CH 24

Ch 24 Xie Chaoyuan…is he really a b*stard?

Inside the bed curtain, Xie Chaoling’s eyelashes moved, but he did not open his eyes.

The vague voice outside became clear, and he recalled the moment when he was thrown off the crazy horse in a daze. Countless past fragments surged up, and finally the scene of him falling from the cliff was where it froze. Xie Chaoling’s hands under the quilt gradually tightened, but he never opened his eyes. 

Imperial Physician Hu was writing a prescription. Xie Chaoyuan looked tense, and stared at the side: “When will he wake up?”

“Langjun did not get any big injuries, he should wake soon. Your Highness has nothing to worry about.” He put down the pen and answered carefully.

Xie Chaoyuan’s frowned brows did not relax: “Will he remember the past?”

“Well,…it’s hard to say, we won’t know until Langjun wakes up.”

The man explained the matter of taking medicine and decocting it.

Xie Chaoyuan walked back to the bed and sat down. Xie Chaoling seemed to be still in a coma, with his eyes closed tightly, no blood on his pale face. Xie Chaoyuan watched quietly for a moment, then stretched out his hand and stroked his cheek with his fingers.

Xie Chaoling remained motionless, he was pretending to be asleep. Xie Chaoyuan’s movements made all the hairs on his body stand on end.

“Older Brother, wake up quickly.”

Xie Chaoyuan murmured in a low voice.

Xie Chaoling listened silently, never making a sound.

Wang Rang entered the door lightly, and came to report the matter to Xie Chaoyuan. The people who followed out today were unable to protect Xie Chaoling. They all received a hundred sticks, and they were all beaten.

This was Xie Chaoyuan being lenient. If he had followed his previous temperament, these people would have died. Fearing that Xie Chaoling would wake up and find that the attendants around him were all unfamiliar faces, Xie Chaoyuan reluctantly gave these people an escape.

“Langjun went to Nanshi after visiting the Southwest Outer City today. He bought a lot of food and things, and there was nothing special about it.” Wang Rang said again.

Xie Chaoyuan closed his eyes: “…That’s fine, this matter ends here.”

Wang Rang nodded and stopped talking about it.

He took out a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Xie Chaoyuan, and said in a lower voice, “From the northwest.”

Xie Chaoyuan paused, took the letter, unwrapped the sealing wax casually, read it at a glance, and finally let out a sneer: “Idiots speaking about dreams. “

Wang Rang talked about the news that came from the palace: “His Majesty should have a real plan to transfer Vice Commander Xu to Dongshan Ying.”

Xie Chaoyuan threw the letter into the brazier: “Forget it, anyways, the things they want this king to complete has been done. The rest has nothing to do with me.”

“The things you asked for, Your Highness, were also sent over. This slave has seen them, and they are all high-quality gold, silver, jade and silver, they have all been put into the warehouse.” Wang continued.

Xie Chaoyuan didn’t take it seriously: “Just keep it. There are still a lot of places in the house that needs money, so there’s no need to be polite to them.”

After Wang Rang stepped back, Xie Chaoyuan sat back by the bed and stared at Xie Chaoling.

The back of his hand slowly stroked his cheek. Xie Chaoyuan bent over and moved closer. Xie Chaoling opened his eyes suddenly, met Xie Chaoyuan’s dark gaze, and froze.

“You already woke up just now.” Xie Chaoyuan said firmly.

Xie Chaoling pretended not to understand what he meant: “How long have I been asleep?”

Xie Chaoyuan reached out to touch his forehead, but Xie Chaoling didn’t move. The person behind him stared at him for a while, then asked someone to call Imperial Physician Hu to come in.

Xie Chaoling sat up and leaned against the head of the bed, with a soft pillow behind him, and the Imperial Physician Hu took his pulse.

The old imperial doctor lowered his eyes and was very meticulous and cautious. Xie Chaoling glanced over his face, then suddenly remembered that there was a medical doctor from the Southwest Bailing Kingdom in the imperial hospital who was exceptionally admitted to the imperial hospital because of his superb medical skills. It was Imperial Physician Hu in front of him.

“Langjun is fine. Have him rest and observe him for a few more days. If you don’t feel any headache or other abnormalities, you don’t need to worry too much.”

