For ordinary people, the royal family is like unattainable gods. They rarely see or hear about them, let alone meet them.
Now, a prince appeared in front of him so carelessly, and he was his cousin. It was really...
Fortunately, Yang Lihua was in the room. Compared to the fact that her nephew was a prince, she was more concerned about the cause of her cousin's death.
"Kang Cheng, did your mother die in the palace? Was she sick or murdered? Where's your grandfather and your uncle? I remember they all went to Kyoto together!"
Young Master Huang felt warmed at the thought and quickly replied, "Don't worry, Auntie. My mother wasn't murdered. She was already weak, and it got even worse after I was born. Although she's been bedridden and has suffered, she's not lacking medical care or medicine."
"My mother asked my father for permission to let me live in the palace because she was worried that I would be bullied and have no one to rely on. As for my grandfather and uncle..."
He hesitated for a moment, and finally told the truth.
"Not long after my mother entered the palace, my grandmother died of illness. A year later, my grandfather also passed away. Only my uncle was left. He became addicted to gambling and often secretly asked people to ask my mother for money. Later, he fell into the river drunk and drowned. My mother finally had peace of mind."
Yang Lihua's expression was extremely complicated. She really didn't know whether to scold her cousin for being unreasonable or to feel sad for the death of her uncle and aunt.
She held her nephew's hand and whispered comfortingly, "It's the past, don't be sad anymore. Your mother would definitely want you to live a good life. Come to your aunt often in the future. If you need any help, please send a message."
"Okay, aunt." Mr. Huang responded with a smile.
He Xiong was watching from the side and really didn't know what to say. He even doubted whether he was still alive.
An ordinary peasant woman so calmly gave instructions for "teaching" in front of a prince, without any fear or discomfort.
And a prince as noble and proud as a country actually listened to the nagging of a peasant woman, just like a naughty boy next door...
Does the Tai family have some magical power? Everyone who comes here will change their appearance!
I'm afraid that next time he comes here, he won't be surprised to see the emperor sitting on the kang at the Tai family's house and eating noodles...
After a few words, Yang Lihua stood up and said to the old man, "Dad, I won't keep you guys busy now. I'm going to go find Dong Niang to make dumplings with us. We'll have dinner in half an hour."
"Okay, go ahead." The old man waved his hand, and Zhuzhu jumped off the ground, ran to hold her mother's hand, and called out in a baby voice.
"Mom, Zhuzhu will help you with the work!"
"Okay, our Zhuzhu is the best. She is really my caring little cotton-padded jacket!" Yang Lihua rubbed her daughter's hair and took her out of the door.
He Xiong wanted to stand up and salute Mr. Huang, but when he saw that none of the Tai family members had any intention of kneeling down and kowtowing, he hesitated.
After all, it was Old Master Tai who noticed his strangeness and comforted him, "Brother He, don't think too much. No matter what Kang Cheng's status is, when he came to our family, he was just the nephew of my step-grandfather's wife. He is our child, not a prince.
"You came here today to celebrate my birthday, and you're also a guest in our house. Let's just sit together and have a good time, eating and drinking. Don't worry about anything else. Otherwise, how can we get along? It's so awkward!"
Young Master Huang also nodded in response, "Grandpa Tai is right, I am my aunt's nephew. If I hadn't met General He, I wouldn't even want to reveal my identity. There really is nothing to say. I'm just an abandoned child who was thrown into the palace to guard the imperial mausoleum since he was a child!"
After hearing this, Mr. Tai and the others felt sad. They knew without a doubt that Kang Cheng had not told the truth just now because he was afraid that Yang Lihua would keep thinking about him.
A five-year-old child suddenly lost his mother and was sent to such a far and cold northern land, guarding the imperial tomb alone without any relatives to take care of him. How could he not cry and feel aggrieved!
To survive and grow up, I don’t know how much hardship I went through...
"Kang Cheng," the old man said earnestly, "Whenever you have free time in the future, come and stay for a few days. If you don't mind, this will be your home. Got it?"
"I understand, Grandpa." Young Master Huang removed the word "Tai" and just called him Grandpa, which seemed more intimate.
The old man was so amused that his face lit up with laughter. He began to ask, "Who are you studying martial arts with now? Do you have a good teacher? My son Yongning is studying with Mr. Wu, a successful candidate in the city. Mr. Wu is both knowledgeable and has a good character. If you need anything, I can speak to him on your behalf."
Young Master Huang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa. When I was eight years old, I happened to save a great scholar who was in trouble. He stayed in the palace and taught me to read. Although I am dull, I have learned a lot now. As for martial arts, I learned well from the guards. The last time I was injured in the mountains, it was because I underestimated the enemy, not because I couldn't protect myself."
"That's good, that's good." The old man finally felt relieved.
He Xiong's eyes flashed, and he took over the conversation, slowly spreading out his conversation and chatting with Mr. Huang.
Mr. Huang actually had some knowledge of astronomy, geography, mountains and rivers, local customs and culture, and even military deployment, and his insights were quite impressive.
Looking at him again, he was talking and laughing, gentle and polite yet friendly. The sharpness that occasionally appeared in the corner of his eyes made people dare not underestimate him. He was unexpectedly outstanding!
He Xiong was secretly shocked. In recent years, the emperor in Kyoto has been in poor health, and several princes have been fighting openly and secretly. They all had their eyes on the chair.
If they knew that the Sixth Prince, who had been hiding in the Northern Emperor's Mausoleum, had grown up so brilliantly, even surpassing them, I wonder what they would think...
Young Master Huang seemed not to notice the complexity in his eyes, and continued to chat with everyone, inevitably mentioning the crops outside.
"Grandpa, the autumn harvest is coming soon. Our crops are so good, shouldn't we be on guard against thieves? Do you want me to send some people over to help?"
Mr. Huang's words were sincere. Having lived in the north for many years, he knew only too well the suffering of the people. The continuous natural disasters made it even more difficult for the people to survive.
Now that such good food has suddenly appeared, if it is handled properly, it will be the hope for the people of the entire northern region to have enough food and clothing.
The old man didn't hide it from him and replied, "I was really worried. All the villagers who could be spared were sent to patrol, and I was worried that the crops would be ruined.
"But we're not afraid anymore. The general of the border army has decided to buy most of the corn for seed and will also send people to help patrol and protect the harvest. We just have to prepare the shoulder poles and baskets and wait for the harvest."
Border troops buying seeds in bulk?!
Young Master Huang's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at He Xiong again. The two of them tacitly understood each other and stopped talking.
At this time, the dumplings are cooked.
Zhuzhu came in with flour on her hands and said, "Grandpa, Zhuzhu made a lot of dumplings for you to eat!"
"Oh, good, good!" The old man happily hugged his granddaughter and said flatteringly, "The dumplings made by Zhuzhu must be delicious. Grandpa will eat a hundred of them!"
Everyone joined in the fun, counting numbers one after another, making the fat girl so confused that she almost lost her way.
Soon, the table was set again, everyone sat around it, and the juicy boiled dumplings made by Bai Panger were served.
He Xiong joined in the laughter and ate the dumplings one by one, but he was hiding something in his heart, and the food tasted delicious at all...
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