Near dusk, the princes finished their lessons in the imperial study.

Four-year-old Seventh Prince carefully arranged the best calligraphy he had written that day. This piece had earned praise from his teacher, and when he showed it to his imperial mother, she would surely praise him too.

Thinking of this, the Seventh Prince glanced at the Third Prince ahead of him, who was also organizing his things.

Third Prince was his blood brother – they were born of the same mother, both sons of Consort Zhuang.

Despite this, the Seventh Prince had always felt that their imperial mother preferred Third Brother more. Every time he and Third Brother went to pay respects to their imperial mother together, her gaze almost always fell on Third Brother. Seventh Prince also wanted to be looked at with such gentle eyes, also wanted their imperial mother to hold him and praise him. So this year, as soon as he was old enough to attend the imperial study, Seventh Prince had listened earnestly to the teacher’s lectures. Only if he studied well and learned quickly would their imperial mother praise him.

The princes departed separately. Seventh Prince caught up with Third Prince, and the brothers walked side by side toward Consort Zhuang’s Yikun Palace.

“Little Seventh, do you like attending classes?”

The Third Prince asked along the way.

Seventh Prince nodded, “I like it.”

Third Prince smiled, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask your brother. I’ll teach you.”

The Third Prince was eight years old. As a prince, he already understood much. He knew that among all these brothers, only Little Seventh was his blood brother. The other brothers would want to compete with him for their father’s attention and favor, but Little Seventh wouldn’t. When the brothers grew up, Little Seventh would become his most reliable ally.

Seventh Prince had just begun his education and wasn’t learning much yet, so he had no academic questions.

His biggest confusion was why their imperial mother liked his brother more.

But the Seventh Prince didn’t ask, since his brother wouldn’t know what their imperial mother was thinking either.

They arrived at Yikun Palace, where Emperor Jiande was also present.

“This son pays respects to Imperial Father,” the Third Prince led the Seventh Prince forward to bow.

Emperor Jiande smiled. Knowing his two sons had just come from the imperial study, he first tested the Third Prince’s lessons.

As Third Prince answered, Seventh Prince nervously clenched his palms, his bright black and white eyes looking between Imperial Father and Imperial Mother. Imperial Father would surely test his lessons, too – what if he answered wrong? He had written a good calligraphy piece – should he show it to Imperial Father? Imperial Father looked so stern – what if Imperial Father didn’t like it?

The Third Prince was exceptionally clever, and Emperor Jiande was very fond of this son. The better Third Prince answered, the more Emperor Jiande wanted to probe the depth of his son’s learning, making the questions increasingly difficult.

Time passed bit by bit, and Emperor Jiande finally stumped Third Prince.

The Third Prince didn’t force an answer but directly asked the Imperial Father for instruction.

This bearing pleased Emperor Jiande even more, and he gently explained the answer to his son.

When the father-son conversation ended, the Seventh Prince’s nervousness had reached its peak. Just as he prepared to face Imperial Father’s questions, Consort Zhuang, who had been smiling and observing from the side, spoke up. Her voice was gentle and sweet as she looked at Emperor Jiande and said, “Your Majesty, it’s getting late. Shall this consort have dinner served?”

Consort Zhuang was beautiful and alluring. As soon as she spoke, Emperor Jiande’s thoughts turned to matters of the bedchamber. While resting after reviewing memorials during the day, Emperor Jiande had suddenly remembered a certain intimate moment with Consort Zhuang, which was why he had come here tonight. Since it was already late, they could dine early and attend to their intimate affairs early as well.

Emperor Jiande nodded.

Consort Zhuang smiled and ordered dinner to be served.

Neither the Emperor nor the Consort noticed the Seventh Prince’s nervousness and disappointment. The Third Prince was still pondering the Imperial Father’s instruction and didn’t notice his brother either.

During dinner, Consort Zhuang’s attention was entirely on Emperor Jiande. Seventh Prince sat silently beside his brother, eating properly. After finishing, the brothers bid farewell in unison and returned to the Princes’ Quarters together. At the Princes’ Quarters, Third Prince escorted Seventh Prince to Yunhai Residence before returning to his quarters.

Li Yuniang had been waiting in the courtyard early.

