Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

The Sixth Prince

Emperor Zhong had seven sons and three daughters.

The First Prince, Xuanyuan Chen. Born to a maid and raised by Empress Wang.

The Second Prince, Xuanyuan Yao. Born to and raised by the Noble Consort. Her first son.

The Third Prince, Xuanyuan Liu. Born to Empress Wang. Stillborn.

The Fourth Prince, Xuanyuan Li. Born to and raised by the Noble Consort. Her second son.

The Fifth Prince, Xuanyuan Wei. Born to Consort Hui. Drowned at age six.

The Sixth Prince, Xuanyuan Rui. Born to and raised by Consort Xian.

"And then there's you." Hua Yuheng completed the summary for Xuanyuan Lang after the prince listed down all his brothers. "I didn't know Consort Xian and the Sixth Prince are on our side, though.

"That means out of the five surviving princes, the First, Sixth, and Seventh are in the Empress' camp while the Second and Fourth are with the Noble Consort. We have a numerical advantage."

"Yes, but unlike with our faction, the Second and Fourth Princes are the Noble Consort's sons by blood," Lin Junli reminded him. "Their loyalty and dedication to her cannot be compared to that of the First Prince and – no offense, His Highness the Seventh Prince."

"None taken." Xuanyuan Lang nodded graciously.

"As for the Sixth Prince and Consort Xian... They are part of our faction, but they might as well not be," Lin Junli said. Hua Yuheng looked confused, but Xuanyuan Lang understood what he meant.

"It happened when I was about three years old. My Sixth Brother was only a year or two older than me, and he was playing with my Fifth Brother when both of them fell into the lake in the height of winter. Fifth Brother didn't make it, and the physician said the cold had irreparably damaged Sixth Brother's health. He has been confined to his chambers since."

Hua Yuheng tilted his head. "That sounds familiar. Would that happen to be the same lake we fell into back then?"

"Yeah." Xuanyuan Lang turned sheepish under Lin Junli's curious gaze. "That's why my mother insisted on teaching me how to swim since I was a child."

"I have said this before, but your mother is wise," Lin Junli said approvingly.

"She still freaked out when we fell in, though. Ah, the memories." Hua Yuheng grinned, then his expression turned serious. "So, what do you think? Is it worth pinning our hopes on the Sixth Prince?"

Xuanyuan Lang hesitated. "I'm not sure. I only see my Sixth Brother once a year during the Spring Festival imperial family gathering, and even then he only shows up for half of the meal."

"It is said that the physicians did not expect him to survive until adulthood." Lin Junli sounded thoughtful. "But now I wonder if those rumors were somewhat exaggerated."

"Are you suggesting that he's faking his illness?" Hua Yuheng looked at his master.

"It's a possibility. And there is only one way to find out."

Again, Hua Yuheng and Lin Junli turned to look at Xuanyuan Lang. This time, he sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it."

*

Xuanyuan Lang had never sought out his Sixth Brother before. Although he was no longer as clueless about the layout of the palace outside of his quarters as he used to be, this part of the harem was still new to him.

"Whoa, is that a southern orchid? That's rare. And are those tulips? At this time of the year?"

Xuanyuan Lang sighed. "Consort Xian is known for her green thumb. And don't be so obvious, Ah Heng. You'll draw attention to us."

"So? It's not like we can't be here." Hua Yuheng put his hands behind his head and continued feasting his eyes on the sights in the lush Competence Palace.

He was not wrong, but... Xuanyuan Lang looked around them worriedly. He had invited Hua Yuheng into the palace as his reader-companion not long after the latter was taken under Lin Junli's wing and officially became part of the capital's elite younger generation, back when they were thirteen. It was normal for young princes to be assigned partners from among the nobles to accompany them to their lectures, and the arrangements went smoothly with Lord Lin and the Empress' approval. In other words, Hua Yuheng had been traipsing around the palace for a few years now too.

But this was slightly different. They were in the imperial harem, after all. Worse still, they were both now at that awkward age between boyhood and adulthood. Xuanyuan Lang did not even know if it was appropriate for him to be here.

"Relax," Hua Yuheng said all of a sudden, his voice quiet and his expression composed. He kept his eyes on his surroundings as he spoke out of the corner of his mouth, "You're too tense. Your nerves are showing."

"Am I that obvious?" Xuanyuan Lang smiled wryly.

"To outsiders, I don't know. Maybe. To me? Definitely."

Xuanyuan Lang looked at Hua Yuheng. There was a nonchalant tilt to his gait that he had learned from Lin Xiangyang, as much as he hated to admit it, but his spine was as straight as his father's used to be. The prince's voice was tinged with envy. "You make acting natural look so easy."

"I'll teach you. Take a deep breath."

"Huh? Okay." Xuanyuan Lang obliged.

"Good. Hold. Now let it go."

Just as Xuanyuan Lang was about to blow out his breath, Hua Yuheng suddenly swung his hand into the prince's back, firmly smacking all the air out of him.

"Bwah!" Xuanyuan Lang bent over, winded, while Hua Yuheng burst out laughing. "W-What was that all about?!"

"It's a thing my dad used to do to me." Hua Yuheng was not looking around the garden anymore, turning all his attention onto Xuanyuan Lang instead. He looked smug. "A mean-spirited but effective way to loosen you up. See, your shoulders aren't so tightly wound-up anymore."

"Well, yeah. Forget my shoulders, it feels like you nearly dislocated my everything." Xuanyuan Lang complained, but he instinctively stretched his shoulders anyway. True enough, he could sense that most of his tension had deflated out of him.

Geez, Ah Heng and his unconventional ways.

"Don't look now," Hua Yuheng said, still smiling. "But there's someone watching us."

Xuanyuan Lang blinked, resisting the urge to turn. "Where from?"

"Inside the palace."

"Servants?"

"No. I think I have a good idea who it is."

Xuanyuan Lang could guess, too. Especially when the gaze followed them right into the main hall.

"Greetings, Consort Xian. Sixth Brother."

The Sixth Prince, Xuanyuan Rui, was still staring openly at them when they bowed to him in greeting.