ITF Chapter64

Bai Yi rarely dreamed of his two old acquaintances.

When awakened by the chief steward of the bedchamber, the soft, melodious chords of the string music were still lingering in his ears. Bai Yi stared blankly into space for a short moment before ordering the bed curtains to be drawn.

More than a dozen attendants stood in a long queue by the bedside, waiting to assist the king with his morning wash and dressing.

Bai Jiashu would come to pay his respects to him every day at this hour and today was no exception. He took a purple velvet doublet from an attendant’s hands, helped Bai Yi into it, and then took the belt to fasten it around his waist, sliding his fingers underneath the inner side to test the tightness.

“Are you still angry with Heting?” He asked in a low voice.

Bai Yi closed his eyes and said, “Do not mention him.”

Fastening the belt for him, Bai Jiashu probed carefully, “It seems he may have been framed—”

Bai Yi said, “If you came to plead for him, you may go back.”

His tone was resolute, and Bai Jiashu immediately swallowed his remaining words. “Very well, I won’t mention it.”

He placed both hands on Bai Yi’s shoulders, massaging them with a moderate amount of pressure. “Blame me for speaking out of turn; please ease your anger. I heard you haven’t been eating well these days, so I had the royal chefs prepare some stomach-warming breakfast for you.”

As he spoke, a line of attendants bearing breakfast entered one after another. Bai Yi glanced at them and gave a weary nod. “Set it on the table.”

“Royal Father,” Bai Jiashu lowered his hands and said softly, “I will not make you worry over my marriage anymore. I will wed as soon as possible and sire an heir for the kingdom.”

Bai Jiashu was much more composed than before, no longer wearing his emotions on his sleeve as if he had suddenly grown up.

“How did you suddenly become so sensible?” Bai Yi sat down at the dining table and gestured for him to come over. “Come, let’s eat together.”

Bai Jiashu walked over obediently, and while ladling the appetizer soup for Bai Yi, he said, “It is only that I have come to my senses too late.”

He ladled a bowl for himself and sat down across from Bai Yi, noticing the king’s unusual expression.

A plate of steaming apple pie was set right in front of Bai Yi.

This was Bai Heting’s favorite food. Bai Jiashu furrowed his brows in vexation. “Blame my carelessness. I will have them take it away right now.”

“Leave it.” Bai Yi sighed softly and stopped him.

Bai Jiashu moved the plate of apple pie in front of himself, cut a piece, and ate it in small bites. Bai Yi drank more than half a bowl of the appetizer soup while it was hot and tasted a few pieces of tender lamb. Neither father nor son uttered a single word, spending a quiet morning together amidst the aroma of the food.

The palatable food made Bai Yi feel warm all over, and his mood brightened slightly. “Speak, what exactly did you come to see me for?” Having said that, he reminded him once more, “Do not bother speaking any words of pleading for him.”

“Nothing escapes your eyes.” Bai Jiashu put down his utensils, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and straightened his back in his chair. “I have a question in my mind that I would like to ask you to clarify.”

Bai Yi said, “What question?”

Bai Jiashu hesitated for a moment. “You once said that Heting and I were named after a foreign poem,” he said, then recited the line aloud: “Near the sparse fence stands a monk’s cottage; within it, auspicious trees and a crane-filled courtyard are broad and serene.”

Bai Yi glanced at him and gave a low “Mm.”

“I really want to know…” Bai Jiashu asked with a serious face, “Did Jiashu come first, or did Heting come first?”

This question of his was bizarre. Bai Yi put down the utensils in his hand, his expression turning solemn as well.

Bai Jiashu took a folded piece of letter from his pocket, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the table. The paper looked quite old, and from its quality, one could tell it was something only nobles could afford. Bai Yi stared blankly at the piece of paper, and only after a long while did he come back to himself. “How did this letter end up in your hands?”

Bai Jiashu answered irrelevantly, “His mother’s handwriting is actually quite beautiful.”

Bai Yi did not answer hastily. He did not know how much Bai Jiashu had already learned, but he could sense that something about him was off.

