Empress Changsun went to see Hengshan.
Hengshan was the youngest, and Empress Changsun passed away shortly after giving birth to her, so she never had the chance to watch her grow up.
Hengshan married Changsun Quan.
Initially, Hengshan had married Changsun Quan, but sadly, their happiness was short-lived. The Changsun clan was accused of treason and exiled to the south, and Hengshan remarried. Her second marriage was not happy, and Prince Chinu (雉奴, a title given to the Emperor’s sons) didn’t take good care of his youngest sister.
Even though she knew that the power of families and relatives had to be guarded against, Empress Changsun still felt sorry for her youngest daughter, whom she hadn’t been able to care for properly.
Hengshan was doing well, though. She and her husband were deeply in love and lived in harmony.
Empress Changsun was lost in thought when she felt a breeze. She turned her head and saw that her husband, Emperor Taizong (李世民, also known as Emperor Li) had arrived beside her. The couple hadn’t seen each other in centuries, and they stood silently, their eyes meeting. Both saw the feelings and sighs in each other’s eyes.
The human heart is so easily changed.
They had once stood at the highest point, a place many looked up to, and they knew the glory and loneliness that came with it.
After a moment, Empress Changsun said to Emperor Taizong, “I want to see our little brother.”
Their youngest brother, Li Yuanying (李元婴), had been carefree and lived a life of ease. Prince Chinu had been unhappy with him and banished him all the way from Tengzhou (滕州), but he wasn’t bothered at all. He built towering pavilions wherever he went, drank and socialized with friends, and was always happy. Empress Wu (武曌, another name for Wu Zetian) had treated him very well, but he had never once thought of doing anything to improve his situation.
Old Wei had told them that their youngest brother was a “variable” in this world.
Emperor Taizong agreed and went with Empress Changsun to find Li Yuanying.
Meanwhile, Empress Wu was looking over the records Old Wei had shown her.
She had never married Li Zhi (李治) in this world and never become Empress. Instead, she had married Di Renjie (狄仁杰)? It was hard for Empress Wu to believe. Especially since she had married Di Renjie while Emperor Taizong was still alive. How could this have happened?
Having lived a lifetime, Empress Wu didn’t have much reaction to the idea of marrying another man.
Li Zhi had died before she did, and he had already been reborn by the time she reached the underworld.
Empress Wu entered the Wu Mansion silently.
It was said that there was a debate about whether to call their residence the Di Mansion or the Wu Mansion. In the end, because Empress Wu held a higher official position, she was allowed to build a grander garden, so they decided to call it the “Wu” Mansion. After all, they had so many children and grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren were often requesting to live with them. A small mansion wouldn’t have enough room for everyone.
Empress Wu was looking over the officials’ evaluation materials.
She had been sick recently and wasn’t feeling well, but she couldn’t sit still. She dismissed her grandson, who was attending to her, and had the documents brought to her couch. The end of the year was approaching, and she needed to finish evaluating the officials’ performance for the coming year. All promotions and demotions had to be carefully considered.
Her grandson had been outside playing for a while, but he finally remembered his grandfather’s instructions and ran inside.
Seeing Empress Wu reviewing the documents, he immediately panicked. He raised his chubby hands and tried to cover the documents in Empress Wu’s hands, saying in a childish voice, “No good! You’re not good!”
Empress Wu obediently put down the documents and let her grandson climb onto the bed. He pushed the pile of documents away from her pillow and then raised his chubby, warm hands to touch her forehead, as if to check her temperature.
Apparently, this was something their younger son, Li Yuanying, had taught him. There were no better terms for children, and Li Yuanying liked calling them “Yao’er” (幺儿, literally meaning “little younger brother,” but used as a general term for children). So, this term had been passed down from generation to generation. Not only did the imperial family members call each other “Yao’er,” but even the other children in the kindergarten followed suit, including her grandson.
Empress Wu really couldn’t be angry with Li Yuanying.
He was a person who played until the end of his life.
