Passing through a moon gate covered in wisteria after leaving the ceremonial entrance, one would arrive at the main courtyard of Prince Yi’s residence.
A blackwood plaque hung above the courtyard gate, bearing the three characters “瓊華閣” (Qionghua Pavilion). The handwriting was Xiao Ying’s own. Its strokes were slender, forceful, and sharp, completely at odds with his usual carefree demeanor. The characters were not outlined in gold; instead, dark silver lacquer had been applied within their strokes.
Upon entering the courtyard, the first thing that greeted visitors was a faint, cool fragrance. It was not incense, but the blossoms of several old wisteria vines growing in a corner of the courtyard. The night dew had yet to evaporate, and the scent of the flowers drifted across the courtyard steps with the breeze.
The walls of the main hall were draped with semi-transparent white gauze. Under the lamplight, the lotus-root-colored fabric took on a warm hue. However, once one crossed the floor-to-ceiling screen carved with intertwined lotus vines and leaves, the light and colors abruptly grew darker.
Strings of purple crystal beads hung along the passageway. The colored-glass lamps in the corners illuminated them in varying shades of purple. A breeze slipped in through the half-open lattice windows, gently setting the bead curtains against one another with a clear, tinkling sound.
This was Sleeping Cloud Residence—Xiao Ying’s bedchamber.
Unlike the gentle elegance of the main hall, Sleeping Cloud Residence was filled entirely with deep, inescapable shades of purple and black. Anyone who stayed inside for long would feel as though time itself had slowed.
Layer upon layer of semi-transparent gauze curtains hung down, one in lotus-root pink, another in smoky purple, before deepening into an almost ink-black crimson purple. Under the colored-glass lamps, they formed a stretch of frozen twilight.
Thick, deep-purple wool carpets covered the blackwood floor, making no sound beneath one’s feet.
On the rosewood table by the window, a silver incense burner gently smoldered over a low flame, releasing the sweet, mellow, elegant, and profound fragrance of pear blossom incense.
The bed was set deep inside the inner chamber. It was a specially commissioned blackwood canopy bed, custom-made for Xiao Ying by a master craftsman. It was more than twice as wide as an ordinary palace bed, spacious enough for him to roll around and stretch out however he pleased.
The canopy was made of lightweight white gauze, embroidered with faint, ethereal patterns of intertwined flowers. Two exquisite silver fox-head curtain hooks hung high above, holding purple tassels that swayed gently. The bed frame was sturdy and substantial, with several layers of thick padding made from a mixture of eiderdown and fine white wool laid beneath it. It was so thick and soft that one sank into it; stepping onto it felt like floating among the clouds, with no bones beneath one’s feet.
The quilt was made of soft satin, deep purple with overlapping patterns of dark clouds on the outside, while the lining against the skin was sewn from fine, smooth Jiangzuo silk. Inside was stuffed the lightest and warmest lambswool. Even the several lotus-root-colored soft pillows had been specially filled with medicinal herbs and down according to the curve of his neck. The slightest pressure made them sink gently beneath him.
To outsiders, all these elaborate details might have seemed like nothing more than Prince Yi’s extravagance and fussiness. Only those who truly knew him understood that his demands regarding sleep were almost impossibly strict.
Because what he needed was never merely comfort, but a rare moment of peace in which he could temporarily lower his guard.
Amid this seemingly extravagant, soft gauze-and-fragrance-filled space, as mellow as aged purple wine, the most conspicuous object was the half-open blackwood chest beside the bed. Inside lay Xiao Ying’s personal saber, Yingqie. Its blackwood scabbard was fitted with plain silver, and it rested within easy reach, like a dormant beast crouching upon the purple velvet.
Eight small characters were carved into the inside of the chest lid, concealed in its half-open shadow. They could easily be overlooked unless one leaned closer to examine them:
“Keep the blade sheathed; keep protection in the heart.”
