Chapter 113 Open and Honest

He hadn't returned to the Prince's Mansion for two years, but fortunately, Liu Qi sent people to inspect the house every year and spent money to maintain the residence.

On a clear autumn day, when I returned home, the flowers and plants in the small garden were in full bloom. After Zhuang Dongqing became pregnant, she worked as a gardener in the small garden for a period of time. When she returned to Beijing this time, she saw that the few rose bushes she had planted crookedly back then were now in full bloom and growing luxuriantly.

"Does An'an like this? We can cut a few branches to give to Grandma."

Zhuang Dongqing said generously.

Cen An'an, not yet understanding the beauty of flowers, innocently asked, "Are we giving them to Grandma to make flower cakes?"

Her eyes shone with longing, and she asked Zhuang Dongqing a question that left him speechless.

Cen Yan laughed, half-squatting down to ask Cen An, "Are the flower cakes delicious?"

"Delicious!"

I answered so fast that my voice cracked and I couldn't speak clearly.

"Does An'an remember when we usually eat flower cakes?"

Cen An'an thought hard for a moment and gave the correct answer: "When Zhizhi calls."

It's cicadas. Children's vocabulary isn't that extensive yet, and after the height of summer and more than a month of not using it, they've clearly forgotten it. They only remember the sound of cicadas chirping, "zhi zhi zhi."

"Yes, is Zhizhi calling now?"

Cen An'an shook her head in disappointment.

Cen Yan hugged the little boy and asked him again, "Aren't the flowers pretty?"

"It looks good and smells nice."

“Well, An’an wants to give something to Grandma, but making flower cakes isn’t giving Grandma anything. And Grandma won’t eat the cakes all by herself, right?”

As he spoke, Cen Yan reached out and pinched the little boy's nose.

Cen An'an realized something and nodded timidly.

"These flowers are so pretty, wouldn't it be nice to give them to Grandma to put in her room, in a vase?"

Okay.

"An'an understands."

The little boy said, "Making flower cakes is for everyone, but the flowers we see are for Grandma."

learn by analogy.

He has a really sharp mind.

The toddler, just over two years old, displayed an astonishing level of intelligence.

Cen Yan was satisfied, and then spoke to Cen Anfen in detail, dispelling the little brat's feelings of guilt.

Zhuang Dongqing usually doesn't have this kind of patience. Cen Yan was teaching him, so he turned around and picked up a pair of flower shears. After the father and son finished talking, he asked An'an which ones she wanted. Cen An'an carefully looked at all the flower buds, big and small, and picked out several. Zhuang Dongqing cut them off and also trimmed off the thorns on the stems. Liu Fu wrapped them in kraft paper, tied them up, and had Cen An'an hold them so they could be given to Grandma later.

Back at the Prince's Mansion, the adults reminisced, but for Cen An'an, who was born in Jiangnan, everything was new and exciting.

Zhuang Dongqing and Cen Yan returned to the main house. The little brat was still jumping around in the outer room. There were servants following them, but the two of them didn't care. After a long march, the first thing they did upon returning to the main courtyard was to wash up.

The small kitchen was once again filled with boiling water on a large scale.

In the rising steam, the fatigue of the past month faded away in the warm water.

When Cen An'an returned to the main courtyard covered in dust from playing, both of her fathers were already smelling delicious.

"An'an also wants to take a bath."

After sniffing himself, the little brat showed a look of disgust for the first time.

Zhuang Dongqing found it amusing. Thinking that Grandma was old and tired from the journey, she didn't let the little boy go back to the house. Instead, she and Liufu used the extra hot water from the small kitchen to give the little boy a bath as well.

The little girl had a watermelon-shaped haircut, and her hair was wet in clumps. Cen Yan didn't pay attention to it while she was taking a bath, but after the bath, he took her hand and dried her hair.

Many children in this era shaved their heads, like the dolls in New Year paintings, leaving only a strand or a few strands of hair tied into a small braid. Zhuang Dongqing disliked that it didn't look good, so An'an kept a modern little watermelon head. His hair was like Cen Yan's, with good quality, and it was black and shiny when it was loose.

