Ever since giving birth to Liu Yue, Empress Lu seemed to no longer care about the Emperor’s concubines. Her attention was entirely focused on her youngest son all day long.
For the birth mothers of the other princes, the high pressure of the past had vanished. They rarely found such peace and had spent a period of calm days.
If it weren’t for Lady Zhang becoming increasingly troublesome and constant with her private little schemes, no one would have linked her illness to Jiaofang Palace—many consorts speculated that Lady Zhang’s illness was likely related to the rumors from a few days ago about the young prince being unfavored.
Suddenly recalling the Empress’s methods, their hands and feet turned ice-cold, and they became as quiet as cicadas in winter. Even upon hearing that Prince Yue’s Bow-Holding Ceremony was to be extraordinary, they dared not show the slightest abnormality. Like Lady Bo, they went to pay their respects every day, being exceedingly humble and reverent.
But this did not include Consort Qi.
Having returned to Chang'an, Consort Qi lived in Linguang Palace, the most magnificent palace second only to Jiaofang Palace and the closest to the Emperor’s Eternal Longevity Hall. When news of the Bow-Holding Ceremony reached her ears, she froze, looking at the Court Attendant with displeasure. "What did you say?"
His Majesty had suddenly taken an interest in the youngest son he hadn't seen in two years, and even invited all the officials?
Her first reaction was disbelief; how was that possible?
The Court Attendant hurriedly said, "Lady, it is absolutely true. How would this servant dare to deceive you?"
Consort Qi stood up, her lovely, heavenly face covered in frost. She stamped her foot, intending to head toward Eternal Longevity Hall. When Ruyi was born, His Majesty had just claimed the title of King; even if the house was full of guests, how could there have been such grand pomp and ceremony!
What right did that old woman’s child have?
It just so happened that the Prince of Zhao, Liu Ruyi, had finished his studies and called out "Mother" from outside. Consort Qi hurried out to meet him, putting on a joyful smile. Liu Ruyi was ten years old this year and looked fifty percent like Liu Bang, especially that broad forehead; he was practically carved from the same mold.
"My son." It was a hot summer day, and Consort Qi wiped his sweat as she said to Liu Ruyi, "…I don't know what's come over your Imperial Father, to come up with such an idea. I am going to beg him to rescind the order."
By rule, the princes could only call the Empress "Mother," and their birth mothers "Mama" at most, but Linguang Palace was an exception. Liu Ruyi pursed his lips; clearly, he had also heard the news. He shook his head. "Mother! All the officials already know. I heard the Imperial Censor-in-Chief offered counsel; how can Father go back on his word?"
What he cared about was when his Imperial Father had seen his younger brother, and when he had started doting on him?
Feeling a slight discomfort in his heart, Liu Ruyi instead comforted Consort Qi, stopping her in her tracks.
He wasn't so petty as to hold a grudge against the two-year-old Liu Yue.
His Imperial Father liked him best; his second brother, the Crown Prince, was far from being his equal. It was just a Bow-Holding Ceremony; what did it matter?
…
Meanwhile, in the long alleys of Qi Li, it was a scene where some were happy and some were worried.
A youth just over ten years old rode past the Qi Residence. Noticing it was unusually quiet inside, he couldn't help but look back several times. Not until the words "Manor of the Marquis of Liu" entered his sight did the youth leap off his horse and walk straight toward the courtyard without stopping.
The courtyard was cool, and the sparse sound of placing stones could be heard. The one holding the chess pieces had his back to the youth, wearing white robes with wide sleeves, his finger bones long and slender—an air of sickly elegance.
"Father," Zhang Buyi called out to his father. "Will you be going to the young Highness's Bow-Holding Ceremony?"
Though he asked this, the youth was certain his father would not go to the palace. It had been three years; his father had retired after his success, feigning illness every day to avoid the court and staying home to study the ways of health preservation. He didn't know how much longer his father intended to stay shut in.
To his surprise, his father turned to look at him, revealing a face as clear and beautiful as the moon: "I am going."
