Chapter 2: The hazy memories gradually become more complete...
Mingyue seemed somewhat surprised, and for a moment she was at a loss for words in the face of Seventeen's familiar tone.
Why?
Seventeen hugged his knees and pondered, his tone somewhat forlorn: "I don't know where to go tomorrow, which is my day off. Maybe I should just enjoy the moon for a while and sleep in a bit more to kill some time."
Hearing these words, which sounded like a child's coquettish plea, Mingyue couldn't help but chuckle. He stretched out a hand, but it stopped in mid-air. The oblivious Seventeen had no idea that he was about to be patted on the head.
"Then you should get some rest after you've finished enjoying the moon. I'll head back now."
Seventeen waved at him. Perhaps it was the sense of familiarity the other person gave him, but he naturally associated Mingyue with the older brothers in the camp. The other person probably thought he was being strange.
The man in black disappeared into the night sky, and the sound of snoring returned to the instructor's room. Seventeen looked at the bright moon and thought: A bright moon.
Just as Seventeen himself said last night, when he went back to sleep in the middle of the night, he actually slept until the sun was high in the sky. Perhaps the instructor knew his plans, so he didn't bother him.
Seventeen opened her eyes; although she had just woken up, she was already incredibly alert.
After changing his clothes, he looked at the sunlight outside and felt a sense of loneliness.
As children grow older, they develop different thoughts and begin to think about things they've never explored before.
A knock sounded at the door. Seventeen, who had just finished fastening his belt, turned to look at the door: "What's wrong?"
"Seventeen, are you up?"
The instructor's voice came from outside. Seventeen thought it might be something important, so he quickly tightened his belt and hurriedly opened the door: "Get up, Instructor, is there something you need?"
"Come with me."
The instructor looked Seventeen up and down; it was a very proper training uniform, all black covering his body, with only a leather choker peeking out from his neck, from which his identity tag was hanging.
He nodded at 17:00, closed the door, and followed the coach, feeling somewhat uneasy.
He had never carried out a mission alone before because he was still young and his skills were not up to par. Why was he suddenly approached today? Could it be that he had some special mission?
The instructor walked out of the Dark Guard camp, through a long and dark corridor, and they arrived at the entrance to the Zhaoyu Prison.
No matter how much those people thought about it, they would never know that the Dark Guard Camp was hidden behind the Imperial Prison.
"His Majesty wishes to see you."
The instructor turned around and spoke to Seventeen, and sure enough, he saw the child's stunned expression.
"Your Majesty? To see me?"
The things that appeared in his dreams last night had come true today, which Seventeen found unbelievable. He even raised his hand and pinched himself, feeling a sharp pain.
"What is this silly boy doing?"
The instructor was amused by his actions and looked very kind: "You were brought back by His Majesty himself, which is different from others. It's normal that His Majesty wants to see you."
Seventeen blinked, unsure of what to say. He wanted to ask, if everything was normal, why did it take him five years to think of seeing him?
But then I thought, I have no right to question such things.
"Nothing was done, Seventeen already knows."
The instructor smiled at him, turned around and continued walking forward. Seventeen followed closely until they left the Zhao Prison and entered the inner palace. The instructor bowed to the eunuch guarding a black carriage and said, "Eunuch Yuanfu, the person has been brought."
The eunuch, known as Eunuch Yuanfu, waved the whisk hanging on his arm and said in a somewhat shrill voice, "Come up here and let me take a look."
The instructor gave Seventeen a push and whispered, "This is Eunuch Yuanfu, who is by His Majesty's side."
Seventeen, bewildered, followed the instructor's example and bowed, then walked up to Eunuch Yuanfu.
The head eunuch squinted at Seventeen for a while, clearly quite satisfied: "Alright, Instructor Li can go back now. I'll take this little bodyguard with me."
The instructor nodded, turned around and walked back towards the prison. Seventeen looked at the instructor's back, then at the smiling and fox-like Eunuch Yuanfu, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Eunuch, where are we going?"
"Go to His Majesty's place and come up for a seat."
With a flick of his whisk, Eunuch Yuanfu released a familiar, delicate fragrance that reached Seventeen's nose. He had smelled it on Mingyue just last night, and it seemed that everyone who followed His Majesty had been tainted by this scent.
Seventeen climbed onto the carriage somewhat awkwardly. He wanted to say that he could follow behind the carriage, even though his kung fu wasn't very good, he could still travel faster than the carriage.
Grandpa Yuanfu sat opposite him, his eyes scrutinizing every inch of Seventeen.
Seventeen felt a little uncomfortable, but due to his status, he didn't say anything.
"When I brought you back, you were just a tiny little thing, and now you've grown so handsome."
Although Eunuch Yuanfu's voice was somewhat shrill, his words did not make Seventeen feel any malice, so she obediently replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Eunuch."
He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Was the person with His Majesty at the time the eunuch?"
"Of course, how could I not recognize you?"
While Grandpa Yuanfu spoke words of reproach, his tone was not truly blaming. Putting aside the special circumstances of that year, the fact that the child could still remember those events was already the best that could be said. What else could be said?
"It's been a long time since I last saw you, Seventeen... I don't quite remember what you look like anymore, please forgive me, Father-in-law."
"What's strange about it?" Eunuch Yuanfu smiled and flicked his whisk, saying, "I heard from Instructor Li that the assessment is tomorrow, and after it's over, we'll have to come and serve by His Majesty's side."
Upon hearing this, Seventeen suddenly looked up at him, her eyes almost overflowing with brilliance.
"Serving by His Majesty's side? But I..."
"Hehe, don't underestimate yourself."
