The carriage halted. Xue Zhuoran lifted the curtain and jumped down, turning to offer his arm to Murong Jin.
She leaned heavily on him, her legs trembling with the effort. The medicine had worked, but her strength had not fully returned. She could walk, but only just.
The palace gate was empty. Only the guards stood at attention.
Xue Zhuoran frowned. He had sent word ahead.薛流岚 should have been here.
"Shall we go in?" he asked gently.
She lowered her eyes, masking her disappointment with a smile. "Trouble you, Fourth Brother."
She could have been carried in a sedan chair, but she refused. She would not return as a cripple.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Little Dingzi hurried out from the Imperial Study. "You're finally back."
"Is the Emperor inside?" she asked, her voice calm.
"Um… well… Your Majesty… the Emperor… he's…" The eunuch stammered, his eyes darting nervously.
My lord, where are you? You said you'd be right back!
"Is he not here?" Xue Zhuoran asked sharply.
Little Dingzi shrank back. "Hehe…"
"If he is not here, I will return to my palace." Murong Jin turned to Xue Zhuoran. "Thank you for escorting me, Fourth Brother. The inner palace is inconvenient for you. Please go back and rest."
"Your legs… should I send someone with you?"
"No need." She smiled politely, then turned back to the eunuch. "Is he with Consort Guo?"
"Your Majesty… Consort Guo sent word that she was feeling unwell. She asked the Emperor to visit."
"Suddenly he is a physician?" She gave a cold laugh. "And the Prince? Where is he?"
"The little prince has been inseparable from the Emperor these past days." Little Dingzi told the truth, fearing the consequences of a lie.
"So my son is in Guo Lingyu's palace." Her face hardened. The temperature around her seemed to drop.
Xue Zhuoran's heart sank. Her calm was a facade. And hearing her son was with that woman…
Little Dingzi looked pleadingly at the Fourth Prince.
"You must be tired. Why not rest first?" Xue Zhuoran suggested.
"Little Dingzi. Take me to Consort Guo's palace." She ignored him.
"Murong Jin." Xue Zhuoran stepped in front of her.
"Fourth Brother, this is my affair. Step aside." She looked him in the eye, her gaze resolute.
"This is the palace. One wrong step could be fatal. Wait for Liulan." He didn't move. He saw the cold fury in her eyes. A woman's rage was unpredictable.
"I said, this is my affair." She kept her voice level, suppressing the urge to shout. "Step aside."
"What do you intend to do?" He stared at her. "Her father harmed you. She clings to your husband. Are you going there to kill her?"
"I only want to bring my son back."
"Only that?"
"Only that." She nodded. "Now, will you move?"
"And Liulan? Will you harm him?" He had to ask. If she didn't vent her anger, she wouldn't be Murong Jin.
"Him?" She gave a half-smile. "He is the Emperor. What can I do to him?"
Xue Zhuoran and Little Dingzi exchanged a look. Xue Liulan was in trouble.
Maybe her leaving was a mistake, a trap set by Guo Shangzhong. But she had returned wounded, and he wasn't even here to greet her. The fault was now his.
"I will go with you."
"You are tired. Go rest." She shook her head. His health was fragile.
"I promised him I would deliver you safely." He glanced at Little Dingzi.
The eunuch took the cue. "Oh, Your Majesty, you don't know! Since you left, the Emperor hasn't slept or eaten properly. He's wasted away!"
"Mm." She nodded woodenly.
"He just stares at the little prince all day. Sometimes he sits in Zhaoyang Palace for hours, just looking at your things."
It was true. Every night, no matter how tired, he went there, holding his son, lost in memories of her.
She pressed her lips together, taking a deep breath. Then she laughed. "I'm just going to pick up my son. Why do you two look like you're facing an army?"
They were speechless. Had we underestimated her?
In Consort Guo's palace, Xue Liulan sat on the dais, watching dancers perform. Guo Lingyu leaned against him, pouring wine. In the corner, Xue Qi played quietly, surrounded by servants.
He lifted his cup. The wine reflected his anxious eyes. Fourth Brother said she was hurt. How bad was it?
"Report! The Empress and the Fourth Prince have arrived!"
"Send them in!" His face lit up. Finally. "Bring the Prince here."
The servants brought Xue Qi to his side. Guo Lingyu stood, staring at the woman walking through her doors.
Murong Jin was her nightmare. She held Xue Liulan's heart, and she wouldn't disappear. Even today, keeping him here had been a struggle. His heart wasn't with her. It never had been.
"Your subject greets the Emperor." Xue Zhuoran bowed.
"Rise, Fourth Brother." Xue Liulan's eyes were fixed on Murong Jin.
She was paler than before, swaying slightly as she stood, leaning on Little Dingzi for support.
She avoided his gaze. "Your subject greets the Emperor."
He frowned. The baby in his arms squirmed, reaching for his mother.
"Qi'er, be good." He soothed him.
"Come, Qi'er. Come to Mother," Guo Lingyu cooed, reaching for the child.
"Consort Guo is mistaken. The Prince is the Empress's son. He has only one mother. According to custom, he should call you Consort Mother," Xue Zhuoran interjected. Is she blind? Can't she see the anger on Jin's face? Does she want to die?
"What does the Fourth Prince mean?" Guo Lingyu paused, confused. "He has been with me these past days. Birth is a grace, but raising is a grace too. Is it wrong for him to call me Mother?"
"So this is how the Emperor treats my son." Murong Jin sneered. Her anger, old and new, boiled over. One more word, and she might draw her sword.
"Murong Jin, you are tired. Go back and rest." Xue Liulan stood, fighting the urge to hold her.
She didn't move. She stared at the child. He was paler than when she left. His lips were not a healthy color. The poison had affected him.
Her anger flared higher.
"Xue Liulan, Qi'er is my son. Thank you for your care. Now give him back." The words were ground out through clenched teeth.
"Your Majesty, he hasn't had his medicine yet. Oh look, a bruise on his face!" Guo Lingyu knelt before the child, fussing over him like a mother.
"Send the medicine to Zhaoyang Palace." Xue Liulan picked up the boy and walked to Murong Jin. "He is weak. Be careful."
"Are you worried I can't take care of my own son?" She snatched the child from him.
"No mother leaves her son for so long. Your Majesty, I fear the little prince doesn't even remember who you are," Guo Lingyu laughed from the dais, gloating.
Her godfather had said Murong Jin was crippled, a useless burden.
Murong Jin's hold on the child tightened. She knew he remembered her. But Guo Lingyu's words struck a chord of fear.
She had been so certain of Xue Liulan. But things had changed. Would her son change too? Would her memory fade from his heart, just as she feared it was fading from his father's?