Chapter 87
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Chapter 87:
Liang Yongyuan was puzzled, as if he couldn’t quite understand what she was saying, because even to himself, the idea of "being able to be an emperor" seemed unbelievable.
Li Chunzhou held Liang Yongyuan’s thin chin in her hand, looking down at his shocked face, suddenly paused, wondering if telling him about the future would change the course of history? Would it be better not to interfere with his life…?
But since she had already talked to Liang Yongyuan, Li Chunzhou had no intention of erasing his memory, and the fact that Liang Yongyuan would remember her in the future meant that she had always existed on this timeline.
"Let it be," Li Chunzhou thought.
She looked at Liang Yongyuan, who still looked puzzled, and patted his head, saying, "Go back and rest well. I’ll be around this tree, you can come anytime, but first, take care of your illness."
Reluctantly, Liang Yongyuan obediently left, looking back three times as he walked away.
Watching him leave, Li Chunzhou silently asked Li Zhexuan in her heart, "How much longer until we can go back?"
[Traveling through time requires a lot of energy. It could take three to five years if fast, or ten years if slow.]
Li Chunzhou stared for a moment, holding the fish tank in her hand as she drifted back to the tree, trapping the ceramic jar and the Jian Hou inside it in the tree. She propped her chin lazily, wishing that three to five years of time could pass in the blink of an eye.
It was from this day that Li Chunzhou began to interfere in Liang Yongyuan’s life.
Although Liang Yongyuan was an unpopular prince, he received ten silver coins each month as pocket money. This money would be half taken by his nurse every month for safekeeping.
With the remaining five silver coins, Liang Yongyuan often used them to buy outside food for himself.
In Daliang, all underage princes and princesses were strictly restricted from going out. They usually resided in Chonghua Palace and required special permission to leave the palace.
Liang Yongyuan did not actively seek to spend money on good food outside the palace. It was a clever young eunuch who brought him pastries from outside to eat, which made Liang Yongyuan aware of the possibility.
He found the food a bit addictive, but the eunuchs who went outside to buy supplies couldn’t just give him pastries for free. So Liang Yongyuan started using his monthly salary to buy various delicacies, spending all his five silver coins on them for several consecutive months.
Li Chunzhou immediately understood that this was obviously a "supply chain." The pastries Liang Yongyuan first tasted were like bait to make him spend money. Every person around Liang Yongyuan was trying in every possible way to take money from him.
Liang Yongyuan just received his monthly salary from his employer, and he eagerly gave the money to the young servant to buy some pies. He felt very happy all day long because of this and kept talking about sharing the pies with Li Chunzhou.
Li Chunzhou smiled but didn’t say anything. When the young servant returned, he indeed brought a pie, but it had already gone cold.
Li Chunzhou looked down and whispered to Liang Yongyuan beside her, so that others couldn’t hear, "Ask him why the pie he bought is cold."
Liang Yongyuan obediently followed Li Chunzhou’s words and asked. The young servant smoothly replied, "Your Highness, the pies sold outside are originally cold."
"Oh, I see." Liang Yongyuan nodded as if he understood, and ate the cold pie in confusion.
The young servant, seeing that he was easily fooled, bowed and said, "Your Highness, the price of pies has gone up. They now cost two silver coins each, up from one silver coin."
Liang Yongyuan was shocked and quickly asked with a look of worry, "So, does that mean I can only eat two pies a month from now on?"
The young servant smiled and said, "Not two, but three. I am willing to cover the cost of one silver coin for you."
Liang Yongyuan looked very grateful and was about to thank him. Li Chunzhou, who was listening nearby, nearly burst out laughing. The pies outside cost only two coins each, so with one silver coin, he could buy five hundred pies! This young servant was greedy and lazy, raising the price of the pies from one to two silver coins each, trying to make more money easily. But Liang Yongyuan was unaware of this and thought it was a good deal.
Li Chunzhou smiled slyly and said to Liang Yongyuan, "Don’t thank him yet, just follow my lead."
Liang Yongyuan instinctively turned to look at her but stopped himself, only repeating Li Chunzhou’s words.
