Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 210 Farewell to Luoyang

Although he had expected it, Li Xianzhen's head still went blank when he heard Wu Zetian announce the verdict.

He had been summoned to Luoyang since the beginning of the rebellion of the imperial clan, but Wu Zetian did not announce it earlier or later. Instead, she waited until the court officials recommended his younger brother to be the crown prince before announcing that he would be the crown prince. What this meant was almost self-evident.

Perhaps I really am not Wu Zetian's biological son.

Thinking of the grievances, cold treatment, and suspicions I had suffered over the years, the despair in Bazhou, the forbearance in Luoyang... all the images churned in my mind, eventually turning into an uncontrollable grief and indignation.

Li Xian's voice also carried a hint of genuine accusation: "Your Majesty! Your subject Li Xian has a memorial to present!"

Li Xian's sudden outburst silenced the court officials who were preparing to shout "Long live the Emperor!"

They then realized that a prince, qualified to be the crown prince, was standing in the main hall.

All eyes turned to Li Xian.

All eyes are on you.

Li Xian shouted again, "Your Majesty! Your subject Li Xian has something to report!"

Li Xian stepped out from the procession. He didn't even kneel down; he just stood straight below the imperial steps, looking up at Wu Zetian, who was high above him.

"Your Majesty! The selection of an heir is a matter of great importance to the nation, and I should not have any objection to it!"
"However, I only have one question: you are both your sons, so why did my younger brother waste several years in Fangzhou, yet upon returning to Luoyang he was able to enter the Eastern Palace? While I, since returning from Bazhou, have been cautious in my words and deeds, self-disciplined and devoted to public service, daring not to slack off in the slightest, why do you, Your Majesty and the other officials, not even have the slightest chance?!"

His words, though not directly attacking Li Xian, were filled with venomous intent, pointing directly at Wu Zetian's favoritism.

Li Xian knew in his heart that this was just a play.

Liu Jianjun made him fight for it so that he could act out this drama of fighting for something he couldn't get.

It was to pave the way for future northward expansion.

but……

He still harbored resentment.

At this moment, the "struggle" has nothing to do with Liu Jianjun's mission.

Since you know you can't win by fighting for it, you might as well fight for it with all your might, so that you can... truly give up.

His face was pale, but his eyes were faintly red. His chest rose and fell slightly, and his voice carried an accusation that had been suppressed for too long and could no longer be endured.

Li Xian's sudden outburst and his startling question silenced the court officials instantly. Everyone stared at him in astonishment, as if they did not recognize the Prince of Pei, who had always presented himself as gentle and submissive.

Even Di Renjie and the others looked surprised, seemingly not expecting Li Xian to erupt in such a violent way.

Li Xian was so frightened that he trembled all over and subconsciously wanted to speak.

At that moment, Wu Zetian's face also darkened instantly.

"Li Xian!"

A furious shout caused all the officials to turn their gazes away and look tremblingly at the ground beneath their feet.

This was the first time Li Xian had faced Wu Zetian's wrath so directly.

"My son is here!"

"My choice of who to appoint as crown prince is a matter of my own judgment and the needs of the nation! Why should I explain it to you?! Xian'er is benevolent and the people's choice is right. You are here roaring in the court, questioning me. Do you still have any respect for your sovereign and father?! Do you still have any respect for the law?!"

"Your subject naturally regards your sovereign and father, and the law!"

Li Xian seemed to have gone all out, and his voice became steady, carrying a calm as if his heart had turned to ashes: "Precisely because I have the emperor and father in my heart, I cannot understand! Your Majesty often teaches us to be fraternal and respectful to our brothers, and to be loyal to the country! I ask myself, I have never failed Your Majesty, I have never failed Wu Zhou! Why... why is it always me who is abandoned?!"

His last sentence was almost a scream.

His inner reason told him that this behavior was unwise, and if he was not careful, he might not even be able to keep his current title of Prince of Pei.

But he felt so wronged.

Yes, I may not be Wu Zetian's biological son, but I have called her "mother" for so many years. In name, in terms of patriarchal law, and in terms of etiquette, I am Wu Zetian's biological son. Even if Wu Zetian is only my stepmother, she shouldn't treat me so badly, right?

Empress Ma, the wife of Emperor Ming of Han, adopted Liu Da, the son of Consort Jia, as her stepson. However, she still treated him as her own son, doing her best to raise and educate him with great love.

Although Empress Dowager Wang was not the biological mother of Emperor Xuan of Han, nor the biological mother of Crown Prince Liu Shi, she still took good care of the non-biological Crown Prince Liu Shi after becoming Empress and then Empress Dowager, treating him as her own son.

But why is Wu Zetian like this?

Li Xian stared directly at Wu Zetian on the dragon throne.

