Chapter 35: Secret

When it comes to the phrase "weak willow in the wind," no one fits it better than Liu Che at this moment. Like a bird leaning on a person, he tilted his head and rested it in A Jiao's arms, his mouth still counting off the faults of Pingyang Princess.

"Pingyang Sister says that the current me is just like Lady Li of the late Emperor."

A Jiao reached out to wrap her arms around Liu Che's shoulders, holding him in her embrace, yet her dark, sharp gaze turned toward Pingyang Princess, who was standing to the side, her expression filled with disapproval.

Pingyang Princess: "..."

"Sister also said that you no longer love me; is that so?" As he spoke, Liu Che gently lifted his head from A Jiao's arms. The light from outside the room shone into his eyes, making them instantly bright.

He used "you" and "I," rather than formal titles.

He was waiting for A Jiao's answer.

A Jiao composed herself, her thin lips curving upward slowly, and then she pulled the woman before her tightly into her arms. "Silly, how could I not love you? You will always be the woman I love most."

So it turns out that when one is a man, one can really say "love" so casually.

Having heard the answer he wanted, Liu Che left A Jiao's embrace, satisfied. He turned to look at Pingyang Princess, lifting his chin slightly, and spoke slowly: "Sister, did you hear? The Emperor admitted it himself; she loves me."

Pingyang Princess looked at Liu Che with the gaze one would reserve for a fool.

"I am now the Empress of the Great Han. Even if you are a Grand Princess, you must still pay respects when you see me. That is the rule." Liu Che's tone was one that brooked no refusal, for he knew that at this very moment, A Jiao was standing on his side.

Sure enough, Pingyang Princess looked at the "younger brother" beside her. She did not believe her brother would tolerate "A Jiao" being so arrogant and treating her, his sister, in such a way.

A Jiao acted as if she hadn't seen the gaze Pingyang Princess was casting, and raising an eyebrow, she said: "The Empress speaks with reason. As a Grand Princess, Sister, you should know the proprieties even better."

"..."

Pingyang Princess was rendered speechless in an instant. She looked at the Emperor and Empress before her, finally swallowing the breath of anger in her heart, and with a forced smile on her face, she said: "Since the Emperor has said so, how could I dare not to comply?"

Liu Che personally forced his sister to bow her head to him. Then, as if thinking of something, he curled his lips and said: "Right, those beauties in the Yongxiang, Sister, remember to take them away. Not one is to remain in Weiyang Palace."

Pingyang Princess paused, seemingly waiting for the Son of Heaven's reaction, but after waiting for a long while and seeing no opposition from the Son of Heaven, she knew that her younger brother was aware of and had agreed to the matter of dismissing the beauties.

"Understood." Even though she was unwilling, Pingyang Princess had no choice but to agree for now. Once she left Jiaofang Hall, she would go to Changle Palace to find the Empress Dowager and see how long Chen Ajiao could remain so arrogant.

And as for A Che, she, as his eldest sister, could no longer manage him; surely the Empress Dowager could?

After watching Pingyang Princess leave, A Jiao turned her head to look at Liu Che, who was standing beside her. "Didn't you always respect your eldest sister? Why give her so little face today?"

Liu Che turned to face A Jiao, his red lips pursed slightly before he spoke: "I did not know Sister usually treated you with such an attitude." He had previously only thought that A Jiao was arrogant and willful, which was why she had repeatedly made his eldest sister unhappy and caused her to lodge complaints with him.

Seeing Pingyang Princess's attitude today, he realized that perhaps there were many things in the past that he had never discovered.

A Jiao paused and gave a light scoff: "Oh."

Hearing A Jiao's response, which sounded somewhat aggrieved, Liu Che reached out and pulled her in front of him, then gently wrapped his arms around her waist, tilting his head slightly to lean into her embrace.

"I think, if we hadn't swapped, and it were me standing here today, I might have scolded you for Sister's sake, making you suffer a grievance. I'm sorry..." His words were somewhat slurred and gradually became too low to hear, but A Jiao still heard them.

She froze in place, feeling as if something unprecedented had occurred. Liu Che was actually apologizing to her? The current him, he would actually apologize? Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she swallowed the words she wanted to say.

Such an apology, to her now, had no meaning at all.