Xiao Ying rarely allowed anyone to set foot inside Sleeping Cloud Residence.
This was the place where his defenses were weakest, and the only place where he could shed all his masks. Apart from Lan Ningcheng, only the residence physician, the head of his personal guard, and a small number of specifically designated attendants were permitted to enter. Everyone else was kept outside without exception.
Ever since returning from the Temple of Heaven, Xiao Ying had slept in a daze for an entire day.
The residence physician came to check his pulse every few hours. In between, he would occasionally wake Xiao Ying and feed him a few mouthfuls of warm sugar water or extremely thin rice porridge, after which Xiao Ying would fall asleep again.
Sometimes he could barely manage to open his eyes. Other times, he could not even hear clearly what the people around him were saying. A moment later, he would sink back into unconsciousness.
Inside Sleeping Cloud Residence, he could not sense the turbulent storms raging outside. His nerves, which had been stretched taut for many days, finally had a little room to breathe. Throughout that day, Lan Ningcheng had not come in once to report any information to him. Even when Xiao Ying occasionally woke up, he did not see Lan Ningcheng anywhere.
It was not until the morning of the day after his return to the residence that Xiao Ying finally felt his consciousness becoming somewhat clearer.
His head was still terribly heavy, and his limbs felt as though they had been filled with lead. A slight fever lingered around his temples. Even the smallest movement caused faint, fragmented shadows of dizziness to rise before his eyes.
But he was unwilling to keep lying there and waiting. He still instructed an attendant to summon Lan Ningcheng.
Before long, Lan Ningcheng stepped quietly into Sleeping Cloud Residence.
Xiao Ying was leaning weakly against the soft pillows. Hearing the sound, he turned his head slightly and examined the newcomer with his brows faintly furrowed.
His gaze first fell upon the bluish shadows beneath Lan Ningcheng’s eyes, which had yet to fade. Then it shifted to the right hand that was still wrapped in bandages. His eyes paused for a moment before he finally spoke, his voice weak and hoarse:
“…How are things?”
His voice was so hoarse that it hardly sounded like him.
Lan Ningcheng took several steps to the bedside and stopped. After looking at him for a moment, he let out a soft sigh.
“I believe Your Highness should consider appointing an additional Deputy Chief Secretary.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ying’s heart sank slightly. He understood a little.
During the days he had been unconscious, the probing from outside must have come one wave after another, placing an unprecedented burden on Lan Ningcheng. In the past, the affairs of Prince Yi’s residence had been relatively simple, and the position of Chief Secretary had always been handled by Lan Ningcheng alone. Even later, when Xiao Ying had deliberately entered the game and political schemes began to pile up, he had never once heard Lan Ningcheng complain about insufficient manpower.
Now, even he had proactively suggested appointing an additional Deputy Chief Secretary. This was enough to show that the situation outside the residence could no longer be taken lightly.
Xiao Ying’s lips curved slightly in a self-mocking smile.
“…Has the news that This Prince has been appointed Left Clan Commissioner already spread? Or has the Crown Prince’s faction started causing trouble? Or… have people come to test This Prince’s intentions? Or perhaps… there have been more marriage proposals? Or… have you caught some suspicious individuals?”
Lan Ningcheng’s expression and tone were as calm as ever, but his gaze settled quietly on Xiao Ying’s face.
“Is it possible that all of the above are true?”
Xiao Ying glanced sideways at him, a hint of amusement passing beneath his long lashes.
“…Even you, the iron-willed Chief Secretary of Prince Yi’s residence, who is supposedly capable of shouldering everything single-handedly… can’t handle it anymore?”
Lan Ningcheng took out a thick stack of visiting cards and a separately compiled list, placing them beside the bed.
