Chapter 29: Mistaken Identity
"I heard you bestowed the long-life lock collar upon that little girl Mingzhu?"
After Emperor Jianyuan and the Empress finished their meal and rinsed their mouths, he casually mentioned Yu Lingzhao to her: "You certainly seem to like that little girl."
Knowing the Emperor wished to speak with the Empress, the palace servants bowed slightly and filed out in an orderly fashion, just as they had for many years.
The Empress wiped her hands and glanced at Emperor Jianyuan with a calm expression. She said, "Was it not Your Majesty who grasped my thoughts and sent her before me?"
Emperor Jianyuan acted as if he didn't hear the irony in the Empress's words; instead, he seemed somewhat pleased. "If you like her, it wouldn't be bad to keep her by your side."
The Empress frowned slightly. "What does Your Majesty mean by that?"
Emperor Jianyuan looked at the Empress. "She can make the Empress happy. Staying in the palace to accompany you would be very good."
The Empress suddenly gave a faint smile. "There is no need. Birds are more likable when they are flying in the sky."
Emperor Jianyuan did not take the Empress's double meaning to heart. Instead, he said, "I originally intended to bestow a marriage upon her. Since the Empress likes her, help me see which young man would be a worthy match. At any rate, she is still young, so there is no rush; we can take our time picking."
After saying this, Emperor Jianyuan rose to leave, and the Empress rose to see him off.
Deng Cang was waiting outside the hall. Seeing Emperor Jianyuan come out, he followed.
As they stepped out of Weiyang Palace, Deng Cang was about to call for the sedan chair, but Emperor Jianyuan waved his hand. "Walk with me."
Deng Cang nodded in assent and followed quietly at a distance of one person behind the Emperor.
After walking a few steps, Emperor Jianyuan stopped. He looked sideways at Deng Cang and suddenly thought of the time when he was a prince, following behind his Imperial Brother, the Crown Prince, in the same way.
"Deng Cang, if the Crown Prince has knowledge in the underworld, I wonder if he would blame me?"
Emperor Jianyuan suddenly spoke.
Deng Cang’s heart jolted in shock. The Crown Prince? Where was there a Crown Prince?
His Majesty had never appointed a Crown Prince!
But in a flash of realization, Deng Cang thought of Emperor Jianyuan's eldest brother—the former legitimate eldest son, Crown Prince Yuanxi.
By the time Deng Cang regained his senses, he had already knelt down. All the people around Emperor Jianyuan were kneeling as well.
Emperor Jianyuan looked silently at the circle of people kneeling around him and actually laughed. "Forget it, rise."
Just as Emperor Jianyuan finished saying those words, he looked up and saw a figure ahead. Elegant and refined, with a cold and haughty temperament, it seemed to be that person!
Emperor Jianyuan’s pupils suddenly constricted, and his heart even skipped a violent beat. For a moment, he couldn't distinguish whether this was a hallucination or real!
"Hengyuan pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be granted eternal peace."
It wasn't until a clear, moist, and gentle voice sounded that Emperor Jianyuan snapped out of it.
He stared fixedly at the young man before him, his heart churning like an overturning sea.
How could he?
How could he mistake Hengyuan for Crown Prince Yuanxi!
"You may rise." Emperor Jianyuan exerted a great deal of effort to control his voice, trying his best not to appear out of sorts. "Xuanhui, are you heading to the Empress Dowager’s palace?"
Xuanhui was the young man's courtesy name. He lowered his eyes and responded in the affirmative; his gentle and harmless appearance was far removed from the person in Emperor Jianyuan’s memory.
"In a few days, it will be the anniversary of your mother’s death. It is good for you to come and accompany her more often."
Emperor Jianyuan looked at the young man with complex emotions.
The young man bowed his head. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"There is no need to be so distant. You call me Uncle, and I must take good care of you on your mother’s behalf." Emperor Jianyuan watched him without blinking.
The young man smiled, as gentle as a spring breeze. "Yes, Uncle."
"Go then. Don't keep your grandmother waiting long."
Emperor Jianyuan waved his hand to let him leave.
As the young man departed, Emperor Jianyuan watched his back and asked Deng Cang, "Who do you think Xuanhui resembles?"
Deng Cang carefully observed Emperor Jianyuan’s expression, guessing in his heart whether the Emperor had just mistaken the Marquis of Changling for Crown Prince Yuanxi. At this moment, the question felt particularly sharp.
