Chapter 94
After a long silence, Shen Rang finally spoke: "...Yes."
"The eldest prince and the crown prince are both in their early thirties. They are powerful and fiercely competing with each other. The other princes may not be able to say that they do not have such thoughts, but they have never been able to stir up any trouble in front of those two."
Yunxi said, "Your Highness has achieved the highest honors in all three categories. The First Prince and the Crown Prince must be going to great lengths to win you over, right?"
Shen Rang nodded.
This is also what troubles him.
He didn't want to rely on anyone; he only wanted to establish himself in the court through his own abilities. But the facts clearly told him that this was unlikely.
Yunxi picked up a teacup in each hand and placed them on the table, one on each side, and then put the teacup she had used in the middle.
Shen Rang was wondering why she did this when he heard Yun Xi say, "When I was little, my background was unknown. Everyone said that my parents picked me up from outside. The adults were fine, they wouldn't say anything hurtful to my face, but it was different for children."
"Kids don't know anything about the consequences; it's them who hurt people."
"Back then, there was a guy in our village named Laihu. His family worked in the county government. He was a bully in the village because of his family. Even the adults were afraid of him. Many children thought he was powerful, so they followed him around and bullied people with him."
“They always say I’m an unwanted bastard, that I’m a beast without parents. Whenever I go out, they always manage to pop out from somewhere to curse me.”
Shen Rang's hands, which were under the table, tightened slightly.
Yunxi's gaze fell on the teacup on the right: "There's another guy in our village named Tieli who loves to uphold justice and protect those who are bullied by Laihu. So, of course, he came to me to protect me."
“Who needs their protection? If Laihu and the others curse me, it won’t hurt me. What’s the big deal? I don’t want to be a tagalong, following Tieli around every day.”
"But then one time, when my brother Huaichuan and I went out to play, Tieli and his men blocked us in the alley. He even said that if I didn't acknowledge him as the boss, he would beat me to death."
Yunxi paused at this point.
She stared at the two teacups, seemingly lost in thought.
Shen Rang did not urge him, and his gaze fell on the teacup.
After a moment of silence, Yunxi continued, "But I didn't choose him. I even hit him on the head with a rock until he bled. Even Huaichuan, who is such a gentle person, got angry and started hitting him. That was the first time I had ever seen Huaichuan so angry."
"But there were so many of them. My brother Huaichuan and I were beaten so badly that we cried all the way home to find my father."
At this point, Yunxi suddenly smiled.
As she laughed, tears welled up in her eyes again.
"...And then what?"
"Later, when my father found out about this, he went directly to the county government. I don't know what he said, but after he came back, Lai Hu's whole family moved to the county. Tie Li's family also moved away, but I don't know where they moved to."
"And then no one in the village dared to bully me anymore."
"However, after this incident, my father said something to me."
"They say... a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years, and it's wise to protect yourself and wait for another day. That's what a smart person does. Someone as stubborn as me is lucky to have survived without being beaten to death."
Yunxi looked directly at Shen Rang: "Your Highness, my father can protect me, but your father won't protect you, so you have to protect yourself."
Shen Rang felt a slight pang of pain in his heart because of Yun Xi's past experiences, and then he was suddenly stabbed, leaving him at a loss for words.
Seeing him smile, Yunxi became even more serious: "Your Highness, I'm talking to you about serious matters. What are you laughing at?"
"......nothing."
Shen Rang took a light breath: "According to you, I should find a master to serve?"
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