After the family dinner, Emperor Zhaoming and Liu Yan took a walk in the garden to digest their food, laughing and talking about the topic at the table.
"Brother Yan, do you really have no intention of getting married?"
Liu Yan smiled faintly: "I used to be focused on the battlefield and didn't have this idea. Now... Brother, you know my body. I don't know how many years I can live. Why bother to drag down other girls?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaoming's expression dimmed, and he gently patted Liu Yan's shoulder: "You don't want to drag down others, but the queen mother is thinking that you can marry and have children, so that you can leave a successor."
Liu Yan said: "Your humble brother understands that the queen mother also cares about me."
Liu Yan knew one thing since he could remember. His mother, Concubine Yun, had a difficult labor and hemorrhage when she was about to give birth, and she gave up the big one to save the small one to keep him. His father, Emperor Yuanzheng Liu Xi, was sick with grief over Concubine Yun's death and was bedridden. Since the first day he was born, he was taken to the palace of the current queen mother, who was the queen at the time, to be raised. It is said that it was the empress who knelt in front of Emperor Yuan Zheng holding him in his arms, begging him to cheer up. The empress came from a prominent family, the Zhou family. She was well-read since childhood and was dignified and gentle. However, that time, she showed her strong side.
Empress Zhou knelt in front of the dragon bed, begging Emperor Yuan Zheng to take the medicine. Emperor Yuan Zheng looked pale and had no will to live. Empress Zhou suddenly stood up and looked at the emperor with a determined face.
"Concubine Yun is gone, and your majesty doesn't want to live either! What about this child! He lost his mother when he was born. Does your majesty also want him to be without a father?"
Emperor Yuan Zheng's eyelashes trembled slightly, but he was unwilling to open his eyes.
Queen Zhou smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Your Majesty, you think that I am kind and will definitely raise this child wholeheartedly. No, I won't! I am not his biological mother, and I don't have that much love. I will not love him wholeheartedly, but will only neglect him, abuse him, and abandon him! He has no father and no mother, he is the most pitiful child in the world... Your Majesty, he is your and Concubine Yun's child, can you bear it! Look, he is still so young, he is the child that Concubine Yun gave birth to at the cost of her life, his eyebrows and eyes are so similar to Concubine Yun, look at him, hug him..."
Queen Zhou knelt in front of the bed with tears streaming down her face: "How can you bear to abandon him..."
Emperor Yuanzheng finally opened his eyes and tremblingly took the child from Queen Zhou's hands.
Everyone knows that Empress Zhou is virtuous. The harsh words she said were just to force Emperor Yuan Zheng to cheer up. In the years that followed, she did her best to raise Liu Yan. Some people speculated that she would indulge and spoil Liu Yan, and make him a good-for-nothing, so that he would not pose a threat to Liu Ju's position. However, Empress Zhou treated Liu Yan the same as her own son Liu Ju.
Liu Yan still remembered that he was playful when he was a child, and his brother Liu Ju loved him, so he helped him lie and pretend to be sick and didn't go to class. As a result, Empress Zhou brought the imperial physician to visit him, and he was exposed on the spot. The two brothers were punished to copy books for three days. He brought the homework he copied to Empress Zhou. She took it with a cold face, put it on the table without even looking at it, but asked the palace maid to bring medicinal wine and personally rubbed his sore wrist for him.
Empress Zhou's stern brows softened under the candlelight. She said softly, "Yan'er, your mother is strict with you for your own good. Your mother gave up her life to give birth to you, and your father has high hopes for you. How can you disappoint them..."
Little Liu Yan lowered his head and his eyes were red: "Mother, I know I was wrong." Liu Yan had never seen his biological mother, and there was not even a portrait of her, but he felt that as a legal mother, it was difficult to be better than Empress Zhou. And as a brother, it was difficult to have a person as kind and benevolent as Emperor Zhaoming. When Liu Yan was six years old, he was naughty and fell into the cold water in winter. Liu Ju jumped into the lake without hesitation and rescued him, but he himself caught a cold and injured his lungs. He was seriously ill and almost died. No one blamed Liu Yan. He stood stupidly at the door, watching the imperial physician anxiously turning around, watching his dying brother on the sickbed, and the boundless panic came from all directions like the winter lake water, drowning him. He quietly walked to his side, held his cold hand, and called him "Brother Emperor" softly. The hand moved slightly, and he slightly opened his eyes, looked at Liu Yan beside the bed, opened his mouth with a weak breath, and said silently - Don't be afraid.
