In April, fragrant blossoms grace the south of the Yangtze River; in May, cherry blossoms adorn the northern frontier; and in June, spring rains fall on the riverbanks, and dew patters on the branches as flowers bloom.
Red walls and bright tiles, green willows drooping, and graceful ribbons swaying in the breeze, depict the myriad splendors within the palace city.
The palace maids, dressed in white gauze and red robes, moved with gentle grace, their steps swaying like lotus blossoms, exuding layers of dignified charm.
The endless layers of the palace, accompanied by the clanging of swords among the guards, vividly reflect a sacred and solemn atmosphere.
At this moment, the study was filled with the fragrance of incense and tea. Two men were sitting around a chessboard, playing a game of chess.
One looked calm and serene, while the other was anxious and uneasy.
Lan Shanyang remained calm, while Lan Qingtian seemed to be in a precarious situation.
The other, even more anxious person was Eunuch Quan, who was standing next to Lan Shanyang, but his head was practically sticking out of the window.
"Seventh Brother, is it your turn?"
Seeing that Lan Qingtian had been holding the chess piece for a long time without making a move, Lan Shanyang kindly reminded him.
"Um!"
Lan Qingtian gave a casual reply, then simply uttered a single word. She didn't even look at him, her gaze fixed on the outside.
Lan Shanyang looked at the move, then raised his head and quietly looked at Lan Qingtian.
Half a day later, Lan Qingtian noticed that Lan Shanyang was looking at him, and asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong?"
Lan Shanyang sighed softly, "You've placed your chess piece on a dead end."
Lan Qingtian was taken aback, immediately looked down at the chessboard, and then angrily threw down the chess piece, "I'm not playing anymore! I've already said I can't beat the Emperor, why are you still dragging me here to play chess every day!"
Lan Shanyang wasn't angry at all, and leisurely fiddled with the chess pieces. "Playing chess requires a calm mind! If your mind isn't calm, how can you play chess well!"
Just as Lan Qingtian was about to speak, a young eunuch rushed in from outside. He stopped at the door and tried to calm himself down.
Seeing this, he quickly went over and asked softly, "What happened again?"
Before the young eunuch could speak, Lan Qingtian frowned and waved his hand, "You come in here! What are those two whispering about outside!"
Upon hearing this, the young eunuch immediately glanced nervously at the entire scene.
The emperor nodded, and the young eunuch quickly came in, knelt on the ground, and reported: "This servant greets Your Majesty, Your Highness, and the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has hanged himself in Jingren Palace!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Qingtian immediately turned to Lan Shanyang and said anxiously, "Did you hear that? He's hanged himself? I told you it wasn't right to keep him locked up like this. How many times has this happened in the past few days? They're practically tearing the roof off! A few days ago it was just him smashing tables and chairs, and now he's hanging himself! You'd better release him right now!"
Lan Shanyang acted as if he hadn't heard, still holding the chess piece and looking at the chessboard, and slowly said, "Are you going to play it yourself, or ask someone for help?"
The young eunuch immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it was the Crown Prince who found the white silk and hung it up himself!"
"Okay, then go back and tell him that I said to make sure it's tied tightly so it doesn't fall down again!"
The little eunuch was stunned when he heard this, and helplessly turned his head to look at the whole scene.
Panoramic view then turned its attention to Lan Qingtian.
Lan Qingtian slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Your own son went to hang himself, and you told him to tie the rope tighter? What kind of father are you? If he did something wrong, you should hit or scold him, but give him a straight answer! Locking him up like this every day, unable to go in or out, and not letting anyone see him, what kind of good child wouldn't be driven crazy by this!"
"Is he a good boy?" Lan Qingtian raised an eyebrow, looking at Lan Qingtian with a hint of a smile. "Just a few days ago you said we had to discipline him strictly, how come you've changed your mind now! Seventh Master, your stance isn't firm enough!"
"I told you to manage him, not to lock him up!" Lan Qingtian was truly driven to the brink of madness by this father and son. "If you were going to lock him up, you could just kneel before the ancestors for a night or two and that would be enough! But now you're completely isolating him, not allowing him to bring any of his people with him, not even letting anyone speak to him. Tell me, wouldn't that drive him crazy? Besides, it's been a month already! My brother, don't you know what kind of person Xiaoxue is? She's even threatened to demolish the Jingyang Palace, and she's broken into the palace gates nine times already. Oh, and she's set fire to it three times! Tell me, if something really goes wrong, you won't have anywhere to regret it!"
When these things were mentioned, Lan Qingtian's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
"I'll shut him down and I won't regret it!"
As she spoke, Lan Shanyang couldn't help but laugh at Lan Qingtian's glaring eyes, and waved her hand: "Sit down! Don't worry, he won't die! If he really hangs himself, I'll give you the throne!"
"Pah! Who wants this piece of junk!" Lan Qingtian sat down angrily again, then immediately turned to look anxiously at Lan Shanyang: "No, he's done it, you've punished him, what else do you want? Is this never going to end?! Fifth Prince is back, and he's jumping around trying to present evidence to impeach the Crown Prince! Can't you two stop fighting amongst yourselves at a time like this?"
At this point, Lan Qingtian became displeased again, and pointed at the eunuch beside her, shouting, "Get out of here right now! Have those guards keep an eye on the Crown Prince! Don't let anything happen to him!"
Although the little eunuch was very afraid of Seventh Master, he still stole glances at Lan Shanyang.
Seeing the little eunuch still waiting for Lan Shanyang's expression, Lan Qingtian suddenly kicked the stool leg and growled, "Get out!"
When the little eunuch saw that the Seventh Master was angry, he quickly scrambled out of the room.
Lan Qingtian threw a tantrum, but Lan Shanyang wasn't worried at all.
Unperturbed, Lan Shanyang picked up his teacup and gently stirred it. He remained calm and composed as he said, "Is that all? That's too easy on Lan Linxue! Four counties! He just buried me like that! So much fertile land in Heze, and he didn't even seem to care! If this little beast isn't disciplined soon, he'll really be in trouble!"
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