Chapter 271 Stalking
Xiao Yan had never met the Prince of Lang.
Upon seeing him again, one could see that he was pale, thin, and looked sickly. He was still unconscious, but one could vaguely tell that he had a good foundation and was once a handsome young man in his prime.
I just don't understand why my brother insists on bringing this person into the palace.
Oh, right, he should also address the Prince of Lang as his elder brother.
While Xiao Yan was observing the Prince of Lang, Fu Mingyi was also observing him.
He had met the Prince of Lang back then, and the contrast was stark this time.
I heard that since Prince Lang afflicted with a leg ailment, he has been plagued by various illnesses and his body has become weak. Now it seems that this is indeed true.
The group entered the palace with their own thoughts. Although they were settled in Xiao Yan's Chengguang Palace, since the Prince of Lang was ill, Xiao Qing asked Chu Lianzhou to make proper arrangements. This was to make it convenient for the Prince of Lang to recuperate and to take care of Xiao Yan so that he would not be affected by his illness.
Chu Lianzhou, an unmarried woman, was summoned to the palace by Xiao Qing to serve as a female official in charge of the seal. Since she was there, she put aside many taboos of women and managed all the affairs of the palace clearly and thoroughly.
Xiao Qing saw this and was very satisfied.
Intelligent, magnanimous, and extremely tactful. Chu Lianzhou is truly a rare find.
When the Prince of Lang entered the palace, Chu Lianzhou led his men to prepare the western sleeping quarters of Chengguang Palace, and the imperial physicians were already waiting in the palace.
When the group entered the palace, Xiao Qing excused himself from the audience, saying that the health of the Prince of Lang should be taken into consideration, and the group went directly into Chengguang Palace.
The imperial physician hurriedly stepped forward to take his pulse and then reported that Prince Lang's health had been damaged, and years of overwork had caused him to fall ill, resulting in him being bedridden due to the hardships of his journey. He needed to rest and recuperate for some time.
Fu Mingyi asked how long the treatment would take and when he would wake up.
The imperial physician stroked his beard and said, "With proper care and the medicine, he should be able to wake up as early as tomorrow. However, his body is still too depleted. He should calm his mind and recuperate in his daily life, and avoid thinking too much. It may take three to five years to reduce the depletion."
The imperial physician knew that he was treating Prince Lang, and there were some things he couldn't say in front of a large group of people. After going out to prescribe medicine and reporting back to Xiao Qing, he sighed and said, "Prince Lang's body is too depleted. If he doesn't take good care of himself, I'm afraid his lifespan is nearing its end."
Xiao Qing was stunned, not expecting that the Prince of Lang's health had deteriorated to such a state.
Then she thought about Langzhou and the future of the Langzhou army.
For some reason, she had a vague sense of unease. She didn't know if it stemmed from the Prince of Lang's illness or something else.
After the imperial physician finished his report, he returned to Chengguang Palace to await further instructions.
Xiao Qing sat quietly for a while, and Ma Hong then stood by his side, not disturbing the young emperor.
Not long after, Fu Mingyi arrived with Xiao Yan and Chu Lianzhou, explaining clearly the journey through the post stations and the situation in Chengguang Palace.
Xiao Qing thought for a moment and said, "The Prince of Lang will not be returning to his fiefdom until after the New Year. Until then, let's take good care of him. It's not convenient to visit him now, let's wait until they are settled for a few days."
Fu Mingyi, however, disagreed.
"Your Majesty is the sovereign, and the Prince of Lang is the subject. Naturally, the Prince of Lang came to pay his respects first."
After Chu Lianzhou left, the two began to discuss state affairs, including the local government's policies after the transfer of officials, the conscription process, and so on.
We also need to find out about Zhao Youchen's situation.
Fortunately, based on the information that has come back so far, the situation in Yingzhou is not bad.
Everything is getting back on track.
However, the rats hiding in Mengshan Villa are so cunning that even Wang Xiang has not been able to find them.
It's likely that their abduction of Wang Xiang served a purpose.
