Chapter 108

Despite the late hour, Qi Xiao's current special status meant the old officials guarding the Imperial Ancestral Temple didn't dare stop him.

After paying their respects, they hurriedly got up to lead Qi Xiao inside. When they reached the main hall, the people accompanying Qi Xiao all stopped outside. Only a thin man in a large black hood followed Qi Xiao closely. The old official hesitated for a moment before Qi Xiao calmly said, "It's fine. If anything goes wrong, just blame it on me."

The old official repeatedly said he wouldn't dare, then followed them in. After lighting over twenty palace lanterns, he retreated back out.

Qi Xiao lowered Bairen's hood for him and smiled tenderly, "Let my mother see you."

For some reason, just hearing these words made Bairen unable to hold back his tears which instantly rolled down. Qi Xiao dotingly wiped away the teardrops for him and gently coaxed, "Don't cry, come... kowtow to my mother."

This was Bairen's first time at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Looking at Empress Xiaoxian's memorial tablet, he felt extremely upset. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down together with Qi Xiao and respectfully performed three kneelings and nine bows.

Qi Xiao quietly gazed at his mother's tablet. After a while, he softly said, "Earlier when I saw Empress Feng's appearance, I wondered... back then, my mother was nearly twenty years younger than Empress Feng. Faced with such a situation, how did she handle it?"

Qi Xiao smiled mockingly, "Surely not like her..."

Bairen pursed his lips and said quietly, "Although I didn't have the fortune to witness Empress Xiaoxian's elegance back then, just based on what the elders said... Empress Xiaoxian must have departed peacefully and with utmost dignity."

Bairen looked at Qi Xiao and said solemnly, "Just looking at the people by Your Highness's side now, one can tell Empress Xiaoxian didn't leave in a wretched state... First, she entrusted you to Princess Dunsu, then arranged for all the useful elders to stay by your side. Afterwards..."

Bairen turned his head, wiped his tears and choked out, "She probably hugged and kissed you... then left smiling to join Emperor Wu."

Qi Xiao chuckled and reached out to wipe his tears, hoarsely laughing, "Why are you shedding so many tears today? Don't cry anymore... be careful your eyes will hurt tomorrow."

Bairen shook his head, tears falling directly onto Qi Xiao's hand. He took a breath and choked out fiercely, "These tears... are all yours. It's been twenty years... they're all yours..."

Qi Xiao's eyes reddened. Closing them briefly, he lowered his head to kiss Bairen's forehead and coaxed him in a hoarse voice, "Don't cry..."

Bairen kept nodding but the tears wouldn't stop no matter what. Qi Xiao patted his back lightly as if comforting a child. Turning to look at Empress Xiaoxian's tablet, Qi Xiao thought, Mother in heaven, you saw everything, right?

After all the twists, turns and confusion until now, besides the power firmly grasped in his hands, only this person was real.

Qi Xiao took a deep breath and said softly after a while, "Bairen, there's something I wanted to tell you a few days ago. I kept putting it off, afraid you wouldn't listen. But now I have no choice but to say it..."

Bairen looked up at Qi Xiao who smiled dotingly and slowly said, "The arrow can't return once the bow is drawn. With Empress Feng's death, things can't be contained anymore. I believe I've made all possible preparations, but... there's always a chance of the unexpected. I can't gamble your life on that chance. You..."

Bairen looked at Qi Xiao in a daze and said hoarsely, "I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of?"

Qi Xiao's heart ached fiercely. Before he could speak, Bairen continued, "You're not Emperor Wu and I'm not Empress Xiaoxian... You won't die in battle and I won't die to follow you."

"Shut up!" Qi Xiao's eyes brimmed with tears as he scolded harshly, "Don't say that! Shut up!"

If it were anyone else being reprimanded like this by Qi Xiao, they would have long been trembling in fear. But Bairen showed not a shred of it, still staring fixedly at Qi Xiao. He enunciated each word, "I won't leave. I'm going to stay here, guarding you! Watching you! I'll watch as you slaughter your enemies one by one. I want to see you take back everything they took from you back then. I also want to see you... rule over all under heaven and preside over the four seas!"

Bairen stared intently at Qi Xiao and said with determination, "I want to be the first to bow before you and hail your longevity. I want to personally see you ascend the dragon throne. I want to watch with my own eyes as those who forced Empress Xiaoxian back then die miserably one by one."

Bairen let out a soft breath, "Then... I want to personally tell my people of Lingnan that they can farm and weave cloth with peace of mind. Because the emperor now sitting on the dragon throne in the imperial city... your king has the merit of assisting his ascension! He definitely won't increase your taxes or force you to donate grain. As long as he remains for a single day, there will be no more war in my southern frontier. From now on, there will be peace across the land!"

Qi Xiao clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he said, "You... aren't you afraid I..."

"Afraid of what?!" Tears slid down Bairen's face. "Mother above! Tell this crown prince, were you afraid back then?!"

Qi Xiao's tears finally couldn't be held back any longer, trailing down his cheeks. Bairen's eyes blurred with tears as he choked out, "After escaping from the southern frontier last year, I swore... leaving you alone like that, it will only happen once! From now on... no matter when, I will never let you be alone again. If you live, I live... if you die... I will stake my life, family and assets to perish together with them! Then I'll go find you..."

Bairen cried his heart out like a child who had suffered a great injustice, "From now on, only death can part us... Prince, you said those words yourself that day, have you forgotten..."

