This Prince Has Decided to Share It With You
Night had fallen.
Stars blazed across the sky. The gentle evening breeze of the sixth month drifted softly by, while Lu Ronghuai stood at the door of the study, regretting it so bitterly that his intestines were nearly turning green with regret.
The price of a loose tongue was sleeping in the study.
Lu Ronghuai let out a heavy sigh and pushed the door open as he went in.
Xian Feng and Xian Yu followed behind him. Both were suppressing laughter as they set the bedding and pillows on the small bed in the side room of the study.
“The two of you, do not leave just yet,” Lu Ronghuai called after them.
Xian Feng and Xian Yu stopped. Xian Feng smiled and asked, “What other instructions does Master have?”
“There is something I have not told you.” As Lu Ronghuai spoke, he paused again. His tone slowed slightly, as though the matter were difficult to speak of.
Xian Yu said considerately, “Your Highness, if it is difficult to speak of, then there is no need. This subordinate understands.”
“It is indeed not easy to say, but...” Lu Ronghuai’s tone turned sharply. “If I do not tell you, This Prince cannot find anyone else to boast to.”
Xian Yu: “?”
“Keeping it pent up inside has been rather miserable, so This Prince has decided to share my joy with you.”
Xian Yu’s expression went blank. “Oh.”
Lu Ronghuai smiled brightly at the two of them. “What I am about to say may sound somewhat hard to believe, but This Prince has a daughter now.”
The study sank into a long silence.
Only after quite some time did Xian Feng manage to speak. “Master... shall this subordinate go and fetch the household physician to have a look at you?”
“...What This Prince says is true.”
“Prince Consort Li would not let Your Highness return to Fuju Courtyard, but even so, Your Highness cannot lose your mind like this.” Xian Yu’s face was full of helplessness.
Lu Ronghuai said, “You are merely jealous that I have a daughter.”
Xian Feng and Xian Yu both rolled their eyes.
Xian Feng said, “Fine, fine. Master has a daughter, but where exactly is this daughter? This subordinate has not seen her.”
“Inside Ah-Yuan’s belly. In another eight months, you will see her.”
The two of them: “.........”
The corner of Xian Yu’s mouth twitched. “The Prince Consort is a man. He cannot carry a child. If His Highness says such things where the Prince Consort can hear them, how distressed the Prince Consort would be.”
Lu Ronghuai looked entirely sincere. “Ah-Yuan can carry a child. Ah-Yuan is remarkable.”
“......”
“This subordinate takes his leave.” The two exchanged a glance. Both felt their lord had gone mad. After cupping their hands and bowed, they turned to leave.
“Wait. Xian Feng, go fetch the residence physician. This Prince will make the two of you convinced in both heart and speech.”
Seeing that he was serious, Xian Feng could only resign himself and go fetch the physician.
Xian Yu remained standing in the study, his head turning this way and that as he looked around. He muttered, “His Highness used to spend the most time here. Now this place is so desolate it nearly rivals a cold palace.”
Lu Ronghuai also looked around the familiar study. “These days, This Prince handles official affairs in Ah-Yuan’s small study. Keeping this place really is a waste.”
Xian Yu had just opened his mouth to speak when Lu Ronghuai added another sentence.
“Once This Prince’s daughter is born, this place can be turned into her little treasury.”
Xian Yu: “...”
Thick-skinned beyond all reason. His daughter, at this rate she might as well spring from a crack in a rock.
Xian Feng rushed back in from outside, his expression grave. “Master, the residence physician has disappeared.”
Half an hour later, Xian Yu strode quickly into the study. “The physician said this afternoon that he needed to go home briefly. This subordinate just went to his house, but his family said he never returned.”
Lu Ronghuai tapped his fingers against the table. “Has any word come from Xian Yue’s side?”
Xian Feng shook his head.
The others waited for another quarter of an hour. At last, the carrier pigeon arrived.
Xian Feng removed the bamboo tube and handed the slip of paper to Lu Ronghuai.
Lu Ronghuai unfolded it, and a cold, lethal light burst from his eyes. “The Liu family took him away.”
Xian Feng immediately cupped his hands. “This subordinate will go rescue him.”