With so many things to attend to, the matter of the Prince of Lang was temporarily put aside.
The night was deep and quiet. Chengguang Palace, which had been busy all day, was deserted.
The imperial physicians who stayed behind in the outer room couldn't stay up all night and were feeling exhausted.
The palace servants on duty inside were also drowsy and lethargic.
The servants brought by the Prince of Lang slowly got up from the bedside, tidied the quilt for the Prince of Lang, and then put their hands under the quilt to test the temperature of the Prince of Lang's palms.
The person hiding in the shadows kept watch all night, and everything was normal; they found nothing amiss.
The next day, Xiao Qing went to court. Before leaving, he asked about the situation of Prince Lang. Upon learning that Prince Lang had not yet woken up, he instructed the imperial physician to take good care of him and did not delve into the matter further.
After two days of surveillance, the person in charge began to relax their vigilance.
On a cold winter night, the attendants of the Prince of Lang were so cold from keeping watch that they couldn't stand it anymore. They ran to the outer room to stomp their feet, ran around twice, and rubbed their hands. After doing this for a while, they felt warm before going back to the bedside to keep watch.
The person keeping watch didn't find anything unusual, but still reported the facts.
After hearing this, Xiao Qing and Fu Mingyi exchanged a glance, a tacit understanding naturally forming between them.
"Withdraw the secret guards and let Imperial Brother Yan visit him every day."
Prince Lang was in a daze, and it was already difficult to get the medicine down his throat, so it didn't seem to be working very well.
Meanwhile, Chu Lianzhou was already making preparations for the New Year's Eve celebration in the palace.
Many officials stayed in Nanhua for the New Year. This year, Xiao Qing and the Duke of Anguo agreed to keep the royal family members in the palace to keep watch together. Of course, the Prince of Lang, who was in the palace at the time, would also be present.
However, since the Prince of Lang remained unconscious, Chu Lianzhou came to ask for advice, wanting to know how the Prince of Lang should make arrangements.
Xiao Qing didn't think too much about this, only saying that according to the rules of the imperial clan, preparations should be made as if the Prince of Lang were attending, and even if he couldn't attend, Chengguang Palace should still make proper arrangements.
She thought to herself that if Prince Lang was unable to attend, she would have a New Year's Eve dinner with him and Xiao Yan, following the custom of exchanging New Year's greetings, which would not be considered impolite.
It's unclear whether the Prince of Lang was truly that weak or simply very composed.
It's just a matter of dealing with soldiers when they come, and using earth to block water when it comes.
If the matter of Prince Lang and Mengshan Villa is related, it's better to expose it sooner rather than later.
The Prince of Lang, who had been under the watchful eyes of Xiao Qing and Fu Mingyi without appearing to be deliberately paying attention, finally opened his eyes in the night.
His attendant breathed a sigh of relief, knelt down, and whispered, "Your Highness, you've finally woken up."
The Prince of Lang casually curled the corner of his lips and asked softly, "How is it?"
"The dragon's energy has not dissipated. However, according to my humble opinion, it seems to be different from the energy I measured a few years ago."
How are they different?
"It seems as if two dragons are in the sky, one bright and one dark."
The Prince of Lang remained silent for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. "So, Xiao's fate is not yet sealed?"
The attendant bowed his head. "Your Highness, times have changed. Although I am not wise, I know the principle that the moon wanes after it is full. Your Highness, please think it over. Your health must not be taken so seriously."
The Prince of Lang closed his eyes briefly. "I didn't expect to enter the palace so easily. Two mere children are nothing to fear. The Xiao family will surely be executed here." Though his breath was weak, his tone was cold and resolute.
The attendant felt a pang of reluctance, but ultimately had no choice.
"What are Your Highness's plans?"
“Since they are two dragons, we should find them.” He paused. “It’s New Year again, a good day.” Then he closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep.
The attendant sighed, knowing that Prince Lang was stubborn and that he could no longer persuade him.
Now that things have come to this, the Prince of Lang will certainly not give up easily; let's just wait and see.
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