Queen Sun

Chapter 70
It was sunset again, watching the chariot pass by Xuanzheng Hall and Zichen Hall, from the front palace to the rear palace, Li Shimin looked at Ruoshui's eager eyes, broke the silence with a smile and said: "Ruoshui, believe me, when you get to the sleeping hall, Sizi will definitely meet you." The first one to pounce on him is just like Yao'er back then."

Ruoshui's expression was slightly restrained, and he clasped his hands: "Second brother, will Sizi and Mozi still recognize me?" After all, they were only three-year-old children when they left.

Li Shimin took Ruoshui's icy hand with pity, and comforted him: "Don't worry, these two children are so smart that I am surprised. You only need to read them once to remember them, let alone their mother's appearance? Flesh and blood, They are connected by blood, even when you were still in Yangzhou, Sizi told me that she dreamed of you holding her."

"Then..." Ruoshui frowned and hesitated, "Do they know that I was..."

The corners of Li Shimin's mouth raised slightly: "I only told them that my mother had gone far away, and I didn't say anything else. As for other people, I think I dare not talk nonsense."

"Then, who took care of them all these years?" Ruoshui's doubts flooded out one after another.

Li Shimin said with a low smile: "Our children, how can we be willing to give them to others to raise them? Naturally, they live in the Ganlu Hall, and I will take them with me personally."

Ruoshui's heart suddenly widened when he heard the words, he laughed and said, "Second brother, you can even take care of children?"

Seeing the smiling face that he hadn't seen for a long time, Li Shimin's smile deepened: "Don't talk about the last son, but the third son was raised on my lap. If you don't believe me, you can ask yourself when the time comes."

Ruoshui couldn't help but smile: "Why don't you talk about the last son? Could it be that the second brother also favors women over men?"

"A prince, how can he be hugged by others all day long?" Li Shimin smiled slightly, "Let's take a step back and say, even if I am willing, our last son will not care about it."

Ruoshui's curiosity suddenly arose: "Is the last child as clingy as Qingque?" In my memory, this youngest child was just as troublesome when he got into trouble.

Li Shimin's words were slightly sour: "It's not that he doesn't cling to others, but the last son is clingy to his Taifu. If Suiliang hadn't often entered the palace these years, our son would have wished to be the son of the Chu family."

"Didn't I say it before, Mo Zi and Mr. Chu have a natural fate." Ruoshui said with a smile, just as expected, because the eldest grandson completely pulled away the past feelings from himself, and saw him again. When he heard the same name, there was only a touch of bewilderment in his heart instead of tingling and throbbing.

Li Shimin also recalled the scene that made him suspicious at the beginning. Thinking about it now, it's a little ridiculous, but also a little regretful. After experiencing the past of life and death, everything that he thought he would never be able to let go of now is just left behind. Just a faint trace.When he came back to his senses, there was still some self-deprecating shadow in his voice: "People say that when a daughter grows up, she is no longer her own, but our family has a son who is biased toward outsiders before he grows up."

Ruoshui smiled happily: "Then why is Mozi pestering Mr. Chu all day?"

"Speaking of which, I'm really puzzled." Li Shimin frowned, "If the last son likes calligraphy, he likes Suiliang. He can also learn from me like Sizi."

Ruoshui seemed to say casually: "Perhaps the second brother's handwriting is not as good as Mr. Chu's. The last son seems to be more picky than the youngest son since he was a child."

As soon as the words fell, Li Shimin was about to say a few words for himself, but he saw his wife's narrow smile and couldn't help sighing: "I finally understand who those two children are like."

Ruoshui's mood relaxed a lot, thinking while saying: "Chengqian is like you, Qingque seems to me to be a bit like an elder brother, Mingyao is naturally like me, plus Suzi and the others, second elder brother, you are at a loss. "As soon as she spoke, she seemed to think of something, "Well, I can't say that, the second brother has so many princes and princesses, who is more similar?"

Li Shimin couldn't help laughing and said: "You said that, but I remembered an old incident. Last year, it was the time Chengqian got into trouble after drinking. I was so angry that I imprisoned him in the East Palace. Thinking about it afterwards, I married you Before, it was not the same to do a lot of frivolous things, but most of the impulsiveness afterwards was worn away on the battlefield, so that it would not cause a catastrophe."

Ruoshui remained silent for a moment, then said seriously: "Second brother, Yao'er has mentioned this matter to me, and brother is also investigating who sent the news, it is clearly aimed at Chengqian on purpose."

