Princess of Liang (12)
When they came to the palace to apologize, they would naturally not be invited in a sedan chair carried by eight people.
This place wasn't far from the palace walls, and Meng Shizhuang hadn't been made weak by the lavish lifestyle of Prince Liang's mansion, so a few steps wouldn't be a big deal. Poor Fang Changjun, though. He didn't know where he'd been when Meng Shizhuang's punch had knocked him off his horse. Now he felt like his internal organs had shifted, his legs were shaking uncontrollably, the wound on his face was numb with pain, and he could barely hold back his saliva. He looked utterly miserable.
He got angry and started muttering something that no one could understand. He pointed at Meng Shizhuang and then at the young man in white who was leading the way.
But no one paid any attention to him.
Fang Changjun was so angry that he didn't even bother to walk. He tripped over his left foot and fell flat on his face.
The young man in white in front turned around, and Meng Shizhuang saw a rather complicated emotion on his face - it seemed like helplessness, and also like worry, but he did not show any more concern. Instead, he ruthlessly ordered two officers to lift Fang Changjun up roughly.
Using all four legs to help him walk, Fang Changjun gave up all his strength and dragged his two long legs on the ground as he was dragged into the imperial study.
It was September, and the palace corridors were thick with the fragrance of osmanthus. Meng Shizhuang passed the Taiji Hall for the first time and saw that the palace, which she had imagined to be magnificent, was devoid of carved beams and painted rafters, cranes and sacred deer. Instead, it was a heap of abandoned ruins, a myriad of things that filled the entire palace. The imperial study and His Majesty's sleeping quarters were tucked away uncomfortably behind the Taiji Hall, not even half the size of Prince Liang's mansion.
No wonder the former officials of Prince Liang's Mansion, who had just returned to the capital, were so concerned about Your Majesty's generous rewards.
It’s really strange. Why would the emperor choose to live in the ruins instead of the fairy palace?
Meng Shizhuang suppressed her doubts and followed him into the imperial study.
The stronger medicinal smell in the imperial study overwhelmed the sweet osmanthus fragrance outside the window, so strong that it almost turned into a bitter substance. Meng Shizhuang's tongue was already bitter from the sniff. He stood in the imperial study, Fang Changjun beside him, who had been casually thrown to the ground and was struggling to stand up.
Emperor Xue sat at the head of the table, wearing neither court robes nor a crown. Meng Shizhuang was finally able to see his features clearly. He looked haggard, his eyelids unconsciously drooping, and his lips were completely devoid of color, save for a thin smear of red on the inside, as if holding uncoughed blood. He truly looked like a sickly, gentle, and wealthy young man.
Bian Zixue put the red brush aside. Whether he was angry or wanted to hit someone, all his thoughts were blocked in his throat after he looked up at Meng Shizhuang and Fang Changjun - Fang Changjun was twisted on the ground and had difficulty standing up; Meng Shizhuang was standing properly, but his bun was crooked and there was some messy and shapeless things on his head.
He covered his chest and coughed, "Jiang Zhongyi, take the princess and the prince downstairs to freshen up."
Jiang Zhongyi, who was standing guard at one side, responded and then winked at the young man in white who was walking towards His Majesty.
Meng Shizhuang caught this moment, but was immediately led to a side hall by a young eunuch assigned by Jiang Zhongyi. As he left the imperial study, he heard Youdao's voice, unhurried and unhurried, say, "Your Majesty, did you send me away just to avoid taking the medicine? Even a three-year-old knows to take care of your health, yet Your Majesty abuses yourself like this..."
The owner of this voice spoke calmly, but there were questions between the lines.
Meng Shizhuang didn't turn around. She walked to the side hall and pretended to be curious: "Who is that man in white?"
Emperor Xue's harem was clearly understaffed. Not a single maidservant was visible, and the young eunuchs were incredibly skilled. The young eunuch who had led him in, with his fingers darting, removed his elaborate headdresses one by one. He then combed his hair from head to toe, smoothing out the peony petals that dangled across the floor. He respectfully replied, "My Lady, that is Master Puyang, the sermonist in the presence of His Majesty."
oh.
Meng Shizhuang immediately matched the person and the matter.
Song Jingyan was too busy, so most of the people and things in the capital were just gossip told to Mr. Liu during his morning class.
Mr. Liu was a top scholar in the imperial examination during the previous emperor's reign. Logically, with his background, he would never have ended up working as a scholar in the Prince of Liang's palace. Unfortunately, the previous emperor favored women during his lifetime, so much so that he drastically and recklessly established the system of female officials. He then forced the women to take the imperial examinations despite numerous obstacles, not to mention the chaotic process. He even reserved the top two spots for women.
But Mr. Liu claimed that he was not a person who believed that "only women and villains are difficult to raise", so he worked diligently in the Hanlin Academy for decades until Emperor Xue came to the throne.
Like the previous emperor, His Majesty Emperor Xue abolished the female official system with drastic measures and without hesitation.
