Chapter 272 Visit
The Prince of Lang finally woke up, just before New Year's Eve.
The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. In Chengguang Palace, one side was joyfully preparing a palace for Prince Yan, while the other side was quiet and deserted around Prince Lang.
The imperial physician had already received instructions and hurried to Chengde Palace to report to the young emperor. No sooner had he left than Prince Lang ordered that he be properly dressed and prepared to meet the emperor.
Upon receiving the news, Xiao Yan brought Liu Yi with him. They saw that although the Prince of Lang's complexion was still not very good, he was sitting upright in his wheelchair, dressed neatly, with a blanket covering his knees, and was dressed very carefully.
This once-renowned elder brother of the emperor, even though he is now disabled, still displays no signs of dejection or decline in his demeanor. Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel admiration for him.
Prince Lang nodded slightly and said gently, "So this must be Imperial Brother Yan."
Xiao Yan nodded. Although he was still young, he greeted him politely and addressed him as "Brother Langwang".
Prince Lang said, "Your Majesty, I am on my way to pay my respects. Would you like to come along, Brother Yan?"
Xiao Yan naturally agreed. In fact, based on this one meeting alone, he had already unconsciously begun to compare the Prince of Lang with the Grand Tutor.
Prince Lang ultimately failed to leave Chengguang Palace, but the imperial physician hurriedly went to report the incident, and returned with Xiao Qing.
The attendants of the Prince of Lang pushed the wheelchair slowly through the snow.
Scattered snowflakes drifted down from the branches of an old plum tree in Chengguang Palace, some of them playfully swirling and landing on the Prince of Lang's fur coat.
The face of the Prince of Lang was blurred amidst the swirling snowflakes.
As soon as Xiao Qing stepped into the palace gate, she saw a group of people slowly walking towards her. She raised her smile to greet them, but her smile froze the moment she saw the Prince of Lang.
Xiao Yan walked over. "Why are you here, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Qing seemed not to hear it.
Her eyes widened, and she felt the world suddenly become very quiet, as if some sound was coming from a very distant place.
Her eyes were fixed on the pale, gaunt face of the Prince of Lang, and her voice seemed stuck in her throat, unable to escape.
If this is a blessing from heaven...
Xiao Yan quickly noticed Xiao Qing's loss of composure.
He frowned and reached out to grab Xiao Qing's sleeve.
“Your Majesty, Prince Lang and I are on our way to see you.”
Xiao Qing jolted awake, finally snapping back to reality.
When she looked at Xiao Yan, there was still undisguised surprise and confusion in her eyes, but she knew that her expression was inappropriate at this moment. So she took the opportunity to look away and composed herself. She seemed to hesitate for a while before turning her head back to look at Prince Lang.
After examining it closely, Xiao Qing suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and forced a smile, saying, "I had heard that Brother Lang was in Langzhou, and I am only now able to meet you. Brother, you must be tired from your journey and take care of your health."
As if he hadn't noticed the young emperor's lapse in composure, Prince Lang sat in his wheelchair, clasped his hands, and slowly said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My brother should have come to pay his respects upon entering the city. Unfortunately, his health has failed him, and now we are troubling Your Majesty."
Judging from his voice, he has a gentle and refined personality.
Xiao Qing unconsciously rubbed his hand in his sleeve for a moment, then said, "It's cold, Brother Wang, you shouldn't stay outside for too long."
As he spoke, he strode forward and tried to push the Prince of Lang's wheelchair back.
The attendants behind Prince Lang were in a panic, but when Xiao Qing glanced at them, they obediently stepped aside.
Xiao Yan felt even more puzzled.
As everyone watched Xiao Qing carefully push Prince Lang inside, they remained silent for a moment before hurriedly following behind.
Xiao Yan had a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on, but the experience wasn't very good.
Once inside, Xiao Qing pushed Prince Lang towards the bedside, and then prepared to move him onto the bed. But when she turned her head, her gaze slid past Prince Lang's shoulder and landed on Xiao Yan, who was staring at her with furrowed brows in the doorway, and she suddenly became more alert.
She unconsciously pursed her lips, bit her lower lip, withdrew her hand, turned to look at the window, cleared her throat, and said in a low voice, "It's warm inside, Brother Wang, please sit here for a while."
He pushed the wheelchair to the table by the window, stepped back a few paces, and beckoned to Xiao Yan, "What are you doing standing at the door, Brother Yan? Come in and sit down." Then he stood to the side without saying a word.
Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Qing a few times, and even though he sensed something was amiss, now was not the time to ask.
As he walked in, he instructed the palace servants to prepare seats and serve tea, and everything was arranged in an orderly manner.
Prince Lang then glanced at Xiao Yan a few more times.
When he left, there were no children like Xiao Qing and Xiao Yan yet, let alone any brotherly relationship. Now, although the two children look somewhat alike, in terms of demeanor and behavior, Xiao Yan is probably more like a descendant of the Xiao family.
He chuckled inwardly.
Two dragons soar in the sky, one bright and one dark.
No matter who it is, none of them should be let go.
After Xiao Qing and Xiao Yan sat down, the palace servants served tea, refreshments, and other items. The rest of the conversation was between the brothers.
Strangely, Xiao Qing, who was sitting in the main seat, should have said something, but he remained silent and even seemed to deliberately avoid looking at Prince Lang.
Seeing this situation, Xiao Yan silently pondered for a moment and took the initiative to find topics to talk about.
"Is Brother Lang feeling any better?" Xiao Yan smiled. "Your Majesty has been very worried about Brother Lang's condition."
Prince Lang smiled gently: "It's just an old problem, nothing really."
Xiao Qing thought of the imperial physician's report that Prince Lang's health was too depleted and that if he did not take care of himself, his lifespan would be near. He couldn't help but say, "We can't just listen to one person's opinion when it comes to treating illnesses. Besides the Imperial Hospital, there are also skilled doctors in the folk. Why don't we take advantage of the New Year to post notices and find a master? Brother, you can just stay here and rest. Even your old ailments can be cured."
Xiao Yan looked over, his expression unconsciously becoming even more serious.
The Prince of Lang smiled good-naturedly and said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. I am truly unworthy of Your Majesty's trouble."
Xiao Qing stood up, took two steps toward the door, and said with his back to Prince Lang and Xiao Yan, "This is nothing to worry about. Brother, please rest. The Imperial Hospital will check your pulse every day. You don't need to worry too much about anything else."
She paused, took a deep breath, and said, "I just remembered I have some things to take care of, so I won't bother you any longer, Your Highness. Brother Yan, you should also go back early and not stay too late, lest you disturb your peace." Without waiting for their response, she walked straight out.
After returning to Chengde Palace, Xiao Qing still felt a surreal sense of dizziness and lightheadedness.
Who would have thought that the renowned Prince Lang would have such a face?
A face that could easily evoke her longing for her past life.
Xiao Qing reached out and gently pressed his hand against his chest, which was beating erratically, and softly uttered a few words from the depths of his heart.
Brother, royal brother.
My eyes welled up with tears without me even realizing it.
Xiao Qing was perfectly clear-headed. She knew very well that this person was just the Prince of Lang, the elder brother of this body, not the brother who had grown up with her.
However, she was indeed moved by this face, and wondered: Was it because Heaven pitied her loneliness in this foreign world that it sent her such a royal brother?
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