Eunuch Su, Eunuch Su!

Hearing Eunuch Su’s words, Prince Xin hadn’t even reacted yet, but Huiming, who was at the door, felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn't help but look over worriedly.

Although Eunuch Su's attitude towards Prince Xin had been somewhat disrespectful before, it was still barely acceptable. But this last sentence was almost an unconcealed rebuke. No matter what, Eunuch Su was still a palace servant. To speak such words to a prince, words that almost sounded like a curse, if Prince Xin were to pursue the matter, Eunuch Su would definitely be in trouble.

“Su Jin!”

Hearing this, Prince Xin's expression changed abruptly. He suddenly stood up, the gentle and patient expression from earlier completely gone. He pointed at Eunuch Su and shouted angrily. But after saying these two words, he seemed to have thought of something when he saw Eunuch Su's calm face. He didn't pursue the matter further, but flung his sleeves forcefully, his face taut. He threw down a haughty "You don't know what’s good for you!" and turned away.

After Prince Xin's figure completely disappeared outside the door, Huiming slowly walked towards Eunuch Su.

When Huiming reached his side, Eunuch Su lowered his eyes. When he looked at Huiming again, his previously cold expression returned to its usual calmness. He shook his head and comforted her, "It's nothing."

Huiming was still a little worried: "Will Prince Xin pursue the matter after hearing what you just said?"

"No." Eunuch Su turned around again, his voice low, "Prince Xin wouldn't dare to make a big deal out of being stopped by me after making a scene in front of the Emperor and Empress's memorial tablets. He wouldn't dare to let His Majesty hear about it."

Huiming paused for a moment, then carefully said, "Your Highness, what he said just now… about the Crown Prince…"

Eunuch Su lowered his eyes slightly and didn't answer. Although Huiming felt that it was wrong, she didn't want to give up such a good opportunity. She bit her lip and continued to ask, "He said that you and Prince Rui framed Prince Xin? What does that mean?"

Su Jin looked up at her, his voice laced with a coldness Huiming had never heard before: "It's all in the past, it has nothing to do with you."

"But it's related to you, Eunuch Su." Thinking of her past life, Huiming couldn't help but take a step forward, her face full of unconcealed confusion and worry. "I know I shouldn't pry, but ever since Consort Xian exposed the rumors about you and me in front of His Majesty, and you took Aunt Wei to Wanxi Palace because of it, I've felt something was wrong. Now Prince Xin is saying such things…"

At this point, Huiming lowered her eyes, her tone even lower, but the sincerity in her words became even heavier. "Everyone in the palace knows that the two princes are like fire and water. Eunuch, you're wading into this muddy water. To be honest, every night when I think about this, I'm so worried that I can't sleep."

These words were true. Since she was still serving in Qiande Palace, Huiming had been having recurring nightmares about Eunuch Su's unexplained death in her previous life. Even now, when she mentioned it, her heart was filled with grief.

Although Eunuch Su didn't know the details, he had been paying attention to Huiming for a long time. How could he not see the sincerity in her eyes?

So her worry and unhappiness that day were not because she didn't want to live with him, but because she was worried about him?

Su Jin's eyes trembled slightly, his heart filled with a complicated mix of emotions: three parts moved, three parts self-blame, and the rest was an unspeakable affection.

"You, you don't have to be afraid…" Su Jin turned his head away, as if he couldn't face her, his voice a little hoarse.

But Huiming didn't give him any chance to brush her off. She just said directly, "If you don't tell me anything, Eunuch, I won't know anything. How can I not be afraid?"

Hearing this, Su Jin fell silent again. After a while, as if he couldn't resist Huiming's persistence, he finally slowly began to speak. "His Majesty and the Empress were a loving couple since their youth. Back when they were still in the residence, they were already a storybook romance. When the former Empress Shengchun passed away, His Majesty was heartbroken. He loved the Crown Prince, born to the Empress, even more, and the father and son were very close. Because of His Majesty's poor health, whenever the seasons changed and he moved to the summer or winter palace, he would leave the Crown Prince to oversee the country and handle state affairs. The Crown Prince was intelligent since childhood and was diligent in his duties, never making any mistakes."

Huiming listened quietly, not daring to miss a single word. Hearing this, she didn't wait for Eunuch Su to continue, but her heart guessed that there might be a change afterwards.

Sure enough, after a pause, Eunuch Su continued with a "But."

"But as His Majesty gradually aged and his energy waned, he only wished to maintain the status quo. However, the Crown Prince was already over thirty years old, a time when he should have been making great achievements. At the same time, the Qiang kingdom in the Western Frontier became restless. The Crown Prince was determined to fight, but His Majesty did not want to start a war. The court was divided into two factions, arguing day after day. Under the deliberate provocation of some villains, a gap gradually formed between the father and son."

"The dispute in the court lasted for a long time. In the end, the Crown Prince insisted on going his own way and persuaded His Majesty to send troops. The general who led the army at that time was the second son of the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion, my uncle by blood."

