“Ah… Young Master, Little Young Master, wake up, please wake up…”
He Yue cried in a disheveled state of despair. Though she had only been with him for a short time, she couldn’t help but treat this innocent child as if he were her own younger brother. Even though she knew she wasn’t truly entitled to feel this way, she sincerely hoped no harm would come to him.
Seeing his face turning increasingly red, He Yue wiped away her tears, emptied a basin filled with bloody water, and fetched a fresh basin of well water. She used a fine cloth to dampen the boy’s burning forehead. With no time to lose, she rushed towards the exit of the hall, determined to find a doctor for the young master.
“By the Emperor’s command, no one is to leave the Qinfeng Hall for a month!” A sword-bearing guard blocked He Yue’s path.
Thinking of the uncertain fate of the person inside the hall, He Yue, desperate and anxious, gritted her teeth and decisively pulled out a token from her bosom.
Upon seeing the token, the once-threatening guard’s face changed immediately. Sheathing his sword, he said, “So it’s Lady He Yue from the Secret Council. Are you in such a rush because you have urgent matters to report to the Emperor?”
Setting aside her earlier grief, He Yue replied sternly, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. I have important matters to attend to. Step aside.”
Being a fellow member of the Emperor’s Secret Council, the guard naturally wouldn’t dare to hinder his superior. He stepped aside promptly, saying, “Of course…”
With the guard no longer in her way, He Yue quickly made her way to the nearby Imperial Medical Clinic. From a short distance away, Gu Weizhou, who had observed the entire scene, closed his door and stroked his chin, musing, [The palace truly is fraught with dangers. One can trust no one.]
Considering the direction He Yue had taken, and thinking about the pitiable child left in an uncertain state within the palace, Gu Weizhou moved under a nearby locust tree and began playing his zither.
Lost in a hazy state of consciousness, Jiang Jingyue felt as if his floating spirit was passing through countless fragments of his memories: the time he pleaded with his father to teach him martial arts and was refused, the time he was forced to study the seemingly useless arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, the time he wished to study military strategies but was reprimanded…
Jiang Jingyue never truly understood. His father was the most formidable war god of the Da Ao kingdom. Why then was he being raised to be a young master who only understood the fine arts? He too wished to be on the battlefield, to kill enemies for his Uncle Emperor, to be as majestic as his father and be admired by all. Yet every time he expressed his desires, his father would scold him with a stern face.
The phrase his father uttered most frequently was, “Being born into the imperial family means not being master of your own destiny.”
Yet, he felt that his Uncle Emperor was a wonderful person. Every time he visited the palace, the Emperor would warmly invite him to eat various delicacies, and he was never even asked to kneel. He believed that he would always be loyal to the Emperor and protect the land for him.
However, the events of today, the indiscriminate accusations and judgments, made Jiang Jingyue truly understand for the first time what being part of the imperial family meant.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The one who had attacked him was his cousin, the one who confined him was his nominal uncle, and those who watched the drama without uttering a word were his siblings in name. Yet, as he lay on the ground in the most humiliating manner, not one of them reached out to help him.
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The soft nostalgia felt like the waves of the ocean, and its gentle warmth resembled the tender caress of sunbeams.
As he listened, Jiang Jingyue felt his physical pain ebbing away, replaced by memories of beautiful moments etched deep in his mind.
Moments spent with his dear mother, with his father the king, and with the kindhearted servants…
I yearn to return home, I desperately want to go back... ╥﹏╥...
Observing the host, who always wore a cold exterior, No. 001 remarked, [..You did that on purpose.]
[I was simply moved by the moment. After all, both of us are little children forced away from home and can’t return.]
[…] Forgive me, but I don’t see the ‘little child’ in you. A big baby, maybe.
[So, you feel sympathy for him now? Planning to rescue him?]
[Help from others always comes with strings attached. If he wants my help,] there was a gleam of white teeth, [let him kneel and beg.]
[…] I get it now; you’re just having a little cruel fun at his expense.
…
Thanks to the medicine procured by He Yue, Jiang Jingyue’s fever subsided quickly. After a few days, he regained consciousness. However, in stark contrast to his earlier vitality, his pale complexion, following his recovery from the severe illness, made him look considerably weaker.
The courtyard of the Qinfeng Hall was desolate. At a glance, aside from a few stray weeds, there was only a crooked locust tree, its buds blossoming splendidly. Jiang Jingyue sat under this tree, lost in his thoughts.
When the emperor first brought Jiang Jingyue into the palace, he had designated Zhi Lin Hall, close to Yangxin Hall, as his residence. However, since Zhi Lin Hall was still under construction, the emperor ‘regretfully’ arranged for him to stay in this hall temporarily.
Initially, Jiang Jingyue believed in the emperor’s professed remorse. But since entering the palace, aside from He Yue, he hadn’t seen any palace maids or eunuchs. Reflecting on the day he first confronted the harsh realities of royal power outside Yangxin Hall, he began to question his naive judgments.
