Zheng Zai was startled, nearly lashing out at this Ghost Soul.
He steadied himself and examined the ethereal spirit.
The Ghost Soul smiled at him, dignified and gentle, with a touch of maternal affection in her expression.
"I am Erlang's mother. I only wanted to see him, with no ill intentions."
The Ghost Soul smiled warmly, glancing now at Li Shimin, now at Zheng Zai, her eyes filled with a tenderness as gentle as a spring breeze—a love not even death could erase.
Zheng Zai indeed sensed no malice. Moreover, he had seen such overflowing affection in Changsun Wuyou's gaze as well.
A mother's love for her child is difficult to feign.
Since Zheng Zai did not recognize her, he decided to wake his father.
Just as the little one's hand was about to pat Li Shimin's face, Lady Dou gently gestured.
"Don't disturb him. I'll leave after watching for a while." She did not approach too closely, keeping a few steps away as she examined him carefully and sighed, "He's grown so thin. Frail and sickly since childhood, and now alone away from home—it worries me even more…"
Frail? Sickly?
Zheng Zai suddenly questioned the true meaning of these words.
Although his memories were few and fragmented, from what he could see…
Still, based on these words alone, he could almost confirm this woman's identity.
Only a biological mother would speak like this.
Zheng Zai smiled at her, sitting up even straighter. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to call her.
No one had taught him that yet.
"What is your name?" Lady Dou asked softly, her hand hovering gently over the child's without actually touching him. "They haven't yet burned the sacrificial text to inform me."
In truth, the child hadn't been given a name yet.
Zheng Zai tilted his face slightly, and his cheek brushed against Lady Dou's hand—icy cold.
"So well-behaved," Lady Dou said, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "You're much more obedient than Erlang was as a child."
Zheng Zai's smile deepened as he simultaneously swatted Li Shimin's hand with his tail, waking him up.
Lady Dou was too late to stop him. She seemed to want to retreat, yet her feet seemed rooted to the spot, unwilling to move.
Li Shimin opened his eyes.
Mother and son, separated by the boundary of life and death, finally met again.
The next moment, Zheng Zai felt a twinge of regret. He never expected that Li Shimin, so brave and unstoppable on the battlefield, would cry so easily.
Even more than a tiny little one.
As soon as he woke and saw Lady Dou, tears flowed like floodgates opening, streaming down his face.
"Aniang…"
"Erlang…"
Crying was one thing, but when Li Shimin rushed toward Lady Dou, he nearly forgot he was carrying a little one. Since the Ghost Soul had no physical form, he couldn't embrace her, and Zheng Zai almost went flying as a result.
The little one grumbled with a soft whimper, clinging to his clothes and swaying precariously.
Li Shimin cried even harder.
While the elder busied herself comforting him, the younger one fended for himself, clawing his way up by the hem of the clothes.
Lady Dou couldn't help but chuckle, lifting the little one and placing him in Li Shimin's hands.
"Be careful—this is your child."
"Yes," Li Shimin wiped his tears, sobbing. "I never thought I'd see Aniang again… I've missed you so much…"
"Actually, I come to see you all every year during the Ghost Festival. Third Brother is here too, but he went to Chang'an to see your Aye and elder siblings," Lady Dou explained.
Fortunately, she wasn't as prone to tears as Li Shimin, or Zheng Zai would have been truly embarrassed.
"Aniang has seen Xuanba? Is he doing well?"
"Better than when I was alive, at least I don't have to suffer from illness anymore."
Lady Dou was remarkably open-minded, and her way of comforting the child was extremely clever. Anyone who heard her would sincerely feel that death wasn't so frightening.
Think about it—if one suffered greatly from severe illness while alive, then dying young could be considered a kind of liberation, couldn't it?
Li Shimin took a deep breath, feeling somewhat comforted.
Li Xuanba was his third younger brother from the same mother, who had passed away from illness at just sixteen—truly far too young.
