Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Reunion
After receiving the confirmed news, Li Cheng jumped on his horse and chased after him without a word. After all, Li Huaizhou had never seen his mother. The word "mother" seemed to exist only in his memory and imagination.
But his father was busy with important matters, and he couldn't go and cause trouble. The prince sensibly didn't ask to go along, but only told his father to be careful with tears in his eyes.
Li Cheng was sitting on his horse and saw the little child in Zhuang Binghuai's arms. He had been with the child for five years and had raised him for so long, but the child was still so small.
He was Zhang Niang's husband, but Zhou Er was also Zhang Niang's child. Why wouldn't he let the child see his mother with his own eyes?
He pulled the reins, held out his hands to him, and said, "Father will take you with him." Li Huaizhou seemed caught off guard, his face blank for a long moment.
It was Zhuang Binghuai who reacted quickly and handed the little prince over. Emperor Jianping took the child in his broad hands, placed him in a sitting position in front of him, and held him tightly in his arms before riding away.
Behind the emperor's horse followed a team of Qinglong Guards.
Although Li Huaizhou has lived with his father since he was a child, and his father has hugged him many times over the years, each time was not like this, which made him feel warm. At the same time, he felt extremely uneasy.
He felt the burning heartbeat of Emperor Jianping and his increasingly heavy breathing. He asked, "Father, will I be able to see mother later?"
Li Cheng's eyes softened, and he tried to force a smile, "Yes, you'll see it later."
Li Huaizhou: "Father, will Mother dislike me? Will she be angry when she sees me?"
It was no wonder he felt uneasy. After living in the palace for so long, he had grown accustomed to the days without his mother. He had thought his mother had simply passed away in an accident, but now he realized that she had been lying to him and his father.
Why didn't she want to come back? Was it because she didn't want to see her son? Li Huaizhou thought of the rumors spread by some palace maids, and his voice was filled with grievance.
His small, soft body rested in the arms of Emperor Jianping, sensible and well-behaved, even asking questions with caution, fearing that his mother would dislike him.
He was worried about this.
Li Cheng's nose suddenly felt sore, not sure if it was because of Zhang Niang's sudden escape or because of Zhou Er's cautious inquiry.
There were too many conflicts and misunderstandings between their family of three. He and Zhang Niang had slept in the same bed for countless days and nights, but had never truly opened their hearts to each other.
They missed so much.
He gently kissed the prince's soft hair and said in a firm voice: "Zhou'er, she is your mother. If she didn't like you, she would never have given birth to you. You must believe that you are her flesh and blood, and she will like you the first time she sees you."
There was no doubt that Zhang Niang loved this child. On the contrary, it was unknown how much importance he, her husband, held in Zhang Niang's heart.
I'm afraid it's as light as a feather.
Hearing his father say this, Li Huaizhou felt that it made a lot of sense. He himself was not the type of person who would feel melancholy about the passing of time. Even if he didn't feel that way now, he would always feel that way in the future.
Putting aside his bad mood, he began to imagine the scene when he would see his mother later: "Father, do you think Mother would recognize me? When she sees me for the first time, will she come over and hug me?"
As he spoke, he began to twist and turn his body, trying to look at what he was wearing today. He frowned and said, "This green robe I'm wearing today doesn't look good. Will it give my mother a bad first impression later?"
He then said, "Father, my hair crown is crooked, can you help me fix it?"
In short, the child suddenly began to pay attention to his clothes and appearance, fearing that some aspect of himself would displease his mother.
Li Cheng distracted his attention, kept his eyes on the child in front of him, and sighed helplessly: "Don't move, or you will fall down, and your father will not take care of you anymore."
It would be very painful if a horse fell from such a high place. Li Huaizhou was afraid of pain since he was a child. He was so scared when he heard this that he dared not move.
Li Cheng's attention was always on the front. After all, he was a horse driver, and he was riding at night, which was much more dangerous than during the day.
He glanced down at the child and saw that his small body was standing straight, with a pair of hands tightly grasping his large palms, making him look like a sculpture. Li Cheng saw this delightful scene and suddenly couldn't help but laugh softly.
He felt that the bad mood he had been in throughout the day was gradually eased by the child's unintentional and innocent action.
Children are truly the cutest and most healing things in the world.
Soon, he will be able to see Zhang Niang, and their family of three will finally be reunited. He should put away his bad mood, cover it up completely, and leave the joy to welcome the upcoming reunion.
The child in his arms won't burst into tears at that time, right?
Because of his physical condition, Li Cheng believed that he had spoiled the child too much. By the time he discovered it and wanted to change things, it was too late.
This kid knew how to act like a spoiled brat and how to say sweet words to make people go crazy. Li Fu didn't know how many times he had been fooled by this kid's sweet words.
He is too delicate, so he likes to cry when he encounters some problems. Sometimes when he gets emotional and cries, he can't stop it no matter what.
This was also a point that made Emperor Jianping very helpless. The crown prince was actually a crybaby, which would be embarrassing if it got out.
Fortunately, the child grew up year by year and understood more and more principles. In addition, the tutor Di whom he chose for the prince was extremely strict and could not tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes.
