Chapter 64 Chapter 64 The hidden story
Liang Hanzhang returned to the inner courtyard and opened the letter in his hand. He could more or less guess the content of the letter.
Sure enough, the nobleman said in the letter that his mother was ill again and kept asking to come and see her.
The nobleman was a high-ranking official at court, heavily involved in government affairs, and rarely had free time. It just so happened that His Majesty was taking the Crown Prince on a southern tour this year, and he had been ordered to serve at His Majesty's side, so this was the perfect opportunity for him to bring his mother to see her.
Back then, the person who rescued Liang Hanzhang from the valley was none other than this noble man - Zhuang Binghuai, Marquis of Boyi.
Many years ago, he was sent by Emperor Hui'an to guard the territory. Now that the world has been at peace for a long time, Marquis Bo Yi's mother, Gao, has been bullied like this by people from the second house.
Besides, Marquis Bo Yi had reached the age to discuss marriage, and Emperor Jianping did not want to wrong his former subject, so he planned to keep him in the capital for a few years to settle the marriage first.
Zhuang Binghuai was born a military general and was used to living in the wild sand and desert on the frontier. When he suddenly returned to the capital, he felt itchy all over his body.
That day, unable to contain himself, he went hunting alone in the valley on the eastern outskirts. He saw a young cheetah, its eyes blazing with blood, its fur white and yellow, and its agile movements, as swift as the wind.
Zhuang Binghuai noticed the little cheetah at first glance, but the cheetah ran too fast, so he decided to ride his horse to chase it.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw the remains of a carriage. The horse harnessed to the carriage was dead, but its body was still stiff, indicating that it had fallen from the carriage not long ago.
Seeing this, Zhuang Binghuai no longer cared about the little cheetah and dismounted to investigate. He thought it was an empty carriage that had fallen, but when he turned over the wreckage, he found a woman lying inside, her life or death unknown.
Zhuang Binghuai was shocked and rushed to check her breathing. He found that she was still breathing and not dead. If she was not treated in time, her life would be in danger.
He didn't know what had just happened up there. Although he couldn't tell whether this woman was a good person or a bad person, it was not his style to watch someone die without helping.
However, under normal circumstances, he would at most call for the servants to carry the person back. He would just pass on a message and would not interfere in anything, let alone do anything himself.
But now, looking at the dying woman lying in the wreckage, her life or death uncertain, for some reason, a strange emotion flashed through Zhuang Binghuai's heart.
This woman's appearance is somewhat similar to her mother's.
He was moved with compassion.
Zhuang Binghuai thought for a moment, pulled out the Persian carpet from the carriage, barely covered the woman with it, and with a low apology, carried her onto his horse and headed home.
Since he was traveling without anyone else and the fall from the cliff happened not long ago, all this happened without anyone noticing.
Liang Hanzhang was lucky enough to survive the fall from such a high cliff. He was only unconscious for one night and woke up the next morning.
She opened her eyes and was slightly stung by the sunlight in the room. She couldn't help but frown and secretly looked at everything in the room.
Besides the two maids, there was also a woman with a high bun standing by, whose face looked familiar. Liang Hanzhang tried hard to recall, but he couldn't remember where he had seen this woman before.
When the two maids saw that the man had woken up, they went to ask the marquis to come over without saying a word.
Ever since yesterday when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince frantically sent the Azure Dragon Guards to the cliff to look for someone, rumors have been circulating throughout the court and the country, saying that the beautiful woman whom His Royal Highness the Crown Prince holds dearest has suddenly fallen off a cliff and is unknown whether she is alive or dead.
The prince has been doing well for so many years, and now his little grandson has just been born a few months ago. When the ministers meet the prince on the road, they often find that he has a faint smile on his face, and he looks very happy and proud.
No one could have expected that within just a few months, the prince's beloved daughter in the backyard would fall off a cliff.
It is said that his life or death is unknown, but everyone who has been to the eastern suburbs knows that the valley is more than ten feet high. Falling from such a high place is likely to be fatal.
Everyone sighed, it was true that life was unpredictable.
Zhuang Binghuai heard the rumors, and considering the woman's clothing and appearance, he understood. The person he had saved was probably the one in the Crown Prince's backyard—Empress Liangyuan, who had just given birth to the emperor's grandson.
