Still confined to bed.
This was absolutely maddening!!
“My son.” Noticing Xuan Yanyu’s poor complexion, Prince Xuan asked anxiously, “Does your head still hurt?”
He rose and walked around to the side of the bed, gently massaging Xuan Yanyu’s temples.
“I am fine, Father. Please go attend to your affairs — there is no need to worry over me.”
“It is no trouble. Father has nothing pressing to attend to. The trivial matters from this morning’s court session have all been dealt with.” Prince Xuan applied the same pressure the consorts typically used when massaging his temples, and did the same now for Xuan Yanyu.
The words had barely fallen when Eunuch Feng came stumbling in. “Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince — Responding Attendant Wu in the Cold Palace is with child.”
“If she is with child, then she is with child. Where are your manners?” Prince Xuan said coolly.
“Your Majesty, the Imperial Physician says this child Responding Attendant Wu carries is certainly an imperial prince.” Eunuch Feng’s face flushed red with excitement.
Wonderful — their Xuanzhao finally had a second imperial prince. They had hoped for this for so many years, and at last the day had come.
The fingers Prince Xuan had been using to massage the temples paused. “Tell me everything in detail.”
“Your Majesty, it began when Responding Attendant Wu fell unwell — whatever she ate, she could not keep down, and her frame grew quite thin as a result. Later, a maidservant brought her sour plums to stimulate her appetite.”
“To everyone’s surprise, once Responding Attendant Wu ate the sour plums she stopped vomiting, and developed quite a particular craving for sour things. The maidservant suspected Responding Attendant Wu might be with child, and summoned an Imperial Physician to take her pulse. As it turned out, Responding Attendant Wu truly was pregnant. The physician said her left pulse is stronger than her right, which points strongly toward an imperial prince.”
Eunuch Feng could not keep the delight from his voice. With the Imperial Physician having said as much, it was practically certain the child Responding Attendant Wu carried was a prince. After all, the palace’s Imperial Physicians had grown highly experienced reading the pulses of the ladies of each palace.
This pulse pattern of Responding Attendant Wu’s — the late Empress Xuan had presented the very same when carrying Crown Prince Xuan Yanyu. To think His Majesty would have a second imperial prince at past forty.
Xuan Yanyu tilted his head and glanced up at Prince Xuan, who was still massaging his temples. Prince Xuan lowered his gaze and lightly tapped him on the forehead. “What is this look? Are you afraid?”
Xuan Yanyu gave a soft laugh. “What would I be afraid of?”
Prince Xuan’s lips curved slightly. “The next time you defy me, think carefully. Besides you, I now have other candidates to inherit the throne. I will not indulge you as I have been.”
The man let out a quiet, unhurried scoff. “Father had best pray that my imperial younger brother is safely born before saying such things to me.”
When he was a child, how many in the palace had wished for his life? Even his imperial mother had said she spent every day in fear while carrying him — and she had been Xuanzhao’s Empress Xuan, and still she had lived in such dread.
Responding Attendant Wu was only a Responding Attendant. Now that she carried an imperial prince, regardless of whether the child could ever surpass him in succession, he was still a second imperial prince — Father would not treat him poorly.
When the time came, Responding Attendant Wu’s own status would rise considerably as well, and the consorts in the palace could not possibly stand by without acting.
Whether this younger imperial brother would even be born safely remained to be seen.
His imperial mother had given birth to him, and that had been fine enough — no one had managed to break through in all these years. But now that Responding Attendant Wu carried an imperial prince, those consorts would certainly not let the matter rest.
Either they would compete for Father’s favor to secure a third candidate for the throne, or they would see to it that the younger imperial brother in Responding Attendant Wu’s womb disappeared — or perhaps both at once.
Prince Xuan let out a low sound. “With Father watching over him, how could he not be safely born?”
The corners of Xuan Yanyu’s eyes lifted slightly, and he said with playful amusement, “Then Father ought to go quickly to the Cold Palace and bring your imperial son back to your chambers to keep him properly protected.”
Prince Xuan tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Do not tell me what I already know.”
Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow. Seeing Father carry on like this — he had no intention of raising Responding Attendant Wu’s rank? No intention of bringing her out of the Cold Palace? And there was little enough joy on his face either.
Why was that?
At a time like this, should Father not be throwing a palace banquet to celebrate?
