Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 244 Alone
The following day, the faint morning light shone through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the golden bricks of the sleeping quarters.

Liu Bian's eyebrows twitched slightly as he slowly awoke from his deep sleep, humming softly as he drifted off. In his hazy state, he felt his arms sink into a soft, warm embrace, from which he could not extricate himself.

He instinctively tried to pull away, but was surprised to find that her jade-like arms were wrapped around him like vines.

Liu Qing's soft hands unconsciously intertwined with his fingers, while Cai Yuan pressed her cheek against his arm. The two women's hair was disheveled, and their faces still had a lingering blush.

It was winter, and snowflakes like willow catkins were falling outside. Everything seemed to be hibernating, but the warm bedding kept the three of them firmly on the bed, making them reluctant to get up.

Liu Bian's Adam's apple bobbed as he tiptoed away from the clutches of evil, then sat up wearily and leaned against the headboard.

The intense heat emanating from his body, like a warm stove in winter, caused the two sleeping women to entwine themselves around him again, almost instinctively clinging tightly to him after they had barely escaped his clutches.

The brocade quilt slipped off his chest, revealing crisscrossing teeth and claw marks on his shoulders and back.

However, Liu Qing and Cai Yuan were in no better shape. Their necks were covered with hickeys and their bodies were covered with bruises that looked like finger marks, like a flawless piece of jade that had been ruined by a vicious dog.

Looking at the two beauties still fast asleep beside him, the absurd scene of last night flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

After drinking heavily, Liu Bian returned to the Lingtai Hall, which served as his sleeping quarters. Upon seeing Liu Qing and Cai Yuan waiting with a bowl of hangover soup, he became aroused and, fueled by alcohol, pulled the two women into a ridiculous act of sleeping together under the same quilt.

After all, they were all ladies from respectable families, and Liu Bian never mentioned such absurd things in front of Liu Qing and Cai Yuan. Besides, there was that treacherous historian, and no one knew how that fellow would record his "debauchery and immorality".

But last night, Liu Bian thought that the fellow was completely drunk, yet he still dared to write in the historical records without any restraint that "the emperor was very drunk and had a dance contest with him, and I won." It was simply shameless!

How dare he think his dancing is better than mine?
That's utter bullshit!
And considering that even the court historian had been drunk by him, what was there to worry about!
Faced with two beautiful women who blushed and refused verbally but whose bodies betrayed them and made no resistance, and who were flirting with a coy attitude, what was there to hesitate about?
Let's go for it!

However, even though the woman's beauty and fragrance were incredibly alluring, Liu Bian had no choice but to leave with a heavy heart.

It wasn't because he had any urgent official business to attend to, nor was it due to his usual morning sword practice; rather, he was accompanying his mother to move this morning.

Yes, Empress He is moving out of the Southern Palace.

She wanted to give up the West Palace, which belonged to the Empress's residence in the South Palace, and even though Liu Bian clearly stated that he would not establish an Empress in the short term, Empress He still decided to move to the North Palace.

As a son, he naturally had to accompany his son for a while, even though they had only moved to the North Palace opposite the South Palace.

Inside the West Palace, Zhao Zhong, who was busy early in the morning, directed the palace eunuchs and maids to carry various utensils onto the carriage in an orderly manner. His sharp voice occasionally scolded a few clumsy maids.

Liu Bian looked at Empress He beside him and slowly said, "Mother, why don't we not move? It will save the palace servants from having to work so hard. It doesn't matter which palace my future empress lives in. Will she compete with you for it?"

Empress He chuckled gently, placing her hand on her son's cheek, and teased, "What's wrong? You already have two children, and you're still so reluctant to part with your mother?"

Facing Empress He's gentle gaze and teasing, Liu Bian nodded slightly and said, "Even if I live to be a hundred years old, I will still be a son in front of my mother. What son would be willing to part with his mother?"

Empress He's significance to Liu Bian went far beyond that of a mother.

Although he lacked Empress He's companionship during his childhood, if Empress He hadn't slapped him awake, he might have still been hoping that Liu Xie would let him go when he became emperor, give him the title of Prince of Hongnong and send him out to live in seclusion, obediently choose to submit to those powerful ministers, accept the predetermined fate of the end of the Han dynasty, and if he was lucky, he could even become the Duke of Anle.

Yes, how can one place their fate in the pity of others?
My mother killed his mother, and the grandmother who raised him was my mother's mortal enemy. How could he let my mother and me go?
If it weren't for Empress He's slap and her unwavering trust in him, he wouldn't be where he is today.

Empress He chuckled and shook her head, her slender, jade-like fingers lightly touching Liu Bian's brow. She said, "My son's mouth is full of sweet words all day long. No wonder your two children were tricked into agreeing to sleep together under the same quilt."

Liu Bian felt extremely embarrassed when his mother exposed his absurd behavior the previous night.

Even after marriage, it's still somewhat awkward for a Chinese son to mention such things in front of his mother, especially since "sleeping together under the same quilt" is not something to be proud of.

Liu Bian turned his head away and changed the subject, which made Empress He smile even more.

It wasn't that she was deliberately trying to pry into her son's privacy, but rather that her son had never replaced the palace maids she had originally arranged to be by his side, and still kept them as his personal female officials.

Since she had favored the two young princes, she naturally had to have her personal maidservant and the other palace maids change the bedding and sheets, and call water for the three of them to wash their bodies. In this way, how could she possibly hide what happened last night from her?
If a foolish emperor were to engage in a sexual act involving multiple wives, Empress He might have to take her sword and immediately cancel the household registration of those seductive and shameless women.