Bai Jiashu looked down at the letter and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I always thought it was because my talent was mediocre that I never caught your attention. Only now do I understand that from the moment I was born, I was already merely someone else’s appendage.”

Bai Yi widened his eyes in disbelief—

The turn of events happened almost in an instant. The attendants who had just served the food drew short daggers at the exact same moment, easily subduing the dozen or so attendants who took care of the king’s daily life.

Taking advantage of Bai Yi’s momentary distraction, Bai Jiashu also took the dinner knife from his hand. “You brought him back and spared no effort to raise him. I’m very curious; if he had differentiated into an Alpha, what would you have done?” Without waiting for Bai Yi to speak, he answered his own question, “You would surely have overcome all difficulties and spared no effort to restore him to his rightful place. After all, he is…”

He looked directly at Bai Yi and said slowly, “Your truly legitimate eldest son.”

“Presumptuous!” Bai Yi rose abruptly but failed to stand firmly. He braced himself against the table with both hands just to keep from falling back into his chair. “Who gave you the audacity—”

“Don’t worry.” Bai Jiashu actually did not let him finish his sentence and even smiled slightly at him. “After we marry, I will take good care of him for you.”

Only at this moment did Bai Yi understand what the “marriage” that required none of his worries meant.

“What marriage?” He growled, “You two are biological brothers!”

“What’s the difference between biological brothers and maternal cousins?” Bai Jiashu paused, then said as if suddenly understanding, “Ah, are you worried our children might not survive infancy?” He then shook his head indifferently. “It doesn’t matter. We can have more; eventually, one will be born healthy.”

Overcome by a sudden rush of anxiety and fury, Bai Yi felt a burning heat surge through his entire body. His head spun, and he sank back into his chair.

“You…” He panted, asking, “What did you feed me?”

Bai Jiashu gazed at his bloodshot eyes and remained quiet for a brief moment.

“Nothing much, just some things to heighten the mood,” he said gently. “Ever since you discovered you were infertile; you never stepped foot into my Queen Mother’s bedchamber again. You have so many beautiful lovers; today, I helped you bring them all here.”

His mouth dry and his throat parched, Bai Yi instinctively reached for the wine glass on the table, but he immediately snapped back to his senses and slammed it hard onto the ground. He did not know what he had ingested, but he was certain that it was by no means an ordinary aphrodisiac; even if it were, the dosage far exceeded normal limits.

“Bai Jiashu!” He rasped out a hoarse cry, shaking his head violently several times in an attempt to clear his mind.

“Guards!” He shouted toward the doors.

As he wished, the doors to the bedchamber were pushed open, and a squad of swordsmen marched in.

Bai Jiashu stared fixedly at the man before him. There was a time when he had desperately craved this person’s affection.

But that sort of thing was already impossible for him to obtain.

And he also no longer needed it.

“Ah, right.” He retrieved the letter from the table. “This, I cannot give you yet, but in a few days, I will burn it for you.” Holding the letter between two fingers, he let out a sigh of regret. “Though, since you will die in the beds of your lovers, in the world after death, he likely won’t be willing to meet you either.”

The man before him resembled a desperate, trapped beast. Bai Yi glared fixedly at Shao Yixiao, who was the last to enter the bedchamber with his eyes nearly splitting with rage, and then looked back at Bai Jiashu’s indifferent face, grinding his teeth as he said, “You think they treat you with sincerity? They are merely using you—”

“Of course I know.” Bai Jiashu once again did not let him finish his sentence.

With plenty of room to spare, he took a few steps backward.

“But that is all a matter for after your death. You need not worry about it; better to focus on enjoying the present.” He said calmly amidst Bai Yi’s gradually fading vision, ” Royal Father, I suddenly find that achieving one’s goals through underhanded means actually feels quite good. I really don’t know what I was so obsessed with before.”

Bai Yi could not hear what he was saying clearly; his mind had already descended into absolute chaos.

Before his consciousness faded, in his haze, he realized a pathetic truth—this was the first time in all these years that Bai Jiashu had resembled him the most.

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