Looking at Xie Chaoyuan’s gaze, Imperial Physician Hu shook his head slightly, implying that Xie Chaoling’s appearance does not seem to show recovery of his lost memory.

Xie Chaoyuan didn’t ask any more questions, and motioned him to withdraw.

Soon a servant brought up the boiled medicine. Xie Chaoyuan took it, and fed it to Xie Chaoling with his own hands.

Xie Chaoling remained calm. Xie Chaoyuan fed it to his lips, his eyes casually sweeping over Xie Chaoyuan’s slightly drooping eyebrows. 

The relationship between him and Xie Chaoyuan…

Thinking of the previous spring nights, for the first time in Xie Chaoling’s life, Xie Chaoling wanted to deceive himself and others. He could always remain calm in the face of events, but this matter was indeed absurd.

How could the two of them do such things? Xie Chaoyuan, this little b*stard, is too deviant.

“What is Linlang thinking?” Xie Chaoyuan looked up at him.

Xie Chaoling remained silent, staring at his eyes, he couldn’t figure out why this little b*stard had such absurd thoughts about him, and when did it start? He didn’t even know whether to call Xie Chaoyuan despicable, or to be shocked by his hidden means and thoughts.

This person was not some unprogressive, unambitious dandy at all, but a complete lunatic.

Xie Chaoyuan was even more insane than he thought, even if he cut this little b*stard into pieces, he couldn’t get rid of the hatred in his heart.

Closing his eyes and opening them again, Xie Chaoling took the medicine bowl, raised his head and poured it into his mouth.

Xie Chaoyuan stared at his movements. Xie Chaoling put down the bowl, and motioned to him: “Your Highness, go out first, I want to lie down for a while.”

Xie Chaoyuan stretched out his hand and slowly wiped the medicine liquid from the corner of his mouth: “Today, this king shouldn’t have agreed to let you leave alone.”

Xie Chaoling stared at his hand: “Does Your Highness regret it?”

“I regret it,” Xie Chaoyuan said in a deep voice, “There will be no next time. This king will not let you go out like this again.”

Xie Chaoling didn’t care about such threats. No matter how powerful Xie Chaoyuan was, he couldn’t trap him, but now, he didn’t want to turn against this little b*stard just yet.

Xie Chaoyuan suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him into his arms.

Xie Chaoling was taken aback for a moment.

Xie Chaoyuan’s breathing was heavy, and he pressed close to his ear, his voice hoarse: “Don’t have another time.”

Recalling the last time at King Ding’s manor, this man had braved the wind and rain to take a boat to the Island to pick him up. On the boat, he also held him like this. Xie Chaoling was in a complicated mood, then thought that him falling off the cliff was also thanks to this person.

He didn’t know what to say.

But before tearing his skin apart, Xie Chaoling can only endure.

Backing away a little, he said: “I’m fine now, so there’s no need to make a fuss. Those who went out with me today have already been beaten by His Highness. It’s better to give them some medicine. Don’t let people die like this.”

Although Wang Jin was a coward, he was the only person he could use in the palace right now, he can’t let Xie Chaoyuan beat him to death just like that.

Xie Chaoyuan said coldly: “This is not making a fuss out of nothing. You were shocked and injured. They deserve to die.”

Xie Chaoling thought in his heart that he hadn’t realized that Xie Chaoyuan had this kind of personality before. He was right when he called him “ruthless” before. The current situation was too intense, and he didn’t even know how this temper was cultivated.

Seeing Xie Chaoling stop making a sound, Xie Chaoyuan raised his hand to caress his cheek again: “Since Linlang pleaded for them, I will let them live.”

Xie Chaoling felt exhausted talking to this little beast. He nodded, and once again said: “I’m tired, Your Highness, let me rest for a while, don’t ask anyone to attend here.”

Xie Chaoling laid down again. Xie Chaoyuan looked down at him. Xie Chaoling closed his eyes, and didn’t want to talk to anyone anymore.

After waiting for a long time, the person sitting by the bed got up and left.

All the servants in the room retreated. Xie Chaoling took out the note that had been hidden in the sleeve of the coat after receiving it, and slowly unfolded it, it was Xie Fengzhen’s handwriting, with only one word “Ling” on it.

Xie Chaoling knew that Xie Fengzhen had recognized him, so he specially reminded him.

