Chapter 2: The Northern Old Man Knows His Ambush 5. Blessings and Disasters
Although I suffered a serious physical injury when I was young, I was well-fed after entering the palace. Except for the occasional attack of angina pectoris and rheumatic pain in the knees on cloudy and rainy days, my body has always been healthy and I have never suffered even a slight cold.
I never thought about how it would feel to lie down in bed one day, feeling top-heavy, weak in limbs, and unable to get up for seven or eight days in a row. The imperial physician diagnosed that it was due to excessive worry and lack of care when I was young, which caused me to have a chronic illness. The best plan for me now is to rest.
He drank bowl after bowl of the bitter medicine until he was sick of it.
"Aren't you going to meet the envoy ?" The dark medicine was poured into a wooden bowl, held motionlessly in the white hand. The medicine was so dark that it reflected his eyebrows, and his smile, as always, had a hint of worry.
"Wait until you finish your medicine."
Stubborn person! Although he is so stubborn, he always keeps such a warm smile that makes people unable to refuse.
Everyone says he is gentle and kind, but how many people can understand the perseverance and persistence behind his character?
I reached out to take the bowl, but he shook his head and moved his hand away. I had no choice but to force myself to hold my neck up and force down most of the bitter medicine from the wooden bowl in one breath.
"Huh - it's too hard to drink. How can I eat food if I drink water three times a day? Ask the imperial physician to think of a solution. Can I take pills instead of the medicine juice next time?"
He smiled and passed the bowl to my lips again, ignoring my chatter. I frowned, held my breath and drank the remaining residue, only to feel bitterness in my mouth.
"White honey has been added to the medicine."
"I can't taste it." I smacked my lips, still feeling a bitter taste in my mouth.
Putting down the bowl, Liu Xiu gently held my hands and kissed them gently on his lips. I looked at him calmly and forced a smile: "Don't worry, I'm fine, it's not a serious illness."
He smiled solemnly: "Take good care of her, I will take care of everything."
I nodded, not letting the pain in my heart show on my face. I just grinned and pretended to be very happy. "Go and do your thing. No matter what decision you make, the children and I support you!"
He helped me lie down.
I closed my eyes, resting my head on the jade pillow. I heard a rustling sound beside my ears, and then the footsteps gradually faded away. I wanted to lie down and take a nap, but I was so drowsy that I actually fell asleep. When I opened my eyes again, the palace lanterns were lit in the bedroom, and rows of candles as thick as children's arms illuminated the whole room.
There was a shadow swaying slightly in front of me. I blinked weakly and licked my cracked lips. I felt like smoke was coming out of my throat. “You’re here?”
The figure opposite shook when he heard the sound, and knelt at the head of the bed. A group of palace maids and attendants came forward, handed over the case and brought water.
"Mom, are you feeling better today?" Liu Yang knelt at the head of the bed, brought over the bowl of water, and used a wooden spoon to scoop water to my mouth.
The warm water touched my lips and I swallowed thirstily. My body felt hot and cold and my muscles ached all over.
"Nothing serious." After quenching my thirst, I breathed a sigh of relief. Although my whole body was hot and I was exhausted, I still held on and let Chen Min help me up. Liu Yang wanted to come forward to help, but I waved my hand to stop him, "Everyone, go down. I have something to say to the Duke of Donghai."
Chen Min wanted to leave, but I grabbed her wrist and said, "You stay too. I need you to do something."
Liu Yang glanced at Chen Min with suspicion, and I gasped: "I can trust this woman..." My muscles ached so much that after I said this, my vision went dark.
I leaned on Chen Min and rested for a while: "Yang'er, do you know why mother didn't let you go to court?"
"Didn't the emperor ask me to serve mother wholeheartedly during this period and not to go behind the tent to listen to the court meetings?"
"A filial son by the bedside... hehe." As expected, there is no more appropriate reason than this high-sounding reason. This illness is really worth it. I laughed very emptyly, and my heart was sour and painful. After all, this child is only twelve years old. Although his IQ is very high, his EQ is still at the standard of an immature child. "In order to let you sit on the throne of Quefei Palace, do you know how many years and how much effort your mother has spent to raise funds?"
After a long silence, the person at the bedside said "hmm".
"It's not that you don't strive for excellence or work hard. You've done very well. It's just... this time, it was my mistake. I underestimated her and them..."
"Crackle", the candle flame on the bedside exploded, and the sound startled Liu Yang and trembled suddenly: "Mom..."
My heart rate was too fast, and my body was hot and cold. I closed my eyes without moving. My heart ached so much that I couldn't say a word. Chen Min was trembling slightly behind me. After waiting for a while, something slowly came to my nose, as cold as water.
"You won't die." I suddenly opened my eyes. Liu Yang, who was crawling towards me on his knees, jumped back in fear. Chen Min quickly let go of me. Although I couldn't see her expression, I could clearly see the panic on Liu Yang's pale face. I couldn't help but feel soft in my heart and tears welled up in my eyes.
"Don't be afraid, I won't die that easily." I comforted him in a hoarse voice, reaching out to touch the top of his head, but found that my hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Liu Yang grabbed my hand and cried, "Mom! You can't be in trouble. I would rather not be the crown prince than have anything happen to you..."
"What nonsense!" I shouted angrily, trembling, "Is your mother the only relative you have? What did you say at the beginning? Your brothers and sisters... cough..."
