Chapter 80 Don't Let Her Run Away
At that time, my father was in his prime and held power. He was no longer the immature and nervous new emperor who had just ascended the throne, and old age, weakness and illness were still far away from him.
He was at the best age for an emperor. He had five princes, excluding his eldest son who died young.
The eldest prince was born to the queen, but unfortunately died young.
Among the remaining five princes, the biological mother of the second prince was the noble Imperial Noble Consort. The father of this Imperial Noble Consort was the Minister of the Central Secretariat at that time and was the respected Right Prime Minister by everyone.
Although the third prince who was beaten by her was not as good as the second prince in terms of birth, he was chosen by the queen when he was two years old and was raised by the queen and treated as her own son.
Her younger brother, the fourth prince Li Xiao, was born to a minor talent, who was promoted to concubine after giving birth to her and her younger brother.
There were two younger princes under his younger brother, and Li Bing, who later ascended the throne and was deposed, was one of them.
At that time, my mother had just been promoted to a concubine, and there happened to be a severe drought in Shu. Some people with ulterior motives implicated the drought on her, saying that when Hui Concubine gave birth to twins, the sky was gloomy and thundering, which might be a bad sign.
Although her father refuted this as nonsense, the rumor continued in the palace, and her father never summoned her mother to sleep with him for several years.
Her mother took her and her brother to live in a remote place closest to the elephant park. When the weather was hot, no matter how much incense the palace servants burned, they could not drive away the annoying mosquitoes and odors.
Unfortunately, her younger brother was born weak and sickly, which made her worried and tormented. In her memory, her mother seldom cried, but never laughed either.
This continued until she was eight years old.
——That was the year she disguised herself as a younger brother and beat up the third prince.
That day, when the Third Prince pointed at her and complained, the Emperor's face did not show much expression. Instead, he said to the Third Prince, "Li Yi, you should learn your lesson. When you relied on your strength to bully others, you should have thought about today."
The third prince moved his lips when he heard this, but dared not say anything more.
The emperor looked at her again.
He did not mention a word about "her" beating someone, and there was a hint of relief in his eyes: "It seems that Xiao'er is much healthier and more energetic. Very good. This is how my son should be."
My son, this is how he should be.
At that time, she didn't know that this sentence would change her life. She just didn't dare to expose the lie, so she suppressed her voice and imitated her brother's tone in the past, saying with some fear: "Thank you, father."
That night, my father stepped into my mother's residence for the first time.
After her father left, her mother called her over.
As early as after she came back, her mother had already known that she had disguised herself as her brother to beat someone up, and had ordered the palace maids to keep her under guard. Only now did she have the chance to see her.
She was still wearing her brother's robe, and when she stood in front of her mother, she thought her mother would punish her severely.
But the mother just looked at her and said softly: "A Shang, this robe really suits you."
There seemed to be some hope and sadness in the mother's eyes, which had always been barren. "You have always liked fists, feet and sticks, and you said you wanted to protect Ah Xiao, but fists and feet alone are not enough... Now, you have a chance. You can become Ah Xiao to protect him. You are willing, right?"
She was puzzled: "Why... must I become Ah Xiao?"
"Because Ah Xiao is a prince." Her mother looked at her, squatted down, held her small shoulders, and explained seriously: "Although Dasheng had a female emperor, that was under the premise that there was no prince in the palace. The right time, right place, and right people are all indispensable...and your father now has five princes, so he will not pay attention to the princess. Even if you are smart and capable, when has he ever looked at you?"
She couldn't help but be stunned.
Yes.
The reason why the emperor spoke to her today is because "she is Axiao".
She felt inexplicably uneasy: "But mother, this is not fair."
"Fairness..." The mother twitched her lips very rarely, as if she was laughing, but it was actually ironic: "People are born into different classes, so how can there be fairness?"
As the mother spoke, she gently stroked her cheek. Her fingers were cold and her tone was somewhat sad: "You and Ah Xiao are twins, but you were born healthy while he is so sick... How can this be fair?"
Under her mother's gaze, she felt guilty about this - just like she had overheard her mother and wet nurse say before: "If the bodies of the two siblings were swapped... life might not be so difficult."
Just like every time Ah Xiao had an attack, there seemed to be something in her mother's eyes that she couldn't understand.
She got a healthy body, as if it was a fault, as if she had snatched it from Axiao.
Young children do not know how to distinguish too many things. Before the concept of "self" has even sprouted, their hearts are already filled with guilt and indebtedness.