“The news of Your Highness accepting the position of Left Clan Commissioner spread throughout the capital on the very night you collapsed.” His tone remained completely even, but every word fell like heavy iron sinking into water. “The Crown Prince’s faction has sent three successive groups of people to make inquiries, hoping to find out what you discussed with His Majesty in the side hall of the Temple of Heaven. Someone from the Ministry of Revenue has sent word, requesting a private tea meeting with you. Several prominent clans have also sent visiting cards. Officially, they are offering congratulations or making inquiries about your health, but in reality, they are all waiting for the residence to respond.”
Over the past few days, the visiting cards and inquiries delivered to the residence had already piled up across half the desk in the outer courtyard.
Without even raising his eyelids, Lan Ningcheng opened the record list in his hand and read out expressionlessly:
“Additionally, people from the Fifth Prince’s and Third Prince’s residences have also been making inquiries. Last night, three unidentified individuals climbed into the residence. They have already been apprehended by the personal guards and are awaiting interrogation.”
Xiao Ying had still been wearing a faint smile, but upon hearing this, his expression finally darkened.
“…Have you found out who they are?”
“Not yet.”
He turned another page, his tone still unhurried.
“As for the portraits of unmarried noblewomen and marriage proposal letters sent by the various families, they have already made the steward in charge of the rear courtyard of the residence smile from ear to ear. However, as things stand, no one is available to help me handle the matters outside.”
After finishing, Lan Ningcheng raised his eyes, fixing his gaze on the person lying on the bed.
“Your Highness, with only me handling everything, should I first investigate the clues from the cases that have piled up? Or deal with the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace faction and their probing and taunts? Or process the marriage proposals and visiting cards one by one? Or interrogate the assassins who climbed over the wall?”
The long list of matters made Xiao Ying’s chest tighten. He could not help closing his eyes again, wishing he could simply burrow back under the covers and continue sleeping.
But he couldn’t. This was the most urgent administrative crisis facing him right now.
He also understood that Lan Ningcheng was already shouldering responsibilities far beyond the duties of a Chief Secretary. Although he felt guilty, there was little he could do about it for the time being.
“…Now is not the right time to appoint an additional Deputy Chief Secretary, either.”
Xiao Ying sighed softly.
“…The appointment of a Chief Secretary must be submitted according to regulations and reviewed by the Ministry of Personnel… But the Ministry of Personnel follows my father’s instructions. If This Prince submits a request now\… Father will take the opportunity to send one of his spies into the residence.”
He spoke a little too quickly, and a tightness rose in his chest. He had no choice but to stop and take several breaths.
Lan Ningcheng did not rush him. Only after Xiao Ying had somewhat recovered did he say, “I understand, Your Highness. However, if all the current affairs continue to be handled by me alone, there will inevitably be things I cannot attend to.”
“…This Prince knows. We can postpone adding more personnel… but we cannot leave everything unattended. First, investigate the security within the residence thoroughly. Then sort the visiting cards and inquiries from the various parties into different categories… Those that are unimportant… do not need to be answered for the time being.”
Lan Ningcheng gave a slight nod.
“I shall obey.”
“As for the Deputy Chief Secretary…” Xiao Ying pondered for a moment. “We can discuss it later, once the intentions of This Prince and Father become clearer.”
He understood that Lan Ningcheng’s suggestion was not without reason. However, now that there were people watching the residence both inside and out, an extra pair of hands might certainly help share the workload, but it could also mean an extra pair of eyes.
The room fell into a brief silence. Only the fragrance of pear blossom incense drifted faintly from the burner.
After a long while, Xiao Ying opened his eyes again. A cold, shadowy glint appeared in them.
“In the past, This Prince went to great lengths… to keep the people in the Eastern Palace from noticing me. And now, look at this… I’ve directly become a thorn in the Crown Prince’s side.”
“Since Your Highness already knew this would happen,” Lan Ningcheng said, stepping forward and looking down at him, his tone flat, “why did you answer His Majesty’s summons and accept the position of Left Clan Commissioner in the first place?”
