Chapter 110
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Chapter 110
They fled to the south gate of the Eastern Palace, only to discover that the entrance was filled with unidentified soldiers.
Xue Yao hastily led the fifth and sixth cubs back. While passing through the Leshou Hall, they happened to see the group of fake guards passing through the alley to the north. Xue Yao pulled the two cubs behind the door of the study hall.
Waiting for the soldiers to leave, Xue Yao and the other two went in opposite directions, hiding in the southern side of the Guhua Pavilion.
“The Western Palace is sealed off. We can’t get out,” Xue Yao whispered.
The Sixth Prince said, “At most, there’s another hour. Eldest Brother and Second Brother should be back by then. Let’s go hide in the western garden for now. There’s an artificial hill with a cave there. These people might not know about it!”
For the time being, unable to think of any other solution, hiding inside the palace was certainly not an option. Xue Yao could only follow his two cubs and take refuge in the artificial cave.
Fortunately, the imperial palace was spacious, and the group chasing northward didn’t appear again for a long time.
An hour seemed to stretch infinitely. All three of them pricked up their ears, paying attention to any movements outside the garden.
After an unknown period, footsteps echoed inside the Guhua Pavilion.
Xue Yao immediately pulled his two cubs, preparing to change their location.
The squad of guards entered through the west gate of the Guhua Pavilion, almost instantly rushing into the garden.
Xue Yao, just stepping out from the artificial cave, couldn’t escape in time. He hastily pulled his two cubs back, holding his breath.
Over twenty fake guards gathered outside the garden, discussing for a moment before splitting into three groups. Seven of them ran towards the western side of the garden.
Behind the artificial cave, Xue Yao’s heart pounded. The fifth and sixth cubs were poised for a surprise attack.
Dealing with just seven people, the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince might manage, but there were other guards nearby. If any commotion arose, over ten more people would rush over.
Hesitating, Xue Yao raised his hand to stop his cubs from launching a surprise attack.
The seven fake guards searched the pavilion, flower beds, and circled around the surrounding trees. Finding no trace of the princes, they returned to their base to regroup.
However, one guard, before leaving, glanced towards the articial hill, his gaze catching the narrow crevice along the edge. He immediately turned and walked alone towards the articial hill.
Xue Yao swallowed hard, wanting to discuss the next strategy but afraid to make a sound. He watched as the guard with a drawn sword approached.
Just three steps away, a sudden uproar of footsteps echoed from outside the Guhua Pavilion.
The group of guards outside the articial hill heard the commotion and immediately turned their heads, looking in the direction of the approaching footsteps. Five guards drew their swords and rushed out of the door, while the remaining two guards stayed behind, turning together towards the artificial hill.
With only two guards left, Xue Yao picked up a larger brick from the ground, gripping it tightly. He exchanged a glance with the Fifth Prince, preparing to ambush the two guards.
The crevice in the artificial hill was too small, and squeezing out was clearly a disadvantage for Xue Yao and his cubs. They decided to wait for the guards to stick their heads in before launching their attack—
However, the guard outside the artificial hill didn’t peer inside but pulled out a matchstick. After igniting it, he threw it into the crevice.
The thrown matchstick ignited dry grass near Xue Yao’s feet.
Xue Yao hastily stomped on the flames, ignoring the noise he inadvertently made.
Expecting the guards to seize the opportunity to attack, unexpectedly, two muffled grunts came from outside the artificial hill, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.
At this moment, Xue Yao was still pressing down on the flames with his garment when a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice echoed from outside the artificial hill—
“Come out, Yaoyao. Your grandpa is here.”
The voice had taken on a bit of a young man’s tone, not immediately discernible, but Yaoyao recognized the scent of Want Want milk. His eyes welled up.
Without needing much thought, he could affirm that his chubby cub had returned!
Not bothering to wipe away tears, Xue Yao jumped over the flames and squeezed out of the artificial hill crevice. His clothes’ neckline got torn, but he didn’t pay it attention. With swift steps, he rushed forward, embracing the young man outside the artificial hill.
The soft touch from memory was replaced by the hard silver armor. This embrace, after more than a year apart, left Xue Yao’s chest tingling.
