EMPRESS LIU

~THIRTEEN~

The Liu ship reached the port city on time. The father and son deboarded and were leaving the port when Liu Changsheng was tackled and hugged furiously.

"Hey, you couldn't wait one day for me?"

The person saying that was the only person Liu Changsheng could call a friend. Jing Xuanyu. The third and uncared for son of the noble household. His two older brothers both went to war for the emperor. One went missing and one's dead body came back. So they just put aside the third son not caring for him at all.

That is how their friendship came into picture. Liu Changsheng was pampered too much and Jing Xuanyu wasn't pampered at all. These two men's only unlikely similarity was that both of them wanted to break free of whatever life they were in. Which brought them closer.

But the Liu Changsheng that became friends with him was gone. But the affection he held for his best friend was still there.

"Xuanyu ah, when will you grow up?"

Third young master Jing made a face. "Didn't we promise we would never grow up?" He pats Liu Changsheng's shoulder a little too hard and looks at him up and down. "You look tanned."

"No I don't." The fifth son of Liu shakes his head with his best friend's behaviour.

Jing Xuanyu comes closer to Liu Changsheng and whispers into his ears so that the other bearers and the old Liu does not hear him. "I have news for you. Take xiao su and come to our usual place today afternoon." And just like that, he left.

"That boy is way too carefree. But it suits him." Liu Huahua comes and stands behind his youngest son. Seeing Liu Changsheng look at him with questioning eyes, he just smiles and nods at him.

After all the goods and earnings were brought to the Liu house treasury, father Liu sat in his study to manage accounts with his first son. While looking at the revenue he was reminded of what Shengsheng had said. To act accordingly as the voyage goes.

Liu Changsheng came back home after a short trip from the Fu Lian Canting meeting Hua Feng and checking things about concubine Li. He heard father was in the study, managing accounts with first brother. He had this urge to go and tell his father what to do, but he wanted to trust his father. He did what he needed to do. Now his father will do what he can.

Liu Changsheng was initially going to his room to rest, but then he changed course and started going to his mother's tea pavilion. In this time, in the afternoon, his mother and sister-in-law would normally drink tea there. So he thought he could just go and meet them and maybe have some talk over tea.

He knew he was missing something when he was on the way to the pavilion and he was proven right by the maid at the entrance.

"Young master, you cannot enter the pavilion without permission. Lady Ming is inside with the furen too."

Liu Changsheng felt like facepalming himself, because how could he forget that. He wasn't sixteen anymore. He has turned seventeen and he cannot enter the female's quarter without the furen, meaning his mother's permission. He sighs and orders the young maid to inform his mother.

"Go send word to the furen that the third young master would like to have tea with her and sister-in-law."

He remembered when was the last time he had to wait for permission like this in front of his mother's quarter.

It was right after his father's funeral services were finished. The Xiang wang didn't let him come to the funeral but right when got permission after finishing his punishment of confinement, he rushed to his maternal house. He was devastated and waited on the ground in front of his mother's quarter kneeling the whole afternoon. But his mother never opened the door. Never again.

Every time he came here his mother never met him, much less talk to him. Every time he knelt in front of the entrance the whole day and then went back to the fourth prince's palace at the Eunuch's urging. Right now it all feels like a deja vu. Except this time the door opened and the presence that never showed herself in front of him in his last life was standing there with a smile on her face and a maid in tow.

"A-Sheng!" She was happy to see her son. She was smiling. Because nothing from the last life happened, yet.

"A-niang."

"I thought you'd be resting in your quarter after such a long journey. Are you feeling tired, son?" The old mistress of the house ushered her son into the pavilion and towards the canopy by the side of a pond. Tea was being served by a young girl with the supervision of an old maid. Xiao Lu. The gossiping maid of their house who later in her life acted as an informer for the fourth prince. He needed to remove this girl from the inner house somehow, he thought.

"Third young master, how was the voyage? Did you enjoy it?" His sister-in-law looked at him with curious eyes. His da sao was quite an intelligent and vigilant lady with a strong martial core. She acted as the pillar of the inner house at times.

"I did enjoy it, sister-in-law." He bows to pay respect to her. Part of it for being the strong lady she was. And part of it just to show respect.

The afternoon turned into a laid-back afternoon again with occasional talks about the voyage and Lingshui. When Lady Ming all of a sudden pulled up the conversation of the second young master's marriage.

"Xiao Zhang er is turning twenty-one next month. I think what Ming er says is true. We should think about his marriage, yes."

Liu Changsheng was shocked at this sudden turn of events. He thought, was he accidentally in the conversation that changed a major factor in the Liu family? He thought if he should interface with this? Because even though lady Dao's entrance into this family wasn't fetal but it did affect a lot of things to turn out how it did. Also if Xiao Lu does end up as lady Dao's maid as she did it wasn't going to turn out well.

"Forgive my interruption, mother but we still have to think about er jie. She's turning nineteen in four months too."

"Aye. Dui le." The furen looks awakened, as if she forgot about her second daughter. "This mother is getting old ah. I'm being more and more forgetful these days."

"Don't say it like that, mother. What da sao says is also an important matter. Why don't you look for both of their suitors at the same time?"

He remembered this was the time when he attended the court gathering for the people and caught the attention of the emperor. And then after three months in the autumn the emperor's eunuch himself came bearing the decree that Liu Changsheng was to become the wangfei of the fourth prince. But that wasn't important right now. What's important was he would let his mother take his second elder sister to the court gathering and find a suitor for her and maybe luckily a lady would catch his mother's attention.

"Mother, why don't you take er jie and er ge to the court gathering this month? Maybe you'll find someone among the nobles who would catch jie's eyes."

Lady Ming was looking at Liu Changsheng all this while with curious and questioning eyes. But in that instant it all cleared. She looks at her mother-in-law and with a smile she exclaims.

"Why don't you take the third young master with you too, mother?"

So yeah! That's it about the chapter.... So mystery is brewing.... There are a lot of characters and I know it's kinda hard to keep up but please understand... It'll all be cleared out in the end....

Also I'm kinda trying to fall back into routine and just had to wash my hair! But I'm so sure I'm gonna catch a cold.... Which I don't want to! But yeah you know what I mean!

Now, Liu Changsheng is interfaring on lot of things but in his mind thinking if should interfare or not.... He's confused okay? Because he's young! Just seventeen...

Let's hope he finds his way....

So that's it for today! Hope you enjoy....
All the love
C 💕

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