This was extremely rude behavior, but at this moment, Li Xian only wanted to ask one question: why?

even if...

Wu Zetian openly declared in court that it was acceptable for her not to be his biological son.

Wu Zetian was momentarily speechless at his direct question, a fleeting, complex emotion flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper anger.

"presumptuous!"

Wu Zetian slammed her hand on the imperial desk, her voice echoing throughout the palace. "Li Xian, are you accusing me of unfairness?! I'm letting you off the hook because of your past hard work! But if you dare to spout nonsense again, don't blame me for disregarding our mother-son relationship! Get out!"

But at this moment.

"Report!"

A hurried report came from afar, and a Ministry of War official, holding an urgent military report adorned with a red feather, staggered into the hall, knelt down with a thud, and shouted breathlessly, "Your Majesty! Urgent military news! Urgent report from the Andong Protectorate! Goryeo, in alliance with the Mohe tribes, has launched a major invasion, capturing several cities and besieging Xincheng! General Xue Ne is fighting fiercely and is requesting the court to send troops to its aid immediately!"

This sudden border alarm, like a thunderclap, instantly diverted everyone's attention and temporarily broke the tense stalemate between Li Xian and Wu Zetian.

The courtiers were in an uproar and began discussing the urgent military situation in the northern frontier.

Li Xian breathed a slight sigh of relief and calmed down a bit.

He was secretly annoyed that he was too "emotional." He wished he could be as calm as Liu Jianjun.

After a brief moment of regaining his composure, Li Xian took a deep breath, as if suppressing all his grievances, resentment, and anger, and spoke again: "Your Majesty..."

His voice silenced the previously noisy hall once again.

Everyone looked at him, wondering what this Prince Pei, who had just experienced the pain of "losing his throne," still wanted to do.

Li Xian slowly straightened up, tidied his clothes which were somewhat disheveled from excitement, faced Wu Zetian, and solemnly bowed: "Your subject Li Xian requests permission to go north! I am willing to go to the front of the Andong army, serve on the battlefield, and atone for my crimes with meritorious service! I do not seek power or position, nor do I covet empty fame, but only ask to use this crippled body to protect the borders of my Wu Zhou and to display the prestige of our country to the world!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request permission!"

"Wow!"

As soon as Li Xian uttered these words, the court officials were once again in an uproar.

A prince who had never led an army before actually volunteered to fight against Goryeo?

But soon, some people guessed Li Xian's "true intention" behind this move.

This is a disheartened prince.

His request to join the army was not for war, but simply to get away from the court and this place of sorrow.

Everyone instinctively looked towards Wu Zetian on the dragon throne.

Li Xian's voice still echoed in the main hall.

Wu Zetian didn't speak, but lowered her eyes slightly and calmly looked at Li Xian.

Although the court of Wu Zhou was mostly filled with sycophants, after a brief silence, most people understood Li Xian's "intention" and subconsciously looked at him with some sympathy.

The court was quiet. Li Xian and Wu Zetian were still staring at each other, but their eyes had inevitably become filled with fear.

The pressure of facing Wuhan is immense, especially given Wuhan's current dominance.

Finally, Wu Zetian spoke slowly, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Granted."

Just one word made Li Xian's tense heartstrings suddenly relax, followed by a feeling of emptiness and despondency.

As expected, she...did not try to stop her at all.

"Prince Li Xian of Pei".

Wu Zetian continued, her voice regaining the composure of an emperor: "Since you have the heart to serve your country, I will give you the opportunity to gain experience."

"Li Xian is hereby appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Grain and Weapon Transport for Andong Circuit, to assist in the transfer of the army's grain and supplies, land reclamation, and inspection of military equipment, under the command of Xue Ne. I expect you to perform your duties diligently and not fail my expectations. Take up your post immediately and do not make any mistakes!"

Deputy Commissioner in Charge of Grain Transport and Machinery!

Upon hearing this official title, many ministers' eyes flashed with understanding and even deeper pity.

This was hardly the position of a military commander; he was merely a junior officer responsible for logistics and accounting, with limited authority, low rank, and far removed from the core decision-making process on the battlefield.

His Majesty clearly doesn't want Prince Pei to have any military power, and he's not even willing to give him more opportunities to fight on the front lines, completely marginalizing him.

But Li Xian felt nothing.

Once they reach the north, they will have completed the task assigned by Liu Jianjun. "Your subject..." Li Xian bowed, his voice calm and even, "I accept the imperial decree and express my gratitude!"

He stood up, no longer looking at his high and mighty mother, nor at the court officials with their varied expressions, and ignoring Li Xian's hesitant gaze.

He turned around and, with unusually steady steps, walked step by step towards the gate of the Ziwei Palace, a symbol of power and constraint.

