Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Return to Beijing
He hadn't personally explored the secret passage in a while, and his attendants' daily reports indicated everything was normal. How could that man have died so inexplicably? Who had infiltrated the secret passage, killed him, and deliberately severed his head, leaving only the body?
Yan Guang's inner horror was beyond words. Only then did he vaguely realize that the person he relied on as a confidant might not be loyal to him. His previous collaboration with that person had not yielded any benefits, but had only caused him trouble. He who sought the skin of a tiger, indeed, would be devoured by it.
Looking closer, Yan Guang saw a large birthmark on the back of the corpse's shoulder. He was now certain the deceased was Liang Xian. The boy had a stubborn personality, often causing him to become furious.
Every time this happened, he would order his men to strip the man's clothes, leaving his frail body to endure the whipping of his salt-soaked horsewhip. After so many beatings, he knew Liang Xian's physical characteristics perfectly.
However, Liang Xian had been imprisoned in the secret passage for years, and only a handful of people knew about it, let alone those who held a deep grudge against him. Who had infiltrated the Governor's Mansion to kill him? What was that guy hiding?
Yan Guang sighed deeply, shook his head, and said, "This is a Gu man I kept by my side. Because his blood is special, it is poisoned by the Gu worm and added to the elixir, which can be used to make the elixir of immortality. That's why I kept him for many years." He didn't expect that he would die so suddenly.
But then he thought, the elixir in the furnace was almost ready, and his identity had been exposed. Liang Xian's life or death had little to do with him. It was just a miserable life.
Li Cheng ordered a coroner to conduct a thorough examination, and the conclusion was consistent with Yan Guang's account. The attendants placed the body on a stretcher, covered it with a white cloth, and carried it out for burial.
Thinking of Yan Guang's words just now, he sneered, "You spend all day fiddling with those elixirs, but have you really succeeded?"
Speaking of elixirs, Yan Guang was like a gourmet smelling delicious food, his eyes full of light: "It's almost there, it's almost there. Once I eat the elixir, I will be able to enjoy spring with heaven and earth. The entire Three Realms will be in my pocket."
Having accidentally exposed his ambition, his face changed. He grabbed the prince's sleeve and said in a pleading voice: "This is the only hobby I have. The elixir is about to be refined. Your Highness, please don't destroy it. Let me eat one, and it will fulfill my wish for many years."
Now that he needed help, he kept calling himself "old man" with a humble attitude. He had been the crown prince for many years and was only one step away from the throne, but he never expected that someone would get there first.
Unable to compete, and lacking in talent, Yan Guang could only pin his hopes on this elixir of immortality, praying that he would live as long as the heavens and the sun and moon, and that he could borrow the power of the gods to regain his supreme position. The image of the supreme ruler, worshipped by thousands, had long been a demon in his mind.
The Buddhist scriptures say: "Without any hindrance to the mind, there is no fear, and one is free from all delusion." He was obsessed with power, and with too many concerns in his heart, he was doomed to lose his way in his fanaticism.
Li Cheng didn't know why the other party was so obsessed with such an ethereal thing. He thought of the dozens of women in the attic, tortured beyond recognition by him. And when he bought Qin Niang from the West Market, she must have suffered countless inhuman tortures as well. Seeing the other party begging, he felt a surge of anger in his heart. He really didn't want his wish to go his way.
He ordered in a cold voice: "Come here, just smash the alchemy furnace, grind the elixir inside into powder and throw it into the river. It's better to feed the fish than to feed this beast."
Yan Guang didn't expect that he would not buy it at all, and even threatened to smash the alchemy furnace. He was immediately furious, his eyes widened, his eyeballs almost popped out of his eyes, veins on his forehead bulged, and he cursed:
"You beast, you beast, you beast of prey! You shall be exterminated and your descendants exterminated, and you shall be buried without a burial place! Your mother was a prostitute, and your father a thief. May the heavens strike you with lightning, and you shall not die a good death!"
Unfortunately, he was unable to curse as the prince had already walked away. The guards who stayed behind were impatient and directly pulled a piece of cloth into his mouth and dragged him to see the scene of the medicine furnace being smashed.
Seeing all his years of hard work go up in flames, Yan Guang was filled with hatred, wishing he could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin! Who could have imagined that these Li family members would be so vicious, not only stealing his world, but also burning his alchemy furnace, completely blocking his path to immortality!
He, Li Rong, must pay the price for his actions today! Yan Guang looked at the mess on the ground in front of him, his breathing was as rapid as pulling a bellows, and his eyes were filled with tears and red as blood.
Just wait and see. When Li Cheng finds out that the woman who gave birth to his children was actually a spy from the previous dynasty and had been lurking by his side for a long time, and that the prince he has been looking forward to has the blood of the previous dynasty flowing in his body, he will probably be so angry that he will pick up a knife and kill people.
He had killed the woman, but the child was, after all, a descendant of the royal family, ultimately the Crown Prince's. Even if Li Cheng wanted to kill her, that bastard Emperor Hui'an might not allow it. As time went on, the child grew up under his lap, and he was probably feeling worse than if he had eaten a fly.