"Father, An'an is sleepy."

The little boy rubbed his eyes.

Cen Yan: "No, you can't sleep until your hair is dry."

"Waaah, Daddy, hug me."

He moved closer and hugged Zhuang Dongqing's arm. Before hugging him, he subconsciously checked left and right, a habit Cen An had left behind when Zhuang Dongqing was recovering from his injury, and didn't try to pull away from his left arm.

After being held for a short while, An'an closed her eyes tightly.

Cen Yanle brushed An'an's hair aside, smiled and whispered, "I don't know where you went crazy. Are you alright now? You must be tired."

"Give it to me, it's half-dry, I'll hold it for a while."

Zhuang Dongqing's arm was better, but he still couldn't exert much strength. The two-year-old was chubby and would fall asleep and needed to be supported. Cen Yan was worried that it would be too much for him.

After An'an was placed in Cen Yan's arms, Cen An'an woke up briefly, blinked her eyes, and said after recognizing him, "It's Daddy..." She then reached out to hug Cen Yan's arm, and closed her eyes as her little face touched Cen Yan's.

With her hands free, Zhuang Dongqing touched Cen An'an's hair, ruffling it to let in some air so it would dry faster.

“I’m sleepy now, but when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll be running all over the Prince’s mansion again,” Zhuang Dongqing said.

Cen Yan looked down and saw Cen An's soft little face squeezed out of his arm.

My eyes filled with warmth, and my brows relaxed.

Once the hair was almost dry, Cen Yan carried the baby back to the house with Zhuang Dongqing.

"What are you looking at?"

Back in the main courtyard, after getting into bed, Cen Yan asked Zhuang Dongqing.

"Oh, it's nothing." Shifting her gaze from the carved details on the side of the bed, Zhuang Dongqing said slowly, "It feels like it was just yesterday. Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. Coming back here feels a bit unreal."

It's not just about where you live.

In fact, everything that has happened recently has been happening too fast, and Zhuang Dongqing is still somewhat dazed.

Seeing the confusion in Zhuang Dongqing's eyes, Cen Yan pulled him down to lie down and said, "Hmm, and then?"

"And then... will we really be able to leave quickly this time?"

Zhuang Dongqing looked at Cen Yan, her expression revealing worry.

"Don't you like going to the capital?"

After lowering his eyes for a moment, Zhuang Dongqing shook his head slightly. "I don't like it."

"There is too much conflict."

"I still prefer the time I spent in Suzhou. Life was slow, but very peaceful."

Cen Yan patted Zhuang Dongqing's hair, "Just bear with it a little longer, it'll be over soon..."

He paused, then lowered his voice again, "His Majesty doesn't have much time left."

Zhuang Dongqing looked at Cen Yan.

Her eyes shimmered in the dim candlelight, making Cen Yan's heart flutter.

They leaned in, their lips met, and shared a long kiss.

They were both dressed in plain clothes during the march, and for a moment their breathing became rapid.

Are you sleepy?

Cen Yan asked, but instead took Zhuang Dongqing's earlobe into his mouth.

The wet touch sent a shiver down Zhuang Dongqing's spine.

"A little, aren't you tired?"

"Not tired..."

His hand slipped inside her clothes, and Cen Yan's breath hit Zhuang Dongqing's cheek, "Just this once, okay?"

Before Zhuang Dongqing could decide, Cen Yan silenced him again, belatedly realizing that he hadn't given him a chance to refuse.

Zhuang Dongqing relaxed her body.

The candlelight flickered incessantly, and candle wax dripped until midnight.

*

Time flies, and Zhuang Dongqing has been back in the capital for more than a week, while Cen An has also visited every corner of the Prince's Mansion.

In the first few days, in order to facilitate the handover, Cen Yan went to the Dali Temple several times to handle the case of the Eighth Prince raising a private army.

Eunuch Feng was quite capable in handling cases, and with the additional evidence provided by Cen Yan in private, the evidence was irrefutable. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review initially had some concerns, but later, faced with a wealth of evidence, he realized that it was not a case of accusation or factionalism, and he felt more at ease. He was able to handle related matters with more confidence and deal with many high-ranking officials who came to test him.

