Chapter 44

Li Yin was walking in front, and Luo Sanrong was following behind. They saw several eunuchs beating another eunuch in the corridor ahead. Li Yin saw that the man being beaten looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, it was Eunuch Ma. Luo Sanrong also recognized that it was Eunuch Ma and stepped forward and shouted, "Stop!"

Luo Sanrong's shout echoed in the empty corridor, startling the eunuchs.

When those people saw that it was Luo Sanrong, an insignificant eunuch, no one listened to him and continued to beat Eunuch Ma. In desperation, Li Yin had to take action himself and shouted, "Stop it!"

The man who kicked someone turned around suddenly, and when he saw Li Yin's figure, the cruelty on his face instantly faded into panic. He tried to pull his companion in a panic, but was tripped by the eunuch Ma on the ground.

When the others saw that it was the Crown Prince, they all stopped and saluted respectfully, "Your Highness..."

Li Yin glanced at them without saying anything. He just said to the beaten eunuch Ma, "Come here!"

Eunuch Ma looked up at Li Yin, said nothing, and silently followed the prince away, leaving the others looking at each other in bewilderment.

Eunuch Ma followed Li Yin to the East Palace. Eunuch Ma knelt down with a stubborn expression on his face.

Li Yin sat down, glanced at him, and said calmly, "Tell me! What happened?"

Eunuch Ma still refused to speak. Luo Sanrong was anxious for him and urged him, "Eunuch Ma, please tell His Highness what happened so that He can make a decision for you!"

Eunuch Ma rolled his eyes at Luo Sanrong. Luo Sanrong didn't understand why, but in the end he didn't say why they were fighting!

Li Yin stood up, walked to Eunuch Ma, lowered his head and said to him, "You just don't want to say it, is that what you mean?"

Eunuch Ma looked stubborn and remained silent.

Li Yin sighed inwardly and rubbed his brows with his hand. His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable majesty. "Okay, if you don't want to talk, I can't force you. But who should I hand you over to? The Ministry of Punishment?"

"Someone come!"

"Call Lord Shang and the head of the Ministry of Punishment over here..."

"Your Highness?" Luo Sanrong wanted to persuade him again. After all, the Ministry of Punishment was not a good place. If he stayed there for a while, he might even lose his life in the end.

As soon as the three words "Ministry of Punishment" came out, Eunuch Ma's face turned pale and he kowtowed and said, "Because those people are talking nonsense." His voice was filled with tears.

Li Yin looked at Eunuch Ma and understood what was going on. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Eunuch Ma, you look like you're going to say something unpleasant. I've told you before that even if you're the Crown Prince, you can't just listen to what you like."

"explain"

Eunuch Ma: "They say His Highness is a homosexual."

The moment she heard these words, Luo Sanrong felt her heart suddenly constrict, and a chill silently crept up her spine. She couldn't explain why, but the corner of her eye uncontrollably drifted towards Li Yin.

It just so happened that at this moment, Li Yin's eyes fell on her.

The look in his eyes was heavy, with an inexplicable meaning that made the back of her neck tighten.

Luo Sanrong's heart skipped a beat, and she tried to look away hurriedly, but in the instant they looked at each other, Li Yin seemed to have noticed something, and he closed his eyes slightly and looked away first.

Her fingertips curled up slightly. The glance just now was too sharp, as if it could penetrate the calmness she deliberately maintained and reach the deepest secrets in her heart.

Luo Sanrong calmed himself down and suppressed the inexplicable panic, but the tips of his ears uncontrollably felt a little hot.

Luo Sanrong stepped forward and said angrily, "How can you say such disrespectful words?" After saying that, he stole a glance at Li Yin.

Li Yin's usually calm face turned red at this moment. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was angry, with anger boiling in his chest, but he pursed his lips tightly, forcing himself to suppress the anger.

He turned his face away, secretly clenched his fingertips under his sleeves, and when he turned back, the ripples in his eyes had mostly disappeared, leaving only a bit of deliberate indifference.