But if it were her own son sleeping with her, let alone just two princes, even if it were four or five in one night, she wouldn't say anything. She would only praise her son for his good health, and then look disdainfully at the foolish emperor who had been feeling weak lately and kept making excuses.

Of course, everything in moderation.

She was about to be promoted from Empress to Empress Dowager, but unexpectedly she was immediately promoted again to Grand Empress Dowager.

However, watching the child grow from an infant into a handsome young man in the blink of an eye, Empress He was filled with emotion.

She regretted missing out on her son's early years, and therefore always gave him the best of everything, including the supreme throne.

Unfortunately, the help she could offer was limited, and her brother He Jin made a grave mistake that nearly ruined their son.

Fortunately, her son was exceptionally intelligent and possessed the qualities of a wise ruler.

"Then can Mother not move?" Liu Bian's soft voice brought Empress He out of her reverie. Meeting those phoenix eyes that were just like hers, Empress He covered her red lips and giggled, "That won't do. Mother can't let that old man occupy the West Palace!"

Liu Bian was slightly taken aback; this "old thing" clearly referred to Empress Dowager Dong.

It seems that his earlier statement, "Old things are detestable, why bother coming out?" was probably already revealed to Empress He when his two crown princes and heirs met with her.

Liu Hong, who was about to become the retired emperor and the retired empress, and Empress He, respectively, decided to reside in the East Palace and West Palace in the North Palace. The two main halls of the North Palace, Chongde Hall and Deyang Hall, became their sleeping quarters.

Previously, Empress Dowager Dong had been living in the Zhangde Hall of the West Palace in the North Palace. Now that Empress He has decided to move to the North Palace, Empress Dowager Dong has no reason to stay there any longer. After all, how can the etiquette allow the retired empress and the retired emperor and empress dowager to live in the same palace?

According to the rites, Empress Dowager Dong should have moved to Yongle Palace, which occupied nearly 40% of the area of ​​the North Palace. However, Liu Bian ultimately decided to move her to Yong'an Palace, which should have belonged to the Crown Prince.

Because of Empress Dowager Dong's desire for Dong Ping to marry a princess, Liu Hong, her own son, was no longer fond of Empress Dowager Dong, who still couldn't grasp the situation and caused trouble from time to time. So he simply stopped paying attention to her and tacitly approved of Liu Bian and Empress He's arrangement. After all, could she really cause trouble to death?

Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were not reduced, and she could go to whichever park she wanted; she was not mistreated.

Faced with his mother's antics with Empress Dowager Dong, Liu Bian felt he should be smiling, but he couldn't manage a smile and felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

It's not that I sympathize with Empress Dowager Dong, but rather that Empress He's words were, in effect, a self-inflicted criticism.

Empress Dowager Dong occupied her palace, which would eventually cause conflict between her and her daughter-in-law.

Would the future empress feel that her palace has been taken over by the retired empress?

Liu Bian suddenly felt a sense of distress, as if a thousand-pound burden was pressing on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe, yet he didn't know how to relieve it.

Was it wrong for Empress He to decide to move out and make room for her?

That's right, a wise empress!

But why does doing the right thing make one feel so awkward?

Supported by the servants of the Western Palace, Empress He boarded the four-horse carriage with a blue feather canopy. The sound of the wheels rolling over the road was so jarring and annoying to Liu Bian for the first time.

Liu Bian stood there, watching Empress He's carriage gradually disappear into the distance. He pushed open the umbrella held up by Gao Wang, letting the snowflakes falling from the sky land on him. He simply tightened his fox fur robe and watched the carriage disappear around the corner of the covered road.

The words of entreaty to keep him that were on the tip of his tongue were ultimately swallowed back down, never to be uttered again.

He was reluctant to let Empress He leave, not only because of the bond between mother and son, but also because he felt that since the date of his ascension to the throne was set, many of his close advisors had gradually created an unspeakable distance between him and them.

Although this distance is not obvious, it is revealed in many details.

It's like when your best buddy from college, who used to smoke, drink, and get perms with you, unexpectedly gets a job at your family's company after graduation and learns about your background, and suddenly becomes more distant from you.

While it may seem that after get off work, he'll be just like you, eating, drinking, and having fun, he'll stop scolding you for being slow and not keeping up when you're playing games, he won't deliberately try to get you drunk, he won't talk to you about the troubles he encounters at work, and he certainly won't call you "son."

Because of your relationship, in addition to being good friends, you also have a superior-subordinate relationship.

Liu Bian loathed this feeling, but he also knew that this was the normal state that an emperor was destined to face.

That's why he indulged in revelry at last night's banquet.

Perhaps that was the last chance he would have for his former officials to join him in unrestrained revelry.

The phrase "a lonely man" is not something to be said casually.

"Wang, will you change too?"

Liu Bian murmured softly, his eyes fixed on the straight, empty covered walkway, but he was actually asking Gao Wang, who was still stubbornly holding an umbrella for him beside him, a question.

Gao Wang had been with him since he was still "Marquis Shi," and he accompanied him from Marquis Shi back to the palace and back to a prince, and then from a prince to the crown prince, but Gao Wang seemed to have never changed.

Now that Gao Wang is about to become emperor with him, even the relationship between mother and son has to change. The two young ladies have also abandoned their modesty and shame as proper young ladies in order to please him and sleep with him in the same bed. Can Gao Wang still remain unchanged as before?
“No matter what, this servant will always be Your Highness’s ‘A-Wang’.”

"You're just spouting nonsense."

The answer he received was vague, and Liu Bian was unwilling to think about it any further.

(3421 words)
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P.S.: It's pouring rain today, and I'm in a bad mood, so I'm adding a short update of 1400 words. I'm begging you readers to shower me with monthly tickets in recognition of this extra update!

(End of this chapter)