Li Shimin burst into tears, Li Jiancheng's face was gloomy, and the others looked embarrassed.
Soon, Dou came in a hurry. Even the old lady Dugu was alarmed and sent her trusted maid to inquire about the situation.
The doctor serving in the Tang Guogong Mansion rushed over and gave Li Xuanba a few injections to stop the vomiting.
The vomit on the ground has been cleaned up, but the smell has not yet dissipated.
Li Xuanba moved to another room, holding the bitter medicine, his face full of melancholy as if he had seen through the world.
It's bitter, it's really bitter.
I'm almost breaking my record of not taking medicine for a month, but now I have to take decoctions again.
The adults who had gathered around left, and Dou went to comfort Li Jiancheng's frightened friends. Only Li Xuanba and Li Shimin, who was sitting beside the bed and crying, were left in the room.
While drinking the medicine, Li Xuanba said to Li Shimin in his heart: "Brother, stop crying. Your eyes are swollen."
Li Shimin sniffed and muttered, "Why doesn't mother scold my brother? Mother is biased!"
Li Xuanba sighed. How to explain this...
It's really hard to punish Li Jiancheng for making him vomit when he came to visit him.
Because this is the hygiene situation of feudal men nowadays.
In ancient China, hygiene was very important. The Book of Rites says, "When the cock first crows, wash your hands and wash your face." Washing and grooming every day to keep clean had become a requirement of "ritual."
But the smell of a hangover cannot be removed by simply washing your face and rinsing your mouth. What's more, there is no toothpaste or mouthwash to freshen your breath now, and you can only use green salt.
As for bathing, because people nowadays have long hair and don't have hair dryers, they are prone to migraines if they don't keep warm. Therefore, some people follow the so-called health preservation and don't like bathing.
Others are simply too lazy to take a shower.
People do not have high expectations for the personal hygiene of scholars and officials.
For example, Bai Juyi once wrote that he "has not bathed for years, and his skin is covered with dust and dirt." Su Shi also wrote "My hair is graying and does not reach my ears, but I still bathe once a month."
It would be an exaggeration to say that this was just the poet expressing his emotions. Wang Anshi "did not wash his dirty clothes or his dirty face". Because there was too much dirt on his face, his students thought he had a terminal illness and went to see a famous doctor. The famous doctor prescribed "just wash your face and you will be fine". This is recorded in the History of the Song Dynasty.
Not to mention that this was a time when the country had just emerged from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it was fashionable for the children of aristocratic families to admire the style of the famous scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. "Talking while scratching one's lice" was a noble attitude towards life.
The smell of hangover that Li Xuanba couldn't stand seemed to outsiders like the "fragrance" of a celebrity.
Isn't the smell of wine brewing overnight fragrant? There's no need to burn incense, it's the smell of hormones that can make the girls in the brothel blush.
So when Li Jiancheng brought his friends to visit his sick brother after a hangover, Li Xuanba really couldn't just say that he was vomiting because of the stench of their hangover.
That would not only offend Li Jiancheng and his friends, but also be an unconventional act that went against the trend of the times, which would attract many people to sneer and criticize him. Those people would not care that he was just a child.
Li Xuanba didn't mind these external comments. He knew that he would rely on his second brother to become a prince in the future, so the reputation of this little thing was not important at all. But his mother and grandmother didn't think so.
[As the second son of a family who cannot inherit a title, reputation is very important when serving as an official. Since the Han Dynasty, the reputation of children of aristocratic families has to be cultivated from childhood. If a child has a bad reputation when he is young, it will be difficult for him to turn things around when he grows up.]
[My body cannot go to the battlefield to make achievements, so I can only rely on patronage and the imperial examination. Patronage requires recommendation for promotion; the imperial examination is a recommendation for admission, and the candidates' reputation is also considered during the selection process.]
After hearing his brother's words, Li Shimin wiped his eyes with the back of his hand indignantly and said, "It's obviously their fault, why would they damage your reputation?"
Li Xuanba finally finished drinking the bitter medicine. Li Shimin took the empty medicine bowl and stuffed a piece of candy into Li Xuanba's mouth.
Li Xuanba sipped on the candy and continued: [This era is like this. ]
Li Shimin curled his lips and said, "Even if you should do this to outsiders, shouldn't you scold your brother behind closed doors? Why do you have to apologize to him and say that you are in poor health and have embarrassed him?"
This was what made Li Shimin most sad.
