Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Little Prince
Using acupuncture to clear the blood vessels of such a young child is actually very dangerous. However, the young prince was currently suffering from a high fever, and any delay would increase the risk. The Crown Prince deliberated for a moment and immediately ordered the imperial physician to begin acupuncture on his eldest grandson.
Such a small child, who was still a tiny ball after more than two months, cried until he was hoarse in the cradle. Now he has no strength left to cry and can only make a cat's humming sound. He looks so pitiful.
In order to prevent the grandson from breaking free and getting the wrong acupuncture point, the prince and one of the wet nurses held him down and prevented him from moving.
As expected, when the silver needle entered the acupoint, the prince began to hum and cry again. I don’t know what’s wrong with this child today. He keeps crying. Although he cries on weekdays, the prince and Liang Yuan can just tease him and he will be fine.
The prince held the child's delicate, white hand, gently caressing it. He leaned in close and spoke softly, "Zhou'er, are you feeling wronged? You're feeling unwell, but your mother isn't there to accompany you. Are you feeling sad about this?"
How could a child of only a few months old understand the meaning of the prince's long words?
Miraculously, after hearing the Crown Prince's words, the little prince's tears gradually subsided. Lying on the soft silk, his small body strained to open his eyes. His eyeballs, the size of black grapes, were still wet with tears. He stared into the Crown Prince's eyes, motionless.
Sometimes the prince had to believe in the fate of blood ties. From the birth of his eldest grandson to now, he was the one who accompanied him the most.
But now the little baby stopped crying miraculously when he heard the word "mother". Seeing this, Li Cheng simply took the little cloth tiger that Liang Yuan had embroidered for her eldest grandson.
Liang Yuan was not good at sewing, and this little cloth tiger took a lot of effort. When the prince saw that she was embroidering toys for the children but not embroidering sachets for himself, he felt a little jealous and accused her of being partial and forgetting him after having a child.
At that time Liang Yuan said: "I am not good at needlework, so I will practice on these small things first. Once I have practiced well, it will not be too late to embroider the sachet for Your Highness."
Li Cheng was delighted after hearing this, but it was too late and Liang Yuan was still staying out with Luo Hua, which was really intolerable.
The prince secretly swore that when Liang Yuan returned home, he would ask her to embroider a sachet for him no matter what. If he asked her to embroider a sachet, she would stay in the mansion quietly and he would not be as panic-stricken as he is now.
He was even more upset because he shouldn't have accepted Princess Changping's invitation. Thinking of this, the prince wanted to beat himself up. He knew that Liangyuan had just come out of confinement and her body had not yet fully recovered, so how could she go out of the city to enjoy the flowers?
Flowers are available all year round, regardless of the season. It’s never too late to enjoy them.
After the imperial physician finished giving acupuncture to the little prince, he asked his servants to apply hot compresses on him. The reason why he didn't ask him to drink the medicine was because the little prince was too young and might not be able to bear it.
After all this trouble, the chief imperial physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau finally arrived. He first carefully examined the Crown Prince's body, then carefully questioned the acupuncturist. Then he stroked his beard and nodded: "Your Highness, what Imperial Physician Wang did today is correct. Wait another half an hour and your Highness's high fever will completely subside."
Upon hearing this, the prince finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a young eunuch reported that Li Dazongguan had returned, accompanied by Empress Liangyuan, and was now heading towards Zhilan Residence. The prince was even more delighted, believing that Li Fu had returned with Empress Liangyuan to apologize.
Li Cheng's brows relaxed as he saw that Li Huaizhou had finally stopped crying, but refused to sleep, still staring at him with wide eyes. The prince laughed and gently held the child in his arms to coax him to sleep, scolding him with a smile:
"You little bastard, do you want to see your mother too? Don't worry, your mother has already rushed here. If you know that Zhou'er is sick later, you will be so heartbroken that you will cry."
"So Zhou'er, you have to be a good boy and don't make your mother cry, okay?" The child was still staring at the prince, his obsidian eyes reflecting the prince's shadow.
