Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Give Me One Chance to Win You Over Back then, Xue Jingrong had needed only one thing: a prince. Unable to bear a child after so many years, she urgently needed a prince to raise at her side. The Emperor’s favored consort, Mrs. Shen, had already given birth to a son. That child, Xiao Yu, grew older by the day, becoming increasingly clever and likable, and deeply beloved by the Emperor. The Emperor had even said once, while drunk, “I love this child most of all. I hope he can inherit the throne and soothe my heart.” Noble Consort Shen Xueyi appeared gentle and respectful on the surface, but in truth, she was full of ambition. If Xiao Yu were made Crown Prince, there would never be two Empress Dowagers in the future. She, Xue Jingrong, and the Xue family behind her would find themselves in dire straits. They would be driven from the Imperial Harem and the court, and might even face total annihilation, with their entire bloodline cut off. For her own sake, and for the sake of the Xue family, after hearing the Emperor’s drunken words that year, Xue Jingrong turned her attention to all of his princes and began looking for a suitable adopted son. In the end, Xue Jingrong chose Xiao Heng. The first reason was that, among all the princes, Xiao Heng was accomplished in both letters and martial arts. His talents were exceptional, and despite his young age, his temperament was already steady and resolute. In terms of both ability and character, he was fully worthy of becoming the future heir, and could firmly suppress Xiao Yu, the son of Noble Consort Shen. The second reason was that Shaoyin liked him. After Xiao Heng had rescued her from drowning, Shaoyin, kindhearted as she was, would constantly praise him in front of her Aunt and hope that she would look after him more. Since Xue Jingrong wanted her niece to become the next Empress of Daqi, when choosing an adopted son and future heir, she would naturally favor the person her niece loved. Thus, at the end of that year, Xue Jingrong poisoned Xiao Heng’s birth mother, Talented Lady Jiang. Talented Lady Jiang had already been weak and sickly for several years, and that winter was especially cold. It was therefore not at all strange that her illness grew severe enough that she failed to survive the winter. During the first few years after Xue Jingrong adopted Xiao Heng, she did not notice anything unusual. Although Xiao Heng was somewhat taciturn with her and somewhat indifferent toward Ayin, he had always been cold and resolute by nature. He never failed in his formal courtesies toward his adoptive mother, always obeying all her arrangements respectfully and never showing the slightest disobedience. That continued until Xiao Heng was made Crown Prince. Xiao Heng surpassed Xiao Yu in every regard. Although the Emperor still preferred the lively and cheerful Xiao Yu in his heart, after much deliberation, he ultimately made Xiao Heng Crown Prince for the sake of the realm and the foundations laid by his ancestors. From the moment he became Crown Prince, Xiao Heng seemed to gradually grow wings. Or perhaps he had always harbored ulterior motives and had merely endured in silence before, only gradually ceasing to conceal them after becoming the heir to the Daqi throne. By then, she and the Xue family had long been firmly bound to Xiao Heng, the Crown Prince, aboard the same ship. If one prospered, all prospered; if one suffered, all suffered. To abandon Xiao Heng, the ready-made Crown Prince, and support another prince instead was already too late in terms of time. In terms of possibility, it was nearly hopeless as well. Xiao Heng was an exceptionally outstanding heir. In public, he was dignified and scrupulous about etiquette; in government affairs, his abilities were remarkable. He enjoyed the praise of the entire court and had won the hearts of the people throughout the realm. Moreover, if she forcibly abandoned Xiao Heng and brought him down, Noble Consort Shen might take advantage of the opening. She could whisper into the Emperor’s ear and send her beloved son, Xiao Yu, into the Eastern Palace. Xiao Yu becoming the heir was the situation she and the Xue family least wanted to see. If Xiao Yu ascended the throne in the future, she and the Xue family would likely have no place to stand before the rising Shen family. Therefore, although she had already sensed that Xiao Heng was becoming increasingly difficult to control, Xue Jingrong still chose to remain still and continued to protect his position as Crown Prince in her daily dealings. She protected him