a little apprehensive and guilty about the death of his eleventh brother. But now, at this critical juncture, Xiao Shao only wished for his younger brother's death, wished for him to die as soon as possible.
He feigned fear as he faced his enraged father, and said in a trembling voice, "Father, my eleventh brother has committed a heinous crime, attempting to betray the country. He fled in panic, and Mingzhang sent men to pursue him, but they accidentally killed him. This is by no means Mingzhang's fault!"
"What else? Your brother is dead!" The emperor roared in fury, red blood spreading from the top of his head to the back of his neck and then to his entire body.
Xiao Shao knelt on the ground, his trembling beard and swaying figure visible.
Emperor Lin Yuan's hand, gripping Xiao Shao's collar, trembled. His eyes were wide with rage, and he wanted to punish Xiao Mingzhang and imprison Xiao Shao as well. But then he thought, the most urgent matter was to see the remains of his dead son, his most beloved son… No, he still needed to punish Xiao Mingzhang first… No, he still needed to see the remains first…
Numerous options raced through the emperor's mind. Emperor Lin Yuan suffered a splitting headache, and the little energy he had managed to recover over the past few days completely collapsed at this moment, leaving him utterly defeated.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but as soon as his thin lips parted, he staggered and fell straight backward.
"His Majesty!"
"Father!"
...
Before he closed his eyes, all Emperor Lin Yuan could hear were these sounds.
He knew nothing more.
—
The emperor fainted, and the morning court session was canceled.
The emperor, who had just recovered his health, fainted again early this morning. At the same time, news of Prince Yi's death reached the ears of the court officials, shocking everyone in the court and the country.
Along with the news of Prince Yi's death came many rumors about Xiao Mingzhang. In the court, the faction of Prince Huan and the faction of Prince Yi suddenly started arguing fiercely again. A group led by Lady He even wanted to use the pretext of wantonly killing a prince to bring Xiao Mingzhang back from Liangzhou and execute him on the spot.
But of course, this is of no use. Not to mention that the Huan Prince's faction already constitutes the majority in the court, Xiao Mingzhang also has very sufficient evidence of the Yi Prince's treason. So what if he is a prince? Killing him is just cleaning up the traitorous evil for the court.
The only person willing to take charge of the overall situation for the He family was the emperor.
Unfortunately, the emperor is still lying on his sickbed, unconscious.
Side Hall of the Hall of Diligent Governance
Xiao Shao had been standing in front of the bed for half an hour.
As usual, the imperial physician examined the emperor's pulse and wrote down the prescription for the medicine to be decocted that day.
Seeing that the imperial physician had finished packing his things and left, Xiao Shao followed closely behind, leaving someone behind in the corridor in front of the palace.
"Physician Jiang, please wait!"
Physician Jiang turned around.
Xiao Shao nodded slightly to him.
"May I ask the Imperial Physician, what is the current condition of my father's health?"
Since the emperor fainted, dozens of people have asked Physician Jiang this question every day. Physician Jiang remained silent, knowing roughly what each person who came to inquire about the emperor's health was up to. The Prince Huan before him was no exception.
To be honest, the emperor is getting old and has been frequently ill in recent years. The incident involving Prince Yi has caused him great distress, and it is almost impossible for his health to improve significantly.
Actually, it will be very difficult for him to wake up this time...
The medicine he prescribed each day could only guarantee that the emperor would not die that day, but no one could say for sure how long he could be kept alive with such medicine.
Looking at the prince who had been presiding over the affairs of the Diligent Governance Hall, Imperial Physician Jiang pondered for a moment before finally saying, "Your Majesty, it's hard to say. The matter of Prince Yi has stirred up Your Majesty's emotions. In the future, it would be best to avoid any other stimuli, otherwise, your emotions may become too volatile..."
The imperial physician stopped there, and Xiao Shao immediately bowed his head to express his gratitude.
"Thank you, Imperial Physician." After thanking the physician, he turned and went back to the side hall.
Inside the side hall, within the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, palace servants appeared beside the emperor, carrying the prescription written by the imperial physician.
The medicine has a bitter taste, and even from a distance, you can easily smell its astringent aroma.
Xiao Shao had never liked taking medicine since he was a child, but he still stepped forward and said, "I'll do it."
Upon hearing this, the palace servants immediately handed him everything they were carrying.
Xiao Shao, holding a bowl in his hand, sat on the edge of the bed, facing the person lying quietly on the bed, and called out, "Father..."
But naturally, nobody paid any attention.
The person on the bed did not react at all, as if he were asleep.
Xiao Shao suddenly lowered his head and chuckled. From childhood to adulthood, whenever he was sick, the thing he wanted most was for his father to come and see him.
His birth mother was unremarkable. She did not have the illustrious family background of the Empress, nor the beauty and favor of Consort He. Before the Emperor ascended the throne, when he was still a prince, his mother was the most insignificant concubine in the Prince's mansion. It was only because she gave birth to him, the grandson of the Emperor, that she was elevated to the status of a concubine.
His mother... she was truly an unfortunate woman.
As one of the emperor's concubines, she died before the emperor ascended the throne, never enjoying any of the palace's splendor and wealth.
Xiao Shao looked at the emperor quietly.
Over the years, he has rarely thought of his mother, but whenever he comes to Jinling, whenever he sees the emperor, or even the eleventh prince, he can't help but think of his mother.
Back when he was in the Prince's mansion, Xiao Shao lived with his mother in a side courtyard far from the main courtyard. To get from the side courtyard to the main courtyard to see his father, he had to go through a long corridor, through a huge, flower-filled back garden, and through many identical moon gates.
Those moon gates, one after another, are strung together as if there is no end in sight.
It would take little Xiao Shao a long time to walk to his father's side.
But what did he go to his father for? Aside from the daily routine of reporting on his studies, there seemed to be nothing else.
To other children, the father would pat their heads, praise them for growing taller, and ask them what happened yesterday when they were naughty. But when facing him, the father always seemed to only say one thing: "Very good, Little Five, you did very well."
Because of this comment, Xiao Shao devoted himself even more diligently to his studies, whether it was literature or martial arts, he wanted to be the most outstanding child in his father's eyes.
But at that time he did not know that the most outstanding child, the most hardworking child, never meant that he was the child his father liked the most.
As an unfavored son, he had to work twice as hard, or even more hard, than his brothers to earn a glimpse of his father's favor; as an unfavored son, he could only be brought to his father's side by day in his dreams, and be proudly introduced to all his royal friends; as an unfavored son, he was actually the one who saw his father the least among all his brothers, but he never admitted it...
"Father..." Xiao Shao choked up without realizing it, and called out to the person sleeping peacefully on the bed again.
The imperial physician's words still echoed in his ears. His hands, which were holding the medicine, gradually became unsteady, and the soup swayed, making his reflection ripple.
Amidst the rippling reflection, Xiao Shao saw his own gaze.
Those eyes, which had long since become ruthless, were now completely exposed in the face of endless desire.
He was like a greedy wolf; unable to obtain the fatherly love he desired, he sought the very empire his father loved most.
Can't we take any more stimulation?
Can't I have any more intense emotional fluctuations?
The bowl in his hands wobbled even more. Xiao Shao took several deep breaths to suppress his excitement and put on a gentle demeanor.
He said, "Father, it's time to take your medicine..."
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