Chapter 53

Walking on a snow-covered path, Li Kuan felt a great sense of peace in his heart. Watching the snowflakes still drifting in the air, he let them be blown onto his cheeks and hair. Although his body was still weak, it was better than it had ever been, considering his condition.

Sun Simiao stayed at the Qin王府 for a few days, as Li Er had convinced Li Xiuning to move there to recuperate. As a doctor, Sun Simiao naturally followed. During this time, whenever he had free moments, he would study the *Qing Nang Jing* and would often burst into laughter, indicating that he had made significant progress. However, the old doctor did not share the specifics of his gains with anyone, and Li Kuan had no way of knowing. Before leaving, Sun Simiao took out three silver needles and solemnly handed them to Li Er: "These three silver needles are my tokens. If there is an emergency, you can send someone with the needles to Sun Village at the foot of the Qinling Mountains to find the old village chief. I spend some time there every year."

It seemed that Sun Simiao had indeed made great progress. He was a wanderer, and no one knew where to find him. Yet, this time he told Li Er, indicating that helping Li Xiuning recover, examining the two children, and even visiting Li Yuan were not enough to repay his debt.

Li Kuan was thinking about how to use the silver needles in Li Er's possession to get Sun Simiao to help Li Lizhi and Changsun treat their asthma. Just as he was thinking, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Second Brother, you're playing in the snow again, Lizhi knows!" The little girl, Li Lizhi, poked her head out from a corner, her ponytail covered in snow, her face red from the cold, but she was very happy as she ran towards Li Kuan.

"Little girl, slow down, don't fall!" Li Kuan warned.

If he hadn't said anything, the little girl would have been fine, but as soon as Li Kuan spoke, she tumbled and slid forward for quite a distance. Fortunately, the servants hadn't cleared the snow that day, so the ground was still covered with a thick layer. Otherwise, the little girl would have cried.

Li Kuan quickly went over and helped her up: "Look at you, so impulsive. You don't look like a princess at all, more like a wild girl from the mountains!" As he spoke, he shook the snow off her and patted the fox fur she was wearing, as if he were patting a big doll.

"Second Brother, I have something to ask you!" The little girl blinked her big eyes and looked at Li Kuan mysteriously.

"What is it?" Li Kuan didn't dare to agree lightly. This little girl seemed calm on the surface but was actually a wild child, willing to do anything. Last time, she had Li Kuan take her to Leyeuan to play, claiming that Changsun had agreed. In the end, they played for half a day, and when they returned, they found that half of Chang'an had almost been turned upside down by the people from the Qin王府. Li Lizhi was beaten by Changsun for the first time, and Li Kuan was also punished, though the servants reduced the force by ninety percent due to his weak condition, he still had to stay in bed for three days. Since then, Li Kuan had understood the demonic nature hidden under Li Lizhi's angelic appearance, which was why Li Xiuning liked her; they had the same character.

"Second Brother, what's happening in the mansion today? Why are all the servants running to the back yard?" The little girl had noticed this when she got up in the morning. Usually, the servants would bow to her, but today there were fewer of them, and they were all men; she hadn't seen any female servants.

"Concubine Bian is about to give birth. Some of the maids are helping, and some are collecting lucky money." Li Kuan knew this much. When the master of the house was about to have a baby, it was a great event, and lucky money would be distributed. This was something the servants liked. They were not slaves but hired help, so they naturally wanted to join in.

As for why the Qin王府 didn't use slaves but hired servants from the common people of Chang'an, this had always been a mystery. Other noble families used slaves, but Li Er never did. Perhaps there was a hidden reason, but since Li Er didn't say, Li Kuan had no way of knowing.

"Concubine Bian is going to have a baby? Let's go see!" The little girl was excited and wanted to watch the birth.

"Children are not allowed to go. We have to wait at least three days after the baby is born to see it." Li Kuan didn't know the customs of the Tang Dynasty, but in his hometown in the southwest, children under twelve were not allowed to be present at a birth. In some places, children under 120 days were not allowed to see the newborn. As a direct brother and sister, they should wait at least three days to see the newborn, which was the minimum.

"Oh! Three more days! Lizhi wants to see now!" The little girl was very disappointed.

"Three days will pass quickly. And Second Brother will tell you some good stories in the meantime!" Li Kuan comforted the little girl.

