What Yi Yang and Gao An were talking about were the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division formulas taught to them by Li Hong. These were the trial subjects for Hongwenguan and Chongwenguan, and the carefully selected students had to pass them.
Li Sujie was very unfortunate. Li Xiao, Li Shangjin and some other clan members all passed the test, but he was the only one who could not recite it fluently.
He happened to be seen by the prince who was going to Ganlu Palace from the East Palace, so Guo Yu punished him by detaining him in the Hongwenguan and not allowing him to return to the palace until he passed the recitation.
In front of their mother, Yi Yang and Gao An chattered and criticized Li Hong, crying about how they had been treated inhumanely by Li Hong over the past month.
Li Hong listened to their complaints at ease, and then replied calmly: "I persecuted you so much, and I secretly took you out of the palace? If it weren't for me, who would have been able to leave the palace? Aren't you both like bumpkins, frogs in the well."
Concubine Xiao smiled and drank tea as she watched the cold and lonely palace become lively and warm. Xia Zhi and other prince's personal maids and eunuchs looked as if they had already gotten used to it and were no longer surprised by the scene before their eyes.
Only her only palace maid looked at everything in front of her in astonishment, unable to believe that the children of the royal family could be so childish.
"Alright, stop making trouble, Hong'er has been taking good care of you all these years. It's inconvenient for your mother to be by your side. If it weren't for Hong'er, you wouldn't be here today. You really don't know what's good for you."
"snort."
...
...
“Hehe.”
Concubine Xiao Shu ignored the two grumblers and said to Li Hong, "Hong'er, you must not let them do whatever they want in the future. Royal princesses must follow royal etiquette. It's not right to do this. If your father knew about it, I'm afraid you would be implicated because of them."
"Mother is right. Hong'er will keep it in mind. Starting tomorrow, I will discipline them strictly and let them review the royal etiquette three to five times every day." Li Hong said with a smile.
Concubine Xiao Shufei smiled, then took the brocade box that her maid had already held in her hand. After opening it, she picked up a few sheets of high-quality rice paper inside. They looked quite old and had turned a little yellow.
"Hong'er, this is for you, take it. I know you are capable. I also learned some things about the outside world from talking to your father a few days ago. Now, I am looking forward to..." Concubine Xiao Shu looked at Yi Yang and Gao An with loving eyes, and then continued: "As long as they are safe, I will be satisfied. You refused to accept the property that Lanling Xiao offered you back then. Now I think you were right. They used my property to curry favor with you, and did not care about the fate of us mother and son. Now, I have figured it out. I have found someone I can entrust these things that my father left behind when I entered the palace."
Li Hong said nothing, but calmly took the brocade box from Concubine Xiao Shufei's hand, opened it and took out the papers inside. It was actually some of the share of the Lanling Xiao family's industry, and their branch of the Xiao family's shares in the entire Lanling Xiao family's industry.
After reading it, Li Hong closed the brocade box silently, thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I am ashamed. I don't want to embarrass you because of my angry words back then."
"Let's not talk about that. Now I just want to watch them grow up, which is more important than anything else. Besides, your father talks to me from time to time, which is enough. These worldly possessions, just like people, should be returned to the rightful owners sooner or later. As the saying goes, dust returns to dust, ashes returns to ashes. Everything in the world is a law, and everything should return to its origin."
"Mother, what exactly did you give Li Hong?" Li Hong had just finished praising her, but now it seems that he praised her too early and his brain started to lose its support again.
Concubine Xiao Shu smiled and slapped Yi Yang's outstretched hand, pretending to be angry and said, "Don't ask if you shouldn't know."
Yi Yang made a face at Concubine Xiao Shufei and obediently retracted his hand.
Li Hong looked at Concubine Xiao Shufei. Perhaps it was the death of Queen Wang that triggered the Taoism or state of mind in his heart. In short, Concubine Xiao Shufei's appearance has never changed over the years. She is still so young and beautiful. Time seems to be particularly kind to her and has never left any traces of time on her face. No wonder my father would come to visit her every now and then.
"Mother, Hong'er has something else to discuss with you. Aunt Lanling will be leaving for her fiefdom soon, and Hong'er wants Sister Yiyang to go with Aunt Lanling. First, to see the scenery outside, and second, as you know, Aunt Lanling is now one of the richest women in Chang'an City, and she has opened many shops in Jiangnan, so I want Sister Yiyang to learn some business skills from her. What do you think?"
"Go ahead, it's better this way. Yiyang is big now. With her around, it will be more convenient for Lanling." Concubine Xiao Shu smiled gracefully, her expression full of calmness as if she had seen through everything in the world.
"Hong'er thanks mother."
"Li Hong, you haven't asked for my opinion yet. Humph, I won't go! I won't go to Lanling with Aunt Lanling." Yi Yang saw that Li Hong had something to ask for, so if she didn't put on her airs now, when would she do so?
In the past few years, she and her two elder sisters, Gao An, have become the main targets of the Crown Prince's pranks. Many snakes and rats were inexplicably released into the palace, or when the palace maids were suddenly disappearing while he was taking a bath. Apart from Li Hong, no one else is stupid enough to be the culprit of these inexplicable events, and no one dares to do so.
