“Have you finally appeased me enough?”
Lu Lingcong watched Xie Jing leaning against the table in a defensive posture with his arms folded and his lower back pressed against the edge of the table. His quick, heavy breaths slowly began to ease, bit by bit, as the fierce, volatile aura around him gradually snuffed out. The shock and rage in his entire being cooled, and at last, his body stopped trembling altogether.
The palace attendants looked at this scene in stunned silence. Xie Jing gathered the front of his outer robe and turned back toward the sleeping quarters. His steps were light yet unsteady like a wandering ghost drifting away, and the clear sense of keeping others at a distance was unmistakable in his retreating figure.
Two boots still lay scattered by the bedside, and half of the corner of the quilt was dragged onto the floor; it seemed Lu Lingcong had been in such a hurry to get up upon hearing the commotion that he had rushed out without even having time to put on his shoes.
Xie Jing clearly noticed this. He leaned over to pick them up and, without looking at Lu Lingcong, simply turned back and lightly tossed the boots outside the threshold for him.
Lu Shuqing slept deeply, completely untouched by the unrest stirring outside. Xie Jing gently traced the child’s palm with his index finger, then carefully gave the cradle a light push. Madam Xie had taught him that he could sing soothing folk songs to coax an infant to sleep, so Xie Jing aimlessly hummed a few self-composed lullabies through his nose. It was low, gentle, and slow without lyrics or a set melody.
The palace doors were not closed, and it was so quiet outside that even the sound of breathing was absent. Xie Jing’s soft humming echoed faintly among the curtains. Lu Lingcong listened intently for a long time, then lowered his head and silently ate his breakfast.
Xie Jing remembered that Noble Consort Wu had mentioned last night that she would bring his mother and sister-in-law into the palace this morning. He had not felt such an urgent desire to see his kin from Wuyi Lane in a long time. In the grand, hollow expanse of Jiuhua Hall, the only person connected to him by blood was his infant son who knew nothing of the world. His chest was full of pent-up gloom and humiliation with nowhere to vent, and in the end, he could only hope to pour it all out to his mother.
This small life was truly too fragile, just like that lustrous long-life lock nestled among the pillows and bedding; it could be shattered with the greatest of ease. He did not know how Lu Lingcong actually viewed the “auspicious body” the emperor had bestowed upon Lu Shuqing, but Xie Jing guessed that, given Lu Lingcong’s pragmatic and rational nature, and knowing it was nearly impossible to make the emperor rescind the order, he would turn the situation to his advantage and make good use of this protective umbrella instead. It would serve both as a bargaining chip for Prince Zhao’s Mansion as well as a form of protection for the child.
The back of Xie Jing’s hand brushes against the ice-cold jade as he withdrew his hand from the cradle. He wondered what exactly did Lu Lingcong view Lu Shuqing as when he decided to give the child this gift? In this vast Taichu Palace, was he truly the only one who was too rigid and easily broken, overestimating his own strength, and foolishly attempting to win back the right for Lu Shuqing to “just be himself”?
There was a sound from the main gates of Jiuhua Hall. Xie Jing snapped back to his senses and hurried to the window to look only to find that the visitor was not his mother and sister-in-law, but Zhong Zhao instead. Seeing only Lu Lingcong sitting in the hall, Zhong Zhao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Reporting to Your Highness, it is not that this humble one wishes to be the villain, but His Majesty has ordered this humble one to bring a message to the Princess Consort. This humble one dare does not disobey, so I must trouble Your Highness to pass it on.”
“What message?” Lu Lingcong frowned. Xie Jing’s heart sank, though he had already begun to vaguely guess what it was.
Zhong Zhao said with difficulty, “As soon as the morning court was dismissed, Her Highness the Empress was already waiting outside Shenlong Hall. She seized on the Princess Consort’s heated words and fanned the flames, insisting the Princess Consort had utterly lost his decorum and was unfit to receive outsiders. His Majesty then gave the order for a decree, the… the two madams of the Xie’s Mansion are not required to enter the palace today.”
As he spoke this last half-sentence, he saw Xie Jing slowly pacing out, leaning against the door and staring at him while waiting for the rest, which caused Zhong Zhao to immediately start stammering.
Lu Lingcong asked, “What else did Emperor Father say after he heard Empress Mother’s account?”
Zhong Zhao thought for a moment and said, “His Majesty didn’t say much more, nor did he get angry. His Majesty didn’t seem to care much about it, and he wasn’t surprised either.”
Xie Jing gave a silent, mocking sneer. He should have expected long ago that those interrogations and accusations would have no effect on the emperor whatsoever. Even Lu Shuqing was merely a tool, and he himself was nothing more than a piece of scrap that had successfully completed its mission of giving birth to a royal heir. How much was the anger of a piece of scrap worth? Naturally, the emperor did not care at all.
