Chapter 13 Chapter 13 "Seduction"

The topic in the meeting hall was still the Liang Party's conspiracy to rebel. Li Cheng received news the day before yesterday that there was an earthquake in the southwest and many chieftains had suffered casualties. The main force of the Liang Party was in the southwest and it was estimated that they would not be spared.

Compared to the Great Jin, the enemy's forces were already smaller, and most of them had been damaged by natural and man-made disasters, so they weren't a threat. His main concern now was rebellion within his own camp, especially from the generals who held military power. Therefore, he couldn't take it lightly.

The purpose of coming here is to let Zhao Wen pay attention to all unusual movements in the army during this period. If anyone is caught traitoring the enemy, he must be dealt with immediately to prevent future troubles.

Not long after finishing the business, the young master burst into the room wearing soft satin shoes. Without saying a word, he threw himself on Li Cheng and said in a soft voice, "Uncle, hug me!"

Since his aunt was monopolized by his mother, he came to his uncle. His uncle always doted on him and would certainly not refuse this small request.

As expected, Li Cheng's face lit up with a smile. He put his strong arms around the child's waist and lifted him up high. He spun him around a few times and then asked, "Brother Yu, what are you doing here?"

Zhao Yu nestled in his arms, her small hand on the prince's neck, and said mysteriously, "Uncle, Yu'er will take you somewhere." He hadn't forgotten the mission his mother had given him, and spoke furtively, putting his hand to his mouth and glancing warily at his father.

Zhao Wen: “…” Well, his biological father has become an outsider.

"Where are you going?" The little guy's hand subconsciously reached for his hair, but Li Cheng quickly grabbed it. This guy had a criminal record, having loved pulling people's hair since childhood, and he was very strong. It was impossible for him not to pull out a few hairs under his vicious hand.

Zhao Yu saw that the other party saw through his intentions, and laughed awkwardly, and said to his uncle, "Oh, you'll know when you get there. It would be boring to say it now."

"What else do you think is interesting, little guy? That's really strange," Li Cheng teased him, and without hesitation, he pointed out: "Are you trying to slack off again? Have you finished practicing your calligraphy today?"

Zhao Yu suddenly felt like a deflated balloon, angrily clamoring to leave. He shouldn't have come today. If he had known his uncle's temper, every time he saw him, he would either ask what he had written, what books he had read, or if he had finished his homework.

Even my father is not like him. It's really hateful.

He returned to Zhao Wen pitifully, hugged his arm and said coquettishly: "Father, my hands are very sore and tired today. I have already written two pages of large characters. Can you write the rest tomorrow?"

Zhao Wen knew his son's character well. He said he'd postpone it until tomorrow, but he'd actually come up with a new excuse tomorrow. If he wanted him to write, he'd probably wait until his next life.

He knew very well that he couldn't let his child do whatever he wanted. If he allowed him to be so lazy, what would happen to him when he grew up?

But looking at the little guy's eyes that were exactly the same as his wife's, even the hardest heart softened, and he said to himself with a stern face: "I must make it up to you tomorrow, and don't be lazy."

"I know!" The little kid danced with joy, with a smug look on his face.

"Weizhi, if you continue to spoil your child like this, what will happen to him in the future?"

Zhao Wen looked calm: "Yu'er is not good at studying. No matter how much I force him, it will be of no avail. It is better to let him be happy and become a district director when he grows up."

"Who said I'm not good at studying?" Zhao Yu immediately became anxious when he heard this. His face flushed with anger and he said aggrievedly, "Father, how can you say that? Yesterday, the teacher praised Yu'er for his intelligence and said he would become a pillar of society in the future. I'm very smart!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face. Zhao Wen felt distressed and quickly hugged the child to comfort him: "It's Daddy's fault. Daddy was just talking nonsense. Yu'er, please don't be angry, okay?"

"Hmph, I'm not going to pay any attention to you!" The little guy turned his head away stubbornly, determined not to even look at him. Zhao Wen coaxed the child for a long time before he calmed down.

Li Cheng was surprised to see this. He seldom came to the princess's house, so he had never seen Zhao Wen being so humble when coaxing a child. This general who gave orders and commanded the three armies, when he came home, he coaxed his children like this.

It's quite strange.

He looked at the father and son with interest, and said in a low voice: "If I had a child, he would definitely not be like Weizhi."

If he had a child, he would love and care for him. If it was a boy, he would personally teach him horse riding and archery. If it was a girl, he would personally teach her to read and write. He would spend part of his life with them.

