Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Going to Nanzhou
Even Zhuang Binghuai himself hadn't anticipated the final outcome. He had actually let Liang Hanzhang go like that? And without informing the Crown Prince.
She said she was going to Nanzhou, to stay away from the struggle for power and never get involved in the disputes again. Zhuang Binghuai was worried about her, a weak woman traveling thousands of miles away to make a living.
From the first time he met Liang Hanzhang, he felt that she gave him a sense of intimacy, and every time he saw her, he felt pity in his heart.
He knew very well that this inexplicable feeling had little to do with love between men and women.
Where does this feeling come from?
Now, because of Gao, Liang Hanzhang recognized Gao as his adoptive mother. In other words, as Gao's son, Liang Yuan was her adopted brother.
As a sworn brother, since he had saved someone from the brink of death, he naturally wanted to protect her. After learning that Liang Yuan was going to Nanzhou, he thought of sending a few guards to guard her in case of any accidents.
Liang Yuan declined his kindness, accepted only a few ingots of silver, and left in disguise carrying a small bag.
He has lived in Chang'an for the past five years. As a close minister to the emperor, Zhuang Binghuai knows very well how much Emperor Jianping misses Empress Xiaode.
By the time the little prince was two or three years old, he could already run and jump, chattering non-stop. Every now and then, the word "mother" would pop up in his little head, and then the little prince would become confused, as if he didn't know what mother meant or where his mother was.
Although Emperor Jianping never expressed his longing for Empress Xiaode in words, his increasingly cold temper, his gradually thinning body, and the occasional white hair all showed how much of a blow Empress Xiaode's death had been to him.
Sometimes, seeing the pitiful father and son, Zhuang Binghuai wanted to tell the truth to Emperor Jianping. However, he had already promised Zhang Niang to keep it a secret.
Can't go back on your word.
When Emperor Jianping ascended the throne and made Liang Hanzhang the empress and Li Huaizhou the crown prince, Zhuang Binghuai wrote her a letter asking Liang Hanzhang if she wanted to return to her previous life.
If she has such intention, Zhuang Binghuai can act as the intermediary.
But Liang Hanzhang clearly expressed her unwillingness in her reply. She said that the past was over and now in Nanzhou, she had found her own paradise.
The emperor's momentary affection doesn't guarantee long-term love. She wasn't the Queen Mother, and Li Cheng wasn't Emperor Hui'an. Their relationship stemmed from desire, not a deeper emotional connection.
She couldn't be as heroic as the Queen Mother, and she didn't know how to grasp a man's mind. In her opinion, Li Cheng's obsession with her was, firstly, for his reputation, and secondly, because he was afraid he hadn't found his ideal partner yet.
Perhaps these speculations were just petty thoughts, but Liang Hanzhang had never been afraid to speculate about others with the greatest malice. The prince might really find it hard to forget her at this time, just because she was the prince's first woman and gave birth to a child for him.
Moreover, she passed away suddenly when the prince's feelings for her were the most passionate, and due to the guilt in his heart, all these reasons turned into a compliment from the people - Your Majesty has a deep affection for the late queen.
Is this really a deep and profound friendship? Liang Hanzhang doesn't think so.
She remained as she was, making the court and the people, including Emperor Jianping, believe that she was dead.
At least in this way, Li Cheng will treat the child well for her sake, and he will stand by Zhou'er when Zhou'er has conflicts with other princes in the future.
If I go back now, I'm afraid that everything that was originally peaceful will be turned upside down. At the very least, her death is a fig leaf for the royal scandal, isn't it?
Liang Hanzhang was so determined that Zhuang Binghuai had no choice but to put his mind at ease.
After Gao adopted Liang Hanzhang as her daughter five years ago, her spirits became inconsistent. Sometimes when she didn't see Liang Hanzhang, she would break down and cry, like a child who was unable to get candy.
Zhuang Binghuai had no choice but to take her to Nanzhou from time to time to meet Liang Hanzhang.