Liu Che didn't know what was wrong with him, suddenly becoming so sentimental. Perhaps it was because of the pregnancy, he thought.

Just as he thought of the child, as if feeling something, Liu Che was startled, and then, as if he had discovered some treasure, he said to A Jiao with some wonder: "A Jiao, just now the baby seemed to move in my belly."

A radiance brighter than the sun seemed to bloom in his eyes; this was a very novel feeling for him.

Liu Che had already taken A Jiao's large hand and placed it gently on his belly, his voice carrying a hint of joy: "You feel our child."

Regarding this child in his womb, Liu Che had gone from being unable to accept it at the beginning to now being accustomed to having a little something extra in his belly.

Since becoming pregnant, he had watched his belly slowly grow larger with his own eyes, watching this child gradually grow within his womb. Slowly, he realized that this child was nurtured by him.

A Jiao's palm pressed against his belly, wanting to greet this little fellow living inside her body. However, the child seemed to have only moved that one slight time and then went quiet.

A Jiao took her hand away, quite disappointed, and only said: "Generally, it is not until five months that a child will have obvious fetal movement. That was probably an illusion."

Seeing that A Jiao didn't believe him, Liu Che frowned slightly and said: "But I really felt him moving." Because it was the first time he had felt fetal movement, he was eager to share this moment with A Jiao, never expecting the little fellow in his belly to be so uncooperative.

Watching his furrowed brows and pouting expression, a smile couldn't help but appear on A Jiao's face. For a moment, she actually felt that the Liu Che before her was a little bit cute.

Of course, this feeling was limited to the Liu Che before her; in other words, he was cute because her own face was cute.

A Jiao was soon summoned to Changle Palace by the Empress Dowager; one could guess it was for the sake of Pingyang Princess.

"Does the Emperor know why I called you over?" The Empress Dowager sat before A Jiao with an imposing air.

A Jiao smiled, giving the Empress Dowager plenty of face, and said respectfully: "Mother summoned your son here, is it for the sake of Eldest Sister?"

Since the time of the High Emperor, the Great Han had practiced governing by non-interference and revered filial piety. Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing had carried filial piety to the extreme, and Liu Che was naturally very filial to his mother.

Therefore, in order to play the role of Liu Che well, A Jiao naturally had to be a filial son.

"It seems you know." The Empress Dowager frowned and said: "When did you and A Jiao become so close again?"

"Your son and A Jiao have always been like this, Mother." A Jiao pretended not to understand the Empress Dowager's words: "Weren't we like this before, making up after quarreling?"

The Empress Dowager looked at her son before her with some surprise. Since the old lady passed away, Liu Che hadn't stepped foot in Jiaofang Hall much, and even when he did, it was just to see his daughter, leaving after not much time.

The rumors among the palace servants in Weiyang Palace about the Emperor planning to depose the Empress were not without foundation. You call this making up after a quarrel?

The Empress Dowager prided herself on understanding this son, yet at this moment, she couldn't quite read him.

"Che'er, there are some things Mother didn't ask you before because Mother felt you knew your limits and knew what you were doing, but now Mother truly cannot understand what you are thinking."

A Jiao lowered her eyes to look at the cup on the table, smiled, and said: "There are no outsiders here, Mother, ask whatever you wish, and your son will clear your doubts."

"A Jiao is pregnant again now; if she gives birth to an imperial son in the future, what will you do?" The Empress Dowager's words were quite direct; it was clear that the Empress Dowager and Liu Che had discussed this topic more than once.

A Jiao said: "Mother, what do you mean by this? If A Jiao gives birth to an imperial son, he will naturally be the legitimate imperial son of our Great Han, the future heir."

The Empress Dowager's expression was one of astonishment: "Che'er, didn't you say before that the Crown Prince of the Great Han could not be born of A Jiao?" Why had he changed his tune now?

A Jiao frowned: "The past is the past, and now is now."

Empress Dowager: "?"

"At that time, Grandmother held the reins of government, so naturally I didn't want A Jiao to give birth to an imperial son. Now that I have personally ruled for four years, it is precisely the time when a legitimate imperial son is needed."

When she said these words, A Jiao's heart felt a sudden constriction. When she was Chen Ajiao before, there were things she couldn't understand, but after becoming Liu Che, she was able to figure them out.