So, when faced with the "opportunity" her mother mentioned, she willingly accepted it.
She wanted to "make up" for her "fault", she wanted to make her mother happier, and she wanted to have something that her mother said could protect her brother better than fists and feet.
So she put on the robe obediently.
Later on, the robes turned into armor - at that time the country was in turmoil, the war was a real war, a war that had to be fought. Facing such a war and the fierce foreign races, no prince dared to go for "experience", and this was her best choice.
Day after day, year after year.
She won many battles and made many military achievements, so many that when her father made Li Xiao the crown prince, there were very few voices of opposition in the court.
Later, the armor was taken off and turned into a wedding dress for marriage.
That wedding dress belonged to her mother. No, her mother had become the Queen Mother - it was her Queen Mother who brought it to her.
"A Shang... In three years, at most three years, A Niang will definitely welcome you back to Da Sheng, and everything will be fine then."
Mother.
The Queen Mother actually called herself "Aniang" to her.
What an intimate and warm name it is. Just reading these two words in one's heart makes one feel comfortable and at ease, as if one has found a home in the midst of wind and rain, and will no longer be afraid or sad.
But to her, the most beautiful thing in the world turned into a sharp blade.
That sharp blade is different from the open and hidden swords on the battlefield.
And she didn't dodge.
But it hurt too much and she no longer wanted her mother.
Then give everything back to the other party. This is the last time. It is enough to pay it back. She finally paid it back.
It's really nice to no longer feel guilty.
Even when she was dying, she felt her breathing was smooth.
She took a long breath and opened her eyes.
Chang Suining sat up and saw that it was already bright in the room. She gently tapped her aching head with her hand.
"The girl finally woke up!" Xier came over, holding a cup of warm water, and was relieved: "The girl was actually unconscious for a whole day and night... You can't drink this wine anymore."
Chang Suining took the teacup and gulped it down before asking Xier, "Who rescued me after I fell into the water yesterday?"
The vague memory in her mind only stayed at the moment she fell into the water.
"The girl swam up by herself..."
Chang Suining said "Ah", and then nodded with satisfaction.
As expected of her.
Although falling into the water while drunk is embarrassing, getting ashore on your own can save some face.
"But when the girl fell into the water, General Adian was still far away. The general and General Cui happened to come over, and General Cui jumped into the water to save the girl..." Xier said, her voice lowered: "But somehow the girl beat General Cui in the water."
Chang Suining: “?”
Cui Jing jumped into the water to save her, and she hit Cui Jing?
This sounds ridiculous: "Why did I hit him?"
"I don't know either..." Xi'er looked at her maid: "Did the maid forget everything?"
Chang Suining looked at his sinful hands and his drunken, powerless body in silence.
It is not easy to completely tame this picked-up body.
"But...when did the girl learn to swim?" Xier was very curious.
Chang Suining, with mixed feelings, responded by saying, "I don't know."
It doesn't matter, that's what all brain-damaged people do.
Xi'er suddenly realized, "I know!"
Chang Suining: “?”
How could she know this?
"It's just like a girl learning horse riding and archery. She can do it immediately after trying!" Xier said proudly, "Since the girl's brain accident, she has a natural talent for everything she learns!"
Looking at the little girl who had explained everything to her on her own, Chang Suining fell silent, and all he felt was relief.
very good.
That's the benefit of being a wizard.
And being a genius with a broken brain will make you invincible - under this premise, even the most outrageous things will become reasonable.
"It's my fault for not stopping you from drinking in time..." Xi'er said with guilt, "You've never drunk before, so I don't know how much you can drink. Yesterday, I saw you drinking fruit wine with ease, so I mistakenly thought you were gifted in drinking..."
Chang Suining suddenly retched.
Xier hurriedly patted her back: "What's wrong, girl?"
Chang Suining suppressed the churning feeling: "Maybe you mentioned the word "wine" too often in your words just now, and I feel dizzy..."
As he said this, he felt like vomiting again.
Xi'er said repeatedly: "Then I won't say it again!"
The girl was probably drunk this time... maybe she won't be able to stand the smell of alcohol in the future? "Then was Commander Cui injured by me?" Chang Suining took a moment to ask Cui Jing.
"There seems to be a wound here..." Xier pointed to the corner of her mouth: "But fortunately, it's just a superficial wound."
Chang Suining sighed silently: "That's also very unfair."
As her mind came back to her senses, she roughly remembered some fragmented scenes, including her motive for hurting people at that time - she was drunk and confused, and mistook Cui Jing for an enemy.