The morning sun shone in from outside the palace gates, slightly dazzling. Li Xian did not turn around, but used his sleeve to shield his eyes from the sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted, he strode out.

No one behind him dared to stop him; even Wu Zetian simply watched him leave with a calm gaze.

Li Xian walked out of Chengtian Gate and out of that majestic royal building complex.

Suddenly, I felt much more at ease.

He couldn't describe the feeling. It was as if he had been living a repressive and restrictive life, but at this moment, some kind of constraint, some kind of shackle that bound him, had been broken.

He looked up at the northern sky, where the clouds were thick.

He suddenly wanted to reach out and touch that cloud.

"My wise son!"

A familiar voice called out from not far away.

Li Xian looked down from the clouds in surprise and saw Liu Jianjun's dark face... No, Li Xian felt that dark might just be his stereotype. Since coming to Chang'an and Luoyang, Liu Jianjun had been exposed to less wind and sun, and his skin could no longer be considered dark; at most, it was a healthy tan.

Of course, it's still quite a distance from having fair skin.

However, Li Xian felt that having too fair skin wasn't a good thing either, just like the Zhang brothers, whose genders were almost indistinguishable.

Li Xian shifted his gaze from Liu Jianjun and then subconsciously looked at the imperial city gate behind him.

Why did Liu Jianjun end up here?

Turning around again, Liu Jianjun had already jogged over, taking three steps at a time. He grinned, patted himself on the shoulder, and said, "I knew you were probably feeling down right now, so I came to pick you up."

Li Xian was taken aback, and then explained somewhat embarrassedly, "I... I don't feel bad about anything, didn't we already agree on everything..."

"laugh!"

Liu Jianjun chuckled and walked over to Li Xian, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Li Xian then realized that Liu Jianjun had grown to be as tall as him.

"Alright, stop staring at the sky. Come on, let me show you around Luoyang to relax. It won't be easy to see such prosperity when you go to the Northern Frontier."

Li Xian was pulled forward by him, and subconsciously said, "The Empress Mother has appointed me as the Deputy Commissioner of Grain Transport..."

"Let's not talk about official business," Liu Jianjun interrupted rudely.

Li Xian shrugged and smiled, obediently following behind Liu Jianjun.

Leaving the solemn and majestic palace area, the hustle and bustle of people and the atmosphere of daily life immediately come into view.

Luoyang in the early morning seems to be just waking up.

The restaurants along the street were already open, and the rising steam, carrying the aroma of noodles and soup, filled the cool air.

It was only then that Li Xian realized that although he had been in Luoyang for a long time, his impression of the city was still based on his time as the crown prince.

Just like this street in front of him, Li Xian's only memory of it was that when he walked to the end, there would be the canal wharf on the Luo River, where many huge canal boats were moored on the shore.

But I have no recollection of the street itself.

At that moment, in front of them, a stall owner dressed as a foreigner was skillfully taking golden-brown, fragrant sesame cakes out of the tandoor oven, calling out in Mandarin with an exotic accent: "Freshly baked sesame cakes! Three coins each!"

At a nearby stall selling mutton offal soup, several soldiers who had just finished their shift were gathered around. They held large, rough earthenware bowls, squatted by the roadside, and slurped up the piping hot, thick soup, talking about going to visit the brothel later.

Li Xian also noticed that a soldier glanced at him, immediately fell silent, and then nudged his companion next to him with his shoulder. The soldiers immediately turned their backs to him with their bowls, pretending not to have seen him.

"Stop looking. You're dressed in a prince's robe. These people just got off work. Who would want to see you? If they don't see you, they don't need to bow," Liu Jianjun muttered under his breath.

Li Xian chuckled to himself.

As they were talking, Liu Jianjun had already dragged Li Xian into a clothing shop. The shopkeeper was about to bow deeply when he saw Li Xian, but Liu Jianjun grabbed him and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any suitable everyday clothes here?"

As he spoke, he gestured with his mouth towards Li Xian.

The shopkeeper immediately put on a respectful yet slightly apprehensive smile: "Yes, yes, yes! Your presence is an honor to our humble shop! This...this young man is tall and has an extraordinary bearing. I have a few newly arrived round-necked robes here, made of the finest cotton. They are comfortable and crisp to wear, just right for the moment."

He didn't dare to look Li Xian directly in the eye, but instead bent over and deftly took down an indigo blue round-necked robe and a pair of matching trousers from the shelf, and handed them over with both hands.

"Fine cotton?" Li Xian was somewhat surprised.

Nowadays, almost all cotton products on the market come from Chang'an's cotton ecological park. Does this mean that Chang'an's business has actually spread to Luoyang?