Deng Cang paused for a moment and replied cautiously, "The Marquis gathers the strengths of both the Eldest Princess and the Duke; naturally, his appearance is extraordinary."
Emperor Jianyuan gave Deng Cang a half-smile, then turned and walked away, no longer pressing for an answer.
Deng Cang quickly wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Crown Prince Yuanxi was an absolute taboo subject for Emperor Jianyuan. Regarding such a topic, if one answered incorrectly by mistake, it was possible to lose one's very life.
After Emperor Jianyuan left, Xie Hengyuan, the Marquis of Changling who had departed first, took a deep look at the Emperor's back before heading toward the Empress Dowager’s palace.
In Jianzhang Palace, the Empress Dowager was seated at the head of the room listening to a palace maid read. Aside from the voice of the reading maid, there wasn't a single sound.
Only when she heard the announcement that the Marquis of Changling had come to pay his respects did the Empress Dowager slowly open her eyes and look toward the palace entrance.
Sure enough, she saw Xie Hengyuan walking straight in, wearing a straight-cut robe of dark purple and crow-blue silk with a plum blossom and "Ten-Thousand" character pattern. Such rich colors were worn by this man with a sense of cold detachment.
"Xuanhui has arrived." The Empress Dowager doted on this grandson very much; ever since her daughter, the Eldest Princess Dingjia, passed away, her whole heart had been focused on him.
"Xuanhui pays his respects to Grandmother. May Grandmother enjoy ten thousand blessings and golden peace."
Xie Hengyuan lifted his robe and knelt before the Empress Dowager.
He was exceptionally handsome. Immersed in the overwhelming wealth of the Eldest Princess and the Duke’s Mansion, he had cultivated a cold temperament unlike that of ordinary noble sons.
He was like a banished immortal from the heavens, yet he made others long to see him descend to the mortal world; he was the frequent subject of young girls' admiring gazes.
The Empress Dowager also liked this temperament very much. She immediately beckoned her grandson to her side, and seeing his slender frame, she felt a bit distressed: "How have you become so thin?"
Xie Hengyuan gave a soft laugh. "I have been somewhat busy with official business lately, which has caused Grandmother to worry."
The Empress Dowager smiled lovingly, looking nothing like her cold self when facing the other princes.
"You are no longer a child; it is better to have someone by your side who knows how to care for your well-being."
As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, the palace maid who had been reading blushed and stole a shy, timid glance at the handsome Marquis of Changling, her eyes full of admiration.
Xie Hengyuan smiled. "Tingyan is quite good at my side; Grandmother need not worry."
Tingyan was Xie Hengyuan’s usual confidant.
However, upon hearing these words, the Empress Dowager also understood her dear grandson's polite refusal.
"Tingyan is a man; there will always be areas where he is not attentive enough." The Empress Dowager was determined to send a sensible person to her grandson, pretending not to understand his rejection.
"Zhenglan is careful and considerate. If she goes to serve you, I will feel more at ease."
Hearing this, Zhenglan immediately knelt down. "By the Empress Dowager’s decree, Zhenglan will certainly take good care of the Marquis."
Xie Hengyuan swept a calm glance over Zhenglan, his eyes devoid of any emotion. He simply said, "Tingyan is not lacking in attentiveness. I am busy every day and do not spend much time in the mansion; Tingyan is still more suitable."
Zhenglan’s face turned pale. Realizing that the Marquis of Changling meant he did not want her, her eyes immediately reddened, and she looked up at the Empress Dowager pleadingly.
"There is no harm in keeping someone." The Empress Dowager understood Zhenglan’s feelings and also intended for her grandson to 'awaken' to such things.
He was already so old, yet there was no "color" (means women) around him at all; she didn't want him to suppress himself too much.
Xie Hengyuan’s gaze darkened slightly. When he looked up again, his clear, light voice carried a trace of coldness, "The Marquis’s Mansion only lacks a Hostess."
The Empress Dowager was delighted upon hearing this. "Does this mean Xuanhui has a lady he likes?"
—
Author's Little Scene:
Xie Hengyuan: "My home only lacks a wife!"
Zhaozhao: "Wow, oh handsome one, do you think I'm a good fit?"
Empress Dowager: "A fit! A perfect fit!"
Jade: Happy Sunday!
thanks! oh, he's the nephew of the emperor, huh! i mean, it's not surprising that the nephew can resemble the uncle, the bloodline is still there. or does he have hidden lineage? sometimes they like to write it like that.
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