In truth, although I was favored in the palace, I was still lonely. The tall palace walls gave a serious and oppressive feeling. I had never truly been happy since the distance grew between my imperial brother and me.
Later, as my father wished, I ascended the throne. On the day of my coronation, my father passed away due to illness, my mother died of grief, and my imperial brother became more estranged from me.
“Hey, you dog emperor named Ning.”
An arrogant voice rang out. I turned my head and saw a woman dressed in black looking at me contemptuously. “I’m here to take your life,” she declared. I smiled indifferently, “Go ahead; I don’t care to live anyway.”
She was stunned, her eyes fixed on me. Then she pulled down her face covering and smiled playfully. “You’re quite special,” she said, approaching and lifting my chin with her finger. “I’ve taken a liking to you. What are you going to do about it?” I disgustedly removed her hand. “I don’t like you. If you want to take my life, just do it. Don’t touch me.”
“Hahaha!” She laughed loudly. “You think I don’t dare kill you? But suddenly, I don’t want to kill you. Come with me and live in seclusion in the jianghu.”
“No,” I said firmly. Her laughter abruptly stopped. “Do you care that much about these false honors and profits?” “I regard fame and fortune as dirt. What I care about is my country and my people.”
“I didn’t even look at her, continuing to review official documents.
“Do you need a palace maid?” she suddenly asked.
“Do as you wish,” I replied. I couldn’t control her anymore. If she wanted to stay in the deep palace, let her. Little did I know that this woman named Xiao Wan Yue would fall in love with me, and my imperial brother would be deeply enamored with her.
The deeper my imperial brother loved Xiao Wan Yue, the deeper his hatred for me became. I had given up hope of reconciliation. Since our father punished him in childhood, I lost the qualification to make peace. His hatred led to multiple assassination attempts against me, all because of her.
But I didn’t hate her. Even without her, my imperial brother and I would eventually become adversaries. News of his assassination attempts spread among court officials, and under their recommendation, I was forced to expel him from the palace, further deepening his misunderstandings about me.
Until one day, my life took a turn.
I was walking in the imperial garden when I saw a palace maid crouching behind Eunuch Qin, making faces and mimicking vomiting, eventually staring at his… buttocks. What an interesting maid.”
I deliberately walked in front of her and Eunuch Qin, and as expected, she bumped into me. Just as I was about to pretend to be angry and scare her, she said, “Who are you? Can’t you watch where you’re going?”
I almost burst out laughing. She was the first person who dared to talk to me like this. But when her clear, large eyes saw me, her arrogant demeanor disappeared, and her legs nearly gave way. I supported her, but just as she was about to speak, I quickly let go, and she fell hard to the ground.
Seeing her grimacing in pain, not daring to curse but unwilling to admit defeat, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d seen clumsy palace maids before, but she—afraid yet stubborn, confused yet fierce—was a first.
As I walked away, I caught a glimpse of her glaring at me in anger. When I returned, I found out her name was Ling Xiao Han. A person wanted by the Ning Yue Kingdom was actually hiding in the palace—how clever.
I often made things difficult for her just to see her angry. Her patience was remarkable, but she ultimately did get mad and scolded me thoroughly. However, I couldn’t let her off easily. I teased her a bit, and unexpectedly, she actually bit me! I found an opportunity to bite her ear in return.
After she cried out in pain, she generously gave me a ‘pleasant’ nickname—’Big Pervert’.
The next day, I faced her retaliation: being awakened by her lion’s roar, subjected to hot water face washing, forced hair combing, laxatives, and chili powder. I was angry, but she had her reasons for tormenting me. We ended up fighting, and I lost miserably. It was the first time I realized such a violent, stubborn, and fierce woman could exist!
But, as if heaven was playing a joke, I fell in love with her. She painted my plain life with vibrant colors, and our story began.
[Side Story: Shu Yang (One)]
Like other princes born into the royal family, I faced various pains and fears that a child should not endure. The imperial palace was a dark place in my eyes. I felt that anyone who saw the palace would either be dazzled by its splendor or feel fear.
After years of witnessing the scheming of women in the palace and the cruel events unfolding before me, I became indifferent. What I could not forget was the struggle for the throne.
I was the sixth prince. During the imperial succession dispute, I was still young. Anyone who knew me would understand that I did not care about the throne, so I was not severely harmed during that battle.
In the year I turned five, my father the emperor passed away from illness, and the current empress and her son died in the turmoil. This chaos made the Chu Yue Kingdom vulnerable, but fortunately, other countries did not launch a war; otherwise, the common people would have suffered. The battle for the throne lasted four years.
I did not stand by idly. I went with my personal bodyguard Lin, who had been with me since childhood, to secretly bandage, deliver medicine, and detoxify those involved in the war. However, no matter how hard I tried, many people still left me, including my most beloved sister.
As more of my siblings departed, only the brutal Fourth Prince and I remained. Encouraged by Lin and the ministers, I, barely nine years old, picked up a sword and killed the Fourth Prince. I did not hate him, nor did I dislike him, but I could not watch him become a tyrant and turn Chu Yue Kingdom into a living hell.
For this country, my hands were stained with blood – the blood of the Fourth Prince.
She just finished speaking, and her gaze drifted behind me. I then noticed that Lin was looking at her with eyes full of hostility. She didn’t mind at all, instead showing a joyful expression, and asked my name. I smiled and replied, “My name is Shu Yang. And you, miss…”
She willingly told me her name – Ling Xiaohan. I looked at her in surprise: “So you are the Miss Ling pursued by the emperors of Ning Yue and Zhen Ming?”
Ling Xiaohan said gloomily, “Now that you know, please don’t talk about it. It could be deadly!”
I smiled apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” She pouted and asked me to call her by her name.
I developed a fondness for her directness and wanted to arrange a safe place for her to stay. However, she insisted on staying at my ‘home’.
Under her insistence, I took her to my ‘home’. Arriving at the palace, she was not dazzled by its splendor, nor did she fear it. She calmly settled in and treated me like her servant. For some reason, I was happy as long as she was.
Just as I decided to protect her, the Celestial Master told me that Xiaohan was my destined person…
[Extras: Yun Baoxi (One)]
Mother said I was the only child in the palace and the only crown prince. She said the day I was born, the palace was in chaos…
Yes, I grew up in the care of palace people. Due to my father’s weak health, he had no heir until I came along.
Perhaps due to genetic reasons, I was always weak and often bedridden, which greatly worried my parents. At six, my father arranged for a female doctor two years older than me to take care of my daily diet. Her name was Luo Yan.
Luo Yan was beautiful with clear eyes, fair skin, and a kind smile. She was patient, kind, and meticulous. Whenever I threw a tantrum, she soothed me and offered me pastries.
