Chapter 531: Verbal Sparring

Xiao Ting leading people had just entered the East Si Ma Gate of the palace city when Wang Gonggong, attendant of Emperor Longqing, hurried out, holding a stack of bright yellow silk-wrapped edict in his hands.

"Your Highness!" Wang Gonggong saw Xiao Ting approach, hastily stepped aside to avoid him, and bowed.

Xiao Ting's gaze slowly swept over that stack of documents, and his face instantly darkened.

"Wang Gonggong sure is busy!"

Wang Gonggong bowed even lower, looking at Xiao Yin as he hastily performed the salute, saying: "In reply to Your Highness, the Emperor orders us to do whatever He commands; we dare not disobey in the slightest."

"Being busy is also due to the Emperor's hard work!"

Xiao Ting let out a cold snort; this servant was as slippery as a loach. He coldly stared at the edict in Wang Gonggong's hands and asked: "What are you doing with it?"

Wang Gonggong then replied in a question-and-answer manner: "To report to Your Highness, the Emperor has issued a document from the Ministry of Rites; today it is to be posted as the imperial notice in Shang Jing."

"What matter?" Xiao Ting slightly raised his eyes.

Wang Gonggong hastily said: "It is a great joy; the Emperor's imperial prince had previously been lost among the common folk, and after enduring countless hardships, he has finally been found."

"Moreover, this imperial prince is versed in Qi Huang's art; he even cured the Emperor's illness—how delightful, how congratulatory; the whole realm celebrates, the Emperor issues a notice to celebrate, and will host a banquet for guests at the Hall of Jade Blossom, set for tomorrow evening!"

Xiao Ting nearly lost his footing; after waiting so long, enduring so much, finally seeing the clouds part to reveal the moon, he did not expect an inexplicable person to suddenly intervene.

Xiao Ting could not maintain a normal expression; he glared at Wang Gonggong, gritting his teeth: "A person who appeared out of nowhere midway—beware of martial-world swindlers!"

Beads of fine sweat appeared on Wang Gonggong's forehead; evidently the Crown Prince's remark was extremely inappropriate.

Whether or not he is a swindler, the Emperor's edict has already been issued; to call him a swindler would be to say the Emperor is a fool who has been deceived.

The Emperor is sage; how could he possibly be deceived?

Wang Gonggong steeled himself and whispered low: "In reply to Your Highness! The blood‑relation recognition has already been completed! It… it is true……"

Having said that, he hastily lowered his head, daring not to speak further.

At that instant Xiao Ting's body involuntarily swayed; he did not know what to do.

In that very moment, it felt as if a wisp of his soul had been sucked away.

Xiao Ting took a long while to catch his breath, then gritted his teeth and coldly laughed: "Oh? When did I gain such a brother? How delightful, how congratulatory—let's go inside and take a look!"

"Yes!" Wang Gonggong lowered his head even further, not daring to speak, merely waiting for Xiao Ting to pass by his side before slowly raising his head again.

Wang Gonggong watched Xiao Ting's retreating back, his eyes filling with a hint of mockery.

Aside from his mother being a Li family daughter and his formerly good relationship with Emperor Longqing, Xiao Ting had no other advantages.

Lacking financial resources, lacking military authority, relying only on those civil official factions, it would be hard to endure long.

Having just assumed the regency, he was not low‑key, provoking those he ought not to; now the matter has finally blown up, and this person is also clueless.

Wang Gonggong turned around, slowly shook his head, and strode out to relay the message beyond the palace.

Xiao Ting hurried to Emperor Longqing's sleeping quarters; this time he could no longer smell the previous strong stench of blood, and the attendants serving around also showed a bit more liveliness in their eyes.

From afar he could hear bursts of laughter and chatter from within, among which was the voice of a young man Xiao Ting had never heard before.

Xiao Ting's steps faltered slightly; he had not expected that, having just confirmed kinship last night, today they would already be exhibiting father‑kind‑son‑filial harmony, and this harmonious atmosphere made his heart grow increasingly uneasy.