The Li family placed great emphasis on legitimacy, and half the reason for this could be credited to Li Yuan's formidable aunt—Empress Dugu Jialuo.
She not only managed her own husband Yang Jian's… personal affairs but also extended her influence to all relatives, friends, and the court.
During Dugu Jialuo's time in power, whether officials valued their principal wives and legitimate sons directly affected their careers. Even high-ranking ministers could be dismissed for "neglecting the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children."
Because of this, the several children born to Lady Dou occupied ninety-nine percent of the Li family's presence.
Aside from Li Yuanji, the relationships among the other siblings were quite good, and they were all outstanding.
"Have you not yet given the child a name?" Lady Dou asked.
"Not yet. Aye said he would wait until the child was born to name him. But since Aniang is here, you could also give the child a name." Li Shimin lifted the child in his hands, looking at her eagerly.
At this moment, he seemed particularly childlike.
Zheng Zai pressed against his palm, slowly stood up, and suddenly felt a bit nervous.
What name would she give him?
Lady Dou appeared thoughtful, causing both the adult and the child to watch her intently.
She couldn't help but smile again, pondering before saying, "How about the single character 'Zheng' as his name?"
"A single character?" Li Shimin muttered. "Elder Brother's eldest son was born in March and was named 'Chengzong.' Aye originally wanted to continue naming along those lines."
"Will you listen to me or to your Aye?" Lady Dou glanced at him lightly.
Now she could truly look down upon her tall son from above, because Ghost Souls could float.
"Of course I'll listen to you," Li Shimin replied without hesitation.
The family hierarchy was clear at a glance.
"Go back and ask Wuyou. If she has no objections, then it's settled." Lady Dou made the final decision.
"Alright, I'll write a memorial to tell Aniang then."
Changsun Wuyou would most likely agree—she had always been understanding. Lady Dou knew this, and so did Li Shimin.
Zheng Zai's eyes sparkled, and his fondness for Lady Dou soared.
Although the surname was different, at least his given name wouldn't change, and he was quite pleased about that.
Moonlight barely filtered in, and in the dim light, they chatted about many trivial matters.
Li Shimin spoke the most, chattering incessantly without needing Lady Dou to ask.
Zheng Zai grew tired of listening, shifting positions a couple of times—sitting for a while, then lying down, resting his chin on his hands, quietly wagging his tail.
"How could you have given birth to such a well-behaved child?" Lady Dou occasionally glanced over with concern, teasing, "If it were you, from the month you could roll over, you would have tumbled dozens of times on the bed, then rolled onto the floor, crawling everywhere. If I took my eyes off you for a moment, you'd be gone."
Li Shimin chuckled sheepishly, "Was I really like that?"
"Yes, there is. Once you start walking, it'll be even more incredible. No courtyard will be big enough for you to play in. You'll play with anything you see—things flying in the sky, swimming in the water, or walking on the ground. One day you'll catch a crow, the next you'll bite a snake, and the day after you'll pinch two toads to show your older sister…"
Bite… a snake? Zheng Zai imagined it. What does a snake look like? Can you even bite that thing?
Li Shimin’s gaze drifted, looking quite guilty.
"You mustn’t learn from your Aye," Lady Dou said to the little one.
Zheng Zai nodded seriously.
"This child only looks well-behaved. When he swallowed the Fei, he wasn’t well-behaved at all," Li Shimin whispered, tattling.
"The Fei?"
Li Shimin recounted the events of the past few days, vividly emphasizing the Fei that poisoned plants and the enormous Divine Dragon.
"Then Zheng'er has accomplished a great deed," Lady Dou praised.
Zheng Zai’s face lit up with joy, revealing a big smile as his tail happily perked up.
"I always feel this isn’t a good sign. These Yaoshou roam freely among humans, spreading disasters and plagues, and no one does anything about it," Li Shimin said with some dissatisfaction.
"You don’t understand. The Heavenly Court and the Netherworld are actually no different from the imperial court in the mortal realm," Lady Dou said calmly. "You’ll get used to it."
