Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 102 My son has lost weight!

In the seventh year of Guanghe, on February 11th, the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects)
The Awakening of Insects occurs at the beginning of the Mao month.

Mao means to emerge, which means to grow.

The day of Jingzhe is also the time when all things return to spring. It is an auspicious day for the prince to return to the court.

On this day, the spring breeze carried the scent of moist earth, the wild cherry blossoms by the roadside bloomed with tiny white flowers, and the new buds of the weeping willows were covered with lingering morning dew.

The frozen Luo River began to loosen, and the crisp sound of the ice floes colliding mixed with the rhythm of military drums startled the wild geese nesting in the reeds.

Outside the east gate of the east center of Luoyang City, Emperor Liu Hong and Empress He stood under a feather canopy. This couple, who were physically together but spiritually estranged yet still connected, rarely had the same goal and the same thing, which was to welcome their son, the Crown Prince, who was the regent of the Han Dynasty, back to the court.

Empress He, dressed in her lavish attire, looked noble and elegant, her expression dignified. She glanced at Liu Hong, who stood on tiptoe from time to time, gazing into the distance with a slightly frown. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and she snorted with a hint of pride, "My son Bian'er has achieved such an unprecedented feat. I wonder who was so short-sighted as to think that my son was not like him."

Liu Hong was stunned when he heard this, and subconsciously opened his mouth to refute, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly closed them, and his face turned pale and blue.

Empress He's words were both a scolding and a compliment to him, and it was hard to refute. He could only curl his lips helplessly.

He scolded him for being short-sighted, and hinted that Liu Bian was the son who was most like his father. Since his son was so brave and wise, wasn't "a son who is like his father" a compliment to him?
Although Liu Hong is now a bad man and indulges in sensual pleasures all day long, when he first came to power, he was also very courageous and decisive. He was eager to draw his sword and lead troops. He kidnapped Empress Dowager Dou and arrested Dou Wu and Chen Fan. Otherwise, how could he have won the love of such a proud woman as Empress He.

Liu Hong noticed that Empress He wanted to ease the relationship with him, but he didn't say anything. He just raised his chin slightly, hummed an unknown tune, and tapped the ground with his toes unconsciously, and continued to wait.

The Emperor and the Empress will go out of the city to welcome the Crown Prince and the army in person, and all officials will follow them.

Moreover, no matter who actually led the army, it was nominally the prince who led the army himself, and the retainers promoted by the prince also achieved countless victories in this battle.

The reason why the word "family" is added to the name of a retainer is because retainers and their masters share weal and woe, and they prosper and suffer together.

The prince's retainers served as his minions, distinguished themselves on the battlefield and made great contributions, and the prince's power naturally grew stronger.

Even if some people still took a cold and indifferent attitude towards the prince's personal expedition, they had to wait here respectfully, with a solemn expression and standing with their hands hanging down.

On the official road where the remaining snow had melted, 60,000 Han troops rolled across the early spring fields like an iron stream, with flags bordered with black ink fluttering in the wind. The red dragon patterns on the flags were faintly visible in the morning light, like a prairie fire sweeping across the newly green wheat fields.

The prince was dressed in golden armor and a red cloak, and the red Ferghana horse under his crotch crushed the stones on the roadside. Behind him, the three thousand Yulin cavalrymen were wearing iron armor and shining in the sun. The sound of their iron hooves hitting the ground was like thunder, shaking the weeping willows on the roadside so that they shook off their catkins like broken jade.

"Your Highness, this place is still fifteen miles away from the Middle East Gate."

Hearing Lu Zhi's reminder, Liu Bian nodded slightly, but still stopped his horse on the slope and looked back at the army. He saw a long dragon-like army formation winding to the sky.

The iron shields of the heavily armored infantry were like scales, and the cold edges of their spears and halberds pierced the mist; the red feathers of the Yulin cavalry formed a cloud of fire, and the white mist spewed out by their war horses blended with the morning mist; there were also dozens of crossbows and siege vehicles covered with oilcloth that followed the army, their wooden wheels rolling over the thawed loess, leaving deep ruts.

