Chapter 399: His Origins
The summer heat was intense and relentless. Shen Xihe often sought refuge in the Green Ripple Pavilion, a place shaded by lush trees and cooled by blocks of ice placed within. When the breeze swept through, it carried a refreshing chill that brought immense comfort.
He stood before her, his gaze as gentle as the shimmering green waves outside the pavilion. His tall, imposing figure cast a long shadow in the sunlight, as if he could truly hold up the heavens and steady the earth.
In the past, he had always restrained himself in her presence, but at some point, he had ceased to hold back, gradually revealing his dominant nature.
"Your Highness, how did you come to know His Majesty's birth date and time?" Shen Xihe was deeply curious.
Xiao Huayong couldn't help but chuckle softly upon hearing this. "Youyou must be like everyone else, astonished and suspicious. You think I have eyes and ears everywhere, capable of uncovering even such a closely guarded secret."
"Is that not the case?" Shen Xihe was puzzled.
"I spent twelve years with Grandmother at the Taoist temple. Though I wasn't always there, the time we shared was not short," Xiao Huayong said quietly. "I learned of His Majesty's birth date and time by chance from Grandmother."
When the Youning Emperor was born, it was the most difficult period for the Empress Dowager. Trapped in the Imperial Harem and oppressed by a favored consort, the Youning Emperor was born frail and nearly didn't survive. By the age of three, he still couldn't speak fluently, earning the late emperor's disdain and later becoming one of the reasons the Empress Dowager was exiled to the northwest.
It was only in the northwest, under the covert protection and care of the Shen family, that the Youning Emperor gradually grew stronger. Yet, he remained plagued by frequent illnesses. The Empress Dowager, following the guidance of a Taoist priest she encountered by chance, began a ritual on each of the emperor's birthdays: she would mix her own blood with cinnabar, draw talismans by hand, burn them, and pray to heaven and earth. From then on, the emperor would be free from illness.
Initially skeptical, the Empress Dowager was desperate enough to try anything. Strangely enough, from the Youning Emperor's fifth birthday, when she first performed this ritual, he never fell ill again. He gradually began to practice martial arts and study, and the Empress Dowager maintained this habit to this day.
During his twelve years at the Taoist temple, Xiao Huayong once caught a glimpse of an incompletely burned talisman, accidentally revealing the emperor's birth date and time.
Learning the truth, Shen Xihe was stunned. She never would have imagined that he had discovered the emperor's birth details in such a manner.
Not just her—likely no one could have guessed that his discovery was so straightforward.
After a moment of surprise, Shen Xihe regained her composure and voiced another question that had long perplexed her, one she had felt unqualified to probe given her status: "Your Highness, you owe your achievements today to the Empress Dowager's protection. Why does she treat you so differently?"
This distinction far exceeded what was shown to all other princes, even... the emperor himself.
As the legitimate grandson, it was reasonable for the Empress Dowager to favor Xiao Huayong, but surpassing her own son was somewhat difficult to comprehend.
Xiao Huayong had gone to the Taoist temple at eight years old. His ability to study literature and martial arts without the emperor's knowledge would have been impossible without the Empress Dowager's cover-up. No matter how talented an eight-year-old might be, he couldn't have quickly sought out renowned masters, let alone someone like Linghu Zheng, the Sacred Healer.
Why would the Empress Dowager help him conceal this from the emperor? On one side was her son, on the other her grandson. There was no reason for her to oppose her son for the sake of her grandson. The depth of the Empress Dowager's affection for Xiao Huayong could be glimpsed from how she organized the Spring Day Banquet to select consorts for the princes merely at his suggestion.Moreover, during the Crown Prince's several feigned illnesses, Shen Xihe had encountered the Empress Dowager each time. While the Empress Dowager showed concern, Shen Xihe always felt she had the leisure to ponder other matters—clearly convinced the Crown Prince was unharmed. This meant the Empress Dowager knew the Crown Prince was pretending to be ill, and her visits to the Eastern Palace were likely more about covering for him.
Xiao Huayong lowered his gaze, his hands clasped behind his back, one gently stroking the Five-Colored Thread on his other wrist. After a moment, he looked up and instructed Zhenzhu and the others, "All of you, withdraw. I have some words to speak with the princess alone."
Zhenzhu and the others glanced at Shen Xihe, who gave a slight nod. Only then did they silently bow and retreat, taking up positions around the pavilion at a distance where they could not overhear the conversation inside while ensuring no one could sneak in.
Left alone in the pavilion with Xiao Huayong, Shen Xihe watched as he strode forward to stand beside her, facing the summer scenery outside. "I have actually been waiting," he said, "waiting for Youyou to ask me."
Shen Xihe was a person of excessive propriety. If something did not concern her, was not her place to inquire about, or should not be within her reach, she would never overstep. Just as she had said she would not sew clothes for men outside her family before marriage.
This matter clearly touched upon his personal privacy. Until she became his wife, or until she accepted him in her heart not just as a husband but as someone she cared for, she should not overstep by asking such questions.
His gaze, concentrated like silver radiance, burned as intensely as the midday sun hanging high in the sky. Shen Xihe averted her eyes from his. "Isn't this the result Your Highness has been hoping for?"
In truth, she had wanted to ask for a long time—half the reason being her growing fear of the gradually fully revealed Xiao Huayong, and half because, despite his increasing danger, she could feel his heart toward her becoming more and more sincere.
It was such a contradiction, yet an undeniable fact.
"What I hope for goes far beyond this." Xiao Huayong's amorous, lingering gaze swept over Shen Xihe with a hint of laughter before he continued, "But I am still happy that Youyou has finally softened toward me. No matter how slight, day after day, year after year, accumulating over time, a single spark can start a prairie fire."
Even though she had grown accustomed to Xiao Huayong's provocations, Shen Xihe still could not remain indifferent to his blatant declarations of affection. She glanced at him and let out a long, helpless sigh. "Your Highness is evading the issue. If you find it inconvenient to answer what was just discussed, I will not press you, nor will I be displeased."
Xiao Huayong chuckled softly, but for the first time, he completely wiped the smile from his face after laughing. He turned his eyes away, gazing into the far distance. After a long while, he finally spoke. "I am not His Majesty's biological son."
Shen Xihe whirled around, staring at him in disbelief. She wondered if she was hallucinating—had Xiao Huayong actually said nothing at all?
Xiao Huayong turned his head, his gaze firm and serious, his expression solemn. "Youyou heard correctly. I am not His Majesty's biological son."
"Then you..." Who are you?
This news was like a thunderclap from a clear sky to Shen Xihe, leaving even her, always composed and self-possessed, struggling to digest it.
"Actually..." Xiao Huayong suddenly lowered his eyelids, a faint smile returning to his lips. "The reason the Northwest King could so readily accept Youyou marrying me, aside from his deep affection for you, is likely because he guessed my origins."Her bright eyes shifted slightly, and in an instant, Shen Xihe understood Xiao Huayong’s background: “You are… the posthumous son of Qian Wang!”
Xiao Huayong’s eyes were as dark as night, yet they sparkled with starlight. He gave a firm nod: “Yes.”
Shen Xihe found it utterly unbelievable: “Does Your Majesty know?”
“How could he not?” Xiao Huayong smiled ambiguously.
(End of Chapter)
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