“Your Highness never wrote to me!” Xue Yao had been worried for more than a year about the chubby cub’s unwavering sense of security. Every day, he pondered how to comfort the cub upon their reunion. However, on this long-awaited day, the words that came out were all complaints.
“It’s been more than a year. If you add it up, I haven’t been away from Your Highness for this long!”
“I even gave the best milk to Your Highness’ sixth brother! I won’t feed Your Highness anymore!”
“I’ve saved up a lot of delicious milk! But it’s all saved for Your Highness’ fifth and sixth brothers!”
Xue Yao rambled on with a bunch of tough words, but in the end, he consolidated his consistent image in the chubby cub’s heart with the question, “Does Your Highness want milk?”
Lu Qian didn’t say anything, quietly allowing the little reader-in-waiting to hug him.
Xue Yao looked up and met the calm light gaze, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed.
The chubby cub, silent but radiating a false sense of maturity.
Moreover, Lu Qian’s beauty had shed the hindrance of baby fat and double chins. Just locking eyes was enough to make everyone embarrassed. Naturally, Xue Yao felt sheepish.
Trying to conceal his own lapse, Xue Yao lowered his head, rapidly speaking more silly words.
Lu Qian, however, remained silent, allowing the old father to venture further into creating a record of silly remarks.
What an unfilial cub!
But Xue Yao liked this kind of cub. A cub returning as an emperor should exude such majesty. If the cub talked nonsense with him, he might even be disappointed.
In any case, no matter how Lu Qian behaved, he was cherished in his heart to the extent that, for a moment, he didn’t notice the abnormal indifference on the chubby cub’s face.
The fifth and sixth cubs almost didn’t dare to recognize their seventh brother.
It wasn’t until guards rushed into the garden, shouting “Prince Ning” at Lu Qian, that the Fifth Prince walked up and looked at him closely.
“Seventh Brother?” the Fifth Prince softly called.
Lu Qian turned to look at him. “Fifth Brother.”
The beeper cub’s eyes instantly reddened, his lips trembling.
“Big Brother won’t cry too, right?” Lu Qian cautiously glanced at the guards beside them, signaling the Fifth Prince not to embarrass himself.
The Fifth Prince, originally a representative of the tough and unyielding, couldn’t hold back at this moment. Clenching his fists, lips trembling, he forced a tough tone, “Of course, I won’t cry! My eyes were just stung by the smoke!”
As he spoke, tears gushed from the Fifth Prince’s eyes like a fountain!
The surrounding guards fell into a silent pretense of blindness.
“Your Highness, don’t be upset.” Xue Yao reluctantly released the chubby cub, turning to comfort the fifth cub. “Now that everyone is back, everything is fine.”
“I’m not upset. I’ve said it, my eyes were stung by the smoke!” the Fifth Prince sobbed.
Xue Yao immediately turned and gestured to Lu Qian, signaling him to personally console the Fifth Prince.
Under Lu Qian’s emotionless gaze, the Fifth Prince gritted his teeth, suppressing the flow of tears.
In the silent eye contact between brothers, suddenly!
“Look over there.” Lu Qian turned and pointed to the east gate of the garden—
A group of guards subconsciously turned their heads to look!
In this brief moment!
Lu Qian leaned down and hugged Fifth Brother for a moment, then swiftly released him, completing the comforting task.
This hug came too suddenly, diverting the Fifth Prince’s attention. The tears finally stopped gushing.
•••
The Third Prince was captured, and half of the court officials were arrested overnight.
Tong Ningzhao died in the siege led by the feudal princes, Consort Tong was also captured for interrogation, and the sky over Great Qi finally cleared.
In the evening, Lu Jinan and Lu Qian conversed in the pavilion.
After more than a year without seeing each other, Lu Jinan had a thousand words he wanted to say. For example, he wanted to ask his youngest brother how he conspired with palace officials and secretly united with the five powerful Princes.
However, when the words were on the tip of his tongue, it transformed into, “Big Brother is neglectful. There were too many matters to handle after Father Emperor’s departure. Big Brother couldn’t take care of you properly.”
