“In the future, when Consort Lin has a little brother or sister, Abao will have to be the big sister, and she can no longer be willful.”
The Crown Princess looked at her daughter with affection. She didn't know how to make her young daughter understand that there are too many helpless situations in the world, that they cannot be free and do whatever they want, and that most of the time they need to endure.
Even if you feel wronged, you shouldn't show it. If you're not absolutely certain you can suppress the other person, you should greet them with a smile.
"I don't like little brothers or sisters."
Liu Ling whispered in the Crown Princess's ear.
She disliked Lin Yuqiao, and she also disliked her younger siblings.
Whether you like it or not is not important, your younger siblings will still exist. You just need to do what you are supposed to do.
Holding Liu Ling's shoulder, the Crown Princess looked at her sternly until Liu Ling lowered her head.
"Tomorrow, Abao will go to apologize to Consort Lin. You were very impolite today."
When Liu Heng entered the room, he heard the Crown Princess lecturing Liu Ling, telling her to apologize to Lin Shi.
Nodding, Liu Ling looked carefully at the Crown Princess, "But my legs can't move, can we go in a few days?"
"It's okay, it's alright if Abao doesn't have to go."
As Liu Heng entered the room, he looked at Liu Ling and spoke softly.
"Father!"
Upon seeing her father, Liu Ling was overjoyed and smiled.
After giving Liu Ling a series of instructions, Liu Heng then had someone hand over the tea, fruit, gold, and silk sent by Lin Yuqiao to the people around the Crown Princess to accept.
"Mr. Lin, you're too kind. It's all Abao's fault."
After Liu Ling was put to bed, the Crown Princess and Liu Heng went to the main room and sat down together.
"It was all a misunderstanding; Abao is just being childish."
Liu Heng patted the Crown Princess's hand reassuringly, feeling that she was quite good at teaching the children, without spoiling or favoring them excessively.
Feeling a slight flutter in her heart as the two hadn't been this close in a long time, the Crown Princess blushed slightly. She lowered her head, gazing tenderly at Liu Heng's still handsome profile.
Time may have taken away her youthful beauty, but it has made the man before her even more distinguished, reserved, and composed.
He still possessed the demeanor of a gentleman, gentle and refined, with a firm gaze; however, she could no longer trust him as completely as before.
"Ms. Lin is due to give birth next March or April, so it's time to submit the application for selecting a wet nurse."
"You can decide these things."
After talking for a while, Liu Heng felt that he had achieved his purpose in visiting Liu Ling, so he prepared to leave.
"Zhen'er and Ji'er have had their facial makeup done for some time now. Why doesn't Your Highness choose one of them to serve you tonight?"
Liu Heng looked at the Crown Princess intently for a while, until she seemed inexplicably guilty, before declining, "No need, I've been too busy lately to think about this."
Are you so busy that you have time to go to the Lin family's place, but no time to see anyone else?
The Crown Princess sighed as she watched Liu Heng's retreating figure.
"Your Highness, please don't be anxious. Lin Shi still has a few months before giving birth. His Highness can't keep enduring it indefinitely."
Granny Zhou served the Crown Princess a cup of tea and offered her some words of advice.
She had great confidence in Zhen'er and Ji'er, who were well-trained by the royal family; one of them would surely win His Highness's favor. Moreover, they were destined not to have children, so she could use them with peace of mind.
She gave a wry smile, but the Crown Princess remained melancholy.
Liu Ling's willfulness and arrogance worried her, and Liu Kang's situation also made her uneasy.
Liu Yan is becoming more and more outstanding. His performance in the study is highly favored by his master, and Liu Heng is also paying close attention to him.
Although Liu Kang stopped studying with Liu Yan after being named the Crown Prince, the two brothers were still inseparable. His intelligence and talent still put pressure on Liu Kang.
Correspondingly, Liu Kang became more attentive to his studies, often staying up late to study hard in order to make up for his lack of talent.
Furthermore, when they went out socializing, Liu Kang deliberately suppressed Liu Yan. Although he acted as if nothing was wrong, his actions were still visible to those who were paying attention. As a result, Liu Kang inevitably lost the upper hand.
Ever since the Crown Princess found out, she had been very anxious. Although Liu Kang was already fourteen and about to get married, which in this era meant he was practically an adult, she still couldn't help but call him over and give him a good scolding.
"Why can't you see that! No matter how outstanding Liu Yan is, you are still the eldest son of the legitimate wife and the crown prince. You need to stabilize yourself first before you can stand firm in this position. There are so many outstanding and talented people in the world, do you think you can suppress them all?"
To be honest, the Crown Princess herself was also a little anxious. After all, Liu Heng was still young, and Liu Kang would have to wait a long time with many variables. However, she was still able to stay calm.
Therefore, after hearing about Liu Kang's performance, she couldn't help but feel disappointed and disappointed.
When this child was the heir apparent of the royal family, there was no problem. As the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the heir of the royal family was secure enough.
However, with his elevated status, being the eldest son of the legitimate wife was no longer sufficient in the imperial family. Throughout history, very few crown princes have successfully survived to the throne. This not only tests one's character and abilities but also one's patience.
Liu Heng achieved his goal after years of patience and hard work.
Liu Yan is still young, yet Liu Kang is already losing his composure. Moreover, among the many ways to deal with Liu Yan, Liu Kang has chosen the most foolish one, which is bound to worry the Crown Princess.
"For those in positions of power, is being well-educated really the most important thing? Go back and think about what you should do."
Unlike her guidance of the younger Liu Ling, the Crown Princess primarily offered pointers to her son, who was of average talent and no longer young. The road ahead was long, and she couldn't interfere in everything; Liu Kang had to figure things out for himself.
