In the imperial palace of the capital of Northern Liang.
The biting cold wind was beating against the window frames. Outside the great hall, snow was falling heavily. Inside, warm braziers and floor heating were lit. The thick warmth kept the cold air at bay, but the child’s face was still frightfully pale.
Liang Ye looked down condescendingly at the child curled up at the bottom of the steps and asked coldly, “Do you know who Zhen is?”
Although Liang Huan had been dressed in expensive robes, his demeanor was still shrinking, as if he wanted to curl up into a ball. His eyes were red and swollen from crying. He looked at Liang Ye blankly and hesitantly, then looked around the great hall in confusion, unable to find a place to hide. So he could only drop tears, blinking repeatedly.
Not far from him, a young man in white robes sat indifferently in a wheelchair, his gaze not sparing the child even a bit.
Liang Ye waited for a moment, his patience exhausted. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Cui Qi, saying mockingly, “How did you raise your son to be like a little rabbit?”
White and pretty, terribly timid, curled up in a ball – the kind of little rabbit that would be most tender if skinned, deboned and roasted.
Cui Qi replied coldly, “In response to Your Majesty, this humble servant is also seeing him for the first time.”
Liang Ye made no comment. Cui Qi wasn’t lying about this. According to Wang Dian’s plan, these two had gone in opposite directions, east and west, making him expend a lot of effort to capture them back.
He would have liked to chop them both with one stroke to vent his anger, but alas, people were more useful alive than dead – although he was very reluctant to admit that Wang Dian had made a detailed analysis in his letter about the importance of these two, successfully persuading him.
Liang Ye picked up the child curled up on the ground with one hand, as easily as picking up a memorial. He held the child up to face him, then revealed a terrifying smile and said sinisterly, “Zhen likes eating children the most, sliced into thin pieces and cooked, it’s very delicious.”
Liang Huan understood, and his pretty little face was instantly filled with terror, his eyes immediately brimming with tears.
Liang Ye watched with interest as the child tried to hold back his tears, about to cry but not quite. He poked the child’s soft cheek and bared his teeth fiercely.
Liang Huan was so frightened that he burst out crying with a loud “Wah!”
Liang Ye, holding the child, was stunned for a moment, his ears hurting from the loud cry. He distastefully held the child a bit farther away and threatened, “If you cry again, Zhen will kill you.”
The terrified child couldn’t hear a word, only wailing desperately. Liang Ye, with a twisted expression, threw the child in his hands into Cui Qi’s lap and said impatiently, “Make him shut up quickly.”
“…” Cui Qi froze in his wheelchair, his hand tightly gripping the armrest, looking expressionlessly at the child crying with a face full of snot and tears on his lap. He said coldly, “Stop crying.”
Even though this person looked very handsome, his voice was as cold as ice, not pleasing at all. Liang Huan cried as he struggled off his lap, sniffling as he looked around at the huge building and the adults who each looked more fierce than the last. He clenched his little fists and ran towards the hall doors.
Cui Qi frowned slightly. Liang Ye watched with leisure as the child ran with great effort to the hall doors, but couldn’t push them open, becoming so anxious that tears kept falling.
Liang Huan’s little hands were hitting the heavy door frame hard, crying and stammering, “Open… open the door…”
Liang Ye commented with disdain, “Your son is only good for his face, there’s absolutely nothing else worthwhile about him.”
Cui Qi lowered his eyes and said, “This child was raised outside the palace by Cui Yuxian since he was young. This spring, he started drinking white jade soup.”
Liang Ye was silent for a moment, then sneered, “What, you think saying this will make Zhen spare him?”
“It’s his luck to be valued by Your Majesty,” Cui Qi said flatly. “I only ask that if Your Majesty has better candidates in the future, you might spare his life considering his lonely and pitiful state.”
Liang Ye sat lazily on the steps, lifting his eyelids to look at him, “Zhen is his imperial uncle, how could he be lonely and pitiful?”
Cui Qi raised his head in some surprise.
Liang Ye said carelessly, “Wang Dian has hired two tutors for him, but for the crown prince, only two tutors is too shabby. You are known for your talent, if you come by occasionally to give some guidance, it would benefit him greatly.”
Cui Qi was silent for a long time, then raised his hand and said, “Your Majesty, this is not appropriate.”
He was the sixteenth prince living in anonymity. Previously, Cui Yuxian had even attempted rebellion in his name. Although he was lucky to keep his life, he had also helped Wang Dian try to escape, so he could only be guarded against by the emperor. If the crown prince knew he was his birth father and he frequently entered the Eastern Palace, it wouldn’t be good for anyone.
The suspicion of an emperor was not something he and Liang Huan could bear.
It was already a great stroke of luck that Liang Ye was willing to spare the lives of father and son.
Liang Ye picked up a pastry from the table, stood up and glanced at him, saying, “Wang Dian says children grow up better with their parents around. Zhen doesn’t have that much thought to spare on raising children.”
After speaking, he waved the pastry in his hand at Liang Huan, who was still crying and scratching at the door. “Liang Huan, come here.”
Liang Huan turned his head at the sound and looked at him, then squatted down at the doorway, sobbing and continuing to cry with a hoarse voice.
“Tsk.” Liang Ye threw the pastry back onto the plate, losing interest.
Cui Qi was silent for a long time, thinking of something unknown, but finally spoke, “Liang Huan, stop crying.”
Liang Huan continued to cry, his whole body curled up into a small white fluffy ball, still shaking with sobs, refusing to listen to anyone.
The two adults were at a loss with such a small thing. Seeing that Liang Huan was about to cry himself to death, Liang Ye called for Yu Ying from outside.
