Chapter 64: I Will See Him Tomorrow

Chapter 64: I Will Go See Him Tomorrow

This sentence struck Ling Yehan like hail in a storm, his ears ringing and his entire body frozen in place. His blood seemed to solidify, and a deep, profound fear began to overwhelm his senses, even causing his vision to blur. Xiao Chen’s assassination attempt, the old injury relapse noted in the imperial physician’s records, the depletion of his heart meridian—all the fragments of his past life, shattered by a blade, began to piece together in his mind.

In his previous life, he had never returned from the frontier because he never imagined Xiao Chen’s health would fail. Xiao Chen had suffered many injuries in the military, but he was still in his prime. Ling Yehan didn’t know the severity of the injuries from the palace assassination attempt, but with the best imperial physicians and medicine available, Xiao Chen had only survived for five years. Could it truly have been because of the pregnancy?

He clenched his fists, his eyes locked intently on the person walking into the hall:

“That can’t be right. If the Luo people truly die from exhaustion after childbirth, why would you even consider having a child? There must be a way, isn’t there?”

The man before him was pregnant. If bearing a child was a gradual suicide for the Luo people, why would he choose to do so?

The man turned his head, his eyes seemingly devoid of emotion, but his tone carried a hint of mockery:

“Some people are willing to pay a price for their choices. Is that so hard to understand?”

Ling Yehan was too agitated to remain calm. He even considered the worst-case scenario, his voice cold as ice:

“What if… the pregnancy is terminated?”

The man seemed slightly surprised, his eyes lowering as he spoke softly:

“Whether the child can be safely terminated depends on the stage of pregnancy. If it’s too far along, the father’s body will still suffer damage.”

Xiao Chen was already seven months pregnant, with only two months left until full term. Ling Yehan felt a chill run through his entire body, yet something still felt off:

“You’re so eager to meet a Luo person—could it be that you simply want to personally tell him he doesn’t have long to live?”

Whether it was him or Xing Fang who came earlier, this person had always wanted to meet the so-called old acquaintance. If it was a fatal outcome, what was the point of meeting?

“You must have a way, don’t you?”

The man raised his eyes slightly, his dark gaze unwavering:

“Yes, I’ll only know if there’s a way after I see him. I’m tired now. If you have nothing else, you may leave.”

Qing Li supported himself on the edge of the bed as he sat down, his already pale face grew even paler. Ling Yehan couldn’t even remember how he stepped out of the room.

After leaving the villa, Ling Yehan’s mind was in turmoil. In his current state, he dared not return to the palace. He couldn’t be sure if what the Luo person said was true. The records left by the Luo people were too scarce, and it was clear the imperial physicians were unaware of this matter. He also had no idea why this person was so eager to see Xiao Chen.

In the Zichen Hall, just after the officials from the clothing bureau had left, Xiao Chen suddenly instructed Zhang Fu:

“Those peach-pink fabrics from earlier looked quite nice. Have a couple of outfits made for the Marquis as well.”

Zhang Fu, realizing the emperor was teasing the Marquis, smiled and acknowledged the order.

Xiao Chen became restless from sitting indoors too long and allowed himself to be helped to the lakeside in the imperial garden for a stroll. However, the child was now large and heavy, pressing down on him. By the time he reached the pavilion, his lower back and sacrum ached sharply, and he felt weary. Zhang Fu noticed his exhaustion and softly advised:

“Your Majesty, the sky is darkening, and it looks like rain. Perhaps we should summon the imperial carriage and return?”

Xiao Chen leaned back in the carriage, gently supporting his abdomen. Although he looked forward to the child’s arrival, he disliked his current condition. Upon returning to the palace, his expression was somber. Outside, as Zhang Fu had predicted, it soon began to rain, and the sky grew completely dark, forcing him to light a lamp to read the memorials.

Perhaps due to the dimness of the hall, Xiao Chen soon dozed off on the soft couch. When he woke, it was completely dark outside, and he couldn’t even tell what time it was:

“What time is it?”

“Your Majesty, it’s just past 6 PM.”

Xiao Chen felt weak from lying down and had a slight headache. The child in his womb seemed to wake with him, becoming restless. He patted his abdomen a couple of times to soothe the child and glanced toward the palace entrance.

Zhang Fu knew who he was looking for and had to speak up:

“Your Majesty, the secret guard entered the palace earlier and is waiting outside.”

Xiao Chen rubbed his temples to clear his mind:

“Have him come in and report.”