He should be happy that Li Cheng was upset. It would be great if he could witness them fighting against each other. This would also comfort the ancestors of the Liang Dynasty.
He slumped to the ground, his nails scraping against the stone tiles, making a creaking and twisting sound, and leaving several bright bloodstains on the ground.
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Not long after Li Cheng returned to the inn, he fell ill again, bedridden with a high fever. He had already been suffering from a cold wind in his lungs, and today, after so many events, the combination of joy and sorrow inevitably took its toll on his body and liver, triggering his illness.
Fortunately, all matters in Jiangnan had been almost dealt with. When the emperor heard that the prince had been working too hard in Jiangnan, he issued several memorials urging him to return to Beijing.
Although the official silver wasn't found, there was some clue. Months passed, and in a flash, it was already late autumn. Staring at the fallen leaves strewn across the courtyard, Li Cheng lost in thought for a long moment, his thoughts drifting to the Eastern Palace thousands of miles away.
I don’t know how she is doing.
Although he had told her before leaving that she could write to him if she had nothing to do, he didn't know whether she didn't care or was afraid that writing to her would delay his official duties. In short, during the several months in Jiangnan, the woman didn't say a word.
The prince inexplicably thought of what the mute girl had said. The mute girl was from a good family and had been abducted by Yan Guang when she was very young to be used as a blood sacrifice. She said that Yan Guang had a pair of siblings by his side, and that the brother was the headless corpse that had died mysteriously in the secret room not long ago.
As for that younger sister, she had been sent away by Yan Guang a year ago, and it was unknown what mission she was carrying out. For some reason, the prince kept thinking back to the look Yan Guang had given him before he left. It was mocking yet smug, as if he was expecting something.
What on earth had he overlooked? The prince stood by the window with his hands behind his back, lost in thought for a long time.
As the year drew to a close, the group finally returned to the capital from Jiangnan. After reporting to the palace and dining with the empress, who was desperately missing her son, Li Cheng was finally able to escape and return home.
There was heavy snow on the road, falling from the sky. Li Cheng was sitting in the carriage, and his depressed mood for many days became happy because of this auspicious snow.
Xia Chang, riding beside the emperor, observed the scene with all his might, knowing full well that his Highness was delighted to see Empress Liangyuan. He usually enjoyed reading in the carriage, but now, impatient to wait, he urged the driver to speed up.
If the Emperor and Empress had not repeatedly told him to take the carriage back home before leaving the palace, His Highness might have whipped his horse and headed straight for the Crown Prince's Palace.
Back at the mansion gate, the carriage stopped immediately. Li Cheng stepped out and saw the solemn and impressive "Prince's Mansion" in gold-plated characters hanging high above the red-lacquered gate. A long-lost sense of familiarity washed over him.
In the past few months since I left the country, I've never felt so anxious to see the person I wanted to see, yet I hesitated at the door. When I returned to Beijing, I hurried as fast as I could, afraid of wasting too much time on the road.
Perhaps, this is what is called "the closer you are to home, the more timid you feel."
Li Fu led a group of servants to wait at the door early. The old eunuch had a round body, but after not seeing him for a few months, he had lost a lot of weight.
The Crown Prince looked peculiar. Could it be that keeping him well-maintained in the Eastern Palace had made him thinner? Was Li Fu simply destined for hard work?
The Grand Steward has had a poor appetite in the past few months, and he also has the responsibility of protecting the Empress. He is afraid that if Liang Yuan loses weight or loses a hair, His Highness will blame him.
When the pressure is too great, it is inevitable that one will lose his appetite. Li Fu stood in the snow, looking at the empty sleeves, thinking that this time he would pour out his grievances in front of His Highness, let His Highness know how difficult it was for him, and see his sincere loyalty.
Seeing the old eunuch approach with tears in his eyes and kneeling to pay his respects, Li Cheng's eyelids twitched. Sure enough, after he ordered "stand up," Li Fu wanted to get close to him and tell him how terrified he had been in the past few months and how cautious he had been in caring for the empress, wishing he could cut out his heart and liver to make his point clear.
Li Cheng was already used to the other party's routine. He took the umbrella handle from his hand and asked, "How is Liang Yuan's health recently? Is there anything unwell?" He had been away for so long, and after careful calculation, the baby in her belly was almost seven months old.
He heard that pregnant women would have an extremely hard time, and he had disappeared for several months, so he didn't know if the baby in her belly would still recognize him as its father.
In his opinion, even though the child is still in the belly, he is still aware of everything in the outside world. His father, who read to him every day, has been gone for so long, the little guy must have forgotten it long ago.
Speaking of Liang Yuan, Li Fu was hesitant to continue his topic. Knowing that His Highness was worried, he only picked up the important things and said, "When the Queen was four months pregnant with the little prince, she vomited everything she ate and lost a lot of weight. It was only after the Queen heard about it that she came to the East Palace to stay for a few days. She also brought back the chili peppers that His Highness the Virtuous Prince had sent from Shu to His Majesty as a seasoning. The Queen was happy to eat them, and her morning sickness was relieved."