"Mom! Don't be angry!" He hurriedly picked up the wooden bowl from the table and fed me water.
I took a deep breath, and it felt like there was a fire burning in my chest, making my cheeks red, but my mind became extremely clear at this moment.
"Your uncle used to tell mother the story of a blessing in disguise. Mother was young and ignorant at that time, so she always forgot it after hearing it. Now I think about it, I only regret that I didn't listen to his teachings enough."
"A blessing in disguise... Huainan King Liu An's "Huainan Honglie"?"
This child has read a lot of books, is well-educated and has a strong memory, but so far, it seems that this is the limit. Although I pity him for his young age and don't want to ruin the beauty of his childhood, the prince is a prince, and this is a fact that cannot be avoided.
"Can you understand the meaning of it?"
Liu Yang was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment and replied, "Laozi said: Misfortune is the root of blessing, and blessing is the root of misfortune."
"Good boy, you are much smarter than me." I sighed. "In the past two years, whether it was the dismissal of military power or the enthronement of the prince, I have been supporting your father behind the scenes. On the one hand, it was to stabilize your father's power, and on the other hand, it was to allow you to ascend to the Quefei Palace step by step and be on par with your elder brother. I always thought that I had a sure win until this point, but I didn't expect that fortune and misfortune could change in a moment. While I was scheming against others, I was actually being schemed against by others."
Liu Yang's hand in mine was shaking slightly. I knew he was afraid, but I couldn't stop talking, even though the reality was so scary and cruel, just like six years ago.
"Yang'er, the emperor's decree to measure the land was originally well-intentioned. It was the right thing to do for the sake of the country. But as you said, Henan is the imperial city, with many close ministers; Nanyang is the imperial hometown, with many close relatives; the land and houses are beyond the regulations and cannot be approved. Since you can understand this truth, you should also understand that the emperor was able to establish the country and become emperor, and to conquer this land. Who did he rely on? And who did we rely on to get to this point?"
Liu Yang was stunned.
I endured the severe pain in my chest and sighed, "Nanyang is the imperial hometown, and it is also my mother's hometown. Not to mention that the nobles and powerful people are dissatisfied with the land allocation and the transfer of the people, even your uncles will be dissatisfied. The foundation of the country lies in the people, this is true, but... the pillars of the country still lie in the nobles and powerful families!"
I am so stupid. Fifteen years ago, when I fled from Chang'an to Xinfeng with Liu Xuan, I could still calmly and rationally analyze the reasons for the failure of Wang Mang's reform. Why is it that after so many years and when I am older, I have become confused?
Yin Xing is right. As an emperor, Liu Xiu considers the overall situation, but I can't do the same as him. I am not an emperor, I am just a woman in the harem. If I follow Liu Xiu's footsteps, I will lose a large number of supporters.
It's like a sharp double-edged sword. If used improperly, it will hurt yourself.
"Yang'er, you are indeed a child of extraordinary intelligence, but you still don't understand human nature. If you don't understand human nature and the art of ruling, even if your mother puts you on that high seat, you won't be able to sit firmly." Seeing that he was still confused, I couldn't help but sigh, "Your only shortcoming is that you are too conceited and too confident. Do you think your father really can't understand what is written on the wooden tablet and needs your guidance? How can you be so rash as to conclude that the crown prince must not understand that sentence?"
His whole body trembled, and the hand holding the bowl shook suddenly, and all the water in the bowl splashed out, soaking the bed.
I lowered my eyelids and weakly wiped the puddle with my sleeve: "It doesn't matter, if you lose, just admit it. What's scary is that you lose and don't know why you lost."
"Mother...it's my fault that I'm incompetent..." He sobbed softly, his sobs filled with humiliation, unwillingness and sadness.
"Don't cry! Didn't mother tell you when she was teaching you how to fight and kick, that you should get up from where you fell? From this moment on, you will stay by mother's side, and we will stay away from the court, stay away from farming... and stay away from all these right and wrongs..."
"But……"
"Believe in your father, and believe that he is capable of handling all the changes. What we need to do now is to protect ourselves first and not become a burden to him."
The boy's childish face was pale, with traces of tears still on it, but his mouth was tightly pursed stubbornly. After a moment, he nodded heavily.
I breathed a long sigh of relief. If he could learn something from this and take it as a warning, it would be a good thing.
Misfortune is the foundation of good fortune, and good fortune is the root of misfortune!
This time, Guo Shengtong taught me something else.
"Chen Min."
"promise."
"Pick two people with good skills and reactions and place them in the palace of Duke Donghai. From now on, no matter where Duke Donghai goes or what he does, they must follow him closely."
Liu Yang was startled and glanced quickly behind me.
Chen Min responded softly.
My chest was aching like fire, and I couldn't calm down. Chen Min helped me lie down, but I suddenly grabbed her wrist and said with a gasp: "You...you go too, you follow him from now on, I want you to promise..."
I couldn't say anything more. I opened my eyes wide and stared at Chen Min. Chen Min paused for a moment, then immediately bowed his head and said, "I swear to protect the Duke of Donghai until my death!"
I laughed weakly, my tense nerves finally relaxed, and I slowly closed my eyes.
I have to get well soon! For Liu Xiu and my children, I have to take good care of myself. I can't let anyone take advantage of me at this time.
I want to protect them! Guard them...
