The mountain has trees, and the trees have seventy-five branches that stretch down to the ground.

  "Halt." Empress Lü ordered, stretching out her hand, slightly leaning forward, her face anxious and flustered.

  "What's wrong, Mother?" Liu Ying asked with a hint of a smile.

  "Delayed for so long," Lü Zhi's expression changed, and she finally gritted her teeth and said, "This wine has gone cold. The Empress Dowager will have someone warm it up for you; drinking it then won't harm your body." She signaled to Su Mo beside her.

  "The Empress Dowager is right." Liu Ying put down his wine cup. The palace maid changed to warm clear wine, and after drinking, it was a warm and mellow heat. Liu Ying picked up the exquisite dishes and tasted them, seeing the attendants pouring wine beside him, so he drank another cup himself. "Indeed, it's suitable for the lungs." He praised, "Thanks to the Empress Dowager's efforts..."

  Lv Wei forced a smile, her face dark and gloomy.

  It was easy to finish dinner, and Liu Ying took Ruyi down.

  "This child." In the Longxing Hall, Lü Zhi overturned the case table in front of her, and the crystal clear wine cups and dishes crashed to the ground. She said resentfully, "After all, I'm still doing it for him. But he's opposing me instead."

  She breathed a sigh of relief, stroking her chest and sat down, "Fortunately, he didn't drink that cup of wine. Otherwise, otherwise..."

  Su Mo sent the heavenly carriage far away to Weiyang Palace, quietly collecting the scattered eunuchs in the palace, and smiling as he entered the hall, "I should congratulate the Empress Dowager."

  "What's there to be so happy about?" Lü Zhi was greatly annoyed.

  "Your Majesty is filial and respectful, especially towards the Empress Dowager. Isn't that something to be congratulated about?"

  "Ying'er is indeed filial." Lü Yu's expression slightly eased, but then she suddenly said with hatred, "But he not only treats me with filial piety, but also unreasonably protects that little rabbit of Qi Yi's."

  The soft candlelight shone on Su Mo's upturned face, and he smiled silently. "Your Majesty is indeed a gentle person. For him, being filial to the Empress Dowager and friendly to King Zhao is just the natural way of being human. There's no distinction."

  Gentleness is a unified thing. It's like this for mothers. It's also like this for younger brothers.

  "It's still Su Mo who can talk," After thinking through this point, Lv Wei's face finally looked better, with a hint of a smile, she glanced at her and said, "Yinger can't always be watching that Liu Ruyi, I'll order someone to keep an eye on him, and eventually catch him when he's alone, then deal with him."

  Out of Chang Le, walking on the overlapping road connecting the two palaces, Ziyi let out a long sigh. Only then did she relax.

  "Good-for-nothing thing." The emperor entered the Weiyang Palace, in the bedroom, Liu Ying changed into casual clothes and threw over a white jade tiger-shaped pillow, saying "Are you scared to this extent?"

  "The empress dowager is the emperor's sister, your mother," she didn't want your life. "You wouldn't be afraid." Ruyi had also washed away the dust of the journey and knelt on the couch, her eyelashes thick and shiny as she looked down. "Imperial brother," he hesitated, "do I really have to sleep with you?"

  Isn't this bad?

  He is still young and has not yet reached the age of understanding the joys of men and women. It's just that I didn't expect that in this Weiyang Palace, there are many lovesick imperial concubines and palace maids waiting for the young emperor's favor. Silently gritting her silver teeth, she also vaguely felt that it wasn't quite right, just like the former Emperor who didn't have the habit of sleeping with his brothers and ministers every day.

  "Cut the nonsense." After a while in the dark night, Liu Xian replied, "Aren't you afraid in your heart? We brothers can sleep with our feet together and rest assured."

  "Hehe." Ruo Yi couldn't help but smile, and said in a soft voice, "A Yan also told me this before, to follow Emperor Gege, wherever you eat, I'll eat; wherever you sleep, I'll follow and sleep. Not one step can be taken away from your side."

