Too high to reach

Chapter 77 Nephews and Brothers
Back then, the Crown Princess induced labor on her own and gave birth to a son ahead of schedule, which she then handed over to Li Jing.

He held the tiny baby, no bigger than the palm of his hand, at a loss, and consulted with Granny Zhao.

To be fair, he had the ability to hide his nephew and raise him in luxury.

But even if we could find him a good tutor, without the right environment, without contact with government affairs and officials of all kinds, and without friends from prominent families, his horizons would still be limited.

He's going to be the emperor someday!
Granny Zhao came up with an idea: place them at Liu Yue's house! Since his wife was about to give birth, they could have twins.

Liu Yue was a good friend of the late Crown Prince Li Yuan, or more accurately, he was Li Yuan's type.

Li Yuan was the emperor's eldest son, and from a young age, he had a heavy burden, being disciplined by various rules and regulations, with so much homework that he couldn't keep up, and he was never free. Therefore, he admired Liu Yue's unrestrained and unconventional nature.

Although the two had a good relationship, they had too little in common. Liu Yue wasn't even qualified to be a study companion, so they didn't have much contact and their relationship was quite secretive.

Grand Secretary Liu is a learned and upright official.

A child growing up in a family like this is bound to be wonderful!

Li Jing approached Liu Yue and told him what had happened. Liu Yue readily agreed and personally took the baby back with him.

Looking at this fool in front of him... Li Jing looked at Liu Yue, his thoughts drifting away.

He was handsome, dashing, and a master of all vices—drinking, gambling, whoring, and womanizing. He was also skilled at playing various musical instruments and singing, and a good polo player. I thought he was a man of principle!
But I never expected that this idiot would be afraid of his wife!

The fear was inexplicable.

Not wanting to reveal the baby's identity, and with all the importance he placed on it, Liu Yue knelt down before his wife, Hu, who was about to give birth, without saying a word when he got home. He told her not to ask any questions and to treat the baby as her own son.

Hu was so shocked that she couldn't speak. She immediately concluded that this was her husband's illegitimate son with another woman, and that he was raising him in her care in order to give the child a better background!

Hu, whose real name was Hu Jingmei, was also pampered and spoiled from a young age. She even defied her parents' objections and insisted on marrying Liu Yue. The two had a very deep affection for each other. Even though Liu Yue had a notorious reputation for womanizing, he only had Hu in his household and didn't even have a concubine.

Over the years, Madam Hu has been a flawless and highly regarded noblewoman.

But actually, her personality is quite awkward.

The more serious Liu Yue was, the more convinced she became that this was her husband's illegitimate child.

However, instead of questioning or asking for clarification, she simply nodded in a "generous" manner.

But I was heartbroken, my emotions were turbulent, and then I went into labor, which was incredibly exhausting. I finally gave birth to my daughter. My body was so damaged that I could never have another child.

Hu spent three months in postpartum confinement, feeling sickly and listless. People outside thought that giving birth to twins had taken a toll on her health!

Liu Yue didn't even tell his parents the truth about this matter.

The elderly couple were overjoyed to see the twins, one boy and one girl, and each of them held one... a huge reward.

This further angered Mrs. Hu.

Li Jing himself was still a young boy, and he was often away from the capital. Even Granny Zhao couldn't get her hands on the Liu family.

Liu Yue had to maintain his image as a playboy, and he also had a lot on his plate. Therefore, none of them noticed that Madam Hu was treating Liu Nian very badly…

Even something as small as changing one's expression or showing indifference.

The punishment ranges from mild to severe, including reprimands and reprimands.

So badly that... the servants treated them harshly.

These two foolish men only realized the seriousness of the problem when Hu set up a scheme to openly "disappear" Liu Nian, while secretly having her taken away by human traffickers.

Fortunately, Li Jing was in the capital at the time, and it took the sacrifice of several undercover agents to rescue the person.

In a fit of rage, he beat Liu Yue severely and almost killed Hu Shi.

That was also the first time Liu Yue lost his temper with Hu Shi, and he even almost divorced her. After a long argument, the matter was eventually resolved with the intervention of both sets of parents, but from then on, a rift developed between the two of them.

After that, Hu no longer needed to interfere with anything concerning Liu Nian.

But children don't understand. Liu Nian didn't understand why his mother disliked him so much. He was timid, cowardly, and sensitive. He would carefully try to please everyone around him.