The Zhuang family followed Emperor Hui'an in starting an uprising and was eventually appreciated by the emperor, and was granted titles of nobility and appointed as prime ministers. In order to prevent generals with military power from becoming self-reliant, emperors of all dynasties reduced the titles from generation to generation.
However, in order to show his love for the Zhuang family, Emperor Hui'an did not weaken the title of Marquis Boyi. Zhuang Binghuai's father was a marquis, and Zhuang Binghuai himself inherited the title of marquis.
Zhuang Binghuai had been eating the rice salary of the Jin Dynasty since he was a child, and had received the favor of the emperor. He accepted orthodox Confucian ideas and would not betray the royal family.
After learning that he had rescued Empress Liang Yuan, his first reaction was to inform His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
But just as he was about to leave, his mother, Gao, arrived. Gao had lost her daughter many years ago and her mind had become confused. When the second wife of the Zhuang family was still alive, she had suffered many unfair abuses.
Now that her eldest son had returned to her side, and after a period of time under the care of the medical officer, her mind had gradually returned to normal. At least when facing Zhuang Binghuai, her words and actions were no different from those of an ordinary person.
Seeing her son going out so late at night, Gao couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going, Junshi?"
Zhuang Binghuai bowed to his mother obediently and answered without hiding anything: "I rescued a woman in the valley in the eastern suburbs today. I just found out that it was Empress Liangyuan. Now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been sending people to look for her. I will go out and inform the Crown Prince in person."
Gao frowned and thought carefully, wondering who this Lady Liangyuan was. Suddenly, a slender figure flashed through her mind, looking back and smiling, looking very much like her own Yaoyao.
Gao's expression was stern, and she suddenly became serious. "Jun Shi, please don't go yet. Would you mind taking mother to see this Empress Liang Yuan?"
Zhuang Binghuai naturally wanted to tell the prince as soon as possible, but his mother stopped him from going out. He couldn't disobey, so he ordered the servant beside him to spread the news.
When Gao saw Liang Yuan, she burst into tears, hugged Liang Hanzhang and kept calling "Yao Yao". She also asked Zhuang Binghuai to bring her back and not let him go out to tell her.
Zhuang Binghuai was shocked: "Mother, why is this happening?"
"This is my Yaoyao. She's so badly injured, someone must be trying to harm her! You're spreading the word so loudly, letting everyone know her whereabouts. What if the mastermind takes advantage of the situation and plots to kill her again?"
Zhuang Binghuai: "Mother, this..."
"Jun Shi, listen to your mother and wait until the child wakes up before making any plans, okay?"
Zhuang Binghuai: "Mother, this is inappropriate..."
"Junshi, you've been so smart since you were little, don't you think you don't understand such a simple truth? If you spread the news tonight, Yaoyao might not be able to survive!"
"For mother's sake, please let Yaoyao go!" Gao broke down and cried.
Gao's incoherent speech gave Zhuang Binghuai a hint. After much reflection, he felt that sending someone to inform the Crown Prince so openly at this time was indeed inappropriate.
Moreover, as an outsider, he had no idea why Empress Liangyuan fell off the cliff today.
If something happened to the Empress at his hands, Zhuang Binghuai would not be able to forgive himself, not to mention his own career.
After a moment's hesitation, he ordered his men to retrieve the servant. Fortunately, the servant's horse had a problem and was delayed in the stables for a while. Finally, Zhuang Binghuai succeeded in retrieving the servant.
Let's wait until the queen wakes up before making any plans.
Zhuang Binghuai thought so. Since the queen was in danger today, she might have been framed, so he had to be more cautious.
Zhuang Binghuai ordered his men to guard Shensi Hall tightly and invited the medical officer back to stay at Boyihou's mansion, under the pretext that he could not bear to have him running back and forth. But in fact, he had specially sent people to guard him to prevent the medical officer from going out to inform on others.
After doing all this, Zhuang Binghuai thought about the rumors he had heard from his subordinates, saying that the prince personally led the Qinglong Guards to search almost the entire eastern suburbs, and was determined not to give up until he found the queen.
He was a little restless, even though everything he did today was for Empress Liangyuan and His Highness.
But, is it really okay to hide this from His Highness?
Zhuang Binghuai shook his head, not daring to think too much about it, fearing that if he thought too much, he would not be able to help but go out and tell the prince the news.
