Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Brother, the rabbit bit my hand! ...
When Liang Hanzhang came out with the rice and water, he noticed that the atmosphere between the master and the servant outside was a little strange. He didn't suspect anything and said to the man with a smile, "My Lord... would you like to try it?"
Li Cheng waved his hands repeatedly as if he was facing a flood or a beast.
In that case, she won't be polite. The woman held the delicate little wooden bowl and ate the white rice with gusto. Li Cheng really couldn't imagine that this tasteless thing could be so delicious.
However, it smells quite nice.
Li Fu stood beside him, and seeing the curiosity in his Highness's eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "How about I go buy one for your Highness... Young Master?"
There is no need to stare at the food in the Empress's hands.
The man gave him a sharp look and asked, "Do you eat this often?"
Liang Hanzhang shook her head. "Not often, in fact." Rice porridge was considered something not to be considered presentable for the nobility, but for someone like her who came from a poor background, it was a rare delicacy.
As for the delicacies from land and sea, deer antlers and bear paws that often appear at palace banquets, don’t even think about it.
Don't advise others to be kind unless you have experienced their suffering. They are born noble, and even if they think they have fallen to the bottom of life due to a careless move, that is a life that ordinary people can't reach.
For example, the crown prince, even though he was held hostage by Emperor Li and had a hard time surviving, his life was much better than that of ordinary people.
Because apart from being the crown prince, he was also the son of a duke. Whether for the sake of face or to threaten Emperor Hui'an, Emperor Li would not go too far with his son.
So, it wasn't too much for her to be lurking in the East Palace trying to get intelligence for the Liang Party, was it? She was just doing what she thought was right, with a clear conscience. If she didn't go along with their wishes, my brother's life would be in danger.
Hearing her talk about the past, Li Cheng was a little stunned. He knew that she had a hard life, and even before coming to the Eastern Palace, she had to work as a slave and earn a meager salary, but he never expected that she would suffer so much.
"You said that during the famine years, people would eat each other's flesh." The gentle man holding the folding fan was obviously a little surprised.
"Yes, not only that, some families even killed their babies to satisfy their hunger in order to survive. If they still couldn't survive, they would continue to kill until the famine was over and relief grain from the court arrived."
Some people, though not so extreme, still sold their own children for a few coins. Yan Guang said that when he met her, her parents had sold her for ten coins to survive.
He felt pity for her and bought her for ten cents. From then on, she was transferred from one hell to another, struggling to make a living in this lonely world.
She would never believe Yan Guang when he said he felt pity for her, but he had a point: some people are not born to be human. They are just wearing human skin but doing many beastly things.
Li Cheng had read many history books and studied the strategies of emperors of all dynasties. He also knew that during times of war or famine, some people would eat human flesh and drink human blood in order to survive.
But those were just a few figures glossed over in history books, some even glossed over in passing. He couldn't see the full picture from the tip of the iceberg, and when he saw them, he was surprised, sighed with regret, and judged them from a moral high ground.
But if you ask how much sympathy or empathy he has, it is definitely not there, probably because he has never experienced such a life.
Until today, from the mouth of a woman, a woman who was delicate and timid but seemed to contain infinite power, he finally understood that feeling more deeply.
People's lives are often difficult. What may seem like a minor matter to those in power can be a disaster for the little people with just a few words. They hold the power of life and death, entrenched in absolute imperial power, and they hold the final say.
Countless people in this world are suffering. How could he have the nerve to wallow in self-pity? Perhaps in the future, or perhaps even the not-too-distant future, he would become the next emperor, presiding over the affairs of the people.
If he cannot empathize with the people and cannot pay personal attention to the lives of the people of the world, how can he have the face to be the emperor?
"You said your parents sold you for ten cents?" He couldn't imagine it. Born as a human being, after giving birth to a child, why didn't they hold them in their hands and pamper them, but actually sold them for ten cents! Is such a person still worthy of being called a human being?
The woman was obviously in a low mood, and her voice was muffled: "Actually, I don't blame them. It was a miracle that they could survive during the famine years. They had no choice but to do this."
But, there's still disappointment. You're not the child your parents expected you to be. They can abandon you at any moment for their own benefit. It's a really hard feeling.
Li Cheng paused for a long time, then said with a firm look: "Don't worry, when you come to the Eastern Palace, I won't sell you out for ten cents. You can stay here with peace of mind. No one has the right to drive you away."
Not to mention ten coins, even if it was a hundred coins, ten million coins, or even ten thousand taels of silver, he would not drive her out. Since she came to the East Palace, she was his woman in name only, and he had the right and obligation to take good care of her.
At this moment, he finally understood why the woman looked so frightened when he mentioned letting her go, and why she knelt in front of him with tears in her eyes and begged.
Having been abandoned before, he felt uneasy and worried about being abandoned again. Li Cheng felt that he could better understand things from the other person's perspective and empathize with many things from their perspective.
Liang Hanzhang didn't want to cry, but when she heard the man's words, her nose suddenly felt sore. Without paying attention, tears rolled down from her eyes and hit the floor. The moment they touched the ground, they suddenly burst and turned into countless small water droplets that scattered around.
