Chapter 8 The willows in front of the pavilion wait for the spring breeze

"Death is not something that needs to be rushed." Li Ying stood up, walked to the window, looked at the snowflakes flying outside the window and fell all over Xingqing Palace, and then said:
"Death is inevitable from the day we are born, so instead of worrying about it, it is better to think about practical things and do what you can."

Li Heng's words were not pretentious; they were his true thoughts.

Concubine Wu Huifei looked at Li Ying by the window and had a strange feeling. She felt that her son seemed to have become a different person and became somewhat unfathomable.

Concubine Wu Hui was stunned for a moment and asked, "Did you come here today specifically to persuade me not to interfere in the government?"

Li Ying turned around, looked at Concubine Wu Huifei, and bowed, "I wonder if you can agree to my request, mother?"

Concubine Wu Hui hesitated for a while and said, "I can only promise you that as long as you live, I will not interfere in the government."

"Thank you, mother." Li Heng bowed deeply and said, "I still have two things I need your help with."

Concubine Wu Hui smiled dotingly and said, "How can I not agree to your request? Just tell me."

Li Heng said, "First, I am not feeling well, so I need a doctor to take care of me when I travel."

Wu Huifei said: "Even if you don't tell me about this, I will arrange it for you."

Li Heng said, "I want Doctor Zhang's daughter."

"Hmm?" Concubine Wu Hui looked at Li Heng and said with a smile, "Some time ago, you asked me to let you marry the Yang family lady. It's been less than half a month since the wedding, and you've already fallen in love with someone else? Or did the Yang family lady neglect you because she saw that you were ill?"

Li Ying had three reasons why he wanted Doctor Zhang's daughter to take care of him personally.

First, Doctor Zhang knew that he was faking illness. Although he was sure that Doctor Zhang would not tell this to anyone, what if?
So, he needed a hostage.

Secondly, Doctor Zhang is a member of the prince's party. For the prince's sake, he will definitely be curious about what he is doing when he pretends to be sick and goes out, and then have someone secretly monitor him, so he might as well have a monitoring pawn by his side.

Because it is easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against a hidden arrow, instead of having someone monitor you secretly, it is better to bring someone monitor you openly.

Thirdly, after he goes out to travel, there will surely be many doctors who would come to treat him in order to curry his favor. He cannot be on guard against being exposed all the time, so he wants Doctor Zhang's daughter to protect him.

Li Heng naturally couldn't tell Concubine Wu Hui about his thoughts. He smiled and said, "The lady of the Yang family treats me very well. I don't want to take a concubine. I just heard that the daughter of Imperial Doctor Zhang is an excellent doctor and has inherited her father's true teachings. In addition, if I have any emergency, she can quickly contact her father."

Concubine Wu Hui nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you, I will go and ask your father for help. What's the other thing?"

Li Ying: "Although the Tang Dynasty is prosperous and peaceful, I am timid and afraid of danger. So another thing, I hope my mother can ask my father to send me a guard."

Li Heng wanted Li Longji to send him a guard, both for his own safety and so that Li Longji could monitor him openly.

"I've thought about this for you as well." Concubine Wu Hui smiled, "Do you have a designated person?"

"No." Li Heng shook his head and smiled, "As long as the guards are arranged by my father, it will be fine."

"Okay, I promise you." Concubine Wu Hui agreed and teased, "You came to the palace with a lot of things in your mind."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng walked to Wu Huifei's side, pinched her shoulders, and said with a smile: "I mainly came to pay my respects to my mother."

"Okay, stop talking nonsense." Concubine Wu Huifei pulled Li Heng to sit next to her. "In the past, I hoped that you would do more things. Now that you are sick and have more things to do, I hope you can be like before and worry less."

"I also hope that you will worry less." Li Heng looked at Concubine Wu Huifei, "You are so haggard, mother. Actually, you don't have to worry about me. I have my own way to go."

"I'll try my best." Concubine Wu Hui smiled bitterly and changed the subject: "By the way, the Yang family's wife is so pretty. When can you give birth to a son?"