It was Ah Xuan who was suffering, so why did Ah Xuan endure the pain and apologize to Li Jiancheng?!
Li Xuanba asked Li Shimin for water.
Li Shimin quickly handed the warm water to Li Xuanba. After Li Xuanba finished drinking the water, he put the cup back on the small table next to the bed.
[Mother is doing this for my own good. I will have to rely on my brother to survive in the future. Now that I have taken the initiative to admit my mistake, mother will definitely compensate me privately later. Mother is very good to us, don't blame her.]
The second brother was still young, and Li Xuanba didn't want to talk to him about these things. But although his second brother loved to cry, he also had a bad temper. He was very worried that because of this, the second brother would quarrel with Li Jiancheng in advance.
The second brother is ten years younger than Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng has already obtained an idle official position through intimacy, while the second brother is still a child who has just been enlightened. If the second brother makes trouble now, he will only be known as a naughty boy.
Li Xuanba was really innocent and helpless about what had angered Li Jiancheng.
He really didn't mean to torment Li Jiancheng. On the contrary, he had tried to please Li Jiancheng before.
Li Xuanba knew his own limitations and could not change the future of brothers fighting each other.
Since my second brother is old, the founding emperor must be Li Yuan, Duke of Tang.
Anyone with a little historical knowledge knows that the Xuanwu Gate Incident was not actually determined by the will of Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin. The struggle between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin had always been a battle between Li Yuan and his second brother.
As long as Li Yuan was the emperor, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were destined to fight each other.
But before the brothers killed each other, if he could successfully live past the age of sixteen, the sixteen-year-old Li Shimin would have followed Li Yuan to fight. Being sick and weak, he could not run around, and would definitely have to follow Li Jiancheng who was guarding the rear to make a living.
When the Tang Dynasty was established, he was already 21 years old. In other words, he had to rely on Li Jiancheng for five whole years.
In order to make those five years easier, the snob Li Xuanba would of course try to get closer to Li Jiancheng.
But he didn't expect that Li Jiancheng was just indifferent to him. After he deliberately got close to him several times, Li Jiancheng actually hated him a little.
After several attempts, Li Xuanba saw through Li Jiancheng's thoughts.
It's not that Li Jianben is bad by nature.
First of all, Li Jiancheng had been the only son for ten years, and suddenly he had two favored younger brothers, so he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.
The conflict between the first and second child still exists in modern times.
Moreover, he and his second brother were not only the sons that the Duke of Tang had waited ten years for to be born, but also a pair of twin prodigies. Originally, Li Jiancheng was the focus of everyone in the Duke of Tang's mansion, but now the focus has shifted to him and his second brother. Anyone would feel awkward for a while.
Secondly, Li Jiancheng was ten years older than him.
In later times, if a 16-year-old high school student is pestered by a 6-year-old preschooler, he will definitely be annoyed. The more he pesters him, the more annoyed he will be.
Both he and his second brother were too smart. They would not shout "Brother is so awesome" with admiration on their faces just because Li Jiancheng said something casually. Instead, they would say "That's it" with a look of confusion on their faces.
The naughty little kids are even more annoying. Who has the patience to coax a kid? ! It's so annoying!!
If I and my second brother were younger, like the fourth brother's age now, we might get along better with Li Jiancheng.
Taking all the above reasons into consideration, Li Jiancheng had a good attitude towards Li Yuanji, who was only two years old, an average attitude towards Li Shimin who ignored him, and felt a little annoyed with himself for always disturbing him.
In addition, as the eldest son, Li Jiancheng was raised by his grandmother, who was still in good health at the time, according to the custom of the big family. He and his second brother were closer to their mother.
When there were conflicts between his grandmother and his mother, he relied on his young age and illness to prevent his grandmother from getting angry and often sided with his mother. I am afraid that Li Jiancheng would think that he was not filial enough to his grandmother and would be a little dissatisfied.
Combining the two factors, Li Jiancheng hated this "naughty kid" even more.
However, as they grow up, these little contradictions and awkward emotions will disappear under the influence of interests and reason.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, China once again entered aristocratic politics. Except for the emperor's family, where brothers often fought against each other, the status of the eldest son in ordinary aristocratic families was unshakable.
This is not the "distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children" as exaggerated by marketing accounts in later generations.