while remaining wary and vigilant, secretly making plans and arrangements and preparing herself. Xue Jingrong was waiting for an opportunity: waiting for her niece Shaoyin to marry Xiao Heng and become the Crown Princess of Daqi, waiting for Shaoyin to conceive and give birth to a son by the reigning Crown Prince. After that, she and the Xue family would no longer need Crown Prince Xiao Heng. He could leave this world forever, just as his birth mother, Talented Lady Jiang, had. Shaoyin would not need Xiao Heng either, despite the fact that she loved him with all her heart and was utterly devoted to him. Rather than have her spend every day in the future facing a husband who treated her coldly, watching helplessly as he doted on the consorts of the Imperial Harem and becoming jealous, heartbroken, and miserable day after day, it would be better for her to devote all her thoughts to her child—the child who carried the blood of the Xue family. According to Xue Jingrong’s plans, once Shaoyin gave birth to a son by Xiao Heng and Xiao Heng died, she and the Xue family would fully support that child and place him on the throne. After that, all under Heaven in Daqi would belong to the Xue family—to her and Shaoyin. No one would be able to rise above them, and they would no longer need to scheme cautiously or depend on the favor of others. For this, Xue Jingrong had endured and waited for many years, waiting only for that opportunity. Yet Xiao Heng seemed to have seen through her plans. When choosing consorts for the Eastern Palace, he personally removed Shaoyin’s name. Since that was the case, Xue Jingrong would not sit around and wait for death. The one who struck first would have the advantage. Xue Jingrong had no choice but to take a dangerous gamble and set an extremely perilous trap. She wanted to eliminate Noble Consort Shen, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Heng all at once, while making it appear that the two sides had turned against each other and fought among themselves for the position of heir, ultimately suffering mutual destruction. Yet the plan failed. In fact, from the moment she decided to act, she had already fallen into Xiao Heng’s trap. Xiao Heng’s act of personally removing Shaoyin’s name had been like bait laid out for her, luring her into losing her patience and making the first move. Xiao Heng had wanted her to act first, then deliver a fatal blow and send her plunging into an abyss from which she would never rise again. She had lost, and had thoroughly implicated the Xue family behind her. She had thought she would certainly be sentenced to death. She had never imagined that her good niece would sacrifice so much for her—that Shaoyin would use herself to exchange a glimmer of hope for her Aunt and the Xue family. Fortunately, Shaoyin’s sacrifice had not been accompanied by humiliation or suffering. Fortunately, during her five years in Shuobei, Shaoyin had lived a peaceful and pleasant life, well protected by a man named Muyan Helan. The heavens had blessed her. Shaoyin’s sacrifice that year had not only won her five years of peace and happiness, but had also preserved hope for her Aunt and the Xue family to turn the tables in the future. Now Shaoyin had returned. This time, so long as aunt and niece remained united, they would surely be able to turn defeat into victory. Xue Jingrong had endured for many years. At this point, she did not mind enduring a little longer. As long as she remained alive, her heart would not die. One day, she would make Xiao Heng suffer complete defeat and leave him without even a place to be buried. Xue Jingrong smiled silently in her heart. Her gaze lowered faintly, and she no longer peeked through the mirror at the figure standing outside the palace hall. She lowered her head and fiddled with the hand warmer Shaoyin had brought her, still humming a childish song indistinctly, just as she had when she was a little girl. “This is called a hand warmer. If your hands feel cold, put them inside, and they’ll warm up in no time.” Shaoyin spoke with a smile as she slipped both hands into the hand warmer to demonstrate for her Aunt, as though she really were teaching an ignorant child. When Shaoyin had been little—before she was old enough to remember things—had her Aunt taught her in this same way? Thinking this, Shaoyin gazed at the Aunt before her. Just as she was about to feel a stinging in her nose, her Aunt suddenly began crying, “Ah-ah!” She pointed toward the window and even made as if to hide behind Shaoyin, like a child who had suddenly seen a ghost. Supporting her Aunt with one