"Well... I'll try my best." Li Ying spread his hands and smiled.

The mother and son chatted about family matters.

……

……

……

The winter snow in Chang'an came violently, with heavy snow falling everywhere, using Chang'an as a furnace, melting everything into silver. Li Ying was in the room, half leaning on a recliner, warming himself by the charcoal fire, holding a scroll in his hand, flipping through it silently.

Yang Yuhuan stood at the door, looking at the snow outside, and said, "My dear, this year's snow is heavier than in previous years."

"Auspicious snow means a good harvest." Li Ying put down the book in his hand, "Next year will definitely be a good year."

"Yes." Yang Yuhuan nodded. "According to the nine-day counting, it's already the fourth nine-day period, but the snow hasn't stopped yet."

"Counting the nine days." Li Ying remembered this custom and said, "We haven't counted the nine days yet."

China has always had the custom of counting the nine days of the lunar calendar. Starting from the ninth day, people with little education would draw a nine times nine square. Some people would draw nine plum blossoms, each with nine petals. People with good education would write nine Chinese characters, each with nine strokes.

Ninety-nine is eighty-one, one stroke or one line every day, and after eighty-one days, winter will be over.

The culture of the Tang Dynasty was prosperous, and nobles like them would write nine Chinese characters every year.

Yang Yuhuan was born into a family of officials, so naturally she would be able to do so.

Thinking of this, Li Heng stood up, came behind Yang Yuhuan, hugged her from behind, and said, "You have the habit of counting the nine days of winter, but just because I got sick, you gave up this custom this year, right?"

Yang Yuhuan grabbed Li Heng's hand, put her face close to Li Heng's, and said, "Winter comes every year, but there is only one husband, so naturally his health is more important."

"I'm sorry for making you suffer." Li Heng felt a little guilty. "Actually, you don't have to take my illness seriously. Just keep everything as it is. Let's put it this way. It's not too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. Although winter is already halfway over, we can start counting from now on."

Yang Yuhuan became interested and asked, "Is this okay?"

"Of course." Li Heng let go of Yang Yuhuan and told the servants to find a large piece of paper. He said, "Madam, what should we write?"

Yang Yuhuan grinded the ink and said with a smile, "What to write is of course up to you, my dear."

"Okay." Li Ying did not refuse and picked up the pen to outline the nine characters.

Yang Yuhuan followed and read: "The willows in front of the pavilion are waiting for the spring breeze."

Each character has exactly nine strokes.

For Li Heng, these nine words mean that he can leave the capital by spring.

After reading it, Yang Yuhuan praised it, saying, "Nine characters, each with nine strokes, not only conforms to the custom of counting nine days, but also has a profound meaning."

Li Ying smiled slightly and said, "Let's make up the first half together."

Yang Yuhuan nodded, picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and asked, "My dear, shall we each draw a stroke?"

"Of course we write together." Li Heng held Yang Yuhuan's hand holding the pen.

"Okay."

Yang Yuhuan laughed happily, and the two of them finished the first few strokes together.

After finishing writing, Li Heng said: "My wife, these few strokes that were missed at the beginning are like the first half of our lives that we missed. We were not able to spend time together as childhood sweethearts. Now we have made up for it together. For the remaining strokes, we will write one stroke a day together, just like the rest of our lives, sharing life and death, and going and returning together."

"Yeah." Yang Yuhuan responded firmly, burying her head in Li Heng's chest and said, "You are not allowed to lie to me."

Li Heng said: "Of course I won't lie to you."

"I believe you." Yang Yuhuan smiled again, raised her head, and said, "I want to make a snowman."

Li Ying said, "Let's go. I'll go with you."

The two of them walked into the courtyard hand in hand, slowly formed a pair of beautiful women, and their laughter could be heard outside the house.

Outside the mansion, the people who were watching secretly heard the laughter of Li Heng and Yang Yuhuan and couldn't help cursing in their hearts.

(End of this chapter)