Princess Liang (9)

Mr. Liu ate gossip about the imperial court as a dessert after dinner. Song Jingyan turned a blind eye and added a few words from time to time.

The bigger things they talked about were state affairs, and the smaller things they talked about were no different from what the strong men at the dock said when they exchanged gossip about their daily lives.

Therefore, after Meng Shizhuang equated "looking at the founding of the Yu Dynasty" with "Wang Erjia's daughter-in-law ran out of Lao Li's house in disheveled clothes", he seemed to have suddenly realized something and listened with great interest. From time to time, he could even ask a few questions that were not too inappropriate, and in the middle of the conversation, he heard strange yet familiar surnames.

But alertness needs to be trained, and he never thought that someone from such a remote and poor place like Sujian Mountain would really come from the imperial court.

Besides, there are only gods in the Taiji Temple, which is much more orderly and decent than the ferocious demons on Sujian Mountain.

He couldn't imagine how shameless the leader of the Purple Gold Hall, who had the audacity to say, "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of any kind born of different species," was to dare to call the imperial court "rotten" to the mud.

Before entering the palace, Song Jingyan taught him many rules, which Meng Shizhuang went over in his mind several times. In short, he should not look around randomly, listen to randomly, or talk randomly.

He caught a glimpse of the black-armored guard's cold-blooded spear from the corner of his eye, and he no longer dared to be presumptuous.

Unexpectedly, the emperor seemed to have no regard for etiquette, "Is it Xiao Yuanxi? Come forward and let me see."

Meng Shizhuang was momentarily bewildered, remembering Song Jingyan's remark that Pretty Butterfly was born on the night of the Lantern Festival, and that His Majesty had sent a memorial to give him a nickname. But the imperial envoy, bearing this greeting, also carried a malicious temptation. The princess, already devastated before the birth of her child, nearly strangled Bian Hongqiu to death after hearing these seemingly ambiguous words.

So this nickname naturally became ironic.

Not to mention Song Jingyan, who is rarely mentioned, even Bian Hongqiu himself probably doesn't know her.

Meng Shizhuang hesitated for a moment, stood up, and took a few steps forward.

Song Jingyan's fingertips brushed against the hem of his clothes, and she had to withdraw them quietly.

The name of your Majesty today is Bian Zixue.

The crown obscured the face of His Majesty Emperor Xue. Meng Shizhuang could only hear his voice, which was like the wind passing over a curtain of water, gentle as water yet sharp as the wind, but with a few sudden sighs and gasps, as if he had been ill for a long time.

He had a gentle attitude and spoke casually, as if he was an emperor with a good temper.

In this light, it's not surprising that His Majesty, upon ascending the throne, handed over the Eighteen Continents of Zuodan to King Jingxi, leading to the downfall of his country. But as the courtiers stood silently on either side, Meng Shizhuang felt a sense of invisible scrutiny and anger weighing on him. He suddenly wondered: Is His Majesty truly a weak king who brought about the downfall of his country?

In Prince Liang's Mansion, only Song Jingyan, who remained silent, did not say so.

He really wanted to look back at Song Jingyan.

"...I was also raised by my uncle, yet I let his only child suffer for so many years at the border. This is truly unjust. The barbarians are watching covetously, and I can only suppress them by relying on my uncle's prestige. My uncle is an unparalleled meritorious official of Dayu. I should reward the Liang Palace generously to inform my uncle's spirit in heaven."

Before entering the capital, Mr. Liu had Qin He and Qiu He exchange several witty remarks with each other to let Meng Shizhuang understand what kind of difficulties they would encounter in the capital.

His Majesty certainly wouldn't reveal his true intentions and punish them directly, but the court officials, acting in unison, could very well force them to their doom. Meng Shizhuang had memorized several responses like a hammer, but now she couldn't use a single one of them.

Emperor Xue, who was at the top of the table, spoke these words with apparent sincerity, and one or two of the court officials stepped out from below.

"Prince Liang's palace has been garrisoned in Shangyang for over ten years, with great service and merit. Your Majesty is wise, and we second this motion."

Then, the chief eunuch on Xue Huang's side took out the previously prepared imperial edict and read it out, generously giving the "Princess of Liang Wang" the proper stone town and salary, and bestowing the title "Shangyang". This title had no special meaning. Princess Liang Wang was born in Shangyang and came from Shangyang, so it was not wrong to give her this title.

