Chapter 44: Thousand Years
Prince Liu Xiao's injuries gradually improved with the careful treatment of the Imperial Hospital and the emperor's almost paranoid care.
After moving into the East Palace, he felt like he had entered a new, more gorgeous yet colder cage.
The palace of the Eastern Palace is majestic, the utensils are exquisite, and there are many attendants. Everyone who sees him is respectful and calls him "Your Highness".
However, this honor made him feel extremely lonely.
He is no longer the son who can act like a spoiled child in Xiao Zhou's arms, nor is he the prince of Weiyuan Marquis Mansion who can occasionally be lazy and play tricks.
He was no longer even "Cui Xiao", the study partner who could get along relatively comfortably with the second prince Liu Cong.
He was Crown Prince Liu Xiao. The emperor's only biological son. The future monarch of the empire.
This identity was like a set of extremely heavy shackles that bound him at all times.
He began to receive the strictest imperial education.
The former imperial tutors and important officials of the court took turns to teach classics, history, and literature, state governance strategies, and the mindset of emperors.
The classes are packed with classes, leaving almost no time to breathe.
Emperor Liu Jin often tested his son personally, his eyes full of anticipation and a hint of imperceptible anxiety - he eagerly hoped that his son would grow up quickly and be able to take on important responsibilities.
Liu Xiao works very hard. He is naturally intelligent, and his past education as the eldest son of a marquisate has laid a good foundation for him.
But he was only a fifteen-year-old boy after all. He often felt exhausted when suddenly faced with such high-intensity study and tremendous pressure.
What made it even more difficult for him to adapt was the ubiquitous scrutiny and sense of distance.
Except for the occasional visit from his adoptive mother, Xiao Zhou, to the palace, which allowed him to feel a trace of the warmth of the past, everything around him reminded him of the huge change in his identity.
The only thing that made him feel a little relieved was the arrival of the second prince Liu Cong.
Liu Cong strictly abided by the duties of a subject and an elder brother, and his words and deeds were impeccable.
He no longer did anything beyond his authority, and mostly talked about learning, politics, or interesting things in the capital.
But the look he gave Liu Xiao showed a deep concern and understanding that Liu Xiao could not see in other people's eyes. Liu Cong would be keenly aware of his confusion in schoolwork and would subtly give him guidance;
When he looks tired, I'll tell him a joke or share a story to make him smile.
Liu Xiao could feel that his second brother treated him differently, and the restrained warmth made him dependent on him.
He was unaware of the emotions surging deep in Liu Cong's heart and only regarded it as the reliable care of his brother.
In front of Liu Cong, he could occasionally reveal some of the relaxation and true nature of "Cui Xiao".
This friendship became a rare touch of warmth within the cold walls of the East Palace.
However, Liu Cong's heart was far from as calm as it appeared. Every time he saw Liu Xiao lose weight due to heavy schoolwork and tense because of his father's high expectations, his heart felt like being pricked by needles.
He realized more clearly that he and Liu Jue were just "adopted sons", substitutes used by their father to fill the vacancy of no offspring.
Now that the real owner has returned, the fate of these substitutes is on thin ice.
Liu Jue’s fate is a clear example.
He suppressed the surging love deep in his heart and transformed it into an even stronger desire to protect.
He must protect Liu Xiao, not only because of love, but also because it is the wisest choice to preserve himself and his family.
He began to pay more attention to the movements in the East Palace, making secret arrangements and guarding against any signs that might be detrimental to Liu Xiao.
In the imperial court, the shock caused by the enthronement of the crown prince gradually subsided, but beneath the surface, the undercurrent became increasingly turbulent.
Emperor Liu Jin continued his drastic purge of the imperial court. All officials who had close ties with the deposed commoner Liu Xuan were demoted, exiled, or even imprisoned.
The eldest prince's family suffered a devastating blow. The eldest prince's father and brother were dismissed from their official positions, and the family's power was uprooted.
The emperor announced to everyone in the coldest way that any person or force that might threaten the crown prince's position would be ruthlessly eliminated.
This purge certainly consolidated the prince's position, but it also made some neutral or even originally supportive ministers feel disheartened and wary.
For the sake of his own son, the emperor was so ruthless to his adopted son and his related forces who had been raised for many years.
It inevitably gives people a sense of sadness, like "the bow is put away after the bird is dead." But no one dares to speak it out loud.
At the same time, the trivial discussions about the prince's background have not completely stopped.
Although the imperial edict clearly stated this, some people still privately speculated about the truth behind the "exchange"
They suspected that the wife of Marquis Weiyuan had an affair with the emperor, and even maliciously speculated whether the prince's birth was legitimate.
These rumors are like sewage in the gutter. Although they cannot see the light, they spread quietly, waiting for the opportunity to explode.
The emperor also heard about this and stepped up his efforts to investigate the internal affairs department.
