Golden Branch

Chapter 443 Sadness and Joy
Lou Yu raised his head and met the prince's calm yet hopeful gaze.

He knew that the prince not only wanted him to take Xiao Dalang to work in the Ministry of Personnel, but more importantly, he wanted him to teach Xiao Dalang.

Just like what the prince did back then, he used the excuse of carrying out his duties as an excuse, but in fact he was "teaching by words and deeds".

"It seems the rumors in the capital about the Eastern Palace are true. Little Dalang has indeed become so corrupted that even renowned teachers like the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor are helpless against him!"

Lou Yu thought to himself.

He is weighing the pros and cons of the matter.

Xiao Dalang's current situation is somewhat difficult and even dangerous.

A little carelessness can lead to disaster.

If he took on this task, he, Lou Yu, and the entire Duke of Qi's Mansion would be tied to Xiao Dalang.

Being in the same boat, if Xiao Dalang has something wrong, Lou Yu will also be implicated.

Of course, risks and opportunities coexist.

If Xiao Dalang becomes the crown prince, or even sits on the supreme throne one day, Lou Yu will be able to move up another level.

There are still differences between the emperor's confidants.

Lou Yu was convinced that if the prince ascended the throne, he would be the most trusted minister under the throne.

However, if the crown prince, whom he personally raised, succeeds to the throne, his power and honor will reach its peak.

Second to none and above ten thousand?
more than!

Think about the former Grand Chancellor, he was a real powerful official who could interfere with the succession of the throne!
Lou Yu's heartbeat couldn't help but quicken and quicken again!

The hand hidden in the sleeve was twisting slightly, but when the fingers touched the thumb, the red line engraved into the flesh woke him up.

"I am deeply honored by your kindness. However, your status is noble, and I am not very talented or well-educated. I have just joined the Ministry of Personnel, and I am afraid that I will not be able to handle the complicated matters..."

Lou Yu politely declined.

The prince waved his hand, "Han Zhang is too modest! Although you are young and inexperienced, you are a rare pillar of society!"

"Looking at the entire court, you are the one I trust the most!"

"Han Zhang, don't worry. I've entrusted Xiao Dalang to you, so I trust you. Just focus on training him."

The prince thought Lou Yu was concerned about Xiao Dalang's status and was not willing to discipline him seriously, so he made a promise directly.

The child is in your hands, so you have the final say!
Whether it’s beating or scolding, as long as it’s for the good of the child, please feel free to do so!

Lou Yu bowed, "Your Highness, I am deeply grateful for your trust. But—"

The Crown Prince waved his hand, interrupting Lou Yu. "No, that's not all! Hanzhang, when I left for Yizhou, your father came to visit me before I left. Although he didn't say it directly, he implied a request."

"The beloved son of his parents has far-reaching plans."

"The Duke of Anguo yesterday is like the orphan today!"

Having said that, the prince looked at Lou Yu with a pleading look in his eyes.

At this moment, he is not the crown prince of a country, but a father.

Lou Yu stared at the prince, his expression a little dazed.

I don’t know what words touched him, but a gleam of water flashed in his smart and charming fox eyes.

He quickly lowered his head. After a few breaths, he folded his clothes and bowed solemnly: "I obey your command!"

The atmosphere was a bit solemn, but Lou Yu finally agreed.

He did not pat his chest and make promises, but the prince felt his sincerity.

It turns out that the children you raised yourself are so caring!
I can feel at ease now that Xiao Dalang is left to him!

The prince suppressed the itch in his throat, forced a smile, and changed his words to a lighter tone: "By the way, are Langya and the child okay?"

"According to the time, the baby should be six months old. Has he been named yet?"

When asked about his wife and daughter, Lou Yu's expression relaxed.

He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, everything is fine. Anan is six months old and has not yet been named!"

"Oh, is that so? I'd like to give the little girl a name, would you?"

There was a touch of intimacy in the prince's tone.

Lou Yu quickly prostrated himself once more, "I am honored that Your Highness has bestowed upon me a name! On behalf of Anan, I kneel to thank Your Highness for your grace!"

The prince pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "How about the name Ying?"

"She is beautiful and graceful, with a gentle and mellow face."

Lou Yu subconsciously mentioned an allusion, his eyes full of joy: "Your Highness, the word 'Ying' is excellent!"

Even though "Ying" has the meaning of "full" or "surplus", Lou Yu pretended not to know it.

Ying, to his daughter, only means plump and complete.

With them by his side, nothing bad will happen to Anan's life!
……

Lou Yu went to the Eastern Palace, and Wang Heng was not idle either.

She went to the Wang residence.

Old Mrs. Xie is in trouble. As a filial granddaughter, she must make her presence felt.

"Grandma, don't worry. I've invited Master Li to take your pulse."

Wang Heng was guarding the bedside, and was not frightened by the sight of Madam Xie's old and thin appearance.