After a long time, Liu Ju's health improved slightly, but he still had a root of illness. He coughed, but smiled and comforted Liu Yan: "Those who survived a great disaster will have good fortune in the future, brother Yan, when I get better, there will be many more blessings..."
Liu Yan secretly heard the imperial physician say that Liu Ju's body should be rested in the future, he can't practice martial arts, can't get angry, can't be sad...
He slowly clenched his fists, and there was only one thought left in his mind - his life belongs to his brother, he has to keep the throne and the country for his brother, and leave everything he can't do to him.
So in the past three years, so many clues have been checked, countless clues point to Liu Ju, and he refused to believe it even if he insisted that it was the Liu who betrayed them.
That was his blood-thicker-than-water relative, a brother who shared the same ties with him. How could their relationship over the years be fake?
Liu Yan returned home a little later than expected. When he walked into the study, Mu Zhuohua was still buried in the table, concentrating on identifying the Northern Liang characters, and did not notice Liu Yan's presence at all.
It was hot today, and she was wearing a waxy yellow skirt, which was thin and stuck to her skin. Her hair was combed into a bun with flowers, and a strand of hair fell by her ear, making her look playful and cute. The candlelight reflected her beautiful little face, and the edges of her outline were blurred in the shadows. Her long eyelashes covered her lively eyes, and her eyebrows were slightly frowned. She stretched out a delicate finger and traced the winding gestures of the Northern Liang characters on the pages of the book over and over again. She
looked so well-behaved...
Liu Yan suddenly remembered the feeling of seeing the lights on in the courtyard from afar. The dim light was particularly clear in the night, guiding him in the direction of home. His restless heart inexplicably settled down, and his steps became firm and eager.
The face of the girl under the lamp was clearly imprinted in his pupils and in his heart. The earnest exhortation of Emperor Zhaoming passed through his mind. He should have his own home...
Since he saved his life three years ago, he has never thought about this matter, and he doesn't know what it feels like to have his own home, but at this moment, he suddenly feels that if there is such a well-behaved and lovely girl waiting for him to come back every day, it seems to be a good thing...
With an inexplicable throbbing, he quietly walked to Mu Zhuohua's side. She pressed the pages of the book with her left hand and picked up the pen with her right hand. She wrote the Beiliang characters on the paper. She compared them one by one and circled the wrong words. There
were ten words written on a piece of paper, and half of them were wrong. She had a good memory, but the Beiliang characters were like paintings in her eyes. Who could remember a painting perfectly?
Mu Zhuohua sighed in frustration.
"The writing style of Northern Liang characters is different from that of our Chen country."
Liu Yan's low voice suddenly sounded behind him. Mu Zhuohua was startled, and the tip of his pen trembled, leaving a mark on the paper.
"Your Highness?" Mu Zhuohua raised her face and looked at Liu Yan in surprise, and said with lingering fear, "I was scared to death. When did you come?"
Liu Yan suddenly leaned down, opened his arms and embraced her from behind. His right palm covered her small hand, holding the pen and her soft little hand: "The characters of the Chen Kingdom are well-balanced, while the characters of the Northern Liang are like winding dragons."
Liu Yan's sudden approach made Mu Zhuohua stiffen all over. The man's high body temperature and the mellow fragrance of Jia Luo passed through the thin clothes. The hot breath accompanied by the low voice brushed past her ears, making her feel a little flustered. Liu Yan, however, focused on the words on the paper and taught her to write seriously. He didn't seem to notice the ambiguity of their postures.
"Be serious when listening." Liu Yan grabbed her hand tightly, reminding her to collect her mind.
Mu Zhuohua lowered his head and whispered, "I know..."
But his heart was still beating wildly...
Liu Yan held Mu Zhuohua's hand and wrote a word: "What does this word mean? Do you know?"
Mu Zhuohua replied, "It's the 'I' in Beiliang language."
Liu Yan nodded and wrote a few more simple words, and Mu Zhuohua answered them all correctly.
"Then I will teach you how to pronounce these words. When you pronounce this word, the tip of your tongue should be slightly raised..." Liu Yan said and made a strange sound. Mu Zhuohua stared at Liu Yan's mouth shape with wide eyes and tried to imitate it, but it seemed a little different.