hand, Shaoyin looked in the direction she was pointing. There were no ghosts outside in broad daylight, but a human figure was reflected on the window. It was impossible to tell how long the person had been standing there. Judging from the figure’s build…it looked very much like Xiao Heng. Shaoyin froze for a moment. After comforting her Aunt with a few words, she turned and walked outside. When she lifted the door curtain, she saw that Xiao Heng had apparently heard the movement inside and had also come over. Shaoyin gave him a slight curtsy and thanked him, expressing her gratitude to Your Majesty for allowing her to visit her Aunt that day. Xiao Heng was already in Chongqing Palace. He had even walked all the way to the entrance of the hall, yet he did not take another step inside, as though he had no intention whatsoever of going in to see his adoptive mother. Standing beneath the corridor with his hands behind his back, Xiao Heng studied her complexion and asked in a gentle voice, “Have you fully recovered?” “Yes. I recovered before the New Year.” As Shaoyin answered Xiao Heng, she could hear that although his tone was gentle, his voice was extremely hoarse. His face also appeared considerably thinner than it had the last time she had seen him, before the New Year. Thinking that she might have more opportunities to visit her Aunt in the future, Shaoyin considered it for a moment before politely expressing her concern. “Your Majesty should also take good care of your health.” Xiao Heng gave a soft hum and said, “Take a walk with me. There are some things I’d like to ask you.” Shaoyin had already spent quite a long time accompanying her Aunt that day. Now that the Son of Heaven had spoken, she did not dare disobey if she wanted to have more chances to enter the palace and care for her Aunt in the future. Thus, she answered, “Yes.” Then she added, “Please allow me a moment to go back inside and say a few words of farewell to my Aunt.” Xiao Heng nodded slightly and waited outside the hall. After entering, Shaoyin stirred the coals in the brazier for her Aunt, poured a cup of hot tea, and placed it in her Aunt’s hands. In a gentle voice, she told her that she would come visit again whenever she had the opportunity. As usual, her Aunt understood nothing and did not respond to her. She merely held the hot tea in both hands and drank it one sip after another, the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile. Her mood did not seem too bad. Perhaps the tea was sweet and fragrant, and warmed her as she drank. Shaoyin adjusted the clothes around her Aunt’s shoulders. After looking at her one last time, she walked outside and slowly left Chongqing Palace with Xiao Heng. The Xiao Heng Shaoyin had faced before the New Year had often been frenzied and unreasonable. But the Xiao Heng she had encountered today—the Xiao Heng walking beside her at that moment—was as tranquil as a deep pool. It was as though the flame that had inexplicably burned so fiercely before the New Year had silently gone out. Xiao Heng seemed to have returned to normal, just as he had been in the past, yet he was no longer quite as cold and heartless. At the very least, he would improve her Aunt’s impoverished life in confinement. At the very least, he had taken the initiative to allow her to visit her Aunt. She simply did not know what he wanted to ask her by coming here in person today. As Shaoyin was thinking this, Xiao Heng said bluntly, “I stood in Chongqing Palace for quite some time today and heard much of what you said to your Aunt.” Had he heard the stories she had told about her loving relationship with Helan as well? Shaoyin felt somewhat awkward, then thought that it was just as well that Xiao Heng had heard them. It would save her the trouble of him constantly refusing to believe that she loved Helan deeply, and might prevent him from suffering another obsessive episode in the future. But Xiao Heng did not mention Helan. Instead, he suddenly asked, “Would you accept Xiao Yu?” Shaoyin stared at him in shock, unable to answer. Xiao Heng gazed into her eyes and continued, “You did not deny that possibility. It seems you may not necessarily choose to spend the rest of your life alone for the sake of Muyan Helan.” “…I…” For a moment, Shaoyin did not know what to say. But just as a vague sense of foreboding began to rise in her heart, she heard Xiao Heng say, “If you might choose someone else, why can’t you take a look at me as well? At the very least…at the very least, give me one chance to win you over…all right?” Author’s Note: The Emperor: I want to compete for her!