After looking at it for a long time, the prince realized that the child was attracted by the shiny golden crown on his head and kept staring at it.
In the past, the prince would have changed his clothes and washed his hands after returning home, changing into casual clothes before coming to see the child. Therefore, in the child's world, it was the first time he saw his father wearing a golden crown.
The prince looked at the child in his arms with pity and love, and could not help but laugh and scold: "Little bastard, your father and mother's little bastard."
The eldest grandson of the current dynasty, who was being called a little bastard, was not affected at all by the prince's words. He cried until he was tired and finally closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Upon seeing this, the prince gently placed him in the crib, told someone to take good care of his eldest grandson, and then went out.
Zhilan's residence is in the backyard of the Prince's Mansion. To get there, one has to pass through several palaces in the front hall, then walk around Cheng Lake, pass through a long and secluded path, and cross the last moon-shaped gate.
The prince was a noble man, so he could ride a horse instead of walking in the palace. However, Li Fu was a servant, so according to the rules, he was not qualified to do so and could only walk to answer the call. The prince then thought of the old steward's sturdy body and shook his head helplessly.
Never mind, he'll go out and meet it himself.
At the corner, he happened to run into Li Fu, and standing in front of Li Fu was none other than Princess Changping, who had come to visit him today. Li Cheng didn't see Liang Yuan, and a greater sense of unease washed over him. He felt dizzy, his voice trembling, "Where's Liang Yuan? Why are only the two of you back?"
Then he made an excuse for her, as if deceiving himself: "Well, she is very delicate. If you ask her to walk such a long distance, I'm afraid she will not be able to walk anymore and will have to rest in front."
Li Luohua looked at her brother and couldn't help but burst into tears. She cried in a hoarse voice: "Royal brother, Zhang Niang, she, she is in trouble!"
Li Fu noticed the prince's shaky body, and his heart felt like it was on fire, throbbing with pain. He had thought that His Highness and His Majesty had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and that they, along with the little prince, could live a good life from now on, but who could have imagined that something like this would happen.
Thinking of the culprit behind all this, even a calm butler like the old steward was furious at the emperor and empress's actions. A beautiful girl, not long after giving birth to the emperor's grandson, was forced to fall off a cliff and die.
Empress Liangyuan was kind to others and had given birth to a child, but the emperor and empress did not want to reward her, and they could not even tolerate the life of a weak woman.
Li Fu did not dare to criticize the royal family, but what the emperor and empress did today was really disgusting to him, a eunuch.
Next, Li Fu explained in detail what happened today when Liang Yuan went out to appreciate the flowers. When the prince heard Li Fu's familiar voice, he actually felt disgusted with such a voice for the first time.
Every word was like a sharp blade, piercing into his heart continuously.
The prince had no feeling in his heart anymore, because the pain was numb and dull, as if blood was flowing out of his heart.
The prince stood there, like the last fallen leaf in autumn, finally unable to hold on under the gusts of cold wind and falling to the ground.
The upright figure bent and lowered repeatedly, finally kneeling on the ground. The prince clutched his chest and heard Princess Changping's choked voice add, her hoarse voice rasping with difficulty: "Are you saying that Liang Yuan committed suicide herself?"
When Princess Changping saw the prince's eyes that were ready to devour someone, she suddenly felt strange and scared. She had never seen her brother like this before.
He said hesitantly, "Yes."
The prince couldn't help but sneer, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. Liang Yuan had just given birth to the little prince, and she doted on the child and was full of hope for the future. From time to time, she would talk to him about what she wanted to do in the future.
Even for a person with such a strong will to survive and such a love for life, some people actually said that Liang Yuan was seeking death voluntarily.
How could she ask for death? Someone must have forced her to die!
The main culprit is his father, the emperor, and his mother, the empress, who sit high in the palace!
The Crown Prince listened to the details, hearing that the Empress had poisoned Liang Yuan's food to kill her, and even orchestrated a frightened horse falling off a cliff to create the illusion of Liang Yuan's accidental death. What had she done wrong that the Emperor and Empress could not tolerate such a weak woman?