"Good stories? Lizhi wants to hear!" Being a child, she was immediately happy at the prospect of a story. She grabbed Li Kuan's sleeve, her big eyes pleading.

"Okay, Second Brother will tell you! Let go first!" Li Kuan held the little girl's hand and led her to his courtyard.

Three days passed quickly. Soon after the baby was born, Li Kuan learned it was a girl, Li Er's sixth daughter. "The sixth one, this must be Princess Yuzhang!" Li Kuan thought to himself. He had some vague memories from the historical drama *Zhen Guan Chang Ge*. He vaguely remembered that Princess Yuzhang's mother, Concubine Bian, died shortly after her birth, and she was raised by Changsun, making her almost like Changsun's own daughter. In a sense, Princess Yuzhang could be considered Li Lizhi's sister.

As soon as he stepped out of his courtyard, he met Li Lizhi, who was coming to see the baby with him. This time, Li Lizhi brought a little companion, a small, round figure wrapped in a fox fur coat, looking like a ball. It was none other than the little chubby boy, Li Tai. The future Prince Wei seemed quite unhappy about being dragged along by his sister, his mouth pouting, but he couldn't resist the little girl's force, so he had to come.

"Why did you bring Qingque?" Li Kuan looked at the reluctant Li Tai. Li Tai also saw Li Kuan, his face full of pleading, hoping his second brother could help him escape.

"Qingque, he was making a fuss in the courtyard early in the morning, reciting Confucian sayings and poems. He woke me up, so I brought him along to see the baby!" The little girl turned and pulled the little chubby boy, explaining to Li Kuan.

"Qingque, do you like reading?" Li Kuan was surprised that the historical records of the Prince Wei, who loved literature, were already showing at such a young age.

"Second Brother, I want to be like you and write a poem that everyone will praise!" The little chubby boy hadn't learned to hide his feelings and said what he wanted directly. He envied Li Kuan's performance at the banquet and wanted to experience the feeling of being the center of attention.

"I didn't expect that Li Tai's love for poetry and literature was influenced by me. Is this true, or did I change history?" Li Kuan thought, but his face showed nothing. He stepped forward and rescued the little chubby boy from Li Lizhi: "If you like it, learn it yourself. Go ask the teacher! Don't shout everywhere, no wonder Lizhi caught you. Don't do that in the future!" Li Kuan encouraged him.

"Second Brother, let's go see Concubine Bian's baby! Lizhi will have a sister now. Before, there were only Qingque and Xiao You, two brothers, but no sister!" The little girl was clearly excited about the new sister.

"Okay, let's go!" Li Kuan knew that if he didn't take the little princess, he wouldn't have peace for the rest of the day, so he decided to go.

The three children headed to the back yard. The little girl was happily skipping, the little chubby boy was reluctantly moving forward, and the thin boy was walking slowly behind, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

The three children arrived at a room in the back yard, knocked on the door, and went in. After a short while, they came out, but they were not as excited as before. The order of walking had changed: the little chubby boy was now in front, moving quickly as if he were running for his life. The little girl was holding the thin boy's hand, shaking it as if she were asking for something.

"Second Brother, why is the baby so ugly? Can we change the baby? Lizhi doesn't want an ugly baby!" The little girl held Li Kuan's hand, pouting and shaking it.

"Lizhi, the baby is just born and hasn't grown yet. You were also ugly when you were little!" Li Kuan explained.

"That's not true! Lizhi was always beautiful! Mother said so!" The little girl quickly denied it, refusing to admit she was ever ugly. She loved beauty and would proudly nod her head if someone praised her, saying, "Lizhi is the most beautiful! Thank you!" Li Kuan had seen through this little girl: she appeared calm and elegant, like a lady, but was actually a vain and violent little girl.

"Mother, help! Concubine Bian gave birth to a monster! It's so ugly! It scared Qingque!" Li Tai ran into Changsun's room, shouting, but his words were a bit unclear from running.

"What monster?" Changsun didn't hear clearly, only catching the word "monster."

"Concubine Bian's, small and ugly!" Li Tai explained again.

"You mean your newborn sister is a monster?" Changsun understood.

"Yes! So ugly. Red and full of wrinkles!" Li Tai said.

"Qingque, you were also like that when you were born." Li Kuan's voice came from outside.

PS: Thank you to Saint Mediflora for the two 588起点币 rewards and to Ye Hongxue for the fourth reward. I am deeply grateful! This otaku bows in gratitude!

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