He didn't dare mention the folk saying of "sour boy, spicy girl" to the prince, fearing that his highness would dislike it. But then he thought, considering how much his highness doted on the queen, even if Liangyuan gave birth to a baby boy, the prince would probably dance with joy.
After those two months, Liang Yuan's appetite returned, and she was eager to eat five or six meals a day. The princess and the empress, having experience, specifically warned her not to overeat, fearing the baby might be too large and difficult to deliver.
Li Fu spoke respectfully, and the prince listened with great interest. He walked towards Zhilan Residence, but suddenly stopped and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why don't you say anything?"
Li Fu hesitated, fearing that His Highness would blame him, and also afraid that His Highness would think too much if he didn't explain clearly at this time. So he said: "A few days ago, the Queen suddenly fell ill. She lay in bed looking listless. The imperial physician came to check her pulse several times, and they all said that it was a heart disease. The Queen had too many worries in her heart, so she fell ill."
There was one thing he didn't dare to say: Yuhu and Mingyue had privately said that Liangyuan lay in bed crying secretly, but as soon as the maid came in, she immediately concealed her expression. Yuhu and the others asked several times in a roundabout way, but Liangyuan always changed the subject.
In this case, the servants couldn't ask any more questions. Fortunately, they heard the news that His Highness would be returning to Beijing soon. Li Fu suddenly felt reassured and his spirits were high.
His Highness would definitely know that the Empress was secretly crying, but Li Fu felt that there was a difference between the news coming from Mingyue and the others and from a eunuch like him.
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of cold wind blew, and Li Fu suddenly felt his body shiver. Looking up, he found that the prince was looking at him expressionlessly, his dark eyes like a deep whirlpool, which made his heart pound.
Without waiting for a reaction, the prince was seen striding towards Zhilanju with his long legs, leaving behind the man's cold words in the cold wind: "Send the imperial physician over."
Arriving at Zhilan Residence, it was quiet inside. Li Cheng handed the crane cloak in his hand to Mingyue who was waiting beside him. Worried that his body was too cold and he might freeze Mingyue if he went in, he carefully roasted it over the charcoal basin for a while and listened to the two personal maids report on all the recent developments in the past few months.
Yuhu was worried that the prince would feel resentful because the queen did not go out to greet him, so she explained, "The queen did not sleep for a long time last night. She had a bowl of sweet soup today and went to bed again. It was not her intention to treat Your Highness badly."
If the other party hadn't said it, Li Cheng hadn't realized she was going out to greet him. The thought of a woman with a big belly in the freezing weather, what if she caught a cold or accidentally slipped, what would happen?
Fortunately, she was still lying in bed, otherwise if something really happened, he would only have regrets.
The chill on her body had almost dissipated, and Li Cheng, not wanting to disturb her, dismissed the servants and walked in quietly and slowly. It was snowing heavily outside and the sky was gloomy, so if she wanted to see clearly inside, she needed to light a candle.
It was daytime, and she was a frugal person, so she had no habit of lighting a lamp during the day. So, to make it easier to see the objects, she left the brocade curtains on the bed, and a small bulge was faintly visible on the bed.
Smelling the familiar scent and seeing the familiar figure of the person he was thinking of, Li Cheng's tiredness from rushing back on the road disappeared. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he tiptoed over.
She was lying on the bed, sleeping, her brows furrowed. He didn't know if it was because of the light, but from his angle, he saw that her face was pale and she looked much thinner than when she left.
The only part of his body that had grown flesh was probably his belly. Even covered with a quilt, he could vaguely see the bulge.
Feeling both happy and worried, he sat gently on the edge of the bed, looking at the woman on the bed, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.
I don’t know what she was dreaming about, but the frown on her face became bigger and bigger, her hands began to wave unconsciously, and she was muttering to herself.
Li Cheng was afraid she would hit her stomach, so he gently held her hand and leaned over to listen carefully. The woman spoke incoherently and her voice was unclear. After listening for a while, he could only make out the word "brother".
She was unaware that someone was watching her. She was lost in a nightmare, whimpering like a cat and began to cry. Mingyue and the others had just reported to him that she had been crying secretly for the past few days.
Hearing it with your own ears is one thing, seeing it with your own eyes is another. She tried to suppress her voice, burying her face in the quilt, tears rolling down her tightly closed eyes, sliding down her paper-thin cheeks, and soaking the man's jade-white hands.
Li Cheng's heart felt like it was soaked in a jar of bitter water, aching and swollen. Seeing that she was troubled by something and was crying in her dreams, he wished he could take her place.
He was afraid of disturbing her, but also worried that letting her cry like this would hurt her body. After weighing the pros and cons, the prince carefully leaned in close and spoke in her ear in an attempt to wake her up.
The woman opened her eyes through tears. On the way back, she had heard Li Fu say that the prince would be returning to the capital soon, so she was not surprised to see the man suddenly appear in her bedroom.
Although she felt sad, Liang Hanzhang managed a smile to avoid arousing suspicion. She exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness is back?" As she spoke, she was about to stand. Li Cheng, fearing he would press down on her stomach, quickly stepped back. Seeing that she was feeling heavy, he personally helped her up from the bed and placed the pillow behind her.
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