“Because… This Prince had to understand Father’s intentions. Besides… if I wanted to investigate the case more deeply, I needed this authority.” Xiao Ying’s gaze darkened as he spoke slowly. “This Prince does not wish to live like Prince Gong… Much less wait until the country has fallen and everything has become irreversible before regretting it.”
Lan Ningcheng fell silent.
Of course, he understood Xiao Ying’s temperament. And that… was precisely why he had remained in Prince Yi’s residence.
Xiao Ying took a few shallow breaths and eased the tightness in his chest before slowly recounting his private conversation with the Emperor in the side hall of the Temple of Heaven that day.
From accepting the position of Left Clan Commissioner, to voluntarily revealing one part of the Pruning Case; from the Emperor personally mentioning the Su clan, to the military advisor Su beside Prince Su, Xiao Yuan; and finally, to the forbidden chamber inside the Clan Court, which could only be understood by someone chosen by Heaven’s Mandate.
By the time he finished, his voice had grown even lower than before.
“Father also said that the imperial family has inherited a shocking secret… On that day, Fifth Brother had mentioned something similar before. He even said… Father has yet to pass this secret down to the Crown Prince…”
After saying that final sentence, Xiao Ying’s chest rose and fell slightly as he breathed. A fine layer of cold sweat had appeared on his temples.
Lan Ningcheng stood silently beside the bed, quietly absorbing these astonishing pieces of information.
He could not help admiring Xiao Ying. Even in such an utterly exhausted physical state, Xiao Ying had still managed to maneuver around the Emperor without revealing the slightest flaw in his responses.
He had already known that the Emperor’s summons to Xiao Ying was certainly not just for a few questions after the Temple of Heaven ceremony.
Now, it seemed that their exchange about the Pruning Case had been the Emperor testing how many cards Xiao Ying had already uncovered.
The position of Left Clan Commissioner was more like a threshold. The Emperor wanted to see whether Xiao Ying could bear the power and risks that came with it, while also observing how far his investigation had progressed.
However, the Su clan, the forbidden chamber reserved for the one chosen by Heaven’s Mandate, and the secret passed down through the imperial family…
These matters seemed to have no direct connection to the cases currently under investigation, yet they resembled a deeper layer of gloom hanging over everything.
“Did His Majesty explain these matters any further?”
Xiao Ying shook his head.
“…No. He only let This Prince know that such a secret truly exists, but he did not tell me… what it actually is.”
“Then, when you mentioned the Pruning Case, did His Majesty show any particular reaction?”
Xiao Ying lowered his eyes and thought for a moment.
“When This Prince… mentioned one part of it, there wasn’t much surprise in Father’s eyes.”
Lan Ningcheng quickly pieced together and analyzed all this information in his mind. Then he raised his head and arrived at the most reasonable conclusion.
“At the very least, this suggests that some of the details of the Pruning Case may not have exceeded His Majesty’s expectations. As for whether he already knew about them or has another source of information, we cannot yet be certain.”
“This Prince thinks so as well…”
Xiao Ying weakly raised the back of his cold hand and pressed it against his feverishly warm forehead, covering the light in his eyes.
He tried to concentrate and think more deeply, but waves of dizziness brought on by blood loss and prolonged fasting kept washing over him, making his head feel heavy and swollen.
“…Father may have appointed This Prince as Left Clan Commissioner because he wants to bring me within the range of his control… Or perhaps he genuinely needs someone to investigate certain matters for him. Whichever it is… at least for now, he has no intention of… completely excluding me.”
Lan Ningcheng pondered for a moment before saying, “So Your Highness and His Majesty may have some overlapping intentions at present, but they are not yet truly aligned.”
“…Precisely.”
A faint, cold smile appeared at the corners of Xiao Ying’s lips.
Seeing the pallor on the face of the person lying on the bed, Lan Ningcheng temporarily set aside the rest of his deductions.