Only when it came to the Eighth Prince did the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review treat him with the best food and drink.

Emperor Shengwu had already woken up. Before he spoke, the Eighth Prince was still a prince, and they could not deal with him at will.

Cen Yan was fully aware of this, but didn't care.

He wasn't really interested in Li De's life; dealing with that kind of person, enduring torture was the hardest thing to bear.

In fact, he was right.

Li De had been imprisoned in Dali Temple for more than ten days, during which he had gone on hunger strike twice.

When Liu Qi reported, Cen Yan merely curled his lips without uttering a word.

Liu Qi knew that Cen Yan was satisfied with the Dali Temple's actions, so he continued to gather information without interfering.

"Hmm? He left the palace?"

Li Yang had been taking care of Emperor Shengwu tirelessly lately, a fact known throughout the court. When Emperor Shengwu's condition relapsed, Cen Yan knew it was due to the use of Master Zhao's prescription. Sure enough, later on, someone was sent to invite Master Zhao again to take Emperor Shengwu's pulse.

The imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy were arrogant and had always looked down on Lord Zhao's background in the southern frontier, believing that there was no advanced medical knowledge to be passed down in the wild lands.

No one knows what method Li Yang used to get the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to treat Zhao Ye together. When Zhao Ye returned, he said that he used his prescription, and the head of the academy did not say a word.

Cen Yan raised an eyebrow and sneered, "I'm afraid they wouldn't dare offend the Sixth Prince right now."

Lord Zhao overheard some gossip in the palace: "It's said that after the Eighth Prince established himself as Crown Prince, he dealt with several imperial physicians quite severely..."

Cen Yan laughed, his tone becoming increasingly sarcastic, "How filial."

He had recently heard some of the Eighth Prince's actions when he was the Crown Prince. Regardless of the details, in the past, it would have been enough to make Emperor Shengwu so angry that he would have overturned the table twice.

Unfortunately, with Li Yang around, Emperor Shengwu probably won't hear about these amazing stories.

Li Yang was devoted to Emperor Shengwu, and Cen Yan thought he would continue to do so, even if it was just for show, to maintain a reputation for filial piety. However, Liu Qi received news that Li Yang had left the palace.

Cen Yan: "Aren't you going to look after His Majesty?"

Liu Qi: "The place we went to was very interesting."

Cen Yan looked at Liu Qi.

Zhuang Dongqing, who was eating hot chestnuts, also looked up and asked gossipy, "Where did you go?"

Liu Qi: "Daci Temple."

Cen Yan was surprised. Zhuang Dongqing, however, seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhuang Dongqing: "Did you go to inquire about the ritual?"

Liu Qi: "Young Master is wise. The Sixth Prince went to find the abbot and lit an everlasting lamp for Consort Shu. He also asked about the things needed for the ritual. Of course, he didn't say it was for Consort Shu, but... according to the standards he asked about, no one else in the family is qualified except Consort Shu."

Zhuang Dongqing paused for a moment before saying, "After Consort Shu left, he wanted to hold a ceremony, but His Majesty rejected it. I think he has never forgotten about it since. If he can get his wish, it would be a good thing."

Consort Shu was poisoned to death, and died with her eyes wide open in disbelief.

However, it was announced publicly that he died of illness, and the funeral was conducted as normal.

Cen Yan also knew that Emperor Shengwu disliked religious ceremonies. After Consort Shu's death, it was because of this that Emperor Shengwu and Li Yang became estranged. This led to Li Yang requesting permission to go to Jiangnan, and the Eighth Prince ascending the throne, filling the position of Li Yang's thoughtful and sensible son.

Thinking of something, Cen Yan asked, "Her Majesty and the Sixth Prince have been getting along well these past few days?"

Liu Qi glanced at Cen Yan and answered cryptically, "I don't know the specifics, but His Majesty seemed to have said a few words to the Sixth Prince yesterday? However, he dismissed all the eunuchs when he spoke, so it might not have been a reprimand."

