Chapter Eighty-Eight: My Lord, You Are Nothing but a Bastard

"How did you get here? Go back to your own courtyard at once."

The moment Xiao Jingxuan saw Su Jingluo enter, he swiftly moved to block her from the others' view.

The eunuchs in attendance all lit up at the sight of her. As long as they could bring her into the palace, their errand would be complete, and the night’s trouble would not have been for nothing.

"Consort, the Dowager Empress is ill. His Majesty has praised your medical skill and wishes you to come and take a look," the old eunuch hurriedly explained, pushing forward.

"If they were merely summoning a physician, would they bring so many people? But since this concerns the dignity of the imperial household, please ask for clearer orders, masters. Do not say she needs nursing care; say she needs treatment. And even sickness has degrees of curability. If she cannot be cured, that cannot be laid at my door. Lastly, I am not bringing my son. Do not threaten others with their families' lives. That is despicable."

Su Jingluo was not sure whether the Dowager Empress was truly ill, but such a forceful summons could mean either a grave illness or some hidden scheme. In any case, she did not want Xiao Jingxuan to fall out with the emperor over her at a time like this. The more he cared about his wife and child, the easier it was for others to take hold of him. That was not something she wished to see.

"This..." The eunuchs' faces changed at once, and they exchanged troubled glances. They had long heard that this consort spoke with blunt honesty, but seeing her today, this was not mere frankness at all. She was practically unrestrained to the point of recklessness.

"Repeat my words exactly. That is my personal opinion, not your fault, nor does it represent Prince Jing's view," Su Jingluo said, knowing what troubled them, and relieved their embarrassment even as she distanced Xiao Jingxuan from the matter.

"Go on, then," she urged them.

The eunuchs were in a dreadful position. This consort had no filter, but they still wanted their heads on their shoulders and hoped to live a little longer. They dared not repeat her words verbatim, and with the matter urgent, they could only rush back to the palace.

"Must you go? It may not be as simple as treating an illness," Xiao Jingxuan said with clear concern. The empress was the best at acting, the Dowager Empress at power games, and the emperor was unfathomable. He did not want Su Jingluo dragged into their affairs.

"If there's an illness, treat it. If there isn't, you needn't worry so much," Su Jingluo said plainly. If something happened, she was telling him not to concern himself with her, not to do anything on her behalf.

Xiao Jingxuan was displeased. What kind of attitude was that? If his own consort were truly taken into the palace under compulsion, could he just ignore it? Perhaps she did not understand him as well as the emperor and empress did, or else the people in the palace would not have arranged things this way.

"I will not allow you to go, and I will not allow you to speak like that."

He met her gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"Are you worried about me?" Su Jingluo returned his look. This man was too handsome; with even a trace of tenderness, he could make one fall utterly.

"Are you worried about me? If you are, then say so. No need to pretend, and no need to hide it." Su Jingluo wanted a sincere answer. She placed her hand against Xiao Jingxuan's chest, wanting him to answer from his true heart and will.

A tremor passed through Xiao Jingxuan's eyes. His throat moved, and the word waiting in his throat was about to escape. Yet he was used to coldness, used to concealing his emotions; old habits were not easy to change.

When Su Jingluo received no answer for a long while, she gave a self-mocking smile.

"Xiao Jingxuan, do you know what you are? You're a scoundrel. The scent of wild flowers outside has drifted all the way into the prince's manor. You are so brooding that no one dares approach; so cold that you make people feel hopeless; and your schemes run as deep as the sea."

Looking away, she began to upbraid him.