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The two looked at each other, and neither wanted to speak first.

“Go on,” Long Xuan was impatient, “Is the child going to be ok?”

From the way the two of them were looking at each other, Long Xuan could tell that Consort Xu wasn’t in a great condition, so he looked at the old madam servant waiting outside and said, “Madam, you may take your leave and tell my imperial mother that Consort Xu is going to take her medicine soon. She’s not in grave danger, and ask my imperial mother to not worry,” With that, Long Xuan threw a look at Fu Yun.

Fu Yun quickly walked up to the old woman and said, “Madam, I’ll show you out.”

The madam was an old servant of the palace, and she knew that this meant Long Xuan didn’t want her to hear Consort Xu’s real condition, but she didn’t want to break the pretence. No matter what the outcome, her imperial majesty the empress had already done her best, if Long Xuan’s side weren’t going to reciprocate, there was nothing more the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix could do for them. The old madam put on a smile and nodded at Long Xuan, “Consort Xu is sure to have great fortune, it’s good that nothing bad has happened. Your humble servant will take her leave and make her report to her imperial majesty presently.”

“This is a gift from the second prince,” Fu Yun handed a heavy pouch of silver to the old madam when he saw her off.

Inside the hall, Long Xuan spoke directly to the physicians, “It’s fine, say what you want to say plainly, I’m not one to shoot the messenger.”

The two physicians looked at one another again, and finally the older of the two bowed, “Your Imperial Highness, the consort’s condition is not looking very good. Her heart is pent up with emotions, and her liver looks inflamed, it looks like she’s been ill for quite some time.”

“Inflamed?” Long Xuan knew some basic medicine. Upon hearing this, he responded, “Then you need to prescribe her some anti-inflammatories. But she’s with child, and the medicine may interfere, how will you prescribe? What about the condition of the baby?”

The physicians were having a tough time prescribing. Pregnant women cannot take that sort of medicine, and they’ve only given her something to stave off her illness. The only thing was that even though it will get rid of some of her pain, it wasn’t enough to get to the root of the problem.

“What about the baby?” Long Xiang repeated beside them.

“Your Imperial Highness,” After thinking things over, the imperial physician finally responded to Long Xuan, “The consort is already showing signs of miscarriage. I can only try my best to protect the baby, but I’m only twenty percent sure of success.”

“What about you?” Long Xuan asked the other physician.

“I am uncertain as well,” The physician quickly responded.

Long Xuan’s hands clenched hard in his sleeves. Twenty percent? That’s about the same as saying that this child is dead. “Then do your best,” He said finally.

“As you command,” The two physicians responded.

“The two of you know that today is a happy day in the palace, we have the birth of a new prince. On such an auspicious day, I think the two of you ought to not report anything negative to his imperial majesty,” Long Xuan’s face was cold as he spoke, “When you make your report, say that Consort Xu has taken her medicine, and nothing else.”

“Your Imperial Highness, we…” The physicians were startled, was he asking them to hide facts from the emperor himself?

“Consort Xu is only a consort, and not my official wife, that child is not a blood heir either,” Long Xuan responded, “There’s no need to ruin my imperial father and mother’s joy with this child. If something were to really happen to Consort Xu, I shall report to them myself.”

“How can you do this?” Long Xiang shouted, “Brother, how can you say these things?”

“If you have something to say, wait until later,” Long Xuan looked at his younger brother, then turned to the two physicians, “The two of you only need to concern yourselves with doing your best for Consort Xu.”

“Understood,” The two of them had heard of how cold Long Xuan could be by reputation, but seeing how he can speak this way about his own consort, the two of them could do nothing else other than to accept and do their duties.

“I’ll be in my study,” Long Xuan did not go back in to check on Consort Xu, he told the imperial physicians as he left, “If anything happens, send someone to find me.”

Long Xiang stared at Long Xuan, then at the two physicians, and stomped his foot out of anger before running after Long Xuan.

