Eunuch Su, Eunuch Su!

"What's the matter? You've been out of it since early morning, like your soul is missing."

Inside Kunhe Palace, Empress Su looked down at her nephew, who was staring out the window in a daze. Though her words were full of concern, she took the opportunity to gently stroke his hair, which was still soft to the touch.

Six years ago, her little nephew seemed to have grown up overnight, his face and demeanor suddenly mature. He no longer allowed her to be as close as she had been when he was a child.

Thinking of this, Empress Su, her face still bearing traces of illness, let out a melancholic sigh.

As if sensing her gaze, Su Jin came back to his senses and gave a helpless smile. He tilted his head and shook it with an air of tolerance, "Your Highness."

"What Your Highness? Come now, call me Aunt." Empress Su chided playfully. Before she could say more, a coughing fit overcame her, her already pale face turning even worse.

"Aunt, take care!" Su Jin's heart clenched at the sight. He quickly got up and skillfully massaged her back, then took the pear syrup from the head maid and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful. Though his face remained impassive, his heart sank with each passing moment.

He had gone to great lengths, using his position as her beloved nephew and his access to the inner palace, to invite the imperial physician to treat his aunt in advance. Due to his meticulous care, she had escaped the fatal illness that had taken her in his previous life. The plaque of Kunhe Palace still hung outside the palace gates; it had not been changed to Yongshou Palace, the palace for widowed consorts.

However, despite all these years, it was as if fate was unavoidable. His aunt's health was still deteriorating day by day.

It was different now. Under their grandfather's subtle influence and careful guidance, the Crown Prince was no longer the naive boy he once was. Even without his aunt's protection, he would not follow the path of his past life. However, his aunt had always doted on him. How could he bear to see his blood-related elder, his beloved aunt, grow weaker with each passing day?

Empress Su seemed to sense the worry in Su Jin's eyes. After she recovered, she smiled and smoothed his furrowed brows. "You're still so young, why do you carry such a heavy heart? Don't be like your cousin, the Crown Prince. He was born into the royal family; he's destined to shoulder a heavy burden. You're different. You were born into our family. Your aunt and your cousin will take care of everything. All you have to do is live a carefree and happy life!"

Hearing these words, Su Jin's heart softened. He thought of his past life, and a touch of bitterness welled up in his heart.

It was precisely because his aunt and the Crown Prince had taken care of everything that things had ended up that way. If his aunt hadn't passed away first, and the Crown Prince hadn't…

No, there was no point dwelling on the past. Everything was different now. His aunt was alive and well, and the Crown Prince, under his grandfather's guidance, was biding his time and had not caused any conflict with the Emperor. The Duke of Zhen Guo's manor, his aunt, and the Crown Prince only needed to wait patiently. Once the Emperor suffered a stroke, the Crown Prince would ascend the throne, and the world would be at peace.

Thinking of this, Su Jin also revealed a smile and focused his attention on his aunt's health.

Empress Su didn't want to talk about her illness. After a few sentences, she changed the subject back to what they were talking about earlier. "Let's not talk about this. Tell me, what's been on your mind since you entered the palace today? You've been so distracted."

Su Jin paused, his face flushing slightly, and a bright light flickered in his peach blossom eyes. "About the palace maid I mentioned to you last time, Aunt… I was thinking of taking her back with me today…"

"Oh?" Empress Su raised an eyebrow. "The one you went out of your way to see, the little palace maid who just entered the palace?"

"Yes, her surname is Song, her name is Huiming." Su Jin nodded, his voice filled with an unconscious tenderness when he spoke her name.

Empress Su hadn't taken it seriously at first, but seeing Su Jin's expression and the look in his eyes, she couldn't help but become a little more serious. "When did you meet her?"

Su Jin hesitated for a moment before replying carefully, "I met her outside the palace. I didn't expect her to enter the palace. It must be fate."

Empress Su took a sip of pear syrup, her tone probing, "You want to take her back to the manor? How do you plan to settle her?"

Su Jin had already made up his mind, but he knew he couldn't make the decision alone. Speaking rashly would only cause complications. So he only vaguely replied, "She's only ten years old. We'll wait until she's older and more sensible."

Hearing this, Empress Su paused. A naive fifteen-year-old boy and a ten-year-old little girl, what did they know? It must be just a passing fancy. It was because Jin'er was always so mature that she had overthought it!

Thinking of this, Empress Su laughed. "Alright, if you want to, you can take her back today. I'll have someone send an imperial edict later."

"Thank you, Aunt!"

Su Jin suppressed his joy, stood up, and thanked Empress Su sincerely. Then, seeing that it was getting late, he got up and excused himself. He had managed to maintain his composure inside Kunhe Palace, but as soon as he stepped out, he couldn't help but reveal a joyful and expectant expression. He hurried towards the Department of Internal Affairs, his footsteps light.

Huiming had entered the palace yesterday and was currently at the Department of Internal Affairs! In half an hour, they would meet for the first time!

Just thinking about this made Su Jin's palms sweat. Perhaps it was because he had returned to his youthful vigor, but his steps were light, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

In fact, the first thing he did after he was able to leave the manor after returning to the Su family was to visit Huiming's home and see her as a child.

