Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

Xuanyuan Chen

Xuanyuan Chen had gone as still as a statue. But Xuanyuan Lang was not going to let him go.

"Does Second Brother know? That you—"

"Stop." Xuanyuan Chen's voice was hoarse. "Don't say it."

"I see." Xuanyuan Lang allowed himself a mirthless smile. "There's my answer."

"What do you want?" All traces of composure gone, Xuanyuan Chen practically snarled at his youngest brother. "Enough with the games. Get to the point!"

But this was the point, wasn't it? To strike enough fear into Xuanyuan Chen's heart, to break down his defences, to force him to the negotiation table. Xuanyuan Lang lowered his gaze.

"I want your full support, First Brother."

Xuanyuan Chen gave a laugh that sounded like a bark. "So that you can become the Crown Prince? You have hidden your ambition well."

"To be honest, I haven't really decided yet." Xuanyuan Lang shrugged. "But I know that you're a useful ally to have. So whatever my decision will be, I hope to have your talents on my side."

Or at the very least, he did not want the enemy to have them.

Xuanyuan Chen's gaze bore into him. "Just to make this clear, you're blackmailing me, aren't you?"

"Yes." No point in beating around the bush now.

"Are you sure that's wise?" The corners of Xuanyuan Chen's mouth curled, his tone full of malice. "What's stopping me from taking you down with me? If you tell Yao'er, I could just as easily tell yours.

"After all, that's how you found me out, isn't it? Because we're the same."

Xuanyuan Chen's threat sent waves through Xuanyuan Lang's heart—but over the years, he had trained himself to keep them away from his face. He even managed a fearless smirk.

"Sure, you can try that. That is—

"If you have more faith in Second Brother and his reaction than I have in mine."

The manic gleam vanished from Xuanyuan Chen's eyes, and the corners of his lips fell.

The silence dragged on, as each of them weighed the possibilities. When Xuanyuan Chen closed his eyes in despair, Xuanyuan Lang knew.

"...You win." Xuanyuan Chen let out a long rattling breath, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll do as you say. For now."

"And there's nothing I want you to do. For now." Xuanyuan Lang's tone was cheerful as he stood up and put a hand on his oldest brother's shoulder. The man was a good decade older than him, but for the first time ever, Xuanyuan Lang stood tall enough to look down on him. "Before Second Brother leaves, perhaps you could try to make amends. I believe he might have misunderstood you."

"Now you're just being cruel." Xuanyuan Chen smiled bitterly. "As if I could face him now, after you exposed all my wounds."

"I don't see why not. What's a little bit of pain now compared to a lifetime of regret later?" Despite what his brother might think, Xuanyuan Lang was being sincere this time. In his mind, he recalled the back of a certain lonely official.

"Yao'er is actually quite fond of you, you know. He doesn't show it, and he won't ever admit it, but in his own way, he's proud of how you've grown."

"Hmm. True, Second Brother has always been one who is honest with his own heart."

Xuanyuan Yao wore his emotions on his elaborate sleeve, openly displaying his likes and dislikes. When he was mad at Xuanyuan Lang, he had no qualms showing it in his actions. He was too proud to say anything out loud, but he still made himself easy to read. A man full of contradictions, but candidly so.

He was pretentious without pretences. The exact opposite of Xuanyuan Chen and Xuanyuan Lang.

"That's why he asked to leave. It's a wise choice." It seemed that he could not live up to the Noble Consort's expectations, after all. Had he given up trying? Or had he never intended to in the first place? Either way--

"This could be your last chance."

There was no reply. As he turned to leave the palace, Xuanyuan Lang glanced over his shoulder just once to see that Xuanyuan Chen had buried his face in his hands. The moment he stepped out of the door, however, a voice reached his ears, the words lingering,

'They're using you, you know.'

*

It was only after Xuanyuan Lang was a safe distance away from Xuanyuan Chen's residence that he released the tension from his shoulders. His heart was still pounding painfully in his ears.

He had taken a gamble, and it had paid off. Xuanyuan Chen's own lack of confidence and self-loathing had blinded him, making him implode in the face of Xuanyuan Lang's false bravado.

Because if Xuanyuan Chen had truly gone through with his counter-threat, Xuanyuan Lang did not know what he would do. He... was not as self-assured as he pretended. At the most, he could only claim to have a slight edge over Xuanyuan Chen, and that was not saying much.

The oldest and youngest princes, reduced to this. Xuanyuan Lang could almost laugh at the absurdity of it all. But he only had a moment to catch his breath.

There were still questions that needed answering. He shook a tiny scroll of paper out of his sleeve, the letter that Lin Junli had snuck him after the court session just now.

As expected, it was an invitation to Scarlet Pavilion.

Xuanyuan Lang looked around him, hesitating for a second. There was no one around. On one hand, this was the privacy he wanted; on the other, it was at times like these that he understood why the other princes had retainers and eunuchs, and why Hua Yuheng had recruited a servant like Jiang Cong.

If he had a servant with him, he could send word back to Consort Liang and tell her not to worry. As it was, the palace was a long way from here. He would be covering a lot of pointless ground if he went back now rather than heading directly to the rendezvous.

After some brief hesitation, he tucked the letter back into his sleeve and made a beeline for Scarlet Pavilion. It should not take long.

Now that he had decided to take action, he had to put all his pieces in place before he lost his momentum and his courage failed him.