The "legitimate son and illegitimate son" in the backyard fighting novels is based on the Korean and European system, where the status of the child follows the status of the mother. In China, the "father" is respected, and as long as they are recorded in the family tree, except for the eldest legitimate son, the status of other sons is not much different. Compared with the illegitimate son, the second legitimate son can only get a little more family property, and the political resources invested by the family are actually similar.
After the Song Dynasty, becoming an official basically depended on passing the imperial examination, and the gap between the eldest son and other children narrowed.
According to the current social situation, the imperial examination had just started, and very few people were admitted to officialdom through the examination. The court was still dominated by aristocratic politics. As the eldest son, Li Jiancheng was able to inherit the title, and his status was naturally much higher than that of his younger brothers who had to work hard on their own.
Therefore, "legitimate and illegitimate" at this time refers to the eldest legitimate son as "legitimate", and the rest of the sons, including brothers from the same mother, are "illegitimate".
No matter how many younger brothers Li Jiancheng had, they posed no threat to his position.
Furthermore, according to the "filial piety", the family cannot be divided when the parents are still alive. No matter how powerful the younger brothers are, they have to live with Li Jiancheng obediently. After they get married and start a family, they are only the "second wife", "third wife" or "certain wife" of the Duke of Tang's mansion. The more powerful they are, the more they can help Li Jiancheng.
To sum up, to put it bluntly, no matter how badly Li Jiancheng treats me now, when I grow up, I still have to go to my brother and repair our relationship, otherwise my life will not be easy in the future.
Even if Dou and Dugu knew that Li Xuanba's illness was Li Jiancheng's fault, they could not punish Li Jiancheng for this trivial matter. Otherwise, Li Xuanba would suffer in the future.
After all, only Li Xuanba himself knew that his future status would not depend on Li Jiancheng, but on his second brother who would be the emperor.
Li Xuanba told Li Shimin some simple things about his situation and the difference between "legitimate" and "illegitimate" people, so as to prevent Li Shimin from causing trouble for Li Jiancheng.
It would be even worse if I caused trouble. It would be better to admit the grievance, let my mother and grandmother feel sorry for me, and ask for some substantial benefits.
"It's so complicated." Li Shimin pushed Li Xuanba inside, kicked off his shoes, squeezed onto the bed and lay side by side with Li Xuanba.
Li Xuanba: [Don't understand? ]
Li Shimin: "Ah Xuan means that you will depend on him for your living in the future, so you can't offend him."
Li Xuanba: [That's about it.]
Li Shimin turned to look at his brother. His little face, which had not yet lost its baby fat, showed a serious expression that was rare for a child. "I am in good health. I will go and make achievements and earn a title again. As long as I have a title, I can divide the family in advance, and it will not be considered a violation of filial piety."
Li Xuanba: [Ah?]
Li Shimin said seriously: "I will take Ah Xuan away after I am conferred the title. Brother will raise you, and we will not rely on Li Jiancheng for support. You don't have to please him."
Li Xuanba was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Okay."
Li Shimin smiled again and stretched out his hand: "Come, I will high-five you and swear an oath. I will accomplish my mission as soon as possible and take you away."
He paused and said, "Take mother away too!"
"Puchi..." Li Xuanba laughed, "Okay."
"Oh, I'm sleepy. Come a little closer." Li Shimin pushed Li Xuanba further into the bed, and he lay down in the shape of a Chinese character "大". "Good afternoon, Xuan."
Li Xuanba muttered: "We just got up not long ago..."
Having said that, he was also a little sleepy.
The two children lay head to head and fell asleep quickly in the cool breeze blowing from the patio inside the house.
Dou, who was standing by the window, kept wiping away her tears.
She knew that the telepathy between Sanlang and Erlang was more powerful than outsiders imagined.
Sanlang can "talk" to Erlang without opening his mouth. Although Erlang can hear what Sanlang is thinking, he cannot speak in his mind like Sanlang does. So when the two children talk, it is often Erlang who "talks to himself".
Although Dou couldn't hear what Sanlang said to Erlang, she could guess a little from Erlang's answer.
"Erlang and Sanlang mature too precociously." Li Sanniang sighed while wiping Dou's tears.
She was originally embroidering behind closed doors some embroidery work for her in-laws when she got married next year. When she heard that something had happened to her brother, she hurried over to help her mother.
Among those who happened to be fooling around with Li Jiancheng was her future husband, Chai Shao. She had to warn Chai Shao not to spread the affairs of the Duke of Tang's Mansion around.
