Chapter 54 Chapter 54 See You Again, Wise King
Crown Prince Liangyuan successfully gave birth to the emperor's eldest grandson, which was a cause for great joy for the whole nation. In order to show their appreciation for the newborn grandson, the emperor and empress also bestowed various rewards from the palace.
However, in the ten days since the birth of the eldest grandson, apart from Princess Changping who personally visited Liang Hanzhang the day after she gave birth, no one else had come. The emperor and empress publicly paid attention to the eldest grandson, but for many days they had ignored him, a stark contrast to their previous attitude.
Even Liang Hanzhang could sense something unusual, let alone the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince simply reached out and gently embraced her, the fragrance of pine and cypress spreading on her delicate white neck. His voice was as gentle and mellow as ever, and he comforted her:
"Don't worry too much. Father and mother miss the child too, but they can't leave the palace easily. The prince is weak and can't be exposed to the wind, so they have been delayed until now."
Liang Hanzhang looked up at him. The man had handsome features and a gaunt complexion. He was dressed in a gold-threaded formal attire, which made him appear even thinner. Although he was smiling and cheerful, a faint trace of sadness lingered in his eyes, which vanished in an instant.
He had become the gentle, dignified, restrained, and polite prince again, the greatest support for her and their child, fulfilling his responsibilities as a husband and a father. Liang Hanzhang knew that things were far more complicated than they seemed. The prince must have encountered some difficult situation, but he didn't want to talk to her, and she sensibly didn't ask any further questions.
Li Cheng lowered his eyes, looking at the woman who was now slumped against him. It was like a spring of fresh water suddenly flowing into a dry desert. In an instant, a bitter sense of satisfaction filled his heart. His left hand gently intertwined with hers, and his right hand was not idle either. His broad palm stroked the woman's long black hair, repeatedly.
Liang Yuan is still in confinement and cannot bathe or catch a cold. Although it is only the beginning of spring and the temperature is still a little cold in the morning and evening, for her who has not bathed or combed her hair for more than ten days, it is naturally very uncomfortable to feel sticky on her body.
Liang Hanzhang repeatedly advised him not to hug her, fearing it would stain her precious clothes. However, Li Cheng paid no attention. In his eyes, no matter when or where, his wife was beautiful and appropriate in every way.
She worked hard to give birth to a child for him. As a husband, it would be fine if he couldn't help at all, but he had to despise his own woman. How could this be justified?
The prince despised it and was unwilling to do it.
He just wanted to let go of the resentment and worries in his heart, and just wanted to enjoy this brief warmth of marriage in a relaxed and happy manner.
Thinking about what the emperor said this morning, Li Cheng's eyes darkened with desire, and his dark pupils contained thick dark clouds of impending storms that lingered for a long time.
The emperor summoned him to Qianyuan Palace today and talked about Liang Yuan. He said that although she had given birth to the emperor's eldest grandson and had made great contributions, she should be rewarded, but she was a spy from the previous dynasty after all, and she had betrayed the prince again and again and done despicable things.
There are too many crimes to list in detail, but just one of them is that she acted recklessly and without restraint, causing the emperor's eldest grandson to be born early and injuring his body. This is enough to sentence her to death.
Li Cheng knew that ever since his second brother got into trouble, the personalities of the emperor and empress began to become moody. Originally, the family could still have a meal and talk to each other in harmony, with a simple relationship between parents and son, instead of the cold and icy relationship between the monarch, his ministers and his assistants in the court.
But even the past that had once been a thorn in his throat, a past he despised and scorned, had finally drifted away from him. He couldn't grasp it, couldn't hold on tight, and he was the only one left standing, while the others had all abandoned him and left.
The prince couldn't help but feel self-deprecating.
Suddenly, the image of his delicate wife and child flashed through his mind. His delicate wife, still frail after giving birth, was still weak. His child, born prematurely, was constantly ill. The tiny ball of his child slept soundly in its crib, and the sight of him melted Li Cheng's heart.
Even though the road ahead is long and full of dangers, and there are countless abysses and swamps, as long as Li Cheng thinks of his wife and children behind him and their gentle and dependent eyes, he feels that he can do anything and move forward.
Even though the emperor and empress were partial to each other, he had never had a truly complete family since he was born. But now, because of Liang Yuan and the child she gave birth to, he had a family.