Thinking of this... Li Jing felt a pang of pain in her heart. Originally, she wanted to tell Liu Nian his identity when he turned twelve, or when she could have more control over him.

But seeing his fake smile... I hardened my heart and told him when he was seven years old.

This child… Li Jing finally smiled: He is indeed his elder brother’s son!
Upon hearing this news, the seven-year-old boy underwent a dramatic change! His personality instantly became cheerful and tolerant.

He said that although he was not Hu's biological son, and although Hu's mother did not know the truth, she still took the risk of raising him.

Therefore, he felt only gratitude towards the Liu family and the Hu family, and had no resentment towards them.

"Sir, how are things on your end?" When Liu Yue spoke seriously, he lost his frivolousness and became quite steady.

"The major events are settled, and there will be at least eight to ten years of peace. However, that matter... no matter how much we investigate, there's still no progress."

"Many years have passed, and many people and things have perished. Now that you've returned, has the Emperor made any arrangements...?"

"Tomorrow, I will officially attend court, and there should be an explanation!" Li Jing said indifferently.

In truth, he couldn't quite explain his father-son relationship with the emperor.

If you say the Emperor had no affection for him, he was, after all, the Emperor's only legitimate son. For so many years, he had led troops on campaigns, and the Emperor hadn't interfered too much… at least not openly. Of course, as the Emperor, he would have kept a watchful eye on him.

But if we're talking about feelings...

When Li Zhen provoked his elder brother and he beat him up, the deep-seated hatred and disgust in his father's eyes were still clear.

Finally, a series of tragedies occurred, and the emperor not only lost his first wife and eldest son, but also two of the people he loved most. No one knows what that hatred, defeat, and helplessness had brewed for so many years as the emperor.

Although Liu Yue did not attend court and only held a sinecure in the Censorate, he controlled several of Qi Wang's intelligence networks and also had his old fox father, so he should not be underestimated in any aspect.

"In the past two years, the Emperor has delegated a lot of power to people like the Grand Secretaries, who now have much more to do. In addition, the Crown Prince is assisting in the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works, and recently he has also taken charge of the Ministry of Personnel. In the past two years, he has done a commendable job. Although he has not achieved any outstanding results, he has been very steady. However, he has not interfered in the Ministry of War. The Grand Secretary said that he will not easily dabble in it until the very last moment."

"Hmm, perhaps they're afraid of being too sharp..."

"But the Ninth Prince is in the Imperial Guard, and he's a close confidant of the Crown Prince. So, it can't be said that he has nothing at all!"

"And the Prince of Yong'an is doing quite well in the Ministry of Revenue..."

"The Prince of Yong'an?" Li Jing was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, the Emperor treats him very well. A simple investigation over the years reveals that he has quite a few businesses, including Yuanlong Silver Shop, casinos, and water transport. He has dabbled in all sorts of things! He has always been very filial to the Emperor. In years of disaster, he provides grain and silver. The Emperor is very satisfied with everything he does."

“I haven’t paid much attention to him…” Li Jing pondered for a moment.

"You're back. Is the show about to start?" Liu Yue poured tea.

"Now that things are settled over there, it's natural to come back and take care of things here!"

"Hmm, it's almost done cooking. Any later and the food will be all gone."

Li Jing pinched her brow: "However, we are still lacking something... The Crown Prince's temperament and way of doing things are very much like the Empress."

"There are no problems with the Empress either. As for the Jiang family, her eldest brother is doing very well," Liu Yue asked.

"Yes, there's no flaw! I'm thinking, maybe we should let Dongfang come back early and stir things up."

Liu Yue laughed and said, "Princess Yu'an has really kicked a hornet's nest."

"Yes! A cowardly, timid girl who hides and hides, even less capable than a palace maid. She finally became the most dazzling princess thanks to her mother's status! But she doesn't cherish it and wants everything! She brings shame upon herself!"

"Yu'an... In the first two years, she found two lovers! She kept it a secret, no one outside knew!" Liu Yue chuckled mischievously.

“This is a normal need, isn’t it…” Li Jing made no attempt to hide his contempt.

"However, things seem much more stable these past two years. I once suspected that she was secretly having an affair with some shady character. I kept an eye on her for a while, but didn't find anything. When will Dongfang return?"

He really misses that guy who looks like a monster.

"When it's time to come back, it will naturally come back..."

(End of this chapter)