Chapter 1033: Within the Han Palace

The Eastern Capital, Han Palace City.

Though good news had come one after another lately, the change of climate still refused to bend to human will—the world bleak, all things withered. Before the Autumn Splendor Hall, the biting winter wind swirled between the buildings, howling as it went, while a nimble little figure ran along the corridor.

"Slow down! Don't run!" Emperor Liu, who had come here on a visit, watched the little one dashing before him and could not help calling out, his eyes fixed on the ground that showed no sign of slipperiness, his heart in his throat: "Careful, you'll fall!"

The words had barely left his mouth when he watched the child slip and land flat on the corridor floor. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou hurried over, only to find the little boy still lying there, a thick padded coat stuffed full on his body, making him look somewhat pudgy and clumsy.

Liu Chengyou helped him up and took a look at him—his small face, red from the cold, was scrunched tight, and his lively eyes gazed up at Liu Chengyou with a pleading look.

"Where did you fall? Does it hurt?" Liu Chengyou checked his hands and feet, asking with concern.

At the question, the little face seemed about to crumple. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou said sternly: "No crying!"

It would have been better if he hadn't spoken—the moment he did, the child burst out with a "Waa—" and began to wail loudly, tears and snot streaming down his face. Liu Chengyou could only smile helplessly; the more the laugher widened, the harder the crier sobbed.

"So you've come to greet your father with tears and snot, have you?" Holding him in his arms and walking slowly toward the main hall, Liu Chengyou wiped away his tears and mucus while asking gently.

The words had some effect—the crying quieted a little, and the child sobbed while reaching out a small hand, saying: "It hurts!"

Fortunately, the corridor floor was not too rough, so the scrape was not serious. He blew on it for him, then took a piece of candy wrapped in oiled paper from his bosom and popped it into the child's mouth. Liu Chengyou asked again: "Still hurt?"

"Doesn't hurt anymore!" The little one changed his answer at once. There was nothing a single piece of candy couldn't solve.

"Where's your mother?" Liu Chengyou asked.

"In the bedchamber, looking after little brother!"

The one Liu Chengyou was holding was his eighth imperial son, also the third son born to him and Lady Zhe, named Liu Ai, born in the ninth year of Qianyou, now six and a half years old. Liu Chengyou had come to the Autumn Splendor Hall because he had heard that his eleventh son was ill, and had made a special trip to see him.

Inside the hall, Lady Zhe came out to greet him. Having served Emperor Liu for over a decade and borne him several children, their bond was deep, and the formalities came naturally. Noticing Liu Ai sitting on Liu Chengyou's arm, sniffling and crying, Lady Zhe could not help asking: "What's wrong with Eighth Son?"

"He was so happy to see his father that he ran too fast and took a tumble!" Liu Chengyou said.

He ordered someone to take Liu Ai to wash his hands and apply medicine, then followed Lady Zhe to see their other son. The eleventh imperial prince had been born during Liu Chengyou's northern expedition, and was now over three years old, named Liu Xiao—though his constitution had always been somewhat frail.

The little one was already fast asleep, his complexion none too healthy. Liu Chengyou gently felt his forehead—the fever had already come down—and asked in a low voice: "What did the imperial physician say?"

"Eleventh Son has always been frail, and this time it was also my neglect in care that let him catch a chill, bringing on the high fever. After the medicine, it has temporarily eased..." As she spoke, the lady's eyes could not help turning red.

Over the years, Emperor Liu had not been without children who died young, and a young child falling ill was the most nerve-wracking thing of all. And because Liu Xiao was sickly and weak by nature, he had always been a great worry to Lady Zhe. A high fever was a very serious illness indeed.

Drawing Lady Zhe into his arms and gently patting her back, Liu Chengyou comforted her: "Little Eleven has pulled through every time before, and this time will be no exception. I believe that after passing this trial, he will grow up strong and healthy!"

Leading Lady Zhe out to take a seat, Liu Chengyou held her hand, comforting her with a reassuring manner. The Lady Zhe of now was a matron past thirty, her girlish innocence long gone, but her resolute and heroic bearing all the more pronounced. It was precisely for this reason that seeing her rarely reveal such a worried, girlish demeanor made Liu Chengyou's heart all the more unwilling to bear it.

A smile appearing on his face, Liu Chengyou said: "I also have good news to bring you!"

"What?" Lady Zhe looked at him in surprise.

