Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 62 : Family Background

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Li Jianheng never spoke of his birth mother to anyone else, because the topic was his sore spot. His birth mother of the Yue Clan did not have an imperial concubine title and was just a lowly palace maid. Official records had her surname shoddily listed as “Yue”, and that was all the information provided on her. 

When Li Jianheng was still in swaddles, Emperor Xiande’s birth mother, Lady Lu, brought him back into her palace, but she merely fed and clothed him. His lack of education and skills today was all because no one remembered him when he was supposed to begin schooling. Subsequently, he spent all his time playing with the eunuchs. 

He did not have an imperial concubine mother, only a nanny. 

His nanny was the lover of the personal eunuch serving Emperor Xiande. She was a snob, and she treated Li Jianheng cruelly. Every day, she dressed him up until he looked all fine and presentable, yet he often woke up hungry in the night. Li Jianheng did tell his older brother about this once, and Emperor Xiande threw a fit at his personal eunuch. The eunuch then went back to cuss and hit the nanny. The next day onwards, the nanny gave Li Jianheng the cold shoulder and served him cold meals. She never hit him, but she had a tongue so sharp and cutting that Li Jianheng never dared to mention it to anyone again. Before he learned how to speak properly, he already knew a whole plethora of vulgar words. 

His nanny told him that his birth mother was a cheap whore from the palace. Because of her secret pregnancy that was the result of an illicit relationship, she was kept indoors by the former Lady of the palace to recuperate. Although the word was “recuperate”, she never left the compound for years and was deathly ill. She even kept harboring the wishful thinking of getting the chance to meet her son and speak to him.

When Li Jianheng was five, Emperor Guangcheng came to Lady Lu’s palace to check on Emperor Xiande’s, Li Jianyun, progress with schoolwork. As they were speaking, Li Jianheng, who was playing cricket with others, was seen by Emperor Guangcheng, who called him over. That was his first time meeting his father. 

The Guangcheng Emperor asked him about some writings. 

Li Jianheng held the cricket tightly in his hands and did not dare to look at Emperor Guangcheng. He was unable to speak eloquently either, often stuttering and ignorant of what was asked of him. 

Emperor Guangcheng found him stupid. Li Jianheng was already five, yet he was still unable to articulate himself well, had not an ounce of decorum, and seemed timid. He did not have the aura of a royal scion at all. 

Li Jianheng really wanted to talk to Emperor Guangcheng, but he was afraid. He did not think that this person was his father, and he even started crying during the lengthy questioning. This made Emperor Guangcheng disdain him utterly. And this first time was also the last time he saw Emperor Guangcheng. It was only when Emperor Guangcheng left that Li Jianheng realized that he had unknowingly squashed the cricket in his hand to death. 

Li Jianyun thought that this younger brother of his was useless. His health was still fine then, and he was the prince after the Crown Prince, who was the most in favor. He pitied Li Jianheng, so he pleaded with Emperor Guangcheng and started to bring Li Jianheng along to classes with him.

Li Jianheng got to know his brothers, but they were all living in the lap of luxury. He slowly came to the realization that they were not his brothers. They ridiculed him; they spoke of protocols and propriety; they made him bow to them. Li Jianheng did not understand. He did not have to kneel and kowtow to his brothers on seeing them, but this was what they taught him. When he did so, not one eunuch or palace maid went forward to help him up.