Strangely, when Gao was at the Zhuang residence, she collapsed when she couldn't see her daughter. When she arrived in Nanzhou and met Liang Hanzhang, she wasn't sure if the person standing before her was actually her child.
Nanzhou is located in Lingnan, where the weather is harsh, surrounded by miasma and the climate is hot and humid. Gao's body is accustomed to the climate of Chang'an, so she often cannot stay in Nanzhou for more than a few days.
In addition, Zhuang Binghuai was busy with official duties and could not stay with his mother for long. Sometimes, when he really couldn't spare the time, he would send his confidant to escort his mother to Nanzhou.
Gao would often return from a visit to Liang Hanzhang in good spirits for months. Sometimes, during conversations, her words were sharp and her thoughts clear, and Zhuang Binghuai felt she didn't seem ill.
After several years of treatment, Gao's illness has rarely recurred. She can calmly accept the fact that Liang Hanzhang is not her daughter, and she is also clear that her biological daughter has not been found.
She was worried about her daughter and also about Liang Hanzhang who was thousands of miles away. From time to time, she would ask her son how Zhang Niang was doing in Nanzhou and whether he had asked the local authorities to protect her well.
Zhuang Binghuai patiently answered his mother's questions.
In his opinion, although his biological sister had not been found, his mother had accepted the fact that Zhang Niang was not Yaoyao. Now that he had adopted Zhang Niang as his adopted daughter, having her accompany him from time to time was a kind of comfort.
…
This time the emperor's southern tour was a private visit in disguise. The emperor brought the crown prince with him, and was protected by a group of Qinglong guards, as well as several close ministers of the emperor, among whom Zhuang Binghuai was prominent.
Upon learning that Marquis Zhuang's mother had recently gone to Nanzhou, Emperor Jianping couldn't help but wonder, "Why is Madam Gao so devoted to Nanzhou? Does she have any relatives there?"
Zhuang Binghuai secretly complained that Your Majesty's Empress Xiaode was in Nanzhou, and his mother went to Nanzhou to visit Empress Xiaode.
However, he didn't dare to say what was in his heart. He just said casually: "My mother likes to eat fresh lychees from Lingnan, and she went to Nanzhou herself for it."
Emperor Jianping hummed thoughtfully.
The reason why the emperor chose June for this incognito visit was to take this opportunity to let the prince take a good look at the Jin Dynasty and understand the local customs and folkways.
A crown prince who only sits in the imperial study, reading and listening to lectures, is nothing more than empty talk. Only by reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, gaining a certain amount of experience, can the crown prince consider the people in every decision he makes.
Emperor Jianping admitted that he was not a wise ruler, otherwise there would not be people like Kong Shumin who would occasionally risk their lives to make remonstrations. However, Emperor Jianping hoped that the crown prince would become a wise ruler in the future, one who would be close to the wise and stay away from flatterers, be able to control his subordinates with skill, and govern the Jin Dynasty better.
This is a father's expectation for his children.
It just so happened that there were many lychees in Lingnan, but fresh ones were extremely difficult to find in Chang'an. Li Cheng thought of Liang Yuan's casual remark that year, saying that she liked the scenery of Lingnan.
Li Huaizhou, as a son, had similar preferences to his mother, so he thought of taking him to Nanzhou to experience the local culture and let the child taste fresh lychees.
When Li Huaizhou learned that his father was going to take him secretly to Nanzhou, he was so excited that he threw himself into the arms of Emperor Jianping and kissed him on the face.
Emperor Jianping was kissed so hard that his face was covered in saliva. He frowned helplessly: "Li Huaizhou!"
Li Huaizhou raised his furry little head and smiled cunningly. He could naturally see the unhappy and helpless expression on his father's face.
He said in a loud voice: "I am so excited that I can't help it."
