At five o'clock in the morning, the night had faded and the morning light was dim.

Inside the emperor's bedroom, the lights were bright, and the eunuchs were walking back and forth in the huge palace, each with a happy face. Today was the day of His Majesty's accession to the throne, and the four departments, eight bureaus, and twelve supervisors of the inner court had been preparing for this day for nearly a month. Everyone started working since the third watch, and even the usually quiet and deserted palace was stained with a bit of the worldly atmosphere.

Yin Chengyu stood in front of the bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror of his full height reflected a thin figure in a bright yellow shirt. The young man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, black hair and fair skin, and his upturned eyes were filled with an innate nobility.

Staring at the tall and narrow figure in the bronze mirror for a long time, Yin Chengyu's lips curled up slightly, until he heard footsteps behind him and another dark red figure was reflected in the bronze mirror, and then he stopped smiling.

Xue Shu, dressed in a scarlet dragon robe, walked behind him holding the emperor's crown. The bright yellow inner garment and the scarlet dragon robe intertwined in the bronze mirror, and even his voice became ambiguous: "I will change your majesty's clothes."

Yin Chengyu glanced at him in the bronze mirror, then lowered her eyelashes, stretched out her arms, and let him do what he wanted.

The royal robe, the lower skirt, the knee-guard... Xue Shu dressed him one by one, and finally picked up the white jade leather belt on the tray, wrapped it around Yin Chengyu's back, passed his hands through his waist, and held him as if hugging him, and deftly fastened the jade buckle on the leather belt with his slender fingers.

The jade buckle made a slight "click" sound when it was closed, but he did not step away. Instead, he held the slender waist in this position and brought her into his arms.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you finally got what you wanted."

He rested his chin on Yin Chengyu's shoulder, and breathed warmly on his delicate neck, causing a series of small bumps. "On this auspicious day, I wonder if His Majesty will allow me to fulfill my long-cherished wish?"

The eunuch's unique shrill voice was deliberately lowered, and in the warm candlelight, the overlapping figures seemed to be tinged with a bit of tenderness.

Yin Chengyu raised his eyes and looked at him through the bronze mirror: "As a factory manager, you are already second to none, what other wishes do you have?"

A light laugh came from the side of his ear, and the arm around his waist tightened. Xue Shu touched his earlobe with the tip of his nose and whispered like a lover, "Your Majesty knows exactly what I want." After saying that, his straight nose slid down along the line of the earlobe and lingered on the side of his neck.

This is an action that they are all very familiar with. From here on out, the person behind will have to use their upper lip and teeth.

Yin Chengyu closed his eyes, waved away the charming picture that appeared in his mind at an inappropriate time, and pursed his lips: "I'm afraid I can't give it to the factory manager."

"Can't afford it, or don't want to give it?"

The person holding him from behind seemed to be touched on the reverse scale. He pinched his chin with one hand and forced him to turn his face to look at him. His eyes were filled with dark tides: "Or... Your Majesty also despises people like us and is not ashamed to associate with us?"

Whenever he got angry, he would no longer address me as "minister", but would always refer to me as "our family" in a weird way.

Yin Chengyu never got used to his bad habit of disobeying his superiors when he was angry.

His chin was pinched so hard that it hurt. He was furious and struggled to sit up, cursing "bastard".

The eunuch who was on night watch outside heard the noise and came in cautiously, asking softly through the bed curtains: "Is Your Highness awake? It's only the fourth watch."

Yin Chengyu came back to his senses from his trance, and then realized that he was just dreaming. He rubbed his eyebrows and said tiredly: "Nothing, leave now."

Upon hearing this, the young eunuch slowed down his pace and quietly retreated.

But Yin Chengyu couldn't fall asleep anymore.

He had dreamed about his past life for three consecutive nights, including Xue Shu.

According to the trajectory of the previous life, in three days, Xue Shu will enter the palace. In the next five or six years, he will climb up step by step from the most insignificant eunuch in the palace, and finally sit on the position of the head of the Western Factory. The emperor favors him, his power is overwhelming, and he can easily control the throne. People at that time called him the Nine Thousand Years Old.

