Chapter 458: Your Highness Lacks Self-Awareness
"How did His Majesty get poisoned?" Shen Xihe was astonished.
Although both Youning Emperor and Xiao Huayong had been injured at the time, after the imperial physicians diagnosed Xiao Huayong's poisoning, they took turns carefully examining Youning Emperor's pulse and confirmed he wasn't poisoned.
"The crossbow bolts weren't poisoned. I administered it when I went to rescue him..." Xiao Huayong chuckled softly. "Rather than poison, it's more accurate to call it a gu. The physicians haven't detected it yet because the gu insect hasn't hatched. It has just infiltrated His Majesty's body and hasn't begun causing trouble - how could it be detected?"
"This gu..." Shen Xihe frowned.
Sorcery and gu had always been closely related. Though Shen Xihe had never ventured into this field, she'd occasionally read about it in miscellaneous books, though never in detail. Yet Xiao Huayong wielded such things with ease.
It wasn't that she considered herself above such methods, but she instinctively disliked having those close to her involved with such arts, fearing they might suffer backlash. Perhaps it was ignorance that made her instinctively wary of the unknown.
"This was given to me by Crown Prince Jiachen. This type of gu insect is like a seed planted in soil, absorbing nutrients from its host to grow." Sensing Shen Xihe's aversion, Xiao Huayong quickly explained, briefly describing the gu's effects.
"He doesn't seek His Majesty's immediate death?" Shen Xihe was somewhat surprised.
"His own life is nearing its end," Xiao Huayong suddenly revealed.
"Hmm?" Shen Xihe didn't understand.
"He's been suffering from illness for ten years. He doesn't want His Majesty to die quickly and painlessly." Xiao Huayong explained. "Nor does he want to help me easily ascend the throne."
If Youning Emperor died, Xiao Huayong would legitimately succeed him. Not only would Youning Emperor die quickly without suffering, but Xiao Huayong would also smoothly inherit the throne. After learning Xiao Huayong wasn't Youning Emperor's son, Xiao Juesong only wanted to watch them destroy each other. Though he wouldn't live to see it, that didn't prevent him from creating such a situation - even in death, he'd find some satisfaction with fewer regrets.
Therefore, he administered a gu to Youning Emperor. This gu insect feeds on the body's nutrients, coexisting silently with the emperor. Once Youning Emperor falls ill and can't provide sufficient nourishment, it will begin consuming his internal organs.
Physicians would be unable to identify the cause or detect its presence, at most sensing an imbalance in His Majesty's organs. The gu insect is extremely small, consuming only limited amounts daily. It would take at least eight to ten years to kill Youning Emperor.
And it would take five or six years before Youning Emperor would notice anything wrong. By the time he realizes, it will be too late to save him. His remaining years would be spent relying on medicinal soups, struggling daily in unbearable, excruciating pain.
Shen Xihe felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing this. She wasn't a good person, nor particularly compassionate. She always dealt with people swiftly and decisively, disliking tormenting others for pleasure mainly to avoid wasting energy and preventing counterattacks.
Therefore, she still somewhat disliked this method of slowly torturing someone to death. However, this only represented her personal opinion and was purely her objection to the method itself - she didn't feel any disgust toward Xiao Huayong because of it.
"Are you certain his life is nearing its end?"Xiao Juesong has now escaped. Such a sinister and ruthless man, if still alive, would bring unease not only to the Youning Emperor but even to her. Xiao Juesong currently harbors all his hatred toward the Youning Emperor, but who knows if, once he believes the emperor is trapped in his deadly scheme, he might shift his target to others.
Back then, Qian Wang was also his enemy. If not for Qian Wang's divine military strategy, the one ascending the throne today would have been him.
"Long illness makes a physician. Though my prolonged illness hasn't turned me into a doctor, I can still discern whether someone is beyond cure or not," Xiao Huayong reassured her. "Moreover, after I found him, I investigated him. The physician treating him has some old ties with Old Man Linghu, making it easy to verify his condition."
When it came to meticulous planning, Shen Xihe trusted Xiao Huayong—he never failed.
"I never imagined you would personally reveal your origins," Shen Xihe sighed softly.
With a faint smile, Xiao Huayong remained composed. "By taking this opportunity to make it public, His Majesty will have no choice but to act the part of a loving father in front of me from now on, saving me a great deal of trouble."
His origins were a thorn in the emperor's side. Sooner or later, the emperor would exploit them to create trouble. Moreover, Xiao Huayong had sensed that the emperor might suspect he already knew the truth. Rather than concealing it and engaging in mutual probing over his background, it was better to lay it all out openly.
Whether the emperor concluded he knew or not, he would do his utmost to make him believe it was purely Xiao Juesong's slander.
If left to the emperor's manipulation, the goal would be to absolve himself of fratricide. So, Xiao Huayong simply tied the two issues together. From then on, to avoid the stigma of killing his brother, the emperor would have to make every effort to convince everyone of his lineage—that he was the legitimate heir born of the empress.
"Have you... never considered clearing your name in the future?" Shen Xihe asked.
Bound like this, he would forever be the emperor's son.
Xiao Huayong's deep, ocean-like eyes silently regarded Shen Xihe for a moment before he chuckled wryly. "Youyou, since I was ten, I've been wandering everywhere. In truth, my nature is untamed and unrestrained, not as dignified and elegant as I appear. Some things, some matters, I regard more lightly than most. Acknowledging ancestors and returning to roots—these are not indispensable to me."
He didn't know if he was cold-hearted. He had never met his biological parents and felt no connection or yearning for them. In his childhood, he experienced too much despair and helplessness, teetering on the brink of death countless times. No one had reached out to him then, no one had held him close.
Thus, even toward his own flesh and blood, he felt no familial bond.
It didn't matter whose child he was. To him, he was simply himself. Everything about him belonged only to him.
Of course, now it was different. He had her. He could belong to her.
He didn't dare speak these words too bluntly, fearing she might be alarmed by his cold-bloodedness and shatter the fragile care she had begun to show him. Yet, he didn't want to deceive her either, so he tactfully expressed his thoughts.
He watched her intently, filled with anxiety and worry.
Though deeply concerned that the lofty image she held of him might crumble, he still chose to speak the truth.
Shen Xihe smiled gently. "Your Highness, you sorely lack self-awareness."
"Hmm?" The abrupt remark dispelled Xiao Huayong's unease, leaving him utterly bewildered as he looked at Shen Xihe.His puzzled expression tinged with self-reflection softened Shen Xihe's gaze, prompting her to tease him: "Dignified and elegant? I've never witnessed those qualities in Your Highness. Your unrestrained and unconventional nature, however, is crystal clear to me."
In her presence, he was nothing but a rogue, yet remained completely unaware of it himself!
Today I revised the publishing manuscript for my previous novel until I questioned my life choices, to the point where I never want to write contemporary romance again.
I still have this novel's publishing manuscript pending submission, along with countless other deadlines. Oh heavens, I beg the deities to grant me 48-hour days so I can clear all my debts, wuwuwu...
(End of Chapter)
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