If Liu Qi says so, then it's highly likely.

Combined with Li Yang leaving the palace...

Cen Yan: "Your Majesty is recovering soon."

Zhuang Dongqing: "? How do you know?"

Cen Yan simply said, "After taking such good care of him for so many days, and even going to Daci Temple to pray for His Majesty's well-being, he should be fully recovered by now."

Zhuang Dongqing found the logic a bit strange, and after thinking about it for a while, she couldn't figure it out, so she simply let it go.

"Okay." He lowered his head and continued peeling chestnuts.

Cen Yan: "Is it delicious?"

"Try one? I just asked and you didn't want one."

"I want to eat now."

Zhuang Dongqing felt that Cen Yan seemed to be in a better mood, so she fed the chestnut in her hand to Cen Yan. Cen Yan said, "It's soft and sweet, not bad."

Cen Yan laughed.

I did seem much happier all of a sudden.

Hmm, maybe it's because chestnuts are really delicious.

She peeled another one, chewed it a few times, and confirmed, "Delicious!"

Two days later, news that Emperor Shengwu was able to get up spread throughout the court. Privately, Li Yang sent someone to inquire about the secret medicine from the southern border and the situation after the medicine was discontinued.

When Cen Yan met his personal eunuch, he said to him personally, "If it were His Majesty, he would be exhausted and die without treatment."

She smiled and said, "It's just a matter of stopping the medication. Everything will remain the same as before."

However, stopping the medication will only exacerbate the decline in physical health.

*

Several urgent matters have been addressed.

After meeting with the military officers and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, Emperor Shengwu conveyed his decrees and then saw no one else.

"Did Ayan come back too? How is his child? By the way, you've been by his side for so long, unlike the day the imperial decree was issued and it was only a few days ago. Did you really not see the child's mother?"

Having regained his strength, Emperor Shengwu sorted out the affairs of the court, and entrusted the administration to his trusted confidants. Only then did he have the mind to inquire about Cen Yan.

Eunuch Feng served the medicine respectfully, saying, "You're back. If it weren't for Your Highness's quick thinking and ability to lead troops, who knows how long His Majesty would have been trapped!"

As she spoke, her voice trembled with tears, but she quickly suppressed them.

Emperor Shengwu was old, but the subtle tricks revealed in the smallest details could not be hidden from him.

Upon waking up, Emperor Shengwu learned that several of the imperial physicians he trusted had died. He had already made up his mind about what had happened when he first fell into a coma, and whether Li De was willing to let him wake up.

But Li Yang didn't mention it, and he didn't want to say more.

It is always shameful for an unfilial son to criticize another child.

Especially since this child had won his favor in the past two years, while Li Yang had only left the palace after her heart had turned away from him...

Feeling a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, Emperor Shengwu quickly stopped his thoughts.

Li Yang was right about one thing: no matter what, he still needs to get better first.

Once you're feeling better and have more energy, you'll be able to handle a lot of things.

Eunuch Feng: "The young prince is very strong. Although he is only two years old, he is very clever and has a sweet tongue. He is very likable. Your Majesty will be very pleased when you summon him in a couple of days."

Emperor Shengwu murmured, "Only two years old, too young... It's too late for Ayan to have an heir..."

Knowing that Emperor Shengwu had intended to keep Cen An in the capital, Eunuch Feng quickly continued, "The child's mother is most likely no longer alive; the information from back then should be accurate."

"When we went to the capital together, the family members of the Prince's Mansion all accompanied the army. I didn't see any women from the inner quarters."

Emperor Shengwu: "Oh? Did you find out their background, name, and age?"

Seeing that Emperor Shengwu had shifted his attention, Eunuch Feng secretly wiped his sweat before continuing, "Perhaps it was just a concubine he randomly took a liking to, who became pregnant after one or two encounters, and was then kept."

"However, Your Highness will probably only have this one child."

Emperor Shengwu became interested: "What makes you say that?"

Then Eunuch Feng explained the existence of Zhuang Dongqing.