She was the Seventh Prince’s wet nurse. Initially, she was one of two wet nurses Consort Zhuang had prepared for the Seventh Prince. When the Seventh Prince became ill from the other wet nurse’s milk, Li Yuniang became his sole wet nurse. After the Seventh Prince no longer needed nursing, Li Yuniang continued as a nanny by his side.

At first, Li Yuniang had entered the palace to serve as a wet nurse out of necessity.

Both she and her husband came from poor families. When her husband had just passed the imperial examination and could stay in the capital as a minor official, the couple thought good days had finally come. Who would have thought that houses and social obligations in the capital were expensive, and everything cost money? The couple could only squeeze into the government housing provided for officials.

The burden of life all fell on her husband’s shoulders. Li Yuniang felt sorry for her husband. When she heard the palace was selecting wet nurses for princes, wet nurses had to be officials’ wives, and if selected, could earn ten taels of silver per month, with additional rewards for good service – Li Yuniang was immediately tempted. After discussing with her husband, she came and was fortunately selected.

Li Yuniang entered the palace for the silver, but after truly holding the Seventh Prince and nursing and caring for him day and night, in Li Yuniang’s heart, she had completely come to regard the Seventh Prince as her child. She naturally wouldn’t presume that the Seventh Prince would see her as his mother, but Li Yuniang only hoped this child would grow up safely and healthily without suffering any hardship.

Though the sky was dim, Li Yuniang could still see the unhappiness on the Seventh Prince’s face.

The Seventh Prince ignored her and quickly went inside.

Li Yuniang slowed her pace and quietly asked Eunuch Kang beside the Seventh Prince. Though Eunuch Kang was only thirteen, he was extremely perceptive, observing the Seventh Prince’s every move clearly and understanding everything. He quickly said, “His Highness’s calligraphy was praised by the teacher, but he had no opportunity to display it before Her Ladyship.”

Li Yuniang understood and went to attend to the Seventh Prince.

Seventh Prince couldn’t show his feelings at Yikun Palace and had to hide even his disappointment. Back in his territory, though the Seventh Prince didn’t make a fuss, he no longer concealed his dejection, lowering his lashes and pursing his little lips. Li Yuniang’s heart ached watching him – no one knew better than she how well-behaved and easy to comfort the Seventh Prince was.

Seventh Prince tossed the calligraphy he hadn’t been able to present to Imperial Father and Imperial Mother onto the table.

Li Yuniang pretended to tidy up, unfolding the paper. She asked in surprise, “Your Highness, why did you bring back calligraphy written by the teacher?”

Seventh Prince had already noticed her actions and anticipated his wet nurse’s reaction to his calligraphy. Hearing her mistake it for the teacher’s work, Seventh Prince was a bit unhappy, “It’s not the teacher’s – I wrote it.”

Li Yuniang was even more astonished, “This calligraphy is so exquisite and powerful – Your Highness wrote this?”

Hearing this, the Seventh Prince couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

Li Yuniang held the paper with both hands and examined it carefully again, praising as she looked. For a single character with seven strokes, she could use different words to praise each stroke, praising until the Seventh Prince’s face turned red.

In better spirits, when Li Yuniang coaxed him to sleep, Seventh Prince lay in bed looking at his wet nurse sitting bedside him and finally spoke his heart, “Wet nurse, does Imperial Mother not like me? Today Imperial Father was there too. Imperial Father asked Third Brother many questions, but when it should have been my turn, Imperial Mother interrupted.”

Li Yuniang gently asked, “Why did Her Ladyship interrupt?”

Seventh Prince replied, “It was time to eat.”

Li Yuniang said, “That’s exactly it. His Majesty handles countless affairs daily, with endless matters to worry about. Her Ladyship was afraid His Majesty might go hungry, so she timely reminded him when he finished speaking. It wasn’t because she doesn’t like Your Highness.”

Seventh Prince felt somewhat better.

Li Yuniang stroked his head, “Your Highness, the older people get, the more they have to worry about. Sometimes adults seem idle, as if they’re doing nothing, but their minds are calculating many things. So sometimes when Your Highness feels ignored by someone, it’s not necessarily that they truly don’t want to pay attention to Your Highness, but that they’re thinking about something.”