At this moment, Lan Ningcheng took two things from his sleeve and gently placed them on the small rosewood table beside the bed.
A small celadon bottle and a folded copy of a prescription record.
Xiao Ying moved the back of his hand away and glanced at the porcelain bottle, his brows lifting slightly.
“…What is this?”
“The calming pills the imperial physician originally intended for Your Highness to take.”
Lan Ningcheng answered in a completely even voice.
“When I inquired about the prescription, I discovered a problem with one of the ingredients, so I temporarily withheld the medicine. Your Highness has not taken any of the pills in this bottle.”
At the words “calming pills,” Xiao Ying immediately became a little more alert.
He extended a slightly trembling hand, picked up the slip of paper, and, supporting himself despite his illness, scanned the prescription line by line.
When his gaze fell upon the words “Crimson Marrow,” it suddenly stopped.
A moment later, the corners of his mouth slowly curled into a cold smile.
“…Do they find This Prince’s continued existence so inconvenient?”
Lan Ningcheng then clearly recounted, one by one, the conversation he had had that day in the Temple of Heaven’s quiet chamber with the senior imperial physician. It concerned the renaming of the medicinal ingredient “Crimson Marrow,” its appearance in records from four hundred years ago, and the prohibitions written in the marginal notes.
“The imperial physician may not have known.” Lan Ningcheng’s voice remained steady as usual. “When I spoke with him in detail, he answered every question about the prescription’s origins and method of use. He was simply following the rules passed down through generations of the Imperial Medical Bureau and prescribing a standard calming medicine that was ‘in accordance with regulations.'”
Lan Ningcheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in their depths.
“What is truly frightening is not that some imperial physician wants to harm Your Highness, but what is hidden behind this prescription.”
Only then did Lan Ningcheng explain the old records he had uncovered, one by one.
“I examined the medicinal records of the Imperial Medical Bureau throughout the generations. The name ‘Crimson Marrow’ appears to have first emerged approximately four hundred years ago. In even earlier records, there was a mineral-based medicine that had been banned because of its medicinal properties and the harm caused by prolonged use. It was the predecessor of Crimson Marrow, though it went by a different name at the time.”
Xiao Ying looked up at him.
“…That mineral medicine is… what is now called Crimson Marrow? If it was merely… renamed, the court’s laws wouldn’t have allowed it to pass, would they?”
Lan Ningcheng nodded slightly and explained in a measured voice:
“That is why this was not a simple renaming. The mineral medicine originally shared its name with a pigment. The banned drug recorded in the laws also shared that same name as the pigment. The mineral medicine and the pigment were not of the same grade. Before the mineral medicine could be used medicinally, it had to undergo processes such as calcination and water levigation. Later, when Crimson Marrow appeared, another method of processing was added, and it was entered into the pharmacopoeia under a new name. At the time, in order to distinguish it from the pigment and the banned drug and regulate its use, a new name was established.”
Xiao Ying’s brows knitted slightly.
“…So the claim at the time was that the new processing method… had already eliminated the problems associated with the old medicine?”
“Precisely. The new medicine was declared to be different from the previously banned drug. After being processed using the new method, it could supposedly be taken ‘normally’ according to the prescription, without being subject to the old prohibition.”
Lan Ningcheng pushed a copied marginal note from an old record toward him.
Hearing this, Xiao Ying let out a cold laugh, his eyes full of mockery.
“…If the new processing method really worked, then there would have been no Pruning Case.” He paused briefly and took a breath before continuing. “They took the old mineral medicine, changed its form and name… and put it back on the market, bypassing the existing laws… What a fine way to change the packaging without changing the contents.”
Xiao Ying thought to himself that, at the same time, the additional processing method would increase the medicine’s cost and reduce its output, making it even rarer. Those nobles who were so enthusiastic about pursuing “rare medicinal ingredients” would surely be even more eager to obtain it.
Lan Ningcheng nodded slightly, his tone grave.
