The Crown Prince died
Not long after, a piece of news from the palace made Concubine Pan even more heartbroken: the prince had passed away.
Crown Prince Zhao Bing may have had a miscarriage due to the war when Concubine Pan was pregnant. His constitution has always been weaker than other children. Some time ago, he caught a cold in the palace and has not recovered since then. A palace maid accidentally knocked over a golden incense burner, and the noise cost Zhao Bing's life. The three-year-old child was frightened and convulsed, and died of suffocation.
Upon hearing the news, Zhao Gou stood stunned for a moment, then hurried to Concubine Pan's room. Seeing their slowly cooling son in her arms, he looked at her weeping and said calmly, "Princess Pan, I offer my condolences." Everyone was astonished by his unusual calm. Only he knew the depth of his grief and anger beneath his silent exterior.
He cast his gaze on the maid who had caused the trouble. The woman shrank and trembled at his gaze. Amidst the cries of grief, she knelt with her head bowed. When Zhao Gou's dragon boots stepped into her sight, she was startled and raised her head in fear and tears, begging: "My lord, spare my life! This servant did not mean it."
But Zhao Gou's whip had already fallen on her face, accompanied by a sharp and piercing sound, like lightning, deep blood marks instantly appeared on her face, neck and chest.
The woman's piteous cries for mercy had no effect on Zhao Gou's whipping. Veins bulged on his forehead and hands, and a deep hatred blazed from his eyes. He whipped the maid repeatedly with his horsewhip. The woman wailed and dodged on the ground, but the whip continued to fall relentlessly. Zhao Gou's whipping became increasingly violent and frantic, leaving the maid completely battered. Shreds of torn clothing flew into the air, along with a spray of blood.
Zhao Gou continued to whip the palace maid uncontrollably until the whip suddenly broke. He finally stopped, breathing heavily, his angry eyes still fixed on the dying woman on the ground. Two eunuchs came over cautiously and asked, "Sir, what should we do with her?"
Zhao Gou said resolutely: "Behead him!"
A eunuch approached him cautiously, removed the broken handle of his whip, and then helped Zhao Gou to sit down. The sweat on his body and face was raging, and the eunuch slowly wiped it for him.
After everyone had left, he was still sitting in the hall, staring blankly at the ground.
At this moment, a familiar scent of gardenia wafted from Zhao Gou's nose. He slowly raised his head and saw Liang Hongyu standing in front of him, looking at him with compassionate eyes. He didn't like this kind of look. Since he knew her, she seemed to have given him only this kind of look besides indifference, so he turned his face away and didn't look at her.
Liang Hongyu walked towards him and hugged him gently. He finally took off all his disguises, buried his face in her arms, closed his eyes and said, "I don't have a son anymore..."
He always referred to himself as "I" in front of others. When he used "I" again, it was either when he was facing his closest relatives or when he was extremely happy or sad and his emotions were at their most vulnerable. His tone of voice was as pale as his face, desperate.
Liang Hongyu naturally understood what this meant for him. His only son was dead, and his health meant he would never have another son. Even if he controlled the empire, he was destined to be a lonely man without an heir to inherit the kingdom he had worked so hard to maintain. Fate was truly a cruel trick. Since ascending the throne, he had been pursued and attacked by the Jin people. In the process, he had lost his ability as a man and was about to lose his beloved. Now, even his only son had been mercilessly taken away by heaven. What should he do?
He cried and begged her, "You are all I have now, please don't leave, okay."
Liang Hongyu comforted him, saying, "As long as the emperor needs me, I will not leave."
Zhao Gou knew that as long as she wanted to leave, this huge palace would not be able to keep her. But even though he knew that these were just words of comfort, he still accepted it with pleasure.
From then on, Zhao Gou no longer avoided Liang Hongyu. He would go to Qingyi Palace every day. He needed someone to comfort him after losing his son. He could fall asleep peacefully just by holding her gently. Although the pain was still there, being with her could alleviate half of his pain compared to bearing it all alone.
Concubine Xuan, on the other hand, had it much harder. Her only son had passed away, and every time she thought of him, she felt as if thousands of swords were piercing her heart. The women in the harem were all honored because of their sons. Previously, because her son was the crown prince, they all came to curry her favor. Now, even Concubine Wu deliberately distanced herself from her. How could she possibly calm the hatred in her heart? Before Liang Hongyu arrived, she was the most honored woman in the palace, the most favored concubine. Since Liang Hongyu came to the palace, she had lost everything. She had to make this woman disappear from the palace to soothe all her sorrow. When everyone thought she had moved on from the loss of her son, only she knew it was all a show. She had always lived a glorious life, so how could she let others laugh at her? All those peaceful days turned into a recurring nightmare at night.
In her dreams, she would often see her son sitting under a tree in Huayang Palace, her and the emperor embracing each other, watching his every smile and frown. Suddenly, a woman appeared before them, dressed in red, her bow drawn. With a wicked smile, the arrow whizzed towards her son, piercing his heart. He fell in a pool of blood, a bright red stain oozing from the corner of his mouth.
