Chapter 57 – Have I ever slept with my brother?
Hearing what He Changzhou said, Zhao Qi felt suffocated.
Indeed, there were only four people who had been to the Yonghua Palace that night: excluding Rong Tang and He Changzhou, the remaining candidates were Li Chisu and Xiao Shiqing.
Li Chisu was notoriously flirtatious and enjoyed making advances. For him, sleeping with someone was as common as eating a meal. Coupled with his ambiguous attitude toward Zhao Qi, it was quite possible that the dragon egg really belonged to him.
As for Xiao Shiqing… Zhao Qi had spent almost all his time with Xiao Shiqing and did not notice anything unusual about him. Furthermore, Xiao Shiqing had no interest in either men or women and was proud of his aloofness. Zhao Qi was confident that Xiao Shiqing would not be interested in him.
In summary, Li Chisu’s probability was much higher than Xiao Shiqing’s.
“The dragon egg is yours; I don’t want it, let alone Li Chisu!” Zhao Qi swore to the heavens, “I, Zhao Qi, would rather be childless than have him father a child!”
“Shh,” He Changzhou placed his finger on Zhao Qi’s lips, “Your Majesty, keep your voice down. Fu Zi is still lurking in the dark; be careful not to let him overhear.”
Zhao Qi puffed out his cheeks, losing interest in strolling and eating noodles. “Let’s go back.”
Meanwhile, after Xiao Shiqing had taken care of his tasks, he went to the outskirts of Cangzhou.
Outside the Rong residence’s annex, two guards saw Xiao Shiqing and knelt in greeting, “Greetings, Prime Minister.”
Xiao Shiqing looked at the newly planted peach blossoms in the courtyard and asked, “What has Rong Tang been doing these past few days?”
The guards replied, “Young Master Rong spends his time either sleeping or tending to the peach trees in the courtyard. When tired, he rests and reads books.”
Xiao Shiqing narrowed his eyes and walked into the courtyard.
Rong Tang was watering and fertilizing the peach trees. Despite the dirty work, he remained pristine and clean.
Hearing the footsteps, he looked up and saw the visitor’s eyes glimmer with a hint of disappointment. He said calmly, “Prime Minister, what brings you here?”
Xiao Shiqing touched the tender green leaves on a branch and said nonchalantly, “We will set out tomorrow.”
Rong Tang’s eyes hardened, and he cleared his throat softly a few times.
Tomorrow, that person would be leaving.
In fact, whether he left or stayed made little difference to Rong Tang. Even if they were in the same city, they would likely never meet again in this lifetime.
He knew this well, but as long as he could think of being in the same city, looking at the same sky, and drinking the same water as that person, his heart still had a semblance of life.
Once he left, Rong Tang would probably be completely resigned. Life would become much more bearable then.
Xiao Shiqing removed the new leaf, saying, “Before he left, he asked me to set you free.”
Rong Tang gave a light laugh. “Is that so? As expected of him.” He was always hitting with one hand and then giving a piece of candy with the other. He relied on that piece of candy to hold on until now.
“I said I need to think about it.”
“May I ask, what has the Prime Minister decided?”
Xiao Shiqing let go of his hand, and the new leaf slid from his grip, falling into the mud. “As long as you stay far away from him, it’s not impossible.”
Rong Tang asked, “How far?”
“From east to west, from south to north.”
“Understood,” Rong Tang nodded, “The Prime Minister wants me to go to the northern borders.”
“To him, you are only of that much use now,” Xiao Shiqing said lazily. “I’ve prepared a pass with the Emperor’s seal. As long as you agree, someone will take the pass to the Huai Wang’s residence in the capital in your name. Considering your past relationship with Huai Wang, gaining their trust won’t be difficult.”
Rong Tang’s expression turned serious. “Is this your decision or his?”
“Mine.”
“And he doesn’t know?”
Xiao Shiqing answered calmly, “When the time is right, I will naturally tell him.”
“I have a question for the Prime Minister.”
“Speak.”
“Did the Prime Minister spare my life because the Emperor interceded, or because you intended to use me from the beginning?”
Xiao Shiqing glanced at him. “Neither.”
“Then what is the reason?”