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As a daughter, Li Sanniang also grew up under the care of Lady Dou. Li Xuanba was also a well-behaved and considerate child, often bringing Li Shimin to play with her, so Li Sanniang had a deeper relationship with Li Shimin and Li Xuanba.
After overhearing the conversation between the two, Li Sanniang naturally sided with her two younger brothers and felt quite uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but mutter, "How old is Li Jiancheng? Why is he fighting with a child? Doesn't he know that Sanlang is weak? He brought a group of drunken strangers with him to visit the patient. How can this be called a visit?"
"Sanniang, be quiet!" Dou said seriously.
Li Sanniang sighed, "Yes, yes, after I get married, I will need help from my parents, and I will also have to support him, the future Duke of Tang."
She felt very aggrieved.
Li Sanniang had been wielding swords and guns, reading and writing since she was a child, and she thought she was no different from men.
When she was about to get married, she realized the huge difference between girls and boys.
My doting and indulgent mother took away my weapons, writing instruments, and forced me to learn embroidery, housekeeping, and... serving and enduring.
No matter how pampered a daughter is at home, things will be different after she gets married.
No matter how good her husband's family is, it will not be as kind as her parents at home. She did not marry Chai Shao, who was in love with her, but the daughter of Duke Tang married the family of the Duke of Julu County. There are too many things to pay attention to.
"I will give you more dowry. You are more capable than mother. Chai Shao is a considerate man, and his mother is also kind. You will definitely live better than mother in the future." Dou patted the back of her daughter's hand gently, and put away the weakness on her face. "After you get married, if... if you have the spare energy, on the premise that you live well, help Sanlang."
Li Sanniang smiled and said, "My brothers from my mother's family are my support. I would do the same even without you telling me."
Moreover, among her brothers, Sanlang treated her best. When she was locked up in the yard embroidering, Sanlang often secretly sent her military books and geography books to entertain her.
Although she would never realize her childhood dream of becoming a general, it was nice to be able to read books and dream for a while longer.
Dou nodded and said, "But the most important thing is that you live well. If you don't live well, even if you want to help Sanlang, that child won't accept it given his personality."
Li Sanniang covered her mouth and said, "I know, I know. Don't worry, I will be fine. Shall we go in and see them?"
Dou hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "Let's not disturb their nap."
"Just got up and went back to sleep, two little pigs." Li Sanniang laughed softly and helped her tired mother leave. "By the way, mother, Sanlang said a few days ago that he wanted to open a shop to practice. Mother said he was too young and would give him the shop in a few years. I think although he is young, he can still calculate clearly, so why not give him the shop now, so that he can have more pocket money and feel happier."
Dou hesitated for a moment and sighed, "Yes."
The entire Tang Guogong Mansion belongs to the eldest son. Apart from giving her daughter her dowry, she should leave more of her money for the other children.
Dou suddenly thought of her fourth son, and her heart ached.
Disgust, guilt, escape, and anger intertwined in her mind, causing her brows to furrow.
"Accompany mother to see Silang again." Dou whispered.
Li Sanniang's expression suddenly fell: "Ah, okay."
Dou gently squeezed her daughter's hand and said, "Silang is still a child. It's normal for him to be a little naughty now. He will be fine when he grows up."
Li Sanniang: "Oh, ha."
Li Sanniang rolled her eyes in her heart.
Will he be better when he grows up? He still needs to be educated. Judging from the way Shiro is being spoiled now, he will probably become even worse in the future.
Although the grandmother clearly no longer had the energy to raise a child, she still refused to return Silang to his mother, and no one knew what Silang would become in the future.
Dou saw what Li Sanniang was thinking and said, "The fault lies with me, not Silang and mother."
If she hadn't suffered from hysteria when giving birth, her mother would not have stopped her from raising Silang.
Li Sanniang: "Okay, mother, if you delay any longer, you won't have time to see Silang. I think grandma will call you to take care of the sick again. Go!"
She dragged Dou and quickened her pace.
"Oh, slow down. Why are you as impatient as Erlang?" Dou said helplessly.
Li Sanniang laughed and said, "What do you mean I am the same as Erlang? I am older than Erlang, but Erlang is like me."
Dou laughed: "Okay, Erlang looks like you."
Li Erlang, who was soundly sleeping, said: "A-choo... um... huff... huff..."
Li Sanlang curled up beside him, his arms and legs instinctively stretched out in his sleep, refusing his brother's use of him as a pillow to cool off.
