Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 359: Princess Xiangping's Harshness

Chapter 359: Princess Xiangping's Harshness

As Xiao An spoke, his emotions became inexplicably agitated. For some reason, he felt a throbbing pain in his chest, a restless cradle. Seeing Xiao An's agitation, Eunuch Feng quickly left Xiangping Palace to find the imperial physician.

Xiao An didn't want to look at Xuan Hong in the cradle, but he was also eager to know if Xuan Hong was safe, so his feet moved slowly closer to the cradle as if they didn't obey him.

When Xiao An finally saw Xuan Hong, he was lying quietly asleep in his cradle, as if all the people in the hall were invisible, and he wasn't even woken up. Xiao An thought to himself that he must be asleep.

Princess Xiangping, kneeling to the side, was pale-faced and ignored Xiao An as he entered, her eyes blankly fixed on Xuan Hong lying in the cradle. Xiao An reached out to pick him up, but Princess Xiangping suddenly stood up, swatting his hand away with her small one and glaring angrily at the man before her.

"He's dead, what else do you want?!" Princess Xiangping roared at Xiao An, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't cry out loud. Her eyes were filled with tenderness as she looked at Xuan Hong lying in the cradle, stroking his face with her tiny hands. Everyone around seemed to be irrelevant to him.

Xiao An looked at Princess Xiangping, but he didn't believe what she had just said. He had begun to get used to running away, like a sheep in the deep mountains, choosing to run away even when the wolf was right in front of him.

And so, Xiao An stood alone to the side, watching Princess Xiangping kneel on the ground comforting Xuan Hong in the cradle, while he himself stood there blankly, like an outsider.

Not long after, Eunuch Feng returned, bringing several imperial physicians with him. Xiao An quickly came to his senses and made way, saying, "Quickly check on His Highness Xuan Hong." Princess Xiangping, seeing that several imperial physicians had arrived, also stepped aside, seemingly understanding the situation.

Xiao An was filled with unease. He was truly terrified and didn't want to accept it. He desperately hoped that Xuan Hong was just asleep. After all, Xuan Hong was someone Qing Yi had risked her life for. If something really happened to Xuan Hong, how could he face Qing Yi after he died?

The imperial physicians each took Xuan Hong's pulse, but all of them shook their heads and remained silent, as if they didn't know what illness Xuan Hong had. One of the bolder physicians bowed and asked Xiao An, "Your Majesty, the cause of His Highness's illness has not been found, but may I ask when His Highness Xuan Hong was born and whether he was fully pregnant?"

Xiao An didn't know what connection Xuan Hong's birth date had with his illness, but he said, "Xuan Hong was indeed premature, more than nine months pregnant."

After Xiao An finished speaking, the other imperial physicians looked at each other, seemingly knowing the answer. One of the physicians said, "Your Majesty, if an infant is not conceived for ten months, it is like an unformed baby. Even if it is born, it is prone to illness." After saying this, the physician secretly glanced at Xiao An a few times.

Xiao An's head felt like it had exploded. Looking at Xuan Hong in the cradle, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't accept it either. He picked up Xuan Hong from the cradle, and the cold body temperature told him that he was indeed dead. His face was clean, without any signs of crying, as if he had known all along that he would leave, so peaceful.

Princess Xiangping, standing to the side, heard what the imperial physician said and looked at Xiao An, who was holding Xuan Hong, as if she wanted to see right through him, her eyes never leaving him for a moment.

When Xuan Hong died, an old man was used as a substitute for his coffin and placed in the imperial mausoleum. A baby girl was buried beside his body, and a ghost marriage was performed. A great deal of gold and silver was buried with him, with hundreds of pieces used as funerary objects. His Highness Xuan Hong was given a grand burial.

After Xuan Hong's death, Xiao An often went back to visit Princess Xiangping. Every time Princess Xiangping saw him, she seemed to harbor deep resentment, and her tone was always harsh and sarcastic when she spoke to him.

"Xiangping, why are you always so harsh and rude to your father, the Emperor?" Finally, one day, Xiao An couldn't help but ask Princess Xiangping, who was seven years old at the time. She looked down at Xiao An, turned her head away, and said, "So what if I'm rude? Do you want to burn me to death too?"

Xiao An looked at Princess Xiangping. She was only seven years old then. She was unhappy, and every day brought her not joy, but hatred. But what could Xiao An do? He had lost three relatives in a row, and Xiangping was probably his only remaining family.

After Princess Xiangping finished speaking, she left without looking back, seemingly unwilling to be alone with him, not even for a moment. Xiao An watched her departing figure, unsure what to do. He only wanted to know if Princess Xiangping would understand him if he told her the answer.

But he couldn't. He couldn't let Princess Xiangping think that Qingyi wasn't a good mother. He could only bear it silently by himself. He renamed the main hall where he lived as Qingyi Hall, and built another house, similar to Qingyi Hall, with a plaque that read Xuanhong Hall, using the name of the deceased Prince Xuanhong as the name of the main hall.

For the next ten years, Xiao An navigated the treacherous waters of the court, living up to his roared expectations and bringing peace and stability to the country. He married many concubines and had numerous princes, yet the highest authority in the harem remained without an heir. Everyone desired his favor, everyone wanted to climb into Xiao An's bed. But Xiao An never uttered a word about establishing an empress.

The concubines and noble ladies also gave birth to princes, but they all held only the title of prince, without the title of crown prince. The whole city was in turmoil; the empress's position had no successor, and the emperor still wouldn't appoint a crown prince. Many were puzzled, but no one knew the reason.

Xiao An was atoning for his sins, hoping to gain Princess Xiangping's forgiveness. The only empress in his heart was the deceased Qingyi, and the only crown prince was the deceased Xuanhong. He would never allow anyone to reclaim the empress's position or the crown prince's role. This was his bottom line, and also his sore spot.

However, Princess Xiangping became increasingly arrogant and domineering, and murders frequently occurred in the palace, mostly involving concubines in the harem, and those who were favored or pregnant.

Xiao An always turned a blind eye. He knew it was Princess Xiangping who was responsible, yet he indulged her. Afterwards, she became even more outrageous; her ugly side was only ever shown to him, while she hid it well in front of others. But Xiao An never mistreated her.

He never let her get hurt, indulged her every whim, and granted her every wish. Yet she showed no gratitude, taking it all for granted.