Eunuch Su, Eunuch Su!

Even though Eunuch Su told her to go back and rest, Hui Ming couldn't calm down after experiencing something as momentous as rebirth.

After leaving Qiande Hall, Hui Ming straightened her clothes. After a moment of hesitation, she picked up the hand warmer and paper umbrella that Yuan Bao had brought her and walked towards the west.

Qiande Hall, where Hui Ming served, was the Emperor's bedchamber. Naturally, it was located in the most prestigious area of the palace, right in the center of the Forbidden City. Behind it was Kunhe Palace, the Empress's residence. To the east and west were the residences of the Empress Dowagers. Further behind were the residences of the other consorts, arranged according to their rank. These areas were considered the most wealthy and glorious places for the masters of the inner palace.

The next level down in status were the residences of the late Emperor's consorts, located further west. The late Emperor, out of his benevolence, had decreed before his death that his consorts did not need to be buried alive with him. In the past few decades, those with children had already been taken out of the palace. The remaining ones were just living out their days under the pretense of praying for blessings.

For example, Jingfang Hall, where Hui Ming was headed, was the residence of Grand Consort Dowager Kang. It would take at least half an hour to walk there. Besides the devoutly Buddhist Grand Consort Dowager Kang, there was also a neglected Consort Tian.

This Consort Tian came from a humble background, but her beauty was said to be captivating, the epitome of allure. Although she was not well-versed in literature or etiquette, her beauty alone was enough to win her favor. In just one year, she rose from a low-ranking Selection Candidate to the position of Consort. However, her luck was not so good. At the height of her favor, she suddenly contracted a strange illness. It didn't affect her health much, but it left her with the chronic ailments of a sallow complexion and hair loss.

Even the most beautiful woman, with a pale face and thinning hair, would lose her charm. What's more, Consort Tian was shallow and had only ever relied on her looks to please. Now that her beauty was fading, she quickly lost most of the Emperor's favor. Although she managed to conceive a child with the last bit of affection the Emperor had for her, as the prince grew older, he began to show signs of mental deficiency. This made the Emperor even more indifferent to Consort Tian and her son. Coupled with the instigation of a few malicious individuals, the Emperor simply sent the mother and son to live with Grand Consort Dowager Kang and pray for blessings, essentially putting them out of sight and out of mind.

Hui Ming had never met this Consort Tian before, so naturally, she wasn't going to see her. The person she was going to see was the Seventh Prince, born to Consort Tian, who was the next Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty - the current Emperor Chengqi, whom she had personally cared for for more than ten years and was now only ten years old.

It was already difficult for a consort to live without favor, let alone Consort Tian, who had offended many people during her time in power. Life in the palace was naturally difficult for those who were looked down upon. Consort Tian, who originally resented her son for causing her to lose face, became even more resentful under these difficult circumstances, eroding what little maternal love she had. She wished that the Seventh Prince had never been born and neglected him completely.

If Grand Consort Dowager Kang hadn't taken pity on him and intervened, the Seventh Prince might have starved to death silently in the depths of the palace, without a ripple.

Grand Consort Dowager Kang didn’t have many servants, and Consort Tian had even fewer. Along the way, Hui Ming didn’t encounter a single person who stopped her to ask what she was doing. Based on her memory from her previous life, she went around to the rockery behind Jingfang Hall and found the person she was looking for.

On the stone platform behind the decorated gate sat a thin, young boy, who looked no more than eight or nine years old. In such cold weather, he was only wearing a single-layered jacket meant for autumn, his entire body covered in a thin layer of white snow. At first glance, he looked like a young eunuch who had been bullied and ostracized.

But Hui Ming recognized him at a glance. This was indeed the current Seventh Prince, the future Emperor.

With a mother like Consort Tian, the Seventh Prince was naturally blessed with good looks. He had rosy lips, pearly white teeth, and a face as fair as jade. Especially his pair of naturally bright eyes were exceptionally beautiful. However, because he often kept his head down, people couldn’t really see them. But as long as one truly looked at them, anyone would feel their heart skip a beat. How could an ordinary little eunuch possess such features?

Back then, Grand Consort Dowager Kang’s palace was already deserted, and life was even more difficult for Consort Tian and her son. No one wanted to serve them. Hui Ming, who had just arrived without any background, was immediately pushed to serve the Seventh Prince.

At that time, who would have thought that this neglected little prince would be the one to ascend to the throne in the end?

Eunuch Su died in Prince Rui’s rebellion. Hui Ming, on the other hand, rose to prominence after the current Emperor’s death, following the Seventh Prince who unexpectedly became Emperor. She returned to the Imperial Court and became the most trusted and relied upon governess by the Emperor’s side. She lived a peaceful life for more than ten years. However, the Seventh Prince was born with a mental deficiency. Even though he had ascended to the throne by chance, he was nothing more than a puppet emperor. In the end, he was even murdered by rebels.

