WK Chapter 3

Ye Xiaoyuan was startled by his appearance, as if he was about to vomit his five internal organs and six bowels. He hurriedly stroked his back.

 

The young prince’s thin back trembled under his palm, and he could almost feel the overly bony bones. Ye Xiaoyuan wished he could take his place, “Your Highness has suffered…”

 

After a while, the young prince seemed to have vomited to the point of not even having the strength to lift his head. He lay in his arms, his voice aggrieved, “It’s so bitter… much more bitter than last time… Ye Banban, I don’t want to drink it anymore.”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan: “Your Highness, how can you get better without taking medicine?”

 

“I don’t feel unwell, I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

 

This was the truth. The simulator’s disease simulation would disappear perfectly when the time came, whether he took medicine or not would have no effect.

 

Ye Xiaoyuan wanted to persuade him further, but the young prince suddenly raised his head. Looking into those wet, pure and clean eyes hiding a plea, he appeared particularly pitiful. Ye Xiaoyuan’s heart immediately softened completely, unable to utter even half a word of refusal.

 

He raised his hand to pat Qu Dubian’s head, it was still hot, but he looked much better.

 

“Alright,” he compromised.

 

At worst, he would stay up all night, checking on the prince several times.

 

“Then this bowl of medicine, this servant will still keep it for Your Highness.”

 

Qu Dubian: “…”

 

There’s no need to be so frugal.

 

He thought for a moment: “Ye Banban, where is the person who came today?”

 

“In the kitchen. It’s warmer there with the steam from boiling medicine.”

 

“I want to go see him and give him this bowl of medicine.”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan showed a disapproving expression: “Your Highness…”

 

“Is Ye Banban going to disagree again?” His long, curled eyelashes lowered, looking disappointed.

 

With the experience from his previous life, Qu Dubian felt no embarrassment using these tactics on Ye Banban, a 15 or 16-year-old boy who would have just started high school in his previous life.

 

Thick-skinned? He’s not even three years old yet, still a baby!

 

The fact proved that as long as Qu Dubian was willing, anyone who had a good impression of him couldn’t resist this set of tactics. In his previous life, it was his fans; in this life, it was a eunuch nanny with no resistance.

 

In less than three minutes, Ye Xiaoyuan surrendered.

 

He wrapped Qu Dubian into a ball with two thick small blankets and held him in his arms.

 

Then, holding the young prince with one hand and the medicine bowl with the other, he walked steadily. Not only did not even a bit of wind blow into the blanket where the little prince was, but not a drop of medicine was spilled.

 

–

 

Small kitchen.

 

It was empty here, hardly used except for heating leftover food on ordinary days.

 

The small eunuch curled up in the corner was in a semi-comatose state, his lips dry and cracked, feverishly red. He almost thought he was going to die. Not dying in the icy snow, but in the kitchen.

 

In his daze, he felt his mouth being pinched open, followed by warm, bitter medicine being poured in.

 

He used all his strength to swallow the medicine, struggling to open his eyes.

 

Ye Gongong was holding a child with only his eyes exposed. Seeing him open his eyes, he visibly relaxed, his eyes curving like crescent moons: “You’re awake.”

 

The real taste of medicine in his mouth made the small eunuch freeze. So it wasn’t an illusion.

 

No response, could he have become stupid from the fever? Qu Dubian wondered suspiciously, asking: “What’s your surname, do you have a name?”

 

The small eunuch seemed to come to his senses, looking as if he was about to kneel down. Qu Dubian quickly stopped him, “No need for that.”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan reminded: “Your Highness, in this dynasty, eunuchs who enter the palace must change their names, and can no longer use their family names, unless they receive special favor or have great merits, only then can they be granted their family names.”

 

Ancient times really had no human rights, even stripping away one’s family name after entering the palace.

 

The small eunuch stopped his movement, his eyes lowered, afraid of offending him, and said softly, “This servant’s family name was Qi, but hasn’t received a proper name since entering the palace.”

 

Qu Dubian snuggled deeper into Ye Banban’s arms, tilted his head and thought for a moment: “Winter is really too cold, how about we call you Wen Xiaochun from now on?”

 

He gave himself a thumbs up. Warm spring, how fitting this name is for a two-year-old child’s naming level! Ye Xiaoyuan heard this and the corners of his mouth curved. The young prince and the consort are indeed mother and son, even their naming formats are the same.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness, for bestowing a name,” the small eunuch said, “This servant will be called Wen Xiaochun from now on.”