She woke up daily from nightmares. It was clearly just a dream, yet it was so vivid. The one who had killed her son was the palace maid who had been beaten to death by the emperor, so why did she always dream that it was Liang Hongyu who had killed her son? She got out of bed and walked to the window. The cold moonlight cast a ghostly shadow on the window, adding to the sad and solemn atmosphere.
She recalled the day when she first met Zhao Gou. She entered the palace with her father and mother. Her father was discussing matters with the emperor in the conference room, while she accompanied her mother to the royal polo field to watch a polo match.
The young men who participated in the competition were all children of royal family and officials. She and other female relatives were all from wealthy families. The royal family held this competition just to find a reason to invite the noble ladies in the capital to come and select suitable marriage partners for their sons. She was one of them.
The young men at the racecourse were all in high spirits, but she noticed one in a purple jersey, sitting upright on his horse. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, handsome features, and a slight smile on his lips. The moment he picked up the polo stick, he had the polo ball under his control and passed it to his teammate with great speed and precision. Unlike the other young men, his eyes were cold, and he seemed to have a maturity that did not match his age.
While the other ladies were cheering for the handsome prince Zhao Kai, she fell in love with him at first sight. So she asked a noble lady next to her, "Who is that young man riding a brown horse with a cold expression?"
"You're talking about him. He's the least favored Fifth Prince Zhao Gou. I heard his mother, Wei, was of humble origins and was once a maid under Concubine Zheng. The emperor only visited her once, and she gave birth to the Fifth Prince Zhao Gou."
Pan understood in her heart. No wonder he seemed to be low-key and mature beyond his years, while the third prince Zhao Kai beside him was the most ambitious of all the princes. In this imperial city where power was supreme, an unfavored prince would even be bullied by the servants in the palace.
She glanced at Zhao Gou on the polo field. He wore a cold expression, oblivious to the cries of the women watching the game. He seemed lost in his own world, his surroundings irrelevant. Under his control, the polo ball found its way into the basket time and time again. Ultimately, Zhao Gou's team won the match, but this didn't affect the Third Prince Zhao Kai's popularity.
The noble ladies all cheered for Zhao Kai who lost, but no one paid attention to Zhao Gou who won. For these noble ladies, the third prince was the most favored prince by the emperor, but now the crown prince Zhao Heng was disliked by the emperor in every way, and there was a strong intention to depose the crown prince and make the third prince the heir. If she could marry the third prince, it would be possible for her to become a concubine or a queen in the future.
Not only that, Zhao Kai has bright eyes, clear eyebrows, and a gentle complexion like jade. He also has a pair of peach blossom eyes that are full of affection. He also naturally understands women's preferences. As long as it is a woman he likes, he only needs to move his fingers and women all over the world will flock to him.
Zhao Gou stood silently aside, only slightly raising his eyes to look at the proud son of heaven on the side, as if he was used to being ignored.
When Pan looked at Zhao Gou like this, she felt sorry for him. He was obviously a handsome and bright young man, so how could he be a foil to others?
She mustered up the courage to walk towards the frustrated young man. At this moment, a breeze blew by and blew the silk handkerchief in her hand away. The handkerchief fell squarely on Zhao Gou's face.
Zhao Gou gently took off the silk handkerchief on his face and looked around, only to see a beautiful woman walking towards him.
Zhao Gou handed her a silk handkerchief and asked, "Is this handkerchief yours, young lady?"
Pan looked up at Zhao Gou and saw him smiling. His eyes seemed to hold a river of spring water, as clear as the snow in the Tianshan Mountains, which melted her heart. Her heart suddenly began to beat, and she whispered, "It's mine."
"Here you go." Zhao Gou handed him the handkerchief. Before she could say thank you, he mounted his horse and disappeared in the crowd.
Since meeting Zhao Gou that day, his image had been deeply engraved in her heart. That day, she told her father about her daughter's concerns, hoping that he would arrange this marriage.
Although Minister Pan doted on his daughter, he could not tolerate her mischief and rebuked her, saying, "Since ancient times, a daughter's marriage has been decided by her parents. How can you choose your own husband?"
Pan said coquettishly, "Daddy, please agree to my request. If this is accomplished, it will also benefit you."
"Oh, why do you say that?"
"Dad, think about it. Are eggs better sold in one basket or in several? You married off all four sisters. My second sister married the Fourth Prince. If I, this egg, married the Fifth Prince, and if he became the Crown Prince, wouldn't your status in the court rise even higher?"
"Everyone in the court is optimistic about the third prince now, and the fifth prince is also out of favor. Besides, the third prince is extremely handsome, and most of the women in the capital are probably attracted to him. Why don't you like the third prince?" asked Minister Pan.
"Father, the Third Prince is a playboy by nature. I don't want to compete with so many women for a man. I think the Third Prince is very imposing and must be extraordinary. I won't be wrong. Please believe me."
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