Xiao Ting barely managed to suppress the unnatural expression on his face, adjusted his sleeves, and strode into Emperor Longqing's sleeping quarters, where he bowed at the doorway.

"Father Emperor, your subject requests an audience!"

The laughter inside ceased, and then a eunuch came out and led Xiao Ting inside.

After passing twelve glazed folding screens, Xiao Ting finally came to a stop; raising his gaze, his expression froze for a moment.

He had imagined the savage coming from the common folk to be crude and uncouth—how could such a person possibly bear the identity of imperial lineage?

Unexpectedly, the young man seated beside Emperor Longqing wore an indigo‑blue brocade robe embroidered with cloud patterns, his hair bound with a black jade cap.

His appearance was strikingly androgynous, exceptionally handsome, yet his bearing was beyond that of ordinary people.

Upon first seeing Bai Xiaosheng, Xiao Ting felt this person was not ordinary.

Bai Xiaosheng saw Xiao Ting enter, slowly rose to his feet, stood respectfully to one side, his demeanor quite low‑key.

Seated upon the Dragon Throne, Emperor Longqing now visibly had his ailments lessened, his whole person gaining a bit more liveliness.

However, his complexion remained as pale as paper, indicating his body had not fundamentally improved—only his spirits were vigorous.

These years Emperor Longqing has been tormented by bodily pain to the point of wishing for death; Gu Jiu Ling used medicine to suppress the nerve pain throughout his body.

In fact this medicine is highly toxic, destroying all his pain‑sensing nerves; even if tumors filled his entire body or burst internally, he would feel no pain.

It is merely self‑deception; in the end it cannot save his life.

Nevertheless, Emperor Longqing's mood was still quite good; from afar he waved at Xiao Ting: "Ting'er, come quickly, meet your brother."

Xiao Ting's doubts vanished; his face showed little aversion, yet not much warmth either. He stepped forward, looking at Bai Xiaosheng and said: "Brother, just arrived from the common folk, today I came to the palace to see you—indeed you are no ordinary person, your bearing is outstanding."

"The scions of great clans would be outshone by your bearing."

Xiao Ting's praise, sentence after sentence, was nothing but an effort to flatter Bai Xiaosheng to death.

Bai Xiaosheng's persona is that of an impoverished drifter, rescued by Prince Rui and then sent to the palace capital to have his kinship recognized.

For such a person, Xiao Ting would laud his outstanding bearing on the left and his extraordinary demeanor on the right.

After such a round of flattery, Emperor Longqing inevitably felt a hint of doubt.

"If he is that outstanding, capable of eclipsing the heirs of aristocratic families, how could he possibly have ended up wandering the streets?"

"Therefore, in coming to see him this time, he must harbor ulterior motives, have other designs."

Emperor Longqing is supremely suspicious; upon the Crown Prince saying this, his expression indeed shifted.

Bai Xiaosheng smiled faintly: "Your Highness the Crown Prince jests; my such bearing is entirely thanks to the Emperor's grace."

"What is this modest bearing of mine? I am the Emperor's son; naturally it is the Emperor who has bestowed this favor upon his subject—dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes; the Emperor is the true Son of Heaven, and even if I had fallen among the common folk, I would still have inherited a measure of his aura, becoming unlike anyone else."

Having said that, Bai Xiaosheng knelt before Emperor Longqing, knocked his head once, and joked: "In that case, your subject wishes to spend more time accompanying the Father Emperor, to imbue himself with a touch of the Emperor's noble aura, so as to dispel the shabbiness of his own person."

"Hahaha!" Emperor Longqing burst out laughing, pointing at Bai Xiaosheng as he laughed and scolded: "Indeed you are a silver‑tongued fellow; the court has its rules, the martial world its storms."

"You have wandered the common realm for so many years; it is I who owe you, and this time I will make proper amends upon your return."

The serious topics Xiao Ting had just raised vanished in an instant.

Bai Xiaosheng had trained in the martial world for so many years; whether Emperor Longqing's feelings toward him were genuine or feigned, at the very least these days Bai Xiaosheng made Emperor Longqing live very happily — that was enough.