Li Shimin's expression was startled, as if he didn't understand what Ruoshui was talking about: "Wait, why didn't Wuji tell me? What I heard was that Chengqian and Simo were playing and fighting in the neighborhood after being drunk, disturbing everyone. Making a living, isn't it?"

Ruoshui's heart sank: "Why is it different from what Yao'er said?"

Li Shimin's face was slightly stern, and he was about to ask a question, when he heard Zheng Ji say: "Your Majesty, empress, the bedroom is here."

Before she got out of the chariot, Ruoshui heard the sound of hurried running from afar, and regardless of the topic she was wondering, she opened the curtain and walked outside, just as Li Shimin said before, she didn't even stand still. , a pink little person has already rushed into his arms, his little head was buried in the mother's chest, and he refused to lift up, crying and choking: "Mother, you are finally back, I miss you so much!" Oh."

Ruoshui's eyes became hot, he squatted down, and picked up his daughter: "It's my mother's fault, my son is good, my mother will never leave again."

Mingda raised his eyes tearfully: "Mother won't lie to Sizi?"

Ruoshui has now seen clearly what her daughter looks like when she grows up. The round face four years ago has become a little slender, and the beautiful facial features are almost exactly the same as Ming Yao when she was young: "Of course not, mother will always be by my side." Sizi grows up until she leaves the cabinet and gets married like her elder sister."

Kissing Mingda Xiangxin's face, Ruoshui raised his head, without looking left and right, he saw another boy who looked somewhat similar to Mingda standing quietly not far in front, with a pair of dark eyes staring at him fixedly, The mother and son just stared at each other speechlessly.The last son, this child who should not have been born in the prosperous early Tang Dynasty, his own flesh and blood born in October, his eyes shone with alienation and clarity. Girl, then Mo Zi is more like the self who grew up in loneliness. He has never had the coquettishness and childishness that a child should have. Ruoshui smiled softly, stepped forward, and held him gently with one free hand. In his arms: "Mo, do you still remember mother?"

Changsunzhi suddenly nodded vigorously, and raised his face: "Is your mother's surname also Changsun?"

Ruoshui shook his hand with a smile and said, "Yes, Mo Zi and Mother have the same surname, don't you like it?"

The last son leaned on his mother: "I like it, because the last son doesn't have the last name of his father, so he doesn't have to learn a lot. The other imperial brothers have either left the palace to set up a mansion, or left Beijing to take a job. They have to do many things every day. Only the last son Only then can I spare time to practice calligraphy and poetry with Mr. Chu."

Mingda smirked and stretched out his little feet to shake his brother's body twice: "Mo, this time you are not allowed to rob my mother from me."

Li Shimin walked up, stretched out his hand and picked up his son high, patted his clothes, and said to Ruoshui: "I think back then, they had to fight for everything. It's not common these few years. Why? As soon as mother comes back, will you fight again?"

The corner of Suzi's mouth curled up, revealing a faint smile: "Mother, Brother Qingque is still waiting inside."

Ruoshui was filled with joy again, and blamed Li Shimin: "If Chengqian and Mingyao were not missing, our family would be reunited today."

"Didn't you also meet Mingyao and Chengqian?" Li Shimin frowned sideways and said, "Whether you are holding your baby or not, if you get tired, I will take over."

Hearing this, the last son obediently wanted to jump out of his father's arms, but Sizi pouted, and wrapped his arms firmly around his mother's neck: "I don't want it. Sizi needs to be hugged by mother."

"It's still a child, why is it sinking." Ruoshui felt an empty place in his heart that quickly warmed up. Her daughter relied on her long-lost mother, but why wasn't she attached to Mingda and other children?

Before he walked a few steps, another familiar figure knelt straight at the door of the inner hall. Li Tai looked at Ruoshui excitedly. It had been a long time. He didn't put the inner world on his face so nakedly. At that time, it seems to be the most difficult time now, the mother died young, the elder brother and the father were in tit-for-tat, the front and rear palaces were full of undercurrents, and he was placed on the cusp of the most sensitive storm.But he had no choice but to be patient. He already had an elder brother who was disobedient, so how could he question their noble father as sharply as his elder brother? Now that mother is back, there is nothing that cannot be resolved .Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile wryly. In this most noble family, compared with the invincible and destined father, the mother is regarded as their protection and barrier, and all the secrets buried deep in his heart can be hidden. The place to confide, it must be the safest place in the world.

In the inner room, Ruoshui looked at her second son with mixed feelings. With just one glance, she was completely relieved. At this time, Qing Que still had the same appearance and temperament as four years ago, and her demeanor was more stable than Cheng Qian. But she also lost a little bit of unpredictability, and she gently caressed Li Tai's face: "After becoming a father, Qingque is really different."