The eunuch who issued the decree was named Jiang Zhongyi. He has been following Your Majesty since he was still the crown prince. His every word and action represents the emperor's will.

He looked delighted, as if he was very happy for the Prince of Liang's Mansion. "Your Majesty, show mercy and retain the title of Prince of Liang. The princess will marry a son-in-law in the future, and the child born will inherit the title."

Meng Shizhuang took the decree with both hands, but her mind was still confused. She wondered: Why give birth to a child? Can't she just be made a princess now?

He suppressed his doubts in his heart, thanked his father, stood up, and returned to where he was supposed to be standing. He glanced at the courtiers on both sides again, and finally realized that in this hall, except for him and Song Jingyan, two girls, the rest were all men.

He couldn't help but look up at the emperor standing high on the steps.

So, His Majesty Emperor Xue, who abolished the system of female officials, has the same flaw as the leader of Sujian Mountain, that of looking down on women?

Meng Shizhuang didn't dare to look at it any longer. The thought flashed through her mind and she immediately lowered her head.

The Prince of Liang's Mansion has been in Shangyang for many years, and actually sends briefings to the capital every month. There is not much to report on this time.

The court officials were speechless. The emperor decided on the next general to be stationed in Shangyang in a few words, and then said that he had sent people to clean up the Liang Wang Mansion in the capital, and asked the princess to lead her people to withdraw. When the court affairs were not busy, he would summon "Bian Hongqiu" to the palace for a chat.

Meng Shizhuang's first hurdle in the capital was quite easy.

He and Song Jingyan exited the Taiji Hall. The hundred steps leading to the palace gates made him feel dizzy. The scorching sun cast its golden light on everyone, scorching the imperial edict in his hands. He felt disconnected from this scene—he was not the Princess of Liang, but merely a desperate actor. Without understanding the truth, he had frivolously promised his life.

Fortunately, he was let off lightly.

Song Jingyan's condition was completely different from his.

Her back was wet with cold sweat. She finally got a chance to catch her breath after walking out of the Taiji Hall. She saw the imperial edict conferring the title of princess on Meng Shizhuang's now smashed and reattached palm. She remembered the day when Meng Shizhuang had her metacarpal bone reattached.

Mr. Zhou, a resident of the Liang Palace, wasn't well-known outside the palace. He didn't have any white hair or a long beard, so he didn't seem like a very reassuring doctor. Before treating Meng Shizhuang, he jokingly said, "If I fail, your bones won't need to be reattached. I'll just have to cut through the flesh and remove the broken bones, making you truly 'soft and boneless.'"

Meng Shizhuang was not afraid at all after hearing this, nor did she hesitate, her face was relaxed.

"If it really comes to this, at least I finally have something in common with your beautiful Highness."

He didn't accept Mr. Zhou's attempt to distract him with words. From beginning to end, apart from the sweat on his forehead, he didn't show any pain at all, and there was even hope in his eyes. Even though Mr. Zhou had repeatedly said that this hand was incurable, he still seemed to feel that a normal-shaped hand would bring more hope.

Meng Shizhuang is full of suffering - his face and whole body are the word "suffering".

During the few months they spent together, Song Jingyan got a lot of information out of him and realized that he was not unaware of fear and terror, and even had evil thoughts, but he did not know what escape meant. The more difficult the situation, the more it seemed to temper his brave heart.

The night before entering the capital, Song Jingyan frankly told him that they had made the task they asked Meng Shizhuang to do too easy, and that it was actually fraught with danger, and that his life could be in danger if he wasn't careful. After hearing this, he only asked, "Will you still give me the herbs and the doctor?"

After receiving Song Jingyan's affirmative answer, he said with a broad mind: "Don't say anything else. If I say too much, I'll look like a coward."

However, Mr. Liu refused to believe it and complained to Song Jingyan, saying that the boy was just skipping school.

Before leaving the palace, Meng Shizhuang turned around and glanced at her gently.

His look was questioning and uneasy, but not dependent.

Song Jingyan couldn't help but think of Bian Hongqiu.

If it was Bian Hongqiu, he would definitely not just look back at her.

Where would her Highness be now? Is he dead or alive? Would he resent her choice?

Song Jingyan knew nothing.