Liu Yan said, "The pronunciation of Beiliang people often involves rolling the tongue, which is very different from our Chen country. When you pronounce it, exhale gently, feel the vibration of the throat cavity and airflow, and feel the trembling of your tongue."
Mu Zhuohua frowned and tried to follow Liu Yan's instructions, but he didn't know how to do it.
"The pronunciation position should be lower, here." Liu Yan took Mu Zhuohua's hand and pressed it on his Adam's apple, then slowly lowered it about an inch, landing on the depression between the collarbones, "Here."
The temperature of Liu Yan's palm was hot. Mu Zhuohua's fingertips stroked the ups and downs of his throat. Feeling the vibration transmitted from the warm skin, he couldn't help holding his breath, and a thin layer of red slowly appeared on his face. The whole person froze.
But Liu Yan didn't seem to notice the ambiguity of their posture at this time. Seeing Mu Zhuohua frozen in place, he leaned over in front of her, and his breath with a faint smell of alcohol brushed her face. He asked softly in a low and hoarse voice: "Didn't you hear it clearly?"
Mu Zhuohua jumped as if she had been electrocuted, and shrank back. The blush on her face was too deep to hide. She stammered: "I heard it, I heard it clearly..."
Liu Yan was satisfied, and he let go of her hand and gently rubbed her head.
"You are smart, nothing can stop you. But... it doesn't matter if you don't speak standard. The Northern Liang envoys come to my Chen State to pay tribute, so they will naturally speak Chen dialect. If you can learn to listen to some Northern Liang dialect, that's fine."
Mu Zhuohua's hair was soft, and Liu Yan rubbed it loose. She looked at Liu Yan's slightly drunken look with a beating heart, and whispered seriously: "I have to work harder to learn well, so as not to embarrass the prince!"
Liu Yan smiled softly: "Okay, the prince will teach you."
Mu Zhuohua stood up from the chair carefully, grabbed the book and said: "Then... I will take my leave first, so as not to disturb the prince's rest."
Liu Yan nodded gently and said: "Don't tire yourself."
Mu Zhuohua then bent his knees, trotted to the door, paused, and looked back at Liu Yan.
Liu Yan seemed a little tired, and had already sat on the chair, closed his eyes and rubbed his eyebrows.
The sweet fragrance of her body seemed to still linger in this place, a bit like the scent of summer fruits, lingering in his nose, giving him a sour and sweet feeling in his heart.
Liu Yan didn't know how long he had been sitting there. His temples were a little sore and swollen. His consciousness was clear, but his body was a little weak. Since the poisoning, he had lost 90% of his martial arts, and his alcohol tolerance was not as good as before. Just two pots of wine made him relax his mind and let his emotions leak out.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
A voice called him softly, pulling his consciousness out of the sinking. Liu Yan slowly opened his eyes, but saw Mu Zhuohua coming back, holding a bowl of light brown tea in his hand, and a pair of wet almond eyes looking at him with a piercing look.
"This is a hangover tea. You won't feel uncomfortable after drinking it." The slender little hand held the tea bowl and handed it to him.
Liu Yan was in a trance for a moment before he took the tea bowl from her. The tea in the bowl exuded a faint medicinal aroma. It tasted slightly bitter at first, but it was infinitely sweet. After drinking a bowl, he felt much more relaxed.
Liu Yan smiled and looked at Mu Zhuohua intently: "You are thoughtful."
Mu Zhuohua took the empty bowl and smiled obediently: "It's my duty, Your Majesty. Do you want Zhimo to come and serve you?"
Liu Yan shook his head gently: "I want to be alone for a while." Mu
Zhuohua immediately understood and said: "Then I will leave now!"
Mu Zhuohua just turned around when Liu Yan raised his hand and grabbed Guangxiu.
"You stay."
Mu Zhuohua turned around in surprise and looked at Liu Yan. A pair of dark and deep eyes stared at her, nailing her in place. Mu Zhuohua's brain suddenly didn't work. Why did he want to be alone, but asked her to stay?
But since it was Liu Yan's order, she couldn't question or object, so she stood there obediently and asked, "Does the prince have any other orders?"
Liu Yan looked at her for a long time, which made Mu Zhuohua feel uncomfortable. He slowly asked, "You have been away from home for a long time. Do you miss home?"
Mu Zhuohua didn't expect Liu Yan to ask her this question, so she blurted out, "No."
Liu Yan raised his eyebrows in doubt and stared at her with an inquiring look.