This was not surprising. In fact, few people know that he had a better relationship with Xie Fengzhen than other brothers. Xie Fengzhen was a person with a keen mind, Xie Chaoyuan was bold and high-profile, it was normal for Xie Fengzhen to notice.

As long as he found a way to send a message to the palace, Xie Fengzhen will bring troops to the door immediately. Xie Chaoyuan can’t stop it, unless he had the ability to hide himself for a lifetime.

Xie Chaoling thought about it for a while, but he didn’t intend to let his uncle do this.

Throwing the note into the brazier beside the bed, Xie Chaoling’s eyes suddenly paused.

A piece of letter paper fell at the corner of the wall, it was the one that Xie Chaoyuan threw into the brazier when he pretended to be asleep. Only one corner was burnt black, and it was blown out by the wind coming in from the window, without anyone noticing.

Recalling those slightly weird words Xie Chaoyuan said, Xie Chaoling got off the bed with bare feet and went to pick up the letter paper.

“My son is well…”

With just one opening, Xie Chaoling was stunned on the spot.

After quickly reading the contents of that thin piece of paper, the more he looked at it, the more frightened he became. It was actually a letter from Xirong Kingdom. The sender claimed to be Xie Chaoyuan’s father, and had sent a large sum of gold, silver, pearls and jade for him to spend. He asked Xie Chaoyuan to help them place more spies in the Daliang court and provide them with the military and political secrets of the Daliang court.

As soon as the thoughts of “collaboration with the enemy and treason” came out, Xie Chaoling frowned. Who is this Xirong native who calls himself Xie Chaoyuan’s father? Xie Chaoyuan…was he really a b*stard?

Such thoughts made Xie Chaoling’s palms sweat.

Xie Chaoyuan’s background was not very honorable to Emperor Qianming. Back then, Bailing Kingdom sent envoys to the capital to pay tribute and brought a group of beautiful dancers. Xie Chaoyuan’s mother was one of them. Emperor Qianming favored her, but being a foreigner and  dancer, she was not eligible to have children. However, after she accepted the favor, she bought over the servant in the palace who sent anti-child medicine, and she became pregnant with a dragon heir. Later, when the Dongchuang incident happened, Emperor Qianming, who was still the crown prince at that time, did not want to recognize the fetus in his womb. It was Empress Yuan who was the Crown Princess at that time who was merciful and helped report the matter to the late Emperor and Empress Dowager Zhao, who made the decision to keep the child.

Later Xie Chaoyuan was born, and not long after Emperor Qianming ascended the throne. He decreed that Xie Chaoyuan and his mother be expelled from the royal courtyard to the suburbs of the capital, and they have been ignored ever since. Until Xie Chaoyuan was six years old and his mother died of illness, Emperor Qianming finally remembered such a son. He went to see Xie Chaoyuan once, saw that he was handsome and smart, and the anger of being calculated against in the past finally disappeared. He took him back to the palace. Later on, because Xie Chaoyuan was quite good at pleasing Emperor Qianming, he gradually became a son that Emperor Qianming loved very much.

Although there was such a tortuous life experience, no one had ever doubted Xie Chaoyuan’s identity as the heir of the dragon. His mother, her pregnancy, and the entire process of childbirth had been completely recorded by the servants. It was impossible to be a fake. Xie Chaoyuan didn’t look like Emperor Qianming, but these princes all looked like their mothers, which was not a big deal.

Xie Chaoling thought about it, but still couldn’t suppress the doubts in his heart. Fearing that Xie Chaoyuan would come in again, he quickly threw the letter into the brazier and watched it burn into ashes little by little.

Courtyard.

Xie Chaoyuan stopped under the eaves, narrowed his eyes and looked ahead at the gradually sinking red sun in the sky. The last rays of the setting sun were dotted on the horizon, which was gloomy.

Behind him, Wang Rang asked him in a low voice: “…Your Highness, are you worrying about Langjun’s matters?”

After a long time, when Wang Rang thought that Xie Chaoyuan would ignore him, he heard Xie Chaoyuan say calmly: “He must have remembered everything.”

His crown prince older brother remembered, eyes can’t deceive people, he can see it.

But as long as Xie Chaoling still wanted to pretend to be with him for a day, he will accompany him to pretend.

He will not let Xie Chaoling go.