 

After feeding medicine to this future potential long-lived stock, Qu Dubian returned to the sleeping chamber contentedly. Ye Xiaoyuan felt his hand, still warm, not having caught a chill, then felt his forehead, the temperature had dropped a bit more than before.

 

His heart eased slightly. He poured a cup of hot water for the young prince to drink before letting him go to sleep.

 

He watched by the bedside for a while, and seeing that the young prince seemed to have fallen asleep, he tucked in the corners of the blanket and went back to the small kitchen.

 

–

 

Ye Xiaoyuan squatted in front of Wen Xiaochun, his expression not as gentle as before. He observed this person who had been given medicine and a name by the prince with an almost cold gaze.

 

After a long while, he finally spoke: “As you’ve seen, in Ju’an Hall, there are only the young prince and me. We lack clothes and food. Even servants with some status live better than this.”

 

“The medicine you drank today was what I begged for the young prince. To the masters in other palaces, one dose of medicine might not mean much, but in Ju’an Hall, it’s an extremely precious thing. The young prince is still feverish himself, yet he gave the medicine to you.”

 

“Whether you stay or leave after you recover, you must remember today’s kindness.”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan didn’t think a person with such a stubborn look in his eyes, who desperately clung to his ankle crying for help when near death, grasping at every chance to survive, would not have any ambition.

 

Everyone wants to move upward. Ju’an Hall doesn’t have much prospect. Even if this person leaves, it’s still considered forming a good connection.

 

He left behind a steamed bun and a bowl of hot water, throwing out a sentence, “Get well soon, teach the prince some martial arts.”

 

After he left, Wen Xiaochun reached out, eating the cooled steamed bun bite by bite, finally almost wolfing it down, gulping down the hot water, only then feeling some warmth in his body.

 

Wen Xiaochun hadn’t lied, he really knew martial arts, learned by secretly watching outside a martial arts school.

 

A year ago, he killed his rotten gambler father with a wooden spike, rescued his mother from a brothel and fled all the way to the capital. But his mother, afraid of his blood-covered appearance, turned around and sold him to a slave trader, got some money, and ran off with another man.

 

Without having developed internal energy, the fighting skills he had learned were useless against knockout drugs. He was passed from the slave trader’s hands and eventually, by chance, entered the palace as a eunuch.

 

Beaten, sold, abandoned, bullied.

 

Until just now.

 

It was only in the young prince’s clean, soft eyes that he felt a bit of warmth.

 

Wen Xiaochun lifted the tattered blanket, struggling to get up from the ground, and kowtowed heavily three times towards the sleeping chamber with its faint lamplight.

 

[Character: Wen Xiaochun

Favorability: 38]

 

The child sleeping on the bed in the chamber turned over.

 

Come to think of it, he should really thank the person who intended to harm him with the medicine. Not only did it give him another type of illness to write about in his reflections, but it also provided him with a tool to increase favorability.

 

Thus, another day passed.

 

When the life countdown became 1, Qu Dubian was finally allowed to bounce around on the ground.

 

Of course, he couldn’t drink the remaining two doses of medicine either, so he persuaded Ye Xiaoyuan to brew those two doses and have Wen Xiaochun drink them.

 

With three doses of medicine, Wen Xiaochun visibly improved, managing to survive this ordeal. He had a good physical foundation and could now help with work.

 

Qu Dubian eagerly called him to teach him Tai Chi. The two of them stood in the sleeping chamber, both assuming the stance.

 

“Let’s begin.”

 

Wen Xiaochun responded with a “yes” and first demonstrated once by himself. His posture was very standard, and his foundation was solid.

 

Ye Banban is really his lucky star.

 

Qu Dubian exclaimed, and began to practice seriously.

 

Although his body was weak now, his talent for dancing from his previous life was still there. He quickly got the hang of it. The first two rounds were really not standard, but by the third round, he finally heard the simulator make a sound.

 

[Daily martial arts practice check-in successful, lifespan +1]

 

[Remaining lifespan: 2 days]

 

Qu Dubian breathed a sigh of relief. Amidst the praises of Ye Banban and Wen Xiaochun, he plopped down on the ground, sweating profusely from exhaustion.

 

Finally, the check-in was successful. If it hadn’t succeeded, he would have turned into a stiff little corpse tomorrow.