Zhang Buyi was stunned.
Zhang Liang put down a chess piece and said leisurely to his eldest son, "In the past, I once studied the art of physiognomy."
You didn't just study physiognomy; you also tried to assassinate the Qin Emperor at Bolangsha and met the Old Man of the Yellow Stone who passed down military strategy. It was precisely because of physiognomy that you discovered the hidden dragon’s purple aura at a glance and assisted the Emperor in stabilizing the realm—doubts bubbled in Zhang Buyi’s mind. Why was his father telling him this?
What Zhang Buyi didn't know was that Zhang Liang was a master of everything except physiognomy, at which he was a mere amateur. As for his meeting with Liu Bang, wasn't it because his purse was full and he was scammed by the Pavilion Prefect of Pei County, who was looking for a free meal?
With his amateur physiognomy skills, he couldn't see any "purple aura," but calculating Liu Bang's luck with offspring was no problem.
He said to Zhang Buyi, "His Majesty is destined to have eight sons in his life."
Now there was an extra little prince—it was hard to say if it was a secret of heaven. The semi-retired Marquis of Liu felt a surge of intense interest.
That aside, the Marquis of Jiang, Zhou Bo, had visited yesterday, saying the Crown Prince had decisively handled a defiant Court Attendant, looking immensely relieved. Though Zhang Liang hadn't spoken, his intuition told him it was related to the little prince.
He had long wanted to use the Bow-Holding Ceremony as an excuse to go into the palace and see, but who would have thought he'd have to wait two years!
Recalling his unreliable Emperor, Zhang Liang's face turned a bit sour. He stood up to return to his room. "I have to wake up early tomorrow. It's time to sleep."
Zhang Buyi was left completely confused. Hearing this, he looked at the sky in a daze; the sun hadn't even set yet.
Zhang Buyi: "…"
Was this his father's "way of health preservation"?
Liu Yue felt like people had been talking about him all night, though he had no evidence.
The next day, the sunlight was bright, illuminating the small bundle on the bed. The chubby toddler's long lashes were tightly shut as he rolled over, revealing his belly from beneath the thin quilt. He was sleeping soundly, his cheek pressed against the pillow so that the flesh squeezed into soft ripples, like a white and tender steamed bun.
Before long, very soft footsteps came from outside.
Today was a major day. Empress Lu personally coaxed her youngest son to wake up. She pulled the thin quilt over Liu Yue, her gaze full of tenderness. "Yue'er, Yue'er?"
In his sleep, Liu Yue gave a soft "Mm."
His grayish-black eyes were full of mist. After a long while, he struggled to open a slit, and the blurry figure before the bed came into focus.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up at once, reaching out his little fat hands toward Empress Lu. "Mother!"
The first thing to do upon waking up today: give Mother a kiss.
With a mwah, the kiss was enough to melt one’s heart. Empress Lu picked up her milk-scented son and kissed him back. Then, two rows of palace attendants filed in to serve the young Highness in washing and dressing. They presented a bowl of soft-boiled vegetable congee and a small plate of sliced marinated meat, placing them on the small table by the bed.
The congee was similar to the porridge of later generations, with sweet glutinous rice inside.
Liu Yue’s belly grumbled. After washing, he went straight to the table, ignoring everything else. His eyes were only on the word "eat." By the time his belly was bulging and the breakfast was polished clean, his sleepiness had completely vanished.
Empress Lu stayed by his side. The chubby toddler suddenly noticed that his mother was dressed differently than usual.
Wearing a gold crown and dressed in full regalia, her beauty and majesty were overwhelming. Liu Yue almost had stars in his eyes. Then he looked at himself and found his outer garment embroidered with tiger patterns. It felt very cool against his skin and was incredibly fine to the touch.
Today he was wearing the Shu Brocade his brother had given him.
He felt a bit of heartache. His bargain father’s reign was poor; it wasn't until his mother took over as regent that the wars truly ceased and the national treasury gradually became affluent. How much did this outfit cost? Was today some kind of big day?