Under his guidance, the prince gradually grew up. But growth was growth, and this was his first time seeing his mother. Perhaps, overwhelmed with emotion, he would burst into tears.
Cry if you want, Emperor Jianping thought. After all, he wanted to cry too.
As night fell, the evening breeze finally blew away the waves of heat in the air. Liang Hanzhang sat in the ox cart, looking at the scattered lights on both sides of the official road, and suddenly felt confused.
She didn't know where she was going or how to live. It was as if she had never found her goal, she had never planned her life path, she was just like a kite in the sky, moving at the control of her master.
A deep feeling of powerlessness suddenly welled up in my heart.
Liang Hanzhang planned to rush to Huai County, next to Tang County, overnight, and then set out from Huai County to follow the caravans heading to the southwest to sell goods.
The night deepened, and they were still dozens of miles from Huai County. Liang Hanzhang had taken a few Hu pancakes from the county magistrate's office before setting off, intending to stave off hunger on the journey. She had just eaten one, leaving two left.
Looking at the tall and broad young man in front of her, she said, "Brother Wang, you must have been driving hard. Would you like to have a piece of bread to fill your stomach?"
The young man was still shy. I wondered if it was just his nature or if he was just like that with Liang Hanzhang. He waved his hand and refused: "No, I'm not hungry. You can keep it for yourself, my lady."
I realized later that this time he called her "wife" without her surname. Calling her like a husband calling his wife.
My wife.
His lips moved as he murmured silently.
This time, it wasn't just his earlobes that burned; his cheeks felt like they were on fire as well. Luckily, his back was to Liang Hanzhang, and it was late that night, so he couldn't see clearly. Otherwise, he would have been a laughingstock.
Liang Hanzhang did not force it. He accepted the Hu Bing and started chatting casually: "Brother Wang, you drove me to Huai County today. If I rush back overnight, would it be unsafe? Otherwise, you can stay in Huai County for one night and go back tomorrow."
"This..." The young man did not agree, "Forget it, where can I sleep there? I have to spend my wife's money to stay in the inn. I feel bad for a grown man to spend a woman's money."
Liang Hanzhang: "You don't have to feel bad, this is the reward you get for driving today."
Brother Wang was as surprised as if he had been stung by a bee. He suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, my lady, please don't say anything more. This is just a piece of cake for me. If you really want me to spend money, if people find out, I'm afraid I'll be drowned in spit in Tang County!"
Apart from the initial awkwardness, he found it more and more comfortable to call her "wife".
Liang Hanzhang thought to himself, how could that be? She had a bad reputation in Tang County. When people heard that she was willing to spend money on a man, they would not believe her and would never say anything about her.
However, Brother Wang kept refusing, so Liang Hanzhang didn't know what to say. He just told him to light a bright lantern when he returned and not fall into the ditch because he couldn't see the road clearly.
Brother Wang had never been cared for like this before. He felt as if he was in warm water, with all the pores on his body opening up. He lay comfortably beside the other person, feeling extremely comfortable.
He finally understood why Zhang Laosan liked the job of guarding the Liang family so much. He could be with Liang Hanzhang day and night, and he would like it too.
Come to think of it, I am a little envious of Zhang Lao San.
I don’t know when Madam Liang will come back.
Liang Hanzhang was unaware of the boy's thoughts and his deep affection for her. She tilted her head to look at the stars in the sky, listened to the frogs croaking in the fields, and heard fireflies fluttering towards her.
She gently raised her palm to cover the firefly. The light from the firefly's tail flickered again and again, and it crawled gently across her palm. Liang Hanzhang stared at the faint light in her hand, feeling that this moment was a bit dreamy.
Was she dreaming? But if she was, everything that happened was so clear.
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the official road behind. The sound came along with the ground, dull and suppressed, as if there were thousands of troops chasing behind.
Liang Hanzhang suddenly felt something was wrong. She asked Brother Wang, "Did you hear any sound?"
The younger brother was also puzzled: "Why are there so many horse hoof sounds in the middle of the night?"
Seeing the worry on Liang Hanzhang's face, he changed his tone and comforted him: "It's okay, maybe some wealthy people encountered an emergency and had to travel quickly at night."
Liang Hanzhang nodded, feeling more and more uneasy. Now in such an environment, the slightest disturbance would make her panic.
She didn't dare to think about it, nor could she. At this moment, she wondered why the ox cart was moving so slowly. She wanted to take a horse carriage, but there were very few horse carriages in Tang County. Most people used ox carts to travel.
She covered her heart, which was almost beating into her throat, looked up at the sky, and tried to calm herself down.
No, nothing will happen. She will be fine. She will definitely arrive in Huai County safely, and then follow the caravan of Xu Yin's maternal grandfather to the southwest of Yizhou.
She won't be discovered.
The more he forced himself to remain calm, the more panicked he became. Liang Hanzhang lowered his eyes and stared at his legs. The sound of horse hooves grew closer.
It was so close that she felt that the herd of horses was right behind her and the people on the horses had already seen her.