Li Rong remembered that the princess said that Liang Yuan had a stomachache at the time, and she was riding alone in a carriage. She stabbed the hairpin on her head into the horse's buttocks, causing the horse to carry her off the cliff.
Such a discerning person must have guessed that someone was going to kill her and wanted her death to be treated as an accident. She must have driven the jade hairpin into the horse with the intention of committing suicide.
When she was leaving, her eyes were shrouded in a hint of sadness. She did not allow the two maids Yuhu Mingyue to accompany her. When she was about to mount her horse, she repeatedly gave instructions to him and the child. Her reluctant farewell mood seemed to be as if she regarded today's meeting as the final farewell.
But what about him? What was he doing? Not only did he send her out with a smile, but he also attributed her strange mood to the attitude of a little girl.
But he had never imagined that when she left the house today, her heart was filled with such a sorrowful determination to die! He had personally pushed his beloved into the fire pit!
Realizing this, Li Cheng could no longer hold on and vomited blood from his chest.
…
The eighth year of the Jingtai reign was destined to be a thrilling and extraordinary year. In this year, Emperor Hui'an abdicated and became the Supreme Emperor, the crown prince ascended the throne, and the reign title was changed to Jianping, which is known in history as the first year of Jianping.
From then on, the new emperor ascended the throne and vigorously implemented reforms, focusing on livelihood issues and cracking down on corruption. People sighed: "The waves behind push the waves ahead." It was thought that the achievements accumulated by Emperor Hui'an, the founding monarch, were already unprecedented.
Unexpectedly, after the crown prince ascended the throne, he was not only no worse than Emperor Gaozu, but also seemed to be superior to him.
Some people also secretly discussed that Emperor Hui'an was not willing to abdicate and became the Supreme Emperor. In fact, Emperor Hui'an's preferred candidate for Crown Prince was Prince Xian. The day before the abdication, someone saw a young eunuch holding an imperial edict to the Prince Xian's palace and reading the edict to change the Crown Prince.
However, people only dared to discuss these things in private, and no one dared to put them in public. In short, the prince was now the emperor, and Emperor Hui'an was the emperor emeritus.
The Crown Prince had served as heir apparent for many years and had already won the hearts of countless people. Even if the Emperor's decree to change the Crown Prince was genuine, the people would still regard the virtuous prince as someone who had assumed the throne illegitimately.
In the winter of the first year of Jianping, the emperor conferred the title of Empress Xiaode on the deceased Empress Liangyuan, the mother of the emperor's eldest son. On the same day, he defied all objections and appointed Li Huaizhou, the eldest son of the emperor and the late empress and the former grandson of the emperor, as the crown prince.
When the new emperor first ascended the throne, he promoted water conservancy, emphasized agriculture, cultivated land, and stored up grain. He managed the internal affairs of the court and the external affairs of the border and rivers. He made the public and private granaries abundant, the four seas peaceful, the borders and rivers stable, and the people happy.
Emperor Jianping had already enjoyed great popularity among the people when he was the crown prince. Now, in just five years since he ascended the throne, he had already managed the newly established dynasty with great skill, attracting the attention of all nations and paying homage to him, thus living up to the earnest expectations of his officials and the people.
But even such an emperor with thundering means has not had a new person enter his harem in the past five years. He is almost thirty years old and has only one son, the crown prince.
Court officials who had daughters of marriageable age also wanted to send their daughters to the harem in an attempt to increase support and leverage for their family.
In the past, there was only one woman, the Empress Dowager, in the Empress Dowager's palace. Now, there is only one woman, Empress Xiaode, in the Emperor Jianping's harem, and she is the deceased Empress Xiaode.
But the new emperor and the retired emperor were different after all. The empress dowager was born into the Wang family of Taiyuan and was a noble lady from a high-class family. Her status was a perfect match for the retired emperor. She and the retired emperor had conquered the world together on horseback and spent countless glorious years together.