Had the Emperor truly just forgotten to assign him palace maids and eunuchs?
“Young Prince, have some osmanthus pastry,” a voice interrupted Jiang Jingyue’s thoughts.
He turned and saw He Yue beside him.
This person ‘He Yue’ was given to him by his mother when he entered the palace. She had mentioned that over a decade ago, she unintentionally saved this straightforward palace maid’s life. The maid was grateful, so his mother had advised him to ask the Emperor for He Yue’s service after he entered the palace, to help with his daily needs.
Reflecting on it, having He Yue by his side might have been the only right decision he made since entering the palace. Jiang Jingyue picked up a piece of the osmanthus pastry from the stone table and gave her a sweet smile, “Aunt He Yue, you take such good care of me.”
Upon hearing this, He Yue’s hand, hanging by her side, trembled slightly. Meeting his sincere and earnest eyes, she was overwhelmed by a profound sense of guilt.
If she truly cared for him, she wouldn’t have been drugging him daily on the Emperor’s orders. She had betrayed the trust of the Queen and dishonored the memory of the deceased King.
“Young… Young Prince… I have other duties. You eat first.”
Unable to bear the innocent gaze in his eyes, He Yue, looking quite embarrassed, lowered her head and hastily left, her steps seeming a bit unsteady.
Biting into the pastry in his hand, Jiang Jingyue watched her retreating figure, eyes filled with confusion. Why did I feel that Aunt He Yue had been avoiding me recently?
Hmm, he didn’t understand. But, no matter. Today, he had a whole plate of osmanthus pastries to enjoy.
Looking at the plate full of treats on the stone table, Jiang Jingyue’s eyes gleamed with happiness. The sun illuminated his youthful face, making him resemble a hungry, lazy little cat.
Just as Jiang Jingyue was delighting in his pastries, suddenly, the ethereal sounds of string music rose from nearby. It was winding and melodious, reminiscent of a delicate orchid in a quiet valley.
The movement of his hand, holding the pastry, hesitated. He remembered hearing this distant music not long ago when he was in a daze. Then, he thought of his mother, his father, and yearned to go home until his eyes were swollen from crying.
Turning his head, he directed his gaze towards the source of the melody. It was coming from a side hall, separated only by a single wall.
“In this area where we reside, apart from us, all others are hostages from other nations and useful captives that cannot be killed for the time being. You must stay away from these people…”
On the first day when they moved into the Qinfeng Hall, He Yue’s cautionary words echoed clearly in his ears, carrying the same gravity as when he went to pay his respects to the Emperor.
Yet, perhaps because the zither’s melody that day had evoked countless beautiful memories from the prince’s mansion, at this moment, Jiang Jingyue suddenly became immensely curious about the musician.
He hastily stuffed the osmanthus pastry he held into his mouth and walked over to the palace wall. Looking up at the wall, which was twice his height, he wondered how he could get over it.
After pondering for a bit, Jiang Jingyue thought of the chairs inside the room. With bright eyes, he rushed in, moved all the chairs out, and stacked them in several layers beside the wall.
Looking at the towering stack of chairs, he immediately began to climb, using both hands and feet. Although the chairs wobbled beneath him, they were high enough. With trembling hands gripping the wall, Jiang Jingyue managed to pull himself up, standing precariously.
Having successfully gained a vantage point to peer into the adjacent palace, the eyes that had been gleefully curved up for managing to get a grip on the wall suddenly widened in astonishment.
Beneath a blooming locust tree in the distance, a man in white robes played the zither with slender fingers, producing an enchanting, clear melody that resonated endlessly in the air.
The man under the tree was incredibly handsome. With red lips and white teeth, his skin was as smooth as jade. His aloof and distant eyes slightly narrowed, and his long lashes cast a shadow over his eyelids, shimmering like moonlight reflected on the water.
His ink-black hair was simply tied with a white silk ribbon at the back of his head. He wore no excessive adornments, but his cool demeanor combined with the lingering notes from his fingertips was captivating enough that one couldn’t look away.
In all his years, Jiang Jingyue had never seen someone so attractive or heard such a mesmerizing zither performance.
Observing that face bathed in the dappled light and shadow, Jiang Jingyue thought that if there were immortals in heaven, they would surely look like this.
Just as Jiang Jingyue was entranced by that handsome face, suddenly, the expression of the man in his line of sight turned cold. His slender fingers abruptly halted their movements, and he turned his head sharply, demanding, “Who’s there!”
he yue…you….sigh nvm, how can I complain when I already know this is a palace drama.
Yea the first time she appeared z d have him food I k we she was drugging him. Nothing good was done with the ml prior to mc’s appearance so it makes sense why he became so cruel.
And gave*
no wonder no wonder…welp still I wanna see how he survives the drugging tho, also wht would happen to he yue afterall she is much like a mother figure to him…her death would be really cruel if the ml kills her
Hehehehe. Hurry grow up and fall in love so that the mc could start his vulgar love and scum abuse hehehhe