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’.