Such a well-matched couple had two sons and a daughter, and the country had successors. The court officials tried to persuade them, but gave up when they found it was of no use.
Well, Emperor Hui'an is deeply in love with the empress, and he is now over 40 years old. If he asks a delicate female member of his family who is only 28 years old to serve her, she will surely feel wronged.
Moreover, the Empress Dowager was the only one favored by the Emperor, and the Crown Prince's position was as secure as Mount Tai. Placing a family daughter in the harem would not seem to bring any benefits. It would be better to go along with Emperor Hui'an's wishes, which would at least make him treat them with a little more favor.
But the new emperor was different. When he was in the palace, he was only accompanied by a lowly concubine. It was said that the concubine was born a criminal slave. Only because she caught the eye of the new emperor was she promoted to a concubine.
It would have been fine if this Liangyuan had been blessed, but on the eve of His Majesty's ascension to the throne, her old illness relapsed and she died of a serious illness. Emperor Jianping ignored the advice of his court officials and insisted on making Liangyuan the Empress Xiaode.
That would have been fine, but His Majesty actually intended to live his life with the tablet of the late Queen in his arms, and had no intention of holding a beauty pageant to admit girls into the palace.
How could a woman of such low status possibly receive the emperor's unwavering love? And Li Huaizhou, the crown prince, was born sickly and weak, and it was uncertain whether he would outlive his father.
If Your Majesty were to give up all feelings for the Crown Prince, and something were to happen to him in the future, what would happen to the country and the people, and what would happen to the court officials?
The ministers have advised and remonstrated with Your Majesty, saying that Your Majesty has few children and should take concubines and select beautiful girls to spread the love and support of the people so as to prolong the foundation of the Great Jin Dynasty for thousands of years.
However, the new emperor, who had always been gentle and good-tempered, suddenly became moody, irritable and cruel after the death of Empress Xiaode. He was indifferent to everyone except the crown prince.
The retired emperor and the empress dowager had lived in the Western Garden for five years. Some court officials wanted to meet them and ask them to help persuade Emperor Jianping, but they could not even enter the gate of the Western Garden.
Rumors began to spread, saying that the retired emperor and the empress dowager did not choose to enjoy their old age in the Western Garden on their own, but were placed under house arrest in the Western Garden by Emperor Jianping.
Otherwise, why would court officials often see the Qinglong Guards under the command of Emperor Jianping patrolling from time to time and on high alert when passing by outside?
That was not to ensure the safety of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, but rather as if they were afraid that the two would escape.
In short, no matter what, when it comes to Empress Xiaode, the Crown Prince, and the issue of offspring, the new emperor always insists on his own way and refuses to listen to advice.
Apart from these, he handled court affairs in an orderly manner, did not listen to the advice of treacherous officials, treated the wise and humble with respect, and cared for the people. Faced with such a monarch, the court officials did not know whether to be happy or sad.
Therefore, with the foundation laid by Emperor Hui'an and the outstanding achievements of Emperor Jianping later, the Jin Dynasty reached an unprecedented level of prosperity.
The government is clear and sound, the territory is vast, the people are prosperous and well-off, the granaries are full, and the people no longer have to worry about famine.
…
In the West Garden, the inner courtyard is connected to the winding corridor outside. Passing through the corridor and around the corner, you can see new lotus flowers blooming in the lotus pond in front, alternating between white and pink, in full bloom. A breeze blows by, and a light and elegant fragrance comes, which is refreshing and pleasant.
There were only a few palace maids and eunuchs cleaning the West Garden. The entire West Garden was deserted and there were few voices. It looked deserted and lonely.
But the retired emperor and empress dowager who lived there were not affected by the outside world at all. Every day they would either go boating on the pond, or drink wine, write poetry, gamble books and splash tea, and their days were harmonious and peaceful.
They are like a pair of immortal lovers.
Five years ago, the new emperor had been at odds with the retired emperor and the empress dowager, and since they moved to the Western Garden, they had not set foot there. Princess Changping would occasionally visit, but she would soon leave.
