CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 456 : XIE JIANYU’S DARK PAST (1)

Hot.

It was so hot.

The air hung heavy and thick, a stifling blanket pressing down on him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, tracing salty tracks down his cheeks.

His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale scorching his lungs. He was a furnace, his skin prickling with heat that seemed to seep into his very bones.

"Hot..." he rasped, the word a desperate plea for relief.

He writhed on the bed, tossing his head from side to side, seeking solace in the nonexistent breeze. But instead of comfort, a voice sliced through the haze, sharp and cold as ice.

"Again? How many times has it been this month?"

"Father, Little Yu is born with a weak constitution. He will get stronger with time," another voice said in argument.

"That is what you tell me every time he is sick," the first person scoffed.

"It is because I feel the urge to constantly remind you, Imperial Father."

Ah.

Now he remembered.

It was when he was but a three-year-old boy.

Wracked by intense fever, he listened helplessly as the Emperor and his elder brother’s argument echoed through the hushed chamber.

"Save your smart mouth and use your time and energy to take care of your brother instead, Jianshen," the Heavenly Emperor snapped. "I don’t want to hear about another fever!"

Clenching his jaw in fury, Xie Jianshen cupped his fists before his father and returned to Xie Jianyu’s bedside without another word.

"Little Yu, everything will be fine," Xie Jianshen’s voice was a low murmur as he gently stroked Xie Jianyu’s forehead, the cool touch a soothing counterpoint to the latter’s burning skin.

"Don’t think about anything else. Just rest."

Xie Jianyu slowly opened his eyes.

His sight blurred by tears, he was unable to see his elder brother’s face. He tried saying something, but no words came out.

"Big Brother, I am sorry," he wanted to say. "I have been a burden to you ever since I was born. I am sorry for all the fevers... I will try not to fall sick too often, I promise..."

He drifted off soon after, only to be tormented by nightmares in his sleep. When he finally emerged from their grip, Xie Jianshen was nowhere to be found.

"Big Brother..."

Xie Jianyu’s arm snaked out, parting the silken curtain. His heart sank as he realized Xie Jianshen was not inside the opulent bed chamber at all.

"Big Brother..." Burning with fever, he called out again, his voice a hoarse whisper swallowed by the silence.

No answer.

With a desperate surge, Xie Jianyu pushed himself off the bed, the room tilting wildly before him. He collapsed onto the cold floor, limbs heavy and useless as stones.

Minutes bled into each other, each breath a struggle, before he managed to push himself up, vision still swimming.

Xie Jianyu crumbled to the floor several more times. Finally, he reached the door and pushed it open. The bright sunlight flooded the bed chamber, washing away the darkness and leaving him momentarily blinking in its harsh brilliance. A sharp voice of a little boy, laced with frustration, cut through the silence.

"Mother, why haven’t you come home at all?"

Xie Jianyu leaned against the rough stone wall and peeked through the gap between the fence.

Xie Jianshen was in the garden, squatting in front of a very unhappy Jiang Muchen. The latter’s face flushed red with fury, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Your Little Uncle has a little fever," Xie Jianshen spoke to his son in a soft voice. "Mother is taking care of him. Muchen, you are two years older. You are a big boy now. Please wait until Mother returns, alright?"

Jiang Muchen’s face crumpled like waste paper.

"No!" He shouted stubbornly. "I don’t want to. Mother, why do you have to run here every time Little Uncle is sick? It is just a little fever, right? Do you even remember that today is my birthday???"

Xie Jianshen’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but he did not let his son’s breakdown affect him for long.

"That’s why I said that you are a big boy now. Muchen, don’t be ridiculous. Your Little Uncle needs me. He doesn’t have anyone to take care of him."

"He has the entire Golden Dragon Palace to take care of him!" Jiang Muchen wailed. "Waaaaaahhhh... I don’t care, wahhhhhhhhh you have to come home today!"

Hidden behind the wall, Xie Jianyu was unseen by a group of maids who were whispering to each other on the other side of the wall.

"Poor Prince Jiang Muchen," the first one said. "He has to share his mother with the Crown Prince ever since the Crown Prince was born."

"I pity the Shuiran Palace Mistress more," the second one sighed. "He is under tremendous pressure. Everyone knows that the Heavenly Emperor relies on him to turn the Crown Prince into an exemplary specimen of an alpha."

The third maid winced as she listened to the other two maids.

"The Crown Prince is but five years old. It will take at least eleven more years before his secondary gender is revealed."

"He has no option but to be an alpha," the first maid said.

"Every parent wants their child to be an alpha, but what if said child becomes an omega instead? Omegas are also good," the third maid insisted.

"You fool. Remember that we are talking about the Crown Prince here. The Heavenly Emperor only has two sons. The Heavenly Empress passed away a while ago.

The first son already differentiated into an omega.

If the second son too differentiates into an omega, the dragon clan might just lose the Dragon Throne!"

All three maids gasped in unison.

"The Crown Prince has to differentiate into an alpha."

"Yes, he doesn’t have any other choice."

"If he becomes an alpha, everyone will be happy."

"The realm will be peaceful one more time."

"The Empress’ death, Shuiran Palace Mistress’ years of sacrifice, and even Prince Jiang Muchen’s gloomy childhood years will eventually pay off."

Tucked away in the hidden corner, little Xie Jianyu pulled his small legs close, his body a fragile ball against the cool stone wall.

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Author’s note :

No, Qiao Wei did not regress into Xie Jianyu’s childhood. He is reliving Xie Jianyu’s darkest memories.