Lu Lingcong sensed Xie Jing’s presence and subconsciously glanced behind him. When he spoke, it was directed at Zhong Zhao but also intended as a coded message for Xie Jing, “If he didn’t get angry, then that decree was likely just to placate Empress Mother and quiet the matter. Is Emperor Father in Imperial Study right now? I will go see him privately; it would be best if I could ask to leave the palace and return to the Prince’s Mansion to live.”
Zhong Zhao hurriedly said, “He is there now. Your Highness might as well go quickly; several lords from the Ministry of Justice are due to meet with His Majesty later.”
Lu Lingcong then stood up and went into the room to change his clothes. Xie Jing remained leaning against the door without moving, saying nonchalantly, “As long as you leave this child behind, it wouldn’t matter how the two of us pack our bags and get the hell out of the palace; I guarantee not a single person would lift a finger to stop us. But try taking him with you? Keep dreaming.”
“Then is it possible we’re meant to live in Jiuhua Hall for the rest of our lives?” Seeing that Xie Jing was not mincing words, Lu Lingcong spoke plainly as well. “No one is having a good time in the palace; it’s better to go home as soon as possible so we can both have some peace and quiet.”
Xie Jing raised an eyebrow and shot him a sidelong glance. “Easier said than done. Does Your Highness truly dare to open your mouth to your Emperor Father? I somehow doubt it!”
He emphasized the word “dare” with biting weight. Lu Lingcong froze, his hands pausing as he tied his belt. He turned back and, with a solemn expression, said word for word:
“It makes no difference if you call me a coward, useless, or a failure. After bowing and yielding all these years, do you think I don’t understand what it means to be stifled? But there is one matter, when it comes to his affairs,” he raised a hand to point at Lu Shuqing in the cradle, then fixed his gaze on Xie Jing, “and as for your affairs, Xie Zhiwu, I can say with certainty that there has never been anything I lacked the nerve to do.”
“My dear Highness,” Xie Jing laughed coldly, “you are indeed daring! On New Year’s Eve last year in front of Shenlong Hall, you would rather defy the emperor’s will just to chase after my father and call off the engagement. What boldness! What courage! I truly regret foolishly holding you back, saying that no matter what the fault, I would bear it alongside you. It would have been better to let you leave and have us go our separate ways, then I wouldn’t have to endure this pain and choke down this resentment now.”
Having pushed the words to this point, he fell silent, and Lu Lingcong was also stunned. Zhong Zhao was so terrified he wished he could crawl into a crack on the floor as a dead silence instantly fell over the hall.
After a long pause, Lu Lingcong quietly finished dressing in his outer robe. As he passed by Xie Jing, he halted, then; after what seemed like repeated inner hesitation, lifted his gaze and spoke, “Are these your true feelings? Calm yourself down and ask your own heart, do you truly regret marrying into Prince Zhao’s Mansion? If you do, I will go and report it to Emperor Father right now so we can part on good terms. What I said back then always holds true, if you want to leave, I will never force you to stay.”
The distance between the two was extremely close now, close enough that some things did not need to be said for everyone to hear. Xie Jing gave a cold sneer and whispered into Lu Lingcong’s ear, “The words I spoke back then still stand, and they always will. Since you and I are already bound as family, then even if I die in this life, I must be laid to rest in your Prince Zhao’s Mansion.”
When Lu Lingcong arrived at the Imperial Study, a seat had already been placed below the emperor with hot tea prepared; it was clear he had expected this visit. After the initial pleasantries, it was actually the emperor who spoke first, “Speak then. Is it that you want the people from Xie’s Mansion to enter the palace, or do you want your Princess Consort to leave?”
“It is to leave the palace,” Lu Lingcong paused, “but not him alone. Erchen and Shuqing must also leave together.”
“You are suddenly of one heart and mind regarding whether to stay or go at a time like this,” the emperor remarked with curiosity. “At the start of the year, you couldn’t stand this marriage, yet by year’s end you can’t bear to be without him. Young men truly change their minds by the day. Do you know why Zhen betrothed him to you in the first place?”
Lu Lingcong carefully chose his words, “The Princess Consort is likable and has captured my heart; Emperor Father appreciates him, and Erchen, too, values him greatly.”
The emperor ignored his diplomatic platitudes and simply said, “This child of the Xie family is different from his father and elder brother; he is not one to suffer indignation in silence. Zhen had heard a little of his willful arrogance when he first arrived in the capital last year. But were it not for such a demeanor, Zhen feared he would not have been able to hold your reins either.”