The secret guard knelt on one knee outside the curtain:

“Your Majesty, half an hour ago, the Marquis of Jingbian left the villa looking disturbed. He then rode out of the city through the east gate, seemingly without a destination, just galloping aimlessly.”

Xiao Chen glanced at the still-falling rain outside, his brow furrowed.

“What did he say to the person inside?”

“Your Majesty, forgive me. I did not dare get too close and did not hear.”

Just as Xiao Chen was about to dismiss him, the secret guard spoke again:

“Your Majesty, the agents monitoring the Dali Temple reported that someone has been inquiring about the person in the villa from the prison cells these past few days. I sent someone to follow them, and they eventually made their way back to the residence of the Zhongshu Ling.”

Xiao Chen turned his head slightly, narrowing his eyes:

“Zhao Mengxian?”

“Yes.”

How did Zhao Mengxian know about the Luo person in Qinghui Pavilion?

“Keep an eye on Zhao’s residence. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

Shortly after the secret guard left, Xiao Chen grew restless. Just as he was about to send someone to bring Ling Yehan back, footsteps echoed from outside the hall. Zhang Fu immediately looked up:

“Marquis, what happened to you?”

Xiao Chen also turned to look, supporting his lower back. Unsurprisingly, the person at the door was drenched like a drowned rat.

Ling Yehan had already sorted out his thoughts. Meeting Xiao Chen’s gaze, he awkwardly took a step back:

“Well, it’s raining outside. It’s hard to hold an umbrella while riding. I’ll go clean up.”

Xiao Chen sat up slightly:

“Come here.”

Ling Yehan trailed water as he walked over and knelt beside the couch. The sight of the person before him stirred uncontrollable emotions, and the deepest fear wrapped around him like vines. He didn’t dare imagine what would happen if he lost Xiao Chen again. He stared intently at the man before him, unable to utter a word.

Xiao Chen noticed his distress and reached out to wipe the water droplets from his face, sighing:

“Go wash up inside.”

Behind them was the emperor’s private bathing pool. Ling Yehan submerged himself in the water. He couldn’t keep this matter from Xiao Chen—what if what that person said was true? As he emerged from the water, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Xiao Chen walking in, without Zhang Fu in tow. He instinctively spoke:

“Brother, be careful—the floor is slippery.”

Xiao Chen, having bathed in the afternoon, wore an indigo wide-sleeved inner robe with a layer of misty purple gauze over it. His hair was not tied up with a crown but loosely pinned at the back with a hairpin. He lifted the hem of his robe and sat at the round table by the pool, where tea and fruits were laid out. Picking up a grape, he tossed it toward Ling Yehan’s forehead.

"I thought you'd drown and float back up."

Ling Yehan reached out his hand from the water and caught the grape, tossing it directly into his mouth. With a splash, he stood up from the water, climbed out, dried himself off, and casually pulled on a sleep robe before heading over to Xiao Chen.

"Don't come near me while you're all wet."

Ling Yehan wrapped his hair up, then scooped up the person in the chair into his arms. Xiao Chen, caught off guard, instinctively clung to him. Ling Yehan’s chest still retained the warmth of the pool's water, and his dark eyes reminded Xiao Chen of the big black dog from his army days—loyal and protective. Xiao Chen relaxed and leaned against his chest.

"Perfect, I'm tired. Let's go."

At the sight of Xiao Chen’s weary expression, Ling Yehan’s heart tightened. Instead of carrying him to the daybed, he went straight to the bedchamber and laid him on the bed. After sending away all the palace attendants and drawing the curtains, he climbed into bed himself. Xiao Chen settled comfortably against the bolster, waiting for him to speak.

"Brother, I went to your villa outside the palace today and met the Luo person inside. You... probably already know, right?"

There was no hiding his visit to the villa from Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen seemed somewhat satisfied with his honesty.

"Hmm, at least you’re telling the truth. Good. Now, tell me more—what did that person say to make the ever-fearless Marquis of Jingbian come back drenched like a drowned rat?"

Ling Yehan pressed his lips together, struggling to hide the panic and fear in his eyes when he looked up.

"That Luo person said that for Luo people to bear children goes against the natural order and comes at a cost. When a Luo person bears a child, they use their own vital energy as nourishment for the child. The birth of the child marks the beginning of the parent’s deterioration. Within three to five years, they will waste away and die."

Despite his efforts to hide it, the tremor in his voice betrayed his emotions. Xiao Chen was taken aback for a moment before Ling Yehan pulled him into a hug, whispering in his ear:

"I don’t know if what he said is true, but in our previous life, you..."