Liu Jianjun wasn't surprised at all. He whispered, "The cotton ecological park has developed very quickly in the past two years. We'll talk about the specifics when we get back to Chang'an. You should change your clothes first."

Upon hearing this, Li Xian stopped asking questions, took the clothes, and walked towards the inner room as directed by the shopkeeper.

When he lifted the curtain and came out, Liu Jianjun was leaning against the door frame. He looked him up and down a few times, then grinned and said, "Hey! Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. After this change, you finally look like an ordinary person you can go shopping with! Not bad, not bad, you look like a handsome young man!"

Li Xian gave him a disapproving look.

He's clearly a young man, but he always acts like he's mature beyond his years.

Then, Liu Jianjun brought over another package, tossed it to Li Xian, and said, "Take the old clothes with you, let's continue shopping!"

……

They continued walking after leaving the clothing store.

Liu Jianjun stopped in front of a steamed cake stall, familiar with the place, took out a few copper coins, bought two steaming hot cakes topped with red dates, and handed one to Li Xian: "Try it, this old man's steamed cakes are made with real old yeast, sweet but not greasy."

Li Xian took it; it was warm to the touch.

He imitated Liu Jianjun, carefully took a bite, and the soft, sweet taste melted in his mouth, seemingly dispelling some of the chill in his heart.

A peddler selling rouge and face powder, carrying a shoulder pole and shaking a rattle drum, passed by them, singing a folk tune, which made several young maids cover their mouths and giggle, and then gather around to pick out their products.

Liu Jianjun also pretended to join in.

When the maids saw Liu Jianjun eating steamed cakes, they seemed to want the smell of the food to spoil the fragrance of their cosmetics, so they instinctively avoided him. But Liu Jianjun was thick-skinned and said, "The steamed cakes sold by that old man over there are very fragrant and won't spoil the taste. You should try them if you don't believe me!"

Immediately, a maid with a slightly chubby face looked hesitant and turned to look at the steamed cake stall in front of Li Xian.

Li Xian grabbed the steamed cake and put a bite into his mouth.

The chubby-cheeked maidservant swallowed unconsciously, but when she realized it was a bit impolite, she blushed and looked away.

Li Xian chuckled to himself, feeling much better.

They continued walking, passing an alleyway where they saw several young children playing hopscotch, their silvery laughter clear and melodious. An old man sat on his doorstep, slowly repairing an old wooden clog in the morning light, with wisps of steam rising from the rough earthenware bowl beside him.

If you walk any further, you will reach the canal wharf on the Luo River that Li Xian remembers.

Huge cargo ships were moored at the shore, and bare-chested boatmen and porters were unloading sacks of grain and bundles of cloth from the ships, carrying them on their bronze backs and trudging heavily to the granaries on the shore. The supervising officials held ledgers and loudly counted the quantities, occasionally scolding those who were slow.

After crossing the pier, you enter the southern part of the city.

The place was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder.

The shop assistants at the silk store had already taken down the door panels and displayed bolts of brightly colored brocade and gauze, attracting some well-dressed ladies to stop and choose.

The sounds of hammering and clanging filled the gold and silver shop as craftsmen intently crafted exquisite jewelry.

Li Xian watched all of this silently.

What he saw was the most authentic and vibrant human life: people busy for food, struggling for a living, rejoicing over small pleasures, and worrying about everyday matters.

There was no scheming and plotting in the imperial court, no fear of power struggles, and no chilling estrangement and suspicion between mother and son, or between ruler and subject.

The people here may talk about politics and care about border wars, but more often than not, their joys and sorrows are tied to this small piece of land in front of them, to their daily meals, and to the well-being of their families.

"see it?"

Liu Jianjun's voice rang in my ears, carrying his unique, worldly-wise sarcasm: "In Luoyang, the sun will still rise no matter who's gone. The life-or-death struggles in the palace are probably less important to these little brats selling flatbread, carrying heavy loads, or playing hopscotch than whether they can earn a few more coins today or have an extra piece of meat on the dinner table."

Li Xian didn't speak, but slowly chewed the remaining steamed cake in his mouth, his gaze sweeping over the lively faces, over the rising smoke, and over the bluestone path worn smooth by footsteps.

The resentment, grievance, and indignation in his heart seemed to be gradually washed away and diluted in the noisy yet simple atmosphere of the city.

He was still the Prince of Pei, abandoned by Wu Zetian, but now, standing on the bustling streets of Luoyang, he suddenly felt that his identity and his obsession were no longer the sole burden that was suffocating him.

“Let’s go,” Liu Jianjun seemed to see Li Xian’s relief, patted him on the back and said, “Go back and pack your bags, return to Chang’an, and then go to the northern frontier.”

……

(End of this chapter)