Lu Lingcong was somewhat bewildered by the emperor’s phrasing of “hold your reins.” He did not quite understand which sense of “hold” was intended: did it mean that Xie Jing’s background from the Xie clan of Chen Commandery was enough to suppress the prominence of Prince Zhao’s Mansion, the Mingluan Hall, and the Wu family? Or did it mean… that he would be drawn to someone of Xie Jing’s character and temperament, eventually coming to voluntarily accept this princess consort who had been passively bestowed upon him?
He thought back to Xie Yan’s conjecture about this marriage. If it was indeed a signal from the emperor to drive people into the fray and force them to choose sides and contend, then there was no reason for the pressure to fall on the Xie family alone. The emperor was also pressuring him, his eldest son born of a consort. He had no illustrious maternal clan like the Wang clan of Langya, nor did his mother painstakingly build an empire like the empress; none of that mattered—the emperor would bestow upon him an equally formidable and illustrious family by marriage, along with a blessed and promising heir. With the stakes now even and the balance restored, the contest could begin.
And all of this required a prerequisite: he had to care about Xie Jing in order to care about the child Xie Jing gave birth to, to care about the life and honor of the Xie family, and to be willing to take the initiative to strive and fight. Otherwise, he could simply remain indifferent by letting the Xie family fend for themselves and bash their heads bloody in the crossfire; if they failed to live up to expectations and became useless pieces, he could simply change to a new princess consort and a new set of in-laws.
The emperor had—from the very beginning, as early as the betrothal—been quite confident that he would definitely care about Xie Jing. And unfortunately, Lu Lingcong found it hard to deny he did care about Xie Jing, cared about him immensely.
After a long pause, Lu Lingcong said in a low, catering tone, “Emperor Father is wise; you truly understand Erchen’s character best of all.”
“What was it you said just now? That you wish to return to your own residence?” The emperor said nonchalantly. “What a coincidence; your Empress Mother came to Zhen this morning saying that an infant is delicate, and she fears that two youths like you and your Princess Consort won’t be able to raise him properly. She wants to take him to Linhai Hall to look after him personally.”
This was exactly the scenario Lu Lingcong feared most. He retreated a step and probed tentatively, “Mother Empress’s considerations are indeed thorough. However, Lingzhang’s studies and daily life are already entirely under her care. Erchen feared the infant’s crying and restlessness would only add to her burden and tire her spirit further. It would be better to send him to Mingluan Hall; that way, should Father Emperor and Mother Empress miss him, it would still be convenient to see him.”
The emperor was well aware of the schemes held by his eldest son and the empress respectively. He was happy to step back and let them fight it out themselves, saying without even lifting his head, “As for leaving the palace, Zhen has not prohibited it. However, Qing’er’s status is exceptionally special; it is also reasonable for him to be raised in the Central Palace, so Zhen has not forbidden that either. If you wish to return to your mansion, go and speak with the Empress yourself.”
Lu Lingcong stood under the corridor outside the Imperial Study and pondered for a long while. He ultimately decided to send Xie Jing and Lu Shuqing back to the Prince’s Mansion first before informing the empress. The emperor’s words earlier made his intent plain: whoever ultimately prevailed would keep the child, and even if he defied orders and incurred the empress’s displeasure over it either, the emperor would not hold him accountable. If that was the case, it was better to shed all restraint by acting first and report the matter afterward.
The empress’s style of conduct was quite distinct. Just as she had only punished Lu Lingzhang the night before while leaving the “chief culprit” Lu Lingzhen untouched, she also rarely made things difficult for Lady Wu. She knew clearly that going after them would mean expending twice the effort for half the result, so she simply chose not to waste her strength there. Even if there was a reckoning in the future, it would most likely come straight for him and Prince Zhao’s Mansion; when that time arrived, they would shut their gates and face it in their own way, adapting and coping as they saw fit.
Once Lu Lingcong figured this out, he headed straight back to Jiuhua Hall. He hadn’t expected to see Yin Chou waiting by the long alley from a distance; the moment she saw him, her face overflowed with worry. She called out urgently, “Why has Your Highness been gone so long? People from Linhai Hall have arrived and are in a standoff with the Princess Consort. It looks like they intend to snatch His Highness Shizi by force! The Princess Consort is truly enraged this time; if he has to endure more of this baseless mistreatment and grievance, his body won’t hold up, and something will go wrong!”
Without needing her to say more, Lu Lingcong had already heard the sharp, high-pitched wailing of an infant coming from inside the hall. His heart skipped a beat as he hurried into the building. He saw Xie Jing standing alone in the hall while holding the startled Lu Shuqing. In the courtyard were several of the empress’s confidants, blocked by the eunuchs of Jiuhua Hall, momentarily frozen in a confrontation.
