Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The Prince's Past
"It is expected that when my brother is six years old, my father's anti-Liang forces will grow stronger and stronger, and their strength cannot be underestimated."
"Other political enemies, eager to eat my flesh and sleep on my skin, devised a vicious plan to kidnap my brother and use him as a pawn to threaten my father. I don't know how he suffered during those years as a hostage, and my brother never told me. But, judging by the temperaments of those scum worse than pigs and dogs, his situation must have been very difficult." Li Luohua's voice choked slightly as he spoke.
She had heard these past events from the maids around her. At that time, she was still young and had no idea how miserable her brother was. Even if she knew, she couldn't empathize with him.
Because of this, she felt even more sorry for her brother.
Liang Hanzhang didn't know how to comfort the other person, so he could only hold the other person's hand and listen silently, being a focused and serious listener.
"Three years passed like this. At that time, my father led the army to attack the Li Emperor and swept through the counties of Daliang. The demise of the Liang Dynasty was unstoppable. In desperation, the Li Emperor threatened my father with his brother's life to withdraw his troops and hand over the military power. But given my father's personality, how could he agree to this after working so hard for so many years and finally getting through it?"
Li Luohua closed his eyes and said in a dull voice, "In order to stabilize the morale of the army, he even shot his own son with a bow and arrow that day under the city to show the soldiers his determination to destroy Liang..."
Liang Hanzhang had already forgotten to breathe when he heard this, and the horror in his heart was beyond words.
It is unexpected that the crown prince, who is usually cold and gentle, has experienced such a tragic human tragedy.
If you think about it carefully, he was only nine years old at the time. It would have been bad enough that he had never had the love of his parents since childhood, but he actually witnessed his father shooting an arrow into his chest.
How desperate he must have felt when the arrow pierced his flesh!
Princess Changping's eyes were moist, and a heavy nasal sound was stuck in her throat. "As a son, I cannot blame my father for his actions, but as the emperor's younger sister, I feel heartbroken every time I think of this." She covered her chest and breathed with difficulty.
The air was heavy and oppressive, weighing heavily on one's chest.
Liang Hanzhang realized something was wrong and quickly stood up to help her. He fed the tea to the princess and asked her to drink it, while advising her: "If you feel uncomfortable, don't say it for now. Your royal brother has finally come to fruition after all the hardships, and the road ahead will surely be smooth."
Li Luohua took a deep breath and then continued panting, "Later, Liang State was destroyed, and my father became the emperor as he wished. At that time, almost everyone thought that my brother was dead, but unexpectedly, he managed to escape danger.
"To make up for it, father named my elder brother the crown prince on the day he ascended the throne. But my elder brother grew up away from home, while my second elder brother has been raised by my father and mother since he was born. As they favored my second elder brother intentionally or unintentionally, the relationship between my elder brother and my parents became increasingly distant..." Li Luohua said this, as if he had spent all his strength.
It wasn't until this moment that Liang Hanzhang finally understood. No wonder Li Fu had said that His Highness had a delicate relationship with the Emperor and Empress. That day in Changchun Palace, no matter how enthusiastic the Empress was, Li Cheng's reaction was always indifferent. When the Empress mentioned the Second Prince, who was still at the border, the Crown Prince's expression froze.
It turns out that there is such a reason behind this.
However, they didn't do it well at that time, and they are only thinking about making up for it now. In this way, the emperor and empress's behavior seems a little ridiculous.
Previously, she had envied the nobility of the crown prince, but now she realized how much hardship the prince had endured to reach his current position. His cold and aloof temperament was just a cover-up for his unloved nature.
Actually, he and she had a connection. She had been abandoned by her parents since she was young, and Li Cheng was no different, having been abandoned in the Di Mansion shortly after her birth.
The pitiful deserve the pitiful. Truly, all the pitiful people in the world have gathered together.
Li Luohua calmed down and said to her solemnly, "I am telling you all this today, not for anything else, but just to ask you to care more about your brother.
