Having lived to the age of the Grand Chamberlain, one’s composure is far beyond that of the young. Nevertheless, who could bear to hear the little imperial prince she had raised being gossiped about?
As the shared darling of Empress Lu, the Crown Prince, and the Princess, the palace servants of Jiaofang Palace practically broke each other's heads in their scramble to serve before the young Highness. Hearing those wagging tongues, even a saint would find it unbearable.
In the summer of the tenth year of the Great Han, the flora of Jiaofang Palace bloomed luxuriantly, yet the back hall alone remained untouched by sunlight, steeped in a creeping chill.
A palace maid dressed in pink was weeping softly, her features quite attractive. She lay prostrate on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This servant spoke out of turn for a moment; I would never dare do it again!"
The Grand Chamberlain stood in attendance beside the Empress and shouted sternly at her, "You lowly wench, who gave you the audacity to gossip about His Highness?!"
The maid said nothing, only continuing to beg for mercy and cry.
Lu Zhi sat kneeling behind the desk, her eyes closed as if resting. After a moment, she opened them and said coldly, "Tear out her tongue and lock her in the Eternal Lane. She is never to leave for the rest of her life."
What kind of place was the Eternal Lane? It was where unfavored concubines and erring palace servants were imprisoned; it was no different from the Punishment Chamber. The maid trembled violently, her eyes widening in horror as she slumped down like a pile of mud. "Empress! I beg the Empress—"
Lu Zhi was in no mood for her noise. Without needing the Empress's command, the Grand Chamberlain gave a cold smirk and a meaningful glance. Immediately, two strong court attendants stepped forward, covered the maid’s mouth, and began dragging her out.
Just as they were about to drag her through the hall doors, the court attendants suddenly stopped.
A small head was seen peeking from outside the door. It was round, with two little round buns tied in its hair. At a glance, it looked like a beautiful little girl.
But this was no little girl; it was their little Highness!
The court attendants were stunned. How could His Highness be here?
Realizing he had been exposed, Liu Yue blinked his eyelashes.
He poked his head out, the flesh of his cheeks bulging into a soft curve. "Has Mother finished her official business?"
He had waited outside specifically so as not to disturb his mother.
A two-year-old chubby toddler is still just a chubby toddler, with short limbs and a fair, tender belly. In the summer, he dressed extremely lightly; in places not covered by his little bellyband, a single poke would leave a dimple in the flesh. His large, dark grey eyes were soft and sweet. He no longer blew bubbles now; when he opened his mouth, it was with a lilting baby voice, and his speech was quite articulate.
Liu Yue thought he was being very serious, but others didn't think so. Every time they saw him, their eyes would light up, and they would wish they could pick up the little Highness and kiss him.
But now was different—they still had an erring maid in their hands!
The court attendants stammered, not knowing how to explain. In that instant, the maid broke free from the hand covering her mouth and began to wail as if seeing a life-saving straw. "Your Highness, save this servant! Save this servant! The Empress wants to tear out my tongue; I cannot bear the pain. I beg Your Highness to save me…"
Everyone’s expression changed. As the sound reached Lu Zhi’s ears, she stood up abruptly, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness. "Presumptuous!"
Her youngest son had safely reached the age of two; she held him in her palms for fear of him falling. Whenever she had to deal with someone, she avoided doing it in front of him, fearing it would foul his pure ears or make him think she was a cruel mother. Since he was small, Yue’er had never even heard a word of reprimand, let alone something as bloody as "tearing out a tongue."
The Grand Chamberlain also began to tremble, rushing outside in a hurry. What a lowly wench, daring to sow discord between the Empress and His Highness! Even ten lives would not be enough to pay for such a crime!
On that side, the wailing stopped abruptly as the maid’s mouth was covered once more.
The court attendants’ legs were shaking, their hatred for her so deep it could draw blood. Yet the maid didn’t care; she struggled with immense violence, her eyes fixed deathly on Liu Yue, watching his reaction.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Liu Yue’s delicate features showed no ripple of emotion. His expression was perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened.
In the Apocalyptic Era, incomplete corpses and severed limbs were common sights. Tearing out a tongue was a trivial matter.
He even pointedly walked around the maid as if avoiding something filthy. His short, chubby legs lifted with effort as he climbed over the high threshold and scurried off to find his mother.
?
The maid could not believe it. She let out muffled "mmph" cries, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Liu Yue’s receding back.
Was this the reaction a two-year-old child should have??
…
After climbing over the threshold, Liu Yue found the entire hall of people looking at him nervously, including the Grand Chamberlain who had stopped in her tracks, and his incredibly beautiful and exceptionally capable mother.
Yes, beautiful.
The history books all said Consort Qi was young and beautiful while Empress Lu was old and faded, which was why she lost favor. Having lived again, Liu Yue found that this was not the case.
What "old," what "faded"? His mother was clearly a cold and elegant great beauty!
The official language of the Great Han was different from later generations, especially during the early Han under the Commanderies and Kingdoms System, where Guanzhong Elegant Speech was the standard. The chubby toddler Liu Yue had grown up in this strange and novel environment, realizing he was in ancient times but not knowing which period because the languages did not match.
Once he gradually became familiar with the Elegant Speech, he finally understood the identity he had been born into.
Most books in the Apocalyptic Era had been destroyed, with only a few works preserved as spiritual sustenance for humanity—among them were the historical records of the Han.
The propaganda speakers at the base were always calling for people to "take history as a mirror, overcome difficulties, and create the future together." Liu Yue had heard it until his ears grew calluses. When he was bored out of his mind, he had flipped through those records many times, so he remembered them quite clearly.
His father was Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Great Han. His mother was Lu Zhi, the founding Empress of the Great Han. His elder brother was the Crown Prince, the future Emperor Hui, Liu Ying. Calculating the years, his Imperial Father was already old and didn't have many years left before kicking the bucket. Next, his brother would ascend the throne, and his mother would begin her fourteen-year regency, becoming the first woman in history to Reign Behind the Curtain as Grand Empress Dowager.
This discovery had left him teary-eyed, nearly fainting from happiness.
Having struggled for so long in the Apocalyptic Era, his only wish was to be born into a good family, the kind where he wouldn't have to work hard for the rest of his life. Who would have thought the wish would actually come true!
Mother, Yue-zai doesn't want to work hard anymore.
To achieve this goal, first, he had to give his mother a hug and a kiss every day. Well, today’s portion wasn't finished yet, which was why he had been crouching by the wall, asking the court attendant if his mother had finished her business.
The chubby toddler looked left and right, his large grey-black eyes beautiful and clear. Bathed in several worried gazes, he called out to Lu Zhi in a milky voice: "A-Niang."
With that, he waddled to the desk, looked up at her, and bared his pale, tender belly. "Hug."
Lu Zhi was momentarily dazed.
In an instant, the tension in the corners of her eyes softened, revealing a brilliant smile like melting ice. She leaned down and took her chubby son into her arms.
Her palms were rough, neither delicate nor smooth, but Liu Yue felt they were the most beautiful hands in the world. Loosely grabbing his mother’s collar, he leaned in and gave Lu Zhi a big smack of a kiss on the cheek. After thinking about it, he did it again on the other side for symmetry.
"Today is a double portion of kisses," Liu Yue whispered, rubbing his face against hers. "A-Niang, don’t be angry for the sake of others. If pulling out her tongue isn't enough, just kill her!"