“The reason I spared your life is because…” Xiao Shiqing chuckled softly, “I didn’t want him to be angry with me.”
Rong Tang’s fingers clenched in his sleeve, and his chest felt tight. It seemed that only someone like Xiao Shiqing could use the life of a person, or even an entire clan, to exchange for a smile from the Emperor.
“You can take your time to consider,” Xiao Shiqing said. “Once you have made a decision, whatever it may be, tell the guards outside the courtyard. They will inform you of the next steps.”
After saying this, Xiao Shiqing left. Rong Tang called out, “Prime Minister.”
Xiao Shiqing stopped. “What is it?”
“Since the Emperor’s health is not well, why did he still insist on traveling south by boat?”
“He insisted on doing so, so I naturally followed his wishes.”
Rong Tang said, “If I were you, I would not let him suffer during this October, no matter what.”
Xiao Shiqing turned around. “October?”
Rong Tang noticed the concern in Xiao Shiqing’s eyes, and his heart stirred. He slowly smiled, “So, the Prime Minister still doesn’t know about this matter.”
Xiao Shiqing’s expression grew stern. “If you have something to say, say it directly. No need for circumlocution.”
Rong Tang replied, “He has his reasons for not speaking, and others are not qualified to speak for him. Farewell, Prime Minister. I won’t see you off.”
Xiao Shiqing did not linger. Though he had doubts, he would not be easily manipulated.
However, he was increasingly certain that the young Emperor was hiding something from him, and Rong Tang might be aware of it.
Feeling restless, Xiao Shiqing went straight to the young Emperor’s quarters upon returning to the palace. His first question was, “Has the Emperor returned?”
Jiang Dehai replied, “The Emperor has just returned. Little Jinzi is helping the Emperor change clothes.”
Xiao Shiqing entered the inner room. Zhao Qi’s clothes were mostly changed, with only a jade belt remaining. Xiao Shiqing said softly, “Step aside, I’ll do it.”
Little Jinzi placed the jade belt aside and bowed out. The young Emperor was lost in thought as he gazed at the bronze mirror, unaware of the change in attendants beside him.
Xiao Shiqing approached him from behind, his large palm gently lifting Zhao Qi’s chin. Leaning close to his ear, he asked, “What is the Emperor thinking about?”
Zhao Qi jumped in surprise, his gaze forced to the bronze mirror in front of him.
In the mirror, he stood in front with Xiao Shiqing behind him; Xiao Shiqing’s hand supported his chin, his lips only inches from Zhao Qi’s ear.
Zhao Qi came to his senses and asked, “Brother, are you actually much taller than me?!”
Xiao Shiqing laughed and let go, ruffling Zhao Qi’s hair. “Was it fun outside?”
Zhao Qi turned around and said, “It wasn’t fun, not as much as half of the capital.”
Xiao Shiqing lowered his gaze. “Do you have something on your mind?”
Zhao Qi looked back at him, hesitating. “Yes… no.”
Xiao Shiqing raised his brows slightly. “Is it yes or no?”
Zhao Qi scratched his head with one hand. “I want to ask Brother something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Has Brother ever, um…” Zhao Qi’s face turned bright red, his voice dropping to a whisper, “ever slept with… me?”
Xiao Shiqing didn’t catch the second half of Zhao Qi’s question and frowned, “What?”
Summoning his courage, Zhao Qi was about to repeat the question loudly when Jiang Dehai’s voice came from outside, “Your Majesty, Prime Minister, it’s time for the meal.”
“Not urgent,” Xiao Shiqing said. “The Emperor should finish what he was saying first.”
Finding a father for the dragon egg was as difficult as waging a war—first with enthusiasm, then diminishing, and eventually exhausting. Zhao Qi was already exhausted and almost fled, saying, “I’m hungry, let’s have the meal first!”
Xiao Shiqing: “…”
Despite claiming to be hungry, Zhao Qi had no appetite during the meal. He barely moved his chopsticks before feeling tired and asked to return to his room to rest.
Xiao Shiqing let him go. Once Zhao Qi had left, he summoned Fu Zi.
“Have you found any leads on the matter I asked you to investigate?”