  "Ah Yan?" Liu Ying was taken aback for a moment, "When did you see her?"

  "It was on this return trip to Beijing, passing through Xuanping County."

  They had laughed unscrupulously in the Changle Palace, at that time, Changle was his home where he could do anything without worrying, and the spring flowers were bright. Now, the hometown of the past has become a giant python that winds up its body, opening its big mouth to stare at itself, waiting for itself to be careless and swallow itself whole.

  Perhaps he was really tired from the journey, and slept very soundly at night. On the second day, when Liu Jing woke him up, he was still dazed, "It's still early, let me sleep a little longer, Father Emperor."

  Suddenly a thought struck him and he remembered his current situation. He opened his eyes to see Liu Ying's slightly dim gaze.

  "Get up." Liu Ying was already dressed in her exercise clothes and said lightly, "It's getting late."

  He didn't dare to shirk, hastily got up, washed and dressed under the service of the palace staff. When he walked out of the palace, he glanced at the sky and asked in surprise, "It's just past the hour of Mao, the sky has just brightened, is the court session so early?"

  Liu Ying took the copper sword handed over by the palace staff, "The court meeting is not so early, but I have developed a habit since I was in Luoyang Han Palace. I get up at dawn to practice my sword for a while before doing other things."

  Ru Yi's face changed color several times, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty doesn't mean that I have to get up early with you every day in Chang'an, does it?"

  "Really?" Liu Ying smiled and said.

  A sorrowful howl echoed through the air.

  He was born lazy, spoiled since childhood. Later, although slightly disappointed, in Handan he was the only one who was great, no one came to manage himself, every day was sleeping until 8 o'clock (equivalent to 8 am) before getting up. Now, this is simply too difficult for him.

  Languidly sitting on the corridor, below, Liu Ying had already practiced a set of sword moves, sweating profusely. After taking over the towel handed up by the inner attendant and wiping himself clean, he said, "Have my and Zhao Wang's breakfast sent here to eat."

  Breakfast was just four or five small dishes with millet porridge, after which he followed Liu Ying to the front hall for an audience. He sat on one side of the east wing and saw some of his father's former ministers who had also seen before. They were now even older, chattering about so-called state affairs, such as where the country was suffering from disasters, where taxes were insufficient, which minister was old and wanted to retire... He felt dizzy and secretly glanced at his imperial brother, seeing that he was in a state of concentration, listening intently, and couldn't help but admire him.

  After a while, Liu Ying walked over and said with a smile, "Everyone has left, are you still sleeping here?" Only then did he suddenly wake up with a start, rub his eyes and ask. "Hearing these things every day, doesn't the Emperor brother feel annoyed?"

  "Troublesome?" Liu Ying was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Someone has to do this. Since I've already become the emperor, it's only natural that I'll have to take on some troubles. The affairs of the world need someone to manage them; if I don't do it, who will?"

  His words struck a chord in my heart. In the past, I watched as Father Emperor ruled with an iron fist, laughing and scolding, seemingly doing nothing, yet the world gradually became peaceful and prosperous. I thought being an emperor was a lofty and supreme thing, until I myself sat on this throne and realized that emperors also have their own rules. Those invisible threads bind you tightly to the throne, not allowing you to truly be unrestrained.

  "That," Ru Yi couldn't help but say, "being an emperor is also quite tiring."

  "Hmm." Liu Ying smiled and nodded, "These days the national affairs are busy, I have no leisure time. For now, let's have Ruyi stay in Weiyang Palace with her brother for a few days. After a while, I'll take you to Shanglin Park for a hunt, how about that?"

  "It's all right." Ruyi smiled and nodded, seeing Liu Ying get up to leave, she knelt down and grabbed his sleeve, "Imperial Brother," she said hastily and in a low voice.

  "If my brother said that he never had any intention of competing with you for the throne back then, would you believe him?"

  Liu Ying's figure paused for a moment.

  He turned back and smiled as he stroked Ruyi's hair, "I believe you."

