Yu Zi Heng

CHAPTER 14: Side Story - Elder Brother

When he was little, Chen Yuan couldn't understand how someone who had just held him close, heartbroken with love, could so readily discard him.

He was the eldest son born to a lowly palace maid. His Empress mother had treated him like her own son for a while, but the more she did that, the more cruel it seemed when she rejected him.

After several miscarriages, his Empress mother had essentially gone mad. The irony was that Chen Yuan's birth mother was not much better, and his older sister, Chen Yun, who had been raised by the Empress mother, gradually became gloomy and cold-hearted. Chen Yuan had once thought that madness was the norm for women.

Every time he went to Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager would look at him with a strange expression. He understood later: she saw his inevitable fate as a discarded prince.

He was merely a gift the Emperor used to appease the Empress. In this story, he was insignificant, as was the Empress; the Emperor only cared about himself. The Empress's happiness was his concern, so when she was unhappy, he offered up his children to please her—nothing more.

When the Empress, in a fit of madness, tried to kill him, his birth mother shielded him from the blow, resulting in the Empress accidentally stabbing herself. Whether his birth mother intentionally pushed the Empress remains unclear, but the Empress Dowager blamed her for the death, making her the scapegoat.

Chen Yuan had once hated the Empress Dowager, hated the Emperor, hated the Empress, hated everything about the palace.

At a young age, he felt the despair of being so utterly bound by fate that he couldn't even move a finger. He finally understood why the Empress Dowager always looked at him with that particular gaze.

 

The Empress Dowager was selfish; in her eyes, son were more important than grandsons.

 

So, he cursed both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

Many years later, Chen Yuan still found it hard to believe his own audacity.

Chen Yuan lived in Hu Guang Xiao Zhu for over two years. As a prince, he was reduced to hunger and cold within the imperial palace.

The Emperor had new favorites, new women, new sons. He was always superfluous.

That's why he decided to escape the palace.

But he didn't expect to meet someone who would change his life at Yinglong Gate.

Empress Xiaoshengxian, of the Yu family, was still an unfavored concubine at that time. But the first time Chen Yuan saw her, he felt that she was the image of an Empress.

So bright, generous, fearless, yet without scorching heat.

When she spoke with the Commander of the Jinlin Guard, Commander Shen's hand clenched tightly; his hand was tightly gripping his own. Chen Yuan could sense the pain that the seemingly calm man was enduring.

Later, after spending time with Empress Yu, he realized that that day had been one of her rare lapses in composure.

She enjoyed planning ahead, she liked to be prepared, even when she was angry and reprimanding, it was all within her control. Only that day, she couldn't control her emotions and exchanged barbs with Lord Shen.

So, for many years after that, Chen Yuan never asked Empress Yu about Lord Shen.

Empress Yu was a woman who was incredibly clear-headed, unlike most of the women Chen Yuan had encountered in his youth. She was very similar to the Empress Dowager, which is why Chen Yuan didn't like her at first.

She told Chen Yuan to ask the Empress Dowager. She told him, “Your path is still long, you haven't finished it yet.”

These words were like magic, taking root and sprouting in his mind.

So, he humbled himself and asked the Empress Dowager—the one who had imprisoned his birth mother in the cold palace.

Though the Empress Dowager smiled, the pity in her eyes never changed.

He got the chance to return to the Imperial Study.

At that time, he didn't understand why Empress Yu, who was raising the Third Prince, Chen Xi, herself, would help him.

Empress Yu treated him with the same patience and care she gave Chen Xi.

At that time, the Empress Dowager personally went to the Han family and asked the renowned prodigy to be Chen Xi's companion. Shū Fēi also made a big fuss, finding a companion for Chen Yang. But for him, everyone in the palace was waiting to see him ridiculed.

Prince? What prince? Who would treat him like a prince?

He, Chen Yuan, was nothing more than a plaything, a dog to amuse the late Empress!

But no one expected Empress Yu to bring her own brother into the palace to be his companion.

Empress Yu had many brothers. Yu Zi Chen wasn't as handsome and unparalleled as Yu Zi Yu, nor was he a battlefield hero like Yu Zi Xia or Yu Zi Ling.

Yu Zi Chen was chubby, loved to tell jokes, enjoyed snacks, and was easily scared—he would wake up in fright from nightmares at night.

He had an excellent memory, yet he never ranked first in the Imperial Study; he was skilled in martial arts, but he never dominated his classmates in the training grounds.

He was the fourth son of General Yu, born of a concubine, surrounded by brothers, and few people truly noticed him, especially with such a brilliant older sister and older brothers.

But Yu Zi Chen had one admirable quality—he never looked down on Chen Yuan.

Yu Zi Chen never placed himself on a pedestal to pity others.

In his eyes, Chen Yuan was simply his classmate, someone his sister had entrusted him to care for, nothing more.

If it could be said that Empress Yu cast the first ray of light into Chen Yuan's dark world, then Yu Zi Chen was the one who continuously illuminated his life.

Yu Zi Chen said, “Sometimes I wonder why my brothers are so handsome and intelligent, beloved by all, while I'm not blessed with such looks. But Chen Yuan, it's not about comparing like that. Sister says life isn't about keeping score.”

Yu Zi Chen always liked to draw out the tone when he called his name, a trait from his concubine-mother's hometown. The women in the Yu family's household hailed from all corners of the land, and their various accents rubbed off on their sons. Even the outstanding Yu Zi Yu was no exception. But this only showed that the Yu family never kept their brothers away from their birth mother.

