Chapter 1
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, it snowed in Shengjing.
"This is a beautiful scene, but there are some noises disturbing this beauty. What's going on in the distance?" A clear, cold voice rang out, and Lu Xuejin turned her head slightly, revealing a pair of beautiful, glassy eyes.
Ziyan had been by Lu Xuejin's side for over ten years, yet she was still captivated. Her young master was so handsome that perhaps no one in the world could match him.
The young man before him had a serene and aloof appearance, like ancient bamboo in a forest. His brown eyes were like snow in the desert, and his brows curved slightly. The peony on his shoulder appeared even paler, making him seem frail and weak. He coughed lightly twice, his face paling slightly, but his features became even more radiant.
“Young Master, that…that one you know,” Ziyan said, “that one is the former prince who was spared by the Emperor. You probably haven’t met him yet. Some time ago, the Emperor was angry and imprisoned him for three months. He has just been released and is being punished here.”
A prince from the previous dynasty? Lu Xuejin thought for a moment. He had met several princes in the court, but the only one he hadn't met was the Ninth Prince, who, despite his young age, had been hidden away from the capital by the late emperor. The late emperor was cautious and only issued the imperial edict before his death. Unfortunately, the rebel army captured Shengjing City shortly after the crown prince was established.
"What was the reason for the punishment?" Lu Xuejin asked.
“This…” Ziyan’s expression was strange, and she hesitated to speak.
Presumably she had just made up a reason, Lu Xuejin said softly, "Just tell me."
Ziyan: "His Majesty ordered the Ninth Prince to copy the teachings of the Sage, but because the Ninth Prince did not write them well... he was punished by kneeling in the snow for a day."
As soon as they finished speaking, a small figure could be seen in the distance outside the Golden Palace. The heavy snow weighed down the solemn eaves, and the vermilion background reflected the snow, revealing a thin figure. The boy's back was straight, his long hair fell to his side, and a patch of blood was faintly visible on the ground.
Ziyan naturally noticed the bloodstains as well, and she whispered, "Now that His Majesty dislikes him, he's happy to see the servants torment him. The more they do this, the more the servants try to please His Majesty, and the more excessive they become in their treatment of him."
The wind and snow in the air lashed straight at people's faces, making their skin sting instantly. Lu Xuejin stood still and looked into the distance. The servants were all hiding under the eaves, huddled together in twos and threes. Only the boy in the snow was outside the eaves, wearing only a thin long robe.
Just by looking at their clothes, it's impossible to tell who the servants are and who the princes are.
“…The Ninth Prince.” Lu Xuejin murmured, thinking that he must have met him before, but it had been too long. A pair of extremely sharp eyes appeared in his mind.
"Ziyan...go find the servants and get the umbrella," Lu Xuejin said.
"Yes." Ziyan understood Lu Xuejin's meaning and hurriedly went towards the direction under the eaves.
In the snow, Lu Xuejin held up a long umbrella. His black hair was stained with snow, his eyelashes were almost frozen, and a faint blush spread from the fingertips holding the umbrella.
He walked towards the boy, and as he got closer, he smelled a faint, sour odor. The boy, kneeling on the ground, was soaked in snow, shivering and his teeth chattering. Even in this state, the boy's back remained straight, and upon hearing the noise, he turned his head to look at him.
Lu Xuejin met a pair of extremely gloomy eyes. His features, once so youthful, had matured, and the boy's features were handsome and sharp, his eyebrows and eyes as black as a deep well of ink. His black hair at his temples was covered with white frost, and his pale face could not hide his vivid expression. His features were gloomy because of anger, and there were faint bloodshot veins around his eyes. His tiger teeth seemed to want to bite the world apart.
The boy thought the people coming over were the ones under the eaves. He saw the word "get lost" on the boy's lips, but after realizing it was him, he swallowed the word back.
The child's eyes were colder than the wind and snow. Lu Xuejin thought to herself.
“…Murong Yue?” Lu Xuejin recalled the boy’s name. Half of the umbrella shielded the boy from the world, but the handkerchief in her hand had not yet touched him.
The boy kneeling on the ground had his cheeks blue from the cold snow. Hearing someone call his name, his lips twitched. He couldn't recall anyone in the palace who still remembered his name. It had been a long time since he had heard anyone call his name since the new emperor ascended the throne.
Who knows his name? Who will hold an umbrella for him?
He had been kneeling in the snow for four hours, and before he could even think, the world spun before his eyes. He couldn't even utter a single "you," his voice barely audible. His vision went black, his breathing became rapid, and all his strength seemed to drain away. A snowflake landed on his eyelashes, and as if the sky were falling, his hands gave way, and he collapsed into Lu Xuejin's arms.
The man fainted, and Lu Xuejin instinctively caught him. The boy leaned against him, his entire body frozen solid. His fingertips touched something soft; the person in his arms looked gloomy and violent, yet his hair was as smooth as silk.
If he remembered correctly, this child had just turned seventeen six months ago… Now, this half-grown boy had collapsed outside the palace, yet no one in the palace dared to approach him. If he were left here today, perhaps the next day he would find this child's corpse.
"Why isn't anyone coming?" Lu Xuejin looked down into the corridor, her expression slightly cold. The servants who had been watching the commotion all changed their expressions.
Ziyan opened another umbrella and came out, followed by the remaining servants who filed out behind her, all with their heads bowed.
"Young Master Lu, where are you taking him? His Majesty originally ordered... the Ninth Prince must kneel here and cannot go anywhere." The palace servant's voice grew softer and softer; he dared not look at Lu Xuejin.