The text is full of praise, describing the two as a match made in heaven, with no one more suitable than them.

Emperor Shengwu was surprised, but after that, he understood somewhat. "No wonder..."

So he's actually a good man.

"No wonder this child has no mother. If what you say is true... in order to appease this young master, that woman may have had to die in childbirth..."

Thinking of something, Emperor Shengwu laughed: "That's right, he's just like his father, sentimental. Back then, he clearly pushed his mother forward and pretended he knew nothing, and I couldn't do anything about it. Ha, but who knew that Cen Gong would still protect her, give her a new identity, and even give her a Han name..."

"They're similar in this respect; they'll protect the people they like and care about with all their might."

Emperor Shengwu nodded and said, "It's a good thing too."

Everyone has weaknesses, otherwise they're hard to handle.

In the past, Emperor Shengwu always had a headache over Cen Yan, and the headache was precisely this: he cared about too few things, and if someone was unwilling, he could not be bribed to order them around.

Eunuch Feng quickly said, "On the way to the capital, the Prince has already made up his mind. When he is praising his merits, he will ask to be made the principal wife. The wedding will be quite a lively affair."

Emperor Shengwu nodded: "Ayan has always been the most sensible."

The Prince of Dingxi's mansion had nowhere left to be enfeoffed, so a second attempt to defend the emperor was better than leaving him with a troublesome pretext.

Both sides acted with dignity, which is good.

Feng Gonggong broke out in a thin layer of sweat on his back again, and had to use his silver tongue once more to divert Emperor Shengwu's attention to the wedding celebrations, so as not to let Emperor Shengwu have any other thoughts and cause more trouble if word got out.

After all, there are still Cen Yan's spies in the palace, and he now keeps his distance from Cen Yan.

Not for any other reason than knowing how formidable he was, Eunuch Feng felt uneasy.

Fortunately, he was an old man who had been married for many years. In the end, he mentioned some titles and honors. A wedding is a happy occasion, and it can also add some joy to the palace. This made Emperor Shengwu smile and lie down again with a smile.

After leaving the main hall, Eunuch Feng finally wiped his sweat.

I've never felt so tired before.

I'm mentally exhausted.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he saw Li Yang standing at the door. Eunuch Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he respectfully bowed and called out, "Sixth Prince."

"How is Father?"

Eunuch Feng: "Yes, I asked the Prince and heard that there is a happy occasion coming up in the Prince's mansion. He was very pleased and went to sleep with a smile on his face."

Li Yang led the people outside for a while before asking again, "What did the eunuch say about my leaving the palace?"

Eunuch Feng: "..."

The sixth prince is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Eunuch Feng: "Naturally, it is to pray for His Majesty's well-being and health."

When it came to Consort Shu's eternal lamp and the religious rites, knowing that Emperor Shengwu was avoiding the topic, she didn't say a word more.

Li Yang nodded and said with satisfaction, "Father's health is weak and he cannot withstand too much stimulation."

Changing the subject, he added, "Tomorrow I will tell Father Emperor everything about my fourth brother and eighth brother."

"Huh? Tomorrow?"

Seeing Li Yang turn his head, his gaze cold and clear, Eunuch Feng subconsciously softened his tone, "What I mean is, isn't this too hasty? His Majesty has only been well for two days, perhaps a little more..."

"It will be discussed sooner or later, and given Father's temper, even if he feels better today, he will definitely ask me about it tomorrow." Li Yang said confidently, with his hands behind his back. "I already displeased Father about this before. Does Father want me to make Father angry again tomorrow?"

Eunuch Feng was speechless.

After subtly probing a few more times, realizing that Li Yang had made up her mind, she said no more.

Li Yang then instructed, "After Father takes his medicine tomorrow, please inform me, otherwise I would never dare to report the matter of Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother."

Eunuch Feng could only agree.

The following day, as Li Yang had predicted, Emperor Shengwu summoned him.

After receiving news of Eunuch Feng's medication, and calculating that it was about to take effect, Li Yang got up to change her clothes.