“When I compared the early copies with later editions of the pharmacopoeia, I confirmed something. Beside the relevant entries in the old records were warnings about ‘dosage restrictions,’ ‘prohibitions against prolonged use,’ ‘restrictions based on constitution,’ and ‘toxic accumulation.’ Later editions, however, retained only the medicinal name, processing method, and compatible ingredients. All the original restrictions were quietly removed. As for why those restrictions disappeared, the surviving pharmacopoeias contain no clear explanation of the revisions.”
Xiao Ying’s head, which had been heavy and throbbing, suddenly cleared a little at those words.
“…If it were merely a change of name, one could still claim it was done to distinguish the new medicinal material from the old. But if even the prohibition against prolonged use disappeared along with it…”
“Then it is no longer just a matter of renaming,” Lan Ningcheng continued. “The new processing method was said to eliminate the old concerns, allowing the medicine to be entered into the pharmacopoeia again under a new name. As time went on, even the records reminding physicians to pay attention to the risks of prolonged use gradually disappeared.”
Xiao Ying stared at the words on the paper, his gaze turning cold.
“…In that case, even if physicians in later generations follow the pharmacopoeia, they may not know\… what they have overlooked. As for those who have taken this medicine for years, they would never imagine… that the problem might lie in an ordinary calming medicine that has long since been taken for granted.”
Lan Ningcheng took half a step forward, lowering his voice slightly.
“That is precisely what concerns me. If these changes were not accidental, then what someone altered was not merely the name of a medicinal ingredient, but the very basis on which later generations judged whether it was safe.”
The current pharmacopoeia had been in use for many years. Physicians followed its regulations, and those in later generations who prescribed medicines according to it might never know that the old records had once documented these prohibitions.
Sleeping Cloud Residence fell silent for a moment.
Xiao Ying’s eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing within them.
“First, they changed the name of a banned drug… Then, year after year, they ‘omitted’ the warnings about its original dangers. And now\… four hundred years later, this system of ‘compliance with regulations’ is still affecting the imperial heirs. What was altered four hundred years ago was not merely the pharmacopoeia… but an entire set of ‘rules.’ This scheme was buried so deeply that This Prince doesn’t even know\… whether to praise this family’s perseverance and obsession, or call them utterly mad…”
“…There is one more thing.”
Xiao Ying withdrew his hand, his voice growing heavier.
“…Four hundred years ago, the Su clan was exterminated for treason, and the Sheng clan also appeared in that period of history. Compare the dates of the pharmacopoeia revisions with the old case records… Investigate who was involved in handling these matters at the time… and whether the Sheng clan had any dealings with the Imperial Medical Bureau, the procurement of medicinal ingredients, or the compilation and revision of the pharmacopoeia.”
Lan Ningcheng acknowledged the order.
The old case from four hundred years ago, the prescription that had remained in use until today, and the old prohibitions that had gradually disappeared from later records.
If even one of these threads could be traced back to someone involved in those events at the time, it might allow a corner of that long-buried history to emerge once more.
Four hundred years.
If these suspicious details were indeed connected, then the people behind them would not need to act personally in every generation.
They only needed to leave the dangerous substance in the pharmacopoeia in a form that complied with regulations, then allow the warnings known to those in the know to gradually disappear. In this way, later generations would regard something that should originally have been treated with caution as an entirely ordinary part of daily life.
“…If someone really did these things,” Xiao Ying said slowly, “then what they wanted… was not merely to make one particular person swallow one particular bowl of medicine.”
His eyes were cold and dark.
“What they wanted was to make everyone believe that there was nothing wrong with that bowl of medicine.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the temperature inside Sleeping Cloud Residence seemed to drop abruptly.
“But…”
Xiao Ying suddenly stopped speaking.
Lan Ningcheng looked up at him.
An indescribable hint of mockery appeared on Xiao Ying’s face.