"Did His Majesty really say that? Since he said that... I'll go and confirm it with him myself later, what do you think?" Lu Xuejin said with a smile.
He was born with a handsome face, and his smile was like that of a fairy in a painting, but the smile was all skin and no bone.
"This...Young Master Lu. Perhaps I misheard. I deserve to die, my ears are usually useless." The palace servant said, while pulling at his ear.
Seeing that her ears were about to turn red, Ziyan spoke up from the side, "My young master has not questioned you. If you misheard, why don't you quickly lead the way for him?"
"Yes." The palace servants quickly made way for Lu Xuejin.
"Where does he live?" Lu Xuejin asked.
"Reporting to Young Master Lu, the Ninth Prince is currently residing in a side hall, not far from the Cold Palace. Due to its remote location, he originally did not have a name, and His Majesty has not bestowed one upon him." As the palace attendant spoke, he glanced at Lu Xuejin carrying the child, who seemed so light and airy, almost forgetting that Lu Xuejin was born into a martial arts family.
"I see." Lu Xuejin replied casually. The journey from the Golden Palace to the Cold Palace was not short. Ziyan followed behind him, holding an umbrella for him, while the servants remained silent.
They arrived at their destination, this so-called side hall, which was originally the residence of the maids who served the concubines in the Cold Palace. The writing on the doorplate was no longer clear, the courtyard was cold and empty, covered with a thick layer of snow, and the inner courtyard was even more desolate, with the dilapidated doors and windows unable to keep out the cold wind of the first month of the lunar year.
Lu Xuejin looked around and saw that there was only a quilt on the bed, so she asked, "This year it is the coldest time of the year. His Majesty is very considerate and caring. The servants in the palace also receive a monthly ration of charcoal. Do you have a stove in your courtyard?"
The servants immediately understood Lu Xuejin's meaning, and one of them immediately responded, "We'll go and prepare it for the young master."
Lu Xuejin carried the child the whole way, but the baby in her arms didn't sleep well, always with a furrowed brow and gently clutching the hem of her clothes.
He was staring at the person when suddenly the boy in his arms moved his lips, but he couldn't hear what he was saying.
As Fang leaned down, the boy in his arms suddenly opened his eyes. The boy's dark eyes flashed with fury, and two fangs gleamed in the light. He heard a gritted-teeth "You bastard" in his ear, followed by a sharp pain. The child had bitten him viciously, then whimpered and fainted.
"Young Master!" Ziyan exclaimed in surprise from the side.
Lu Xuejin turned her head slightly, revealing two bloodstains on the tips of her snow-white ears, and the boy in her arms had bloodstains on his tiger teeth.
...
Murong Yue realized he was in a warm embrace. Before he fainted, he saw a stunningly beautiful face. A faint fragrance wafted to his nose—the scent of trumpet creeper… Everyone in the palace had bullied him; he must have been hallucinating, mistakenly believing that an immortal had descended to save him.
He opened his eyes... and found himself indeed being held, and the deity holding him was someone he had never seen before. Although he disliked this position, the aura of the deity was extremely pleasant.
It smells like my mother.
He must be dreaming. Only one person truly holds power in this palace now, and that person is separated from him by a blood feud. How could anyone possibly extend a helping hand to him? The former crown prince is now nothing but a discarded pawn, despised by everyone; he doesn't deserve it.
A cool, gentle whisper reached his ear, like celestial music. He loved the scent of the person beside him; just the touch was enough to draw him in.
A face flickered before his eyes, hazel eyes, a cold yet gentle smile... Suddenly, the person vanished, and he was thrown back into the cold, as if struck by a tremendous, invisible force.
Countless figures flashed by: the shadows of those in the palace… the heads of his brothers hanging on the city wall, and the current emperor. That hypocritical… cousin who betrayed his father and murdered his entire clan.
"You bastard!" he gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear the man apart and bite him to death with all his might. But the expected blood didn't splatter; the enemy's face vanished in an instant, and he instead bit the man solidly.
—A soft touch came to his lips, a cool fragrance wafted into his nose, and the skin that flashed before his eyes was as white as snow. He had never touched anything so soft before, and his sharp teeth felt as if they were about to melt. If he had used more force, he might have been able to crush the other person's ear cartilage.
Inside the Golden Palace.
The atmosphere in the hall was icy, a chilling aura pervading the space. A group of court officials knelt on the ground, several elderly ministers, their bodies swaying precariously, having knelt for an unknown period of time.
The senior minister, with half his hair white, tremblingly removed his official hat and kowtowed to the emperor.
"Making him empress is absolutely unacceptable... Lu Xuejin was the top scholar of the previous dynasty, and all the officials have witnessed his talent, conduct, and character... Changyou's talent is unmatched in this era... He should serve the court and the country... How... how can we allow him to be subordinate to someone else! Your Majesty, please don't be confused. This matter would damage Your Majesty's virtue. We beg Your Majesty to have mercy and not harm him. He... he shouldn't have fallen to such a state!"
"If His Majesty insists on this, I fear Prime Minister Lu will die with his eyes wide open in dismay... You... You..."
"I have only this one wish, why do you all want to stop me?" A deep voice came from the main seat, and the man spoke quietly, making the hall suddenly feel colder.
"Your Majesty... this is truly an outrage against Heaven and Earth; no crime could be greater than this!"
"Changyou... Changyou..." The old minister, kneeling on the ground, sobbed, leaving behind two tears like the last candle flame, before banging his head against a pillar.
Blood and tears mingled together on the ground.
A note from the author:
Daily update at 6 AM
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