As he watched Long Xuan leave, one of the physicians sighed heavily.

“Be careful to not be heard!” The older physician quickly reminded his younger. In the palace, an extra word is an extra chance to do something wrong. As physicians, when their masters are sick, they’ll do their best to heal them, at other times, it’s better to pretend to see and hear nothing.

Long Xuan headed back to his study with a quick stride, “Leave,” He said to the young eunuchs who attended the study as soon as he walked in.

Long Xiang followed quickly behind, watching the four eunuchs shuffle off in fear.

“Close the door,” Long Xuan asked Long Xiang as he sat himself down in an empty chair.

Long Xiang slammed the door shut, and shouted at Long Xuan, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“What are you yelling for?” Long Xuan replied, “Don’t you know today is the birthday of our younger brother?”

“Is that it then? Because father has another son, that means no one else in the palace is allowed to get sick?” Long Xuan’s words made next to no sense to Long Xiang.

“Don’t you know the kind of position we’re in?”

“We are weak at the moment. Father doesn’t favour us, and we can’t see our consort mother, but we’re not prisoners, are we?” Long Xiang said in anger, “Even prisoners are allowed to complain when they get sick, are they not?!”

“If I told them, and Consort Xu turns out to be fine, won’t it simply be another chance for people to make gossip?” Long Xuan said, “Better to wait and see how she turns out.”

“Twenty percent!” Long Xiang replied, “I might as well go find a temple and start praying to Buddha! What kind of turn out are you waiting for? Waiting until my sister-in-law’s baby is gone? Is that when you’ll say something?”

“Don’t you get it? If I go and tell them right now, I’ll be putting myself somewhere where I’m not wanted,” Long Xuan said, “You know we’re in a precarious situation right now in the palace, don’t keep acting as if our Consort Mother was still managing the entire Back Palace. I won’t say anything until the condition has gotten truly dire. Just listen to me.”

“Big brother!”

“Just go back to your place for the time being!” Long Xuan rubbed at the furrow between his own brows.

“Am I supposed to just fall asleep when I go back?” Long Xiang raised his voice again.

“Let me have some peace and quiet,” Long Xuan said, “Xiang, we’re talking about my first child here, it’s not as if I’m not suffering.”

Long Xiang knew that his older brother didn’t want his younger brother to see him in pain. He stood there for a moment, and sighed, “Then I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning, if anything happens to her, send someone to let me know.”

“Mm.”

Long Xiang left, his mind full of worries.

Long Xuan closed his eyes as he sat. He didn’t want Long Xiang to be anxious and worried, but he knew that this younger brother of his is no help right now, so he sent him back to rest. Long Xuan smiled bitterly. He wanted someone to be with him right now, the problem was that person wasn’t going to come.

“Your Imperial Highness!” Outside the study, Fu Yun gave a gentle, careful knock at the door.

Long Xuan didn’t respond.

Fu Yun waited for a moment, when he heard silence, there was nothing more he could do but grit his teeth and speak, “Your Imperial Highness, Consort Xu’s belly is hurting again.”

“Send for the imperial physician,” Long Xuan responded coldly, “Do I look like an imperial physician to you?”

Fu Yun didn’t dare say anything more, and scuttled off as quietly as he could.

Long Xuan opened his eyes, dazed as he stared at the candelabra opposite him on the table. How can he get out of their current position? Be good to the crown prince, leave the capital, that was his only exit. Only when he leaves the capital can he start to amass his power again. Even though his uncle was dead now, but his disciples and friends are still there. Within them, there’d at least be a few he could use. Ming Jian Villa’s Ning Shu Ying has sent word too, saying he’d like to meet at some point. All of this can only be done if he left the capital. But how can he leave? The father and son of the Luo family hadn’t even showed their hand yet, and a single grand scholar was able to stand in his way. Is this it? Was he meant to die, imprisoned within these palace walls?