The memories of the past were so cruel. Every time he recalled them, the hatred in Chu Huaixu's heart grew stronger, but he would still think about them and recall them again and again.
He couldn't forget those deep-seated hatreds, and the reason he was still alive was because of these hatreds.
But all he could recall were these hatreds and resentments. This was the first time he had set aside these hatreds and recalled more and earlier events.
The downfall of the Prince's Mansion was not entirely unexpected; at least the old prince had foreseen it long ago. Before the mansion's demise, the father had actually returned once.
Because there was a gap of about two months between that incident and what happened later, Chu Huaixu was unable to connect it with the subsequent events.
Although Prince Duan was a military general and very strict with his three sons, often punishing them, he was very kind to the servants and guards in his palace. He rarely acted like a prince and was always benevolent to everyone.
But upon his return, Prince Duan's temperament changed drastically. He punished many servants and even expelled them from the palace.
At the time, Chu Huaixu had spoken on their behalf and pleaded for their lives, but Prince Duan was a man of his word and would not change his mind because of Chu Huaixu's pleas. In fact, he became even angrier.
Chu Huaixu felt guilty for a long time because the reason those people were punished was actually because of him.
When Prince Duan returned, several young servants were squatting under a tree with Chu Huaixu, digging out ant nests. Prince Duan was furious and scolded Chu Huaixu for being ignorant and incompetent.
When the master makes a mistake, the servants are punished. Song Ting was whipped, while the others were expelled from the palace.
Chu Huaixu was unconvinced and argued with Prince Duan, which made Prince Duan even angrier. He decided to settle accounts with him, listing all the mistakes he had made in the past six months and punishing all those who had tolerated his mistakes.
More people were driven out of the manor. In those days, the once peaceful manor was filled with gloom and fear, and everyone was worried about their safety. People said in private that the old prince had been driven crazy by the young master.
However, the old prince was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate any flaws, and the fact that he had indulged the young master for so many years before deciding to punish him showed that he was already extremely doting.
Therefore, no one doubted it, and Chu Huaixu himself did not doubt it either, only believing that he had really angered his father and implicated so many people.
But it turns out that it was all part of Prince Duan's meticulously planned scheme, a way to ensure the survival of the people in his household.
He had to be a loyal minister and a good general; he couldn't back down. And as for the people in his household, they would ultimately have to sacrifice themselves with him. There were only so many people he could save.
"That child named Yuanbao didn't have to die, did he?"
Yuanbao was expelled from the Duanwang Mansion on the eve of its downfall. He was too young and was bound to make mistakes, so there was plenty of reason to expel him.
But the child was too foolish. After being chased away, he ran back and knelt at the gate of the palace to beg. The princess was soft-hearted and let him in again.
The princess was unaware of the prince's plan, and the child was thus unable to escape his fate.
Thinking of this, Chu Huaixu felt even more distressed. Since ancient times, the road to imperial power has always been paved with bloodshed and injury, and even death for many innocent people. Human life is as worthless as grass.
His father was not a saint; he had his own path to follow, and the people in the royal palace could only sacrifice themselves along with their master.
He was the only one who was saved.
“The prince made an agreement with me that if he had any clues, he would leave me a code. When I returned to report, Zhang Bingzhi was searching the entire palace for the imperial edict, so he sent me along as well.”
Song Ting, unaware of Huai Xu's thoughts, continued giving instructions.
"Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that I found something that so many people had searched for but could not find. The late emperor summoned the old prince and the second son in the imperial study, but they did not actually take the item out of the imperial study at all."
Song Ting saw the secret code left by the prince there. After searching carefully, she found that the imperial edict was actually hidden among a pile of reviewed memorials, while the jade seal with a missing corner was thrown into the brazier.
When Song Ting took the items out, the imperial seal was red-hot from the heat; luckily, it hadn't cracked.
"He can't even find something right under his nose. Zhang Bingzhi is truly a useless piece of trash," Chu Huaixu said calmly, having composed himself.
Song Ting echoed him, "Mm."
Perhaps that was fate.
Having explained most of the matter, Huai Xu looked quite exhausted, so Song Ting coaxed him, "It's past midnight, go to sleep for a while."
Chu Huaixu pulled his arm, and Song Ting, somewhat confused, stared at him blankly.
The latter, exasperated, glared at him and finally said, "My bed is quite big. If you don't mind the cramped space, Commander, you might as well come up and make do. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find you dead next to my bed."
"..." It was clear from those words that he hadn't completely calmed down and was being sarcastic towards him.
But the fact that Huai Xu was willing to lie in the same bed with him was something Song Ting never dared to dream of. He didn't dare to delay and quickly climbed into bed, lying down properly.
Chu Huaixu turned to face him, and chuckled lightly. Song Ting's eyelashes trembled violently, but he did not open his eyes.
He was probably pretending to be asleep because he was afraid that Chu Huaixu would change his mind and kick him out of bed.
"You've given me so much advice, don't you have anything to ask me?"
Chu Huaixu was indeed exhausted, but he had received so much information in one day that it was hard for him to process it all, and his mind was too clear right now.
Song Ting still didn't open her eyes.
Chu Huaixu smiled again, reached out and grabbed a tuft of hair from the side of Song Ting's face, slowly twirling it around his fingertips.
Then, she deliberately moved closer and gently brushed the end of her hair against Song Ting's nose, saying slowly, "Does Your Excellency refuse to wake up because you're waiting for me to wake you?"
Song Ting's eyelashes trembled even more violently, and she closed her eyes even tighter.
This is a way of asking Chu Huaixu to kiss him.
Chu Huaixu granted his wish, leaning down to capture those lips in his mouth, giving the Commander a passionate kiss.
Song Ting was so engrossed that she could no longer pretend and responded to Chu Huaixu's tongue.
The latter quickly stepped back, buried his face in Song Ting's chest, and chuckled, "So, my lord has finally decided to wake up?"
Although their bodies were slightly apart, their legs were still pressed tightly together. Chu Huaixu clearly felt that after he finished speaking, the muscles in Song Ting's thighs tensed up instantly.
But this process was short-lived. Soon, the man took the initiative, placing one hand on Chu Huaixu's face, trapping him beneath him, and leaning down to pry open his lips and attack...
This kiss contained so many emotions between the two of them that neither wanted to stop first. Towards the end, their passion ignited, almost... like wildfire.
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