"He doesn't say it, but since he has taken you into the Eastern Palace and given you the position of Fengyi, he must have you in his heart. Zhang Niang, as the emperor's concubine, whether for your future or for other reasons, it will never be wrong to care about him more."
"Although I am his sister, you also know that I am five years younger than him. My royal brother likes to keep everything deep in his heart and doesn't want to say it out loud. I don't know how to comfort him."
She shook her head gently, "I can't go to the East Palace every day, right? Besides, I have Brother Yu by my side, so I can't let go, and I'm not close to him." Speaking of which, the relationship between the three siblings was not very good.
"You are the only one who can do this properly," Princess Changping said with great force.
Liang Hanzhang was overwhelmed with emotions. Regardless of her purpose, she suddenly felt a heavy responsibility on her shoulders. She nodded solemnly, "I will." Her shining eyes revealed determination.
Princess Changping couldn't help laughing when she saw her serious look. She patted her head and said, "My royal brother loves the sound of the zither and is even more obsessed with reading classics and historical books..."
Suddenly remembering that Liang Hanzhang was born as a slave, he was afraid that she couldn't read, so he couldn't help asking: "Can Zhang Niang read?"
Liang Hanzhang's face turned red and she couldn't help feeling embarrassed: "My brother at home taught me, but I still don't understand the more difficult characters."
"That's enough," Li Luohua suggested after pondering for a moment, "How about you come to my eldest princess's house when you have time and I will teach you how to play the piano?" This would help you cultivate your character and make others smile.
Liang Hanzhang waved her hands repeatedly as if facing a formidable enemy, "This... Princess, I was born a slave, how could I learn such elegant things?" Isn't this asking for her life?
"If I say you can learn it, then learn it," Li Luohua snorted. "Even if it's not for your royal brother, it's good to learn one more skill. In the future, as the Prince's Palace Fengyi, you will have to attend all large and small gatherings. Those noble ladies in Kyoto are the most pretentious. If you can't do anything, you will lose face for the Eastern Palace."
Liang Hanzhang thought about it and agreed. She had been staying in the backyard due to illness for a while, but she would have to attend banquets in the future. What if she didn't have any skills and people looked down on the prince?
Besides, catering to his interests was also a good opportunity to get close to the prince. He nodded immediately and said, "Okay, I will study with Your Highness!" He looked like a true studious disciple.
"It's settled!" Li Luohua stood up with a smile on her face. She insisted on doing so for her brother, and also because she really liked Fengyi and wanted to cultivate her.
Thirdly, her son is already three years old, and she really wants to be an aunt!
Then she was dragged to choose jewelry and head ornaments. But in the end, she didn't make any choices because Fengyi kept refusing to accept them. The princess had no choice but to have someone take some of each item to send to the Eastern Palace.
Just as the two men were about to go out with the palace maids, a clumsy servant rushed in and dropped the tea in his hand, spilling it all over Liang Hanzhang's dress.
Li Luohua was furious and immediately ordered the servant to be beaten with thirty sticks. Liang Hanzhang persuaded him to stop, but the servant's reckless behavior still led to several months of salary being deducted.
Qiufen took her to the inner chamber to change clothes, and the princess called in a hairpin lady to serve her. Liang Hanzhang saw the familiar badge hidden under the hairpin lady's sleeve, and his eyes darkened for a moment. He then ordered Qiufen to go out and fetch a new dress.
The moment the door closed, Zan Niang's voice rang out coldly, with a piercing chill: "My master asked me to tell you, don't think that becoming the Crown Prince Fengyi will mean you will have no worries and will never miss home.
"If you want Liang Xian to survive, monitor the Crown Prince and record his every move. This is the new contact point. Find a way to deliver intelligence every month."
"How's my brother?" Liang Hanzhang grabbed Zanniang's collar and asked angrily.
Zanniang seemed to be touched by something dirty, and she slammed her hand away, saying coldly: "Don't worry, as long as you cooperate, he will be able to survive."
"Why should I believe you?"