When her maternal grandmother was still alive, she actually knew how difficult Liu Che's situation was. It was just that she was naive at the time; she still believed in love and believed in this man. So there were many things she didn't want to look at or think about, wanting only to live wantonly and ostentatiously.

Now that she had become Liu Che herself, looking back on those years, she could understand many principles. But even after becoming Liu Che, A Jiao still couldn't understand why Liu Che had to depose her in the end.

"Even so, you cannot let your eldest sister be so embarrassed in front of A Jiao." The Empress Dowager remembered that she was here to vent for her daughter.

"Mother." A Jiao raised an eyebrow: "It was Pingyang Princess who was disrespectful to the Empress first; you should advise Eldest Sister to be mindful of her status."

Empress Dowager: "..."

A Jiao slowly stated her position: "Mother, no matter what, A Jiao is now my Empress, and will be in the future. I believe A Jiao is a reasonable person; her attitude toward you during this period must have been very good, right?"

That was indeed true.

Some time ago, the weather turned cold suddenly, and the Empress Dowager caught a cold. It was "A Jiao" who served her day and night in Changle Palace, something that had never happened before.

At that time, looking at "A Jiao," the Empress Dowager almost thought A Jiao was her own daughter. So after recovering from her illness, the Empress Dowager stopped requiring "A Jiao" to come to Changle Palace to pay respects at the beginning and middle of every month, letting her properly nurture the fetus in Jiaofang Hall.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager had nothing to say, A Jiao did not wish to stay long in Changle Palace. She raised her hands in a bow and said: "Mother, your son still has government affairs to handle, so I will return first." Saying this, without waiting for the Empress Dowager to react, A Jiao rose and left Changxin Hall.

The Empress Dowager kept ruminating on what her son had just said. She was wondering if her previous dislike of A Jiao was truly based on prejudice.

Last year, regarding the "tax on merchants and reporting of assets" proposal put forward by Sang Hongyang, Liu Che already knew about it. At first, he thought it was a good proposal, but Liu Li told him with a serious face the consequences that would be caused if this plan were implemented.

After listening, Liu Che pondered for a long time and decided to have A Jiao summon the Inner Court officials to discuss countermeasures properly. As always, A Jiao discussed it with the Inner Court officials in the front, while Liu Che and Liu Li hid in the side hall to eavesdrop.

Finally, combining Sang Hongyang's proposal, they changed the specific implementation method of the "tax on merchants and reporting of assets," retaining the "tax on merchants" item and continuing to collect taxes from merchants as usual.

Considering that merchants might not cooperate in paying taxes, they still encouraged everyone to report tax evasion, but the punishment was no longer the confiscation of the merchant's entire family business; instead, they were ordered to make up the tax payment, and then the past would be ignored. If they still did not comply with the regulations, then fines would be imposed.

As for the tax collection method of "tax on merchants," it still required the ministers to discuss it properly. A Jiao appointed Sang Hongyang as the person in charge to report back after discussing countermeasures.

With the government affairs handled, A Jiao also took the opportunity to announce the name of the Imperial Eldest Son, bestowing the name "Ju," and had the Minister of Ceremonies begin preparations for the Imperial Eldest Son's full-month ceremony.

It was unknown if it was because Liu Che had become A Jiao and was also pregnant with one, but his interest in the birth of the Imperial Eldest Son, Liu Ju, was only high for a few days at the beginning, and after that, he didn't pay much attention to it.

His focus had long since shifted to the child in his own belly.

In the middle of the first month of the fourth year of Yuanguang, Liu Ling, the Huainan King's daughter who came from far away in Huainan, finally arrived in Chang'an City.

As soon as Liu Ling entered Weiyang Palace, she went to Xuanshi Hall to pay respects to the Son of Heaven.

Hearing that the historically famous Huainan King Wengzhu had arrived, Liu Li was very curious and wanted to follow A Jiao to take a look. In fact, there were not many introductions about Huainan King Wengzhu Liu Ling in history; it only said she was witty and intelligent from a young age. Sima Qian's "Shiji" only evaluated her with one sentence: "The Huainan King has a daughter, Ling, who is intelligent and eloquent."