“Your Majesty.” Yu Ying bowed respectfully.
“Don’t let him cry anymore.” Liang Ye jerked his chin.
“Yes.” Yu Ying bent down, intending to reach out and touch him, but Liang Huan, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, quickly dodged her hand, rolling and crawling away to hide behind a pillar, warily watching everyone in the great hall.
He truly feared every living person equally.
Liang Ye remembered Wang Dian’s instructions in his letter, and his eyelids twitched violently – making such a timid little thing the crown prince, Great Liang would probably be doomed.
While Liang Huan was struggling to deal with his fierce uncle and ice-cold father in the unfamiliar palace, Wang Dian was living a leisurely and comfortable life in Southern Zhao.
As he pulled his sleeves together, Wang Dian chatted amiably with the boss lady who sold roast goose and duck in the county. The woman wielded a shiny knife with great skill, saying, “From this young master’s accent, you don’t sound like a local. Are you from the north?”
“You have a good eye, madam,” Wang Dian smiled, inhaling the fragrant aroma of roast duck. “You must have been in business here for quite some time, right?”
“Oh, it’s been nearly twenty years,” the boss lady said proudly. “I may not know everything, but for matters big and small in our Qingcang County, you can’t go wrong asking me.”
Wang Dian chatted with her for quite a while, discussing topics ranging from the county’s taxes and corvée labor over the past two years, to the civil service examination reforms, and even to Old Lady Li’s cat in the eastern alley that had given birth to several kittens of various colors, which the neighbors unanimously believed had multiple fathers.
When Wang Dian returned home with the roast duck, it was just noon. The weather in Qingcang was much warmer than in the capital, so Wang Dian didn’t even need to wear an extra cloak. As he leisurely walked back home, he overheard some of the new servants chatting.
“I heard there’s a formidable young general from Eastern Chen. In just a month, he not only conquered Yunshui but also pushed right up to the Loufan royal court!”
“Damn, he’s really something. Just over sixteen, not yet seventeen – must be the reincarnation of a war god.”
“This war is interesting. Eastern Chen and Loufan have been fighting for years, but this is the first time they’ve pushed into the Tartars’ den. It’s satisfying.”
“It has nothing to do with our Zhao country though,” someone sighed. “Although our new emperor is benevolent, the taxes get heavier every year. If this continues, it’ll be really difficult.”
“In my opinion— Oh, greetings, young master.” Someone sharp-eyed spotted Wang Dian and hurriedly bowed. The others quickly shut their mouths and hastily bowed to Wang Dian as well.
“No need for formalities,” Wang Dian waved his hand genially, handing them the paper bag containing the roast duck. He smiled, “It’s still hot. Take it and share it among yourselves.”
“Oh my, thank you, young master.” The servants were all very pleased, as they were ordinary household staff who rarely got to eat meat.
Wang Dian gestured for them to go about their business and slowly strolled through the garden, pondering matters in his mind. Before he knew it, he had walked to the back door of the residence.
“Young master, there’s someone outside,” Chang Ying suddenly appeared, leaning in to whisper, “Seems to be drunk.”
“In this cold weather, they might fall ill,” Wang Dian said. “Let’s go out and take a look.”
Chang Ying didn’t quite agree in his heart, but after spending these days with Wang Dian, he had come to understand his master’s temperament. He was truly a kind person, but this kindness was different from what Chang Ying had seen before. It was more like he had his own set of behavioral rules. Many acts of kindness were just ordinary deeds in his eyes, while some things Chang Ying thought were harmless, Wang Dian would find somewhat unsympathetic or even harsh.
It was a bit strange, but very likable.
After all, Wang Dian respected them greatly. Such a master was hard to find even with a lantern. Sometimes Chang Ying even felt that if Wang Dian were to lose his wealth someday, he would still be willing to follow him.
The back door of the courtyard opened, revealing a scholar slumped on the steps, drunkenly hugging a wine jar and muttering obscenities indistinctly.
“Wake up,” Chang Ying didn’t dare let Wang Dian get close to the man, so he went over himself and patted the man’s face.
“Liang the thief has ruined me!” the man cursed with a thick tongue. “They’re all… profit-seeking… self-serving scoundrels! Ha… talk about unyielding integrity, but when the dog emperor offers official positions, they all rush to accept! Scoundrels!”
Wang Dian stood by with his hands in his sleeves, watching. Suddenly, he felt the man looked familiar. He grasped a fleeting fragment from his complex memories: he and Qi Ming entering a door, nearly bumped into by someone wearing the uniform of the Imperial Academy. Liu Ce had called him— “Chu Yiyuan?”
Wang Dian called out, not entirely certain.
Unexpectedly, the man suddenly sat up straight and looked at him, wary and guarded, “Why are you calling your grandpa?!”
“…” Wang Dian asked impassively, “Why are you in Southern Zhao?”
“Naturally… to seek a wise ruler!” Chu Geng angrily slapped the cold stone steps, raging, “Liang Ye, that muddle-headed ruler, doesn’t recognize talent! Setting such ridiculous exam questions… If it weren’t for such pedantic and rigid thinking, the position of top scholar would surely have been mine! … Selecting officials without asking about strategies for governing the country, Northern Liang deserves to be at its wits’ end!”
Wang Dian carefully recalled the list of successful candidates from this year’s imperial examination and indeed, there was no one surnamed Chu. He also remembered Liu Ce mentioning that his cousin had an arrogant and self-righteous personality, which likely referred to this man.
He looked at the man with considerable interest, “Then according to your esteemed opinion, how can Northern Liang be saved from doom?”