A home that belongs exclusively to their family of three, a real home.
Therefore, not only did he ignore the emperor's words to sentence Liang Yuan to death, he even confronted the emperor directly in the Qianyuan Hall for Liang Yuan. The father and son were at loggerheads and quarreled fiercely.
The result was, naturally, an unhappy one. Li Rongjun's face was sullen, his lips were ashen, and he dragged his exhausted body back to the Eastern Palace, his whole body like a leaf falling from a tree branch in autumn. Li Fu, who was serving at his side, saw the injustice suffered by the Crown Prince and naturally spoke up for His Highness, but what could he do?
The Emperor and Empress had given the crown prince the throne, even going so far as to confront the virtuous king for his sake. In the Emperor's words, this was already extremely unfair to the virtuous king. As the crown prince and the eldest brother, he couldn't even tolerate his own younger brother. Now he dared to make various demands and disobey the imperial order. He was truly ignorant and unruly.
Li Fu stood behind the prince, gazing fondly at the child he had watched grow up, and a barely audible sigh escaped his lips. As the eldest prince, and half of his body now rootless, he naturally treated the prince like his own. Seeing the prince being wronged made his servant feel bad too.
Because of the Second Prince's affair, the Emperor and Empress had always blamed the Crown Prince, taking their anger out on him from time to time. The Crown Prince had endured all of this, but if they pushed further and even attempted to reach into the East Palace, into his backyard,
Li Cheng's breathing was unstable. He closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
If it really comes to that, don't blame him for being ruthless.
The prince did not notice Li Fu's more caring look than usual. He did not want to look gloomy and make Liang Yuan worry, so he composed himself, walked through the moon-shaped door and entered Zhilan Residence.
…
The name of the Emperor's eldest grandson has finally been decided: Huai Zhou (Li Huai Zhou), a reference to the line "Alas, I miss my beloved, and I place him on the path of Zhou" from the "Guofeng" poem. The name clearly reflects the hopes His Majesty and the Crown Prince have for their eldest grandson: they hope he will have a heart as open and honest as a whetstone, as broad as the road ahead, unbiased, and determined to be a gentleman.
Although there is no rumor at present that any of the emperor's eldest grandsons will be the next crown prince, it is not difficult to see the clues by looking at the name and guessing the meaning behind it.
People at that time all sighed, wondering if the beautiful lady in the East Palace had truly become a phoenix.
This is the first child of the prince. Although he is not a legitimate son, the prince dotes on Liangyuan, and his love for her extends to her children. Perhaps in the future, the power of the Jin Dynasty will really be in the hands of that premature baby, and the most noble person in the Jin Dynasty will become a lowly slave who was once looked down upon by everyone.
The child's name was decided, and Liang Hanzhang had fulfilled a wish. She was currently weak, but seeing the child crawling out of her belly, born prematurely due to negligence and not as strong as ordinary children, Liang Hanzhang felt heartbroken.
Seeing that she was about to cry again, Li Cheng tried to dissuade her: "Zhou'er is just weaker than those strong children. He was born and raised in the Eastern Palace. This imperial capital gathers the most prestigious and skilled doctors in the world. The imperial physicians are always taking care of him. As long as he is well taken care of, the child will be safe."
As he spoke, he gently took the child into his arms. With skillful technique, the child slowly closed his eyes in his arms and hummed with satisfaction.
He laughed and said, "When Luo Hua gave birth, it was also premature. When he was born, Yu Ge'er looked similar to Zhou Er now. But look at him, isn't Yu Ge'er a plump and fair child now?"
"The royal family of our Great Jin is born with the blessing of our ancestors and the country, so they will surely be safe and healthy."
This is also his deepest expectation as a father for his children.
Although Liang Hanzhang had some worries in his heart, he nodded silently, hoping that the child would live a long life.
Although the prince was busy with official duties, he would change his clothes, wash his hands and face every day when he returned home. Only after going through the entire process would he dare to approach the emperor's eldest grandson and personally hold the child.