If not for their past experiences, Ling Yehan might have suspected the person had ulterior motives. But in their previous life, Xiao Chen had indeed not survived beyond five years. Recalling Xiao Chen’s condition during his pregnancy—constantly fatigued, lethargic, and weak—Ling Yehan grew even more fearful.

"In our previous life, I reviewed your medical records. They said you were injured in the shoulder during the assassination attempt, and the old injury flared up, which damaged your heart. So, what really happened? Were you seriously injured back then? Was your poor health afterward really because of childbirth?"

Xiao Chen had never spoken to him about the injuries from their previous life.

Xiao Chen closed his eyes gently and patted Ling Yehan’s shoulder.

"Here, I was stabbed. There was a traitor in the imperial guards. It happened right when I was giving birth to Lin'er. I lost a lot of blood, and the wound caused excessive bleeding. My health was poor for a year afterward, and I developed heart palpitations. I was on medication, but it didn’t help much. In the following years, with all the court reforms, I was probably just too exhausted. Old injuries kept flaring up, and after dragging on for a few years, in the end..."

He didn’t finish, and Ling Yehan held him tightly.

"Brother, we can’t take that person’s words entirely at face value, but we can’t ignore them either. For some reason, he was very certain that there was a Luo person close to me. Whether I asked or Xing Fang asked, he hardly revealed anything useful. Instead, he kept insisting on meeting the Luo person. After telling me all this today, I asked him if there was a way to avoid it. He only said he needed to meet the Luo person by my side."

"Everything he’s done is to lure you into meeting him. He knows who Xing Fang is, so it’s easy to guess the identity of someone who can order Xing Fang around. Yet, even knowing that, he dared to use such a method to lure you out. So, I suspect he might know that you are the Luo person. Today, he mentioned hoping that an acquaintance he’s never met is well, so..."

Recalling Xiao Chen’s words from the previous day—that his mother’s identity was unknown, with no clues to trace, and that it was even likely he was born to a Luo person—Ling Yehan wondered if the Luo person he met today might be related to Xiao Chen’s birth parent.

Xiao Chen met his gaze.

"You suspect he might have some connection to me?"

"Brother, his eyes and eyebrows really resemble yours."

When Ling Yehan saw the man up close for the first time today, he noticed the striking resemblance in their features. Though their temperaments were vastly different, their eyes and eyebrows were strikingly similar. Now, he preferred to believe the man was using this as a pretext to claim kinship with Xiao Chen and had made up this series of lies.

"You want me to meet him?"

Xiao Chen saw right through his thoughts. Ling Yehan tightened his arms, his eyes fixed intently on Xiao Chen, unable to hide his unease.

"I’m truly afraid something might happen to you again. Besides, he himself is pregnant. I believe that even if what he said is true, there must be a way to avoid it. Brother, why not meet him once? He alone can’t cause much trouble."

Ling Yehan had thought it over carefully after leaving. In the end, he couldn’t risk Xiao Chen’s safety. The Luo people were wiped out over a century ago, with very few records left. This person was the only Luo person he had ever encountered. He’d rather err on the side of caution.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Chen nodded and patted Ling Yehan’s back.

"Alright, I'll go see him tomorrow. Don’t worry."

Ling Yehan held the person in his arms, noticing that Xiao Chen seemed unusually listless.

"Are you tired?"

Xiao Chen suddenly looked at him and spoke.

"Xiao Han, if that person suggested aborting the child, what would you do?"

Ling Yehan’s heart skipped a beat. He could tell from Xiao Chen’s expression that he would not agree. He even felt a pang of guilt, remembering that his first instinct had been to ask the man about terminating the pregnancy.

Ling Yehan’s palms were sweaty. He didn’t want to lie to Xiao Chen, so he clenched his hands and spoke.

"If that were the only choice, I would choose to forgo the child."

He loved Lin'er and hoped to watch him grow up in this life, making up for all the regrets from their previous life. But if forced to choose between the child and Xiao Chen, he would unquestionably choose Xiao Chen.

The room fell into a sudden silence, as if even the air had frozen. Xiao Chen slowly released his hold on Ling Yehan, propped himself up, and lay down without another word.

Ling Yehan felt as though he had been plunged into an icy abyss. He opened his mouth but found no words to say.

The man’s implication seemed to be that aborting the child might offer a chance of survival—at least a better one than giving birth. If it truly came down to choosing one, for Ling Yehan and the empire, it could only be Xiao Chen.