"I am pleased with you, what is your name?"
The young eunuch immediately smiled brightly and said, "My name is Xiaofuzi."
"I’m asking for your full name. I heard the Seventh Prince is about to leave the palace and needs a new steward in his manor. It’s a great opportunity, and I can put in a good word for you."
After hesitating for a moment, the young eunuch finally revealed his full name, "My full name is Chen Haifu."
"Alright, Chen Haifu, you are on duty at the Imperial Garden, right? You must know how much silver you have deceived from me, right?!"
The young eunuch looked up in shock, unable to believe Liang Yongyuan’s words.
Liang Yongyuan instinctively tried to step back, but Li Chunzhou stood behind him, supporting his shoulder, stopping him from moving back, and continued speaking:
"Originally, the master just wanted to see how brave you all were by playing a prank on you, but it looks like you’ve really crossed the line!"
Li Chunzhou knew that mentioning Liang Yongyuan’s identity didn’t have much power, so she said:
"Tomorrow, the king will come to Chonghua Palace to inspect our work. By that time, the master will tell the king all about this fun little incident, so the king can see how you servants usually deceive and abuse your power!"
"I wonder if these few pieces of silver are enough to buy your life!?"
Hearing this, the young eunuch could no longer bear the fear in his heart, and immediately knelt down to Liang Yongyuan, begging for mercy.
Li Chunzhou knew that Liang Yongyuan’s biggest reliance was his identity. No matter how his half-brothers bullied him, as long as there was royal blood flowing through Liang Yongyuan’s veins, the palace servants wouldn’t be able to bully him.
When the young eunuch’s pleading was almost over, Li Chunzhou whispered in Liang Yongyuan’s ear, "Tell him this: the master doesn’t want the money back all at once. Since he’s taken the money, he should bring some new interesting things every day. When he’s spent all the dirty money, then he can be let off."
The young eunuch immediately expressed his gratitude, at least on the surface. However, Li Chunzhou still felt it wasn’t enough and threatened:
"Your name is ‘Chen Haifuk’, isn’t it? I remember your name and face. Even if your accomplices can escape, you can’t… Now, go away."
Liang Yongyuan didn’t understand what was happening until it was over, but from that day on, he could eat hot things every day, not just flatbread, but also various packaged meats, preserved fruits, and fish dishes…
So Liang Yongyuan looked at Li Chunzhou with even more admiration, and he obeyed her every word. Li Chunzhou told him to go east, and he never went west; she told him to chase away the dogs, and he never chased after the chickens.
Li Chunzhou also tried to make Liang Yongyuan read books and practice martial arts, but Liang Yongyuan was a slow child, he couldn’t keep it up, and he wasn’t very smart. The only good thing about him might be that he was obedient and had a good temper.
To help such a child win favor, one had to take a shortcut.
In the spring, all sorts of flowers in the palace bloomed brightly. Every mid-spring, the palace maids would place vases on the beams, windows, and walls of the palace to arrange flowers.
The palace flower arrangement was done by a dedicated team in charge of flowers. They were a special institution in the palace. They would also provide various tools such as gold and silver scissors, cutting knives, and jade vases for the flowers. The basic method of arranging flowers in the palace was to cut the flower branches with gold and silver scissors, place the flowers in a coordinating blue and white porcelain vase, add a suitable base, and it would be pleasing to the eye just by placing it aside.
Li Chunzhou observed that the person in the palace who loved flowers the most was the current empress dowager. The Cining Palace of the empress dowager was almost adorned with flowers everywhere, even the arches and steps were not left out. However, the styles brought by the flower artisans were too restrained and traditional, not bright enough, at least not according to Li Chunzhou’s taste.
Li Chunzhou stood on the path in the Imperial Garden, instructing Liang Yongyuan how to pick and arrange flowers by himself. On her shoulder sat a black cat, transformed from Li Zhexuan.
After Liang Yongyuan gathered a handful of fresh flowers, Li Chunzhou squatted down, lifted his stained little hand to look at it, but she didn’t wipe it off. She wanted to keep these marks to prove that Liang Yongyuan picked the flowers himself, and to show how neglectful the people around him were.