Lu Qian looked at his eldest brother, devoid of much emotion.
Lu Jinan took a deep breath. “I failed Father Emperor’s guidance, but fortunately, I still have you.” He turned and smiled bitterly at Lu Qian. “Father Emperor didn’t misjudge you.”
Lu Qian still looked indifferent. After a while, he spoke lightly, “Your son has failed Father Emperor.”
Lu Jinan squinted in confusion. “Why do you say that?”
Lu Qian turned to look at the setting sun on the horizon and said calmly, “Father Emperor wanted your son to bear the ancestral legacy. Your son said Father Emperor would bear it until Eldest Brother and Fifth Brother return to bear it for Father Emperor. Your son doesn’t want to bear it. Father Emperor found out, and never woke up again.”
Startled, Lu Jinan hastily said, “Old Seventh, Father Emperor succumbed to the poison in the arrow. None of this is your fault!”
Lu Qian still stared indifferently at the distant sunset, reminiscing lightly, “Your son didn’t want to bear it, so Father Emperor became anxious, coughing continuously.”
Lu Jinan was surprised by the lack of warmth on his brother’s face. Subconsciously, he embraced his brother’s shoulders, as if trying to warm up this little iceberg.
“Lu Qian, don’t let your imagination run wild. Father Emperor’s death in battle has nothing to do with you!”
A moment of silence.
Lu Qian turned indifferently to his eldest brother. “Your son was actually willing to bear it.”
Lu Jinan breathed a sigh of relief. “Then why didn’t you agree with Father Emperor at the time?”
“Couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Once promised, Father Emperor would be like those dying parents in the stories, closing his eyes peacefully and being buried in the ground.”
After more than a year without much communication with his seventh brother, Lu Jinan took some time to understand his brother’s meaning. “Were you afraid Father Emperor would die after fulfilling his last wish, like those characters in the plays?”
Finally, a hint of emotion appeared on Lu Qian’s face — resentment. He looked at his eldest brother with bitterness and said, “Exactly. Everyone, before dying, would make you promise their last wishes. Once you agree, they die. If your grandpa agreed, Father Emperor would close his eyes. So your grandpa pretended to refuse.”
Lu Jinan was left speechless.
After a year, he finally heard his brother’s inner thoughts.
So, this child had been struggling with the words Father Emperor spoke before his death all along.
At that time, Lu Qian thought that if he didn’t follow the script, everything would turn out differently from the scripted ending. So, he behaved without any sense of responsibility before Father Emperor’s death.
As a result, Lu Qian didn’t stay with Father Emperor but instead had Father Emperor leave with worries.
Lu Jinan understood his brother’s meaning. He knew that his brother couldn’t express the regret in his heart. That was why he engaged in these crazy actions to make amends.
“Lu Qian,” Lu Jinan looked at his seventh brother. “These things should have been shouldered by Big Brother for you. Even if you didn’t agree, you didn’t do anything wrong. Father Emperor wouldn’t blame you. It’s me…”
His voice suddenly trembled. With a bitter smile, he said to Lu Qian, “Do you know what I told Father Emperor in the end? I lied to Father Emperor. I said I had already rescued Fifth Brother. At that time, Fifth Brother was still in the enemy camp, but our hostage had run away. I lied to Father Emperor, and I didn’t even tell Father Emperor about the crime of returning to the palace without permission. If Father Emperor blames anyone, it’s me. He won’t blame you. Even in the end, Father Emperor confessed to me…”
Lu Qian quietly looked at his eldest brother.
“Old Seventh is the child Father Emperor likes the most. Father Emperor said it himself.” Lu Jinan smiled. “We brothers were all jealous. You weren’t even present, and Father Emperor wouldn’t say anything nice to comfort us. Father Emperor really liked you, Lu Qian. He won’t blame you.”
“So what? Father Emperor is still gone,” Lu Qian turned indifferently away. “Yaoyao will also leave, Big Brother will also leave, Mother Consort will also leave… It’s meaningless.”
Lu Jinan felt a tremor in his heart, realizing that his brother seemed really off.
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