The first major checkpoint opened lightly for them. Song Jingyan, shedding half her strength, followed Meng Shizhuang like a spirit in a trance, until they stepped out of the palace gate and nearly fell as they boarded the carriage. Meng Shizhuang held the imperial edict in his right hand, his left hand no longer clumsy, and quickly grabbed Song Jingyan's arm.

There were too many eyes coming and going, so he didn't say anything. He supported Song Jingyan's body and helped her into the carriage.

As soon as Song Jingyan entered the carriage, she closed her eyes and said nothing.

Meng Shizhuang was on the verge of life and death and did not feel mentally exhausted. He did not disturb Song Jingyan and opened the imperial edict to read it carefully.

He could recognize many characters now, but the words on the imperial edict were so densely packed and flowery that his eyes hurt when he read them.

So the two of them walked silently all the way to the old residence of Prince Liang in the capital.

Their group was dusty and exhausted, yet the palace was still magnificent and impressive. Despite years of inactivity, it was surprisingly well-preserved. His Majesty, Emperor Xue, had no idea what complex feelings he harbored towards Prince Liang's palace. In short, it looked almost as good as the palace. A pond had been dug in the courtyard, and a hundred or so carp had been fed until plump and white. The palace had dispatched sufficient personnel to line up respectfully in front of the palace gate.

Hengbo came to the old residence early to familiarize himself with the affairs of the house. He took Song Jingyan and others to the empty courtyard and sent all the servants away.

When revisiting the old place, the Prince Liang’s Mansion is now so magnificent that the old people could hardly recognize it.

Mr. Liu didn't even touch the tea in his hand, and said in a gloomy tone: "The four directions are still unsettled, but the extravagance in the capital is as old as ever."

Meng Shizhuang looked around like a country bumpkin. "Is the hall for court meetings called Taiji Hall? It seems much simpler."

He chose the wrong words, and what he meant was that the palace seemed to be just like that. This idea was unintentional, but it immediately ignited the firecrackers, and the staff were excited. If they were not worried about the possibility of spies in the palace, the sound would probably have blown the roof off. From his words, it turned out that His Majesty wanted to use this soft knife to grind them.

Song Jingyan rubbed her forehead, cheered herself up and called a halt.

"Your Majesty may not mean this."

She pondered for a moment, "I see that Your Majesty's health is far worse than it was ten years ago. The King of Jingxi is already showing signs of decline. Xi Zhongting has recovered various states in all directions, but it is still far from enough for Dayu to return to its former glory."

His Majesty sat high in the Taiji Hall, his face obscured by the imperial crown. Meng Shizhuang was curious how she could tell.

Her voice stopped all doubts: "I remember that the prince was enthroned in the third year of Shengyuan. In the same year, the northern provinces had already expressed their intention to return to the central government. Your Majesty has been taking it slow before, but in the past two years, you have been taking bigger and bigger steps, as if..." It was as if he was afraid that he would not be able to see the day when Dayu would be reunified.

She didn't say this, but everyone knew it.

Mr. Liu frowned, nearly pulling his beard out. He remembered the young Emperor, returning to the capital from his personal expedition to Mobei. On the hunting grounds, dressed in a light fur coat and armed with a heavy bow, he could easily kill a full-grown hungry wolf. After the previous Emperor's death, the King of Jingxi rebelled, capturing nearly a hundred court officials and using Licheng as a dividing line. He then confronted the imperial court from the south and north.

His Majesty went to Licheng alone to negotiate, and after returning to the capital, he only said that he was injured and needed to rest.

It was also at that time that King Liang intended to leave Beijing.

When Your Majesty dragged his sick body to give us advice, he really looked seriously ill, but why couldn't he recover in these years?

But he understood Song Jingyan's intention. No matter how ugly the quarrel between them and His Majesty was when the old Prince Liang left the capital, His Majesty had no intention of making a fuss about it for the time being. Because the court was in urgent need of people, His Majesty had no time to play cat and mouse with them.

Song Jingyan said, "Today, His Majesty has issued an edict to confer the title of Princess, but no further details have been revealed. The capital is not as prosperous as the capital, so please be careful and do not act rashly." Then she looked at Shao Zheng and said, "Send some more men to Ming Hunzhou to find His Highness as soon as possible."

Meng Shizhuang didn't react when she heard this.

He listened with his chin in his hand, his eyes fixed on Song Jingyan's face.

Song Jingyan's expression was the same as usual, she was still calm and composed.

But he didn't know why, he always felt that Song Jingyan had some old stories hidden in her heart.