In another three months, the Emperor and the Second Prince's party will take action against him. First, his maternal family, the Yu family, is dragged into a corruption case and the entire family is executed. Then, his mother is shocked and gives birth prematurely, resulting in two deaths. His position as crown prince will also be abolished, and he will go from being the most noble and unrivaled heir to an abandoned son, and will be imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum from then on, isolated and helpless.

Until Xue Shu welcomed him back to the court.

What had originally been an unfeeling, profit-exchanging transaction between them had become intense and heavy after being entangled for several years and separated by the time of life and death.

Fortunately, he had a chance to start over again, and he didn't want to have any more entanglement with Xue Shu.

But every night, that pair of dark eyes full of bigotry would flash before my eyes, and I would hear a series of sarcastic questions in my ears: "Your Majesty also despises people like me, and is it shameful to associate with them?"

Your Majesty, do you also despise people like us and are ashamed to be associated with us?

Xue Shu only said such self-deprecating words to him once.

He never seemed to feel inferior to his status as a eunuch, and he was always domineering and powerful in bed. Even if he lost that thing, he always had endless ways to make him admit defeat and beg for mercy.

But he never undressed in front of him.

If you think about it carefully, you will realize that I still care to some extent.

And now, the opportunity to change Xue Shu's fate is right in front of him.

Yin Chengyu stood up irritably and stood by the window for a long time enjoying the cool breeze before he calmed down.

To find, or not to find?

Today is the fifth day of the 11th month in the seventeenth year of Longfeng. Xue Shu once mentioned to him that he had purified himself in the Can Room on the eighth day of the 11th month, and then he paid silver to become the disciple of an old eunuch in the Zhidianjian Department before being brought into the palace.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, a special day. Yin Chengyu only heard it once and remembered it firmly. However, there were several silkworm houses in Wangjing City, and he didn't know which one Xue Shu went to.

If you want to find it, it may take some effort.

But every time he thought of the despicable methods that man had used on him, he felt upset and couldn't make up his mind.

After standing in front of the window for a long time, Yin Chengyu went back to sleep.

He slept uneasily as usual, and events from his past life flashed through his mind in his dream. When Yin Chengyu woke up the next morning, he felt dizzy and his eyes were dark.

His body, which had not yet recovered, became even weaker. He covered his lips and coughed a few times, then summoned his trusted eunuch Zheng Duobao to come in.

"Why is your highness coughing even more violently?" Zheng Duobao heard a muffled cough as soon as he entered the room. He immediately became anxious, holding the medicine steadily in his hand, but urging the eunuch to call the imperial physician.

"No problem, it's just that there was a cold wind last night." Yin Chengyu took the medicine and drank it all in one gulp. He pressed the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief and waved to Zheng Duobao: "I have something else for you to do."

Zheng Duobao leaned over and listened with a surprised look on his face, as if he wanted to ask something but didn't dare to.

Yin Chengyu was feeling annoyed and didn't want to explain further. He just waved his hand and said, "As soon as possible."

Seeing this, Zheng Duobao had to suppress his doubts and hurried out to do his business.

If one were to inquire about the Silkworm Room in Wangjing City, no one would know more about it than the eunuchs who had undergone purification.

The Great Yan Dynasty was established over 200 years ago. In the beginning, eunuchs had a low status and were not allowed to read or write, let alone discuss state affairs. But as time went on, the civil officials' faction became more and more powerful in the court. In order to control the civil officials, the emperor became closer to and relied on the eunuchs around him. He not only added an inner book hall in the palace to teach eunuchs to read and write, but also allowed eunuchs to participate in court affairs, which made the eunuchs more powerful.

By now, the eunuch who holds the seal of the Silijian, the head of the twenty-four offices of the inner court, has the power to approve documents, and even the chief aides of the inner cabinet have to treat him with courtesy; the eunuch who holds the pen is the commander-in-chief of the Dongchang, and the Jinyiwei have to submit to him.

This shows how powerful the eunuchs were.

People in the world pursue profit. Although the reputation of eunuchs is not good, profit is the most important thing, so more and more people are willing to send their male family members to the palace to win a rich and prosperous future.