“I fear it is already too late. The Liu family may already have pried the truth out of his mouth.” Lu Ronghuai crushed the paper in his hand. “You go rescue him. Xian Yu, go to the Ye residence at once, then go find Su Ruhe afterwards and tell him the plan is to be advanced. Have him make preparations.”
“Understood.”
“There is no need to show yourself before Ye Qi. Slip in and throw these things onto his desk.” Lu Ronghuai pulled open a drawer and took out an unremarkable satchel from the hidden compartment beneath.
The satchel landed on the table with a heavy thud. Xian Yu picked it up, then he and Xian Feng flashed away into the night.
Lu Ronghuai gazed out at the darkness beyond the door, his eyes quiet and still. He sat in thought for a moment and was just about to rise when soft footsteps sounded outside.
“Your Highness.” Chu Yuan appeared at the doorway. Le Shu followed behind him carrying a luminous pearl, and three steps farther back, Xian Shuang shadowed them like a silent reflection.
Lu Ronghuai immediately rose and went over, reaching out to clasp his hand. “Why are you still not asleep?”
Then he felt that Chu Yuan’s hand was trembling slightly.
“What is the matter?” Lu Ronghuai’s eyes sharpened. He noticed that Chu Yuan’s face had gone a little pale.
Le Shu said quietly, “The Prince Consort had a nightmare just now. When he woke and did not see Your Highness, he came looking for you.”
Lu Ronghuai gathered him up into his arms and carried him back towards Fuju Courtyard. Looking at him with aching tenderness, he said, “It is all my fault. I should not have run off to this side tonight. I should have been at your side.”
Leaning against his chest, Chu Yuan said in a muffled voice, “It was I who drove Your Highness to the study. It is not Your Highness’s fault.”
“Of course it is my fault. When my wife drove me away, I should have shamelessly stayed behind. Sleeping on the floor outside the door would have been fine too. How could I actually leave? Truly, I lack sense.”
Chu Yuan was amused by him and let out a faint smile, delicate as an midnight epiphyllum Blooms only briefly in the night and is a classical Chinese symbol of fleeting, otherworldly beauty.Let us enjoy it once again! Prettyyy~ in bloom.
Seeing that, Lu Ronghuai quietly let out a breath of relief.
When they returned to Fuju Courtyard, Lu Ronghuai set Chu Yuan down on the bed, covered him with the blanket, and then took off his boots and climbed up after him.
“What did Ah-Yuan dream of, to be this frightened?” Lu Ronghuai asked gently.
Chu Yuan pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes. Even after waking, he still felt lingering fear. “I dreamt that someone was trying to harm our child, and no matter what I did I could not stop them and the child was... gone.”
Lu Ronghuai fell silent for a long while.
“Your Highness?” Chu Yuan looked up. One hand slipped out from beneath the blanket and poked his sharply defined chin.
“Ah-Yuan, Imperial Physician Li was taken away today.”
Chu Yuan went still.
Lu Ronghuai said in a deep voice, “The Liu family took him. I suspect the Liu family may have learned that you are with child.”
Chu Yuan sat up abruptly, his heart hammering. “That cannot be. They cannot be allowed to know.”
“Do not panic yet. Listen to me.” Lu Ronghuai sat up as well and drew Chu Yuan into his arms to settle him. “Just now, I sent Xian Yu to the Ye residence and had him deliver the evidence of the Liu family’s bribery to Ye Qi. He will certainly present the accusation at court first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Right now, we must seize the initiative. We cannot give the Liu family a moment to breathe. Ah-Yuan, do not be afraid. I will not let them harm you or the child.”
Chu Yuan forced himself to calm down. Gripping the blanket, he asked, “Of the evidence Your Highness has gathered, how much confidence do you have that it can bring down the Liu family?”
“Seventy percent.”
Chu Yuan bit his lip. “Then what if...”
“It will not come to that. Father Emperor has evidence in his hands as well. Besides, have you forgotten the Crown Prince?”
“The Crown Prince and the Liu family are of one breath and one branch. Would he truly leave the Liu family to fend for itself?”
“The Crown Prince is narrow-hearted, suspicious, and has spent these years constantly constrained by the Liu family. Their growing power has never been something he wished to see.”
Chu Yuan said, “The Liu family’s position is one of great prestige. If they fall, the Crown Prince’s position will be gravely affected. Can he truly bear that?”
“Cutting away this rotten piece of flesh is painful for a moment, but looking ahead, the gain far outweighs the harm.”
“Besides, Grand Tutor Xu is still waiting to put Xu Zhizhi forward as Crown Princess.”
Understanding dawned on Chu Yuan’s face. “So that is how it is. With the support of the Xu family, the Crown Prince can still sit securely in the Eastern Palace.”
After saying this, Chu Yuan pondered for another moment. Suddenly he reached out, caught Lu Ronghuai by the sleeve of his sleeping robe, and lifted his face to look at him with pitiable, shining eyes.
“Your Highness will be going to court tomorrow morning. Will you be able to get word to Fuqing while in the palace?”
“Yes.”
He had his own eyes inside the palace walls.
“Then have Fuqing fan the flames from inside. Let the fire truly take hold.”
In a small voice, he whispered his plan into Lu Ronghuai’s ear.
Lu Ronghuai lowered his head and kissed him, praising him warmly. “Ah-Yuan is truly remarkable. This way, the Eastern Palace will suffer grievous harm to its strength as well.”
Chu Yuan let out a faint sigh and lowered his gaze to his stomach. “I simply do not want anyone to harm our child.”
“Even if the Liu family learns from the physician that you are with child, they still will not dare believe it at once. It goes against all reason. If they wish to know the truth, they will look for a chance to test you.”
As he spoke, Lu Ronghuai narrowed his eyes. He would not give the Liu family any opportunity to discover the secret of Chu Yuan’s body.
The Liu family had to be uprooted.
Early in the morning on the fifteenth day of the sixth month, before the sky had yet grown light, Lu Ronghuai left the residence. He rode first to Zhengqing Daoist Temple, walked around it once, and left before the craftsmen arrived, then headed to court.
Once inside the palace, he caught Xian Feng’s eye. Xian Feng gave a small nod and slipped away without a sound.
Two ke later, everyone had gathered in Qianzheng Hall.
Emperor Hongjia had not yet arrived, and the officials were all chatting quietly among themselves.
A minister somewhere past his fortieth year looked at Ye Qi and said in surprise. “Lord Ye did not rest well last night? Both under-eyes are black.”
At once, the surrounding officials were drawn over and crowded around Ye Qi, asking questions one after another.
Ye Qi waved them away as though shooing flies. “This old man had mice get into his house last night, so I spent half the night catching them. You all are rather idle.”
The others lost interest and returned to their places, thinking to themselves that it was no wonder he was not well liked. His temper was foul and unyielding, and he was rather odd as well.
The Crown Prince glanced back once. When he withdrew his gaze, however, he discovered that Duke Liu beside him was staring at Lu Ronghuai, wearing an expression of quiet deliberation.
His own face sank. “Grandfather, what are you looking at?”
Duke Liu turned to face the Crown Prince, his expression composed. “Replying to Your Highness, this old minister was looking at nothing just now.”
The Crown Prince stared at him. In the end, he said nothing.
Emperor Hongjia arrived in haste.
Lu Ronghuai lazily lifted his eyes towards the figure seated high above them all.
His face was pale and puffy, the bags beneath his eyes swollen. He looked drained of vigor, exhausted in body and weak in spirit.
The short walk to the throne had left him visibly breathless. It required no imagination to see how deeply he had depleted himself.
Lu Ronghuai lowered his eyes. The mockery in them was unmistakable.
After everyone had finished bowing, Eunuch Yuan Sheng raised his shrill voice and cried out, “If there is business, present it. If there is none, the court is dismissed.”
The ministers looked at one another. No one stepped out.
Eunuch Yuan Sheng waited a moment. Seeing that still no one emerged, he opened his mouth again. “Dismiss—”
Ye Qi stepped out from the ranks at an unhurried pace and cupped his hands toward Emperor Hongjia. “This minister has a matter to report.”
Emperor Hongjia nodded. Leaning against the dragon throne, he asked, “What matter does Beloved Minister present?”
“This minister presents an accusation against Duke Liu of amassing wealth without restraint, bribing many, and having the entire Liu household gnaw at the people like vermin, cruel and without conscience, truly worms boring into the state. This minister begs Your Majesty to investigate the matter thoroughly and render a just ruling!”
The whole court fell silent.
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu dog: I am so happy. I have a daughter now.
Lu Duoyu: Yes, and you can remain this happy for another eight months.
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