The palms of my hands are getting more and more sweaty.
The air became heavy again, and she suddenly felt breathless as she sat on the ox cart.
I really hope it's a dream.
At a bend, the oxcart, which had been moving very steadily, suddenly neighed as if it had stepped on something, and its front hooves jumped high. The carriage lost its balance, and Liang Hanzhang seemed to be pulled by a force, staggering and falling out of the door.
Brother Wang was frantically trying to control the reins, and when he saw the person behind him about to fall to the ground, he reached out in panic to grab the person to prevent her from falling.
It was the first time he touched Madam Liang's body directly, and he suddenly felt short of breath. His face seemed to be burning on fire and was getting hotter and hotter. He was about to say something to ease the atmosphere.
Suddenly, I heard someone behind me pulling the reins of a horse, signaling the horse to stop.
A mellow and hoarse voice came: "Mother Zhang, is that you?"
Little Brother Wang looked up at her. Her maiden name was Zhang Niang, wasn't it? This was the first time he had heard of it.
It sounds really nice.
Then she thought again, in the middle of the night, on this official road, someone suddenly galloped after her on horseback and called her "Zhang Niang", what did this mean?
Brother Wang's mind was working quickly, and he remembered that someone said that Madam Liang couldn't stand the abuse from her in-laws and secretly ran away from Chang'an.
Could it be that my wife’s in-laws are here to look for her?
Looking at Liang Hanzhang's reaction again, her face was pale, her body was shaking, and the strength of her hugging him was getting stronger and stronger. She screamed in fear: "Don't come over here, don't come over here!"
"Get out of here!" There was a hoarse cry mixed with tears.
When Brother Wang saw her reaction, he knew that his guess was almost right.
He came here to protect Madam Liang's safety. Now that she is in danger, he will risk his life to save her.
Brother Wang had fire in his eyes. He held Liang Hanzhang in his arms and whipped the ox cart hard, trying to make it go faster.
But there is only one ox and one horse, how can an ox cart outrun the horse?
When Li Rong rode forward and saw the person he had been thinking about day and night, he discovered that she was holding a man in her arms. Judging from the man's age, he should be about the same age as Zhang Laosan.
Oh, there are so many wild men around her. Zhuang Binghuai left, Zhang Laosan left, and there is this one in front of her.
Is she really that into young people? Is she not interested in him because he's too old? That's why she hasn't contacted him in the past five years?
They hadn't seen each other for five years, and now there was a child next to them. Li Cheng didn't want to scare her, so he tried to make his voice sound gentle and calm: "Zhang Niang, come here."
He stretched out his hands and said to the woman on the ox cart.
The voice, low and mellow, was undoubtedly pleasant to the ear. However, almost instantly, Liang Hanzhang was reminded of the time when he had used the same calm voice to instruct Li Fu on those harmful actions.
He was clearly a hypocrite. He smiled, stood calmly, and appeared gentle and refined. But his heart was a devil!
He actually wanted to kill the woman he had slept with for many days!
Liang Hanzhang broke down and burst into tears. She yelled, "Get out! I don't want you anymore. Get out now!"
These few short sentences were as powerful as thunder and almost stunned Li Cheng.
The next moment, he reacted, and the violence that had been suppressed for a whole day suddenly surged out of his body. He sneered like a devil:
"You don't want me? Then who do you want? This wild man you're holding right now?!"
He suddenly pulled out a sharp arrow from behind the left and right Qinglong guards, put it on the bow, and shot it at the man and woman hugging each other. There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes were like a Shura from hell.
He opened his lips softly: "In that case, then let him die!"
Along with the sound came the sharp arrow. It came whirring and piercing the air. The next moment, Liang Hanzhang felt Brother Wang groan and his body tremble violently.
She quickly got up to check and saw a long, sharp arrow stuck accurately in his back. The arrow entered his back and exited from his chest.
In a blink of an eye, blood spurted out.
Liang Hanzhang felt dizzy. She hurriedly hugged Brother Wang and screamed in pain: "You are crazy! How could you kill him? Who allowed you to kill him?"
"Why didn't you kill me too! You failed to get rid of me back then, and now you've come all the way to Nanzhou. Do you hate me that much?!"
"What have I done wrong that His Majesty would keep thinking about it?"
She finally raised her eyes and looked in the direction of Emperor Jianping. Her pale face was covered with snot and tears, and a few strands of hair were stuck to it. She looked like a frightened deer in the woods, helpless and desperate.
She used up her last bit of strength and cried out in agony, "I am standing before you now, Your Majesty. Please kill me! I will not live in vain!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the slender figure, along with Brother Wang's unconscious body, gradually slid down from the ox cart to the ground.
In the soft moonlight, the pale face of Emperor Jianping was reflected. His eyes were empty, his lips were moving, and he was mumbling something.
Li Huaizhou was a little scared for a moment. The situation of the reunion of the three of them was very different from what he had imagined. He looked at his father's pale face and suddenly felt terrified.
He shouted, "Father!"
In response, a mouthful of blood spurted out of Emperor Jianping's mouth without any warning.
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