Li Tai stared at his mother, held her hand gently, and said in a calmer voice, "Mother, what have you been all these years..."

Ruoshui interrupted his son, and said gently: "Mother is fine, but the experience in this is too supernatural, when I go back to Taiji Palace and meet your eldest brother, let's talk about it together."

"Don't father know?" Li Tai turned to his father suspiciously.

Ruoshui smiled slightly, and said casually: "Your father knows a little bit, otherwise, how could he explain the reason why he disappeared. But at that time, Mother did disappear suddenly from the palace. You really wronged your father."

Li Shimin cleared his throat and said: "Qing Que, let's talk about this later, but you sent Su Zi and the others away before, what do you want to tell us?"

Li Tai got up, covered the door firmly, and ordered all the palace servants of Zheng Ji to leave the inner hall, and then went back to the desk and sat down.

"What are you going to do so mysteriously?" Li Shimin smiled and hugged his wife by his side. Such an easy-going look has rarely appeared in recent years.

Ruoshui felt something was wrong, Qingque was different from Chengqian, if it wasn't something too important, he would never get involved easily, but would rather immerse himself in all kinds of ancient books.

"Father, mother, there is something that I feel cannot be delayed or concealed any longer." Li Tai used the official title of a prince to his parents.

Li Shimin's expression was slightly restrained, "Is it a state matter?"

Li Tai looked at his mother's silent but dignified expression, nodded, and continued: "It was already three years ago, and my son and the eldest brother had agreed on something in private, and told my father The emperor has concealed it until now, it is really our last resort."

"Go ahead." Li Shimin's hand on Ruoshui's waist tightened slightly.

"Because the mother's life and death are unknown," Li Tai said a little vaguely, "the relationship between the emperor's brother and his father has always been deadlocked. In the first six months, apart from not being as close as before in private, the emperor's brother was not as close as before in the court. Do something inappropriate. But since the 11th year of Zhenguan, all kinds of rumors about the emperor's brother's immorality, our brother's disagreement, and even the father's intention to change the crown have slowly spread inside and outside the court, and even in Chang'an City Apparently, a lot of things were said so well that people couldn't help but not believe them, but it was not easy to find out. There was a mixed flow of people in the streets and neighborhoods, and one carelessness might startle the snake. So, the minister and Brother Huang discusses, it is better to use tricks, those people just want to see our brothers turn against each other, father and son become enemies? We simply show them step by step. Even the incident of Brother Huang's drunken gaffe last year was exaggerated and even spread to the In the ears of the father, it is also what we expected." Speaking of this, he stopped slightly uneasy.

Ruoshui listened in shock, and blurted out: "Yao'er said, that time, even my uncle felt something was wrong, so I checked for a long time, but still didn't see anything?"

Li Tai nodded: "Yes, Erchen and Brother Huang were also a little surprised at that time. I don't know where people are so calm. However, Mother once said in the past that the deeper you hide, the more careful and wise you are." The bigger their purpose is, as long as they are patient and wait, there will always be a day when they will show their feet. Therefore, Brother Huang deliberately did not go to the morning court because of his foot injury, and pretended to be incompetent and sloppy. After Emperor Father gave his sons and ministers more rewards than princes at the beginning of the year, someone finally couldn't help but jumped out and said something in front of me to encourage the fight for the crown."

"Who is that person?" A murderous look flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, and he was no longer just angry.

The corner of Li Tai's mouth moved slightly, and he said calmly, "It's Master Fang's second son, Fang Yiai."

"Fang Xuanling's son?" Li Shimin repeated suspiciously.

Ruoshui said calmly: "Father is father, son is son, second brother should not stick to this point, if Fang Xuanling can't believe it, then most of the officials in the court must have different ideas."

"The queen mother is right. According to my son's investigation, I haven't found out that Mr. Fang has anything to do with this matter." Li Tai's expression changed, "The other two people are really related, and this is Fang Yiai. A person behind the scenes who thinks that his sons and ministers are bound to win the reserve position and only reveal themselves."

Li Shimin's eyes were as cold as ice, and he said coldly: "Say it directly, no matter who it is, there is no need to take it into consideration."

Li Tai's voice suddenly became unusually cold: "One is Li Lian, Princess Hepu who married into the Fang family, and the other is Li Ke, King of Wu."

The voice fell to the ground, and there was silence in the spacious inner room.Li Shimin quietly looked at the indifferent son in front of him: "Do you still remember that one of them is your imperial sister and the other is your imperial brother?" Obviously, he did not fully believe Li Tai's words.

(End of this chapter)