The night lights were bright, and the crowds of people flowed like a stream. The crescent moon reflected in the sky added to the hazy atmosphere. Not far away, the Flower Goddess was being carried past them. The earth-shaking sound of suona music could be heard. Many children dressed in colorful silk clothes and with colorful faces painted followed the Flower Goddess statue, laughing and chasing after it.
The night market is bustling with people and tourists, but it seems as if there is a natural barrier separating the bustling environment next door from the deserted environment here.
On one side of the official road, pedestrians bustled with activity; on the other, a man and woman sat in silence. The light shone on the woman, casting a gentle glow, making her look like a delicate flower in a hothouse, inviting affection.
Through tears, she looked at the man next to her, and in a trance, she actually felt that he looked a bit like her brother. He was always looking at her with such a smile.
How could she have met such a virtuous and gentle prince? With such a person standing beside her, she was afraid that he would tarnish his spotless temperament.
But, he had no choice. Thinking of this, Liang Hanzhang's mood suddenly became depressed.
She took a deep breath, looked up at him and said with a smile: "Your Highness, I am very happy today, thank you for accompanying me."
Li Cheng was also quite inspired by the other person's words, so there was no need to express gratitude. He waved his hand and said, "I have never been to a night market, so I didn't know there were so many people in the world who were struggling without enough food and clothing. Speaking of gratitude, I have to thank you. You have made me truly understand what a crown prince should do and how to do it."
"Haven't we just walked a short distance? Let's continue walking down and have a look." He didn't dare to look directly into the other person's smiling eyes. Those smiling eyes with tears in them inexplicably made him feel a little hot in his heart.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I always feel uneasy around her, something I haven't felt in the past twenty years.
After revealing this sad story, Liang Hanzhang regained his initial excitement and was eager to go downstairs. Before he knew it, the rice and water in his hand had passed into Li Cheng's hands.
Seeing a pile of white furry things on the ground from a distance, she quickly ran over and squatted beside the cage on the ground to look at them. Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "It's a little rabbit!"
Seeing that a customer had finally arrived, the shopkeeper quickly cheered him up and introduced him enthusiastically: "Sir, you are right. This is a rare breed of rabbit imported from foreign countries, called Xue rabbit. When it is just a few months old, its fur is as white as snow and its quality is excellent. When it grows a little bigger, it can even fight rabbits, which is very funny. Would you like to buy one?"
"This..." Liang Hanzhang lay beside the cage, staring eagerly, but she had no intention of paying for it. Not to mention that she was penniless today, having been used to poverty since childhood, she subconsciously wanted to save money. Often when she saw something she liked, she simply liked it, but when it came to actually paying for it, she was often reluctant.
Liking something is one thing, owning it is another. There are many things that I don’t like so much that I can’t wait to own them.
When it comes to money, Liang Hanzhang always has a clear understanding.
You could tell how much she loved it from the look in her eyes. Li Cheng said, "If you like it, buy it. You've finally come here." It's just a rabbit, so what's the big deal?
After all, he is the crown prince of a country. Is it possible that he can't even come up with such a small amount of money?
"But I don't like it enough to buy it," she glanced at Li Fu behind her and whispered, "Besides, I've already bought a lot tonight."
Li Yan followed her gaze and glanced at the old eunuch who was standing as still as a sculpture behind her, raised his eyebrows and said, "It's okay, he can carry it."
Li Fu dared not speak out and played the role of a dead person every day.
"Besides, if you don't buy it, this matter will be like a thorn in your heart. You will feel extremely regretful countless times in your dreams at midnight. You will ask yourself again and again: Why didn't I buy that little rabbit? Later you find that even if you have more little rabbits, they will not be as good as the one you get tonight."
He usually looked like a cool and taciturn nobleman. This was the first time Liang Hanzhang heard him talk so much at once.
For a moment, I was a little moved and couldn't help but murmur: "Really?"
"Of course it's real," he squatted down slightly, and a clear and pleasant smell instantly hit his nose, "Which one do you want?" The man was dressed simply today, and he still exuded an aristocratic temperament, which was out of place with this slightly shabby and depressed stall.
Liang Hanzhang hesitated for a moment, but finally stretched out his finger and timidly pointed at a little rabbit in the corner and said, "This one."
"Shopkeeper, we want this one," the man said, standing up to negotiate. He quickly brought the rabbit over to her, "Here, your rabbit." His expression was gentle and open.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the woman's voice was soft and nasal. She was looking up at him with her delicate little head tilted back, revealing a snow-white neck, making her look petite and delicate.
Years later, she would vaguely remember a handsome and noble man walking towards her holding her favorite little rabbit.
Looking at the woman walking happily in front of him, Li Cheng's mouth inadvertently showed a smile.
"Brother, the little rabbit is biting my hand!" She suddenly turned around and called out to him with a smile, a look of inexplicable surprise on her face.
The scene in front of him unexpectedly overlapped with the scene in his memory, and it even made people feel that the woman in front of him was what the little girl looked like when she grew up.
Li Cheng's breathing became rapid, his eyes widened instantly, his mind went blank, and he had no idea what day it was.
He quickly walked up to her, grabbed her sleeve, and asked anxiously, "When you were sold, were you a slave in the Changsun Mansion?"
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