 

Ye Xiaoyuan wiped his face with a handkerchief, looking at his small face that finally had some color, thinking that practicing martial arts was indeed good.

 

“Your Highness must be hungry, the food is still warm.”

 

Qu Dubian nodded, waving to the quiet small eunuch behind him, “Xiaochun, you come too.”

 

Wen Xiaochun was stunned, seeing the young prince’s bright eyes, he unconsciously smiled and softly agreed. Ye Xiaoyuan reluctantly approved of this newcomer, giving him his share of food, but they could only eat after serving the young prince.

 

While eating, Qu Dubian asked: “The medicinal herbs are used up, right?”

 

“Yes, the last dose was given to Xiaochun.”

 

Qu Dubian thought for a moment: “Go to the Imperial Hospital to get more, until they stop giving. Say that I’m still sick, even more seriously.”

 

“Tut-tut-tut, Your Highness won’t get sick. Besides… the Imperial Hospital is unlikely to give more.”

 

Qu Dubian: “Ye Banban, go and ask. If they don’t give, just come back. It’s good to store some medicinal herbs.”

 

In his heart, he thought that if the person who wanted to harm him was still persistent, they would continue to give him medicine, and then these medicines would be evidence.

 

In the current situation, no one was backing him up. The only thing he could do now was to hold the evidence in his palm, waiting for the right time to retaliate.

 

“Alright,” Ye Xiaoyuan agreed.

 

For the next half month, Ye Xiaoyuan went to get medicine every day, and surprisingly, the Imperial Hospital did give it, though only one dose per day, no more. Even so, it was enough to delight Ye Xiaoyuan, who wished he could keep getting it like this.

 

He hid these medicinal herbs in the cabinet like a hamster hoarding food.

 

Qu Dubian didn’t pay much attention to this. He worked hard to get used to the pronunciation of the Great Zhou official language, finally fully integrating memory and body instinct, no longer needing to think about correct pronunciation before speaking.

 

He could barely be considered a Great Zhou illiterate who could speak but not read.

 

Besides this, the words [Remaining lifespan 1 day] that he could see every time he opened his eyes were like a fire burning his bottom, giving him unparalleled self-discipline.

 

After persistently checking in for half a month, as his body gradually gained strength, the simulator finally started the first lottery!

 

[Martial arts check-in has reached fifteen days, reset to zero, do you want to draw?]

 

Qu Dubian solemnly washed his hands, although he didn’t know what was in the lottery pool, he sincerely hoped it was lifespan value.

 

Draw!

 

[Drawing…]

 

[Congratulations! You’ve drawn One-time Prank Dream x2!

 

Function introduction: You are the dream creator who sets the dream. Designate a friend for a harmless prank!]

 

[The drawn item has been placed in the simulator backpack]

 

Qu Dubian: “…”

 

He fell back onto the bed, his eyes lifeless.

 

What a useless thing.

 

After a while, he sat up and started to ponder. In this imperial city, the most powerful person was his nominal father. If he could get his nominal father’s attention, his life would improve overnight.

 

Why not let his nominal father see him in a dream, to evoke that cheap father-son affection?

 

No, no!

 

What if the father-son affection wasn’t evoked, and his nominal father instead thought he was a demon and killed him?

 

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he quickly ran out, shouting at Ye Xiaoyuan who was sweeping snow in the courtyard: “Ye Banban! I have something to ask you!”

 

“Coming!”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan first let Wen Xiaochun continue sweeping, blew on his hands, and entered the room: “Does Your Highness have any instructions?”

 

Qu Dubian: “Ye Banban, my mother and fa… the Emperor don’t have a good relationship, right? Otherwise, why doesn’t the Emperor ever come to see me?”

 

In this body’s memory, Ye Banban had only told him that his mother was a very gentle person, but hadn’t mentioned anything else. He needed to figure out why the original owner was not favored and was thrown to this godforsaken place.

 

Ye Xiaoyuan instinctively wanted to conceal.

 

Qu Dubian tugged at his sleeve: “Ye Banban, don’t lie to me, I want to know.”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan crumbled under Qu Dubian’s coquettish attack.

 

He sighed, thinking that the young prince had become much more lively after being sick.

 

In fact, the reason why the young prince was thrown into Ju’an Hall wasn’t a secret, many people in the palace knew.

 

He thought for a moment, deciding to blur this secret and tell it as a story to the child.

 

–

 

Zichen Palace.

