Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

Honesty

When Xuanyuan Lang first found out about his forgotten Third Brother, he could not even begin to fathom how the Empress felt about the loss of her child. Such things were unfortunately common in the palace, and apparently the incident had damaged her body to the point of leaving her unable to bear another. It was a testament to her wisdom and cunning that she managed to stay in the position of Empress for so long in spite of that.

What if Xuanyuan Liu had survived? Would things have changed?

Once, Xuanyuan Lang had wondered so out loud in front of his mother. Consort Liang had only shaken her head and warned him strictly to never ask the Empress about it. Such a wound would never heal, she said.

But today, faced with an uncharacteristically welcoming Empress Wang, Xuanyuan Lang could not hold back his curiosity.

"You really don't pull your punches, do you? That's a very inappropriate question to ask." Despite her admonishing words, the Empress was chuckling. Xuanyuan Lang let out a breath he had not realized he was holding and listened intently as she continued,

"I usually don't waste my time on hypotheticals, and I suggest you don't either, Seventh Prince. However, if you insist, I will humor you, just for today."

Xuanyuan Lang nodded, but the Empress was already lost in thought.

"If I must say... I'm not sure how much difference it would have made, to be frank. At the time, I had already realized that I was not cut out to be a mother. I was far too occupied trying to be the Empress. If I'll be completely honest... I was almost relieved."

Xuanyuan Lang's eyes widened despite himself. The Empress only laughed again, her voice airier than he had ever heard her.

"You must be wondering why I'm telling you this. You asked, yes, but at the same time, you are only the second person I have ever confessed this to. Even my father does not know, and to this day he walks on eggshells around me whenever the subject of my son or children in general arises.

"Perhaps he regrets the loss of his grandson more than I do. It is strange indeed."

That was quite different from what Consort Liang had suggested. Xuanyuan Lang had gotten his answer, and now he did not know what to do with it.

"To be honest, I won't mind too much if the Second or Fourth Princes become the Crown Prince."

It was just one shock after another with the Empress today. Xuanyuan Lang was already feeling a little numb as she watched his reaction with interest. Since she looked at him expectantly, he obliged by asking, "How could you say that, Your Majesty? Isn't that the one thing we're supposed to prevent?"

She gave him an approving smile. "Our enemy is Great General Ma and his faction, not the princes themselves. If Chen'er can turn on me, perhaps the Second and Fourth Princes could buck our expectations as well. As their brother, what do you think?"

Xuanyuan Lang shook his head. "I truly cannot say. As you might expect, we do not converse on the regular."

"Hmm, that is true. Perhaps both of us should keep a closer eye on them from now on, then."

Both of us?

Before Xuanyuan Lang could begin to analyze what she meant by that, the Empress' smile widened and she said,

"If you ask me, however... Lang'er, I believe you're the best candidate to be the Crown Prince."

It was not a question like Hua Yuheng's or a hint like Lin Junli's. It was a merely a statement of her opinion, backed with the confidence of a woman who had been the matriarch of a kingdom for more than three decades.

Her words still echoed in his head as he walked back toward Benevolence Palace. Nevertheless, he snapped out of his reverie the moment he sensed someone ahead of him. Ah Heng had trained him to be alert of any sudden movement by systematically launching ambushes on him for years... with a complete disregard for where he was or what he was doing at the time.

Xuanyuan Lang grimaced at a particularly messy memory and then put his smile back on as he called out to Xuanyuan Rui, who seemed to be waiting for him at an archway.

"Sixth Brother! Why are you here? I thought you went back to Competence Palace."

Xuanyuan Rui visibly brightened when he saw Xuanyuan Lang, straightening up and only swaying a little. "Seventh Brother, you're finally out! I was too worried, so I couldn't go back in peace." He lowered his voice to a whisper, saying, "Did the Empress do anything to you?"

Xuanyuan Lang resisted the urge to hold his head and sigh. "No, Seventh Brother. Her Majesty is as graceful and generous as ever. If you're worried about your... awkward exit, don't be. She doesn't hold it against you."

"That's good to hear." Xuanyuan Rui stuck out his tongue a little. "Mother's terrified of her, so I got really scared too. When she asked you to stay on your own, I thought she'd eat you alive. The guilt was killing me."

The eunuch he had sent to escort Xuanyuan Rui back did not seem to be around. Xuanyuan Lang's eyes darted back and forth, making sure they were alone and no one had overheard them before he put his arm around Xuanyuan Rui's shoulder. If Xuanyuan Rui was going to go around cheerfully stepping on everyone's toes, it would be too dangerous for them to stay here.

"Let's head back to your palace, Sixth Brother. Your mother must be worried."

Xuanyuan Rui winced. "You can say that again. She's so overprotective that it's suffocating."

"She's just concerned about you." Xuanyuan Lang hesitated. "The palace... is not as friendly as you might think."

"I know. I don't remember exactly the moment when Fifth Brother died, but Mother never forgot, that's for sure."

After the Third Prince Xuanyuan Liu, now they were talking about the Fifth Prince Xuanyuan Wei. After years of silence, this was the second time Xuanyuan Lang heard about his brothers' deaths today. He wondered, when was the last time the child princes' names were evoked within these palace walls?

Perhaps it was a sign that things were coming to a head, Xuanyuan Lang thought as he looked at Xuanyuan Rui. Ghosts, both deceased and alive, were returning to the surface.

Xuanyuan Rui rubbed his face. "Is there something wrong, Seventh Brother? You're staring."

"Nothing." Xuanyuan Lang hid his smile behind his hand. He was starting to see that Xuanyuan Rui's mouth had a direct line to his heart. A bit troublesome, maybe, but he did not dislike that part of him. "Do you think you could start attending classes at the lecture hall with me, Sixth Brother? I know you usually have your lessons in your palace, but it's been quiet for years since our teacher declared that Fourth Brother had completed his studies."

"Huh? I finished my studies five years ago." Xuanyuan Rui looked at him incredulously. "Aren't you done yet, Seventh Brother? I thought you'd be smarter than that."

Actually, maybe Xuanyuan Rui's straightforwardness was not that endearing after all.

"Besides, you have Master Hua, right? The friend you brought that day, you said he's your reader-companion." Xuanyuan Rui pouted. "Must be nice to have a friend. Do you think he'll get along with me too if I ask him?"

A wild, unreasonable impulse came over Xuanyuan Lang then, the likes of which he thought he had outgrown. Find your own friend! He almost wanted to growl at his brother. Ah Heng's mine!

The sheer force of it took him by surprise, leaving him disoriented. When he met Xuanyuan Rui's innocently hopeful gaze though, he suddenly deflated. It felt silly to hold such a childish notion against his childlike older brother.

"...I'll ask him the next time I see him."

He regretted the words almost as soon as he said them.

Author's Note: Please check the book details for an important announcement!