…
"Sanlang is a sensible child." Old Madam Dugu later learned about how Li Xuanba took all the responsibilities, and said slowly, "A harmonious family is the foundation of everything. Dalang will inherit the title of Duke of Tang in the future and will be the pillar of the mansion. He should be more tolerant."
Zhang was one of the maids brought by Old Lady Dugu as a dowry. She had never married, but she became a maid by combing her hair herself. She was Old Lady Dugu's most trusted confidant.
While rubbing Madam Dugu's legs that had become stiff from lying for so long, Granny Zhang sighed, "It's just that the Third Young Master is only six years old and matures so precociously. It's really heartbreaking."
Madam Dugu sighed deeply and said, "Da Lang has just been engaged, and he is still a child, so his personality is a little immature. When he gets married and has his own children, he will know how to be considerate of his younger brother."
Granny Zhang said, "Of course, the eldest son is the most kindhearted, but he acted rashly and didn't think too much, which led to the outsider bumping into the third son."
Madam Dugu said, "That's right. Those people are really real. Dalang asked them to come visit my younger brother just to be polite, so why did they really come? Didn't their families teach them the etiquette of visiting the sick? Especially that Chai Shao, I don't think he is a good person!"
Old Lady Dugu was very unhappy with the grandson-in-law chosen by Dou. Old Lady Dugu was the elder sister of the late Emperor's mother, Empress Wenxian Dugu Jialuo. She originally wanted to marry her granddaughter to her younger sister's grandson, but now the emperor's second son Yang Ling was the match, making the relationship even closer.
Although Yang Ling has not been crowned a king yet, he and the crown prince are both sons of the queen, so it is only a matter of time before he is crowned a king. Yang Ling's first wife died early, and the harem was left without a master. With her status, Sanniang is sure to be Yang Ling's successor, and she will be a princess in the future!
Besides, the prince didn't look very healthy. If the prince died early, Yang Ling would become the prince, and Sanniang would become the princess and the queen!
Dou Shi refused to take such a promising path, and even persuaded her son.
What is a county lord? How can he be better than a princess?
Old Lady Dugu felt very uncomfortable thinking that her son would oppose her decision for the sake of Dou.
Zhang Po knew that Old Lady Dugu hated Chai Shao, so she cursed him a few times and blamed everything that happened today on Chai Shao, as if it was Chai Shao who instigated Li Jiancheng to do so.
After cursing for a few times, Old Lady Dugu finally calmed down.
Naturally, Old Lady Dugu liked both Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng.
Thinking about Li Xuanba's health and the difficulty he would have in making a living on his own in the future, Old Lady Dugu felt extremely distressed.
With Zhang Po's silent instigation, Old Lady Dugu made the same decision as Dou.
"Doesn't Sanlang want to own a shop for fun? He likes reading, so let's give him a shop first." Old Lady Dugu decided, "Dalang will be a capable man in the future, and he won't be interested in my dowry. Give Sanlang more personal allowance, and Dalang will understand."
Mrs. Zhang said, "The eldest son has lofty ambitions, so he won't care about these things."
Madam Dugu smiled and said, "Of course it is."
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Mrs. Zhang was very happy.
The image of the Third Young Master smiling and saying to her, "Thank you for the clothes embroidered by Mrs. Zhang" flashed through her mind.
As Madam Dugu's confidant, all the young men and women in the mansion were very polite and respectful to her.
But only Li Sanlang's words entered her heart.
All the embroidery work that Old Lady Dugu gave to her grandchildren was done by her. Everyone else thanked Old Lady Dugu, except Sanlang, who thanked her extra.
From then on, whenever she sent embroidery work to Sanlang, it was as if not just an old lady giving a gift to her grandson, but also as if she also had a grandson.
Even though she knew it was just an illusion, the lonely Mrs. Zhang still cared more about Li Sanlang.
If it weren't for Zhang Po's help, it wouldn't have been so easy for Li Sanlang to pretend to be sick every time and keep Dou Shi by his side to rest.
…
When Li Xuanba woke up, he found two more shops under his name, one selling rouge and powder, and the other selling books.
Li Shimin said in a mature and confident tone, "Is this what Ah Xuan said? If you suffer a loss at the hands of your brother, your mother and grandmother will compensate you privately? Very good, Ah Xuan, if you provoke your brother again, I can rely on you for support."
"Get out!" Li Xuanba kicked Li Shimin.
Before, you said you would build your own career and support me. Where is your ambition? How come it has become that I support you?