Chapter 3

Entering the hall, Empress Lü looked around alone. There was not a single palace maid in the hall, and the cold wind blew desolately. Although the Pepper Room Hall had a warming effect, for some reason, it was astonishingly cold inside. Empress Lü said nothing and was about to change her clothes.

"Mother~~~"

A cry broke the solemn and cold atmosphere of the hall, and a small figure wailed and shouted.

Empress Lü was taken aback. The main hall of the Pepper Room was vast, with four inner chambers. The sound was coming from the innermost room.

When Empress Lü entered the small room, Liu Chang was lying on the bed, his eyes blurred with tears, looking very aggrieved.

"What's wrong with you again?"

"I was hit by someone on my way to class, and the physician said I need to rest for two... six months."

"Which physician said that?"

"Um... the one with the beard."

Empress Lü stared at him coldly. Under her gaze, Liu Chang couldn't help but shrink his head into the fur blanket and said in a low voice, "You have to believe me, Mother."

"What trouble have you caused this time? Your father sent someone to bring you to the Xuan Room Hall."

"Huh?"

Liu Chang finally stopped pretending. He sat up abruptly and asked, "To see Father?"

"Mother, can we not go? I'm injured, I need to recover first, right?"

"No."

"Mother~~~"

Liu Chang jumped off the bed and rushed towards Empress Lü. She almost got knocked over by this little thing. She finally managed to grab him and saw Liu Chang looking at her pitifully.

Empress Lü reached out to wipe his nose, staring at him coldly, and asked, "What have you done this time?"

"I didn't go to class... I hit someone... the day before yesterday, I spat on someone... the day before that..."

"Enough, no need to say more... that's enough."

"Wah, Mother, I can't go alone! Can you bear to see me beaten half to death?"

Seeing Liu Chang wailing and smearing tears and snot all over himself, Empress Lü looked at him with a slight disgust and then stood up helplessly, saying, "Let's go, I'll take you to see your father."

Liu Chang held Empress Lü's hand and skipped towards the Xuan Room Hall.

In the entire palace, Mother was the best to him.

Liu Chang wasn't particularly interested in history. In this era, he only knew Liu Bang, Fan Kuai, Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin, and he knew these people because he had memorized the Feast at Hong Gate in middle school, remembering that Fan Kuai ate meat and drank, and Liu Bang escaped.

He did know about the Wenjing Era and Emperor Wu of Han, but he couldn't remember the names of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing. Emperor Wu should be called Liu Che, but he was probably much younger than himself.

As for the historically famous Empress Lü, he didn't know much about her. She seemed to have ruled for a period and even killed a prince. But that was understandable, as he had never paid attention in his middle school history classes and had forgotten much of what he had learned.

After coming to this era, his memories dominated, but the original soul subtly influenced him. The deep affection for his mother, the fear of his father, the hatred of studying, and the craving for beef...

Oh, right, the original loved to eat meat, especially beef, and couldn't live without it. Sometimes, when Liu Bang held a family banquet, this guy would eat a lot and even hide some in his sleeves to take home, for which he had been beaten by Liu Bang.

Liu Chang didn't know why, but Liu Bang also liked meat, but rarely ate beef. Unless it was a big event, he usually ate pork and mutton. A Confucian scholar once advised Liu Bang that pork was for the lowly and that it was improper for the emperor to eat it.

So Liu Bang ordered the scholar to raise pigs for life.

Empress Lü knew that Liu Chang liked beef, so she would bring him some whenever she could.

Liu Chang had grown up with Empress Lü, who had raised him from a young age. Among all the princes, he was the most favored by her. The other princes would tremble in her presence, but Liu Chang dared to make a fuss and even wipe his nose on her.

Empress Lü herself hadn't expected to return to the Xuan Room Hall so soon.

When Liu Bang saw her this time, he was indeed surprised.

"Why did you bring him here yourself?"

Empress Lü held the little guy's hand and pushed him in front of Liu Bang, sitting down to watch them calmly.

Liu Chang, facing the historically famous Emperor Gaozu, was naturally afraid. To be honest, since he was born, he hadn't seen his father much. His mother was always by his side, but his father... he could only see him every three or four months.

And when Liu Chang saw his father, it was usually when he was being beaten.

Although every time he was beaten, Liu Chang told himself not to cry and not to disgrace the穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "穿越者" which is a term for someone who has traveled through time or dimensions, often used in Chinese literature and media. For the sake of clarity and naturalness in English, I will translate it as "time traveler" here.), his body seemed to be influencing him, and his personality gradually changed, making him more like a child.

Liu Bang beat children really hard, treating them like Qin soldiers. No, he beat Qin soldiers less harshly.

Standing in front of Liu Bang, Liu Chang's face turned pale. He looked helplessly at his mother, hoping she would take him back.

Liu Bang held a bamboo scroll in his hand, occasionally glancing at Liu Chang. Although he didn't speak, the pressure was intense.

"Tell me... what did you do today?"

Liu Chang blinked and argued, "I was hit by someone on my way to class."

"Is the Grand Censor of the Han Dynasty so idle that he would hit a little boy for fun?"

"He was in a hurry and didn't see me. I was in so much pain that I had to go back and rest..."

"Huh."

Liu Bang slowly put down the bamboo scroll and narrowed his eyes, asking, "Tell me, did you spit on Fu Qiu's face the day before yesterday?"