Unable to resist her grandson’s childish pleas, Empress Wu could only lie down and rest. Her grandson sat by her side, holding her hand, continuing to sweetly coax her to sleep, humming the nursery rhymes he had learned in kindergarten.
Although Empress Wu was a grandmother, her eyes were clear and bright. There was a gentle smile in her eyes as she listened to her grandson humming for a while before finally falling asleep.
Soon after Empress Wu fell asleep, her grandson, who had been sitting by the couch, was picked up by a pair of big hands.
The little boy was startled and turned to see his grandfather, Di Renjie.
Di Renjie held his grandson in one arm and raised the other to signal silence.
The little boy mimicked his gesture, then ran out to play happily after being placed outside the room.
Di Renjie tiptoed back to the bed and gently checked Empress Wu’s forehead. When he saw that her forehead was no longer hot, he felt relieved. He sat down and picked up the documents on the table, flipping through them page by page. He wanted to help Empress Wu sort through them.
It was impossible to stop her from working, so he could only try to reduce her workload.
Empress Wu left the Wu Mansion.
This small world was completely different from the world they lived in. Everyone seemed to be guided towards the best possible life. She had long been caught in the vortex of power, and it was impossible for her to live a peaceful life of love and devotion from her family.
She didn’t regret the steps she had taken to seize power and ascend to the throne, a position no other woman had ever dreamed of. That was one of the things she had been most proud of in her life. But if she could be a prime minister for the entire country, breaking the mold of ancient times, while also having a loving husband and close relationships with her children and grandchildren, it would be another fulfilling life.
Princess Pingyang (平阳公主) also joined this day trip.
Princess Pingyang had heard that there were plays and poems about her in this world, and she couldn’t help but go see them.
She first read “The Biography of Princess Pingyang,” attributed to “Li Xunyu” (李循瑀), and recalled many things from her past. When she saw someone nearby reading about Li Youyu (李幼玉), she joined the young girl and read about the female general.
Princess Pingyang left the library and looked at the middle of the road, where a group of female soldiers were directing traffic. Chang’an was increasingly lively towards the end of the year, and carriages often got stuck. In these cases, “traffic directors” made up of soldiers were responsible for clearing traffic and urging people to move along.
Not only were there female traffic directors, but there were also women in all walks of life. There were even female soldiers guarding the city gate.
Princess Pingyang strolled along, stopping occasionally, until she reached the city gate. She looked at the girls who were playing and sightseeing along the river. It was a world she had never imagined.
Back then, she had formed a female army and led them to capture cities and conquer territories. In the end, she had still had to submit to her father and brother. For women to achieve anything, they had to pay a greater price than men. Even more tragically, even if you were willing to pay that price, you weren’t guaranteed success.
Princess Pingyang stood under a willow tree, smiling as she watched the girls laugh and chat about their studies or their clothes and jewelry. The breeze gently blew through their skirts, revealing a patch of bright sunlight.
If this were the world, everything would be different, wouldn’t it?
The others went to see the people they wanted to see, and finally, they all met at the Teng Wang Fu (滕王府).
Old Wei and Wei Zheng had stayed at the Teng Wang Fu because Li Yuanying had invited the Wei family over to play.
He said he was celebrating his birthday, but in reality, the servants were busy, while Li Yuanying was busy playing hide-and-seek with a group of children.
Even in his old age, Li Yuanying was still unreliable. He suggested that his great-grandchildren, who called him “Yao’er,” play hide-and-seek with him. Whoever he found last could eat ice cream with him. It was winter, so only he could have thought of eating ice cream!
Li Yuanying not only thought of it but also did it. He pretended to be unable to find his great-granddaughter, caught all the other children, and then took his great-granddaughter with him to enjoy the ice cream, which was as cold and soft as snow. While eating, he asked his great-granddaughter, “Is it delicious?”
How could a little girl think about anything else? Li Yuanying asked, so she happily nodded. “Delicious!”
Now, the group of half-grown children was crying.