Grandpa Yuanfu smiled without saying a word, leaving a thunderbolt in Seventeen's heart, who knows what kind of damage it would cause.
As the carriage swayed and rocked forward, Seventeen's thoughts drifted away.
Your Majesty... what has Your Majesty become now? In his hazy memory, that person should have been handsome and dashing, with a pair of dark eyes that seemed to see through people's hearts, and slightly upturned corners of his eyes that gave him an imposing presence.
He couldn't quite recall the specifics, but he felt that anyone who could sit in that position was no ordinary person.
After swaying for a while, the carriage finally came to a stop. Yuanfu glanced at Seventeen and instructed, "Follow me inside."
Seventeen nodded obediently and followed behind Yuanfu.
After getting off the carriage, a magnificent palace came into view, surrounded by deep red brick walls that neatly divided the entire palace. The walls were topped with glazed tiles, making it incredibly grand.
Seventeen was a little timid. It was his first time inside the palace, so he was inevitably nervous. His clenched hands were covered in a fine layer of sweat.
Yuanfu glanced at him and said with a smile, "Come with us."
Seventeen followed behind Yuanfu, looking around curiously. Beyond the porch was a large courtyard planted with all kinds of flowers and plants. It was late summer, and the leaves were turning slightly yellow. They swayed in the breeze, casting dappled sunlight on the ground.
In the courtyard, the palace maids were busy with their work, and even though they heard the approaching people, none of them glanced in their direction, all focused on their tasks.
Yuanfu walked to the vermilion gate, where two guards nodded and saluted him: "Grand Eunuch Yuanfu."
Yuanfu flicked his whisk and asked in a shrill voice, "Is His Majesty still in the study?"
"Here I am."
Yuanfu nodded and called out from outside the door, "Your Majesty, the person has been brought."
Then a deep, authoritative voice rang out: "Come in."
Yuanfu turned around and looked at Seventeen, saying, "Let's go."
Seventeen's heart was pounding violently. He felt as if he had lost his normal senses and could not think of anything. He only mechanically followed Eunuch Yuanfu inside.
The vermilion gate was pushed open, and a familiar fragrance mixed with the smell of lacquer rushed into Seventeen's nostrils like a sharp wind.
"Your Majesty, the Seventeenth has been brought to you."
Yuanfu walked to a mahogany table and grinded ink for the man sitting in the main seat with a smile.
"Yes, come forward."
The last three words were clearly addressed to Seventeen. He swallowed hard, bowed, and said in a slightly weak and trembling voice, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities."
The man's voice was very deep, somewhat different from what Seventeen remembered, but his attitude was amiable, which slowed Seventeen's heartbeat.
He took a few steps forward and finally dared to look up at the man sitting in the main seat.
Just as he had expected, the man was handsome and dashing, with his sword-like eyebrows lowering his eyes, making him appear exceptionally dignified.
The slightly upturned corners of his eyes added a touch of handsomeness to his appearance, but at first glance, he still exuded an air of authority.
He was not dressed in majestic imperial attire, but rather in a simple black outfit, yet the sunlight filtering in from outside revealed glimmers of gold on his collar and cuffs.
"Seventeen?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The man's features seemed somewhat familiar to Seventeen, and his hazy memories gradually became fuller, filling in the gaps in his memory.
"You've grown so big."
His attitude remained calm throughout. Seventeen suppressed his excitement and bowed his head, saying, "Yes, it was all thanks to Your Majesty back then, otherwise Seventeen would not be where he is today."
The man chuckled and glanced sideways at the eager Yuanfu. The other man immediately understood and quickly walked to Seventeen's side, urging, "Go forward and let His Majesty take a good look at you."
Seventeen was taken aback. She looked at Yuanfu, then at the man in the main seat, and hesitantly stepped up to stand where Yuanfu had just stood.
"Good, come and take your duty after tomorrow's assessment."
The deep voice, like a deadly poison, lingered in Seventeen's ears. He subtly shrugged and replied softly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"How can you be so timid? Can you even do a good job?"
The man seemed somewhat helpless, stood up, and looked at Seventeen beside him.
It was only then that Seventeen realized that His Majesty was much taller than him.
It was a whole size bigger than me, and a head taller.
Seventeen immediately felt a little insecure. Could he really protect His Majesty if he came to serve by his side?
"What are you thinking about? You look so serious."
The man walked past Seventeen and headed out. Yuanfu quickly ran up and gave him a push: "Hurry up and keep up."
Seventeen snapped out of her daze and quickly followed His Majesty's footsteps, replying, "I wasn't thinking anything. It is Seventeen's honor to have His Majesty's trust."
The man smiled, and Yuanfu stepped forward to ask, "Would Your Majesty like to summon a sedan chair?"
"No need, let's walk."
Yuanfu responded with two "Eh, eh," slowed his pace by half a beat, and distanced himself from the man. He then whispered to Seventeen, who was following behind him, "Let's take a walk together with His Majesty."
Seventeen nodded, glanced up at the man's broad back, and doubts welled up in her heart again: Could she really protect His Majesty?
But no matter how much doubt there was, the matter has been settled.
The roads inside the palace were all flat, and occasionally when palace servants passed by and saw a man from afar, they would consciously stand close to him on both sides and bow.
Seventeen followed behind Yuanfu, with Yuanfu occasionally answering some questions and Seventeen answering others.
His Majesty seemed to be in a good mood. After walking for a while, the three of them stopped in front of an even more magnificent palace.
The two guards standing at the door bowed to the three of them.
"His Majesty."
"Hmm." The man responded with a relatively good expression, while Yuanfu cheerfully followed up, saying, "Your Majesty, which room should Little Seventeen stay in?"
A note from the author:
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