There was no silkworm room for purification in the palace of the Prince of Yan. All the eunuchs in the palace were recruited from outside the palace by the senior eunuchs. Therefore, there were many silkworm rooms in Wangjing City. If the family was kind-hearted, they would send their children to the silkworm room for purification. But there were also those who were cruel and reluctant to spend money, so they went to the side door to find the craftsmen who castrated livestock and just castrated them like livestock, leaving life and death to fate.

Following His Highness's orders, Zheng Duobao dispatched several people to search secretly for two days, searching all the silkworm rooms, big and small, but he did not find the person His Highness mentioned.

Seeing that the date of Laba was approaching and there was no trace of the person he was looking for, he had no choice but to try his luck and ordered his people to expand the search area and also visit those livestock castrators.

The three-day deadline is approaching in the blink of an eye.

Dayan restored ancient rituals and followed the old system of the previous dynasty. Every year on the Beginning of Spring, Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival and Laba Festival, grand ceremonies were held and banquets were held outside the Meridian Gate to entertain all the ministers.

According to the rules, the emperor should attend the banquet with all the ministers to show his closeness, but Emperor Longfeng never liked to deal with court officials, so he naturally pushed this task to Yin Chengyu, who was already involved in political affairs.

Yin Chengyu is the eldest son, and his maternal grandfather Yu Huaian is the chief minister of the inner cabinet. He was made the crown prince when he was just seven years old, and he entered the court to participate in politics when he was fourteen. He was taught to be the crown prince since he was a child. After realizing the heavy responsibility on his shoulders early on, he was strict with himself, never dared to slack off, and worked hard to be a perfect crown prince in the hearts of the people.

No matter how big or small the task given to him by Emperor Longfeng was, he would do his best without caring about the gains and losses.

At this time in his previous life, he had caught a cold from overthinking, and his condition recurred, leaving him bedridden for ten days. Before he had recovered, he received an order from Emperor Longfeng to be in charge of the Laba Feast.

As the crown prince, he had no reason to refuse the offer, as he had the duty of sharing the emperor's worries and relieving his father's sorrows. He still accepted the offer despite his sick body.

As a result, after the Laba Feast, his condition worsened, he developed a high fever, and was in a coma for two days. Although his headache was cured later, his physical condition was much weaker, and he still had headaches.

At that time, he was young and stubborn. He refused to show any sign of being unwell even though it was obvious. He was also grateful for his father's trust and cooperated with Emperor Longfeng to play the role of a loving father and a filial son.

But what is the reality?

He was self-disciplined and righteous, and pursued perfection in everything, which made him more and more famous among the court officials and the common people. With the strong support of his outside family, his reputation was even higher than that of the emperor. He had long been a thorn in the side of Emperor Longfeng, who wanted to remove him as soon as possible.

So later, my uncle was framed and dragged into the smuggling salt case. My grandfather and even the entire Yu family were also involved. He requested a thorough investigation several times, but Emperor Longfeng refused to conduct a detailed investigation and hastily convicted and sentenced him.

After all, the Yu family was only implicated by him, and the threat that Emperor Longfeng wanted to eliminate from the beginning to the end was him.

The king is the king, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son.

First they are ruler and subject, then they are father and son.

Unfortunately, Yin Chengyu did not fully understand this truth until the moment he was stripped of his title as crown prince.

So if he had the chance to do it all over again, he didn't plan to be a filial son who shared his father's worries.

As his thoughts raced, Yin Chengyu smiled and declined the toast from the Minister of Personnel. He covered his lips and coughed a few times, causing his snow-white face to turn a little red, making him look even sicker.

Lifting the tea in front of him, Yin Chengyu smiled and said, "I have not been feeling well recently and cannot drink alcohol, so I will drink a cup of tea with Lord Lu instead of wine."

Lu Jing even said he didn't dare. After toasting, he returned to his seat and said to the Minister of Personnel beside him with emotion: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is really diligent. He didn't forget us ministers even when he was sick. Compared with that person, he is really..." He pointed his lips to the east and whispered in a low voice: "He is much better."

Giving a banquet to all the ministers on the eighth day of the lunar month was originally intended for the king to get close to his ministers.

However, Emperor Longfeng favored eunuchs. Also, Emperor Xiaozong was too licentious during his reign, and the emperor took the wives of his ministers. There was even an incident where a minister assassinated the emperor at a banquet. Therefore, Emperor Longfeng was very wary of these court officials.

