Yuan Heng came out of Linhua Palace, but did not leave the palace first. He just walked along the path in the palace and unknowingly came to a palace.
He looked up and saw a plaque hanging above the palace gate, with three large characters written in a flamboyant style: Changchun Palace.
Taking a step forward, I saw a heavy lock on the palace door.
He went around the main gate and reached the corner gate on the other side, which was unlocked.
Walking into the palace, the furnishings inside remained the same, even the scenery of the small garden had not changed.
Every blade of grass and every tree, even the small swing in the garden, still retains the same appearance as when the late queen passed away.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs should have sent people to clean the place regularly, but time has passed and the atmosphere of desolation can be seen everywhere.
Yuan Heng sat on the swing, and the old swing made a creaking sound from time to time.
Changchun Palace has not changed for many years. No one has moved in since Yuan Zhao moved out.
There are new and old people in the harem one after another, but only here, everything remains the same.
In the early years, the previous dynasty had mentioned many times that the throne of queen was vacant, until one time, Emperor Xuan directly threw an inkstone at the minister who proposed to appoint a successor.
The other party was hit so hard that he was bleeding, and no one dared to mention it again.
This is enough to show the status of the late queen in Emperor Xuan's heart.
Yuan Heng understood clearly that it was precisely because of this that his mother was so crazy about wanting him to defeat his brother.
He knew from a young age that his mother hated the late queen. It would be more accurate to say that she was extremely jealous of her rather than hated her.
The late Queen Shen had a distinguished family background, unparalleled beauty, the king's favor, the supreme status in the harem, and gave birth to a pair of talented and beautiful children.
How could such a person not be annoying in a place like the harem?
Since he was born, Yuan Heng was regarded by Concubine Shu as the only hope to surpass the Shen family.
The words he heard most often were,
"Heng'er, you have to make your mother proud! You must be more powerful than Yuancheng!"
"Heng'er, you are my only friend, and I am your only friend. You are the only one I can rely on."
"The Queen's innocence is just an act, just a facade!"
"Why? Why can I never be better than her?!"
…
The sun gradually set in the west, shining on Yuan Heng's face. It was not scorching, but just enough to make people feel warm.
He should have hated the Shen family and killed the Yuancheng brothers as his mother had said.
But he couldn't do it.
When he was punished by Concubine Shu to kneel in the rain with a high fever, it was the late queen who stayed up all night to take care of him.
He was forced to read articles that he could not understand at all the night before. The next day, he dozed off in class and was punished by his teacher to copy books. Yuan Zhao stayed behind to accompany him.
He was so hungry while practicing archery that Yuan Cheng took the initiative to share half of his meal with him.
…
He was afraid of being scolded loudly, because the Queen was always gentle and smiling.
He was afraid of the dark, so every night Yuan Cheng and Yuan Zhao would hold his hands and take him back to the palace.
He was afraid of being alone, so Yuan Zhao begged his father to take him with him wherever he went.
Shen said to him, "Heng'er is Ah Cheng and Zhao Zhao's younger brother, so he is naturally the Queen Mother's child as well."
Only then did he realize that the word "Queen Mother" was so gentle, and that this was the harmonious atmosphere that should exist between brothers and sisters.
For Yuan Heng at that time, Changchun Palace was like his paradise.
Everything here is so warm, it really feels like a real "home".
And every night he left here and returned to Linhua Palace, the closer he got to Linhua Palace, the heavier his steps became.
He often wondered: Why couldn't I be the Queen's child?
But every time he thought about it, when he returned to the palace and saw his mother's tears, he felt resentful towards himself.
Later, the former queen died of illness, and it was not only Yuan Cheng and Yuan Zhao who were saddened.
Yuan Heng would cry bitterly at night whenever he thought that he would never see the person who always smiled at him gently again.
But when the imperial sister broke down after hearing what his mother said about the late queen, he was unable to stand up and defend her.
He felt ashamed and powerless.
…
The swing swayed and swayed, and gradually became slower.
Yuan Heng stared at the clusters of blooming peonies in the garden opposite, and a bitter feeling rose in his throat.
As I grew up, I gradually understood more things.
His relationship with his brother and sister became increasingly distant, and he gradually closed his heart.
Just as his mother had said, he began to secretly compete with Yuan Cheng.
Later, she discovered that as long as she could cause Yuan Cheng some unhappiness, he would always look at her a few more times in the morning court.
He never got tired of it.
But most of the time, he felt tired.
In Linhua Palace, the atmosphere was always oppressive, like an inescapable cage.
When he returned to Prince Jin's Mansion, it was clearly his own home, yet it didn't seem like it.
The princess had no feelings for him and spent most of the year going up the mountain to worship Buddha.
In such a huge Jin Palace, it seemed that he was the only one there.
And he never thought that he would have the chance to see his royal sister again.
He went to Zhizhi's full-moon banquet uninvited, feeling extremely nervous. He was both afraid and looking forward to the reunion with his imperial sister, fearing that his imperial sister was still angry with him.
But Yuan Zhao didn't. After not seeing her for ten years, she just stood there and instantly brought him back to the Changchun Palace of his childhood.
He often saw the children of his royal brothers and sisters in the training ground. It was like seeing them in the past, and he couldn't help but stop and watch for a while.
When he was hesitating about how to repair the relationship with the imperial sister, the imperial sister came to him with the children.
After so many years, Yuan Heng rarely felt happy again.
…
The sun has set, and a crescent moon is gradually becoming brighter, with Venus twinkling next to it from time to time.
Yuan Heng stood up from the swing, thinking of Concubine Shu's words of threatening to kill herself today, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye, and he murmured,
"Mother...what should I do..."
An evening breeze blew by, carrying away his tear, like someone's gentle caress.
He paused slightly, closed his eyes and felt the wind.
…
A noise behind him interrupted his thoughts.
Yuan Heng opened his eyes and turned around, meeting the gaze of the person who was about to come in from the door.
Neither of them expected that there were other people here, and they looked at each other in confusion for a moment.
Seeing who it was, a trace of panic flashed across Yuan Heng's face, and he called out softly,
"Royal brother..."
Yuan Cheng was still standing outside the door. He really didn't expect to see Yuan Heng here.
He glanced inside and saw that nothing had changed in the palace.
He knew that Emperor Xuan often came here... How come even Ah Heng came here?
Yuan Heng felt awkward for some reason. He coughed lightly and walked towards the door.
"Your Majesty, please do as you please. I will leave the palace and return home first."
After saying that, he walked out, but Yuan Cheng did not go in. Instead, he turned around and called him,
"Third brother, let's go for a walk together."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