Empress Lu answered his confusion, saying softly to Liu Yue, "Your Imperial Father is going to hold the Bow-Holding Ceremony for Yue'er in the Eternal Longevity Hall. The guests are all your Imperial Father’s ministers and the uncles Mother knows. Yue'er, don't be afraid."
Only then did Liu Yue realize—the Bow-Holding Ceremony!
He was still an unregistered resident of the palace! Liu Yue came to a sudden realization, his large eyes curving into crescents. "Yue'er isn't afraid."
…
The front hall of Eternal Longevity was already bustling with noise. When the Great Han was first established, the palace had no etiquette or regulations. Most of the meritorious officials were "muddy-legged" commoners before being enfeoffed as marquises. They would stand crookedly when granted an audience with the Emperor, and even come to blows during court sessions; to call it a vegetable market would be a compliment.
Later, the scholar Shu Sun Tong established the grand etiquette to set the hierarchy between monarch and subject. This finally turned the chaos around and greatly pleased Liu Bang, letting him taste the joy of being an Emperor for the first time.
Now, although the meritorious officials and officials were attending a banquet, aside from the Marquis of Liu—who had been claiming illness for years—showing up and causing a small stir, everything was in perfect order under the lead of Chancellor Xiao He.
They were all looking forward to the appearance of Prince Yue.
They all said the young Highness was the most beautiful child in the palace. Was it true or false?
In the back hall of Eternal Longevity Hall, Liu Yue held his mother’s hand and once again saw his bargain father.
The bargain father had taken off his plain clothes and was wearing the legendary Slaying-the-White-Snake Sword at his waist. His gaze was sharp and his posture upright and dignified, as if he were a completely different person from the one who stood in Jiaofang Palace that day.
Liu Bang nodded to the Empress, gave his youngest son a light glance, and then took a step forward, reaching out his hand to Liu Yue.
Liu Yue looked at the bargain father warily. What did he mean?
Liu Bang: "…"
The Emperor almost choked with rage.
You brat, even this outfit can't intimidate you?
"How can the Bow-Holding Ceremony hosted by Father proceed without Father leading the way?" Under Empress Lu’s calm gaze, Liu Bang’s voice was deep and his eyes full of "affection." "Hurry and take my hand, don't keep them waiting."
Liu Yue hesitated for a moment before reluctantly letting go of his mother and taking Liu Bang’s hand.
Liu Bang laughed inwardly. Don't think he hadn't seen the brat's reluctance. He suddenly felt a sense of triumph, as if he had won a round, and signaled the armored warriors holding battle-axes to clear the path.
Originally, the Minister of the Household, Guan Ying, was supposed to guard the Emperor’s side, but Liu Bang had sent him to the front hall to join the feast.
"The Son of Heaven arrives—the Empress arrives—"
With the arrival of the most noble couple in the world, the heated atmosphere of the front hall turned solemn. As the Bow-Holding Ceremony was a formal and grand occasion, the guests all bowed down together: "We, your servants, pay our respects to Your Majesty and the Empress! We wish Your Majesty eternal joy and the Empress infinite longevity!"
Liu Bang smiled and told them to rise. The feeling of looking down upon all living beings was intoxicating. Thinking this, he glanced at his youngest son again.
Then, a question mark slowly appeared in his mind.
Who was this brat looking at?
…
Liu Yue was stunned!
He felt that this shouldn't be called a banquet; it should be called a grand gathering of handsome men.
In a place where meritorious officials gathered, the Marquis of Piyang, Shen Shiqi, had never been able to count for much. At most, he could only occupy a tiny corner and had long been squeezed out of sight.
The officials in the front row all had long beards and were each more handsome than the last. Although they were no longer young, some were heroic and spirited, some were remarkably steady, and some were elegant and beautiful—all handsome in their own unique ways.
"…" Liu Yue looked back at his bargain father.
The flesh on his cheeks puffed up involuntarily. How could they be so different?