Except for the first two years after he ascended the throne, Emperor Longfeng never showed up at banquets until the crown prince grew older, then he asked him to appear.

The officials dared not say it, but they were somewhat resentful in their hearts. In addition, although Emperor Longfeng was not as licentious as Emperor Xiaozong, he was not a wise ruler. He was mediocre in ability, indulged in sensual pleasures, and neglected state affairs. If the crown prince had not been established early, and Yu Shoufu had not been in the inner cabinet, the court would have been in chaos.

The two exchanged glances, tacitly stopped talking and didn't go on.

But I was thinking in my heart, fortunately there is still the prince.

Yin Chengyu deliberately showed his sickness at the banquet. After the court officials showed their concern and advised him to take care of his health, no one came to toast him anymore. Yin Chengyu was happy to be alone, holding the heating stove and drinking tea.

The warm tea soothed his stomach and he squinted his eyes comfortably.

This was much more comfortable than his previous life, when he forced himself to look unsightly and drank one glass after another.

Halfway through the banquet, Zheng Duobao came in hurriedly and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, we've found the person."

Yin Chengyu's spirits perked up slightly. Seeing the court officials below looking at him curiously, he subconsciously wanted to say "Let's discuss this later", but then he remembered that he didn't need to live the same life as in his previous life, so he simply stood up holding the heater, nodded to the officials who looked over and said, "I feel a little unwell, so I will leave first. Enjoy yourselves, my lords."

After saying goodbye to the ministers and returning to the East Palace, Yin Chengyu got on the carriage and said to Zheng Duobao, "Tell me in detail."

Zheng Duobao sat on one side with his hands in his pockets, his expression was a bit difficult to describe: "According to your Highness's instructions, I searched all the silkworm houses in Wangjing City, but I couldn't find Master Xue. Later, I had no choice but to expand the search area and look for him in the homes of those craftsmen who specialize in slaughtering livestock..."

Unexpectedly, we actually found the person.

But that scene... Zheng Duobao frowned and said, "The Liu family is really a bit shabby, and we don't want to alarm Your Highness. But our people can't move Master Xue, and if we force him, he might get hurt..."

Zheng Duobao was the man assigned by the Queen to Yin Chengyu, and he had watched Yin Chengyu grow up. He didn't know when the Crown Prince had met such a person, so he was naturally unsure of Yin Chengyu's plan, so he didn't dare to act rashly.

As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at the door of Carpenter Liu's house.

Zheng Duobao opened the carriage curtain and carefully helped Yin Chengyu get off.

As Yin Chengyu entered the yard, his brows furrowed deeply.

When Zheng Duobao mentioned the livestock slaughtering craftsmen, he was afraid of polluting his ears and did not elaborate, but he actually knew about it.

When he was welcomed back to the palace in his previous life, he still needed to rely on Xue Shu's support. In order not to offend him, he naturally got to know the eunuchs from beginning to end.

He knew that eunuchs needed to purify themselves, and that the place for purification was in the Silkworm Room. However, he did not know that the Silkworm Room that Xue Shuyun mentioned so casually was so simple and filthy.

—— This house of Carpenter Liu has only one entrance. There are two rooms in the front and back. In the small yard in the middle, there are several yellowed quilts drying, and there is a faint unpleasant smell. At this time, Xue Shu, who is still a teenager, is standing in the yard. Behind him is an ear room with an open door, and the layout inside can be vaguely seen.

There were no windows in the dim room, only a wooden bed covered with yellowed bedding, with ropes hanging from the head and foot of the bed.

This is a very simple silkworm room.

Yin Chengyu felt as if someone had tugged at his chest, neither lightly nor heavily, and it felt sour and bitter.

But when he looked at Xue Shu, who was wearing simple cloth and had a wary and hostile look on his face, he became even angrier.

"Take him back to me."

After saying this, Yin Chengyu flicked his sleeves, left the yard, and returned to the carriage.

The guards who received the order immediately took action and were fully prepared to deal with Xue Shu - this young man looked silent, but he was very ruthless. When they came over and met him, one of them was injured.

But unexpectedly, the other party did not resist this time.

The captain of the guards tied the man up tightly with a rope and finally breathed a sigh of relief.