“If they… really spent several hundred years laying out such a scheme, what exactly… are they seeking?”
Xiao Ying knew perfectly well that the most likely force behind all this was the ancient family with a five-hundred-year legacy—the Sheng clan.
“Your Highness believes this is related to the imperial family’s inheritance?”
“…This Prince doesn’t know.” Xiao Ying answered bluntly, without attempting to hide even the slightest uncertainty.
“If it were merely a matter of seizing imperial power… four hundred years would be far too long. If they truly wanted to usurp the throne and take over the realm… they wouldn’t necessarily need to rely on one medicinal ingredient to slowly wear away the lives of several generations.”
He furrowed his brows slightly, but his thoughts could not help returning to the side hall of the Temple of Heaven.
The mysterious forbidden chamber in the Clan Court, the secret that Fifth Prince had said had not yet been passed down to the Crown Prince, and those rules whose origins were unknown… They were like several fragments that had nothing to do with one another, yet somehow all pointed toward the imperial family itself.
“Unless… what they want isn’t the throne.”
After those words fell, even Xiao Ying himself fell silent.
Lan Ningcheng asked, “If not the throne, what else could be worth spending several hundred years pursuing?”
Xiao Ying slowly shook his head.
“…For the time being, This Prince cannot think of anything… that could be more important than possessing the entire realm…”
Xiao Ying looked at the small celadon bottle.
The small celadon bottle on the table remained unopened.
The ingredients in the calming pills were not unusual, and Crimson Marrow was not a newly developed medicine in recent years.
Yet beneath that smooth, delicate glaze flowed a slow-acting noose that had stretched across four hundred years, already woven into the bloodline of the Great Sheng Dynasty and its medical system.
When he was two years old, he had once narrowly escaped being given calming decoction.
Now, calming pills had appeared before him once again, like a relentless hellish messenger that refused to leave him alone.
There was no need for flashing blades or struggles for power.
As long as enough time passed… they could allow the entire imperial family to quietly decline under the meticulous care of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Or, as in his case, they could use this medicine to make him unable to absorb even a single bowl of rice porridge after a serious illness, causing him to die as though from natural causes.
Xiao Ying raised a hand and pressed it against his faintly aching temple, but his thoughts continued to race.
If the renaming of Crimson Marrow and the revisions to the pharmacopoeia were truly connected to the Sheng clan, then perhaps the Sheng clan possessed certain secrets about the imperial family that were never meant to be shared with outsiders. Alternatively, they might have some other objective that required them to maintain this system over such a long period.
Could the Emperor’s repeated attempts to sound him out also be related to this?
Had Xiao Jin tried to sound him out several times because he had heard something?
And as for Seventh Brother, far away in the northern frontier… did he know more?
The moment his thoughts reached this point, Xiao Ying felt his headache suddenly worsen. His vision grew hazy, and his already bloodless lips turned even paler.
Seeing how utterly exhausted Xiao Ying looked and how poor his complexion had become, Lan Ningcheng immediately stepped forward and collected the porcelain bottle and prescription from the rosewood table, slipping them back into his sleeve.
“Your Highness’s thinking time for today is over. You should rest now.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ying couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh. In a hoarse voice, he teased, “What… does This Prince even have a scheduled time for thinking now?”
Despite his words, he truly had no strength left to think any further. Even his fingers were trembling slightly.
Lan Ningcheng stepped forward and skillfully pulled the quilt over him, neatly folding the edge around his body.
Xiao Ying slightly opened his eyes from the bed and looked at Lan Ningcheng, who was busy tending to him. In a low voice, he asked:
“…How is Jiu Ling?”
Lan Ningcheng’s hand paused slightly as he straightened the edge of the quilt.
A moment later, Lan Ningcheng raised his eyes and looked directly at him.
“Didn’t Your Highness order that he not be informed? Why are you suddenly concerned about him now?”
