Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

Confrontation

What did the Emperor want with him?

Xuanyuan Lang frowned for a moment but duly stepped out of line and bowed. "Yes, Father. Your son greets you."

"Rise." The Emperor's tone was light, as though the tiredness from earlier was an illusion. "In contrast to your unfortunate Second Brother, we hear that your conduct yesterday earned you a fair deal of praise."

"Huh?" Xuanyuan Lang could not hide his confusion any longer. "Forgive me, Father, but I don't understand."

"Is that so?" The Emperor sounded amused. Xuanyuan Lang could not tell if he believed him, but he continued, "In that case, let us be the first to inform you. It appears that word has travelled regarding your excellent handling of your Second Brother's little incident yesterday. They say you were calm, composed, firm, but kind. The general populace seems especially impressed by how you cared for your Second Brother and brought him back to the palace."

"I—I didn't do anything out of the ordinary." The good news came out of nowhere, leaving Xuanyuan Lang somewhat disoriented. When had that happened? Why was he not aware of it?

"Modest as ever," the Emperor said with a chuckle. "Your Second Brother's misfortune may yet prove to be your lucky break."

The tone with which he said that made the hairs on the back of Xuanyuan Lang's neck rise. He could already sense an increase in hostility from the Second Prince's abandoned aides. The Emperor was clearly trying to direct their ire toward him, for some reason or another.

Xuanyuan Lang smiled bitterly to himself. Was this Father's way of balancing the scales? He would do well not to stand out right now.

"As I'm sure you're well aware, Father, the wagging tongues have a tendency to exaggerate. I only did as was expected of a brother and a prince."

"Hmm." The Emperor sounded thoughtful. "In that situation, perhaps that in itself is extraordinary. As your reward, you may take up the Second Prince's responsibilities with the Bureau of Palace Affairs following his departure. Keep up the good work."

The storytellers in town would have a field day with that. Xuanyuan Lang bit back his grimace and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Father. It is my honor."

"Good. That is all."

Once he had permission to, Xuanyuan Lang hurriedly jumped back into his line and kept his head down for the rest of the court session. Xuanyuan Yao's sudden decision had destabilized the court, and even positive attention right now could quickly turn unsavoury in the wrong eyes. What Xuanyuan Lang could not understand was how his own reputation had taken an unexpected boost overnight.

As he thought it over, however, he slowly began to gather an idea of how it happened. It seemed he would have to make a long-overdue visit later.

But before that—

"First Brother, could I have some of your time?"

The moment Eunuch Yang declared that court was dismissed, Xuanyuan Lang put his hand on Xuanyuan Chen's shoulder, locking the latter in place.

The First Prince did not turn around. "What if I said no?"

"Then I'll wait until you're free to meet me," said Xuanyuan Lang. "Unlike you, I tend to keep my appointments."

"Are you still holding a grudge over that?" Xuanyuan Chen's laugh was hollow, but he finally turned to look at Xuanyuan Lang. His easygoing smile was even more forced at the corners than usual. "Fine. Shall we move to somewhere more private, then?"

"Sure. How about your palace? If you don't mind me inviting myself over."

"You've already made it clear that you're not taking no for an answer today," Xuanyuan Chen said, his tone deceptively light. "This way, Seventh Brother."

As they walked out of the hall, Xuanyuan Lang brushed against at Lin Junli, who slipped something into his hand which he promptly hid up his sleeve. From behind Lord Lin, Lin Xiangyang gave him a cheerful wave, having worked his way up the ranks over the years. It helped that he had scored well in the previous imperial exam.

The tension deflated out of Xuanyuan Lang's shoulders slightly when Lin Xiangyang winked at him. All of a sudden, he found himself missing Hua Yuheng.

But it was fine. After the exam, Ah Heng could become an official too. He would have another ally and reliable pair of eyes behind him in this imperial court fraught with dangers.

Ah Heng must be studying now, or maybe he was still catching up on his sleep. Either way, Xuanyuan Lang knew he had to do this to help protect Ah Heng's peace for a little longer.

The two princes arrived at Xuanyuan Chen's residence. His title, Prince of Humility, hung on an oak signage above his door, a subtle indication of the Emperor's attitude and expectations for this lowly oldest prince.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Seventh Brother?" Xuanyuan Chen jumped straight to the point once they were seated in the isolated side hall. He did not seem to be in the mood for tea, either.

There was no one else in the immediate vicinity, not even any attendants or maids. Xuanyuan Chen's solitary concubine, a quiet mild-mannered woman who had been his first chamber maid, was nowhere to be seen either. His First Brother, it seemed, was an even more private person than he was.

Xuanyuan Lang laced his fingers together on the table. "I know about your visits to Scarlet Pavilion, First Brother."

He watched Xuanyuan Chen intently. Even so, he only just managed to capture the tiny ripple of emotion in the latter's eyes before all was still again. "Is that so."

"I'm sure Second Brother has heard about them, too. There's simply no other reason for him to go to a place like that. It goes against his very nature... unless he had a very convincing motivator."

Xuanyuan Chen lowered his gaze. "You're free to believe whatever you want to. Second Brother made his choice, and that's the end of that."

"Oh, but I beg to differ. And I'm sure you don't believe that, either."

"What do you want me to say, Seventh Brother?" Xuanyuan Chen seemed to have gotten tired of the games, but his tone betrayed nothing. "That I lured Second Brother there to ruin him? As I said, you're free to—"

"No. As a matter of fact, I don't think you did that." Xuanyuan Lang paused. "The Empress told me the other day... that you're a terrible son, but a good brother."

There was a moment of silence as Xuanyuan Chen struggled to articulate a response to that. "I'm flattered."

"Don't be modest. Now that I really think about it, she's probably right. And of all us brothers, you've known Second Brother the longest, haven't you? Since the two of you are the oldest and closest in age to each other.

"That's why what I want to know is—

"Why you went to Scarlet Pavilion in the first place, First Brother."

That finally elicited a reaction from Xuanyuan Chen. The blood drained from his face, and all traces of his smile vanished.

"Would you rather me believe that you went to a brothel solely to lure Second Brother to his downfall?" Xuanyuan Lang's voice was even. "It would be better than admitting the alternative, wouldn't it?

"That you went to visit the courtesan Lanying, renowned for her resemblance to the Noble Consort—

"And by extension, to the Second Prince, Xuanyuan Yao."

Author's Note: Thank you for 100 votes! <3