“Your Majesty, will you go and look in on Responding Attendant Wu?” Eunuch Feng asked quietly.
He himself could not quite read His Majesty’s intentions. His Majesty showed none of the excitement he had displayed upon learning the late Empress Xuan was carrying the Crown Prince.
Prince Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “There is no need,” he said mildly. “Yanyu has caught a chill — I have no heart to go see anyone else.”
Eunuch Feng paused, and asked tentatively, “Your Majesty, should Responding Attendant Wu be brought out of the Cold Palace?”
After all, now that Responding Attendant Wu was carrying an imperial prince, it seemed entirely improper for her to remain in the Cold Palace.
Prince Xuan glanced sideways. “No need. Simply inform Responding Attendant Wu that she may move freely in and out of the Cold Palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Eunuch Feng withdrew from the palace hall, bewilderment written across the depths of his eyes.
“Father — is this your way of protecting my imperial younger brother? Making it appear as though you do not care, so your other consorts no longer target Responding Attendant Wu?” Xuan Yanyu offered the observation kindly, then added, “I fear this approach will not hold.”
“What do you mean ‘other consorts’ — does that not include your own imperial mother?” Prince Xuan, incensed, reached out and pinched his ear.
By Xuanzhao’s customs, the Imperial Noble Consort and the Noble Consort alike were to be addressed as Imperial Mother — yet from the time he was small, this wretched boy had never once called them that.
All because he had indulged him far too much!!
“…Father, would you go and see whether my medicinal meal is ready?” Xuan Yanyu began making moves to usher him away.
“Your Highness, this subordinate will go and check.” Ye’an said, alarmed.
It would not do at all to order His Majesty about.
Prince Xuan gritted his teeth and said, “If you do not want me here, I will not lower myself to stay. I shall go this very moment to find my second imperial son.”
The Emperor harrumphed, and deliberately shook out his sleeve — right across Xuan Yanyu’s face. Watching the Crown Prince’s expression darken from the bed, Prince Xuan left the palace hall in high spirits.
The man gave a low chuckle, then tossed the brocade blanket aside and climbed out of bed.
“Go and see why the Crown Princess has not yet returned.” Xuan Yanyu glanced toward the maidservant waiting nearby.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The maidservant gave a bow, then just as she reached the doorway caught sight of Yan Yunning and Xuanzhao Ranran’s figures, and turned back respectfully. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess and the Fifth Princess have returned together.”
The man gave a quiet nod.
Yan Yunning lifted her skirts and came hurrying in, full of worry. “Xuan Yanyu, how did you fall ill so suddenly?”
“Crown Prince elder brother.” Xuanzhao Ranran followed close behind her.
“How did you fall ill?” Yan Yunning took hold of Xuan Yanyu’s arm and looked him over carefully. His complexion seemed no different from usual — how had he taken ill so suddenly?
The man gave a few low laughs, then bent down and leaned close to her ear. He breathed in the fragrance that clung to her, and only after quite a long while said, “I was deceiving Father.”
“Hmm?” Yan Yunning looked up at him.
Xuan Yanyu patted her head and turned to look at Xuanzhao Ranran, his lips curving. “This Crown Prince is perfectly well. You may return.”
That said, he turned aside to the maidservants waiting within the hall. “All of you, step out.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The maidservants withdrew along with Xuanzhao Ranran, and thoughtfully pulled the palace hall doors shut behind them.
“Ningning.” With only the two of them left inside, Xuan Yanyu lowered his head and nipped lightly at Yan Yunning’s earlobe.
“What… what are you doing?” Yan Yunning’s voice went soft.
The man deliberately kept his voice low, making it both raspy and enticing. Yan Yunning swallowed unconsciously.
“Ningning, Imperial Physician Wen prescribed a tonic for me.” Xuan Yanyu pressed his lips to the tip of her nose.
“And… and then?” Yan Yunning’s voice trembled slightly.
“And then this Crown Prince would like a dainty little daughter.” The man’s breath came just a touch uneven.
Yan Yunning: “…”
What on earth did a tonic have to do with a dainty little daughter???
What was the connection!!!
Before Yan Yunning could work it out, Xuan Yanyu took her chin in his fingers, lowered his head, and brought his lips to hers.
His broad hands slipped away the layers of her elaborate robes. He drew her close and led her to the bed, letting the bed curtains fall into place behind them.