But, I will never be so indulgent.

"If Your Highness really has a close relative, then he will be able to empathize with me." Zhao Wen gently stroked the back of the child in his arms and stroked his fur.

Being young and naive, and having not yet met the princess and become a wife or father, he also scoffed at the practice of parents doting on their children.

Once the identity transformation is completed, many actions are subconscious and there is no room for much thinking.

Finally, Li Cheng was dragged out of the door by the child. The prince rubbed his brows with a hint of impatience. This little kid was too annoying, making one trouble after another.

But he couldn't say anything to refuse, and he was even more afraid of making Zhao Yu burst into tears, which would make it even more difficult to resolve the situation.

After walking through the corridor and passing the moon-shaped door, they arrived at an attic. Zhao Yu released his hand, tilted his chin upwards, and said mysteriously, "Uncle, go up by yourself. My father and I will go back first."

Li Cheng:

Not knowing what the child was up to, he prepared himself for a joke and planned to just walk up and down. Unexpectedly, just as he reached the corner of the stairs, he heard the faint sound of a melodious piano coming from the attic.

From the sound of the piano, one can guess that the person playing the piano was very nervous at the moment and made several mistakes.

He was worried that going up would disturb the host's enjoyment. Although this was the princess's residence, many people had come to the princess's residence for the Hundred Flowers Banquet today. Perhaps a woman from some family was playing the piano for her own entertainment.

He was also worried that Zhao Yu was waiting downstairs. If he found out he hadn't gone up, he might burst into tears again. This little guy was spoiled by his father, and he would burst into tears and cry non-stop over the slightest thing. Li Cheng had the good fortune to experience this once, and it really scared him.

After hesitating for a moment, perhaps inspired by Zhao Yu's tears or out of helplessness at the woman in the attic who kept playing the wrong notes, he lightly took a step and finally reached the end.

But he found that the person playing the piano was an acquaintance.

She was facing him sideways, wearing a red dress as bright as the morning glow, her long hair tied up in a high bun, with a few naughty strands still hanging by her ears, gently touching her cheek as the breeze blew through her hair.

It must be said that she suits the color red very well. The redder the dress, the more it highlights the whiteness of her skin, like a piece of fine Hetian jade, emitting a faint luster under the light.

Her thick eyelashes trembled as she blinked, and she played a few wrong notes. She was so nervous that sweat beads appeared on her forehead, and she bit her lip unconsciously. From the side, she looked like a puffed-up little dolphin.

The man stood silently behind her, his hands folded, while the woman played for her beloved in front, with occasional mishaps and erroneous notes. It really had the meaning of "to win Zhou Lang's attention, I often play the wrong strings."

Liang Hanzhang was naturally aware of the man standing behind him, and that was precisely why he was so nervous. The princess had once said that His Highness's zither skills were magnificent and unparalleled. Even the contemporary zither master, Mr. Duan Yun, said that the prince had a great talent for zither music.

Wouldn't it be ridiculous for her, a half-baked person who had only learned for more than a month, to show off her skills in front of him? Without even looking back, she could imagine the sneer on the other person's cold face.

He couldn't think about it. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and the more anxious he became, the more flustered he became. Liang Hanzhang was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, his mind was blank, and he looked incredibly embarrassed.

I should have known I shouldn't have listened to the princess's bad idea. It really makes things difficult for her, who is tone-deaf.

It was not until a low cry brought her back to reality that Liang Hanzhang realized that Li Cheng had squatted beside her, his dry big hand holding her small hand, and the two hands had very different skin colors.

"Your Highness..." Her brain seemed to have stopped thinking. She muttered to herself, staring blankly at the other person.

Li Cheng sighed softly, raised her hand and said, "Your hand was scratched by the strings, and you didn't even notice it?"

Liang Hanzhang followed the other person's gaze and looked at his own hand, only then did he discover a bean-sized drop of blood oozing from his white index finger.

Not only did she play several notes wrong, but she also got scratched by the strings in front of His Highness. What the hell is this?

Doesn’t she have any face?

The woman lowered her eyelashes, retracted her head into her neck, and acted like a quail in her daily life.

Seeing her reaction, Li Cheng knew that she really didn't notice that her fingers were scratched by the strings. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Who said Fengyi was an undercover agent infiltrating the Eastern Palace? With her pig brain, what kind of information can she bring out?

"I'll ask someone to call a doctor to bandage you," he said coldly, and planned to go downstairs to call Li Fu to ask someone to come over.

