Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Heartbeat
"Your Highness, Your Highness"
Hearing the woman's cries, Li Cheng finally pulled his thoughts back from the past. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and prepared to go downstairs while saying, "I'll find a doctor to bandage you."
The man's elegant figure gradually disappeared at the end of the stairs, and Liang Hanzhang returned her attention to her injured index finger. This gesture of goodwill had allowed her to glimpse a side of His Highness that was unknown to others.
Such a handsome man with a figure as beautiful as jade actually had a little girl hidden deep in his heart, and had been hiding it for many years.
She had long heard from Li Luohua that he had been shot to death by Emperor Hui'an himself, with a hail of arrows. But today, hearing the man himself recount the past, his face was calm and devoid of any trace of sorrow, as if he were an insignificant person recounting someone else's past.
Perhaps at the moment the arrow was shot, the so-called family affection and the relationship between father and son had already disappeared.
The blood beads gradually turned dark purple and solidified in the wound. Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Li Fu's cry behind her: "Madam, are you okay? How did you get hurt like this?"
If she wasn't the person involved, she would have thought she was seriously ill and would not have much time left after hearing the old steward's tone. However, she looked around and saw that it was just a little bleeding. Why would she react so violently?
There is still a scar on her chest. Even though the injury has healed for many years, the hideous and winding scar still remains on her body.
That wound was much more serious than this one.
Li Cheng glared at Li Fu impatiently. The latter gradually realized that he had lost his composure. He touched his nose embarrassedly and turned around to ask the medical officer to come forward to clean and bandage him.
The prince was not a man who dwelled on the past. After the memory just now faded away, he returned to his usual image of a clean and upright crown prince.
But Liang Hanzhang knew clearly that today's incident was a gap. Now that the gap had been opened and His Highness was willing to confide in her, gaining the Prince's trust would be just around the corner.
In this way, why worry about not achieving great things?
The princess and the prince came to visit her when they heard she had injured her hand, and were relieved to see she was not seriously injured. If someone had been seriously injured, who knows how the emperor would blame her.
With all this commotion, much of the day had already passed. Seeing that it was getting late, and having already discussed matters with his husband, the prince decided to return home.
As the Eastern Palace Fengyi, Liang Hanzhang had injured his hand, so it was naturally not appropriate for him to stay in the princess's residence. Therefore, he followed the prince's carriage back.
The carriage was driving on the official road. For some reason, Li Cheng did not ride a horse outside this time. Instead, he sat in the carriage, and the two sat opposite each other.
He handed over a stack of books, which were quite a few in number, and said calmly, "I heard from Li Fu that you like to read books about travels. These books are quite representative. You can take them to relieve your boredom."
The man's handsome features were hidden in the dim light of the carriage, and Liang Hanzhang couldn't see clearly, nor could she understand his intention. It was obvious that in the dim light of the carriage, she couldn't relieve her boredom by reading.
Could it be that he is encouraging himself to study?
Sitting opposite each other with nothing to say, both of them seemed a little awkward. Li Cheng would occasionally lift the curtain or ask the driver how far the journey was.
The Eastern Palace is closer to the Imperial City, which is in the north of Chang'an, while the Princess's Mansion is in the east of the city. The two mansions are far apart, and there are several busy streets in between.
In the Jin Dynasty, curfews would be lifted on major holidays, sometimes for one night and sometimes for several nights. For example, the Lantern Festival on the night of the Lantern Festival was very lively. The imperial court specially granted the Jinwu no curfew from the 14th to the 16th of the first lunar month, so everyone, whether high-ranking officials or ordinary people, could enjoy the night and have fun.
For example, today is the Hundred Flowers Festival, and people will welcome the flower gods and hold flower fairs throughout the day. The evenings are especially lively, so there is no night curfew. The lanterns, flower wheels, and flower competitions are a feast for the eyes.
Besides themes related to the flower gods, there are also various kinds of performances, such as pole climbing, rope jumping, sumo wrestling, cockfighting, imitating actors, pretending to be ghosts, telling jokes, and calling for fruits...
Sure enough, when the carriage reached Central Street, waves of cheers reached his ears. Liang Hanzhang looked at the bustling crowd outside. Even the air was filled with the festive atmosphere. The vendors were shouting, the waiters in front of the restaurant were soliciting customers, and many couples holding children passed by the carriage. It was very lively.
Liang Hanzhang couldn't help but beg the man sitting upright opposite him: "Your Highness, why don't we go downstairs and take a walk?" After all, it was the annual Hundred Flowers Festival. If you want to see such a lively scene again, you have to wait until next year.
Pedestrians jammed the street, making it difficult for carriages to move forward. Li Cheng disliked the bustling scene, but the woman across from him stared at him intently with her sparkling eyes, and he couldn't say anything to refuse.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
The woman was overjoyed and was about to jump off the carriage regardless of anything. Li Cheng quickly held her back and said, "Wait until the driver puts the pedal in place before getting off."
Liang Hanzhang turned around and smiled sweetly at him, waiting obediently by the car door.
Fortunately, he was wearing ordinary clothes today, and most people would not recognize him when he went out for a stroll. Li Cheng glanced at the woman who had already walked in front, sighed, and followed her helplessly.
"Your Highness, have you ever been out for a walk?" The woman looked very interested in everything she saw, reaching out to touch something. When the vendors were talking passionately until their mouths were dry, she put down her things and left, leaving the vendors with unhappy expressions.
