Chapter Twenty-Eight
After Gu Leyao had a heart-to-heart talk with Li Heng that night, she realized that Li Heng was also quite sensitive.
It took her a long time to accept the fact that Li Heng, the general who once fought on the battlefield, was actually a highly sensitive giant baby, but Gu Leyao didn't know why, but she seemed to like Li Heng more and more every day.
Anyway, from then on, when she talked to the young prince, she would also find topics to talk about with Li Heng, trying her best not to make the two of them feel neglected.
As time went by, the young prince not only had no intention of returning to the palace, but also seemed determined to stay in the palace for a long time.
Gu Leyao knew that the young prince was bothered by the fact that the Emperor and Empress cared more about the child in his womb. If she insisted on sending him back, it might make Chong'er even more uncomfortable.
She also spoke about this privately with Li Heng, who remained silent for a long time after hearing it.
Li Heng never expected that Chong'er, who seemed so carefree, was actually very delicate and sensitive inside.
When he entered the palace again, he told the Emperor about it, but the Empress was experiencing severe morning sickness and was vomiting whatever she ate. She was going through a difficult time and clearly couldn't take care of the young Crown Prince. The Emperor could only ask Gu Leyao and Li Heng to take good care of Chong'er.
It was rare for the Emperor to ask Li Heng for a favor, so Li Heng thought about it and agreed. In the end, he went home and told Le Yao about it.
From then on, Gu Leyao stopped mentioning the matter of sending the young prince back to the palace. During the day, Gu Leyao studied medicine with the old doctor in the mansion, while the young prince studied with Li Heng.
When it was time to eat, the three of them would eat together. Sometimes, the young prince and Li Heng would sleep together. Other times, the young prince and Gu Leyao would have heart-to-heart talks at night, sleeping on the large heated kang bed, sharing their secrets. Chun Tao, sometimes not sleepy, would also come to the kang bed to chat with them. When the three of them were in high spirits, they would even play cards.
Gu Leyao is now involved in some of the affairs of the Prince's Mansion. After all, she grew up in modern times and has a good ability to do math. After a short training from the steward, she already understands how to read ancient account books.
It's cold now, just the right time to check the accounts at the end of the year. Gu Leyao asked the housekeeper to bring the account books over. She, the housekeeper, and Chun Tao stayed in the room with the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). They lit a small red clay stove, roasted some sweet potatoes, and sat on the kang together to check the accounts.
After some time, Chun Tao sniffed the air and thought she could smell the sweet aroma of sweet potatoes.
Chun Tao took an iron tong from the small red clay stove and pulled out the largest, charred sweet potato from the charcoal fire. She skillfully cracked open the black shell to reveal the golden sweet potato flesh inside. Chun Tao divided the sweet potato into two portions, wrapped them in oil paper, gave one portion to Gu Leyao, and the other to the housekeeper.
Gu Leyao took a bite and said, "It's really sweet." It's a different kind of sweetness from honey, but both are delicious.
She also told Chun Tao to quickly get herself a sweet potato to eat.
The housekeeper, sitting cross-legged beside him, took a bite with a smile. "The sweet potatoes Chun Tao grew are truly delicious."
Chun Tao raised her head proudly, "Of course! The sweet potatoes I grow are the best. Next year, I'll plant the selected superior varieties, and they'll definitely grow bigger, sweeter, and more productive sweet potatoes!"
The housekeeper laughed upon hearing Chun Tao's words, "That's wonderful! I'm just waiting to see Chun Tao grow bigger, sweeter, and higher-yielding sweet potatoes."
Back when he was in the army, the steward often ate sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes have a high yield, a sweet taste, and can be stored for a long time, making them a staple food in the army. He remembered that when he was fighting with the prince, it was the prince's birthday one year. It was already the end of the year, and the army didn't have any special ingredients, just some coarse food like potatoes and radishes.
The steward suggested spending money to buy some expensive ingredients, but the prince was unwilling to make a big fuss. The soldiers in the army had not eaten fish or meat, so how could he, as the commander-in-chief, eat it?
Finally, it's hard to believe that a prince, on his birthday, only ate a few sweet potatoes to fill his stomach.
The steward suddenly remembered that it was already November and the prince's birthday was approaching. He sighed, "Ever since the prince's leg was injured, his birthday has not been celebrated."
Upon hearing this, Gu Leyao asked, "Does that mean that Aheng hasn't celebrated her birthday in years?"
If she remembered correctly, Ah Heng's leg had been damaged for more than three years.
The steward nodded. "That's true. Your Highness, you don't know, before you came, the manor was very quiet! During festivals, the Prince would just tell me to give some holiday bonuses to the servants in the manor, and that would be the end of the festival."
Gu Leyao felt a slight ripple in her heart. Now that she had come into this world, she really wanted to give Li Heng a wonderful birthday celebration.