Li Cheng did not want the prince to be a delicate flower in a greenhouse. Although the prince was weak, Nanzhou was a thousand miles away from Chang'an. He was afraid that the child's body could not withstand the round trip.
But the imperial physician said that as long as the little prince took precautions along the way, he would probably be fine considering his current physical condition.
Over the years, countless elixirs and miraculous medicines have been continuously delivered to the Zichen Palace to nourish the health of this extremely noble Crown Prince.
In addition to using medicated food for conditioning, Li Cheng also found several martial arts masters for the prince, who urged him to get up early every morning to practice martial arts and strengthen his body.
The young prince was now a little frail compared to the sturdy children of the same age, but his complexion was quite rosy compared to before, and he had boundless energy to torment the Grand Tutor and Emperor Jianping all day long.
Seeing that his son was full of energy and was extremely eager to travel to Nanzhou, Emperor Jianping no longer had any last bit of worry in his heart.
Although it was a private visit, the emperor and the prince were accompanied south by several imperial physicians who were responsible for taking the prince's pulse and protecting his safety at all times.
After dozens of days of planning, a ship carrying royal nobles set out from Chang'an, the center of the empire, sailed eastward along the Wei River, passed through Tongguan, passed through Huazhou and Shanzhou, and arrived at the eastern capital Luoyang; then from Luoyang turned into the Tongji Canal to reach Yangzhou, and then from Yangzhou turned into the Yangtze River and arrived at Tanzhou.
From Tanzhou, they took the Xiangjiang River waterway and continued southward to Hengzhou. Later, they switched to a land carriage, crossed countless mountains, and finally successfully arrived in Nanzhou.
It can be said that a trip from Chang'an to Nanzhou is like crossing thousands of mountains and rivers.
Upon arriving in Nanzhou, Li Huaizhou was unaccustomed to the hot and humid climate and developed a low-grade fever. Fortunately, the imperial physicians were well prepared and meticulously cared for him. Although the little fellow lay lethargic on the bed for two days, he recovered and became lively and energetic again.
This time when he went south, Emperor Jianping did not intend to alarm the local provincial officials. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, he and the prince pretended to be a father and son merchant who traveled all over the country.
Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, merchants had the lowest status, but at the same time, their status was flexible and they could get more information. Li Huaizhou was overjoyed when he heard the news.
Emperor Jianping's trip with the Crown Prince was not entirely for fun. He disguised himself as an ordinary merchant and walked with the Crown Prince through the streets, trying to understand the people's sentiments.
The best place to get information is teahouses and restaurants. Li Huaizhou was young and couldn't drink, so Li Cheng took him to a large local teahouse.
The waiter welcomed the two guests upstairs and went downstairs after receiving instructions. A short while later, the waiter presented the local specialty - oil tea.
Oil tea is made by roasting, grinding, sifting and frying the tea leaves before adding them to the water. When the water is boiled again, salt, onions and ginger are added to improve the taste. It is completely different from the tea you drink in Chang'an.
Li Cheng thought the prince would be unaccustomed to the drink, but he didn't expect the little fellow to be so earnestly sipping the tea from the bowl, completely disregarding his image. If the Grand Tutor were around, he would surely have reprimanded the prince for his unruly behavior and vulgarity.
Li Cheng wanted to correct him, but the child was so adorable while drinking tea that Emperor Jianping couldn't help but rub and knead his son's face, which felt very good.
The little prince was unhappy: "Father, no, Daddy, you can't rub my face all the time, it will be bad!" He looked even cuter when he was so fierce and aggressive.
After pinching, Emperor Jianping retracted his hand, nodded in satisfaction, and vowed that he would never do it again. However, Li Huaizhou had heard this sentence no less than a hundred times.
Li Huaizhou sighed like a little adult, feeling distressed. Sometimes he felt that his father was eerie and cold, and sometimes he felt that he was as childish as a little kid.
Even more childish than him.
Li Cheng stopped teasing him. Just as the storyteller in front of him had started singing, he sat up straight.
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