Sometimes she would stroll around the hall holding the child, humming an unknown tune. Sometimes she would squat beside the rosewood rocking bed, playing with the child using a small rattle or a small cloth tiger. Sometimes she would play with the child's soft fur, her eyes filled with tenderness as she spoke to Li Huaizhou:
"Zhou'er, this is your father. Do you recognize him?" According to the relationship between monarch and subject, father and son, Li Huaizhou should have called him "Father King." However, Li Cheng didn't want to distance the father-son relationship by calling him "Father." Therefore, he chose this folk name.
The child only ate, slept, or cried. It was rare for him to be so awake. His eyes, big as black grapes, twisted their lips as he stared at the towering man above him, seemingly curious.
After staring for a long time, he leaned against the Crown Prince's broad, warm hand, closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep. Because Li Cheng spent a certain amount of time with the Emperor's eldest grandson every day, sometimes even more time holding and coaxing him than the wet nurse did, the Emperor's eldest grandson was naturally more familiar with his father's voice and preferred nestling in his father's arms.
The prince looked at the child's sleeping face beneath its thick eyelashes and smiled knowingly. Actually, it was hard to tell who a child of this age looked like, but the prince had a feeling that the child looked more like Liang Yuan.
Looking at this little nose, little mouth, and the milky fragrance emanating from the whole body, the prince really couldn't love her enough, and the whole body was flowing with the radiance of fatherly love.
Such a lovable child existed in the world, and he was also her own flesh and blood. What a wonderful fate!
After the birth, the two talked about it. Li Cheng listened quietly to Liang Hanzhang's story, knowing the hardship behind her actions. Now that they had come this far and had the child he had always longed for, what did this little betrayal mean to him?
After all, that was not what Zhang Niang wanted to do, she was forced to do it.
The prince felt so comforted, but he also knew clearly that it was impossible to pretend that nothing had happened when he heard from Liang Yuan about the second prince and her so-called "brother".
He felt like a taut string stretched across his heart, hearing that two people who were least likely to have any connection had already understood each other and even given their hearts to each other. In comparison, he was the one who got involved later.
The string in his heart was getting closer and closer, almost breaking. There was an inexplicable emotion that dominated him. He was tired of Liang Hanzhang's past, those times without him, but filled with other men.
How great it would be if I could have met Zhang Niang earlier.
Li Cheng twisted his fingertips lightly, trying his best to act nonchalant. The bitterness in his heart was indescribable, and he could not ignore the tears in Liang Yuan's eyes.
To her, the brother in her mind is probably more than just a brother.
This self-proclaimed perfect "home" was actually a gift from others, something they didn't want. Li Cheng struggled to swallow the honey-coated lotus seed. Once the outer layer of honey was gone, the bitterness of the lotus seed inside truly surged into his mouth and spread throughout his body.
…
Time slipped by, and soon two months had passed before Liang Hanzhang finally emerged from her confinement. It was late spring, the sun shining brightly. Outside the window, the crabapple blossoms were a vibrant, vibrant spectacle. The birds nestled there were singing joyfully at the top of their lungs.
Liang Hanzhang bathed and washed his hair while his servants waited on him, rubbing his body with soap several times to ensure that not a speck of dirt remained. After rinsing and wringing his hair dry, he finally felt like he was coming back to life.
Although she had used a towel scalded with hot water to wash her body during her confinement, she could only wipe off the sweat on her body. Moreover, the prince was guarding outside and repeatedly reminded her not to be exposed to the wind or catch a cold.
With the prince as a big Buddha, even if the palace maids wanted to clean it more cleanly, they dared not linger in front of him.
After combing her hair, she picked up the child and coaxed him. The child was weak and spent all his time eating and sleeping, so he rarely interacted with Liang Hanzhang.
Liang Hanzhang didn't care at all. She looked at the tender white baby in the cradle and thought of her child. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. This was her child, the child she had taken root in her belly and given birth to with so much difficulty. Now, he was alive and well in this world, although he was a little weak, always sick from time to time, and often woke up crying at night.
But, this is her child. Although he has flaws, it cannot erase the blood-thicker-than-water kinship between her and that little person.
She stared at the sleeping face of her child, seeing his pink fist pressed against his head and his small body rising and falling with his breathing.
Liang Hanzhang was so happy that a smile spread across her lips. She was no longer the slave who had been trapped by Yan Guang and driven around like a slave, but the mother of the emperor's eldest grandson.
Her name will be recorded in history books and will gradually be exposed to the world along with the prince and the tiny baby in the cradle.