That battle happened too long ago. Many warriors of the Great Zhou Dynasty sacrificed their lives to conquer the Northern Liang royal court. Li Heng was lucky to survive, but he paid the price by losing both his legs. Now, three years have passed, and he should move on and live his own life.
*
That evening, after Gu Leyao and the young prince finished their meal, under Li Heng's resentful gaze, she calmly took the young prince away to whisper secrets.
The young prince was overjoyed; his aunt hadn't spoken to him alone in a long time.
More importantly, the Empress said that what they were going to say was a private conversation, and they didn't want the Emperor to know.
Li Chong was even more excited! This was a private conversation, a secret!
It's a secret that even the Imperial Uncle doesn't know yet!
Gu Leyao led the little prince back to the courtyard, closed the gate, and Chuntao had already lit the red clay stove. The three of them warmed themselves by the stove.
With a serious expression, Gu Leyao said, "Today we need to discuss a very important matter."
The young prince's expression also turned serious, and he repeated Gu Leyao's words, "We need to discuss an important matter."
The two of them glanced at the half-eaten cake in Chun Tao's hand.
Chun Tao involuntarily put down the pastries in her hand, her little face tense and very serious. "Okay, let's discuss it!"
Seeing that the young prince and Chun Tao's expressions and attitudes had become serious, Gu Leyao continued, "November is an extraordinary month; we will be undertaking a major operation."
Chuntao and the young prince both looked at Gu Leyao, waiting for her to continue.
Gu Leyao slammed the teacup down on the coffee table. "Aheng's birthday is in November, and we need to celebrate it for him!"
Birthdays are indeed important, but why make it sound so serious?
Chun Tao and the little prince both slumped their shoulders a bit, thinking it was something serious, but it turned out to be just a birthday celebration!
Gu Leyao swept her icy gaze over the two of them. "Sit up. Look at how lax you are! What kind of behavior is this? Do you think this operation is just a simple birthday celebration? Of course not! This operation is Aheng's first birthday celebration in three years. We need to make him feel everyone's love for him again, and to help him pull himself together! This is an extraordinary birthday, a new beginning! If you can handle this matter well, Chun Tao, I've decided to allocate you an extra plot of land so you can experiment with new grain varieties next year. Chong'er! If you handle this matter well, I've decided to persuade your royal uncle to give you three days off during the New Year!"
Chun Tao and the little prince immediately became energetic and vigorous, their backs straight and their eyes wide open, like two cocks with their heads held high and chests puffed out, eager to fight.
Gu Leyao said to the young prince and Chun Tao, "Put your hands on mine, and let the three of us make an alliance and swear an oath to make this birthday banquet a success!"
The little prince obediently placed his hand in Gu Leyao's hand, and Chun Tao placed her hand in the little prince's hand.
The three of them counted down, "Three, two, one..." and then slammed their hands down together, shouting, "We absolutely have to make this birthday banquet a success!"
With that, the Prince's Palace Birthday Celebration Team was officially established!
*
Gu Leyao was in charge of making a huge birthday cake. Every day after she finished studying medicine, she would take half an hour to secretly go to the kitchen to try making the cake.
When the young prince finished his studies, he would secretly run to the kitchen to help taste the delicious cakes and offer some suggestions for improvement.
He also brought out his treasured lanterns, such as rabbit lanterns, crab lanterns, and lotus lanterns, to give to Gu Leyao. He planned to hang them all up on the day of the royal uncle's birthday. When it got dark, the lanterns would emit colorful lights, which would be incredibly beautiful.
Chun Tao quickened her pace. Since the greenhouse in the Prince's mansion was built, she has been working diligently inside every day to cultivate winter fruits. She has now grown tender cucumbers and fresh strawberries. The strawberry seeds are a novelty she obtained from the foreigners. They look bright red and taste sweet and sour.
The three of them were busy working at a breakneck pace. Chun Tao and the little prince would occasionally go to Gu Leyao's courtyard to report on their progress.
The three of them would huddle together and whisper from time to time. Li Heng naturally noticed something was amiss, but he said nothing.
Li Qi also came to report on his recent discoveries: "...The three of them often secretly get together and whisper among themselves. The young crown prince orders Qingxi to take things from the palace's private treasury every day, and when they come back, they wrap them in silk cloth. Chun Tao is also acting mysteriously, going to the greenhouse every day, kicking everyone out, and tinkering with things there. Even the princess goes to the kitchen every day, closes the door, and we don't know what she's doing."
Li Heng didn't know what the three of them were doing, but as long as it wasn't harmful to their health, they could do whatever they wanted. "They seemed to be having a lot of fun."
The young prince was indeed quite happy, and he was full of energy every day, studying diligently in class. Even when he had to do other things, he would only do so after finishing his studies.
Le Yao and Chun Tao are always energetic and lively, walking with a brisk pace.
Li Heng concluded, "As long as they're having fun, let them be. Even if the sky falls, I'll be there to hold it up for them!"
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