Fu Zi responded, “Prime Minister, Cheng Boyan is a latecomer to the Imperial Medical Institute, apprenticing under the former head of the Institute, Zhang Taiyi. Before the Emperor’s tour, he once consulted Zhang Taiyi for loss of appetite and nausea. Zhang Taiyi diagnosed the Emperor with damp-heat in the stomach, Qi deficiency, and blood deficiency, and prescribed a medicine. However, the very next day, Zhang Taiyi went into mourning, and Cheng Taiyi took over the Emperor’s diagnosis.”
Xiao Shiqing gestured for Fu Zi to continue.
“Since then, Cheng Taiyi became the Emperor’s sole designated physician, accompanying the Emperor during his southern tour. All the medicines the Emperor took daily were prepared by him.”
Xiao Shiqing asked, “Do you have the prescriptions from Zhang Taiyi and Cheng Boyan?”
Fu Zi said, “The formula from Dr. Zhang can be found in the archives of the Imperial Medical Institute. As for Dr. Cheng, he handles everything personally—drying, grinding, and decocting the medicine. The formula is all in his mind and is not written down. I only deduced the formula from the residue of his decoctions.” He took out two notes and handed them to Xiao Shiqing. “Prime Minister, please have a look.”
Xiao Shiqing glanced at them and said, “Interesting.”
For the same illness, the prescriptions from these two doctors, one old and one young, were completely different.
“I asked the doctors, and indeed, Dr. Zhang’s formula is a good remedy for damp-heat in the stomach and intestines, as well as for qi and blood deficiency. However, Dr. Cheng’s formula was unknown to them; they had never heard of it and were unsure of its use.”
Xiao Shiqing pondered for a moment and said, “Send someone to Dr. Zhang’s hometown to find out more. Continue investigating Dr. Cheng’s prescription.”
Fu Zi clasped his hands and said, “Understood. If the Prime Minister has no other instructions, I will take my leave.”
“Hold on,” said Xiao Shiqing.
“Yes, Prime Minister?”
Xiao Shiqing hesitated for a moment and asked, “What did the Emperor do today?”
“Reporting to the Prime Minister, His Majesty…”
“Forget it, don’t mention it.”
Fu Zi was puzzled. “?”
Xiao Shiqing said, “I promised him not to monitor him anymore.”
“Well then, may I take my leave?”
“Wait.” Xiao Shiqing said, “You should still tell me.”
Having served Xiao Shiqing for many years, Fu Zi had never seen the usually decisive Prime Minister so conflicted. He said with a complicated expression, “Today, the Emperor went out with General He. They ate a bowl of Yangchun noodles at an open-air stall. There seemed to be some unpleasantness, and the Emperor even had a dispute with General He. After that, His Majesty’s mood has been quite poor.”
Unpleasantness with He Changzhou… Is this what’s troubling the young Emperor?
“I see,” Xiao Shiqing said淡淡ly, “Remember, I didn’t ask you anything just now.”
Fu Zi responded, “Understood.”
The next morning, the dragon boat set sail again.
Xiao Shiqing lifted the restrictions on the common people, and many people gathered on the shore, eager to catch a glimpse of the Emperor.
Zhao Qi thought for a long time and decided to adopt a majestic demeanor to assert the Emperor’s authority. With a stern face, he led the civil and military officials onto the boat, leaving the shore and standing on the deck, looking at the dense crowd on the shore.
The river breeze brushed his face, filling him with boundless pride—Ah, these are all my subjects.
Among the hundreds and thousands of people, he spotted that familiar white figure at a glance.
Yong Tang’s gaze pierced through the crowd and quietly landed on him.
Cold and ethereal, just like before.
As the dragon boat moved forward slowly, the white figure in his sight gradually grew smaller until it finally disappeared.
“Your Majesty.”
A hand patted his shoulder, and Zhao Qi withdrew his gaze to meet He Changzhou’s smiling eyes. “What’s the matter?”
He Changzhou asked, “Has Your Majesty decided?”
“Decided what?”
He Changzhou lightly patted Zhao Qi’s lower abdomen. “The name of the child.”
Zhao Qi’s eye twitched. “I don’t need to decide. Thank you.”
“Then listen to me and name him Zhao Yun.”
“… Are you done?!”
T/N: There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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