Chapter 104. Seriously ill.
Five years later.
After lowering the sails and docking, Chu Yang stood at the bow of the boat, holding his father's hand, gazing curiously into the distance.
"Father, is this the capital?" Chu Yang asked. "It's just as bustling as our Qingzhou."
Chu Heng corrected him, "Qingzhou is not ours."
The so-called fiefdom simply refers to the prince's right to build his palace there and govern it.
Chu Yang said, "But we live in Qingzhou. Everyone who lives in Qingzhou can talk about Qingzhou. Can't we talk about it?"
Chu Heng said firmly, "No."
“Alright.” Chu Yang nodded seriously. “I will remember Father’s teachings.”
Chu Heng ruffled his hair: "The capital is different from Qingzhou. You need to think things through before you speak, understand?"
Chu Yang nodded again: "I know, Dad and Mom taught me for a long time, I'm not stupid, I've already memorized it."
Chu Heng chuckled: "Yes, our Yang'er is a smart child."
Chu Yang said with a straight face, "Dad, I'm seven years old now, I'm all grown up."
Just as Chu Heng was about to speak, the people who came to pick them up came over to bow, so he had to swallow his words and deal with them before going to the cabin to pick up Daiyu.
Once the family of three boarded the carriage, Chu Yang immediately complained, "Mother, Father is so long-winded! He told me again that I need to be careful with my words and actions in the capital. I've clearly heard that dozens of times along the way."
Daiyu smoothed his hair and smiled, "This is your father showing concern for you. You mustn't speak ill of your father in public anymore, understand?"
"I know!" Chu Yang drawled. "Mother is a nag too. Turns out you're just like Father, both of you are nags."
"We were just worried about you, you brat!" Chu Heng patted his head. "How old are you? How many people have you met? Do you even know what the capital is like?"
Chu Yang put his hands on his hips and said, "Father, don't look down on me. I know I was born in the capital, so of course I've seen what the capital is like! Besides, I've studied, so I know what it means to be under the emperor's nose and what the emperor himself is! Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles; I'm putting the latter into practice right now!"
Chu Heng burst out laughing: "How old are you? You've read ten thousand books? Have you even read a thousand?"
Chu Yang tugged at his mother's sleeve: "Mom, look, Dad is bullying me because I'm young!"
Daiyu, however, did not help him. She said, "Yang'er, do you know the harm of boasting? This is called giving others a handle against you. Of course, you can't argue with your father."
Chu Yang rested his chubby chin on his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
Chu Heng winked at Daiyu, and the two smiled at each other.
Daiyu said softly, "She's finally back."
Chu Heng looked out through the gauze window: "The capital city has remained the same for the past few years. We left in the spring, and now it's summer, just like summer in the capital before."
"The scenery remains the same, but people have changed so much," Daiyu sighed. "I wonder how the Empress Dowager's condition is..."
The reason the family of three returned to the capital this time was because last month the emperor sent an order to the Prince Duan's residence in Qingzhou, saying that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill and feared that her days were numbered, and urgently summoned relatives from all over the country to return to the capital.
The Prince Duan's residence in the capital had been prepared in advance. They only needed to wash and change their clothes before heading to the palace to pay their respects.
When a prince enters the capital, he must first pay his respects to the Emperor. The Emperor had already received news of the arrival of Prince Duan and his family of three and received them at Haiyan Palace.
However, after five years apart, the emperor was only in his forties. Daiyu glanced at him and immediately noticed that he looked much more tired and aged.
Perhaps it's because of worries about national affairs.
During their five years in Qingzhou, they lived a carefree life. To avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion, they never inquired about matters in the capital. Even when corresponding with Yongkang, they only talked about everyday matters.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, the emperor was very happy to see the family of three. He smiled and asked someone to help them up. After reminiscing with Chu Heng about their separation, he called Chu Yang to his side.
Chu Yang did as instructed and walked over, bowing respectfully: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Good boy." The emperor saw that although he was chubby, his delicate features, which resembled his mother's, could not be hidden. He smiled and said, "He will surely be a talented man when he grows up. Shall we begin his education?"
“My father hired a tutor for me, and I usually study and practice writing with my father and mother,” Chu Yang replied.
The emperor then asked, "What books have you been reading lately?"
Chu Yang thought for a moment and replied, "I have thoroughly read the books for enlightenment. Of the Four Books, I am most familiar with the Analects. The rest were only taught to me to read once by my teacher."
The emperor then took the opportunity to test him, and at the end glanced at Chu Heng and said with a smile, "You are different from your father. When he was your age, he didn't even know what the Four Books were."
Chu Heng then smiled and said, "This child takes after his mother. When my queen was this age, she had already thoroughly studied the Four Books."
The emperor smiled and said, "Your sister-in-law is, after all, the daughter of a third-ranked scholar, and comes from a family with a long tradition of scholarship."
Daiyu smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare."
The emperor beckoned to a young eunuch and said, "Go and fetch the set of writing implements that I received yesterday, and give it to the Prince Duan's heir."
Two years ago, Chu Heng submitted a memorial requesting that Chu Yang be named the heir apparent. After the emperor granted the request, Chu Yang became the rightful successor to the title of Prince Duan.