"No," Li Cheng shook his head gently. Before he ascended the throne, his personal freedom was never in his own hands. He couldn't even leave the house, let alone go out to eat, drink and have fun on the bustling streets. It was impossible to even think about it.
Later, when my father ascended the throne, he also became the crown prince. At that time, it was even more impossible. My father's health was getting worse day by day, and more and more military and national affairs were placed on his shoulders. He had no time to play, and he didn't want to go out for entertainment.
He hated being in any crowded place; it was a silent torture for him. Seeing passersby with smiles and satisfied expressions on their faces, strolling leisurely and contentedly holding the hands of their loved ones, he couldn't help but feel a surge of loss and loneliness.
All the excitement belongs to them, but he is alone, with only loneliness to keep him company.
However, now that he was accompanying the childish woman beside him who couldn't walk when she saw beautiful and colorful things, he actually felt a rare bit of patience.
Seeing him instruct Li Fu, who was following behind him, to take away some of the things from the stall she had been lingering on for a long time, Liang Hanzhang was puzzled and quickly stopped him: "I didn't say I wanted to buy anything!"
Li Cheng glanced at him and said slowly, "The host has been introducing you for so long, and you just left without buying anything. Isn't this a waste of effort?"
"But... I just want to take a look," Liang Hanzhang said in a low voice, embarrassed, "I don't want His Highness to think I'm a spendthrift..."
Perhaps it was because the two of them were getting more familiar with each other, or perhaps it was because the environment at the moment made people subconsciously relax, Liang Hanzhang no longer referred to herself as a concubine. When Li Cheng heard this, it finally sounded much more pleasing to her ears.
At this time, he was half leaning against the sign of the stall, with a smile on his lips, and pointed the folding fan in his hand at her from a distance: "Don't worry, there is still some money in the mansion, enough for your small expenses, and you won't squander it."
Liang Hanzhang tilted his head to look at him, and suddenly thought that his smile was quite beautiful. The lighting here was not very bright, and the occasional beams of light hit his face, casting a faint shadow around his eyes. His whole expression was gentle, and his tone was warm.
With this outfit, he looks like a modest gentleman who is well-versed in poetry and literature.
She glanced sideways and suddenly saw a small stall behind him that was crowded with people. Seeing the sign on it, she ran over excitedly, pointing and saying, "Then I want this!"
Li Cheng turned around and saw a stall selling snacks. There were too many people there, and he was afraid the other person might get lost, so he hurried after them.
"Your Highness, have you ever eaten this?" Liang Hanzhang shouted at him, attracting the attention of passers-by.
"Don't call me Your Highness outside," Li Cheng had already followed her and tapped her little head with his folding fan to remind her.
"Oh, I forgot." Liang Hanzhang rubbed his head and couldn't help but tilt his head to look at him. "Then call me Your Highness... What should I call you?"
"It's up to you, call me whatever you think is most comfortable," but in my heart I was secretly thinking, don't call me that, otherwise both of us will feel uncomfortable.
The woman paced around in thought for a while, then said in surprise, "How about I call you brother?"
He was five years older than her, dressed simply, and looked serious and steady. The woman, dressed in red, moved with a certain whimsy, her eyes curved as she gazed up at him, looking from afar like a sister flirting with her brother.
Calling him "brother" is indeed much more appropriate. Li Cheng nodded.
"Brother, have you ever eaten this?" She quickly got the hang of it and continued the previous topic.
Li Chengyuan looked at a ball of white rice soaking in water. The water looked a little turbid and seemed to be bubbling under the light. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly and he shook his head impatiently.
"That's called shui fan, rice soaked in water. It's delicious!" the woman said with relish. "The water for shui fan could be water from an ancient well, plum juice, or even broth made from pork bones. There are all kinds of flavors. My favorite is the shui fan made from bone broth. It still has the aroma of meat on it, and it's so satisfying when you eat it in one bite..."
She was drooling as she talked. Li Rong rarely saw her so cheerful. He was secretly surprised for a moment and couldn't help asking, "Is it really so delicious?" It looked quite unappetizing.
"It's really delicious! Brother, you'll know after trying it!" Liang Hanzhang shouted and was about to squeeze in to buy one.
Li Cheng: ...He doesn’t really want to try it.
There were too many people here, so the man quickly grabbed the other person's hand and advised: "Let Li Fu go buy it, we just wait outside."
Li Fu, with his hands full of things, was in tears. How could he squeeze in with his body? Wouldn't he be turned into a meat patty if he squeezed in?
But he couldn't disobey his master's orders. The old eunuch felt like he was soaking in a jar of bitter water, his whole body filled with bitterness.
"Forget it, my father-in-law is a blessed man, I'm afraid it's not so convenient for him to move around, so let me go." The little woman just finished speaking, took the silver and turned sideways and went in. Her movements were very skillful.
Li Fu was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He said that he had good taste and that where else could he find such a good master! He even made obesity sound so endearing!
Unlike His Highness, when he is angry, he is either called a "dead donkey" or a "stupid pig". This is the difference between people!
Li Cheng noticed that the old eunuch, who was wearing bags and sacks, seemed to be looking at him with some resentment. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked, "What are you resentful about?"
Maybe you want to buy one yourself?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