Li Chunzhou patiently said to Liang Yongyuan, "You don’t have a birth mother, so you should get close to the Queen Mother. No matter what, she is your elder female. You are thin and fragile, she won’t ignore you. Remember, show some vulnerability and dependence, older women like clingy children."
Liang Yongyuan still looked a bit scared, "But I don’t know the Queen Mother well, I don’t know how to please her…"
"Don’t overthink it, just remember she’s your grandmother, go." She finished speaking and gave Liang Yongyuan a push, watching him run towards the Cining Palace.
"Meow~ Meow meow…" Li Zhexuan softly meowed on her shoulder, his tail lightly brushing against Li Chunzhou’s skin.
Even though he didn’t speak human language, Li Chunzhou could understand Li Zhexuan’s meaning directly. She held the black cat under his armpits with both hands, lifted him off her shoulder, and said, "By helping him, I’m also helping ourselves. If he doesn’t become emperor, will you still be born? Will the future timeline be the same as what we’ve experienced? So everything must stay the same…he must become emperor."
Li Zhexuan is a all-black cat, with only a pair of round jade-colored eyes. When he closes his eyes at night, he completely disappears. Unlike the human form, he is now a chubby cat, so he looks silly and has no aggressive behavior.
The reason he changed like this is because Li Zhexuan sensed that Li Chunzhou liked cats like this, and as he wished, Li Chunzhou seemed to like him even more than before.
"Meow meow…" Li Zhexuan raised his voice, meowing softly in a cute manner. His shiny black tail wrapped around Li Chunzhou’s wrist, showing a hint of possessiveness.
Li Chunzhou nuzzled him with her nose, then picked a few flowers that Liang Yongyuan had picked, placed them in the fish tank, and sat on the old oak tree waiting for Liang Yongyuan to return.
Liang Yongyuan ran back just before sunset, his cheeks all red in a rare moment of happiness. Li Chunzhou watched him quietly, knowing that the plan was probably successful.
"Lady Chun, the Empress Dowager wants me to accompany her for meals again next time!" Liang Yongyuan excitedly shared his joy with Li Chunzhou. Li Chunzhou calmly listened, occasionally nodding. When Liang Yongyuan finished babbling, she took out some flowers she had picked in advance and gave them to him, saying, "Take them back to your room to keep. This way, you’ll know when the flowers you gave out will wither, making it easier for you to promptly send new ones to the Empress Dowager."
Liang Yongyuan seemed to understand vaguely, then Li Chunzhou asked, "Did the Empress Dowager mention when she wants you to accompany her for a meal again?"
"It seems like the day after tomorrow."
"Alright, then it’s the day after tomorrow. If Liang Yonghan bullies you again, just say to him like this…" Li Chunzhou whispered into Liang Yongyuan’s ear, rapidly saying a few sentences.
After Liang Yongyuan listened, he looked troubled, kept silent, lowered his head, and didn’t speak, not sure if he was unwilling or just too scared to do as suggested.
Seeing his reaction, Li Chunzhou pondered for a moment, then said unapologetically, "You are too gentle and reluctant to do things that might upset others, because you fear being hated, right?"
"However, Ahu," her voice carried a hint of persuasion and temptation, "only insignificant people can manage to avoid being hated."
No matter what environment one lives in, resources are limited, there is give and take, and it’s impossible to achieve something without affecting someone else’s interests.
Liang Yongyuan couldn’t look directly at Li Chunzhou’s eyes, he hesitated and said, "But this is not good, we can’t do this…"
Li Chunzhou understood what he meant, but still didn’t see any problem with her actions. She had seen many women fighting since she was young. Sometimes girls in the building fought each other, sometimes married men secretly visited brothels and when their wives found out, they would come and fight, mostly targeting the girls in the building rather than the men visiting the brothels.
Based on what Li Chunzhou observed, the most common word they used to attack each other during fights was "shameless."
