1927 Free Market, Free Competition
Third watch
It's already approaching the sixth month of summer, and around the middle of the month, Emperor Ling hosted a banquet for all officials in the Imperial Flower Garden. At the same time, it was also the time to discuss the establishment of the crown prince, so the atmosphere in the entire capital city suddenly became tense.
On the fifteenth day of June, after several days of torrential rain, the weather finally cleared up. The Imperial Garden was still in full bloom and very lively. All civil and military officials wore their formal court attire to pay respects to Emperor Ling here.
At this time, Liu Bian was led by Shi Daoren, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, to Ning'an Palace to meet Empress He. This was the first time that Crown Prince Liu Bian had met Empress He since his journey through time.
Before Emperor Ling of Han, there were two other princes, but none of them lived beyond the age of one. Therefore, after Prince Liu Bian was born, Empress He sent him to the Shi Dao family for upbringing because Shi Dao was said to possess some Taoist arts that could protect Prince Liu Bian's health and growth.
Liu Bian had rarely returned to the palace since he was sent out of the palace for foster care, except for New Year's and other festivals when he would go to the palace to pay respects to Emperor Ling and Empress He.
However, Empress He did not think that Shi Daoren was just an unlearned and deceitful swindler. Crown Prince Liu Bian followed him but did not learn any skills from him. Instead, he was influenced by Shi and became somewhat glib and frivolous in his behavior and mannerisms.
A year ago during the Spring Festival, Liu Bian had returned to the palace for the New Year's celebration, but was discovered by Emperor Ling of Han to have started flirting with the palace maids at a young age, leaving a very bad impression on him and making him think that Liu Bian did not have the dignity to become an emperor, otherwise he would probably have been made crown prince already.
For these situations, Liu Bian who had crossed over also knew about them, so he was a bit depressed. However, this time, he believed that he could change the bad impression his father Emperor Ling of Han had of him, because he now possessed the natural gifts of stability and dignity.
In the imperial garden, a portion of the civil and military officials had already arrived. They gathered in twos and threes, chatting about everything under the sun, discussing the major events within and outside the court, as well as speculating on the purpose of today's gathering summoned by the Emperor.
However, everyone is aware that the emperor's banquet for his ministers today will likely be about discussing the establishment of a crown prince. They all know that Emperor Ling has always favored the second imperial son Liu Xie, and has no good feelings towards the eldest imperial son Liu Bian.
The only reason why Emperor Ling favored the Empress He was that she was the mother of Crown Prince Liu Bian, and at the same time her uncle He Jin was a great general and her cousin He Miao was a cavalry general, commanding the Imperial Guard, garrisoned in the capital's surroundings, with eight passes under their control, all controlled by General He Jin, so Emperor Ling had to consider the opinions of the He family.
As for the officials in the court, the Confucian scholars led by Cai Yong have now openly supported Crown Prince Liu Bian, while a group of people led by the Ten Eunuchs clearly support Second Prince Liu Xie. They also bribed many high-ranking officials in the court, so the competition will be very fierce.
But Liu Bian didn't care about these things, because at this time he had already arrived at the Ning'an Palace. A large group of eunuchs and palace maids were lined up in a neat formation at the gate, and when they saw him, they shouted in unison:
"See His Imperial Highness."
Liu Bian was also dressed in new clothes today, with a cyan long gown embroidered with patterns of flying giant pythons, symbolizing his noble status and position. With his handsome appearance, some palace maids couldn't help but steal glances at him.
If it were the old Liu Bian, he would have gone forward and joked with the palace maidens, but now Liu Bian had changed into a different person, so he did not lightly go forward to joke with the palace maidens, instead he spoke in a low voice to them:
"No need for courtesy, today the crown prince returns to the palace, everyone will be rewarded."
Liu Bian reached into his bosom and pulled out a handful of pearls, jade pendants, and silver coins. He gave each palace maid one piece of the pearl or jade jewelry, and then handed out the silver coins to the eunuchs, giving each of them several pieces.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The eunuchs and palace maids were overjoyed, and they all paid their respects to Liu Bian again. After accepting their greetings, Liu Bian said to them: "From now on, you must serve the Emperor and Empress Dowager with even more diligence, and take my place in showing filial piety to them. I will reward you heavily in the future."
Liu Bian walked forward, reaching into his bosom and pulling out many pearls, jade, silver, and money to bestow upon the numerous eunuchs and palace maids, causing some of them to gaze longingly at his bosom, truly unaware of how much he had stored within.
In fact, Liu Bian's hand in his pocket was just a pretence. All of his belongings were actually hidden inside a storage ring on his right index finger, which he had exchanged for 500 merits and 50 points of faith before entering the palace, and then exchanged many gold, silver and jewels into it.
This storage ring is indeed a strange object. After Liu Bian dripped a drop of fresh blood on it, the ring tightly grew onto his hand and hid its appearance. Unless he died, the ring would not reveal itself, so when he reached into his bosom, he was actually taking things out from inside the ring.
"Debater, you're back."
When Liu Bian stepped into the inner hall of Ning'an Palace, a surprised voice came from behind the curtain. Liu Bian turned around the curtain and immediately saw a palace-dressed beauty in her thirties walking towards him with a spring breeze-like smile on her face.
"Your son Liu Bian inquires about the sacred well-being of his mother, wishing her thousands and thousands of years of longevity."
"Son, you've suffered."
He Huanghou was barely thirty years old, with a delicate face and a devilish figure, so she received the favor of Lingdi. She had to send her own son out of the palace to be raised by others, which was also an unavoidable thing for He Huanghou, so she always missed her son Liu Bian very much.
At this time, when Liu Bian appeared in front of her, Empress He couldn't control her emotions, stepped forward and hugged Liu Bian in her arms, a strong fragrance surrounded Liu Bian, almost making him breathless.
"After you became empress, I, your son, did not suffer outside the palace, but rather it was you who were worn out inside the palace."
"Dear child, after this time returning to the palace, you won't have to live outside the palace again. The Empress Dowager will ask your father, the Emperor, to arrange a palace for you. Of course, it would be best if you could move into the Yong'an Palace."
"Don't worry, Mother Empress, this Yong'an Palace will eventually belong to me."
After a while, Empress He finally pulled Liu Bian down to sit, and she carefully examined him, because she hadn't seen her son in half a year, and the changes in Liu Bian over the past six months were quite significant.
He not only survived the assassination, but also after long-term training and practice, his height has reached about seven feet, almost as tall as his mother, and his muscles have become much more solid. More importantly, his temperament has changed the most.
"Empress Dowager, I don't think I've seen this palace maid before. Is she new?" Liu Bian suddenly asked, pointing at a palace maid behind Empress He.
"Yes, she is my hairdressing palace maid. She has been in the Ning'an Palace for only a few months. Although she is not very old, her hairdressing skills are excellent, so I gave her the name Diao Chan."
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