And that wise prince, because he had angered the emperor, was once again demoted to a commoner and was sent by the new emperor to guard the imperial mausoleum in the northern suburbs, where he was never allowed to leave for the rest of his life.
Emperor Jianping held power tightly in his own hands and did not allow anyone to interfere in it, but he loved and trusted the only legitimate son left by the late queen, the current Crown Prince, to the utmost.
Five years ago, when court officials were meeting His Majesty in the Qianyuan Hall, they often heard the crying of the little prince coming from the inner chamber. Whenever he heard the child's howling, Emperor Jianping would always put aside what he was doing and rush in.
He would either use a rattle or a stuffed tiger to quiet the crown prince, or he would personally pick up the crown prince, pace back and forth, humming a little tune, and lower his head to let the curious little crown prince pull his crown belt.
In short, although His Majesty is a father, he has the heart of a mother.
A few years later, the little prince grew up and could walk and jump. He could hug Emperor Jianping's neck and call "Father" in a soft voice. Emperor Jianping then developed another hobby, which was to put the prince in the Qianyuan Hall and hold court with him.
Even in the Golden Palace, during the grand court meeting held every two days, there was a seat next to the dragon throne, which was reserved for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
The Jianping Emperor was not like any other emperor, and he was wary of the Crown Prince. Even the court officials had the illusion that even if the Crown Prince tried to force him to abdicate in the future, the Jianping Emperor would smile and say something like, "My son has done well, and I am very satisfied," and voluntarily give up the throne.
Originally, the court officials felt that the prince was young and frail, and might not be able to bear the burden of the country, so they had been urging His Majesty to favor a new person and continue the family line.
But over the years, as the crown prince grew up day by day, although his body was weaker than that of ordinary children, he was very cute and had a very smart mind, which was quite similar to the style of Emperor Jianping.
I remember one time, the Minister of Rites bluntly criticized Emperor Jianping for the huge annual expense he spent on offering sacrifices to the late empress. The emperor was furious and ordered his attendants to drag him away and behead him.
The other officials were both shocked and sympathetic to the Minister of Rites. It was important to understand that His Majesty usually appeared gentle and tolerant, always respectful to the wise and humble, but when it came to matters concerning the late Empress, he flew into a rage and became unnatural, and no one dared to dissuade him.
After all, if you pull the hair off a tiger's butt, the consequence is that you risk your life.
But the young and naive Minister of Rites actually dared to speak so bluntly.
Everyone was feeling sorry for the loss of the Minister of Rites' life at such a young age.
At this moment, the Crown Prince suddenly stopped. The ministers were delighted, thinking that the Crown Prince was going to plead for the Minister of Rites. However, they did not expect that the Crown Prince was filled with righteous indignation. His face flushed red with anger. He pointed his little finger at the Minister of Rites and shouted, "How dare you disrespect your mother!"
His furious expression was exactly like that of Emperor Jianping. The court officials lamented that they were indeed father and son, even their ideas were so aligned.
Emperor Jianping was genuinely surprised to hear the Crown Prince's words, and his expression eased slightly. He had thought his son was going to go against him, but he hadn't expected the child to be so sweet and understand his father's weak spot.
Looking at the rather satisfied Crown Prince, Emperor Jianping encouraged him, "In your opinion, Crown Prince, what should we do about this?"
The young prince stood straight, dressed in a noble ochre-yellow four-clawed dragon robe. Around his neck hung an exquisite and luxurious peace lock, and on his wrist was a gold bracelet engraved with a longevity pattern. What a young man with red lips, white teeth, and a noble air.
He climbed down from the small chair and walked over to the side of Emperor Jianping. Emperor Jianping skillfully lifted the child into his arms and sat him down. The little prince pursed his lips, tears welling up on his face: "Father, Zhou'er dreamed of mother last night."
