11
Understanding the Subtlety of Yin and Yang
Xiao Heng glanced at Lin Qingran, but unfortunately she had already turned to greet the emperor and completely missed his gaze.
Not only Lin Qingran, but Empress Qi also failed to notice. Her expression had turned extremely unpleasant as she rose from her stool, brows tightly furrowed.
The bright yellow figure strode in, making the entire area seem to brighten considerably. Emperor Kangyuan’s face remained calm, though no one noticed his hands clenching tightly behind his back.
“This humble subject greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years.”
“Your son greets Father Emperor.”
“Your consort greets Your Majesty.”
Emperor Kangyuan walked to the bedside and sat down. “Rise, we’re all family here. No need for such formality.”
“Yes,” the three responded in unison.
Since Emperor Kangyuan’s arrival, the smile had completely vanished from Empress Qi’s face. Were it not for her concern for her son, she wouldn’t have wanted to remain at all.
Remembering Xiao Heng’s earlier mention of chest pain, Empress Qi wanted to go out and summon the imperial physician.
This scene, however, appeared to Emperor Kangyuan as Empress Qi’s disgust at his arrival.
“Why has the Empress come out today?” Emperor Kangyuan spoke in a rather unpleasant tone.
Empress Qi was never one to display gentle meekness before the emperor. “What does Your Majesty mean by that? Am I not even permitted to visit my own injured son?”
“That’s not what I meant at all! Empress, don’t be unreasonable!” The emperor’s expression grew increasingly dark.
[Ah, here it comes, here it comes! The big pig’s trotter saying Her Majesty is being unreasonable. You’ve got the scumbag’s playbook down pat. A woman should have some temper – how is this being unreasonable?]
[But the big pig’s trotter doesn’t seem to be angry at Her Majesty. Rather… rather he seems to be angry at himself?]
[Her Majesty doesn’t seem completely indifferent to the big pig’s trotter either. Otherwise she’d just ignore him outright instead of showing impatience. And after losing the child, Her Majesty fell seriously ill – not because of poor health, but seemingly due to heartache.]
Lin Qingran thought these things while trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She certainly didn’t want to attract trouble.
Hearing this, Xiao Heng couldn’t help but study Emperor Kangyuan more closely. There did seem to be some truth to Lin Qingran’s words.
Could it be that Father Emperor and Mother Empress weren’t completely without feelings for each other? Perhaps there was some misunderstanding between them?
Empress Qi had no desire for further conversation, being more concerned about Xiao Heng’s injury.
“Your Majesty, whatever matters we have can be discussed later. The Crown Prince just mentioned chest pain. I request Your Majesty’s permission to summon the imperial physician.”
Having said this, Empress Qi paid no heed to the emperor’s expression and turned to leave.
Emperor Kangyuan glared in anger. “Empress, you—”
She wouldn’t even spare him a few more words. Was their son hers alone?
As the Crown Prince’s father, would he not care about his son?
Xiao Heng remained silent as well. What he needed to determine now was whether Lin Qingran’s words were true, and how she had come by such information.
The atmosphere grew stiff. Having received no favorable response from the empress, Emperor Kangyuan had no desire to speak either.
Lin Qingran subtly glanced at Emperor Kangyuan’s displeased expression, feeling quite puzzled.
【Indeed, that scoundrel must have deep feelings for Her Majesty the Empress, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten angry over her indifference. Following the usual tropes, it must be misunderstandings piling upon misunderstandings, with some white moonlight and crimson mole figures in between.】
【Such a wonderful lady like Her Majesty has suffered such great injustice—that despicable scoundrel! Ultimately, it’s the author’s fault for not writing clearly, focusing too much on the main couple. I need to carefully think through the plot. Ahhh! Knowing there’s a problem but not understanding the reason is so frustrating—I really want to know!】
Xiao Heng lowered his gaze. While he couldn’t comprehend some of Lin Qingran’s words, he understood what she had said about his father and mother.
So it seemed there were genuine feelings between his father and mother, just clouded by misunderstandings.
As this thought settled, Xiao Heng’s mind began to drift.
Was it really true?
Xiao Heng was skeptical. Since childhood, he had felt his mother’s affection, but his father seemed distant, showing little familial warmth.
Moreover, his father only visited Kunning Palace on the first and fifteenth days of each month, never staying overnight otherwise.
In the imperial harem, without the emperor’s favor, even an empress could lead a difficult life. If not for his position as Crown Prince, his mother’s circumstances might have been much harder.
Over the years, his mother had never taken the initiative to show concern for his father. He had always assumed it was because her heart lay elsewhere.
But according to Lin Qingran’s words, perhaps there was more to the story?
Just then, Empress Qi entered, followed by a physician.
“Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Physician Xue immediately bowed to Emperor Kangyuan and Xiao Heng upon entering.
Emperor Kangyuan’s expression remained stern. He couldn’t criticize the Empress openly, nor could he be too harsh with the Crown Prince. As for Lin Qingran, he had to show some respect for Grand Tutor Lin’s standing.
Thus, Emperor Kangyuan’s gaze naturally fell upon Physician Xue.
“How convenient that Physician Xue arrived at the Eastern Palace so promptly. When summoned for routine pulse checks, We never noticed you moving with such haste.”
【Wow, that scoundrel really knows how to be sarcastic. What did Physician Xue ever do to offend him?】
【Let me guess—the scoundrel couldn’t find anyone else to vent his frustrations on, so he’s taking it out on Physician Xue.】
Xiao Heng glanced subtly at Lin Qingran from the corner of his eye. He had to admit her speculation was correct—his father was indeed looking for an excuse to say something.
Unaware of the underlying tensions between Emperor Kangyuan and Empress Qi, Physician Xue thought it best to be truthful. “Your Majesty, please forgive me. Actually, half an hour ago, Consort Zhen summoned me to check her pulse. I was preparing to return to the Imperial Hospital when I happened to meet Eunuch Yuanbao. Upon hearing that the Crown Prince was unwell, I dared not delay and came directly to the Eastern Palace.”
Xiao Heng understood immediately—so Consort Zhen had required a physician’s attention. What a coincidence.
Subconsciously, he glanced at Lin Qingran, wondering if she had any inner thoughts about Consort Zhen. However, he heard nothing from her at that moment.
Empress Qi paid little attention to Emperor Kangyuan’s expression, her concern focused solely on Xiao Heng.
“Physician Xue, please examine the Crown Prince quickly. He mentioned earlier that his chest was hurting.”
Hearing this, Emperor Kangyuan wanted to say something more, but now wasn’t the appropriate time, lest he upset Empress Qi further.
Physician Xue wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Yes, Your Highness. This humble physician will immediately examine Your Highness the Crown Prince’s injuries.”
“Very well.” Xiao Heng acknowledged. Just as Physician Xue was about to lift Xiao Heng’s upper garment, Xiao Heng suddenly reached out and grasped Physician Xue’s wrist. “Wait.”