In Hui Ming’s eyes, even the later Emperor, clad in yellow robes and holding supreme power, still seemed melancholic and pitiful sitting on the dragon throne. Not to mention the current Seventh Prince, who was even younger and hadn’t even fully grown yet. Seeing him like this made her unconsciously soften her breathing.

The Seventh Prince was naturally introverted. He didn’t like to talk or move around, nor did he like to go to unfamiliar places or meet strangers. If he was pressured, he would tremble in fear. If it got worse, he would struggle, cry, and even faint. Hui Ming had seen the young Emperor like this countless times in her previous life.

Learning from her past life, Hui Ming didn’t approach him rashly. Based on the experience she had gained over several years, she slowly took three or four steps forward. Seeing that the Seventh Prince had already noticed her presence and was nervously hiding by the door, she immediately stopped all her movements. Ignoring the falling snow, she stood still like an unfeeling statue.

The Seventh Prince lowered his head and counted the old prayer beads on his wrist one by one. This was his most common behavior. Whenever he felt nervous or scared, he would turn these prayer beads. The more afraid he was, the faster he would turn them, as if by lowering his head and focusing on this one thing, nothing else could hurt him.

The prayer beads were a casual gift from Grand Consort Dowager Kang. They were made of ninety-nine eighty-one sandalwood beads, polished smooth from being turned over and over again.

These prayer beads were not considered anything special in the palace, but the Prince liked them very much. Not to mention now, even after he ascended to the throne and the Imperial Workshop presented him with countless prayer beads made of various precious materials, the ones he wore every day were still the original sandalwood beads. Even when he was murdered by the rebels, he was still clutching this string of old prayer beads tightly in his hand.

When the Seventh Prince first ascended to the throne, this behavior was praised by the officials and servants as being sentimental and kind. Some even thought that the Emperor was devoutly Buddhist. Of course, after Minister Gu rose to power, there were those who dared to whisper that the Emperor was indeed mentally deficient and couldn’t distinguish between good and bad.

But Hui Ming knew that this had nothing to do with being foolish or sentimental. The Seventh Prince wasn’t even crazy or stupid. The reason why he only used this string of old prayer beads was simply because of his aversion to new things. Whether it was food, clothing, shelter, or even the servants around him, he was used to using old things and people he was already familiar with. If he was suddenly thrown into a new environment, especially one where there were many people talking and making noise around him, the Prince would become panicked and anxious. If it wasn’t stopped in time, he would start screaming and acting crazy.

However, it wasn’t impossible to deal with. As long as one had enough patience, calmed down, and observed the Prince’s reactions, he would slowly accept it over time. Once he accepted it, the Prince would become a quiet and well-behaved child, no different from ordinary people. In some aspects, he was even more extraordinary than ordinary people.

It was just that people were superficial. Without his mother’s protection, the palace servants only judged by appearances and said that the Prince was born mentally deficient. Few people had the patience to discern the true heart of this neglected prince.

Thinking of the scene in her past life where the young Emperor was forced to drink poisoned wine and died a horrible death, Hui Ming couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. After all, he was someone she had personally cared for for more than ten years. Moreover, the Seventh Prince wasn’t like other princes. He didn’t have the imposing aura of someone who had risen to power through bloodshed. After serving him day after day, even though he was the Emperor, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of heartache for him, as if he were a younger relative.

In her lonely and boring palace life of more than ten years in her previous life, if Eunuch Su represented the regret and remorse that Hui Ming only understood after his death, then the young Emperor who died tragically at the hands of the rebels represented the helplessness and regret she felt for being unable to stop it despite witnessing it with her own eyes.

Hui Ming lowered her eyes and saw that the Seventh Prince’s movements of turning the prayer beads were gradually slowing down. She gently took two more steps forward. This time, the young prince’s movements paused slightly, but he didn’t show any further signs of nervousness. Instead, he seemed to have accepted her presence and continued to lower his head and quietly turn the prayer beads.

Hui Ming was a little surprised. She originally thought that the Seventh Prince was younger now and should be more timid, but his reaction was actually much better than when she came a few years later.

Hui Ming calmly observed the young prince’s expression and movements from the corner of her eye and continued to walk forward a few more steps. As expected, although the prince was a little wary, he didn’t flinch or show any fear even when Hui Ming reached him and knelt down beside him. Even the speed at which he turned the prayer beads was only slightly faster than before.

So it seemed that the Seventh Prince’s condition worsened with age. He was actually better off now?

Seeing that it was getting late, she had no reason to stay in Jingfang Hall any longer. After silently taking note of this, Hui Ming slowly reached out and gently placed the hand warmer she had brought at the young prince’s feet. Then, without lingering, she quietly retreated the way she came.

Worried about startling the Seventh Prince, Hui Ming didn’t look back as she left. Therefore, she didn’t see the thin boy behind her carefully touch the hand warmer at his feet. Feeling the warmth spreading from his fingertips, a look of pure joy flashed across his eyes, making his already delicate features shine as bright as the stars.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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