This word was used in many situations. It was used by wives when fighting the girls in the building, by girls fighting each other, and sometimes even against men from humble backgrounds who were trying to climb up in society.
Because this word implied that a person must work hard, not caring about their dignity, even using questionable means, in order to get what they want.
Because being "undignified" was disliked by everyone.
The societal norms in Daliang were quite conservative, valuing duty, diligence, staying in one’s place, and waiting for destiny to favor them. So the noble families looked down on ambitious poor students who studied hard.
Women faced stricter restrictions. Men pursuing achievements and success were seen as ambitious and resourceful, but if women pursued the same, they were immediately branded as vain and ruthless.
Both these regulations, imposed on scholars and women, were essentially ways for the higher-ups to suppress the lower-ranked individuals to prevent them from achieving things that did not originally belong to them, thus safeguarding the interests of the privileged.
Li Chunzhou lived vainly for so many years, while Liang Yongyuan’s innocence and hesitation made her look cold and heartless. Li Chunzhou looked down at Liang Yongyuan without saying anything.
She didn’t deny Liang Yongyuan’s words, but she didn’t think she was wrong either. This was how Li Sanchun taught her: go after what you want directly, whether it’s with women or men. Li Chunzhou was never constrained by a good reputation and she wasn’t afraid of competition.
Her vitality lay in her fearlessness and her determination to achieve her ambitions and will, no matter what others thought of her.
Even in the toughest situations, she would push through and find a way out, showcasing an impressive resilience.
After listening to Liang Yongyuan, Li Chunzhou didn’t try to persuade him. Instead, she casually said, "If you don’t want to, then forget it. Go back, Ahu."
Since personally killing Liang Changfeng, Li Chunzhou became more like him. Like Liang Changfeng, she had a desire to control other people’s lives, but unlike him, Li Chunzhou was gentle and didn’t force others to follow her ways.
Liang Yongyuan didn’t want to follow the path she had set, but Li Chunzhou wasn’t angry. Instead, it was Liang Yongyuan who nervously watched her, then left with a heavy heart after confirming that Li Chunzhou wasn’t mad.
Li Chunzhou floated back to the tree, resting her chin on her hand as she watched his figure recede.
People in a weaker position tend to have a strong moral need, just like Liang Yongyuan. Throughout his life, he continuously faced bullying and rejection, with no pride in himself. Over time, he sincerely believed his only strength was being "honest and kind," thus placing his entire life on it.
Instead of being afraid of competition, he was more afraid of failing in competition. Because by then, he would even lose the virtue of "honesty and kindness," becoming a completely worthless and unlikeable person.
Li Chunzhou thought Liang Yongyuan’s sulking would last for two or three days, but to her surprise, the next afternoon, Liang Yongyuan came to her in tears. Li Chunzhou didn’t even need to ask what happened, just by seeing him covered in mud and dust, she could tell he had been bullied by Liang Yonghan again.
Li Chunzhou didn’t encourage or gloat, nor did she say anything like, "See, I knew this would happen." She simply gently wiped away the tears the size of beans on Liang Yongyuan’s face without saying a word.
Liang Yonghan bothering Liang Yongyuan this time was probably different from previous times when he was unwilling. Before, it was because Liang Yongyuan was weak and easy to bully, so Liang Yonghan teased him. This time, it was probably because Liang Yongyuan took a step forward, showed his face in front of the queen, and Liang Yonghan didn’t like it.
"Sob Lady Chun, 17th Prince… wouldn’t let me… see the Empress Dowager, he said, or else… he would hit me… what should I do?"
Li Chunzhou smiled gently. She knew Liang Yongyuan must have realized his weakness but couldn’t change it. To please Liang Yonghan, he had to give up seeing the Empress Dowager. Liang Yongyuan surely didn’t want to leave the only person who had shown him kindness, but he also didn’t want to continue being bullied by Liang Yonghan. Helplessly, he cried in Li Chunzhou’s arms.
Li Chunzhou suddenly lifted his head and said word by word, "I’ll tell you, the best way to overcome fear is to face it directly, be prepared for the worst, including failure, and then live courageously and openly!"