  He said, his eyes warm with kindness.

  "For this whole month, has the Emperor really never left Zhao Wang's side?" Lü Zhi angrily asked in the Chang Le Palace.

  "It seems so from the news coming from the Weiyang Palace." Su Mo said in a low voice.

  "Good. Good, my good son indeed." Lü Zhi's anger turned to laughter as she spoke viciously, "I don't believe it's really impossible to find an opportunity. When Your Majesty is with your concubines, surely you won't let your own brother watch from the side?"

  "This..." Su Mo's expression was hesitant.

  "Empress, you also know that His Majesty has never been particular about women. She spoke in a very low voice as she walked, "For the past month, he and Zhao Wang have shared food and bed, and haven't even visited the other consorts or palace maids."

  "Good, good," Lü Zhi laughed even more happily, "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, a great Han ruler. It's just that I, as the empress dowager, am too narrow-minded." She spoke with resentment, "Now Rong Yi, that cheap woman in Yongzhao, will also laugh at me. Even raising a child doesn't make her considerate of others. That child doesn't think about it either - if Liu Ruoyi had succeeded in usurping the throne back then, would he have dared to be so arrogant towards him today?"

  The sky is faintly bright.

  "Alright, get up." Liu Ying changed into a hunting outfit and said excitedly, "Although we can't go to the Shanglin Garden for now, there are also some small birds and beasts in the palace. Today is a rest day, I don't have to attend court, and I made an appointment with Eighth Brother this morning to go hunting. Hurry up and get up, or he'll be waiting anxiously."

  "No." He had been dragged out of bed for a whole month, and his temper had also accumulated. Adding to that, Empress Lü had not made any moves for so many days, he gradually let down his guard and became lazy, "If you want to go see Emperor brother, you can go yourself, today the sky is falling, I just want to continue sleeping."

  Liu Ying made a great effort, but couldn't lift up Ruyi who was throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child. Seeing that she was really struggling, her heart softened slightly, thinking that it would only take half an hour's time, and by the time Empress Dowager in Changle Palace received the news, she should have already returned, so nothing should go wrong. She said, "If you want to sleep, then sleep, we'll have breakfast together when I get back."

  Ru Yi nodded vaguely, and suddenly the voice of Zhang Yan's reminder on her way to Beijing seemed to echo in her ears, "You must not be lazy, follow the emperor uncle closely, eat what he eats, sleep where he sleeps. When he goes hunting, you have to go with him, in short, don't leave his side for a step." Like a splash of cold water on her head, she immediately woke up.

  "I'll go with you," he said.

  Liu Ying was slightly surprised, but didn't ask further. Smiling, she said, "Alright. Hurry up, I'll wait for you outside."

  After all, children are like this. Once they start running around, they become spirited and lively. Liu Ying shot a few wild geese and rabbits, then smiled and retreated to the side to drink water and rest, watching as Ruyi and Prince Huainan Liu Chang's two younger brothers rode horses in the grass field, recklessly galloping about, chasing chickens and rabbits, with the chickens flying and dogs jumping around in a chaotic commotion, feeling carefree and exhilarated.

  "I'm done too." Ruyi, who was sweating profusely, ran over and took a big cup of cool water from the palace servant, saying, "It's only early summer, but it's already so hot. I'm drenched in sweat all over." She took a round fan from the palace servant's hand and fanned herself vigorously.

  "Ah," Liu Ying gazed at the fan in his hand and hesitated for a moment before calling out to him.

  "What's wrong?" Yu asked curiously.

  "It's nothing." Liu Ying smiled and stood up, saying, "Look at the sky, it's getting late. We should head back too, I'll go call Eighth Brother to come back."

  After he left, Zhang Jianguo raised his head and complained, "Which careless palace staff brought this round fan out? It's really muddled, is this something that can be taken out?"

  Ru Yi stretched out her hand and weighed the round fan in her palm, puzzled, "What's so special about this fan?"

  Ah, I really want to hug and rub against you.

  Apart from Pink Tickets