Chương 289: Liu Hong's Child Rearing Experience

Afterwards, Liu Ce summoned Lu Bing: "Whom did Your Majesty bring on this trip? Who commands the Imperial Guards? What faces are among the eunuchs?"

Lu Bing, having anticipated this, reported: "His Majesty is accompanied by Princess Wannian, and the commander of the Imperial Guards is Jian Shuo. Although he is a eunuch, he is quite knowledgeable in military affairs and is loyal to His Majesty. The other accompanying ministers are all His Majesty's close advisors. Among the eunuchs, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong are not accompanying him, but several less favored eunuchs are. They seem to have been sidelined and given this menial task.

There are 3, 000 Imperial Guards, and General He Jin has dispatched 2, 000 elite Northern Army soldiers to escort him along the way."

Liu Ce stroked his chin and said, "Jian Shuo... this man is indeed truly loyal to Brother Emperor. It seems Brother Emperor is very wary this time."

He stood up and said, "Make preparations. I will go to Hejian myself. Dian Wei and Xu Chu will accompany me, along with the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun and the Longxiang Camp. Also... Shubao, you will lead three thousand iron cavalry and stand by at the border of You and Ji. If anything happens, be ready to provide support."

"Does the lord intend to lead troops?" Fang Xuanling asked.

"I won't bring too much, but I need to be prepared," Liu Ce said.

"Since His Majesty has entrusted me with protecting him, I must ensure his safety. What if some fool tries to cause trouble along the way... hehe."

The group accepted the order.

After making the arrangements, Liu Ce returned to the backyard to say goodbye to his wives.

Cai Yan held Liu Ying in her arms and said worriedly, "Husband, please be careful on this trip..."

Zhang Ning spoke quickly and directly: "How about I go with you? I know medicine, in case His Majesty..."

Liu Ce smiled and reassured them one by one, "Don't worry, I'm just going to pick up the Emperor and accompany my brother back to his hometown. I'll be back in a month at most, or half a month at least. Take good care of the children at home and wait for me to return."

Zhen Jiang was thoughtful and had already asked someone to prepare their luggage: "Youzhou is not far from Hejian, but His Majesty is on a northern tour and will stop many times along the way, so please bring more clothes, my husband."

Liu Ce agreed to all of them.

Five days later, Liu Ce, along with Dian Wei, Xu Chu, the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, and eight hundred elite troops of the Longxiang Camp, headed straight for Hejian.

...

June of the fifth year of Zhongping.

The seat of Hejian Prefecture was Yuecheng County.

Liu Ce arrived three days early and worked with the governor of Hejian to arrange the reception.

The governor was an honest man. When he heard that the Prince of Yan had come in person, he was so frightened that his legs went weak. He asked for instructions on everything, which made Liu Ce both amused and exasperated.

"Prefect, you are the true official in charge of Hejian. I am just here to accompany His Majesty on his tour. You should go about your business."

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand, I understand..." The prefect wiped his sweat and turned to check the city wall for cracks...

...

That day, the weather had already gotten hot, and the sun was blazing down.

Inside and outside the city gates, everything was kept clean and tidy, with yellow earth paving the roads and clean water splashed on the streets.

The prefect of Hejian, along with officials of all ranks and local gentry, stood outside the city under the scorching sun, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Liu Ce was among them. He was dressed in casual clothes, without armor, but the moment he stood there, his aura was different from the others.

The surrounding officials would steal glances at him from time to time, their eyes filled with awe. This was the real Prince of Yan, a ruthless figure who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"They're here! They're here!" the lookout shouted.

In the distance, dust rose, banners fluttered, and the ceremonial guard was solemn.

Three thousand imperial guards, their helmets gleaming, stood protecting the central imperial carriage. Behind them was another exquisite carriage, presumably for Princess Wannian.

The emperor's entourage, in a grand and imposing manner, slowly made its way in.

As the procession drew near, the imperial guards' armor gleamed, and their steps were perfectly synchronized.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of the city gate. A eunuch lifted the curtain, and Liu Hong slowly stepped down with assistance.

"Your subject Liu Ce pays respects to Your Majesty!" Liu Ce led the crowd in kneeling and bowing.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

They all knelt down in a flurry.

Good heavens, it's only been a few months since I last saw Liu Hong, and he's lost even more weight. He's pale and unsteady on his feet, but he seems to be in good spirits.

When he saw Liu Ce, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

He shook off the eunuchs, stepped forward, and personally helped Liu Ce up, saying, "Brother, please rise! All of you, rise!"

The hand was cold and thin, and when it was held in Liu Ce's hand, it made his heart ache.

"Brother..." Liu Ce said in a low voice, "You must be tired from your journey."

"It's no trouble at all," Liu Hong said with a smile, turning to the carriage behind him.

"Yue'er, come and greet your royal uncle."

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Princess Liu Yue gracefully stepped out.

She wore a light blue palace dress today, simple and elegant, and gave Liu Ce a graceful bow: "Wan Nian greets Imperial Uncle. Congratulations on your marriage and the birth of your son, making you blessed with both a son and a daughter."

Her voice was clear and crisp, and her manners were impeccable.

Liu Ce smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Your Highness is too kind. Several months have passed since we last met, and you have grown even more dignified."

Liu Yue smiled, pursing her lips.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group entered the city.

The group entered the city and moved into the palace that had already been prepared, which was actually the expanded and renovated prefectural governor's mansion.

That evening, the governor of Hejian hosted a banquet to welcome him, with singing and dancing, which goes without saying.

After the banquet, Liu Hong summoned Liu Ce to a side room in the palace.

There were no palace maids or eunuchs, only the two brothers, sitting facing each other and drinking.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

"My dear brother," Liu Hong took a sip of wine and sighed, "these days... I keep dreaming about my childhood in Hejian. Back then, I was still a marquis, running around in the fields every day, climbing trees to raid bird nests, and wading into the river to catch fish and shrimp..."

He went on and on about many interesting things from his childhood, and Liu Ce listened quietly.

As they were talking, Liu Hong suddenly said, "By the way, how are your children? You had five sons and six daughters in one go, what a blessing!"

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Thanks to my brother's good fortune, the children are all healthy. They are just a bit noisy; eleven children together could lift the roof off the house."

Liu Hong laughed loudly, then coughed violently.

Liu Ce quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath.

After a long while, Liu Hong recovered, wiped away the tears he had coughed up from the corners of his eyes, and shook his head, saying, "I'm old, I'm useless now. My brother, you're young, and you have many children, so you'll have to raise them well in the future. Let me tell you, there's an art to raising children. You can't spoil them when they're young; you have to discipline them when necessary, but you have to reason with them..."

He began to impart his "parenting wisdom":

"If a child cries at night, it's most likely because they're hungry or need a diaper change, so you should check on them promptly."

"When looking for a wet nurse, you need to find one who is in good health, so that she can produce plenty of milk and the baby will grow strong."

"Keep a close eye on them when they leave, make sure they don't bump into anything..."

Liu Ce was stunned. He thought to himself: You haven't really taken care of your own two sons, but now you're acting like a parenting expert.

But he remained respectful on the surface: "Your Majesty is right, I have remembered it."

The two chatted until late at night, when Liu Hong, feeling exhausted, finally went to rest.

Over the next few days, Liu Hong stayed in Lecheng County, offering sacrifices to the local mountains and rivers, meeting with officials from Hejian County and surrounding counties, listening to reports, and keeping himself extremely busy.