"The military report from Lingnan has reached the Bureau of Military Affairs. Pan Mei has taken Panyu, and Liu Chang, lord of Southern Yue, has been captured by our army. Lingnan is not far from being completely pacified!" Liu Chengyou said.

Lady Zhe was clever, and upon hearing this, she immediately asked: "What about Fourth Son? How is he?"

"Don't worry, I was just about to tell you—he is perfectly fine!" Liu Chengyou said with a light laugh. "By Pan Mei's side, nothing can go wrong. Pan Mei also said that Liu Fang has performed very well!"

Pan Mei was clearly a clever man—while reporting on the military situation, he did not forget to mention a few words about the fourth imperial prince, Liu Fang.

"Sigh!" Though she breathed a sigh of relief, Lady Zhe still rarely complained: "Marching to war, risking life and limb—even strong young warriors dare not take it lightly. What is a mere child doing there? The battlefield is perilous, Lingnan is harsh, and now it's deep winter—the toil of military life, I wonder how he can possibly endure it?"

Noting the plaintive tone in Lady Zhe's voice, Liu Chengyou gave an awkward smile. Though Liu Fang had volunteered for the battlefield, in the end it was still he, the father, who had first given his consent. Able to sympathize with Lady Zhe's motherly love, Emperor Liu could only console her: "According to Pan Mei's report, Liu Fang at the front willingly serves as a common guard, with not a trace of arrogance—steadfast and calm, brave and eager to learn. Though he has yet to achieve any merit, he has already shown his mettle, so the trip was not in vain!"

"After this tempering and training, he will surely grow a great deal. As his mother, you should be happy for him!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile.

At these words, however, no smile appeared on Lady Zhe's face. Instead, she lowered her head slightly and said quietly to Liu Chengyou: "Fourth Son is resolute and ambitious, but... I do not wish for him to have any great ambitions!"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou was briefly taken aback, but quickly understood. He patted her hand again, sensing a certain attitude from Lady Zhe's words. A feeling welled up in Emperor Liu's heart—among the women of the harem, when it came to understanding righteousness, only Empress Fu and Worthy Consort Zhe truly measured up.

"What about Liu Yun? His brother is sick—where has he run off to?" Liu Chengyou asked, partly to change the subject.

Lady Zhe could not help saying: "Oh, him—he's gone to the Imperial Medical Institute. He says he wants to learn medicine, to cure his little brother!"

"That boy has wide-ranging interests, but never sticks with any of them for long!" Thinking of his fifth son, who was clearly clever yet habitually lazy, Liu Chengyou could not help remarking—though a smile still curled at the corners of his mouth.

After leaving the Autumn Splendor Hall, Liu Chengyou was summoned to the Jade Splendor Hall—Noble Consort Gao had invited him. Seeing that it was already getting late, he decided to stay the night at the Jade Splendor Hall.

"How is Eleventh Son's condition?" In the bedchamber, the noble lady attended diligently to Emperor Liu, her jade-like hands kneading his feet gently and expertly in the basin of water, all the while asking after Liu Xiao.

"Chill with high fever—the symptoms are temporarily stabilized!" Liu Chengyou said.

"Sigh! That child is pitiable too—so young, and already suffering such hardship!" Noble Consort Gao's beautiful face also showed a look of sympathy.

Looking at her, Liu Chengyou asked: "You called me here—what is it?"

At the question, Noble Consort Gao did not mince words and said directly: "It's still about Third Son!"

All along, the one Noble Consort Gao cared about most, besides the Emperor himself, was the third imperial prince, Liu Xi—a fact Emperor Liu was well aware of. Hearing this now, he could not help asking: "Liu Xi? What about him?"

"The Crown Prince and First Son have gone to Jiangnan to reward the troops, Fourth Son is gaining experience in Lingnan, yet you've sent Liu Xi to the Flying Dragon Stables to raise horses. I hear he spends his days roaming about, riding and playing..." Noble Consort Gao looked somewhat displeased.

"That was his own request!" Liu Chengyou said.

"Then you should still rein him in more!" Noble Consort Gao said.

Looking at his beloved consort, Liu Chengyou sighed: "Liu Xi is growing older by the day—do you still want to keep him under your thumb all day? In the end, you cannot manage him for his whole life! And you needn't worry—I think that if he can truly learn to raise the imperial horses well and gain some insight from it, that would be no small growth for him!"