Xiao Ying was slightly taken aback. His gaze wandered for a moment as he defended himself somewhat unconvincingly.
“This Prince… This Prince was only afraid he would worry.”
Lan Ningcheng sighed helplessly, withdrew his hand, and stood beside the bed.
“Does Your Highness really believe that someone as perceptive as Young Master Wu would remain completely unaware?”
Xiao Ying was rendered speechless by those words.
He vaguely felt that something was strange. Why did Lan Ningcheng’s tone today seem to carry a hint of speaking up for Wu Jiuling?
In the past, when it came to the people and affairs of the residence’s inner quarters, Lan Ningcheng had always remained absolutely neutral and strictly maintained his boundaries.
However, what Lan Ningcheng said did make sense.
A secret could not remain hidden forever. With Wu Jiuling’s powers of observation, he could hardly have failed to notice the change in the residence’s security arrangements.
Xiao Ying asked tentatively, “Then… did he say anything?”
“Young Master didn’t ask anything.” Lan Ningcheng’s tone was flat, but he made his meaning perfectly clear. “He simply continued quietly doing what was within his responsibilities, and casually helped the residence remove a hidden thorn. As for visiting you… he never mentioned it.”
Xiao Ying was slightly stunned, surprise flashing through his eyes.
He had assumed that if Wu Jiuling noticed he had fallen seriously ill, he would send a visiting card and urgently request permission to see him, just as he had the last time Xiao Ying fell into the water.
But this time, Wu Jiuling had been so quiet that it was almost abnormal.
Was it because he had noticed the order forbidding anyone from revealing the news?
Lan Ningcheng looked at Xiao Ying’s puzzled expression and spoke:
“Your Highness arranged a teacher for him, but did not restrict which path he should take after completing his studies. You even arranged to redeem his freedom in advance for the future, but never demanded that he remain by your side afterward. You were willing to let him make all these decisions for himself.”
He paused slightly, his gaze falling upon Xiao Ying’s pale face.
“Yet this time, you even decided for him whether or not he would be allowed to come and see you.”
The last time Xiao Ying had fallen into the water and become seriously ill, Wu Jiuling had immediately sent a visiting card. But this time, Wu Jiuling had quietly remained within the boundaries of his own position. Because he understood Xiao Ying’s arrangements, he had chosen to respect those boundaries.
Precisely because of this, even Lan Ningcheng, who had always been impartial and unyielding, could not help speaking up to remind him.
Xiao Ying had immediately sent someone to notify Consort Wan in the palace, yet he had deliberately excluded Wu Jiuling from the information.
Xiao Ying had originally wanted to defend himself, but when the words reached his lips, he suddenly couldn’t find a suitable reason.
He truly hadn’t wanted Wu Jiuling to worry.
He had simply hoped that if he kept the news hidden, the other person would have one less thing weighing on his mind.
As for whether Wu Jiuling was willing to bear that worry, he had never genuinely asked.
Xiao Ying felt as though his head were splitting apart. He pressed his fingers against his temples, stopping Lan Ningcheng from continuing.
“This Prince understands… Don’t keep lecturing me…”
He felt that this twenty-two-year-old Chief Secretary was practically an old-fashioned elder. Once he started nagging, his headache only grew worse.
Xiao Ying pondered for a long while. His long lashes lowered, concealing the emotions in his eyes. Finally, he spoke in a low voice, changing his mind.
“Have him come over…”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to feel that they were not quite appropriate, so he added:
“No. Pass on This Prince’s message. Tell him… This Prince wishes to see him.”
Lan Ningcheng lowered his eyes and bowed respectfully.
“This subject obeys.”
With that, he turned and quietly left Sleeping Cloud Residence, leaving Xiao Ying alone, leaning among the soft pillows.
The hand that could usually calculate every aspect of a situation with perfect clarity now lay helplessly upon the quilt.
There were some things he could arrange perfectly for others.
But there were other things he might never be able to figure out.