Seventh Prince seemed to understand, but not quite.

Li Yuniang continued, “The things adults worry about, Your Highness, you will understand when you grow up. For now, Your Highness is still young and should focus on studying. As long as Your Highness writes well, memorizes texts thoroughly and understands them clearly, and learns martial arts well enough to respond calmly whenever His Majesty or Her Ladyship tests you, then His Majesty and Her Ladyship will naturally praise Your Highness.”

This Seventh Prince understood, saying with determined eyes, “I will study hard!”

After a while, the Seventh Prince finally had a chance to perform before Consort Zhuang. He recited clearly and fluently a new text he had recently learned.

Consort Zhuang was very pleased, placing her hands on the Seventh Prince’s shoulders and saying, “Brother Hui is so clever, just as clever as your Third Brother was when he was little.” Her children were better than other princes – both brothers brought her honor.

The Seventh Prince was very happy that the Imperial Mother had finally praised him.

But at the dinner table, Consort Zhuang still talked constantly with Third Prince, occasionally serving Seventh Prince some food.

In the fifth month, a dragon boat festival was to be held. Several princes quarreled over supporting different dragon boat teams, and the quarrel escalated to blows. Second Prince struck Third Prince first, and Third Prince fought back, refusing to take the loss. The two wrestled together. Fifth Prince went to help Second Prince, and seeing this, Seventh Prince also rushed to help Third Prince. In the chaos, someone’s fist hit the Seventh Prince’s face, making his nose bleed.

News of the princes’ brawl spread, and several consorts hurried over.

When Seventh Prince saw Consort Zhuang, his eyes reddened, and the tears he had been holding back fell, but Consort Zhuang’s attention was entirely on Third Prince’s face. She saw a nail scratch on the Third Prince’s neck and a red mark on his forehead. Consort Zhuang was terrified, grasping the Third Prince’s arm to check if his face was disfigured.

It was Third Prince who, when turning his head, saw Seventh Prince being cared for by Eunuch Kang – the little boy with disheveled hair, bruised and swollen face, tears on his cheeks.

Third Prince wanted to check on his brother, but Consort Zhuang turned his shoulders, worriedly asking if he was injured anywhere.

Third Prince shook his head and was about to remind Imperial Mother to check on his brother when Second Prince’s mother came to argue.

What followed was a battle among the consorts, until finally Emperor Jiande arrived and punished all the princes involved in the brawl, with their attending eunuchs also receiving beatings.

Seeing Eunuch Kang’s bloody bottom, the Seventh Prince had nightmares that night and developed a fever.

His head ached, his bruised face hurt, and in his dazed state, he called for his mother.

A warm hand touched his forehead, then placed a cool cloth there. Seventh Prince opened his eyes tearfully and saw a familiar beautiful face, as beautiful as Imperial Mother’s, but Imperial Mother had never looked at him with such gentle eyes.

“Wet nurse,” the Seventh Prince cried even more, missing Imperial Mother and wanting her by his side. “Wet nurse, why does Imperial Mother only feel sorry for Brother? She didn’t even look at me when I was beaten.”

These words cut Li Yuniang’s heart like a knife. She felt wronged for the Seventh Prince – such a well-behaved and sensible child, why couldn’t Consort Zhuang spare a little more attention for the Seventh Prince?

“Your Highness is still small and was blocked by taller figures. Your Highness should eat well, and when you grow taller, Her Ladyship will be able to see you,” Li Yuniang gently coaxed.

Seventh Prince recalled the scene – perhaps Imperial Mother truly hadn’t seen him.

Li Yuniang wiped the tears from the Seventh Prince’s face, cleaned his face, then reapplied the anti-swelling ointment.

Looking at his wet nurse’s gentle face, Seventh Prince couldn’t help but whisper, “How good it would be if you were my imperial mother.”

Li Yuniang smiled, applying medicine while saying softly, “If Your Highness were truly born to me, how could you be a prince? You probably couldn’t even eat meat regularly. Precisely because Your Highness has a noble imperial mother, can you afford a wet nurse, and I could enter the palace to serve Your Highness. Your Highness must remember that Her Ladyship is your birth mother. No one in the world will care for and love Your Highness more than Her Ladyship. We servants treat you well partly because we depend on this to earn our monthly wages to support our families, partly because we take money and must do our duty – otherwise, if we serve poorly and something happens to Your Highness, we would be beaten and punished.”