He must get to the bottom of this, not only punish the culprit, but also completely erase any stain that might tarnish his son's reputation.
In the outskirts of Beijing, in a heavily guarded imperial estate.
Liu Jue, once the eldest prince of the emperor and now a commoner, roared and smashed things in the simple room like a trapped beast.
He learned the news that Liu Xiao was made the crown prince, and also learned about the complete overthrow of his mother's family.
"Cui Xiao! You little bastard! And Liu Cong! That hypocritical hypocrite! And Father... You have such a cruel heart!!"
Liu Jue's eyes were red and he looked like a madman.
He couldn't accept this fact! He was the "eldest son" raised by his father since childhood! Even though he was an adopted son, he thought he was different in his father's heart!
Why did that bastard who appeared out of nowhere take away everything that belonged to him?!
Intense resentment and unwillingness consumed him.
He hated the emperor's ruthlessness, hated the appearance of Cui Xiao, and also hated Liu Cong - the "good brother" who was also an adopted son but was able to stay in the palace and even gain the trust of the new prince!
The guards guarding him were all the emperor's confidants. They turned a deaf ear to his roars and just closely monitored his every move.
However, there is always a loophole in a perfect plan.
Although the eldest prince's family has fallen, some old forces lurking deep inside and harboring resentment towards the emperor, and gamblers who once invested in Liu Jue and lost all their money, have not completely given up.
Through extremely secret channels, they actually passed some external information and inflammatory words to Liu Xuan.
The words in the letter were extremely provocative, emphasizing that he was the one who was betrayed and sacrificed by the emperor, inciting his hatred towards the emperor and Liu Xiao.
It even hinted that if the crown prince died "accidentally", the emperor would have no choice but to reconsider adopting a son...
This idea was like a poisonous seed, quickly taking root and sprouting in Liu Jue's crazy heart.
He knew his life was over, but he didn't want to let those people have an easy time! Especially Liu Xiao!
What he can't get, no one else can get!
A crazy and vicious revenge plan began to take shape in his twisted mind.
Although he was imprisoned, perhaps... he could still use his remaining, unknown connections to do something...
After the initial shock, the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion gradually returned to calm on the surface, but undercurrents were still surging inside.
Old Madam Zhou died suddenly of an "acute illness". The second master Cui Jun was frightened like a frightened bird. He became completely obedient and lived in fear every day, only trying to protect himself.
Marquis Cui Yan became even more taciturn, devoting all his energy to official duties, as if only in this way could he temporarily forget the complex sense of loss.
The one who changed the most was the eldest daughter Cui Baiyu.
After the initial shock and jealousy, a distorted ambition began to grow in her heart.
She looked at her beautiful face in the mirror, and thought of her "nephew" who was once looked down upon by her but was now superior to her. A bold idea emerged in her mind uncontrollably - since he could become the crown prince from the prince of a marquisate, why couldn't she?
She is also the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, and has had a "family relationship" with the prince for fifteen years, and now they are both in the capital.
If... if she could gain the favor of the prince, even if she could only be a concubine in the Eastern Palace, when the prince ascended the throne in the future, she would become a concubine, or even...!
The thought made her tremble with excitement, and she completely forgot her previous fear and disgust.
She began to dress up carefully, thinking about how to "accidentally" meet the prince when he came to the palace to pay his respects or attend a palace banquet, and how to make him recall the "old love" in the marquis' mansion.
Xiao Zhou noticed her sister-in-law's thoughts and was shocked and angry. She reprimanded her severely and warned her not to have such wishful thinking, so as not to bring disaster to the Marquis' Mansion.
But Cui Baiyu appeared obedient on the surface, but he was even more dissatisfied in his heart.
As time passed, people in the court and the public gradually became accustomed to Liu Xiao's status as the crown prince, but his situation was far from safe.
The emperor's overprotective training and eager expectations brought him tremendous psychological pressure.
Under the court, the latent resentment caused by the emperor's iron-fisted purge did not disappear, but was only accumulating in secret.
The crazy hatred of the abandoned commoner Liu Jue is brewing a terrible conspiracy in the dark corner.
Aunt Cui Baiyu's unrealistic ambitions may also become unpredictable troubles in the future.
The rumors about his life were like poisonous snakes hiding in the shadows, ready to burst out and bite people at any time.
Liu Xiao stood on a high building in the East Palace, looking at the stacked palaces and the prosperous capital city in the distance.
He knew that the road ahead had just begun, and there was already a storm brewing.
He took a deep breath and tried to suppress the fragility and confusion that did not belong to a prince back into his heart.
He must become strong as soon as possible, not only to live up to his father's expectations, but also to... survive.
At the same time, the spies arranged by the second prince Liu Cong seemed to have caught some unusual and secret movements coming from the imperial estate outside the capital... He frowned, immediately strengthened the security of the Eastern Palace, and decided to report the matter to the emperor.
A new storm seems to be approaching at an accelerated pace.
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