If she is lucky, if the child can ascend to the supreme throne, she will become the mother of a generation of emperors, leaving a brilliant and glorious mark in the long river of history, and emitting dazzling light in the hands of historians.
However, she also knew that all of this, her honor and wealth, was brought to her by the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was gentle and restrained, dignified and steady, the perfect choice for the heir apparent. Even though she had deceived him time and time again, he was able to forgive her.
If Liang Hanzhang knew nothing before, now she can vaguely glimpse the deep feelings beneath the prince's calm appearance.
He was pleased with her.
Because he loved her, he made exceptions time and again, and he couldn't let go of his newborn child. The Crown Prince loved children, but he wasn't short of them. If he wanted, he could follow ancestral tradition and select some young and beautiful women from prominent families to enter the Eastern Palace, to bear his bloodline and continue the dynasty.
But he didn't.
As the crown prince of a country, he had no other women in his harem except her. He hoped to have children with her to silence the gossips of the court officials and censors. Therefore, he spread his love widely, repeatedly injecting parts of his body into Liangyuan, hoping that these children and grandchildren would take root and grow strong in Liangyuan's womb.
If you tear off the prince's mask wrapped around him, he is just a young man who indulges in pleasure in front of his beloved woman.
Sometimes when Liang Hanzhang was not feeling well or was menstruating, she could feel the emotions of the man lying next to her, his strong heartbeat, heavy breathing, and gradually stiffening body.
She knew that once a man had tasted sex, he would never be able to quit or forget it. But even so, the prince remained silent, neither did he touch her nor did he look for other women. He devoted all his attention to the court, and the rest of his heart was used to worry about his only good wife.
Having reached this point in her life, Liang Hanzhang felt no regrets. For the rest of her life, she hoped to let these blissful days pass more slowly, allowing her to savor them more fully, not missing out on the warmth of her time with the Crown Prince, nor on every moment of her child's growth.
But good things in this world are not always permanent. The more you long for something, the more it drifts away from you. This is beyond human control.
…
Liang Hanzhang had previously requested the Crown Prince's favor, hoping to personally meet the virtuous king and clarify some matters. Although the Crown Prince felt somewhat unhappy, he remained calm, feigning complete indifference, and nodded in agreement.
The prince knew that this trip was necessary, although deep down he didn't want the two of them to meet again, didn't want them to follow the threads of memory and be together again, didn't want them to rekindle their old love and leave him alone at a loss.
However, only in this way can she truly give up and completely break away from the "brother" who talks nonsense and deceives her again and again.
From then on, the two of them had no other relationship except uncle and sister-in-law.
When she left, Mingyue and the others were still waiting by her side. The prince had already been annoyed with the two maids because of her premature birth, but Liang Hanzhang kept persuading them that the incident had nothing to do with them and was simply a case of carelessness. She had become accustomed to having them by her side and hoped he wouldn't make a fuss about replacing them.
The prince finally gave up. However, the due punishment was unavoidable: each received twenty strokes of the cane and a fine of half a year's salary. After all, despite the pleadings of a good woman, as maids, even if there were reasons for their actions, they still committed a crime.
If there is no punishment, how can we convince the people?
Mingyue and Yuhu knew that they had committed serious sins and failed to protect Liangyuan and the little prince. They thought they would be punished by drinking a cup of poisoned wine, but they did not expect that the prince would only order them to be beaten with a stick twenty times and still allow them to serve Liangyuan.
Knowing that it was Liang Yuan who spoke for them, the two were deeply moved and secretly vowed to serve the Empress even more wholeheartedly.
Although the virtuous prince had committed a heinous crime, he was still the son favored by the emperor and empress for many years, and the crown prince's brother from the same mother. Although he was stripped of his princely title and demoted to a commoner, he was different from ordinary commoners. He still lived a stable life in the virtuous prince's mansion, enjoying cockfighting, dog racing, and tending to flowers and plants, living a carefree and happy life.
What he lost was only his reputation; the rest of his treatment was no different from that of a prince.
When Li Xuan heard the gatekeeper report that an old friend was visiting, he raised his eyebrows, as if he was not surprised at all. He continued to calmly feed the sparrows under the corridor with a white jade spoon, and teased them from time to time.
When Liang Hanzhang walked in, what he saw was the young master teasing the birds.
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