The corners of his lips even curled up slightly, and his tone sounded as if he really didn't care: "I thought it was some big deal, not worth mobilizing such a large force."

After saying that, he scoffed lightly, his eyes sweeping over the person standing next to him with his head bowed. His tone became a little more relaxed, as if the surging anger just now was just an illusion. "Whatever, it's not a big deal, is it worth it for you to hit someone?"

As he finished speaking, he even deliberately brushed off the non-existent dust on his robe, but his slightly trembling fingertips and his tightly pursed, pale lips revealed that he was far less calm than he appeared.

Eunuch Ma continued, "They said that Your Highness, the way you look at Eunuch Luo is very special."

Li Yin didn't want to hear him continue, "Forget it."

Eunuch Ma continued to speak to himself, "To say it's special is a bit too much."

Li Yin yelled, "Stop talking."

Eunuch Ma lay hunched over on the cold golden brick floor. "Your Highness..." He choked out a sob. "Your Majesty has been ill lately. Your Highness... You will soon be taking charge of state affairs, shouldering a heavy responsibility. This is the time when distraction is most unacceptable."

He paused here, then continued with a tearful voice, "I...I was deeply afraid that I would cause any inconvenience to Your Highness, so...that's why I just happened...that's why I didn't realize it..."

"I deserve to die, Your Highness." The words were already intermittent at the end, and the tail end was swallowed by the heavy nasal sound, leaving only suppressed sobs.

Li Yin looked at Eunuch Ma crying pitifully, and motioned Luo Sanrong to help him up. He waved his hand and asked Luo Sanrong to take him out. Luo Sanrong looked at Li Yin's expression, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Finally, he helped Eunuch Ma out.

——

Luo Sanrong thought about the rumors and decided not to go to the East Palace when he had nothing to do recently. So since leaving the East Palace today, he has been staying in the library, sorting books. Thinking of the promise he made a few days ago to help Nei Guan Sun, he stepped on the stool and took something out from the library - it was the shadow puppet he made last night.

One man and one woman, the man represents Nei Guan Sun and the woman represents Yue Xi.

When Luo Sanrong was watching intently, a voice came from behind him, "What is this?"

Luo Sanzhen quickly tried to hide the shadow puppet, turned around, and denied it to Li Yin, saying, "It's nothing."

Li Yin looked at Luo Sanrong's subconscious lie and immediately became furious. He said sternly, "Why don't you confess the truth?"

Luo Sanrong still didn't say anything. Li Yin was so angry that he almost laughed. He pointed a finger at Luo Sanrong and said, "What exactly are you going to do? I'll count to three."

Luo Sanrong had no choice but to take out the shadow puppet and explained in a low voice: "It is to convey the sincerity, so as not to hurt anyone."

Seeing that the shadow puppet was clearly that of Eunuch Sun, Li Yin was completely confused. He softened his tone and said, "Didn't I tell you not to interfere in Eunuch Sun's affairs anymore?"

Luo Sanrong whispered, "I won't do anything that goes against etiquette and law."

Li Yin looked at the pair of shadow puppets in his hands and said, "This is a waste of effort. Even if we know each other's true feelings, nothing will change. The palace maids will eventually leave the palace, but the eunuchs will never leave the palace."

Luo Sanrong looked into Li Yin's eyes and said word by word, "It's not that we won't take any action just because we know there won't be any change."

Li Yin asked casually, "Why is that?"

Luo Sanrong shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "I know it's useless but I still like it. What can I do?"

She continued, "Even if there is no other way, I just hope we can understand each other's feelings."

Li Yin returned the shadow puppet to Luo Sanrong and said, "It's really selfish to confess to someone who is leaving just to make things easier for yourself." After saying that, he turned and left.

Luo Sanrong argued with Li Yin, who turned around, "Is it impossible to confess to a love that has no result? Saying goodbye can be as heartwarming as admiration. The memory of being loved may also become the strength to live a lifetime. Who knows?"

After shouting it out, Luo Sanrong felt a little regretful. He murmured to Li Yin's departing back, "I guess His Highness will never understand this kind of thinking?"