It is true that the late emperor was in a difficult situation when he first established the system of female officials, but he never listened to advice and insisted on doing so even if it meant reducing himself to a mere commander without any support. Finally, the system of female officials was put on the right track, but the current emperor abolished it without a single word.
Aren’t these father and son just joking?
This still gave Mr. Liu a glimmer of hope for the court.
——Until the Jingxi King rebelled, His Majesty exchanged Zuo Dan's Eighteen Continents for a Puyang Ci. The Puyang clan was once a prominent family in the capital, but when the Jingxi King rebelled, nearly all of their forces were annihilated by the rebels, leaving only a young prince who had recently entered the court.
When Mr. Liu and Meng Shizhuang recalled this past event, their expressions were simply filled with the four words "heartbroken and sorrowful".
The two generations of emperors of the Bian family were both romantic men. No matter whether they loved men or women, in short, they were very passionate, as if they were "using the whole world as a betrothal gift."
When Meng Shizhuang first heard this old story, she felt both amused and confused.
Liu Lang attended the lecture with him in the study, and told him privately that any love affairs that could change major events were just excuses for the truth that was inconvenient to tell.
Meng Shizhuang was surprised that a child of only a few years old could say such profound words. Liu Lang immediately wiped his nose and said, "My mother said so."
"Father built an ice house and told everyone it was because Mother liked it, so he spent a fortune to win her smile, but every concubine in the backyard has lived in it."
This is a young master who grew up in a wealthy family.
Meng Shizhuang sighed and tried to comfort him, but he continued, "My mother was the same. She said she divorced my father because she wanted to pursue love. But in reality, my father didn't understand that a tall tree attracts the wind. She felt that my father was like a child with gold. Sooner or later, he would be targeted. So, to save her life, she had to find an excuse to escape."
So I left him to be raised by my grandma.
Before Liu Lang started his exile, he must have needed to use his brain all the time. Whenever Mr. Liu told him the beginning or end of a conspiracy, the child would react immediately. In short, he was not like a child at all.
Meng Shizhuang originally believed Mr. Liu's excuse of love - the biggest thing he had ever experienced was Luo Shun's conspiracy against him. Luo Shun's selfishness probably came from what he regarded as all the joys, sorrows, anger and happiness. Otherwise, he would have been the leader and did not expand to other mountains. He was just playing cat and mouse in his own little piece of land, all because he had not yet vented the anger in his heart.
The capital city is like countless Su Jian Mountains, and the world is like countless capital cities.
It seems that using his old approach to judge current events is indeed too superficial.
This was the first time Meng Shizhuang felt ashamed.
He had complicated thoughts in his mind, and when he looked up, the young eunuch had already changed his appearance.
Meng Shizhuang thanked her and wanted to pick up her skirt when she stood up, but after hesitating for a long time, she felt that she was imitating someone else and the effect would probably be artificial, so she gave up and walked forward with big strides.
When I returned to the imperial study, the windows on all sides were opened wider. I guess His Majesty must have taken the medicine.
Fang Changjun hasn't come back yet, and he's probably still fighting his drool.
It was also from Bian Zixue's words "Prince" just now that Meng Shizhuang came to his senses and realized that he had beaten some very important person.
He knew that this would cause trouble for Prince Liang's Mansion, but it was not that he could not apologize, but he really did not know how to speak. He would make more mistakes if he said too much, so he lowered his head and waited for the emperor's decision.
The emperor, however, did not play by the rules. Just like he did that day in the Taiji Hall, he beckoned him forward: "Yuan Xi, come."
When Meng Shizhuang heard this unfamiliar nickname, she took a moment to react and then walked forward straight.
Bian Zixue's eyes fell on his hand: "What's wrong with your hand?"
Meng Shizhuang spoke frankly: "It's useless."
Bian Zixue was choked by his concise words. "How did you get injured? Didn't the doctor in the palace treat you in time?"
Meng Shizhuang had already memorized the story Song Jingyan had created for him: "Last year, the barbarians attacked with a small force. Seeing their defeat, I ignored General Feiyun's advice and went after them alone. Unexpectedly, they had set an ambush. I got separated from the others and was injured in my hand. The barbarians' weapons were all laced with wolfsbane, and the back and forth delayed us."
Bian Zixue nodded and asked Jiang Zhongyi to call a royal physician.
He only nodded halfway, and couldn't help but think of the memorial announcing the death of the emperor's uncle.
Bian Zixue always had complicated feelings towards the old King of Liang.
On the one hand, although the late emperor treated him very well, he was not a qualified emperor - Bian Zixue had heard countless times about his father's sad past after he was drunk. He was just the most useless child of Emperor Wu. His biggest wish was to be crowned a king and establish his own government after he grew up, so that he could take away his mother and concubines who were suffering in the palace, but he was inexplicably pushed to the top.
He didn't know how to be an emperor, and he did whatever he wanted according to his own will, destroying the foundation laid by his ancestors. When he finally came to his senses and wanted to be a good emperor, the mess was already too big for him to clean up, so he had to pin his hopes on his prince.