"You don't have to go. There will be more formulas to memorize tomorrow." Li Hong stood up and bowed deeply to Concubine Xiao Shufei, saying, "Thank you, mother. It's getting late, and I should take my leave. You can talk to Yi Yang and Gao An for a while. She will leave tomorrow and will not return to the palace for at least half a year or at most a year."
After Li Hong finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Yi Yang stunned and at a loss. He completely ignored my existence and only told my mother about it, without ever asking me whether I was willing or not.
"Li Hong! I hate you!" Yi Yang suddenly stood up and cried sadly while looking at Li Hong's figure.
Li Hong's back stiffened for a moment, then he waved his hand and left with Xia Zhi and the others.
Concubine Xiao Shufei's intelligence exceeded his expectations. He really did not expect that Concubine Xiao Shufei could guess the purpose of his visit this time.
And the actions of Yi Yang and Gao An in front of him and Concubine Xiao Shufei just now, as well as Concubine Xiao Shufei's casual questioning about Li Sujie, were all important reasons and indicators that influenced Concubine Xiao Shufei to finally hand over the brocade box to him.
Concubine Xiao Shufei is now filled with great sorrow. The only purpose that keeps her alive has gradually changed from the safety of Yi Yang and the other two to her heart. As she has lived in the deep palace for so many years, her character has become more vicissitudes of life. She has seen through all the worldly phenomena, including fame and fortune.
Over the past few years, nothing here has changed. The dim palace lanterns illuminate the mottled palace walls, and the colorful falling colors are like the afterglow of the setting sun, silent yet strong.
The newly born imperial palace, because of the decadence of this corner of the deep palace, seemed to add a touch of vicissitudes and grief to the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
The broken wind chime from that year was now nothing but the silk threads tangled together with the spider webs, and the wind chime had long since fallen into the mud. The tangled and entangled situation is like the imperial palace that is about to usher in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The turmoil never stops, and the tragic songs of separation and reunion cast a unique color on the canvas of history.
The Daming Palace behind the Taiji Palace began to be rebuilt, presenting a vibrant scene. The increasingly prosperous palace and glazed bricks and tiles seemed to be mocking the dilapidated and decayed Taiji Palace.
The tall tree forest has been preserved to this day because it stubbornly refused to give way to the construction of the Daming Palace despite Li Hong’s strong protest.
It is said that Queen Wang was executed in the small house behind the woods, and Wu Mei never set foot here again.
At this moment, Wu Mei was standing alone in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the only stone road, wearing a light yellow queen's costume, which showed off the queen's elegance and grace, as well as her demeanor as the mother of the country.
Not far behind him, Lian Tie was like a hound ready to protect his master at any time, watching his surroundings vigilantly for any sign of trouble. There was another person standing nearby, the tall Li Yifu, who stood there with his back bent and his head lowered, not moving at all.
Li Hong walked slowly along the path in the woods with heavy steps, and saw his mother's figure at first sight.
"Mother...?" Li Hong asked in surprise as he looked at the figure.
Wu Mei turned her head slowly: "When my mother saw you here for the first time, she slapped you, and then my mother didn't sleep well for three days and three nights."
Li Hong walked quickly towards Wu Mei. The palace lantern with a glass lampshade was no longer disturbed by the flowing air. It was burning quietly in the lampshade, lighting up everything on both sides of the stone road.
"I know my crime. I made you wait here." Li Hong couldn't guess what his mother meant and apologized first.
"I have not been here since I beat you last time. I didn't expect that I would come here again because of you, Li Hong! Is she your biological mother?! How long has it been since you had such a happy meal with me?! Isn't it enough for you, Li Hong, to feel better when I executed Wang and left Xiao? Isn't it enough for you, Li Hong, to show your kindness to the people of the world! In front of your father, you pleaded for those three evil beasts, and for the relatives of the soldiers who were implicated in the military law! You are a prince known for your filial piety, and a crown prince known for your kindness! But have you ever thought about how I feel about your biological mother? Today you are laughing and having fun here! But I am waiting here quietly! Li Hong, who is your biological mother!"
Wu Mei's sudden roar caught everyone present off guard. Before Lian Tie could kneel down immediately, Li Yifu was the first to kneel down before him.
Summer Solstice, Lesser Cold, Flowering Month, and Grain in Ear also knelt on the ground because of Wu Mei’s roar, with their heads pressed against the cold ground, shivering!
Wu Mei's roar caught Li Hong off guard and left him dumbfounded. This was completely different from his mother who was always kind and gentle in front of him. Looking at his mother's angry and tearful face, Li Hong saw even more heartbreak and pity!
Moreover, he also keenly realized that this was the first time in all these years that his mother called herself "the Queen" in front of him! As for when his mother arrived here and how long she stood here alone, Li Hong had no idea, and he didn't dare to ask at the moment.
"I have brought Li Yifu here to you. I will give you four years. If your masterpiece still does not satisfy me, and if you cannot prove that you are a qualified prince of the Tang Dynasty in these four years, you will go to the Zongzheng Temple!"
The rosy crown and phoenix dress danced in the night sky like floating flower arcs. Wu Mei was firm and resolute. She did not dare to look at Li Hong's face which was full of dullness and confusion. She turned and left.
On the quiet stone road, Li Yifu knelt there waiting for Li Hong's decision.
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