At that time, the late emperor was already very ill and could only be kept alive by strong medicines every day. He knew that he would not live much longer, so he had the idea of ​​establishing an heir.

The late emperor had five sons in total. The second prince died young, passing away from typhoid fever before he was even ten years old.

The fifth prince loved beauty more than his kingdom. After a trip to Jiangnan, he was captivated by a woman from the Jianghu and abandoned his identity to wander the world with her.

The remaining princes were the eldest prince, the fourth prince, and Chu Huaixu's father, Chu Mingyao. There was also Chu Minghuan, who was only ten years old and had never been favored.

The eldest prince was born to the late empress and was also the late emperor's eldest son. The position of crown prince should rightfully belong to him, but the late emperor disliked his son for being incompetent and delayed in appointing him.

He preferred the Third Prince, Chu Mingyao. The court officials were well aware of this.

But no one would be envious of that position, and the eldest prince, Chu Mingde, would certainly not willingly hand over the throne that rightfully belonged to him to someone else.

Therefore, he secretly approached the Fourth Prince, wanting him to join forces with him to eliminate Chu Mingyao, his strongest opponent.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Regardless of how the two would compete for that position later, at least at that time their goals were aligned, and the Fourth Prince agreed to Chu Mingde's request without hesitation.

This idea came from Zhang Bingzhi, who was a cabinet minister and considered the eldest prince his most favored heir. He had offered Chu Mingde many suggestions behind the scenes.

"Although the prince has no interest in the throne, he is not stupid. He knows very well that his brothers are plotting against him behind his back."

"But the prince was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to lay a hand on his brothers. He dragged it out day after day until a month before the late emperor passed away, when he summoned me to his side."

Chu Huaixu had been listening patiently, but suddenly paused when he reached this point.

His father, the king, guarded the border year-round and returned home only a handful of times each year. Therefore, Chu Huaixu remembered very clearly when his father would return and when he would leave each time.

Chu Huaixu remembered that it was a rainy day when his father suddenly returned, along with his second brother, Chu Huaiyun.

Chu Huaixu found it strange at the time, but his second brother assured him that nothing was wrong. It was just that the Emperor was unwell and was thinking about his son and grandson who were away from home all year round, so he summoned them to the palace to meet the Emperor.

This explanation seemed reasonable, so Chu Huaixu didn't think much of it. Now, however, he realized things were far more complex. Had his father and elder brother already foreseen the future of the Duan Prince's mansion back then?

"The prince told me that he knows my identity, but he believes I will not harm you."

Chu Huaixu was stunned again: "You said... what did you say?!"

Song Ting kissed his eyes: "Don't rush, listen to me first."

The two thought they were being very restrained and had kept it from everyone in their families, but when you like someone, it's not so easy to hide the way you look at them.

Sometimes, a single glance is enough to easily betray their deepest secrets. Even the old prince, who rarely returned home, noticed something fishy about the two.

When Chu Mingyao first realized this, he was somewhat worried. Although homosexuality was prevalent in Dayan, it was still difficult for parents to accept that their son was going to be with a man.

Moreover, Chu Mingyao understands his son well, knowing that once someone commits to another, it's for life.

That's why they say Prince Duan dotes on his youngest son. If the same thing had happened to his eldest and second sons, Chu Mingyao would probably have broken their legs.

But when it was his younger son, he simply endured it and pretended not to know, letting the two of them argue on their own.

Gradually, he came to terms with it. On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; the person who is laughing and joking with him today may be a bloody mess tomorrow.

Life is unpredictable; no one knows when an accident might happen and they'll lose their life. Children and grandchildren have their own destinies; let them be.

The old prince comforted himself in this way.

At that time, he had no idea that his act of turning a blind eye would later save his youngest son's life, until he was summoned to the palace by the late emperor.

Everyone thought that the late emperor's favorite candidate for the crown prince was Prince Duan, Chu Mingyao, but that was not the case. The late emperor wanted to establish Chu Huaixu as the crown prince.

That was his most beloved grandson. The late emperor wanted to give him the best of everything in the world, including the supreme position.

That's why he left the position of Crown Prince vacant for many years, hoping that Chu Huaixu would grow up and be able to secure that position.

However, the late emperor's health could not wait any longer.

That's why, when he sensed his days were numbered, he summoned Chu Mingyao and handed him an imperial edict and the Imperial Seal.

"That imperial edict..." Chu Huaixu had already guessed its contents.

Song Ting nodded in agreement: "It was you. The late emperor wanted to pass the throne to you. But the eunuchs around the late emperor were bribed by Chu Mingde, and the matter was leaked."

If Chu Mingyao and his son were allowed to take the imperial edict and the imperial seal out, the whole matter would be settled. Unless Chu Mingde was not afraid of being labeled a traitor, he would have little chance of turning things around.

Therefore, Chu Mingde would never allow his third brother to leave the palace alive.

He had meticulously planned for many years, and many people in the palace were his men, including Wang Dan, the then commander of the Imperial Guards. This man had been Chu Huaixu's teacher and possessed unparalleled martial arts skills.

Prince Duan and his son were valiant warriors on the battlefield, but in a one-on-one fight, they were no match for Wang Dan. Before the two could leave the palace, the late emperor died, his neck snapped.

The eunuchs who served the late emperor testified that the last people the late emperor summoned were Prince Duan and his son. Prince Duan's treason was practically a foregone conclusion.

The father and son refused to be executed and were shot to death by the imperial guards at the palace gate.

Afterwards, the Prince Duan's residence was searched, and a privately kept dragon robe was found in Prince Duan Chu Mingyao's room. This added another piece of evidence to the evidence of Prince Duan's treason.

A mutiny broke out in both the government and the public.

"You already know what happened next. Of the 65 people in the Prince Duan's mansion, all of them except those who died in the fire were thrown into the imperial prison, including you."

Chu Huaixu was knocked unconscious by a bowl of muscle-relaxing powder mixed with sleeping potion. He slept for several hours without realizing it, completely unaware that the weather outside had changed during his unconsciousness.

When he woke up again, he was faced with a palace engulfed in flames and a lover who was now a complete stranger.

He was filled with hatred and resentment, and for many years he was bound by this resentment, which made him repulsive.

The reality was far from what he thought. He hated the wrong person and resented the wrong person. He was kept in the dark like a joke, to the point that he almost killed Song Ting with his own hands.

"What about Chu Mingde and Chu Mingwen?"

Chu Huaixu had heard some rumors about these two people, but since he didn't know if they were true or false, he still wanted to verify them with Song Ting.

Song Ting felt it was superfluous to even mention the two men's names, and simply said, "They fought like dogs and died. The emperor that old bastard Zhang Bingzhi wanted to install was never Chu Mingde."