Since he was born, Bian Zixue has been endowed with the late emperor's high hopes and love. At the same time, the late emperor was gentle and affectionate and was reluctant to let him suffer. Therefore, he has been torn between these two tensions since he was young, but no matter what, it has not benefited him at all.
Only the old King Liang.
He was taught literature, history, and policy by the old King of Liang, and he was also taught riding and archery by the old King of Liang. Even the practice of "young trees are not straight without pruning" that went beyond the duties of the monarch and his subjects was done by the old King of Liang. When he was young, he always regarded his uncle as another father.
Yet, his uncle, the one he could rely on most, had abandoned him in his most difficult times, remaining unmoved no matter how much he pleaded. He could barely recall those ten or so difficult years, when the central government was paralyzed, and he was surrounded by only Jiang Zhongyi and Ah Ci, a few powerless old ministers, and Xi Zhongting, who had to be dispatched to guard the western border.
When they were most isolated and helpless, the court officials took their families to the Forty-Nine Immortal Palaces. All the elite troops in the capital were no more than a hundred people, who dared not open their eyes to guard the city day and night, fearing that they could not even defend the capital.
And the petitions requesting supplies kept coming in like a death urgency.
Bian Zixue himself couldn't explain what his feelings were towards the old King Liang. But -
He sighed softly, his hand weakly brushing over Meng Shizhuang's head. "Don't worry, I will summon the best doctor in the world to treat you."
As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly and studied Meng Shizhuang's face for a moment. "You don't look much like the Emperor's uncle. I've also forgotten what your mother looked like. But it doesn't matter. You haven't brought disgrace upon your father's reputation, and I won't let you waste your time in the capital."
Emperor Xue's words were low, yet still gentle.
Meng Shizhuang broke out in a cold sweat for no reason, and even the hand he extended to comfort her felt extremely cold.
At this moment, he didn't know whether it was Song Jingyan or Liu Lang who possessed him, and he felt alert and a little scared.
Song Jingyan had said that the old Prince of Liang had died from wolfsbane. She had fabricated this story about a hand injury from wolfsbane, and there was a lot of probing in it.
Meng Shizhuang caught the emperor's fleeting emotion of remembrance before him. However fleeting, however long or short, this bond never faltered. Upon hearing that his uncle's only child had also been crippled by wolfsbane, he felt no guilt, no anger, only the comfort an emperor owed his subjects. The remembrance in his eyes seemed a mere routine, and once it concluded, he had no energy left for other emotions.
Looking at it, it really is a delicate and noble puppet.
Moreover, his words and deeds showed that he had no doubts about Meng Shizhuang's tough face that did not look like a woman at all, nor did he think it was absurd to hope that he would inherit the legacy of the old King Liang.
Meng Shizhuang forced herself to maintain her expression, not daring to think for a moment that the emperor in front of her had been the one who abolished the system of female officials.
If he hadn't issued this decree out of prejudice against women or because he felt female officials were useless, why would he have said this so naturally? Or did he simply know that Princess Liang was a man?
Thinking without a solution will only make people more and more afraid.
Meng Shizhuang silently recited the sword techniques in his heart, putting aside all distracting thoughts.
At this time, the imperial physician was invited in by Jiang Zhongyi.
The imperial physician had an old face and white hair. After taking Meng Shizhuang's pulse, he asked in detail about the condition of her injuries, and then asked Meng Shizhuang to move her hands for him to see.
Perhaps still concerned about the distinction between men and women, she didn't roll up Meng Shizhuang's sleeves. At that moment, Meng Shizhuang had an idea, and using the cover of her clothes, she exerted force on her forearms and shoulders, allowing her fingers to move in a few wide movements.
The old doctor was indeed fooled by his trick. He pulled his beard and pondered for a moment: "It's not completely hopeless."
As soon as these words fell, Emperor Xue continued in a businesslike manner, "In that case, we must use every possible means, no matter what herbs, to cure the princess's hand."
The old doctor hurriedly replied with a fearful look. He had just come from the side hall, and right before him, Fang Changjun arrived with his face wrapped in gauze.
When he saw Fang Changjun, His Majesty remembered the purpose of summoning them into the palace. He called the Jingzhao Yin who knew the whole story, and then gave him a few mild scoldings. He asked the old doctor to follow Meng Shizhuang back to Prince Liang's Mansion, leaving Fang Changjun alone to scold him.
Meng Shizhuang followed Jiang Zhongyi and walked out of the palace step by step. The road was full of magnificent ruins, and she had no intention of exploring.
Outside the palace, Song Jingyan, who was as still as a mountain, was waiting anxiously with the people from Prince Liang's Mansion. When they saw Meng Shizhuang coming out in one piece, accompanied by an imperial physician, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Back at Prince Liang's mansion, Meng Shizhuang locked eyes with Song Jingyan. Before she could speak, he said, "I'd appreciate it if you could stay at the mansion. I'm too tired today, so I'll see you tomorrow. One of my personal attendants has just been injured, so please take a look." Then, without revealing a single flaw in front of the physician, he looked at Song Jingyan and said, "Jingyan, please follow me. Your Majesty is so gracious. Please write a letter of thanks and submit it to the palace for me."
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