Back at Shensi Hall, Gao was hugging Liangyuan, calling "Yaoyao" repeatedly, crying and laughing, her eyes blurred and dull, her mind no longer clear.
I think he's sick again.
A maid advised her: "Madam, the queen needs to rest. You will disturb Liangyuan's rest."
The maids who took care of Liang Yuan in Shen Si Hall were all Zhuang Binghuai's confidants, so they naturally knew that the person lying on the couch was Prince Liang Yuan.
In addition to a younger brother, Zhuang Binghuai also had a younger sister. His sister, nicknamed "Yaoyao", was three years old when she went out on Lantern Festival night. Due to the negligence of her maidservants, she was abducted by a kidnapper.
Since my sister was abducted, my mother was deeply traumatized and bedridden for a long time. To make matters worse, not long after, she received the tragic news of my father's death.
The mother had lost her beloved daughter and her spirit could not withstand any stimulation. She was so grief-stricken when she suddenly lost two of her closest relatives that she immediately fell into a coma.
Batch after batch of imperial physicians treated Gao and finally saved her, but she became mentally ill.
She was mentally confused, her speech was slow, and she had forgotten all the bad things in her past. She always thought that her Yaoyao was still by her side and her husband was still guarding the border.
In her opinion, the family has never been separated.
Zhuang Binghuai also thought of the little girl with two buns and unsteady steps, who softly called him "Brother".
The little girl was three years old and walked unsteadily because Gao had a difficult birth. The baby had been trapped in the womb for too long and had become like this after being born.
Because of this, Gao loved her little daughter even more. When she first heard her daughter was missing, she felt more pain than anyone else.
When Zhuang Binghuai thought of his sister, a dense pain like being pricked by needles instantly spread throughout his limbs.
He endured the pain and told his mother: "Mom, this is Liang, the concubine of the crown prince. She is not our Yaoyao." Although he couldn't bear to interrupt his mother's dream, he still chose to expose the truth.
Sooner or later, the mother will have to face it. This is not her child, not their Yaoyao. The mother is forcing the love she has for Yaoyao onto Liangyuan, which is unfair to her sister.
As expected, Gao was furious after hearing this: "You're talking nonsense! She is Yaoyao. She is my child, how could I not recognize her?"
"Junshi, you are my child. I am not angry with you, but you can't say this again in the future, otherwise Yaoyao will be angry."
Zhuang Binghuai's nose felt sore and he tried hard to hold back his tears. He couldn't help but think that if his sister had a birthmark on her body when she was born, he could use the birthmark to tell his mother that she was the prince's concubine and the mother of the emperor's eldest grandson.
Not our Yaoyao.
"Mother," Zhuang Binghuai knelt beside Gao, tears streaming down his face. His mother was adamant that the woman lying on the bed was Yaoyao, ignoring his words. How could he force his mother to believe it over and over again?
It's all his fault. If he and his brother hadn't played so crazily during the Lantern Festival that year, hadn't run around everywhere, and had stayed close to his sister, would Yaoyao have been kidnapped?
Is their Yaoyao still alive? Where is she? Has she suffered a lot? Has she endured many hardships?
Even though Zhuang Binghuai did not believe in gods and Buddhas, he could not help but pray at this moment, hoping that their Yaoyao was living well somewhere in the world and met kind people.
Gao stayed by Liangyuan's side all night long, and Zhuang Binghuai, worried about his mother, also stayed by her side all night.
Gao was mentally disturbed and her madness relapsed, so he ordered someone to invite a medical officer who specialized in treating Gao's madness. However, Gao refused to let the medical officer take her pulse and treat her illness, as she only had eyes for the "Yaoyao" in front of her.
Zhuang Binghuai had no choice but to follow her wishes for the time being.
That night, throughout the city of Chang'an, countless people shed tears in secret, many people could not sleep all night, and many people were unable to extricate themselves from grief.
…
Fortunately, although Liang Yuan suffered serious external injuries, her internal injuries were minor, so she lay down all night and woke up the next morning.
Zhuang Binghuai was not in the room for the time being. There was only Gao in front of him. Seeing her wake up, he was so excited that he cried and laughed, and hugged her and kept calling "Yaoyao".
Liang Hanzhang felt a throbbing pain in his head, and his thighs, wrists and shoulders were burning, probably from the scratches he got from falling off the cliff.
