GSY Chapter60

One month later, Yandu.

 

“Miss Meng, is Ah Zheng feeling better?”

 

In April, Yandu is in the midst of spring, the weather is sunny, and the flowers and trees in the yard are growing well, creating a thriving scene.

 

This is Yuan Zheng’s mansion outside the palace. Originally, Yuan Zheng had not yet been crowned king and could not leave the palace to set up a mansion. But when his third brother Yuan Heng was crowned king and set up a mansion, Yuan Zheng insisted on having a mansion outside the palace as well. The emperor doted on him, so he renovated his own mansion outside the palace before he ascended the throne and gave it to Yuan Zheng.

 

There are few such beautiful and magnificent mansions in the entire Yandu.

 

Yuan Heng looked at the young man lying in the pavilion from a distance. He rested his chin and watched the fish moving in the water. Two palace attendants were waiting cautiously beside him.

 

Meng Huaixue was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a red dress, with a heroic look between her eyes. She said, “Answer, Your Majesty. The imperial physician said that Ah Zheng’s external injuries are no longer serious, but this—” She paused and sighed, “It’s still the same. Two days ago, he reached out to catch a fish in the water, but he plunged into the water headfirst and even forgot to float. He struggled wildly without knowing how to shout. If a servant hadn’t happened to pass by, he would have drowned in the water already.”

 

Yuan Heng frowned slightly and said, “How did the people in this mansion serve? They don’t even stay by their master’s side to serve him.”

 

Meng Huaixue said, “When this kid is in a good mood, his temper is bad. When he is crazy, his temper doesn’t improve either. When he was angry, he almost beat several servants who touched him to death. Now the servants are terrified to serve him.”

 

Yuan Heng said, “It’s too hard for you to take care of Prime Minister Meng and have to watch over Ah Zheng too. It would be better to send Ah Zheng to the palace so that it will be more convenient to take care of him.”

 

Meng Huaixue bowed and saluted, saying, “Thank you, Your Majesty, but there are many rules in the palace. If Ah Zheng goes to the palace like this, I’m afraid he will overturn the palace and give people something to talk about.”

 

“When Ah Zheng was fine, he didn’t like being detained in the palace. When he returned to the capital, he might have known that the late emperor had passed away. He was so shocked that he resisted and screamed when he saw the palace, shouting and screaming, and even crawled under the bed. He was extremely scared.” Meng Huaixue lowered her voice, with a bit more restrained compassion in her eyes.

 

Yuan Heng raised his eyes and looked at the young man in the distance. Half of his body was leaning out of the railing. The palace attendants were frightened and hurried over to coax him down. Yuan Heng slowly walked towards the octagonal pavilion in the middle of the lake. Yuan Zheng refused to let the palace attendants touch him, he pushed them away and ran over.

 

Yuan Heng called out, “Ah Zheng.”

 

Yuan Zheng pretended not to hear him, pushed him aside, and ran towards Meng Huaixue, who immediately said, “Ah Zheng!”

 

Yuan Zheng paused and actually stopped, looking unhappy. He complained, “Sister, they won’t let me see the fish.”

 

Meng Huaixue said, “Ah Zheng, be obedient and pay respect to His Majesty first.”

 

Yuan Zheng said, “His Majesty, what is His Majesty?”

 

Meng Huaixue frowned, but Yuan Heng smiled, stretched out his hand, and held Yuan Zheng’s arm, saying, “Ah Zheng, there’s no His Majesty, you don’t recognize me anymore?”

 

Yuan Zheng, as if stimulated, shook off his hand suddenly, took a few steps back, and stared at Yuan Heng vigilantly.

 

Meng Huaixue whispered, “Ah Zheng didn’t recognize people. I taught him for half a month before he recognized me.”

 

Yuan Heng’s hands were empty. He glanced at his palms, then raised his eyes to look at Yuan Zheng and said softly, “Ah Zheng, I am your third brother ah.”

 

Yuan Zheng looked him up and down, then turned to Meng Huaixue and said, “Sister, I’m hungry.” He rubbed his stomach, and Meng Huaixue reached out and smoothed his messy hair, saying, “Be good, I’ll ask the palace attendants to bring you something to eat.”

 

Yuan Zheng replied with a smile, there was no trace of his former arrogance between his eyes. His eyes, which were clearly black and white, were even a little evasive when he saw Yuan Heng and the people around him.

 

Yuan Heng quietly watched him walk away. As he walked, he pulled a willow branch and shook it. He couldn’t help but sigh and said, “It’s really heartbreaking to see Ah Zheng like this.”

 

Meng Huaixue was silent for a moment and then said, “The imperial physician said he didn’t know when he would be well. Maybe it would only take a while, or maybe it would be like this for the rest of his life.”

 

Yuan Heng said, “Miss Meng, please be at ease. I will find famous physicians all over the world and will definitely cure Ah Zheng.”

 

Meng Huaixue looked at the young man’s handsome and gentle face, lowered her eyes, and sadly said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

 

Yuan Heng said, “No need to thank me, Ah Zheng and I are brothers. He protected me everywhere back then, and now I will not watch him suffer.”

 

“I have already ordered someone to investigate the assassins who try to kill Ah Zheng and stopped him from returning to the capital.” Yuan Heng said with a chill in his voice, “Zhen wants to see who is so bold as to do such a cruel thing to Ah Zheng.”

 

Meng Huaixue said softly, “Those people are all death guards. They act very carefully. I’m afraid there is no way to investigate them.”

 

Yuan Heng said, “In the whole Dayan, there are only a handful of people who have such power.” Although he did not point it out, the two knew it well. Only aristocratic families can raise such loyalists. Now there are only four families in Yandu, which are Zhao, Cheng, Meng and Xiao. Zhao and Cheng are the most powerful.

 

In such a huge capital, everyone knew that King Ding and Yuan Zheng had always been at odds. But now that King Ding was dead and the virtuous Noble Consort from the Cheng family had hanged herself, the Cheng family had been keeping quiet these days.

 

A centipede never dies[mfn]This is a Chinese idiom that means that a powerful person or group may decline, but its influence and prestige still exist.[/mfn] Yuan Heng sat on the throne that Yuan Cheng wanted to sit on, and the Cheng family may not be willing to let it go.

 

The two were silent for a moment, and Yuan Heng suddenly said, “In two days, the commanders of the border armies will return to the capital. Zhen heard that when Ah Zheng was on the northern border, he had a close relationship with General Cen. He left the northern border before he got into the incident. Letting General Cen and Ah Zheng have some contact may help Ah Zheng’s condition.”

 

Meng Huaixue raised her eyebrows and said, “I heard that General Cen whipped Ah Zheng 20 times when he arrived on the northern border, and the two of them often fought each other.” She was a bit protective and snorted, “Ah Zheng has always been arrogant. How could Ah Zheng have a close relationship with General Cen when he was humiliated like this?”

 

“Besides, Ah Zheng has forgotten even Your Majesty and me now, so how could he remember him?”

 

Yuan Heng smiled faintly and said, “General Cen is strict in managing his troops. A momentary disagreement is nothing.”

 

“Zhen heard that the disciple of Divine Physician Jianghu has been in the northern border.” Yuan Heng said, “I have asked General Cen to invite him to come to the capital. When the time comes, let him take a look at Ah Zheng.”