However, Liu Li remembered that in film and television dramas, all of Liu Ling's images could be summarized in one word: female spy.

So now that she was about to see the real person, Liu Li couldn't help but be curious: "Mother, what kind of person is this Huainan King Wengzhu?"

A Jiao thought for a while and said: "Actually, I haven't seen her much; it was just that in the first year of Jianyuan, she stayed in Weiyang Palace for a short time."

At that time, Liu Ling was still a young girl who had not yet reached her capping ceremony. Every time she saw her, she would sweetly call her A Jiao Sister. Now, in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed, and A Jiao couldn't say what that little sister from back then had become.

Liu Li pursed her lips, thinking that she would be able to see her in a moment anyway, so she didn't ask anymore.

Inside Xuanshi Hall, A Jiao had already ordered people to prepare some tea and snacks to receive Liu Ling. After a while, a eunuch came to report that the Huainan King Wengzhu had arrived and was waiting for the Son of Heaven's summons.

A Jiao nodded: "Summon."

With the sound of footsteps approaching, Huainan King Wengzhu Liu Ling walked into the main hall of Xuanshi Hall with the attendants she brought from Huainan, and the group respectfully paid respects to the Son of Heaven.

A Jiao glanced at the woman in the middle of the crowd and said: "All rise."

Liu Li hid behind the curtain and watched everything in the main hall. The little girl who hadn't reached her capping ceremony back then should be over twenty years old ten years later.

Liu Ling rose, slightly lifted her head to look at the Son of Heaven on the high seat, and a playful smile appeared on her face: "Your Majesty, Ling has come to Chang'an this time and will stay for a long time; you must not find Ling annoying."

Liu Ling looked quite good. Perhaps because she had just come from Huainan, the clothes on her body were quite simple, but such attire still couldn't suppress her bright and beautiful features.

A Jiao smiled: "Ling Sister, just stay in Chang'an." In A Jiao's eyes, that little sister from back then had grown up.

"Then Ling will thank Your Majesty for the hospitality first." Liu Ling added: "Right, this time Ling came and specifically wanted to present to Your Majesty a delicacy personally developed by my Father King; I hope Your Majesty will accept it."

"Oh? Huainan Uncle has a heart." A Jiao nodded lightly.

Liu Ling took a small box from the hands of the attendant behind her. Su Wen walked over to take the small box, and with the help of a small eunuch, opened the box, took out the things inside, and presented them to A Jiao.

A Jiao looked at this white and tender thing before her, raised an eyebrow, and said: "This is... tofu?"

Liu Ling was stunned: "How does Your Majesty know?" This tofu was personally made by her Father King and had never been passed on to outsiders.

A Jiao not only knew, but had eaten it several times. However, she couldn't tell Liu Ling these things, so she said: "The Imperial Kitchen in the palace has someone who made something the same."

Liu Ling: "..." So it wasn't her Father King's unique creation; she was instantly a little unhappy.

Seeing her like this, A Jiao couldn't help but laugh: "But I still have to thank Ling and Uncle."

"Your Majesty, can Ling go to Jiaofang Hall to see A Jiao Sister?" Liu Ling suddenly said: "It has been ten years since I last saw A Jiao Sister; Ling misses her very much."

A Jiao thought of the impatience revealed in Liu Che's brows when he heard Liu Ling's name, and thought to herself: Your A Jiao Sister probably doesn't want to see you right now.

"A Jiao is pregnant now; be careful when you go to see her." A Jiao reminded her lightly.

Liu Ling's eyes were filled with smiles: "Ling will definitely be careful." After a pause, she added: "I heard that some time ago, Lady Wei of Weiyang Palace gave birth to the Imperial Eldest Son; Ling must also congratulate Your Majesty."

A Jiao nodded: "Hmm."

Liu Ling, however, asked as if she were innocent: "Your Majesty, is this Lady Wei of yours very beautiful? Is she as pretty as A Jiao Sister?"

A Jiao was startled: "Why do you ask that?"

Liu Ling pouted and said: "Because I heard that this Lady Wei entered Weiyang Palace in the second year of Jianyuan, but weren't Your Majesty and A Jiao Sister only married for one year at that time? For Your Majesty to change your heart and like someone else so quickly, this Lady Wei must be very beautiful."