The lead palace attendant was saying with a frown, “The Princess Consort truly needn’t be so tense. We have come unarmed and ready to discuss this reasonably. Her Highness the Empress simply wishes to dote on her grandson; out of consideration for the fact that you have just given birth, and fearing you might overthink things, she sent us to carefully carry him back for her!”
Xie Jing’s face was terrifyingly pale, and he didn’t yield an inch in his speech, “Go back and tell your mistress that there is no room for discussion. Take one more step, and I will first strangle my son and then smash my head against the gates of Linhai Hall and then she can dote on us as she pleases!”
Lu Lingcong gasped. He could clearly feel that Xie Jing was in an extremely dangerous state, on the verge of an emotional collapse; it was likely no longer just a fluctuation of mood but a physiological inability to control himself.
He called out “Zhiwu,” but upon hearing his voice, Xie Jing instinctively took a half-step back before turning his face to look at him with a wariness usually reserved for a stranger.
The palace attendant snapped coldly, “The Princess Consort has certainly made quite a scene today, acting out and throwing tantrums since early morning, constantly threatening life and death, and even using the life of His Majesty’s eldest grandson as blackmail. Do you feel the prestige of the Imperial Family hasn’t been tarnished enough by your hand?”
Enraged to the point of laughter, Xie Jing swept his hook-like gaze across every person in the courtyard, speaking with utter contempt, “I’ve already thrown off all restraint and become nothing more than a reckless rogue, your so-called prestige means nothing to me! If your mistress dares to let me step out of these palace gates, I will stand right before the Confucius Temple and lay out today’s events word for word so the entire world can see for themselves who is truly the most ridiculous!”
Most of those in Jiuhua Hall could tell that Xie Jing had lost his composure and was behaving erratically, and an abrupt silence settled over the room. After a long pause, someone in the crowd—no one could tell who—let out a low, clear scoff, “Lunatic.”
Upon hearing those words, Lu Lingcong stiffened. He froze for a moment, then turned his head back inch by inch. In an instant, his face went cold to the point of losing all warmth. The palace attendants who met his gaze saw a vicious, unfamiliar cruelty and ferocity creep across his brow. He looked like a fierce beast whose reverse scale had been touched. When he spoke again, his voice was as cold as three feet of solid ice, “Who was it?”
No one answered. No one dared to answer.
Lu Lingcong suddenly raised his voice, shouting sternly, “Who!”
His fury, which felt almost tangible, intimidated the visitors far more directly than Xie Jing’s hysteria. The leading palace attendant did not doubt for a second that, in order to defend his princess consort’s dignity and reputation, Lu Lingcong was truly capable of stepping forward and strangling the speaker to death with his own hands at this very moment.
She clenched her teeth; though unwilling to fail the empress’s orders, she truly did not dare to rashly antagonize such a terrifying opponent. She gestured sharply to her subordinates, and without another word, they turned and left in haste.
Long after the unwanted guests had vanished from Jiuhua Hall, Xie Jing remained standing in a precarious, swaying posture. His eyes were unfocused and vacant as if his very soul and spirit had been drained away along with his verbal outburst. In an instant, he lost the dazzling radiance he once possessed.
Lu Lingcong drew several deep breaths, forcing himself to suppress the sharp, lingering killing intent that had spread through his entire body. He forced his steps to remain steady as he walked over to Xie Jing, only then seeing clearly that the person’s forehead and face were covered in cold sweat. His complexion was as ghastly as that of a patient suffering from a chronic, incurable illness.
His heart sank. Just as he reached out to steady Xie Jing and pull him close, he suddenly saw Xie Jing snap his head up. His bright, lucid eyes shone like a living spring, exuding a breathtaking brilliance, like the last sudden flare of a dying ember.
Xie Jing spoke softly and gently, his eyes filled entirely with Lu Lingcong’s reflection as he called out, “Zifeng Gege.”
He was like a moth seeing a dazzling fire for the first time, offering himself with an instinctive, sacrificial devotion. He gazed at Lu Lingcong with an almost earnest, pleading intensity while murmuring:
“Go tell them that I was wrong. It was my fault. I am the one who lost my mind, I am the one who lacked decorum, I am the one who was ungrateful. I don’t have to leave the palace, I don’t have to see my kin, and I don’t care about any ‘auspicious body’ either…”
Xie Jing’s body began to shiver uncontrollably. Lu Lingcong could not even tell if he knew what he was saying or if he had already become a lost soul, a walking corpse:
“As long as they don’t take my child away, I will do whatever they want.”
