章 136: Bloodlines of the Forbidden Palace
Within the Huige Hall, an oppressive silence hung in the air. The imperial physicians stood beside the dragon bed, heads bowed, hardly daring to breathe. Lan Yi Xuan stood at the foot of the bed, his expression calm, yet there was an unfathomable depth to his demeanor.
"Leave."
After a long pause, Lan Yi Xuan spoke softly. The imperial physicians raised their heads in unison, casting him a glance of relief, as if pardoned from a great burden. Clutching their medicine boxes, they hurried away.
"Everyone, leave."
Lan Yi Xuan gestured to the attending eunuchs.
All the physicians and attendants swiftly departed, leaving the hall eerily empty, save for Lan Yi Xuan and the silent figure of the Lan King lying in bed. The eunuchs carefully closed the doors, though the faint sound of the latch echoed through the room. Lan Yi Xuan turned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the chamber, and then seated himself beside the bed.
The Lan King, who had lain motionless, slowly opened his eyes, a faint, forced smile tugging at his lips. His once majestic face, now gaunt and wrinkled, had faded into an ashen pallor. In the span of a single night, it seemed he had aged a decade, the remnants of his former grandeur utterly vanished.
"Xuan'er..."
The king's voice was a hoarse rasp, like torn silk. He looked at Lan Yi Xuan—his most gifted son, the one he had cherished above all. For the past decade of his absence from Lan, not a day had passed without thoughts of him. Trembling, he reached out, wanting to caress his son's face, but Lan Yi Xuan evaded the touch.
The Lan King's smile faltered, pale and weak. "Do you resent your father?"
Lan Yi Xuan regarded the king's outstretched hand, his expression serene, a customary smile of grace playing on his lips. With a measured movement, he grasped his father's hand, gently tucking it under the covers, and smoothed the blanket with care. His misty eyes flickered with a vague puzzlement. "Father, what do you mean by this? I do not understand."
He patted the king's shoulder lightly. "I have spent years away, fortunate to be under your protection. I am ever grateful—there is no room in my heart for resentment."
The Lan King stared intently at his son, as if trying to pierce through his calm facade, like gazing into a mirror that reflected nothing back. After a long pause, he sighed deeply. Lan Yi Xuan's smile deepened, faint traces of irony dancing at the edges, his gaze locking with the king's. "Besides, Father has no obligation to treat me well."
The Lan King blinked, momentarily stunned, his sharp gaze cutting like a blade, as though he wished to drive it straight into Lan Yi Xuan's heart, to uncover what lay within. He widened his eyes in alarm, his lips parting slightly as he pointed shakily at his son, "You—you—" but no words came out.
Lan Yi Xuan, still smiling, took hold of his father's hand. "In both appearance and character, I bear no resemblance to you."
The king's breath caught, fear flashing in his eyes as he swallowed with difficulty, struggling to sit up. "You—you knew all along?"
Before he could finish speaking, his body faltered, collapsing back onto the bed. Trembling violently, he gasped for breath, then slowly closed his eyes, as though recalling some distant, pleasant memory. His breathing gradually steadied, and a soft smile spread across his pale face. "It was the year of my coming-of-age ceremony. I had snuck out of the palace and was pursued by my fourth brother's men, falling off a cliff. It was your mother who saved me. When I awoke, her gentle eyes were the first thing I saw, filled with a quiet smile and a hint of worry. I'll never forget it. It wasn't until I brought her back to the palace that I learned she was with child. Despite the opposition of every minister and general, I made her my empress, and I vowed to treat you as my own son, telling no one of the truth."
Tears welled in the king's once parched eyes, yet Lan Yi Xuan remained impassive, detached. Abruptly, he let go of his father's hand, his gaze falling upon the intricate lines in his palm. "Is this the love you speak of?"
After a pause, he glanced indifferently at the king, who had reopened his eyes. "Is this the love you bore for my mother?"
His voice grew cold, dripping with sarcasm. Fixing the king with a steely stare, he spoke as though he already knew the answer: "You knew everything, didn't you?"
The Lan King offered no response, his eyelids fluttering in silent confirmation.
Lan Yi Xuan chuckled softly, turning his gaze toward the window. The twilight sky deepened, golden hues from the waning sun slipping through the cracks in the window, casting blurred shadows on the floor—a fleeting visage, a faint smile, the warmth of sunlight. "During the time when Chuxue disappeared, while Mother rested, I snuck off to the Weiyang Palace. I watched her closely, and as her eyes met mine, she suddenly flew into a mad rage, clutching my shoulders, screaming, 'You wretched child!'" He clicked his tongue twice and turned around. "That ghastly sight was truly terrifying."