There is no way. Even with careful care, the reality cannot be changed even if the patient is bedridden for years.

Mrs. Xie had already become extremely thin, with sunken cheeks and almost no flesh on her body.

It was like a layer of old skin, clinging loosely to the bones, like a living skeleton.

In addition to being morbidly and extremely thin, Mrs. Xie also had an unpleasant smell.

It smells like medicine, or like old age, or maybe both, mixed together.

In short, the smell is very unpleasant and has a faint smell of death.

Wang Heng, who loves cleanliness by nature and cannot tolerate even the slightest bit of filth, seemed not to smell it at this moment.

She looked normal, with concern in her eyes, and her words sounded like those of a truly pure and filial granddaughter.

"Ah! Ahh!"

Mrs. Xie suffered a stroke for several years and also suffered the pain of losing her son.

Even with a miracle doctor like Li Mingtang, there is still no miracle.

Especially in the last one or two years, perhaps she couldn't bear it any longer, or perhaps she was really old, Mrs. Xie became more and more like a candle that was about to go out.

Her life entered the countdown.

But she doesn't want to die!
Even if she looks like a living dead, even if it seems like she is "suffering" to outsiders, she is willing to endure it this way.

Mrs. Xie had complicated feelings towards Wang Heng, her adopted granddaughter whom she had once abandoned.

There was disgust, guilt, dissatisfaction, and hope... Madam Xie was not stupid. She was a scheming person and could see that Wang Heng had no feelings for her and only treated her as a tool.

What an unfilial thing, he has no admiration or respect for his elders at all.

However, Madam Xie had to be thankful that she was still useful to Wang Heng!

Otherwise, given Wang Heng's status as Princess Langya, she would have many ways to kill an old woman who was bedridden.

Tools are just tools, at least they can keep you alive.

Unfortunately, even though Mrs. Xie had come to terms with it, she couldn't change "God's will" -

She is going to die!
"No! No!"

His mouth was a little crooked, and disgusting saliva was flowing from the corners of his mouth.

Mrs. Xie had too many things she was unwilling to accept, but unfortunately she couldn't express them and could only utter vague syllables.

Wang Heng took a handkerchief and wiped Madam Xie's face herself. "Grandma, I know you're worried about the Wang family! You're worried about Erlang and the others!"

"Don't worry, even though I'm married, I'll still take care of the family."

"I will also take good care of Erlang, Shi Niang and the others."

"The Wang family of Yizhou will surely restore the glory of our ancestors."

Whether intentionally or not, Wang Heng didn't mention the Langya Wang clan, but instead kept referring to the Yizhou Wang clan. When Madam Xie heard the words "Yizhou," her cloudy old eyes seemed to recall something, and a flicker of fear flashed across her face, distorted by a stroke. "Ah! Ah ah!"

Rioters!

They are all rioters!

They surrounded Wang's Fort and were about to rush in, kill and plunder.

The centuries-old foundation of the Wang family of Langya is about to be destroyed.

No!

This must not be the case!
As the daughter of Xie and the clan leader of Wang, she must protect the Wang family.

"Uh, uh!"

Jiang is just a woman, but if she can help the Wang family out of their predicament, she will have made a contribution to the Wang family.

"Ah! Ah!"

what?
Jiang had become a noble concubine, the most favored of the six harems... It was her! She had murdered Amian!

Perhaps she was really going to die. Mrs. Xie's mind began to flash back to everything that had happened in the past.

The past destitution, the fear of troubled times, the humiliation suffered by the Wang family after forcing their son to offer up his wife, and the many "misfortunes" that the Wang family suffered after the Jiang family came to power.

The orthodoxy of the Wang family of Langya, which had persisted for one or two hundred years, was gone and became the ridiculous Wang family of Yizhou.

The Wang family's fortress, sacrificial fields, etc. were all handed over to the Wang family in the southern border by the unfilial daughter Wang Jiu.

And there is the death of Wang Lin...Wow, my A Lin, you died so tragically!
"Grandma! Grandma! What's wrong with you? Someone, come, quickly call Dr. Li!"

When Wang Heng saw Madam Xie, her eyes first widened, and then her face turned crazy. She used the action of supporting Madam Xie to secretly feel Madam Xie's pulse.

The pulse is very bad!

She, it's done for!

Wang Heng's face showed only worry and panic, without any joy that "the old hag is finally dead".

She called out repeatedly, fearing that she might delay her elder's treatment.

Li Mingtang was invited in soon.

She glanced at Madam Xie, who was "reappearing in her last moments of life", and then looked at Wang Heng.

Wang Heng was already wiping away tears, and the image of a filial granddaughter was so vivid.

Li Mingtang understood and raised his hand to pick up the silver needle.

With a few swishes, the silver needle accurately penetrated the acupuncture point, and the tail end swayed gently.