Because Emperor Jianping had painted many portraits of the late empress, the young prince had been acquainted with them and knew what his mother looked like. He would often tell Li Cheng in a soft voice that he had dreamed of his mother, who held him in her arms and called him Zhou'er.
Emperor Jianping's brows softened, and he asked gently, "Did mother tell Zhou'er anything?"
The court officials below were shocked again. His Majesty was so angry just now, why did he hoarse his voice when talking to the little prince now?
But I'm old enough to have such a bloodline, and she's so cute. It's okay to pamper her.
Oh, I'm used to it.
The reason why Li Cheng believed the little prince's words was that although he missed Empress Xiaode day and night, that woman rarely appeared in his dreams.
I don’t know if I’m angry and don’t want to see him in my dream.
But, Li Huaizhou was her only child after all. She showed a lot of love to him during her lifetime. It was natural for her to enter his dreams and talk to him.
The little prince's soft little hands clutched his father's five-claw dragon robe, his whole body nestled in the arms of Emperor Jianping, his voice filled with sobs:
"My mother said that I have been suffering from many disasters and illnesses since I was born. If I want to exorcise the evil spirits and overcome the disasters, I must not commit the sin of killing, as that will reduce my blessings."
"Father, is what mother said true?"
He twisted his whole body around Emperor Jianping like a piece of candy, wiping his snot and tears onto the emperor's noble and luxurious dragon robe.
Li Cheng, however, paid no attention to the situation and merely used his hand to restrain the child's mischievous actions. He frowned in thought, and the emperor, always so composed and steady as a rock, actually showed a hint of fear.
Yes, Zhou'er was in poor health. He had spent so many years recreating the golden statue for Huangjue Temple, hoping that the Buddha would bless this ill-fated child. Could it be that because of what happened today, he would create karma?
However, if he didn't punish the Minister of Rites, he would feel pent up and couldn't let out a fuss. Or, could he just demote him so that he wouldn't be an eyesore in front of him?
Li Cheng didn't want to forgive lightly, because once this precedent was set, countless censors would point fingers at his behavior.
He is an emperor, appointed by heaven, and does not need to listen to anyone. No one can restrain him.
But the emperor was afraid, afraid that something bad would happen to the only legitimate son left by Empress Xiaode. He said helplessly: "Okay, I will listen to what the prince says. I will not kill him."
He knew that the prince intended to exonerate the Minister of Rites, but since it involved the matter of cause and effect, the emperor was still wary.
The court officials were once again shocked. This bloody murder, this life-threatening advice, was actually resolved just because the little prince casually acted coquettishly and hugged the emperor?!
Don't spoil your child like this!
However, the young prince was now speaking for the Minister of Rites, for the court officials, and on the side of the officials. The officials later realized that the prince's favor was not a bad thing.
At least, they are the ones who benefit.
You see, because of a word from the Crown Prince, the Minister of Rites saved his life. Isn’t that great?
But the upright young Minister of Rites refused to resign himself to his fate and continued to advise: "Your Majesty, the annual sacrificial ceremony costs a huge amount of money and should not be carried out in this way. For the sake of the people, for the sake of millions of people, I hope Your Majesty will reconsider!"
Emperor Jianping was furious: "Kong Shumin, don't think that I won't kill you just because the Crown Prince pleads for you!"
"Even if Your Majesty wishes to kill me, I will not stop talking. Even though the dynasty is prosperous, the people live in peace, and the treasury is abundant, if Your Majesty continues to live in such extravagance and waste, sooner or later, you will put millions of people in danger!"
"The late queen has passed away. Even if Your Majesty misses her, you shouldn't act this way!"
The older ministers were so shocked by Minister Kong's words that their jaws dropped. It was true that a young man was fearless. This young man actually dared to confront Emperor Jianping head-on. He was truly courageous!
I just don’t know if Minister Kong can save his life today.
Emperor Jianping was furious. He immediately put the little prince aside, walked to the side, and pulled the Qinglong sword out of its scabbard with a "swish". He put it to Kong Shumin's neck and gnashed his teeth, "You are looking for death!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com