Qi Xiao held Bairen tightly in his arms, choking back sobs as he shook his head, "I haven't forgotten, I haven't..."

Bairen couldn't stop sobbing. After a while, he said, "Besides... it's too late to say anything now..."

Qi Xiao startled, understanding seven or eight parts in his heart. Grabbing Bairen's shoulders, he demanded, "What message did you send to Lingnan?!"

Facing Qi Xiao's overwhelming fury, Bairen showed not a shred of fear, saying with dignity, "Seventeen days ago, I already notified the Minister of War of all the news in the imperial city. Now... Lingnan's army of fifty thousand has finished assembling and is pressing on the southern frontier... If the emperor isn't afraid of war, Lingnan isn't either!"

Qi Xiao raged, "You!"

"Prince, I said, I'm not Empress Xiaoxian, I am the King of Lingnan." The royal blood inherited from his ancestors in Dongling slowly boiled in Bairen's veins, his bearing proud and aloof. "My man wants to usurp the throne, this king will assist him with my life without hesitation."

For a moment, Qi Xiao was so angry he wanted to strangle Bairen to death. The next moment, he wanted to crush him into his own heart. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Did you not think of your Queen Mother at all?! Letting you go back then was precisely because I didn't want you to end up like me! Without a mother! And now you..."

"I already told my Queen Mother before!" Bairen sobbed loudly, "Before issuing the order, I asked Shunzi to send my Queen Mother and the women, children, and elderly in the city 500 miles to the south, but my Queen Mother wouldn't go!

"Shunzi reported back to me... my Queen Mother said she had been muddled and weak all her life, never fighting or seizing anything for me, even this throne and life... it was something I fought for myself, something you helped me obtain... Now that you're in trouble, I should repay you, as for her... she's willing to wait quietly in the Lingnan capital for the good news of our safety."

Bairen's tears streamed down: "Even my mother can rest assured, why can't you?"

The ten thousand defenses in Qi Xiao's heart were broken down by Bairen one by one, finally collapsing, he took a deep breath and conceded: "I can."

Bairen buried himself in Qi Xiao's arms, wailing and crying.

In the main hall of the temple, on the prayer mat, for the first time the two were so open with each other, wishing they could lay bare their hearts for the other to see. Qi Xiao kept kissing Bairen's tear-stained face, slowly saying: "I have it all planned out... After ascending the throne, I will sign a contract of eternity with you. As long as Great Xiang exists, the army will never invade the southern border. In return... the King of Lingnan will permanently reside in the imperial capital to stabilize the people's hearts, okay?"

Qi Xiao affectionately kissed Bairen's forehead: "I will give you adopted imperial clan children, promising future marriage alliances, letting the Dongling clan's bloodline be forever connected with the imperial family, never to be separated... I will also renovate the Lingnan King's Manor in the capital, and once it's all fixed up, I will issue a decree to bring your Queen Mother over, allowing you three, mother and sons, to reunite."

Bairen nodded with red eyes. Qi Xiao said softly: "And then... I will build another palace for you in the imperial palace, more magnificent than Chengqian Palace, more luxurious than Fenghua Palace, letting you stay by my side forever and ever."

Hearing Qi Xiao's many plans, Bairen's heart felt extremely sour and pained. He never knew... that Qi Xiao had already made all these arrangements for him.

"Your Highness..." Fuzi kowtowed outside the hall, trembling, "Your Highness, please forgive me, this slave dares to enter because... something happened in the palace, the head of the imperial clan and several princes of the main family are all urgently looking for Your Highness."

Qi Xiao gently put the hood on for Bairen, the tenderness on his face gradually fading, he said indifferently: "What's the rush, isn't it just that Empress Feng died?"

Fuzi was stunned for a moment, nodding and stammering: "How did Your Highness know... Ah yes, yes, just an hour ago, the Empress passed away. I heard from the people inside... saying that she hanged herself."

Qi Xiao gave a cold laugh: "Pity the hearts of parents in the world..."

Fuzi was confused and looked at Qi Xiao in a daze. Bairen understood in his heart, paused for a moment and said softly: "Your Highness... will you spare the Second Prince?"

Qi Xiao lowered his head and kissed Bairen's forehead, whispering: "I have never been a gentleman. Threatening Empress Feng with Qi Hua was just to torment her. Now that she's dead... I naturally should also send Qi Hua on his way."

Bairen's eyes lit up, he said with cruel delight: "That's how it should be."

Qi Xiao chuckled, stood up and helped Bairen up as well, saying in a low voice: "I'll send you back to the manor first before going to the palace."

Bairen frowned: "No need to delay this..."

"It's not a delay." Qi Xiao interrupted Bairen's words, laughing coldly, "If those people in the palace don't want to wait, they don't have to. I'm not asking them to."

If he wasn't there, no one would dare say an extra word.

Bairen completely put his mind at ease. Not wanting Qi Xiao to worry about him, he nodded: "Alright... Your Highness, send me back to the manor."

Qi Xiao held Bairen's hand and left the main hall. As he stepped over the high threshold of the main hall, Qi Xiao turned his head to look inside... Father Emperor and Mother Empress above, Empress Feng has already gone. Before dawn, he will send Qi Hua away as well. The next time he comes to this imperial ancestral temple... it will probably be to send the Emperor away.

Qi Xiao gently squeezed Bairen's hand. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. What he promised Bairen, he will definitely do. After going through this great turmoil... Only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals*.

*T/N: Valuing the loving relationship of the mandarin ducks, and not the eternal life and powers of immortals.