Wei Jiu (魏姝) and the others soon came over, alerted by the cries.
Seeing their guilt-stricken faces, Wei Jiu knew they were up to no good. She unceremoniously confiscated the ice cream and had the children taken inside to be comforted.
Wei Jiu sighed, “You, in the middle of winter, you’re letting little Yao eat ice cream.”
Li Yuanying retorted with confidence, “My health is very good.”
Little Yao also stood straight beside Li Yuanying and mimicked him, “Very good!”
Wei Jiu couldn’t do anything about them.
As evening approached, the officials began to leave their offices. Wang Bo (王勃) and Luo Binwang (骆宾王) had returned to Chang’an for the end of the year to report on their duties, and they were finally getting together. They wanted to hold a literary gathering at Qujiang (曲江) to celebrate the occasion, so they sent someone to invite Li Yuanying to join them.
Although Li Yuanying was in good health, he was not very fond of going out in his old age. It was rare that he would go out to relax when his old friends invited him. He rode out of the mansion, and when he arrived at Qujiang, he saw two exceptionally handsome men, each with their own unique charm, standing outside.
Li Yuanying had been matchmaking people for his entire life, and his judgment was excellent. He immediately recognized the extraordinary qualities of these two men. He dismounted and went over to chat with them. He learned that one of them was a native of Longxi (陇西) and also had the surname Li, with the given name Bai (白), and the other was a native of Meishan (眉山), in Sichuan, with the surname Su (苏), and the given name Shi (轼).
Li Yuanying was impressed by their eloquent speech and was eager to become acquainted with them. He immediately invited them to join the literary gathering at Qujiang. He was worried they might not want to come, so he told them who would be there: Lu Zhaolin (卢照邻), the驸马 (fùmǎ, a title for a man who marries a princess) who had written “If we could be joined like the mandarin fish, why would we fear death? I wish to be a pair of mandarin ducks and not envy the immortals”; Luo Binwang, the maritime literature expert who had written “White fur floats on the green water, red hands stir the clear waves” at the age of seven; Wang Bo, who had written “Within the sea, there are those who know me; on the edge of the world, we are as close as neighbors”; Yang Xiong (杨炯), who had written “It is better to be a commander of a hundred men than a scholar”; and He Zhizhang (贺知章), who had written “I don’t know who trimmed the thin leaves, but the spring wind in February is like a pair of scissors.” They were all remarkable figures who were skilled in poetry. Li Yuanying believed that everyone attending the literary gathering would be able to enjoy exquisite poetry and literature and leave completely satisfied!
With such a warm invitation, the two men were happy to accompany Li Yuanying. When night fell, the lights of Qujiang shone brightly. Li Yuanying led the two men to their seats and introduced them to everyone else as Li Bai (李白) and Su Shi (苏轼).
The other guests had never heard of them before, but since they were brought by Li Yuanying, they warmly welcomed them.
The attendees weren’t young, and no one drank much except for Li Bai, who drank many cups, giving the impression that he was just there to get drunk. Li Bai had poems whenever he drank. He immediately composed a poem and, after finishing, asked Su Shi to write a song as a toast.
Both men improvised, and everyone who heard them felt refreshed as if they had just drunk a cup of spring water. They had never heard of the poems Li Bai had written or the songs Su Shi had composed. They only understood after Su Shi picked up a pipa (琵琶, a four-stringed Chinese lute) and played a tune, singing the new song.
Li Yuanying listened and tapped his fingers, feeling that the song was beautiful. The melody was beautiful, and the lyrics were beautiful. He happily asked Su Shi to compose another song, and he would play the pipa to accompany him.
Inspired by Li Yuanying, Su Shi immediately wrote another new song.
Li Yuanying played the pipa, Su Shi sang, and everyone else joined in, making a lively scene.
As the wine flowed freely, Li Yuanying asked Su Shi to explain the beauty of the song. Su Shi told them about many different kinds of cipai (词牌, a name for a song form in Chinese poetry), each with its own beauty and charm. Li Yuanying was very interested in this and told Su Shi not to compose any new songs but instead to show them some of his old works.