Mu Zhuohua pursed her lips and said honestly, "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by the prince. Although my surname is Mu, I am not a member of the Mu family. In that family... no one will miss me, and I don't miss them either. Juli is my only family."
Liu Yan thought of the information about Mu Zhuohua that Zhimo had found. A thin piece of paper was her eighteen years. Her biological mother died early, her stepmother was unkind, and her father was a playboy. I guess there was not much affection between her brothers and sisters in the family.
A feeling of pity welled up in his heart, and he sighed softly: "You are good at observing words and expressions. If you want to please them, I believe your father and stepmother will not treat you harshly."
Mu Zhuohua smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness was born in a royal family. Don't you understand that being liked by the superiors is not necessarily a good thing." Seeing that Liu Yan was still puzzled, she explained, "If my father likes me, I will be envied and excluded by my aunts and sisters. If my sisters and aunts like me, they will pester me. In this way, I will not have a moment of peace and cannot read and study well. The likes of irrelevant people are meaningless to me."
Liu Yan showed a look of realization. Her words made his heart heavy. Looking at her thin shoulders and the remaining childish face, he realized that she was not born smart, but was forced by the situation. If she was like Chen'er, born noble and pampered, what kind of style would she be? She didn't need to carefully hide her beauty, try to please others cautiously, or try to calculate people's hearts. She could live freely and openly, and truly live up to her name, shining brightly...
Mu Zhuohua looked at Liu Yan's dark and unpredictable eyes, her heart skipped a beat, and she asked nervously, "My lord... is there anything on your mind?"
Mu Zhuohua just asked casually, and didn't think that Liu Yan, who was scheming, would really tell her his worries, but Liu Yan smiled faintly and hooked his finger at her. Mu Zhuohua hesitated, walked a few steps closer to him, and bent down to him at his signal, and whispered.
The hem of the yellow skirt brushed against his crimson purple robe, and the sweet fragrance blended into the fragrance of the galo. Liu Yan's low and hoarse voice sounded in his ears, with a smile that was three parts teasing and three parts sincere: "Does this king like you in a way that has nothing to do with others?" Mu Zhuohua's heart trembled, and she swallowed her saliva. Looking at the deep eyes close at hand, she laughed dryly: "Then... naturally it is the love that I have been looking for."
Liu Yan's half-smile seemed to see through her whole person, but she couldn't see through Liu Yan's mind at this moment. What did he mean by this? Was he talking nonsense because he was drunk, or was he referring to something?
Mu Zhuohua calculated Liu Yan's thoughts in her mind, and didn't realize that when she leaned forward, the white scenery on her chest was exposed. The ravines hidden in the chest outlined the concave and convex lines, and the rich sweet fragrance aroused the man's reason. Liu Yan's eyes darkened a little. He lowered his long eyelashes to cover the desire hidden in his eyes. He slowly raised the corners of his lips and smiled word by word: "Little, liar."
Mu Zhuohua's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately knelt down and said sincerely: "I am loyal to the prince and dare not lie to him!"
Liu Yan supported his chin with his right hand, leaned lazily on the back of the chair, and smiled at her and swore.
"Just loyalty?" Liu Yan raised his eyebrows, "I remember, you said before, admiration?"
Mu Zhuohua changed his words without changing his expression: "Yes, that is loyalty!"
Liu Yan laughed out loud, and then said: "If the king marries the princess, wouldn't you be sad?"
Mu Zhuohua was stunned for a moment, and her first reaction was - is he cured?
But when the words came to her lips, she said without thinking, "The prince's happiness is the most important, the mood of this humble official is not important."
Liu Yan stared at her deeply. This girl is like a storyteller in a teahouse or a Taoist temple. If you give her a few taels of silver, she can make you happy. Even if you know she is talking nonsense, you will still be fooled into being happy.
Mu Zhuohua glanced at Liu Yan cautiously and asked hesitantly, "The prince is worried... Is he going to marry a princess?"
Liu Yan smiled and made an excuse casually, "The doctor told me to be pure and calm in order to avoid the poison, so I have no intention of marrying a princess."
Mu Zhuohua suddenly realized that it was still inhumane.
Liu Yan didn't know what Mu Zhuohua was thinking, but when he saw her look relieved, he was slightly happy in his heart - she didn't want him to marry a princess either.
Maybe... he was not the only one who was in the play.
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