When they were ten miles outside the city, Liu Bian ordered an army of more than 40,000 men from good families to camp outside the city. Officials from the Secretariat had already rushed to the outside of the city and sent people to prepare tents, wine, meat and food for the army.

The army returned to the capital, but not all of its troops could follow the commander-in-chief to meet the emperor or welcome the royal army on behalf of the emperor. Even if they approached Luoyang City without authorization, they would be immediately considered to be treasonous.

Usually, the commander-in-chief would lead the generals and personal guards to the outside of the city gate to accept the emperor's welcome ceremony. Otherwise, what would happen if the army had ulterior motives and kidnapped the emperor?

Even though Liu Bian was the crown prince, he still had to abide by certain rules. However, the 13,000-man army—the 6,000 men from the five schools of the Northern Army, the 3,000 men from the Yulin Left and Right Cavalry, the 2,000 men from the Huben Imperial Guard, and the 2,000 men from the Crown Prince's Palace Guard—could not only accompany the crown prince to the city gates for an audience with the emperor and empress, but also serve as imperial guards and accompany him back to the palace.

Seeing the crown prince's banner appear in sight, Liu Hong seemed to feel a little uncomfortable due to the cool breeze. He coughed violently a few times, raised his right hand, covered his mouth with his sleeve, then lowered his arm. His eyes lit up and he shouted in a low voice: "Here it comes."

Empress He nodded her head slightly, and her eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly widened, her eyes filled with joy and excitement.

She had already seen the big banner without Liu Hong's reminder. From that moment on, her thoughts turned from the person beside her to her son, who she gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy. The corners of her mouth rose unconsciously, but a trace of tears flashed in her eyes.

Finally came back.

A mother worries about her son even when he is thousands of miles away, let alone when he is going to the battlefield himself. She heard that her son had even personally commanded on the battlefield many times, which made her often worried and unable to sleep.

A hundred paces from the Central East Gate, Liu Bian yanked the reins, and the Ferghana horse beneath him leaped high with its front hooves, neighed loudly, and landed steadily. Liu Bian quickly dismounted and, accompanied by the five commanders of the Northern Army and a number of officials from the Crown Prince's residence, hurried to the front of Liu Hong and Empress He.

"Your son greets the Emperor, Father, and the Empress, Mother!"

Just as Liu Bian was about to bow to salute, Empress He had already stepped forward quickly, stretched out her hands, and pressed Liu Bian's shoulders, her face full of pity.

Behind him, the retainers of the Crown Prince's Mansion bowed in unison, shouting, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you, Your Majesty! We pay our respects to the Queen!"

"No gift!"

Liu Hong subconsciously straightened his back and shouted loudly with a bit of majesty in his voice. Then a eunuch from the Yellow Gate repeated the word "no need for formalities".

Empress He didn't care about all this. She quickly got off the sedan chair with rapid steps. Her formal dress was decorated with stringed pearls. The hem of her skirt brushed against the spring grass covered with morning dew, bringing up a cloud of crystal water droplets. She couldn't help but embrace Liu Bian in her arms, holding him tightly with her arms, as if she was afraid that he would leave again.

But this was a formal occasion after all. Reluctantly, Empress He let go of her son. With slightly trembling hands, she reached out and gently stroked Liu Bian's cheek. Her fingertips shuddered as they touched the visibly roughened face. Her eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up in them as she said, "My son has become thinner and darker."

Although all the ministers felt that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was much healthier than before he went to war, maternal love was sometimes unreasonable.

In the eyes of Empress He, her mother, her son must have lost weight because of his hard work.

Faced with Empress He's deep maternal love, Liu Bian's eyes reddened slightly, and his longing for his mother, Empress He, surged in his chest.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect.

Maybe Queen He was not a good queen, but she was definitely a good mother to Liu Bian.

But at this moment, he had to suppress his ardent affection for the time being, slightly turned sideways, and softly reminded: "Mother, all the officials and soldiers are watching us.

If it were in the past, Queen He would have frowned and responded capriciously, "So what? I am the queen."

But now, Empress He seemed to have realized something and nodded slightly, as if she had put her old palace fighting mentality and wisdom into proper use. She wiped the tears from her eyes, took a deep breath, said no more, and her expression became dignified again.

(2271 words)
(End of this chapter)