Su Shi was also reluctant to show his work, but he sang a song that went, “The great river flows east, washing away all the heroes of the past,” and then another song, “When will the bright moon appear? I lift my cup and ask the blue sky.” After sharing his songs, he shifted the focus to Li Bai, saying that he had many good poems that would invigorate the spirit after reading them.
So, everyone urged Li Bai to share some of his poems, and he recited many good ones.
Even though everyone usually restricted themselves to drinking moderately, they got drunk together in their excitement. When the time came for everyone to go home, people realized that the two men were missing. No one saw how they left or where they went. It was as if these two men of great talent had never been there.
Li Yuanying was taken home and soon fell asleep.
That night, Li Yuanying not only dreamed of the Taishang Huang (太上皇, the retired Emperor), but he also dreamed of his brother, his sister-in-law, and many other people, both familiar and unfamiliar. He turned over, thinking curiously, “I used to pray to the Taishang Huang all those years when I wanted to have a daughter, but he never came to see me. Why is he coming now? And why won’t he say anything? It’s strange.”
But he was so old, he couldn’t have a daughter anymore, so it didn’t matter what the Taishang Huang said or didn’t say. He didn’t resent him for saying that he had eighteen sons, making the Teng Wang Fu have eighteen grandsons before finally getting a granddaughter!
Li Yuanying was very easygoing and slept soundly until dawn.
The next morning, he woke up with a hangover and remembered the good poetry and delicious food he had heard from Li Bai and Su Shi the night before. The more he read their works, the more exquisite they seemed to him. He clapped his hands and praised, “These two men are once-in-a-century geniuses!”
Wei Jiu was curious about what kind of geniuses they were.
Li Yuanying copied Li Bai and Su Shi’s works for Wei Jiu to read.
Wei Jiu read them and was also quite impressed. The two men’s poems and songs were each unique, but all of them were vigorous and impressive, clearly revealing their character, ambition, and literary talent.
Unfortunately, Li Yuanying sent people to look for them many times in the following years, but they never found them.
These two men came and went in a hurry, as if they were only there to share their exquisite works and leave behind the “Li Bai Poetry School” and “Su Shi Song School,” two areas of study that would forever be shrouded in mystery.
Only Wei Zheng, the Wei Judge who organized this group tour, was left with a look of helplessness. He had messed up again! Even if this time wasn’t necessarily the time for Li Bai and Su Shi to appear, they still shouldn’t go around showing off their poems and songs! How could they do that?
The author would like to say:
Little Prince: Even at seventy or eighty, I’m still a child!
This is the second-to-last extra chapter. The next chapter will be the official end!!!
Ah, ah, ah, the end is near! So exciting!!!
Don’t you think this deserves some nutrient solution? This is the last two times you can nourish the Little Prince! (Sweettyspring has ten thousand reasons to beg for a nutrient solution √)
Adding a tail:
Persistently advertising the pre-order for the new pit! You can collect the new pit in the author’s column, and you can still see the exquisite cover drawn by Sweettyspring! When it opens, it will probably be replaced with the cover made by my little partners!!! Limited-time display, gone when it’s gone!! (No one wants to appreciate it)
“The Great Physician”
Lu Ze, an intern, accidentally obtained the knowledge of a great TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) master, but he only loves scalpels.
Old Master Ye: I can make you a TCM master!
Lu Ze: Can you do surgery?
Old Master Ye: I can tell you about lost medicinal formulas!
Lu Ze: Can you do surgery?
Old Master Ye: I can teach you lost acupuncture techniques!
Lu Ze: Can you do surgery?
Old Master Ye: ……
Years later, Lu Ze was invited back to school to give a lecture as an outstanding graduate.
Sister: Brother Lu, can I have your phone number?
Lu Ze: Sure, your problem may require slow, steady treatment.
Sister: ????????
Website:
Mobile phone:
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