She didn't know where she was, and only remembered the scene of her tying the lily hairpin to the horse's back and the horse pulling her off the cliff.
So, was she alive or dead? If dead, why was she still feeling pain? If she were alive, that wouldn't be right. She'd fallen from such a height, and she'd actually survived. It was a miracle.
Liang Hanzhang lay on the bed with a confused look in her eyes, still wondering whether she was a human or a ghost. The maid saw her wake up and hurried to inform Zhuang Binghuai.
Zhuang Binghuai came over upon hearing the voice. He walked in cautiously and asked, "Excuse me, are you Empress Liangyuan?"
"Liang Yuan?" Liang Hanzhang repeated with a puzzled tone.
Zhuang Binghuai was shocked. Could it be that she wasn't the Crown Prince's concubine? Or did she fall off a cliff and lose her memory?
He suppressed his thoughts and was about to ask the other party again. Unexpectedly, Liang Hanzhang had already reacted. Wasn't it Gao from the Boyi Marquis Mansion who was sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at him?
When she went to celebrate Old Madam Zhuang's birthday, she met Madam Gao several times and knew that she was a pitiful person.
It turned out that he had been rescued by someone. The one who rescued him was probably the eldest son of the Gao family—the Marquis as everyone called him.
But why did he save her? Liang Hanzhang didn't understand, and couldn't figure it out. She remembered that she didn't have much friendship with the Boyi Marquis Mansion.
She asked softly, "Excuse me, are you Lord Zhuang?"
Zhuang Binghuai was still trying to decide how to start when the woman asked him a question. It seemed the fall hadn't completely stunted her brain.
He nodded: "Yes."
Liang Hanzhang: "Why did you save me, Lord? What's the situation outside? Do the Crown Prince and the Empress know I'm alive? How many days have passed since I fell off the cliff?"
She had just woken up and her throat was still hoarse, but she couldn't help but throw out a series of questions.
Zhuang Binghuai's phoenix eyes were fixed on the other party's actions.
For some reason, he had no patience for women in the past. In his opinion, women were delicate, troublesome and noisy, and it was difficult to make him feel happy about them.
But after meeting Prince Liangyuan, his attitude changed again and again. Not only did he rescue the person personally, but he also showed no impatience when facing a series of questions from the other party.
Not a single bit.
Why was this? Zhuang Binghuai couldn't figure it out.
He concealed the strange feeling and took the initiative in his own hands, "Before I answer your question, I hope that mother...young lady can help me clear up my confusion."
He opened his thin lips and asked, "Young lady, are you the Crown Prince's concubine—the mother of the Emperor's eldest grandson?"
Liang Hanzhang knew that she had fallen off a cliff. With such a big thing happening, her identity could not be hidden from anyone, especially the sharp-eyed Lord Zhuang in front of her.
She nodded slightly: "Yes."
Zhuang Binghuai's face lit up with joy. He bowed and saluted, saying, "Your humble servant, Zhuang Binghuai, pays respect to Her Majesty Liangyuan!"
He added: "Your Highness has sent people to look for you all night. I was worried that your whereabouts would be exposed and someone would harm you, so I did not inform His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Now that Liangyuan has woken up, I will write a letter to inform the Crown Prince. My humble home is simple, so please recuperate here for a while, don't mind."
Liang Hanzhang grasped the key words: "Is it that His Highness doesn't know I'm still alive?"
Zhuang Binghuai: "Someone mistakenly entered the valley and was attacked and killed by a pack of wolves. Your Highness thought that it was you, the Queen, who was swallowed by the wolves."
Zhuang Binghuai turned to leave, but Liang Hanzhang sensed something was wrong and called out in a hoarse voice, "Master Zhuang, please stay!"
Zhuang Binghuai turned around, wondering if she had any other instructions.
Liang Hanzhang looked at the kind-hearted Marquis Zhuang and Madam Gao and felt that this was the perfect opportunity. Perhaps he could use the Zhuang family's kindness to escape from this troubled place.
She pondered secretly in her heart, tears welling up in her eyes. She said in a miserable voice, "Didn't Lord Zhuang just say that he didn't tell the Crown Prince because he was afraid someone would harm me?"
Zhuang Binghuai: “Yes.”