Though his tone remained light, his gaze lingered on the king's withered face. He was not his biological son, yet the king had treated him better than any of his trueborn sons. He ought to be grateful. The king's actions had deeply hurt him, but he harbored no resentment. Nothing—no anticipation, no love, and certainly no hate—remained. They were as strangers. "Did Father ever see what Mother looked like before she died?"
The Lan King's exhausted eyes widened, then slowly shut.
"No, I suppose not. She wouldn't have wanted you to see her like that. Someone as indecisive as you would have been haunted by nightmares."
Lan Yi Xuan raised his right hand, waving it in front of the king. "It was with this hand that I ended her life."
The king recoiled, his emaciated body pressing against the bed, his face ashen and lifeless. "Her limbs severed, her body stuffed into a vat, only her head exposed. Her eyes gouged out, her ears deaf to the world. Silently, she begged me to end her suffering. This place was soaked in blood—Mother's blood."
Lan Yi Xuan chuckled, still exuding an air of regal elegance, though there was not the slightest trace of warmth in his misty eyes. "During that time, I had the same nightmare night after night, blood everywhere I looked. Didn't you say, Father, that I had grown much thinner back then?"
His expression remained composed, his voice devoid of emotion, as he met the king's terrified gaze. "You truly loved my mother, didn't you? How else could you have lived for twenty years with the very one who destroyed her, treating them with kindness and affection? I have nothing but boundless respect for you, Father. How could I possibly resent you?"
Lan Yi Xuan's lips curved into a chilling smile as he watched the tears well up in the king's eyes. The king leaned back against the bed, stretching out his hand once more, still trying to caress his son's face. "Xuan'er..."
"Xuan'er..."
"My dear Xuan'er..."
The King of Lan wept uncontrollably, his dignity entirely lost.
"I am here, Father."
The voice was as calm as still water, barely stirring the surface. "Father"—a title meant to carry reverence, but as Lan Wang strained to hear something more, there was nothing. No emotion, no resentment. This composed indifference was even more chilling.
"I know, I truly know."
Lan Wang sighed. "She told me she had an identical twin sister, competitive and proud, the only difference being a birthmark on her left ear. Perhaps your mother foresaw this day. She asked me, if it ever came, to ensure no harm would befall her."
Lan Yixuan remained silent, his misted gaze devoid of emotion, cold and distant, enough to evoke guilt. Lan Wang, leaning against his pillow, gradually let the tension ease from his face, a faint smile emerging. "Your temperament mirrors your mother's—detached yet stubborn to the core, especially with matters of the heart. I know she held affection for another man all along; her feelings toward me were only of gratitude."
A soft chuckle escaped Lan Wang, a sound of genuine amusement. "I'm glad. Xianyue is a fine girl, clever and resourceful. I can see she loves you deeply, and you care for her too. With her by your side, I am at peace. As for the Kingdom of Lan, I have no doubts about your abilities. My Xuan'er is destined for more than just ruling this kingdom."
He looked at Lan Yixuan with contentment, before a violent fit of coughing overtook him. Lan Yixuan raised an eyebrow and gently helped him lie back down. Under Lan Wang's smiling gaze, he spoke calmly, "Father, Xianyue and I are not meant to be."
Lan Wang's eyes widened in disbelief, trying to sit up, but Lan Yixuan held him down. "Do you still remember what you told me before I left Lan?"
Lan Yixuan released his hold on his father's shoulder. "You said that when I returned, you'd give me what was rightfully mine."
He rose to his feet, only to have Lan Wang grasp his hand, trembling. He looked at his son with pleading eyes. "Xuan'er, I beg you, let the Queen go."
The smile on Lan Yixuan's face deepened, his dark eyes fixed on his father, sending a chill through the air. After a long silence, he laughed. "You know I despise anything sticky. I have no interest in bearing the crime of matricide."
Standing upright, Lan Yixuan declared, "It is time for you to fulfill your promise, Father."
Lan Wang closed his eyes, his frail appearance taking on an even sadder aura. He gazed at his son. "Was I wrong?"
The son he had loved like his own had grown so distant, a stranger who seemed farther away than anyone else.
Lan Yixuan took two steps back, his misty gaze lighting up with sparks of cold fire. Bowing toward his father, he affirmed, "This is the wisest decision you've ever made in your life."
A man's ambition knows no bounds. A father's kind words to send his son off on his journey, nothing more than a way to ease the parting. While he had indeed achieved success over the years, it had nothing to do with the man lying on the bed.
Lan Wang waved weakly. "Soon, all that belongs to me will be yours."
Lan Yixuan stepped forward, then suddenly turned back to look at the King. "Whether we can be together or not, meeting Xianyue has been the greatest fortune of my life."
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