Seventh Prince pursed his lips, both displeased that his wet nurse served him only for money, and thinking of the beaten Eunuch Kang.

Li Yuniang finished applying the medicine and put it away. Seeing Seventh Prince still staring at her, Li Yuniang thought for a moment and said gently, “We serve Your Highness for monthly wages and dare not neglect you because we bear imperial commands, but when Your Highness treats us well, we servants also sincerely hope everything goes well for Your Highness – this affection develops gradually. Her Ladyship is different. She and Your Highness are connected by blood and flesh. Even without silver to take, Her Ladyship would never abandon Your Highness. It’s just that Her Ladyship is too busy. She must find ways to help both Your Highnesses live better in the palace, find ways to protect you both when you fight with others. That’s why she can’t watch over Your Highness constantly, but being distant doesn’t mean not caring. Your Highness should understand Her Ladyship.”

Seventh Prince said nothing.

The next day, Consort Zhuang came to the Princes’ Quarters, first visiting Third Prince, then coming to see Seventh Prince. Seeing the injuries on Seventh Prince’s face, Consort Zhuang felt both pain and hatred, holding Seventh Prince and promising she would avenge him in the future.

Seventh Prince didn’t need revenge – having Imperial Mother hold him like this was enough.

However, after the brief tenderness, everything returned to normal.

Consort Zhuang still favored the Third Prince more. Third Prince continued to receive constant praise from Consort Zhuang, while Seventh Prince could only watch silently from the side.

At first, the Seventh Prince still tried to compete for attention, but gradually, he stopped trying.

He understood his wet nurse’s words and believed Imperial Mother had a place for him in her heart, but Seventh Prince wanted more than that kind of imperial mother.

But it didn’t matter – what Imperial Mother couldn’t or didn’t have time to give him, his wet nurse gave him instead.

Ten-year-old Seventh Prince studied properly in the imperial study. His lessons and martial arts seemed quite ordinary. Consort Zhuang gave him less and less attention, and Emperor Jiande rarely noticed this son either. Instead, the Third Prince was like a brilliant pearl, attracting more and more attention.

Only Li Yuniang knew how excellent the Seventh Prince was, but having lived in the palace so long, Li Yuniang felt it was good for the Seventh Prince to remain so ordinary.

That year, the Third Prince suddenly contracted a serious illness and died.

Emperor Jiande, grieving the loss of his beloved son, ordered a thorough investigation. Consort Zhuang wailed in grief, and dark clouds gathered over the imperial palace.

Later investigation revealed that the Third Prince had died from palace intrigue. Emperor Jiande executed a group of people.

The Seventh Prince had lost his brother.

Though Imperial Mother was cold to him, when the brothers studied together in the imperial study, Third Prince often looked after Seventh Prince, even though Seventh Prince might not have needed it.

With his brother dead, Seventh Prince would cry secretly at night and had no appetite during the day.

Executing the murderers didn’t improve the Seventh Prince’s mood.

This night, the Seventh Prince dreamed of the Third Prince. In the dream, Third Prince was grabbed by two sinister-looking palace maids who covered his mouth and dragged him away. Seventh Prince cried and tried to rescue his brother, but his hands and feet were bound, and he could only watch helplessly as his brother was taken away…

Anger and anxiety woke the Seventh Prince from his nightmare.

Seventh Prince gasped heavily. After a moment, he suddenly realized someone was sitting by his bed.

Seventh Prince looked over in shock.

It was Consort Zhuang, her long hair loose, face pale, staring at him with vacant eyes.

In that moment, the Seventh Prince felt chilled to the bone.

As a child, he had countless times hoped Imperial Mother would be by his side during nightmares like his wet nurse was. Now that Imperial Mother had truly come, Seventh Prince felt only fear.

“Did Brother Hui have a nightmare?” Consort Zhuang’s eyes regained some life as she asked with concern.

Seventh Prince paused, then shook his head.

Having been estranged so long, mother and son had nothing to say to each other.