By then, Huang Xiao and Li Deming had entered the King of Xia's residence. Though called a princely residence, its grandeur and scale were essentially those of an imperial palace. In Great Song, no prince would have dared build a residence of such dimensions. Huang Xiao had once seen Prince Jin's Manor, but even that fell far short of the King of Xia's residence.
In truth, this was only natural. Here, Li Jiqian was now an emperor in all but name, and his word was law. Although he depended on Khitan, he was still the one who ruled here.
"Elder Brother!" Just then, a young man appeared before them.
Huang Xiao sized him up. Since this man called Li Deming his elder brother, he was obviously his younger brother. Huang Xiao knew that Li Jiqian had two sons: the eldest, Li Deming, and the second, Li Dezhao. So the man before him had to be Li Dezhao. He bore some resemblance to Li Deming, but looked somewhat thinner and frailer.
"Ah, Second Brother. Where are you going?" Li Deming could not help asking when he saw his younger brother heading out.
"I heard you went to collect the antidote, Elder Brother. I was just about to go and take a look, but I didn't expect you to be back already. Did you get it?" Li Dezhao asked.
Rather than answer, Li Deming said, "I have urgent business and must see Mother at once. We can discuss this later."
With that, he paid Li Dezhao no further attention and hurried toward the inner residence with Huang Xiao.
Li Dezhao did not follow. He merely stood where he was, watching the two leave. He remained there for quite some time, his thoughts unknown. The expression on his face changed several times before