But the little woman grabbed the corner of her clothes. Her eyes were already misty, with tears about to fall. She pouting, "Your Highness, please don't blame me..."

Li Cheng felt that he had a conflict with tears today. He tried his best to coax Zhao Yu to stop the little one from crying. Unexpectedly, when he came here, he saw tears in the eyes of this woman again.

He hesitated for a moment, then stopped and sat down beside her, asking softly, "Why are you here?"

Liang Hanzhang felt embarrassed and replied with her head down: "I asked the princess to arrange it."

"So Zhao Yu went to great lengths to summon me here because of your instructions."

Liang Hanzhang: “Yes.”

Li Cheng: "When did you learn to play the piano and who taught you?"

Faced with the other party's aggressive questioning, Liang Hanzhang was a little overwhelmed and replied stiffly: "In the past month or so, I have been frequently visiting the princess's residence. It was the princess who taught me to play the piano."

"She said that as a minister of honor, I represent Your Highness's dignity when I'm out in public, and that I should learn some elegant things that can cultivate my character. That's why I dared to present the zither to Your Highness..."

"You play very well," he said, sitting upright and calmly, "but you don't have to play next time."

Liang Hanzhang was startled by his words. First he praised her for playing well, then he said she didn't need to play anymore. Could it be that her playing was really unbearable to listen to?

But she sounded alright, only making a few mistakes. After all, she had only been learning for a short time, and being able to play like she did was quite good. Even the princess said she was quite talented.

However, it seemed that this talent was not worth mentioning in front of His Highness. This man was far above the average person in every aspect.

"Did Luo Hua ever tell you that he likes the sound of the zither?" Li Cheng thought for a moment and asked.

Liang Hanzhang stared at the other person with eyes wide open, incredulous. How could he know?

"Actually, I don't like the sound of the zither. I play it so often just to kill time," the man said slowly in a mellow voice.

Liang Hanzhang: "..." That's it? Then what was all the hard work she'd put in studying for this period of time? She thought she was catering to his interests, but it turned out to be a joke.

"Actually, the reason why I often play the piano is because I met a little girl when I was a child." Li Cheng thought about the past, and subconsciously a faint smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes became gentle.

"At that time, I was imprisoned as a hostage in the Changsun Mansion by the Li Emperor's men and never saw the light of day. Li Fu was not around and no one remembered me. I was like an abandoned child left in the world by God. I could only listen to the birds singing and cicadas chirping outside, but I couldn't even go out."

Until he met that young lady, who had red lips and white teeth, liked to jump when she walked, and had two little pigtails on her head. She secretly climbed up to the attic, smiled sweetly at him, grabbed him with her chubby little hands, and called him "Brother".

She told him her name was "Aqin," a young servant in the Changsun mansion. Her mother had taken pity on her when she was shopping for servants, so she secretly bought her and raised her there. Because she was young and loved by the childless women in the courtyard, she rarely had to do any chores.

With food, clothes and entertainment, she treated the Changsun Mansion as her own home.

It was precisely because of this little sun with curved eyebrows and eyes that Li Cheng felt that the time he was trapped in Changsun Mansion was not too difficult.

The attic was heavily guarded. These warriors, who usually wielded swords and spears, all looked ferocious, but they ignored the little girl's sneaking up to the attic. I don't know whether they thought two children together would not cause any trouble, or they just thought the little girl was cute and couldn't bear to embarrass her.

In short, the two of them secretly stayed together for six months. During these six months, thanks to Aqin's company, his days were no longer gloomy. He no longer wallowed in the pain of being abandoned by his parents.

Later, Haocheng was captured and Emperor Li tied him to a pillar on the city wall to threaten his father who was downstairs and ordered him to withdraw his troops.

The emperor wasn't fooled. The sharp arrow in his hand pierced his flesh, and he didn't feel the slightest pain. All that spread in his heart was an endless sense of loss.

That arrow slew not only his deep affection for the father he seldom saw, but also his blood relationship with the Emperor. Blood ties, that's all.

He knew he had no right to blame his father. It was a critical moment for survival, and he had no choice.

However, Li Cheng thought to himself countless times that if he were a father, he would never shoot his own child with his own hands, nor would he raise his child outside and ignore him for many years.

Later, everyone concluded that he was doomed to die, but he managed to survive after a near-death experience and finally inherited the throne as the eldest son.

His life gradually became smooth sailing, but he could never find his little girl again.