Putting it that way, Li Shimin suddenly understood.
Having come from the Great Sui Dynasty that Yang Guang ruined, once you remove the filter of reverence for gods and immortals, isn’t it obvious?
When Yaoshou wreak havoc in the mortal realm, they naturally need to be dealt with. But when to handle it and who to send—that requires following procedures.
With all the back-and-forth, time gets delayed. As for how many people die, does the Heavenly Court really care about that?
"These past few days, have you been eating properly?" Lady Dou asked with a smile.
"Yes, I have."
"No, he hasn’t."
Where did that voice come from?
Li Shimin and Lady Dou simultaneously looked down toward the source of the sound.
Zheng Zai blinked his big eyes, speaking in a milky voice, yet pronouncing each word clearly: "Aye, doesn’t eat properly."
Learning on the spot, he used the phrase he had just heard.
Li Shimin exclaimed in amazement, "You can talk? Aniang, look, Zheng'er is so clever! He can actually speak!"
"I heard," Lady Dou also smiled. "He said you don’t eat properly. Is that true?"
"Of course not…"
"Yes, it is," Zheng Zai said with great certainty.
Li Shimin was stunned. He lifted Zheng Zai by the tail, holding him up to eye level, and complained, "How could you expose me like that?"
Lady Dou frowned, scolding, "Put the child down quickly. How can you, as a father, act so recklessly?"
Zheng Zai didn’t struggle much. As soon as his limbs were suspended in the air, he was placed back into Li Shimin’s hands and set down gently.
He calmly continued tattling: "Aye, often doesn’t eat."
"What do you mean often? Don’t talk nonsense! I just couldn’t eat because I was sick! Today, I didn’t miss either of my two meals…"
Li Shimin protested, trying to argue with the little one.
People in those times ate two or three meals a day, depending on their circumstances.
Lady Dou kept a stern face but was actually holding back laughter.
"Such a young child, would he lie? You, from now on, must eat properly. When you’re out on campaigns, take care of yourself. Don’t rely on your youth to act willfully…"
Li Shimin listened obediently, not refuting a single word.
Moments like these, being nagged by his mother, once seemed ordinary, but now they were so precious he couldn’t bear to miss a single one.
It had already been five years since his mother left him.
She was still frozen in his memory at fifteen, but he was already twenty.
Just looking at her, listening to her speak, tears began to fall.
Zheng Zai raised his hand, touching the wet traces on his forehead, his heart aching with sorrow.
"Don't cry, I'll come see you again next year."
"I didn't see you last year."
"There was war, it wasn't convenient."
"And the year before…"
"You silly child." Lady Dou sighed helplessly. "Wasn't that because I was afraid of frightening you?"
"I'm not afraid."
"Alright, you're not afraid." Lady Dou gently touched Li Shimin's face and explained, "The yin energy of a Ghost Soul is too heavy. I shouldn't get too close…"
Zheng Zai raised a hand and declared proudly, "I'm here."
He was very capable. A mere Ghost Soul's yin energy wouldn't affect Li Shimin or worsen his father's illness.
Lady Dou smiled warmly. "Thank you, Zheng'er."
Zheng Zai was overjoyed. Even in the darkness, his eyes shone with a light, cheerful sparkle.
He really liked Lady Dou—she always praised him.
"Erlang, the capable bear more burdens. Though you are young, you can shoulder greater responsibilities than your father and elder brother. Both the Li family and Datang depend on you. No matter how hard it is, your mother in the Netherworld will pray for you."
She whispered softly, "May you return safely in triumph, stabilize the world, and bring peace to all."
Li Shimin desperately tried to grasp her hand, but caught nothing.
"Isn't it still before midnight?"
"I have something very important to do." Lady Dou spoke without hesitation, her tone resolute.
"What is it?"
Lady Dou turned her gaze toward little Zheng Zai.
Author's Note:
Calm Lady Dou:
Weeping Second Phoenix:
Obedient Zheng Zai: