Chapter 54: The Little Prince
The newborn’s clear cry broke through the tent.
“He’s out! He’s out!”
“Just as the Imperial Preceptor said, it’s His Highness the Prince!”
Inside the tent, Li Jianyu, who had just given birth, lay limply in Zhao Linxu’s arms, completely exhausted. The midwife wrapped the newborn in a warm cloth and held him, smiling. “So cute!”
Zhao Linxu held Li Jianyu with one arm and gently took the cloth from his mouth with the other. Then he took the towel from a maid and wiped the cold sweat from Li Jianyu’s forehead, his heart full of heartache.
At this moment, Zhao Linxu only wished that all of Li Jianyu’s discomfort could be transferred to himself. He had no energy left to hold the child, so Li Jianyu smiled and took the little bun.
“…”
Li Jianyu, full of anticipation, took the little bun and, after meeting the wrinkled little face, was suddenly silent.
Huh…?
He looked up at the midwife, who was constantly praising how cute the little prince was, then looked down at the little thing. Li Jianyu was very confused.
“Lang’er is so cute,” Zhao Linxu said, his tone full of unconcealable joy and affection. “His features have a shadow of you.”
“No.”
Li Jianyu answered decisively.
Zhao Linxu blinked, then burst out laughing at Li Jianyu’s aggrieved expression.
“You little fool.” Zhao Linxu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Didn’t Little Carp know that newborns were all like this? After a few months, he would be white and chubby, soft and cute. He naturally wouldn’t always be like this.
“You’re still laughing!”
Wait…
“Lang’er?” Li Jianyu slowly reacted.
“Lang’er, Zhao Lang. Our child,” Zhao Linxu said with a grin. “This is the name I’ve given him. The ‘lang’ from ‘langran’. Are you satisfied?”
[Translator’s Notes: Langran : This is a classical Chinese term meaning “clear and resonant,” often used to describe the sound of jade clinking or a clear voice. It evokes a sense of purity and beauty.]
“I’m satisfied,” Li Jianyu said with a smile, patting Zhao Linxu’s cheek.
However…
One of the meanings of the character “lang” was “fine jade,” fine…
Li Jianyu was on the verge of crying from anger. He had carried the little bun so hard for so long, and had suffered so much for him. Then he had tasted a pain he had never tasted in his two lifetimes. During childbirth, the phoenix tattoo on his body had been so dense it had almost scared the midwife away. And the first time he saw the little bun, it was so wrinkled and not cute at all. How could he not be disappointed?
It made no sense. He was the number one beauty under heaven, and Zhao Linxu… although he was unwilling to admit it, Zhao Linxu was indeed handsome and good-looking. How had they given birth to a monkey?
Li Jianyu’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He could no longer resist the exhaustion and fatigue, and he slowly fell asleep, full of confusion.
Zhao Linxu smiled, gently laid the person flat on the bed, pinched his cheek, and tucked him in.
“Fool.”
“Mmm…” in his daze, Li Jianyu thought, Zhao Linxu is calling me a fool again.
Forget it. That was his and Zhao Linxu’s child. No matter how ugly, he would still like him. Zhao Linxu… he liked him very much. Zhao Linxu was very happy.
Lang’er…
Li Jianyu’s lips curled slightly in his sleep, his hand still holding the corner of Zhao Linxu’s clothes.
XXXXXX
The Great Xi’s army was now stationed in Huanyue City. The Taotie had previously harmed the people, but even though the people objected and were dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do. They could only lock their doors and not go out. And the Imperial Preceptor, who had been here before, was also gone, which made the people even more panicked.
Feng Juheng had booked out an inn and had Feng Juhua recuperate in the best upper room. Dozens of doctors were on standby in the inn at all times.
When Feng Juhua slowly woke up, the first thing that met his gaze was Feng Juheng’s face.
“Imperial Brother, you’re finally awake…”
At this moment, Feng Juheng’s smile was a rare, genuine one. He had originally wanted to hold the person in his arms, but he didn’t dare to touch him because of the wound. He could only get up a little anxiously and call for a doctor to check.
Feng Juhua moved his body slightly, and a sharp pain shot through his neck.
Ah…
He was still alive.
Feng Juhua closed his eyes.
Why was he still alive?
The doctors came to check him over and said that everything was fine. He just needed to rest and recuperate.
“Imperial Brother, I was wrong, I was wrong… Forgive me, hmm?” Feng Juheng held Feng Juhua’s hand and said earnestly, “If Imperial Brother is obedient in the future, I will definitely not bully you anymore.”
Feng Juhua closed his eyes slightly.
“Your Highness.”
There was a knock on the door. Red Snake stood outside. “The servant reported that His Majesty is awake. Can Your Highness come with me to see ‘that thing’ now? It has been refined.”
Feng Juheng looked at Feng Juhua reluctantly.
He really didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay with his imperial brother for a while longer. But the thing Red Snake mentioned was also very important. It was the key to him being with his imperial brother for a long time. So, after thinking for a moment, Feng Juheng still stood up and left the tent.
Feng Juhua lay for a moment. In a daze, he felt someone hold his hand.
This hand was not Feng Juheng’s.
Feng Juhua was stunned and opened his eyes slightly.
…Rong Qing?
“Your Majesty…” There was no one in the tent. Rong Qing had dismissed all the attendants and was kneeling by the bed. He looked at Feng Juhua and said softly, “Your Majesty, don’t do anything foolish.”
Feng Juhua closed his eyes again, as if he wanted to block out everything from the outside world.
“Your Majesty, do you really not remember me? That year, in the summer palace, it was you who saved me.”
Feng Juhua frowned slightly, but now his mind was in a chaotic mess, and he couldn’t remember anything. He just looked at Rong Qing’s arm, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
“It’s no matter. Your Majesty, promise me, don’t do anything foolish, okay?”
Rong Qing smiled lightly.
It was just one arm. What was it compared to the soul that had supported him for decades?
“Then if I don’t die, what am I living for…” Feng Juhua said with a bitter smile. “Is there any meaning?”
“Your Majesty is a dragon among men, with a pure heart. You must not give in!”
“Then what about you? Rong Qing, you were not a bad person before, but now you watch your soldiers being tormented by gu-poison, twisted into Taotie, and you haven’t you given in?”
Ridiculous.
There were not so many choices.
Feng Juhua gently pulled his hand back.
Rong Qing’s whole body stiffened.
Rong Qing had been born of humble origins and had been bullied in the palace. The person before him was like a dazzling beam of light, especially prominent in his dark and chaotic world.
The harder the life, the more one cherishes the warmth one receives.
The Feng Juhua of that year was handsome, gentle, and kind. He had extended his hand and pulled him out of the mire.
Speaking of which, Feng Juhua was also the only prince who would go on incognito tours to give alms and grace everywhere, running around for the people, treating the servants in the palace well. He looked kind and easy to get along with, but he could speak up for the people and servants who were treated unfairly, and he would bravely fight against those powerful and influential nobles. His reputation among the people was very high.
The Feng Juhua and Xu Zheng in the storybooks were a well-matched couple. One was elegant, and the other was gentle. One protected the country, and the other took care of him meticulously.
And now…
Rong Qing looked at Feng Juhua’s lifeless eyes and wished he could kill himself.
He should have… he should have recognized him earlier!
He should have saved him as soon as he found the jade pendant and learned that the person from that year was Feng Juhua!
Yes.
It was his drifting with the tide and his submission that had made him a coward, and he had been unable to protect this person he had hidden in his heart for decades.
Taking a deep breath, Rong Qing closed his eyes. “Your Majesty, how long have you been with the Ghost-Faced General?”
Feng Juhua didn’t answer.
“Twenty-one years,” Rong Qing said. “Everyone in the Great Xi knows you are in love. Twenty-one years, countless suns and moons, countless days and nights.”
“But Your Majesty has been with His Highness for less than a year. Is it worth giving up twenty-one years of affection for this one year?”
Feng Juhua was stunned.
That’s right… it had been twenty-one years.
They had promised each other for life since they were children. From the time they were conscious and had a vague understanding of love, their eyes and their world had only been each other.
It had been a long time.
Feng Juhua buried his head in the pillow and cried.
It had been a really, really long time.
XXXXXX
Li Jianyu slept on and didn’t even have dinner.
Zhao Linxu couldn’t bear to wake him and let him rest.
The space in the main tent was divided by a screen. The inner room was the sleeping area, and Li Jianyu was sleeping soundly in the quilt. The surroundings were warmed by the charcoal fire. With such a strong fire, now that winter was almost over, an ordinary person would have found it too hot, but for a phoenix, it was the most comfortable temperature.
And on the other side of the screen was Zhao Linxu’s office. At this moment, Zhao Linxu was sitting at his desk, reviewing military reports, and the Empress of the Great Chai, E Zhu, was sitting at the side.
“E Zhu finally has a chance to meet with Your Majesty,” E Zhu said with a smile. “Because of the City Lord, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Your Majesty properly before.”
“Talk?” Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow.
“Talk about the marriage alliance between the Great Gong and the Great Chai,” E Zhu said, looking at Zhao Linxu with a grin.
The brush in Zhao Linxu’s hand paused slightly.
“Although it was the late emperor’s verbal order, without an official edict, we don’t necessarily have to abide by it. But E Zhu has long admired Your Majesty,” E Zhu said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Now is a special time. If the Great Gong and the Great Chai can form a marriage alliance, it will surely be stronger. The Great Chai needs the protection of the Great Gong, and in this battle, the Great Gong also needs the navy of the Great Chai.”
Zhao Linxu frowned.
Red Snake and that group of sorcerers had done something. They had set up a maze and an illusion around Huanyue City. A direct attack would not only consume too many men, but they might not even be able to find a breakthrough to break the city gates.
And Huanyue was by the sea. Zhao Linxu and the others had planned to attack the city from the sea, using naval warfare to restrain them.
The meaning behind E Zhu’s words was quite obvious. No marriage, no lending of the navy.
And the North-South army had never fought a naval battle, and the Ghost-Faced Army was probably not very good at it either.
“E Zhu, don’t forget that we are grasshoppers on the same rope. Only by being united can we be invincible.”
“Naturally. But even without E Zhu’s help and navy, I’m sure Your Majesty can still break into Huanyue.”
Zhao Linxu snorted coldly.
He was naturally confident, but that would consume too much combat strength, and the Great Xi’s army on the other side was not to be trifled with.
If the North-South army and the Ghost-Faced Army lost half their strength before they could break through Huanyue, they would be at a disadvantage from the beginning.
Zhao Linxu put down his brush, crossed his arms, and said, “Little Carp has just given birth to a child, My child.”
“Although E Zhu is a noble empress, she does not mind sharing a husband with the City Lord, if the husband is a hero of a chaotic era like Your Majesty. I’m sure that when Your Majesty unifies the world in the future, you will not only have the City Lord by your side,” E Zhu said with a wink. “Is that alright then?”
There was no reason to refute what E Zhu had said.
Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow.
Oh?