Zan Niang snorted coldly, her eyes as sticky as a venomous snake roaming around, and she said arrogantly: "Do you have any other choice besides believing? Or... do you really not want to save your brother's life?"
Liang Hanzhang immediately sat back on the stool like a deflated ball, his eyes blank.
Yeah, what choice does she have?
My brother's life is in their hands. They have the final say on when this game starts and ends.
Seeing that the other party was obedient, Zanniang showed a proud look on her face, and finally took out a note from her sleeve: "Here, this is given to you by your sick brother with tuberculosis."
Liang Hanzhang snatched it away, straining his eyes to see every last bit of it. There were only a few words on it, something like "Take good care of yourself, and hope she takes care of herself." It was indeed his brother's handwriting.
She looked at the last two words "take care". The strokes were crooked, loose and sloppy. It was obvious that writing these few short words had taken a lot of effort from her brother.
When he picked up the pen, did he have a lot to say to her?
But I don’t have the energy to write any more.
She sniffed, covered her face with her hands, and said in a sad and hoarse voice: "Go back and tell the master that as long as he treats my brother well, I will try my best to gain the prince's trust and obtain intelligence."
When they returned, Liang Hanzhang was clearly in a bad mood, her face resting on the pillow with a gloomy expression. Li Luohua thought she was tired after a day of shopping and didn't want to disturb her.
No conversation along the way.
Shangqing Palace.
Yan Guang was dressed in a Taoist robe, and thunder rumbled through the drizzling rain. Lightning flashed across the sky, leaving behind a fleeting burst of brilliant sparks that illuminated the distinctive totem on his robe.
Dull and gloomy.
He had high, bulging cheekbones, with two sharp eyebrows standing above them, a circle of curly beard around his lips, and gray hair. He looked like an immortal, and he really looked like a fairy.
Liang Xian knew that was just a carefully disguised appearance. He knew full well how evil and sadistic he was on the inside. Perhaps the Liang Dynasty royal family was born with a tyrannical bloodline, just like the Li Emperor and Yan Guang.
During the chaos in the early years, Yan Guang nearly lost his life, but his leg was crippled. Since then, he has walked with a limp.
The lame old Taoist walked quietly to Liang Xian's bed, and looking at this man who didn't even have the strength to stand up, he could only stare at him with disgust.
He was in a state of joy for a moment, his body shaking violently as he laughed muffledly. He looked down at Liang Xian condescendingly, and his shrill voice pierced his chest directly:
"She successfully sneaked into the Eastern Palace and became Fengyi. Are you very sad?"
Liang Xian turned his head to the side of the bed and stopped looking at him. The best way to deal with such a snake-like jackal is to ignore it.
The poison in his body took effect, like millions of ants gnawing and tearing at the cracks between his bones. Soon, he was sweating profusely, and his whole body felt like he had been pulled out of the water. Liang Xian was gasping for breath, his lips already scarred from the intense pain, and blood was flowing down his jaw.
Yan Guang seemed to have seen something extremely pleasing, and his smile became even wilder. He sat on the edge of the bed and admired Liang Xian's pain at the moment, his two eyebrows twisted together in an extremely strange posture.
"You've taken care of her for so long, and yet her flesh and blood has become a mere gift to the Crown Prince," he said with a look of regret. "Tell me, what have you been trying to achieve all these years?"
Liang Xian smiled bitterly, endless pain seemed to overflow from the corners of his mouth. At this moment, he especially wanted to grab the face of this sinister and experienced Hua, and it would be best if he could kill him!
As long as he died, he would no longer be a threat to Zhang Niang, and Zhang Niang would not have to lurk in the East Palace and live a life on the edge of a knife.
All the misfortunes come from him!
However, his body was controlled by the insect and Liang Xian didn't even have the strength to lift his arms.
Yan Guang's smile grew increasingly sinister, his voice as if echoing from the eighteen levels of hell, hollow and dark, "You must really want to kill me right now, right?"
"Unfortunately, not only can you not kill me, but you also have to go against your conscience and serve me. Isn't that ridiculous?"
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