Arc 2: Part 26
"Little Thirteen."
"I'm here, sir. What can I do for you?"
Xiao Lingchen sat atop his horse, his expression ambiguous.
On this frosty early winter morning, surrounded by subordinates, they made their way to the palace gates under hazy light, with the morning sun yet to rise.
It was the time to attend court. The court of Dakang starts exceptionally early, especially in winter when the sky is still dark. This was a practice established by the founding emperor to remind his descendants to govern diligently.
Though each new emperor attempted to adhere to this rule, when it came to the late emperor, he loved his leisure and moved the court start time to near noon, provoking widespread dissatisfaction among his loyal ministers.
Upon the late emperor's death, Xiao Lingchen, as the regent, conscientiously moved the court start time back to dawn.
The young Emperor Xuanyi, a habitual late sleeper, often cursed and refused, but everyone obeyed Xiao Lingchen and ignored the emperor's objections.
Xiao Lingchen slowly asked, "Do you think it's possible for a person to be two persons at the same time?"
“What?" Little Thirteen was caught off guard by the sudden question, "Sir, what do you mean by one person being two people?"
Xiao Lingchen added, "Can a person simultaneously exhibit the characteristics of two individuals?"
"How can that be! You must be joking, sir. One person is just one person. If there are two personalities, then it would inevitably be two different people..."
Xiao Thirteen found the situation both amusing and confusing. In the middle of speaking, his expression suddenly froze, as he turned and looked at Xiao Lingchen in surprise. "Sir, are you implying..."
"Xiao Qingwan."
Without hesitation, Xiao Lingchen filled in the pause.
The court had been extremely busy recently, and he hadn't spent much time at home. However, the few times he did encounter Xiao Qingwan, he had found her behavior suspicious.
Her actions were inconsistent—one moment greedy, the next nonchalant. Sometimes perfunctory, at times sincere, then mischievous and then dignified.
It didn't really seem like the same person!
In his house, there was, indeed, another person who looked exactly like her...
Sweat was now forming on Xiao Thirteen's forehead, the more he thought about this, the more shocked he felt.
Soon they arrived at the Meridian Gate. As the imperial bell sounded brilliant and resounding, it was time for the quartermaster to summon the ministers for an audience with the Emperor. Not being allowed to enter the palace with Xiao Lingchen, Little Thirteen gathered his wits outside the gate, lost in his thoughts.
Xiao Lingchen stood at the head of the civil officers on the left. The ministers murmured their greetings to him respectfully. With a nod, he led the line of officials — civil officers on the left and military on the right — into the Jinluan Hall.
Xiao Lingchen actually had his own resting place within the palace. He could choose not to return to the Taifu's Mansion at all, instead directly inviting the ministers for policy discussions.
However, today was the grand court meeting held every ten days. At such times, he still gave the Emperor some face, displaying a minister's demeanor, and attending the court according to the protocol.
Three hours later, the court meeting was over. As Xiao Lingchen stepped out of the golden hall, He Lian, the prince of Zhenbei, waved at him from afar, then walked up with a wide grin.
"Minister Xiao, the Emperor has just announced that we are to go for the winter hunting trip. It will last for half a month, so you should prepare well. Don't forget to bring your preferred chef."
The surrounding ministers gave sidelong glances with varying expressions.
Everyone knew about Taifu Xiao's eating disorder and that his health was generally not very good.
It was only over the past month that he found a chef talented in dietary cuisine. Due to eating more, color gradually returned to his face and his thin physique began to strengthen.
Everyone was quite curious about the exceptional culinary skills that even managed to cure Taifu Xiao's eating disorder.
"The prince indeed has well-informed sources."
Xiao Lingchen replied with a cold smile, and moved away from the crowd through the Meridian Gate. Little Thirteen approached him.
"...As per the tradition, the consort and other family members should accompany the minister on the winter hunting trip. But there aren't many people at our mansion. Sir, do you plan to ask both ladies to accompany you?"
Little Thirteen hesitated, then added, "Sir, do you want me to assign a few shadow guards to watch over them? What if someone is plotting against you..."
"No need. The situation won't require the shadow guards." Xiao Lingchen shook his head slightly, his deep eyes revealed unfathomable thoughts, "When the time comes, I'll personally unveil the truth."
No comments:
Post a Comment