Liu Kang also earnestly reflected on his actions after hearing the Crown Princess's words. He understood that after his third brother's passing, he was his mother's only hope.
Not only is Liu Yan eyeing him covetously from behind, but Consort Lin may also have another baby brother in the future. The younger son is always more favored, and the distance between him and his father will only grow wider.
He must be outstanding enough to gain his father's favor and ensure a more stable future as the crown prince.
The Crown Princess was very concerned about Liu Kang's performance, as was Consort Jiang.
When Liu Yan mentioned that Liu Kang was always looking for opportunities to suppress him, she couldn't help but smile.
"Your older brother is about to lose his temper."
Liu Kang is mediocre, jealous of talent, and intolerant of others. With such weaknesses revealed, Liu Heng will surely be disappointed.
Although Consort Jiang currently has no interest in the position of Crown Prince, she is very pleased that Liu Kang's actions highlight the merits of Liu Yan.
"You should continue to do what you were supposed to do. When you are out, you must be respectful to your elder brother. Do whatever he tells you to do."
The best course of action is to refrain from competing. Consort Jiang was quite adept at discerning what kind of personality Liu Heng admired.
She hoped Liu Kang would continue like this; the more weaknesses he exposed, the more they would benefit. After all, what the Crown Princess could see, she could see too.
Liu Heng is not yet thirty and is in good health. He will likely rule for at least another twenty years after succeeding to the throne. The longer he reigns, the greater the uncertainty surrounding Liu Kang's future.
Therefore, Liu Yan must carefully consider his future actions, ensuring that he does not appear ambitious while still highlighting his excellence.
After the New Year, Liu Kang buried himself in thought for a long time before going to see the Crown Princess again.
Since his mother pointed it out, he has thought a lot about it. He knows his shortcomings, but he is still unsure how to act in a way that maximizes his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.
"Mother, what should I do to my second brother next?"
He stopped obsessing over studying and homework, after all, he was five years older than Liu Yan. Winning against him would be normal, and it would only make him seem deliberate.
Having such an outstanding younger brother was a real headache for him. He could also sense that his father favored his second brother. The more this was the case, the more pressure he felt. Even though he was the heir apparent, the crown prince, he felt like Liu Yan was stealing his thunder.
"No matter what Yan-ge'er is like, he's still your younger brother. As his older brother, you should always be more tolerant of him."
After listening to his mother's words, Liu Kang pondered them for a while and felt that he understood somewhat.
The status was already set, and all he had to do was stay put. No matter how outstanding Liu Yan was, as long as he was still around, he would always have to take a step back. He couldn't overshadow Liu Yan's academic achievements and intelligence, so he had to accept him with tolerance and generosity.
He was the elder brother, and Liu Yan was the younger brother. No matter how good the younger brother was, he still had to bow to him in terms of status and etiquette. If Liu Yan ever tried to surpass him, he would be looked down upon. On the contrary, his tolerance of Liu Yan's rise to prominence would better demonstrate his magnanimity.
As my mother said, there are countless talented people in the world, yet they all serve the royal family. Knowing how to utilize talent is more important than being talented yourself.
Even if Liu Yan is outstanding enough, he will still be used by him in the future.
His previous struggle stemmed from the belief that as the heir apparent, Liu Yan shouldn't be more outstanding than him. Now that he's come to terms with it, he feels his perspective has broadened, and he's found his direction.
Liu Heng was aware of the undercurrents between Liu Kang and Liu Yan, but he had been observing them in a passive and natural manner.
After a while, Liu Heng noticed that the two brothers, who had previously been secretly comparing themselves to each other, were now behaving like brothers and their relationship was becoming more harmonious. To his surprise, he realized that he had indeed made the right decision not to interfere.
Liu Heng was strict with his son's upbringing when he was young, but he let go once his son's character was formed. He believed that after teaching him everything he needed to, the rest should be left for the child to figure out on his own.
He gave his child ample freedom to develop, while also closely monitoring his child's growth. Only when he saw the child straying off course would he intervene to correct the situation.
Therefore, he prefers to let his children stumble and learn on their own, and it doesn't matter if they make mistakes. Nothing is more memorable than the lessons learned from making mistakes.
Liu Heng was satisfied with Liu Kang's performance. His satisfaction led him to place even higher expectations on him.
In February, Liu Heng made a special request to the emperor to invite Rong Huan, a renowned Confucian scholar from the capital and a doctor from the Nanlu Academy, to be Liu Kang's teacher.
Just as Liu Heng was training Liu Kang, Lin Yuqiao, who was about to give birth, became increasingly uneasy.
The delivery room has been prepared in a side room in the courtyard. The midwife and wet nurse have been chosen by the Crown Princess and are ready in the mansion.
Lin Yuqiao was a little uneasy because the people chosen by the Crown Princess were all her own.
In her past life, she had read many novels, and there were quite a few stories about bribing midwives to tamper with childbirth. Even if the Crown Princess wasn't such a heartless person, she still couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Madam will be there too, and this old servant will stay by your side."
Upon hearing about her worries, Granny Jiang felt a little helpless, thinking that she was overthinking things.
At first, Lin Yuqiao never imagined that Li would be there for her during childbirth. Hearing this reassured her. With so many of her people around, she thought, "Surely nothing will happen."
With nearly a month left until her due date, she had made all the preparations, but unexpectedly, the delivery location was to be changed.
In the forty-first year of Jianwu's reign, on a bright and sunny spring day, amidst the drifting willow catkins, Emperor Jianwu never woke up again after an afternoon nap.
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