A Jiao: "..." Is Liu Ling standing up for her former self? If the real Liu Che were here, he would probably be unhappy again.

"When Ling sees Lady Wei in the future, you will naturally know whether she is beautiful or not." A Jiao said lightly.

Liu Ling muttered in a low voice: "Men are all big liars."

Because of Liu Ling's status, it was not suitable for her to live in Weiyang Palace, so A Jiao arranged for her to go to Changle Palace to live with the Empress Dowager. It was thought that the Empress Dowager would also be happy with this arrangement; after all, Liu Ling was the future sister-in-law of her granddaughter.

According to the rules, Liu Ling had to go to Changle Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager first, and only then could she go to pay respects to the Empress.

After Liu Ling left Xuanshi Hall, A Jiao called Liu Li out from the back hall. Liu Li looked curiously at the tofu that Liu Ling had presented on the table, couldn't help but reach out to pinch a tiny bit, put it in her mouth, and tasted it.

History records that tofu was indeed invented by Huainan King Liu An, who was Liu Ling's father; she didn't expect to be able to see the oldest tofu.

After tasting it, her whole little face wrinkled up, and she spat out the tofu residue in her mouth.

"Not delicious." It was completely different from the taste of modern tofu.

A Jiao chuckled and asked: "What is your impression of Ling?"

Speaking of this, Liu Li blinked and said: "She looks quite pretty at first glance, and she doesn't seem to have any schemes. But... her eyes tell me she is not simple."

A woman who can leave her name in the Shiji can absolutely not be without depth.

Liu Ling was only twelve years old when she came to Chang'an back then; now she is twenty-two. But her attitude when talking to the Son of Heaven seems to remain as it was back then; either she is truly innocent, or she is doing it on purpose.

Liu Li turned to look at A Jiao and said: "No matter what, Liu Ling is here representing the Huainan King; we must be on guard."

A Jiao nodded: "Hmm, I know."

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else in Xuanshi Hall, Liu Li held A Jiao's hand and said: "Mother, there is one more thing I want to tell you."

"What is it?" A Jiao looked at Liu Li's suddenly serious expression and laughed: "Is it very serious?"

Liu Li nodded: "Very serious."

She gathered her thoughts and said: "Recently, I have been researching the previous matters of Wei Zifu and Lady Yin, and then I finally discovered a blind spot."

Hearing Liu Li talk about this, A Jiao also became serious: "What is it?"

Liu Li repeatedly reviewed the God's Perspective and found that when Lady Yin mentioned Wei Zifu's return to favor in the third year of Jianyuan, Wei Zifu's state was a bit off.

Afterward, Lady Yin also said something that caused Wei Zifu's expression to change subtly—Lady Wei is probably helped by a noble person, which is why she is unwilling to speak clearly.

From the entire logic of their conversation, Liu Li could infer that there was indeed a noble person helping behind the scenes in Wei Zifu's return to favor in the third year of Jianyuan.

But if it were just this, Wei Zifu wanting to hide the existence of this noble person wouldn't go so far as to use the child in her belly as a bargaining chip, right?

So Liu Li studied and replayed it carefully for a long time, and finally noticed another point.

When Lady Yin mentioned that Wei Zifu became pregnant shortly after returning to favor, Wei Zifu's expression also changed.

As an eighth-level researcher of "Empresses in the Palace," Liu Li inexplicably thought of Gua Liu's classic line: "This concubine wants to report that the Noble Consort Xi is having an affair, defiling the harem, a crime that cannot be forgiven!"

Liu Li boldly associated many things, and now she just wanted to ask A Jiao a few questions to prove her guess. If her guess was true, then the problem with this matter would be huge! ===== CHAPTER 36 =====

Yin Meiren mentioned that when Wei Zifu became pregnant shortly after regaining favor, her expression had also changed.

As an eighth-level researcher of "Empress in the Palace," Liu Li inexplicably thought of Gua Liu's classic line: "This concubine wishes to report that the Noble Consort Xi is having an illicit affair, defiling the inner palace; her crime is beyond redemption!"

Liu Li boldly associated many things, and now she just wanted to ask A Jiao a few questions to prove her guess. If her guess was true, then the problem with this matter would be huge!