Huiming pursed her lips. Before she entered the palace, her family was just ordinary people. After entering the palace, she was even more muddle-headed, only knowing to obey the instructions of the嬷嬷in charge. She had never paid attention to, nor did she have any channels to know about such important national affairs. Now that Eunuch Su was speaking in detail, she listened with rapt attention. She couldn't help but ask, "What happened next?"

Su Jin's face darkened. "Later, no matter how brave our soldiers were, they couldn't withstand the treacherous schemes of the court. Our army was defeated and my uncle was imprisoned for his incompetence in battle. But that wasn't the end. Someone in the court then reported that our Su family, in our eagerness for war, had actually betrayed the country to the enemy, using our military power for treason."

Hearing this, thinking about the fate of the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion afterwards, Huiming's heart tightened and she was almost speechless.

Eunuch Su obviously didn't want to go into detail about the massacre of the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion. After a pause, he brought up the Crown Prince again. "The Crown Prince ran around trying to save the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion, but he couldn't overcome His Majesty's prejudice. The Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace for his outburst before the Emperor. When he heard the news of the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion being raided and everyone executed, he coughed up blood in anger and fell ill. He never recovered."

Huiming bit her lip as she listened. Even she could tell that the accusation of the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion betraying the country and committing treason was clearly just a warning. The target of this "treason" was not the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion, but the Crown Prince, who was once deeply loved and personally raised by the Emperor. The Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion was not only a noble family, but also the Crown Prince's maternal family. The relationship between the father and son had reached this point, practically a complete breakdown.

"The Crown Prince, the eldest legitimate son, the proud son of heaven, had been established as the Crown Prince since childhood. No one of his generation could compare to him. After the passing of the former Empress, His Majesty practically raised him in Qiande Palace every day, personally comforting and teaching him. He had always had it easy and never experienced such a lesson… It was inevitable that he would be too inflexible."

Speaking of this, Su Jin looked up at the portrait hanging behind the incense table. "Moreover, the Empress passed away early, and there was no one to speak for the Crown Prince. After falling ill, the Crown Prince's condition never improved. Finally, in the twenty-ninth year of Xuand, he passed away."

Crown Prince… Huiming actually knew about this. She had just entered the palace when the Crown Prince passed away. The entire palace was draped in white. But at that time, no one mentioned that the Crown Prince was still under house arrest before his death. Everyone in the palace only said that the Crown Prince was the Emperor's beloved eldest son and unfortunately died of illness.

Just as Huiming thought of this, Su Jin explained, "Before his death, the Crown Prince wrote a blood letter to defend himself. After reading it, His Majesty was heartbroken and ordered a grand funeral, giving him all the posthumous honors."

Hearing this, even Huiming, who was not involved, couldn't help but feel a surge of anger towards Emperor Xuand in Qiande Palace.

Talking about how deeply in love he was with the late Empress and how close he was to the Crown Prince, yet when the Crown Prince was alive, he didn't mention any old feelings and even exterminated his own father-in-law's family, the Crown Prince's maternal family, leaving no one alive. He was so ruthless, but now that everyone was dead, he regretted it? What was the use of a grand funeral after they were dead?

Not to mention the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion that was implicated. So this was their so-called "old feelings" - to make Eunuch Su, the only survivor of the Su family, who should have been a young talent with a wife and children, serve as a slave and become the Chief Eunuch?

Hearing this, Huiming understood why Eunuch Su got involved in the fight between Prince Xin and Prince Rui in her past life. Thinking about what Prince Xin said just now, Huiming asked, "So, it was Prince Xin who harmed the Crown Prince and the Zhen Guo Duke's Mansion?"

Eunuch Su's expression was heavy, but he didn't deny it. Huiming continued, "But what Prince Xin said just now…he claimed to have nothing to do with this matter?"

Of course, Huiming wouldn't be naive enough to believe Prince Xin's explanation. However, she had lived a past life and knew that in the end, both Prince Xin and Prince Rui died tragically. Even the current Emperor was forced to abdicate by his son in his sixties and died in depression, without even a single surviving heir. It could be said that Eunuch Su almost had his revenge.

However, Eunuch Su died even earlier and didn't get to see any of it.

"Neither of them can escape responsibility. They worked together to bring down the Crown Prince. Now they're just dogs biting dogs, each trying to shift the blame onto the other and clear their own names."

Huiming didn't expect this. She fell silent for a long time before finally asking what she had always wanted to know, "Then, Eunuch… are you trying to take revenge?"

Su Jin slowly clenched his fists, but he turned his head away and his voice was soft and gentle when he spoke to Huiming, as if there was no hatred in his heart. "I am now just a lowly servant, living a humble existence. How can I talk about revenge?"

Huiming bit her lip again. "I'm just afraid that you can't let go of the past, Eunuch. Don't risk your own life for revenge."

No, it wasn't a matter of "don't." He would. Thinking about it now, in her past life, both Prince Xin and Prince Rui ended up dead, and even the current Emperor met a tragic end. In a way, Eunuch Su had his revenge.

It was just that Eunuch Su died too early to see it.

"Don't worry, I won't." Eunuch Su said, but his eyes darted away from Huiming's gaze, landing on the offerings on the incense table.

Seeing this, Huiming's heart sank, but she only gave a soft reply, "That's… good."

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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