“You little beasts, how dare you run wild here?”

The eunuch from Changxin Palace pointed at the bullies and shouted sharply. Those people scattered in all directions and disappeared without a trace.

The eunuch curled his lip, muttering something about Imperial Consort Jiang’s lax control of her subordinates, then stepped forward to help the person on the ground up.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

The eunuch hunched his body, his back bent severely. He wore the palace’s lowest-grade eunuch uniform, so dirty and old it was unbearable to look at. Even his ankles and wrists were exposed, suggesting no one provided him with replacement clothing.

Palace service meant different fates, and treatment varied vastly. If one was fortunate enough to gain the favor of some palace master, one might become a person of status. But if one was dull-witted and lazy, not pleasing to anyone, life would be no better than hell.

Song Wan looked at the exposed skin on the eunuch’s hands and feet before her, unable to bear it in her heart.

Those hands were covered with bruises and bloody marks. Countless small wounds were exposed, and both the palms and backs of his hands were full of scars left by repeatedly occurring chilblains. At a glance, one could tell this person was a suffering soul who had endured hardship for years without respite.

Such injuries she had only previously seen in medical texts.

“Where do you serve? How did you end up here?”

The young eunuch said, “This lowly one is called Ji Rong. Today I received orders from Eunuch Wang of the Eastern Palace to come to Yanqing Palace to fetch some things from Eunuch Changsheng.”

The eunuch from Changxin Palace explained upon hearing this, “These are all servants whose names this slave has never heard. Presumably these little beasts lost money gambling privately and sent him to demand silver, which is why he was beaten with a cudgel.”

Seeing the bullied eunuch nod, Song Wan had Heng Wu take out two taels of silver for him. “If you truly have nowhere to find shelter in the palace, you may go to Changxin Palace to seek my aunt.”

His injuries were indeed old wounds and not fake. His manner of speaking also didn’t resemble the usual palace eunuchs’ smoothness. Such a person would certainly not fare well in the palace. Changxin Palace wouldn’t mind having one more sweeping eunuch, but for Ji Rong, it might save his life.

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, he only shook his head blankly. “This lowly one serves in the Eastern Palace.”

“You little beast, why refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?”

Song Wan smiled lightly. “No matter. As long as he has a place to shelter, and I also respect His Highness the Crown Prince—there’s nothing wrong with being in the Eastern Palace.”

After these words, both Ji Rong and the eunuch beside Song Wan were stunned.

The master of the Eastern Palace had been paralyzed for half a year. The Crown Prince’s honored position was in name only. Even these eunuchs couldn’t help but speak with disdain when mentioning the Eastern Palace. They hadn’t expected that a noble lady like Song Wan would speak words of respect for the Crown Prince.

After all, the Crown Prince had gone to a neighboring country as a hostage at age five. When he returned, he was already a cripple. He truly had no presence in the palace. In contrast, her aunt’s Third Prince was a leading candidate for the next Crown Prince.

After Song Wan spoke, she turned to leave. But Ji Rong murmured, “Why… respect the Crown Prince?”

Song Wan turned back. “Kings have Heaven as father and Earth as mother. The Crown Prince is born of the Son of Heaven, so naturally he is like the Son of Heaven—blessed with deep and enduring fortune. They have protected the realm and its people for many years, so I respect the Crown Prince.”

Ji Rong watched Song Wan’s departing figure, surprised in his heart.

He made his way back to the Eastern Palace, only to see that the entire Eastern Palace was no different from the Cold Palace—desolate and lonely, not to mention the palace maids and eunuchs were slovenly and undisciplined.

“Where did you run off to? That thing inside pissed on the couch again. It stinks terribly—hurry up and clean it.”

Seeing him return, a palace maid sitting in front of the Eastern Palace sleeping chamber urged him harshly. Upon hearing this, Ji Rong walked inside woodenly.