As he was talking, Chang Suining, who was sitting on the bedside, touched something beside the pillow with his fingers and picked it up. It turned out to be a white jade auspicious cloud hairpin.
She looked confused: "Where did this come from?"
"You pulled it off the head of General Cui..." Xier said embarrassedly, "You pulled it off to use against General Cui as a dagger. After you got ashore, you held it tightly in your hand and refused to let go."
Chang Suining looked at the bed curtains above his head worriedly.
After a moment, he swore, "I will never drink again."
She didn't like the feeling of being out of control, it made her feel uneasy - this time it was embarrassing, but next time she might even lose her life.
"What time is it now?" Chang Suining suddenly thought of something and asked Xier hurriedly.
"Replying to the girl, it's almost noon."
Chang Suining felt a little regretful: "My brother and I agreed last night to go out of town to pay respects to the deceased this morning—"
Wouldn't that be breaking his promise? "But my dear husband is still drunk. I heard that he got up early this morning and had some food, but then fell asleep again."
Chang Suining: "...That's good."
She chose the former between her brother being too drunk to sober up and breaking his promise to her.
"Is Sui Ning awake?" At this time, Chang Kuo's voice came from outside the room.
Chang Suining would put on his clothes and get out of bed.
Chang Kuo was still wearing his official robes when he walked in. It was obvious that he had just come to see his daughter after the morning court session. "It's good that you're awake... You scared your father yesterday!"
"Does your head hurt?"
"You don't need to worry about the matter of Grand Commander Cui. You didn't do it on purpose. He is not a narrow-minded person... When we find an opportunity, father will host a banquet to apologize to him, and the matter will be over."
"But this wine, in the future, you really shouldn't drink too much, you still have to ensure your safety first." - Whether it's your own or someone else's.
After listening to Chang Kuo's words, Chang Suining nodded in agreement.
"Oh, there's one more thing..." Chang Kuo looked at his daughter curiously, "After Sui Ning swam out of the pond yesterday, he said something to Daddy... Cunning, what did he mean by leaving it to Daddy?"
Chang Suining: “…”
Well, he didn’t hear a single one of the most important words.
Chang Kuo looked at her with a worried look on his face.
This thing always lingered in his mind. He couldn't tell what it felt like, as if if he missed it, he would miss something extremely important...
He had been thinking about this all morning!
As for those people arguing about who would take over the position of Minister of Rites, he was not listening at all.
Chang Suining pretended to think about it and shook his head: "I don't remember either... I think it's just nonsense after being drunk, Dad, don't worry about it."
Chang Kuo could only nod after hearing this.
However, the inexplicable sense of urgency in my heart still could not be completely dispelled.
He was having trouble remembering it, and Chang Suining was afraid that he would remember it, so he changed the subject and asked, "Father, was Commander Cui really not angry yesterday?"
"Don't worry, he may seem difficult to get along with, but he is actually the most reasonable person." Chang Kuo said, and suddenly frowned, "But... the moves Sui Ning used yesterday seemed quite cruel to me. How did Old Chu think of teaching you these?"
Chang Suining blinked: "This..."
"Good teaching!" Chang Kuo smiled and said, "This is what you need to learn when learning Kung Fu! Flowery moves are useless, so you need to learn some killer moves to protect yourself!"
I often smile without saying a word.
…
Early the next morning, the Chang brothers and sisters went out of the city to pay homage to Mrs. Chang's tomb.
While burning paper, Chang Sui'an couldn't help shedding a few tears in front of the tomb.
The grass was lush in spring. Not far away, a figure was looking at the situation in front of the tomb through the gaps in the grass. When he saw the young man wiping his tears, he couldn't help but sigh.
Unexpectedly, this sigh ruined the matter.
The next moment, she suddenly saw the girl who was standing in front of the grave pouring wine turned her head, and before she could react, the wine jug in the girl's hand flew straight towards her! The pupils of the person hiding behind the bushes shrank, and he quickly dodged.
But this evasive move exposed his figure.
"Hurry, don't let her get away!"
Dear fairies, can you please give me a monthly ticket?
(Currently, I am updating 4,000 words every day steadily. I still owe a few rewards and the monthly tickets I promised everyone last month. However, the Chinese New Year is coming soon, and I have a lot of things to do. I will accumulate the extra chapters until next month. Let me explain to everyone that I will never evade my debts, hehe)
(End of this chapter)
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