Of course, Su Jin had thought of bringing Huiming to his side immediately. However, he was still young at that time, and he hadn't fully grasped the power to protect the Duke of Zhen Guo's manor. Naturally, he didn't want to involve her. Moreover, he felt that Huiming was still young and should be with her parents. He couldn't use his status to selfishly separate their family.

After much deliberation, Su Jin could only suppress his longing and affection. He could only watch from the shadows as Huiming grew up day by day, until she was selected to enter the palace, until this day when they would meet again!

At this hour, Huiming should have just had her head shaved and would be hiding under the water tank, crying alone, right? A trace of tender reminiscence flashed across Su Jin's eyes. Even after all this time, even after experiencing life and death, Su Jin felt as if he had walked this path thousands of times. As he faintly heard the soft sobs, he slowed down as if approaching home after a long journey, afraid of disturbing anything, and slowly approached step by step, as if a lifetime had passed.

He finally saw the small figure huddled beneath the water tank.

It was like a scene replaying from a dream. For a moment, Su Jin felt as if he had once again become that eunuch who had risen from the ranks of slaves, who had suffered humiliation and had become silent and gloomy. He was trembling as he poured buckets of water into the tank, accidentally splashing the little girl with the cold well water.

But the little girl didn't cry even though she was splashed with water. She just hiccuped and, seeing him, even treated him as the most reliable person, sobbing to him, "I miss my parents… I want to go home…"

How did he respond back then? Su Jin closed his eyes slightly. Back then, he had just imitated how others had bullied him and shoved her hard to the ground, as if seeing the pain of others could bring him pleasure. "Since your parents have sent you to the palace, it means they don't want you anymore. You can't go back!" Before he could finish his words, he suddenly thought of his family's heads rolling on the execution ground, the gushing blood, and his eyes turned red.

Huiming stared blankly at the little eunuch. She thought he would be scared and run away, or go back and complain. But unexpectedly, the little girl, like a young bird, timidly tugged at his robe. "Don't cry…"

As if that wasn't enough, little Huiming saw that he was sick and hungry and not only shared her steamed bun with him but also gave him her Ruyi knot, wishing him good luck in the future and that he would one day be able to return home. Her actions filled him with shame and guilt, but also pulled him out of the mire of self-pity.

He had engraved every detail of that day in his mind, remembering it vividly.

However, unlike him, even though he had recounted that day in detail at Huiming's request later on, Huiming was still muddled and couldn't quite remember it.

Huiming felt a little regretful about this, but Su Jin was actually quite thankful in his heart. After all, his words and actions that day had been too unbearable. He didn't want Huiming to remember them at all.

He was grateful for his encounter with little Huiming, but he also blamed himself countless times afterward, wishing he could go back to that day, suppress that rude and disrespectful self, and let Huiming remember a gentle and refined him.

He hadn't expected that this day would actually come.

Perhaps because Su Jin had been standing by the water tank for too long, little Huiming, who was hiding under the tank, seemed to have noticed him and suddenly looked up.

Ten-year-old Huiming was a small bundle, wearing the uniform green jacket and skirt of a little palace maid. Her head was completely shaved, which made her features appear even more delicate. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had suffered a great grievance, but she didn't cry out loud. She just sobbed softly, her well-behaved manner making one's heart ache.

That's right, this was his Huiming.

Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar little Huiming, Su Jin's heart ached. He knelt down in front of the little girl, his voice soft and gentle, as if he was afraid of startling her. His voice was filled with unconcealed emotion and affection. "What's wrong? Don't cry."

Little Huiming looked up at him. He was a handsome and slender young man, dressed in fine clothes, with delicate features, fair skin, and a pair of exceptionally beautiful peach blossom eyes that were fixed on her.

He was clearly a stranger, but for some reason, Huiming felt as if she had known him for a long time. Even though he was staring at her so intently, she wasn't afraid at all. She felt even more at ease than she did with her parents.

It was precisely because of this feeling that Huiming felt even more aggrieved. She bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears. "My head… My head is shaved. It's not pretty anymore…"

"Who said that? Huiming, you look beautiful with your head shaved, very beautiful!" Su Jin was at a loss for words. He reached out, wanting to comfort her, but he was worried that the little girl who didn't know him would be afraid. After much hesitation, he could only repeat what he had just said with utmost sincerity. "You really look beautiful. You look the most beautiful with your head shaved. No one is prettier than you!"

Similarly, for some reason, hearing him say this, little Huiming inexplicably believed him. She calmed down a little, sniffed, and whispered, "I… I want to go home…"

Hearing these words, which were exactly the same as the last time, Su Jin's expression softened even more. His hand finally gently touched little Huiming's head. Her newly shaved scalp still had a layer of soft stubble, but it felt soft and fluffy under his hand, like the down of a chick.

He straightened up, as if he was holding up a bright clear sky for his little girl. Little Su Jin gently wiped the tears from little Huiming's eyes, his voice filled with complex emotions that no one could understand, yet as bright as the morning sun in spring. "Okay, I'll take you home."

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