Mrs. Xie suddenly became quiet and fell into a coma.

"...Princess, I have done my best. However, your Madam has been seriously ill for a long time, and even the gods cannot save her!"

Li Mingtang apologized and said that she could not save Madam Xie and could only barely maintain her life for a few days.

How many days?

enough!
Wang Heng was very satisfied.

As long as I don’t die today, it’s fine!

She had just returned to Beijing, which was a happy event. If Old Lady Xie died suddenly, wouldn't it be unlucky!
"Thank you, Master Li. Grandma has been seriously ill in bed and has suffered for years. Now, she can finally be free!"

Wang Heng felt sad but also somewhat relieved.

It seems that they have been able to accept the departure of their loved ones and are relieved that their loved ones are free from suffering.

"Please help me, Master, so that the old lady can suffer as little as possible!"

Wang Heng continued to act without revealing any flaws.

As Wang Heng's best friend, Li Mingtang would naturally not sabotage her.

She pretended to write a prescription, and Wang Heng ordered people to prepare and boil the medicine.

After the medicine was ready, she personally fed it to Madam Xie.

If the person has fainted and cannot drink the medicine on his own, then force him to drink it!

A bowl of medicine, half spilled and half poured in.

Mrs. Xie was already sick and in a miserable state, and the medicine stains on her clothes and bedding made her look even more miserable.

However, although it is only half the dose, it still has a certain effect.

Mrs. Xie's breathing became noticeably calmer.

But she never woke up, and she never opened her eyes until she died!
……

After personally feeding her grandmother the medicine, Wang Heng instructed the servants to wipe and change Madam Xie's clothes.

After being busy for half a day, Wang Heng finally came out of the main dormitory.

When they reached the main hall, Wang Heng called the housekeeper, maids, etc.

After asking about all the major and minor affairs of the Wang residence in the past year or two, and giving instructions to everyone, it was already dark outside.

Wang Heng did not leave immediately. She called several of her brothers and sisters over and told them to take good care of their grandmother and themselves before she got up.

Wang Erlang and his half brothers and half sisters respectfully escorted Wang Heng all the way to the second gate, watched her get on the carriage, and watched the carriage slowly drive away before turning around and returning to their own courtyard.

Mrs. Xie is about to die, and the Wang family will enter a new stage!

Wang Erlang didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but he only stuck to one thing: trust his sister and listen to her!
……

After returning to the Duke's Mansion, Wang Heng first went to the bathroom to wash and change clothes.

After spending half a day at Madam Xie's bedside, Wang Heng felt as if she was being suffocated by the foul odor.

The bathroom that Wang Heng expanded was not just a place for washing and using the toilet, it also had a large bathtub.

After soaking in the bathtub and washing herself thoroughly from head to toe, Wang Heng smelled herself again and again and found no strange smell. Only then was she satisfied.

She let the servant change her into clean home clothes and returned to the bedroom with wet hair.

The maid brought the fumigation cage and used a cotton towel to gently wring out Wang Heng's hair.

Wang Heng leaned against the fumigation cage. It was September and the air began to feel cold in the morning and evening.

However, it is not too cold, so it is not appropriate to use heating equipment such as fire walls directly.

A simple smoking cage is enough!
"Mr. Lang is back!"

Wang Heng's hair was half wet and half dry when the voices of servants came from the corridor outside the door.

Wang Heng didn't move and continued to be lazy.

Lou Yu strode in and saw Wang Heng leaning against the fumigation cage.

He changed into casual clothes, walked closer, and raised his hand to take the cotton towel from the maid.

"Brother, does His Highness have any instructions?"

Wang Heng tilted her head, letting Lou Yu twist her hair while asking curiously.

"...His Highness has handed Xiao Dalang over to me!"

Lou Yu wiped Wang Heng's hair, which was as smooth as black satin, with great concentration.

Wang Heng's hair is very long, reaching her lower back.

Her hair is thick, black and lush, which is not only due to her innate kidney water, but also the result of careful care in her later years.

Every day, insist on combing your hair three thousand times, fully massaging your scalp, and supplementing it with essential oils and other maintenance methods.

Years of care have given her long, black hair.

Lou Yu rubbed it gently, and inserted his fingers into the hair to slowly massage the scalp.

"Also, our Anan has a name."

Lou Yu lowered his head and whispered softly into Wang Heng's ear, "Ying! Lou Ying!"

Wang Heng opened her eyes wide and looked at Lou Yu intently: "Ying? A full one is Ying?"

When it is full, it will be lost!
"No! It's 'March is waxing in waxing'."

Lou Yu corrected them, saying that their daughter would only become more perfect.

Wang Heng looked into Lou Yu's eyes, and Lou Yu nodded slowly: Don't worry, I will definitely protect Anan and make him happy for the rest of his life...