Emperor Shengwu was indeed much more energetic that day. He changed into casual clothes and waited for Li Yang in the imperial study.

Li Yang arrived without saying much, and ordered his eunuch to hand over everything to Eunuch Feng, who would then pass it on to Emperor Shengwu.

Holding a stack of documents, the one on top of which was the imperial edict that had once condemned the Fourth Prince's crimes, Eunuch Feng swallowed hard.

It felt like I was holding a hot potato, not a piece of light paper.

"What are they?" Emperor Shengwu asked.

Li Yang got straight to the point: "Didn't Father want to know about Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother? It's all in there."

Emperor Shengwu was taken aback, somewhat displeased that Li Yang had interrupted him. He frowned slightly, but ultimately he was more concerned about the situation of the fourth and eighth princes, so he asked Eunuch Feng to give him the items.

Eunuch Feng placed the stack of papers on the desk, hesitated for a moment, and then advised, "Why don't we let the Sixth Prince tell you about it?"

Emperor Shengwu rejected it.

"No need, I want to see what they are."

Eunuch Feng gave up and shut his mouth.

He simply said, "Reading is bad for your eyes, why don't you let Xiao Dezi come in and read instead?"

He was also one of his apprentices. Ever since Emperor Shengwu's health deteriorated, he had been the one reading the memorials. He was also a confidant and knew everything about the affairs of the court.

Emperor Shengwu nodded.

The first one is the imperial edict issued to the Fourth Prince when he raised his army to punish him.

It was called an imperial edict, but it was actually drafted by the cabinet.

Emperor Shengwu seemed to remember something, his breath hitched for a moment, and he asked Eunuch Feng, "By the way, I asked you to investigate the third prince's case. What did you find out about him...?"

Eunuch Feng lowered his head and said, "The Fourth Prince fled the next day. No more evidence was found at the scene. After checking the servants' testimonies... perhaps the two brothers had some disagreements, and the Fourth Prince made a mistake..."

Emperor Shengwu: "Is it really the fourth prince?"

Eunuch Feng simply said, "No other suspicious thieves have been found."

Emperor Shengwu closed his eyes and began to breathe rapidly.

For a time, the master and servant each had their own thoughts, which were not entirely the same.

After his breathing stabilized, Emperor Shengwu said in a deep voice, "Continue reading."

The next one is still an imperial edict to punish the fourth prince.

Another one, the conviction.

After reciting the punishment of death, Xiao Dezi lowered his voice.

Emperor Shengwu seemed not to have heard clearly, "What? Read the last sentence again."

Xiao Dezi read it again.

Before Emperor Shengwu could even ask for it, he proactively presented the imperial edict to him.

Emperor Shengwu looked on in disbelief, his breathing quickening. As the imperial edict was placed before him, he read it word by word, then roared in fury, "How dare you! I haven't even..."

Suddenly realizing something, he glanced around the room and asked, "So, now, Fourth Brother..."

"Where's the fourth brother?!"

Everyone in the room fell silent when Emperor Shengwu suddenly coughed.

Eunuch Feng quickly stepped forward and patted his chest. After he had calmed down, Emperor Shengwu said wearily, "Li Yang, you speak."

Li Yang lowered her eyelashes and said respectfully, "Fourth Brother has been executed and laid to rest."

Emperor Shengwu was stunned.

After a long pause, she gently closed her eyes. "So, it is..."

"My eighth brother supervised the execution and personally escorted the coffin to the funeral afterward."

"Pfft—"

After uttering a single, insolent curse, Emperor Shengwu felt a tickle in his throat, coughed, and sensed something was amiss.

My palms are warm.

Open your palm, and dark red blood flows out.

Emperor Shengwu's mind went blank after reading this.

He vomited blood?

He vomited blood.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when... wow!

Unable to control himself, Emperor Shengwu spat out again.

I instinctively tried to cover it with my hands, but this time the blood flowed all over my hands and I couldn't stop it.

"Someone, summon the imperial physician!"

"Summon the imperial physician!!"

Grandpa Feng and Xiao Dezi screamed.

For a time, the Imperial Study was filled with noise and chaos.