Chapter 92: Defeat the scheming boy and tease the sultry general (2)
However, this was in front of His Majesty after all, so Li Ziyan quickly reacted, straightened up, and coughed twice. "Ahem, I have been disrespectful in front of Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."
"No need to be so polite, please take a seat."
Being granted a seat during court sessions was considered a great honor, and only the founding heroes had received such treatment. However, this was the emperor's intention, and no one in the court would say anything more.
Chu Heng half-closed his eyes and glanced at the young prince sitting beside him. For some reason, he was a little distracted. The slender waist he had just held in his arms was just as he had imagined, as if it could be broken with just the slightest force. He fixed his gaze on Li Ziyan. From this angle, he could see the corners of Li Ziyan's eyes slightly raised, forming a tiny arc, which naturally reminded him of the look he had just seen.
There was a bit of surprise, nervousness, and an inexplicable... familiarity.
Chu Heng calmed down and stopped thinking about it. He couldn't think of anything. After all, with a brain used to marching and fighting, he really couldn't understand this "ambiguous" situation.
None of the officials took the recent incident too seriously. The emperor's mood was obviously much better because of Li Ziyan's appearance, and he even sped up his court session.
After all, they were officials who had been tempered through thousands of trials and tribulations, and it was not so difficult for them to read people's expressions. Fortunately, there were no particularly major events at the moment, so they soon withdrew from the court without any problems.
"Zi Yan, you must be tired. I asked the imperial kitchen to prepare lunch. It's all warm and nourishing. Let's go and have some together."
"Yes." Li Ziyan covered the lower half of his face with one hand, lowered his head and coughed lightly a few times, which made the emperor beside him feel distressed.
"Zi Yan has suffered a lot over the years."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my duty to share the country's worries and serve you, my Majesty. Ahem."
Li Ziyan's health was not good to begin with, and his life was not easy when he was a proton in Southeast.
Living under someone else's roof, and with the situation at court difficult, even though the people there were wary of Li Ziyan's status, they still didn't take him seriously. Furthermore, the southeastern region had a hot and humid climate, and Li Ziyan wasn't used to it. His meals were also different from those in the north, and after returning, he felt like he'd lost four or five pounds.
The two brothers went to the Yangxin Palace together, dismissed the palace servants around them, and only kept the servants and palace maids who served them, and had a good meal.
"Zi Yan, don't you want to use some more?"
"Thank you for your kindness, my brother. I am truly not worthy of this."
Li Zihan frowned and sighed, "Tomorrow I will have the Imperial Hospital go to your house to take care of your health."
"Thank you, my royal brother."
"Go visit Mother later. For the past year, Mother and I have always been thinking about you."
"yes."
The two of them rested for a while and then went to the Queen Mother together. When the Queen Mother saw Li Ziyan, her eyes turned red and she couldn't help feeling heartbroken, but this also made Li Ziyan feel relieved.
Today's trip at least made him sure that the emperor had no fear of him.
"Zi Yan, take good care of yourself at home these few days. Don't worry about the affairs of the court. Your health is the top priority."
"I understand."
"I think it's been a long time since Zi Yan has been in the capital to enjoy the sights. So, I'll send someone to accompany you and relieve your boredom."
Few princes survived the battle for the throne, and even if they did, they could not be allowed to accompany Li Ziyan. Li Zihan thought about it for a while and had a plan in mind.
Due to Li Ziyan's health, he did not stay in the palace for too long. The emperor was also worried about his health, so he gave Li Ziyan a lot of rewards and let him go back.
"Ahem, Yunle, pour me a glass of water."
"promise."
Yun Le moved swiftly and steadily, bringing over a cup of tea and handing it to Li Ziyan. Li Ziyan took it and took a sip. The faint tea fragrance and warm liquid brushed across his dry throat, soothing the hoarseness and pain.
"Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? Would you like me to call the imperial physician?"
Li Ziyan waved his hand, his voice a little hoarse, "It's nothing, I'm used to it." The tea made Li Ziyan's throat less uncomfortable, and his face looked a little better. "You and Caiwei have been tossed around for so long these past few days, you must be exhausted. Go down and rest early."
"I won't go. Today it's my turn to keep watch for His Majesty. You sleep." Yunle entered the palace as a child. At that time, Li Ziyan had fallen into a lake and developed a chronic illness, keeping him indoors all day. The late emperor specially gifted him a playmate of his own age. Caiwei was a few years older than the two of them and was now an aunt. In an ordinary family, they would be close siblings, but Li Ziyan's status made Yunle and Caiwei even more loyal.
"Ahem, you're becoming more and more disobedient. Just go to sleep when I tell you to. I'm used to it. Nothing will happen. Do you still want to grow taller?"
This touched a sore spot for Yun Le. She pouted, but didn't leave. She sat down at Li Ziyan's feet and said, "No matter what the prince says, I will keep watch today. A few days ago at the post station, you insisted on kicking me and Sister Caiwei out. If Sister Caiwei hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night to check on you, you would have passed out from the fever. If it were you, it was the prince who was disobedient."
"You're getting more and more eloquent," Li Ziyan shook his head, not blaming him. He glanced at the young man at his feet and shook his head helplessly. "Never mind, I'll listen to you. Help me change my clothes, okay?"
"Yes!" Yun Le was happy this time. He stood up swiftly and took off Li Ziyan's outer robe. He helped Li Ziyan to get on the bed, then turned off the lights and stood by.
After half a month of running around, he finally slept peacefully that night. However, Li Ziyan's dream was not so peaceful. It was as if his head was covered with a layer of frosted glass. He could not see anything clearly, and in the end, only a pair of deep eyes remained.
Li Ziyan didn't sleep for long. He woke up just as the sky was getting light and sat on the edge of the bed to sort out his thoughts.
'Who is the target this time?'
007: 'General Dingyuan, Chu Heng.'
Li Ziyan nodded, not feeling surprised at all. He didn't know where this feeling came from. It was just a quick glance at Chu Heng yesterday that gave him such a familiar and certain feeling.
But this time, there was an extra problem that Li Ziyan needed to solve. Chu Heng was the general of Dingyuan and held an important position. How should he approach him? However, he did not think about it for too long, because just at noon, an unexpected person came to the palace.
"Your Highness, General Dingyuan requests an audience."
"General Dingyuan?" Li Ziyan was drinking tea. He paused, a look of confusion in his eyes. "Please come up quickly."
"promise."
Yun Le left the hall and soon came back behind a tall man. Li Ziyan's eyes involuntarily looked at the man wearing a black robe and a slim waist belt, and their eyes met.
"Your servant Chu Heng pays homage to the Holy Prince."
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