Hearing this, Empress Lü also narrowed her eyes, her expression exactly the same as Liu Bang's. She asked softly, "Oh? What's this about?"

Liu Bang said angrily, "Yes! I specially invited Fu Qiu to teach this brat, and he spat on his face? How can a disciple disrespect his teacher like that?"

Liu Chang quickly said, "He said Mozi was a beast without a ruler or a father!"

"Even Xunzi and Mencius criticized Mozi. Are you going to dig up their graves?"

Liu Chang puffed up his cheeks, angry but speechless.

"You've gone too far! Young people should respect their elders, a principle I've always taught you. Besides, he teaches you knowledge, he is your teacher!"

This time, it was Empress Lü who spoke.

"Yes, how can you treat a great Confucian scholar like that?"

Liu Bang echoed.

The two, who had almost no common topics and whose relationship had cooled to a freezing point, were surprisingly in sync due to Liu Chang's persistent efforts (misbehavior). They reached a consensus and began to criticize him in unison, a performance that was quite impressive.

Liu Chang was stunned and cried out, "Mother, you are my mother, how can you speak for him?"

Liu Bang shouted, "She is also my wife, why can't she speak for me? I've known her for decades, how long have you known her?"

"I'm telling you, Chang, you are young, so you misbehave, and we haven't scolded you. But we won't indulge you forever! Look at your older brothers, none of them are like you."

Empress Lü frowned, her tone becoming colder.

"Yes, if you misbehave again, it won't just be me who beats you. Your mother and I will both do it, so you know what it means to be raised by parents."

The two scolded for a long time, and Liu Chang lowered his head, his fingers intertwined, fidgeting.

Liu Bang and Empress Lü exchanged a glance, and Liu Bang suddenly blinked.

"Since you don't want to study, fine, you don't have to study with those people for now..."

Liu Bang's words made Liu Chang look up quickly, asking, "Really?"

"Of course, you don't have to study with those great scholars anymore."

At that moment, Liu Chang was overjoyed, never expecting this day to come so soon. He could finally say goodbye to those dry and difficult texts and no longer listen to those people drone on. He excitedly rushed into Liu Bang's arms, ready to give this benevolent emperor a big kiss.

Liu Bang chuckled and held him, saying, "But, such a good talent shouldn't be wasted. From now on, you will study with your older brothers."

Liu Bang's smiling face reminded Liu Chang of a harsh reality: your father is still your father.

Liu Chang's smile froze, and his lips, which he had intended to kiss Liu Bang, began to tremble. If he spat now, would he be beheaded?

Thus, Liu Chang left the Xuan Room Hall with a frown, silently vowing in his heart: one day, when I have power, I will kill all the problem dogs in the world.

After sending away his disobedient young son, Liu Bang couldn't help but laugh loudly.

Empress Lü's face, though not smiling, was not as cold as before. "A great emperor of the Han Dynasty is scheming against a little boy."

"What? Is that wrong?"

"It is."

"Actually, this boy is very smart, but his mind isn't on studying... However, we need to pay more attention to him. Otherwise, with his character, he will cause big trouble when we are gone."

"Yes."

Liu Bang suddenly sighed deeply, shaking his head and asking, "Do you know why I suddenly want to change the crown prince?"

Empress Lü's face immediately turned cold, and she said nothing.

"It's not that I no longer love Ying, but because I love him too much... You know, a weak and kind person can't be a good emperor. Look at the country, those people, each with their own ambitions, showing utmost respect to me on the surface, but secretly training soldiers and preparing supplies... What are they planning?"

"If one day I am gone, can Ying control them? If I don't change the crown prince, I will have to clear those obstacles for him..."

Liu Bang spoke with some excitement, his eyes red, almost in tears. He reached out, grabbed Empress Lü's hand, and stared into her eyes, "I really don't want to, I don't want to fight with them... Can you understand me?"

Empress Lü frowned but didn't pull her hand away, as if deep in thought.

Liu Bang's sadness lasted until the prime minister came to report.

The ruffian from Pei County was no longer the same ruffian, but Xiao He was still the same, frugal and easy-going. These were his two biggest traits. His face always wore a natural smile, which gave him a remarkable sense of approachability.

Liu Bang enjoyed discussing troublesome matters with Xiao He because, no matter what difficulties they faced, Xiao He's smile always gave others great confidence. As long as Xiao He was smiling, everything would be fine.

Xiao He had many friends, and everyone trusted and respected him.

Xiao He was indeed not young anymore. As he aged, his face became more kind, and his smile became even more touching.

"Your Majesty seems to have something on your mind?"

"Ah, just now, Zhou Chang came and made a big fuss."

Liu Bang looked up, his expression melancholy, and asked Xiao He, "Do you know why I suddenly want to change the crown prince?"

Xiao He was taken aback and said nothing. In the court, Xiao He was one of the few ministers who had not involved himself in this matter. As prime minister, he had not spoken in favor of either Liu Ying or Liu Ruyi, quietly observing the situation.

Liu Bang said heavily, "It's not that I no longer love the crown prince, but because I have concerns. The Lü family's power is growing, I am old, and the crown prince dares not disobey his mother in the slightest. Many ministers in the court are colluding with the Lü family... even my Marquis of Liu is willing to strategize for her..."

Liu Bang asked sadly, "What should I do?"

Xiao He replied calmly, "Your Majesty need not worry. The crown prince, though young, has the demeanor of a wise ruler, and he is still young and strong..."