The Crown Prince’s sleeping chamber, bright yellow everywhere, was permeated with a foul stench. He walked to the golden couch and looked at the Crown Prince with sunken cheeks, his entire body emaciated. “You didn’t suffer that ordeal for nothing after all. There are still people who remember your merit.”

What blessed with deep and enduring fortune—those were just empty words.

The court’s national strength was weak. Sending a five-year-old child to a neighboring country as a hostage was itself a tremendous humiliation. The current Emperor exchanged the Crown Prince’s life for ten years of peace. But when the Crown Prince returned to court, what greeted him was not honor and favor, but contempt and disdain.

Simply because the Crown Prince lived for one more day, the entire court from ruler to ministers had to bear the name of incompetence. As long as the Crown Prince didn’t die for one more day, no one could forget the shameful fact that a child’s body was exchanged for the world’s stability.

Therefore, no one dared say these twelve years of peace were given by the Crown Prince, and no one dared speak a word of respect for the Crown Prince.

Ji Rong looked at the Crown Prince whose gaze was turbid, making meaningless guttural sounds from his mouth. Helplessly, he helped him up and deftly changed the bedding beneath him.

The world was waiting for the Eastern Palace to die early, but unexpectedly he had held on for eight full years.

If not for the fact that the Third Prince was still young and the First Prince truly couldn’t shoulder great responsibility, the Emperor would have likely eliminated the Crown Prince long ago to rid himself of this shameful affliction.

Song Wan’s words today shocked not only Ji Rong, but even the eunuch from Changxin Palace felt deeply moved.

“Madam, please don’t mention that one in the future.”

Seeing him point toward the east, Song Wan smiled and nodded.

With the farce over, the group strolled through Yanqing Palace’s small garden. Until they left, she never saw Imperial Consort Jiang’s face.

Watching Jiang Xingjian emerge, Song Wan bowed from afar toward Imperial Consort Jiang through the latticed window.

“Song Wan is acceptable.”

Jiang Man played with her broken nail, expressionless. The palace maid beside her said upon hearing this, “The Young Master has admired the Song family’s daughter since childhood. Since Your Ladyship finds Song Wan acceptable, why break up the lovebirds?”

“Why?”

Jiang Man sighed. “Because Song Yuning gave birth to the Third Prince, the Song family has blocked this palace’s path.”

“Old Marquis’s matter at the frontier…”

Jiang Man raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of ambition. “Whether or not Father was harmed by the Song household doesn’t matter. What matters is that in the future, the Third Prince and my Shu’er will inevitably compete. When tigers meet, victory or defeat is still uncertain. I cannot let Yi’er divide even half his attention, cannot have even the slightest possibility of him being soft-hearted.”

“Moreover, long pain is worse than short pain. If the two are destined not to have a good ending, better they never began at all.”

Jiang Man looked at Jiang Xingjian’s back and spoke in a low voice. Only after seeing him walk out of the hall did she leave.

Song Wan only saw that after Jiang Xingjian emerged from Yanqing Palace, the expression on his face had dimmed somewhat, far from as gentle and warm as before. Her heart felt melancholy, and for a moment she was at a loss and aggrieved.

Jiang Xingjian walked ahead with a grave face, struggle and pain hidden in his eyes.

He knew in his heart that Song Wan was innocent, yet he also understood that she and the Song household were of one heart. Without the Song household’s scheming beforehand, there would be no Song Wan’s glory afterward.

Women’s thoughts were delicate and sensitive. Seeing his cold and indifferent appearance, Song Wan knew that Imperial Consort Jiang must have said something. Looking at Jiang Xingjian, she suddenly mustered some courage.

He was her husband. She couldn’t allow the two of them to continue being so cold toward each other.

Song Wan’s face flushed crimson. Pressing her lips together, she quickened her pace.

She looked at Jiang Xingjian’s hand for a long while before mustering all her courage to gently grasp it.

Who would have thought that Jiang Xingjian’s arm would stiffen. After a moment’s contemplation, he shook her off and never looked back.