"My Lord, you are right. I was indeed framed and fell off the cliff, and the person who framed me was someone close to me."
Someone close to you?
Zhuang Binghuai didn't understand why.
Liang Hanzhang didn't intend to beat around the bush, she pointed out directly:
"Your Excellency may not believe me, but the ones who truly framed me were the Empress and the Crown Prince. If Your Excellency tells the Crown Prince about this, wouldn't that be pushing me back into the fire?"
When Zhuang Binghuai heard this, he was horrified and his dark complexion turned pale with fright.
"Your Highness, what are you saying? Everyone in this world knows that His Royal Highness loves you dearly. You are the only one in the harem, and even the eldest grandson of the Emperor was born from your womb. Aren't you afraid that these words will chill His Highness's heart?"
"His Highness stayed awake all night last night searching for Your Majesty. He even wielded his sword to kill all the wolves in the valley after mistakenly believing you had been devoured by a pack of wolves. After hearing this, Your Majesty, will you still doubt His Highness's sincerity towards you?"
Zhuang Binghuai secretly criticized this Crown Prince Liangyuan, saying that she really didn't know what was good for her. The Crown Prince had done so much for her, providing her with fine clothes and delicious food, giving her wealth and honor, and raising her from a lowly slave to the position of Crown Prince Liangyuan.
Even the little grandson of the emperor was born to her.
Even so, she was still not satisfied and still believed that the prince was trying to kill her. The prince was very kind and would not use such a despicable method on his servants, let alone on this beautiful woman who shared his bed with him?
Liang Hanzhang naturally knew that he didn't believe it.
Because he was loyal to the prince, and because the prince's reputation for kindness was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, Zhuang Binghuai naturally suspected that her words just now were mean-spirited.
Now, the only way is to soften it with words.
"I know it's hard to believe what the Marquis said to me, but I am a weak woman, now promoted to a good lady and having just given birth to a young son. Why would I abandon him at such a happy time in life? Why would I jump off a cliff?"
"Does the Marquis think that I fell off the cliff on my own initiative?"
She bit her red lips and smiled coldly: "You are right, the prince is upright and dignified, a gentleman like jade, like a jade tablet and a sceptre, he is a rare crown prince in the eyes of the world. At the beginning, I also thought so."
"I think that Your Highness must love me deeply, which is why he left the backyard empty, took only one scoop from the three thousand rivers, and gave me a child. I was born in a humble family, but I was able to ascend to this high position, all thanks to Your Highness's grace."
Liang Hanzhang didn't know whether she was speaking out of sadness or to soften Zhuang Binghuai's heart, she sobbed:
"But one day, I heard him discussing with Li Fu about getting rid of me. He agreed just because the emperor and empress could not tolerate me. Although he loved me and doted on me, and was very fond of the emperor's eldest grandson. But this did not prevent him from taking my life."
"He did feel pity at first, but the Emperor and Empress are his biological parents. I am just an outsider. How can my life compare to the weight of the Emperor and Empress' words?"
"My Lord, I am grateful for saving me. If you still have a shred of kindness in your heart, could you please not hand me over to the Crown Prince?"
"If that happens, I will die!" She said this with a shrill voice.
Zhuang Binghuai felt that his brain was not enough. He opened his eyes wide in shock and astonishment, and muttered to himself like a fool: "How could it be, how could it be? Your Highness is not that kind of person."
He wanted to rebuke Liang Yuan, but she was being mean-spirited. The Crown Prince was an upright and honest gentleman, so how could he do such a dirty thing? She must have committed a grave error, for His Highness and the Empress would not tolerate her.
This is the only explanation.
But his gaze met the delicate figure of the woman, tears streaming down her face as she wept. Tears welled up in her eyes, the corners of them crimson from sobbing. Her gaze held fear and grievance, but not a shrewd calculation.
The distinct black and white of her almond-shaped eyes were filled with a purity untainted by the world. Her eyes were clean, but was her heart also clean?
At this time, Gao, who had been silent all this time, spoke up: "Junshi, what your mother said is right, isn't it? Yaoyao was injured like this because she was framed. As her brother, you should have not taken good care of her, but you actually pushed Yaoyao into the fire pit!"
Zhuang Junshi was speechless. He really wanted to remind his mother that this was not their Yaoyao.
But, these words were never said.
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