How wonderful…

The days spent studying were the happiest times, with good-natured Yu Zi Chen, the hot-tempered Chen Yang, the scheming Jiang Changsheng, the innocent Chen Xi, and the gentle but fragile Han Ran.

He thought he would never trust anyone again.

He thought he was so lonely that he only had himself.

But Yu Zi Chen and the others would gather around him, inviting him to share snacks, copying books with him, having snowball fights, and playing Go together.

The way Empress Yu treated him was no different from how she treated Chen Xi and Yu Zi Chen, making him unable to find any reason to suspect ulterior motives, even if he doubted her intentions.

On his twelfth birthday, Chen Xi quietly said to him, “Mother has found Róng Pín, who was demoted last year, to take care of your mother. Her cough has improved, and she's much more clear-headed now. Although Mother doesn't say it, she's hoping that once you come of age and marry, there will be a chance for you to reunite.”

After saying this, Chen Xi smiled, “Big Brother, I'm good to you, right?”

Chen Yuan thought to himself, and he finally asked, “But why are you so good to me?”

Having been abandoned a few times, he had long lost track of what made him deserving of someone else's kindness.

Chen Xi was taken aback, “You're my big brother! Mother said that in my lifetime, whether good or bad, I only have you as my big brother. If I could choose, I would prefer Yu Zi Chen to be my big brother. Isn't that settled?”

Suddenly, Chen Yuan felt the weight of the words ‘big brother.’

It turned out that just having blood ties made Chen Xi treat him so well.

It turned out that the blood running through his veins was not something to be ashamed of; there were still those who, because of this bloodline, were willing to love him and care for him.

So, the tragic death of his older sister had made him so furious.

He knelt before the ancestral temple, not just speaking to his younger siblings, but questioning himself: What about you, Chen Yuan? What have you done for those who are good to you? If you only enjoy the love of others without giving anything in return, how despicable and weak is that?

He should have been the shield for his younger siblings. Even if he couldn't be like Empress Yu, he at least shouldn't let them be treated like pets by the Emperor, summoned and dismissed at will!

It was also then that Chen Yuan realized that even emperors were not invulnerable.

Empress Yu could clearly tell the Emperor, “If you don't acknowledge your mistakes, I won't forgive you.”

Chen Yuan finally understood how narrow his past path had been.

He was the eldest son of the Emperor, yet he had lived his life like a rat in a gutter.

Empress Yu was merely an unfavored concubine, yet she could make the Emperor personally apologize to her.

Later, Empress Yu gradually became the Empress. Even when she worked tirelessly through the night handling palace affairs, she never missed a single monthly exam at the Imperial Academy or a birthday of his siblings.

Empress Yu joked, “The monthly salary of four hundred taels of silver isn't given for free.”

Indeed, it wasn't free. Chen Yuan couldn't imagine what would happen to him, the Emperor's despised eldest son, without Empress Yu; what would become of Chen Yang, spoiled by Shū Fēi; what would become of Chen Xi, treated as a pawn by Wèi Zhàoyí; and what about Chen Xu Jia, deposed due to his mother's downfall?

As the days passed, Chen Yuan came of age, chose a beloved princess, left the palace to establish his residence, and welcomed his birth mother to live in the Wangfu.

By that time, the Empress Dowager was already gone, and the Emperor's health was deteriorating. The other princes were still young, and the crown prince must be chosen among him, Chen Yang, and Chen Xi.

Everyone thought that Empress Yu wanted Chen Xi to become the crown prince, but Chen Yuan knew that the person she favored was him.

They spoke little, and the time they spent together grew shorter. Empress Yu cared for him but didn't want him to notice. Only on the day of his wedding did Empress Yu sigh, “It’s wonderful that you’ve grown up like this.”

It was then that Chen Yuan felt Empress Yu's expectations; she truly hoped for his success.

Empress Yu said, “Chen Yuan, I give everyone the same opportunities. You are better than many, which makes me especially happy.”

When the Emperor fell seriously ill, Chen Yuan asked Empress Yu, “What does Mother hope for me?”

He meant that question sincerely.

At that moment, he would do anything for Empress Yu. If she wanted someone to become the crown prince, he would support that person. If she wanted him to ascend the throne, he would do so, even if she wished to establish herself as the Emperor, he would be willing to draw his sword and try, allowing the capital to have a new mistress.

But Empress Yu simply said, “Chen Yuan, do what you are supposed to do.”

What was he supposed to do?

Be a filial son to his mother? Be a loving husband to his wife? Be a caring brother to his siblings?

It wasn't just that, it was so much more…

He was part of the royal family of this nation, raised by the support of countless citizens. What he was meant to do involved far more than just a few people around him.

Over the years, past events surfaced before his eyes. Everything Empress Yu had done made him understand how one person could help many and improve countless situations.

……

Yuan Wang Yu, the elder brother of Emperor Wenzong, grew up alongside him under the care of Empress Xiaoshengxian. The brothers had a harmonious relationship, working together with Prince Qinyang, Prince Yanzhi, and Prince Chujian to assist the Emperor in governance. They dedicated themselves to serving the people, often working late into the night and rising early in the morning. By the age of forty, he had begun to show signs of graying hair, and Emperor Wenzong relied heavily on him. He was honored with the title of ‘Duan’ (端), and history refers to him as Duan Wang Yu (端煜王).

 

Emperor Wenzong once remarked to his ministers, “I have my elder brothers, and the world has Duan Wang; how fortunate I am!”

The people wholeheartedly agreed, affectionately referring to him as ‘Ah Ge’ (Elder Brother).

 

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