Chu Heng and the others quickly rose and kowtowed in gratitude.
The emperor laughed and said, "My mother is also looking forward to seeing you all. I won't keep you any longer. I'll host a welcome dinner for you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The family of three left Haiyan Palace. Chu Yang held his father's hand and walked with proper steps. Although it was his first time entering the palace, he did not look around aimlessly.
The emperor stood by the window, fiddled with the prayer beads in his hand, and sighed softly, "My fifth son has a good son, much better than my unfilial sons."
The eunuchs serving the emperor heard his words and all lowered their heads, pretending not to hear.
Those close to the emperor felt the situation in the capital most deeply. The emperor's mind was as deep as an abyss, and they dared not speculate on it. They were only thinking about how to save their own lives.
...
The Empress was also present in Renshou Palace. Upon seeing Prince Duan and his family of three, the Empress was momentarily dazed before saying, "No need for formalities." She then added, "Fifth brother and sister-in-law are back today? Look at me, I forgot the date. This must be Yang'er. He's grown so much, he must be eight years old by now."
"Your Majesty has many matters to attend to," Chu Heng said with a smile, then looked into the inner room, "How is Mother? What is her illness? What did the imperial physician say?"
The Empress's eyes immediately reddened: "The Empress Dowager is getting old, and her health has been poor for several years, especially in the last two years... Alas, the imperial physicians have done their best, but it is fate. Now we are just delaying her. You may go in and take a look."
Chu Heng didn't know what to say for a moment, so he hummed in response, bowed, and went to the inner room.
Shuangyun stayed by the Empress Dowager's bedside. She looked better than the Empress, though she appeared tired and did not cry.
"Your Highness is back. The Empress Dowager has been talking about you for days," Shuangyun said, bowing. "The Empress Dowager just took her medicine and fell asleep. We don't know when she will wake up today."
Five years ago, the Empress Dowager already looked old, but now she is in a state of decline. She lies in the brocade quilt, like a withered leaf, showing no signs of life.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's current appearance, Chu Heng and Daiyu were both stunned, while Chu Yang was shocked and subconsciously tightened his grip on his father's hand.
Even the smartest child is still a child. Chu Yang had never seen an old, dying person before. Even if he knew about their blood relationship, he had never seen the real person, so he couldn't feel any emotion towards them.
"Yang'er," Chu Heng patted his shoulder, "kowtow to your grandmother."
"Yes." Chu Yang obediently replied, bowing his head and kneeling on the ground to kowtow to the Empress Dowager.
Chu Heng helped him up, took his son's little hand again, and said to Shuang Yun, "We will come to pay our respects to Mother again tomorrow."
Then, he took Daiyu's hand, and the three of them turned and left Renshou Palace.
Once outside the palace, Chu Yang asked softly, "Mother, will Grandmother wake up again?"
Daiyu patted his head: "Maybe yes, maybe no. Everyone is born, grows old, gets sick and dies. I've taught you that this is the natural order, just like flowers fall."
“But the flowers will bloom again next year.” Chu Yang said with a touch of melancholy, “I have never met my maternal grandparents, nor my grandfather, nor have they ever met me, and perhaps my grandmother will never see me either.”
Chu Yang didn't know about his parents' past; he only knew that the person these titles represented was someone connected to him by blood.
Just as Chu Heng was about to say a few words of comfort to him, he suddenly heard Chu Yang say again, "I don't want Father and Mother to die. Can't we be together forever?"
Chu Heng smiled: "Your mother and I have been together for the rest of our lives, and in the future, you will also have someone to be with for the rest of your life."
Chu Yang was no longer sad. He pouted and said, "Dad, I'm only seven years old. You can't say things like that to me."
"Mother, don't you think Father will corrupt me?" Chu Yang turned to look at his mother.
Daiyu smiled and said, "Our Yang'er is a good child and won't be corrupted. Besides, the principles Father teaches are not bad."
Chu Yang tilted his head: "Birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural course of life, but Mother, I am still a child, how could I not understand this principle?"
Daiyu pinched his cheek and laughed, "Alright, Yang'er is still young. It's fine if you understand this principle in twenty or thirty years. At least your parents can still take care of you then."
Chu Yang scratched his head sheepishly: "It doesn't have to take that long, Mother. I'm already twenty, and I still need you and Father to take care of me. I've been so inconsiderate."
“Such a sensible child…” Chu Heng patted the top of his head, “Don’t bother your mother anymore. She must be tired from the journey. Let her rest for a while.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Yang gently helped his mother to recline on the soft pillow and patted her affectionately, saying, "Mom, rest. Dad and I will call you when we get home."
"You should rest too." After the bumpy journey, Daiyu was indeed tired. She closed her eyes, intending to rest for a while.
Chu Yang hugged his father's arm, wanting to sleep in his arms. Chu Heng chuckled softly, "You're so big now, and you still want your father to hold you. Aren't you ashamed?"
Chu Yang said in a low voice, "Mom said I'm still little, I can still be held by Dad to sleep!"
Chu Heng lifted him up and placed him on his lap. The little guy skillfully found a comfortable position and then closed his eyes in his father's warm and strong embrace.
Chu Heng protected his son with one hand and held Daiyu's hand with the other, then quietly closed his eyes.
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