 

Emperor Chongzhao ascended the throne at 22, and now after eight years, he had seven princes and one princess.

 

The good looks of the Qu royal family were inherited, and although Emperor Chongzhao was already in his thirties, he still maintained a good figure and handsome features.

 

The emperor in his prime was cleaning up the mess left by the previous emperor, gradually strengthening his control over the court.

 

He finished dealing with a stack of memorials, put down his pen, and stretched his hand to relax his wrist.

 

The head eunuch, Yu Gongong, immediately handed over a cup of cold tea. The current emperor didn’t like hot tea, even though it was the dead of winter, he still wanted it cold.

 

Two years ago, a new eunuch who had just come to serve didn’t understand the rules and served hot tea. That day, he was punished and sent back to the slave quarters for reassignment, likely to face a bad end.

 

“Your Majesty, the Noble Consort has sent over some lotus cakes, they’re still in the side hall.”

 

Emperor Chongzhao took a sip of tea: “I’m not hungry.”

 

He drank half a cup of tea, pushed open the window and looked outside, showing a bit of a smile: “Auspicious snow foretells a good year, the common people will have a good harvest next year.”

 

Yu Gongong: “Indeed, it’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s diligent governance.”

 

The cold air from outside rushed in, sweeping away the stuffiness inside. Emperor Chongzhao let out a light breath, feeling his mind much clearer: “The weather has gotten colder, the coal rations for each palace can be increased a bit.”

 

“Your Majesty is merciful, this servant will go arrange it right away!”

 

As he was about to bow and leave, he heard a hesitant: “…Wait.”

 

Yu Gongong quietly waited for his instructions.

 

Emperor Chongzhao stood by the window, his fingertips lightly tapping the windowsill. After a few seconds of silence: “That child’s palace, add some more too. Don’t say it was my order.”

 

Yu Gongong was surprised in his heart and tentatively asked, “Does Your Majesty need this servant to go check on him?”

 

Emperor Chongzhao shook his head.

 

Only a barely audible sigh remained, “It’s been almost three years…”

 

Yu Gongong withdrew, gently closing the palace door as he turned. He called his disciple to go in and serve, then stood in front of the palace door, looking at the high steps, suddenly feeling somewhat emotional.

 

The Seventh Prince living in Ju’an Hall was the child of Consort Yun. At that time, Consort Yun could be said to have all the emperor’s love focused on her, receiving all the favoritism and care of an emperor.

 

After Consort Yun became pregnant, people from the Astrology Bureau came to report to His Majesty, saying that the child in Consort Yun’s womb was the reincarnation of a sinful being, with deep sins. If born, it would cause Consort Yun’s death.

 

Consort Yun didn’t believe it, and although His Majesty was worried, he could only order people to take good care of her. Unexpectedly, Consort Yun did indeed die in childbirth, only managing to name the child before passing away.

 

His Majesty was devastated and suspended court for three days.

 

The head of the Astrology Bureau advised again: The son of Consort Yun needed to be kept away from His Majesty for three years, observing mourning in a quiet place for three years. Only after eliminating the sinful energy on his body could Consort Yun reincarnate peacefully and have a wealthy and healthy life.

 

His Majesty then ordered the Seventh Prince and the palace maids and servants attending to him to move to Ju’an Hall. Whether out of resentment or disgust, His Majesty never inquired about that child’s situation again after that.

 

It’s been almost three years, and Yu Gongong thought His Majesty had forgotten.

 

Unexpectedly, His Majesty still remembered that child.

 

So many women in the harem bore children for His Majesty, competing fiercely with various tactics, yet none could compare to Consort Yun who had been dead for three years. Even her child, though not raised by His Majesty’s side and lacking much father-son affection, was still remembered.

 

Well, how can the living compare with the dead?

 

Yu Gongong straightened his clothes, swung his duster, and walked away thinking about adding coal to Ju’an Hall.

 

His Majesty didn’t ask about the young prince, but as His Majesty’s head eunuch, he had heard from his subordinates a few times that the prince wasn’t doing well.

 

Yu Gongong, like everyone else in the palace, knew clearly in their hearts what an inauspicious existence a prince labeled as having killed his mother and being a reincarnated sinner was. It was uncertain whether he could even leave Ju’an Hall after turning three.

 

What difference did it make if His Majesty remembered? As long as the resentment remained in His Majesty’s heart, that young prince would never receive a father’s love.

 

Mentioning adding coal today was probably already the limit.

 

 

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