On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Sun Fu offered feigned advice, but in reality, he was utterly ashamed of Nangong Xiong's lack of mental fortitude.

Because he had long guessed that Lin Yi, with his vengeful nature, would not easily let the emperor off the hook. Nor would he obediently lift the blockade and allow the royal family to return to a life of luxury simply because Lin Yi married a princess.

He harbored resentment towards the royal family.

Besides, Lin Yi's open strategy was indeed brilliant. He kept his promise to lift the blockade while using the shady pretext of inspecting the tribute to firmly control the lifeline of the palace.

To put it bluntly, Lin Yi never intended to relinquish control over the palace.

That was a brilliant move; he not only got a wife and a huge dowry for free, but he also didn't ruin his plans.

Could this be the mentality of a young man in his twenties? Sun Fu even suspected that Lin Yi's two years of mental lapse were an act; or that there was some powerful figure behind him.

Seeing Sun Fu showing off, Cai Ming was displeased. He helped Nangong Xiong up and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your health is of utmost importance! Quickly, you there, bring His Majesty some of yesterday's millet porridge!"

"Get out of here, you auntie! Get out!" Nangong Xiong roared.

Sun Fu sighed, thinking to himself, "Even at this critical juncture, they're still vying for favor."

A clueless, clueless eunuch.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. As long as we live, we can always rebuild. Although Lin Yi is arrogant now, he is ultimately a traitorous minister, and his power is illegitimate. The higher he jumps now, the harder he will fall! Moreover, in the end, Lin Yi has left us a way out. With this rice, flour, and meat, the thousands of people in the palace will no longer have to worry about starving. As long as we can get through this most difficult period and keep the people's hearts at ease, we will definitely be able to turn the tide in two months at most!"

Nangong Xiong was already quite angry, and Cai Ming added insult to injury. He was so upset that he couldn't listen to anything anyone said.

Just then, Nangong Jin's personal eunuch, Suo Dahai, rushed in, his face beaming with joy.

"Your Majesty! The Fourth Prince has awakened!"

"What?!" Nangong Xiong's spirits lifted. He stood up, leaning on the dragon table, and asked anxiously, "Fourth Brother is awake? How is he now?"

Of all his sons, he liked Nangong Jin the most.

Not only because of his exceptional talent, but also because he was most like himself, knowing how to be patient and possessing a deep and calculating mind. For so many years, Nangong Xiong had been grooming him as the future crown prince, placing high hopes on him.

But fate played a cruel trick on him, and the perfectly healthy fourth son became an old eunuch.

Suo Dahai quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that His Highness is out of danger, but he is still very weak and needs to rest."

"Good! It's good that you're awake!"

The fact that his son was alive was the only good news he had heard in days.

"Prepare the carriage! I will go to the Ninth Prince's residence personally. Sun Fu, go and summon Consort Hui as well!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

......

Nine Palaces.

Nangong Jin, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, sat on the bed staring at his crotch like a madman.

"Get up! Get up for me!" he roared at the wound with all his might.

He couldn't accept this fact.

He's ruined.

A man, a prince, the future emperor, has been turned into a eunuch!

This is worse than killing him!

"Why aren't you getting up! Move a little!" He frantically tore at the blankets covering him, trying to lift himself up, but was held down by several eunuchs and maids serving him.

"Your Highness, please calm down!"

"The imperial physician said you can't touch this wound, or it will reopen!"

"Your Highness, I beg you."

A bolder eunuch cried and pleaded, "Your Highness, please don't bother. That thing is gone; it's just a hole now! It's not even as good as this half of mine, how could it possibly get up again..."

"Get out! All of you, get out of here!"

Nangong Jin acted as if she had gone mad, struggling desperately and sweeping the teacups and medicine bowls beside the bed to the ground.

He hates it!

I hate Lin Yi, I hate that damned Tang San, and I hate Luo Qingyu even more!

She even had a fake cave where mandarin ducks slept... How could she even think of that! If it weren't for that, how could I have ended up in this situation?

"Lin Yi!"

"Luo Qingyu! I will tear you all to pieces!!"

Just then, the door was pushed open, and a graceful and elegant figure, accompanied by a fragrant breeze, strode in.

She was Consort Hui, the birth mother of Nangong Jin.

Consort Hui was remarkably well-preserved; though in her early forties, she looked no more than thirty. She had a voluptuous figure, fair skin, and a pair of naturally alluring phoenix eyes, making her the kind of mature and charming beauty a woman could possess.

At this moment, her beautiful face was covered in tears, and her eyes were red-rimmed, clearly indicating that she had just been crying.

"Jin'er! My son!" Seeing her son in such a frenzied state, Consort Hui trembled with heartache, crying and rushing to the bedside to embrace him. "My son, please don't be like this! Don't frighten your mother!"

"Mother?" Nangong Jin stopped moving, slowly turned his head, looked at his mother who was in tears, and could no longer control his emotions. Like a child who had suffered a great injustice, he buried his face in his mother's arms and cried loudly.

"Waaaaah! Mother... I'm ruined, I've become a eunuch, waaaaah..."

"My son..." Consort Hui held him, sobbing uncontrollably, "Mother knows, Mother knows everything... Don't worry, Mother will definitely avenge you! I will make that brat Lin Yi wish he were dead!"

Just then, Nangong Xiong also came in from outside with a sullen face. Looking at the mother and son crying their hearts out, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

But as the emperor, he couldn't lose his composure like Consort Hui. He simply walked to the bedside and said in a low voice, "Fourth Prince, don't cry. You are my son, a descendant of the dragon and phoenix. Even if you suffer a setback, you must never fall!"

After saying that, he patted Nangong Jin on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I assure you, that traitor Lin Yi won't live much longer! I will make him pay for this blood debt with the lives of his entire family!"

Nangong Jin's sobs gradually subsided. He raised his head, and his once handsome face was now twisted and ferocious with pain and hatred.

"Father...you must kill him!"

"I want to watch him die with my own eyes! I want to tear him to pieces, chop him into mincemeat and feed him to the dogs!"

"Alright, Father agrees." Nangong Xiong looked at his son, feeling both heartache and relief.

It breaks my heart that my son has suffered such inhuman torture.

The good news is that he wasn't defeated by Lin Yi; his spirit was still intact!

As long as this fire doesn't go out, there's still hope for the Nangong family's rule.

"Don't think about anything right now, just focus on recovering." Nangong Xiong's voice softened, carrying a hint of fatherly warmth. "Once you're healed, your father has more important things to entrust to you."

Nangong Jin was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at his crotch: "Father, I... what can I do in my current state?"

What use is a good-for-nothing who can't even be a man?

Nangong Xiong saw through his thoughts and said in a deep voice, "Foolish! Who said you're useless? You're just physically injured, but your mind isn't broken! Your talent and strategies are still there. In the end, what matters in this world isn't brute force, but brains! Understand?"

Consort Hui, wiping away tears, advised, "Yes, Jin'er, your father is right. You mustn't give up on yourself. Have you forgotten your ambitions since childhood? Have you forgotten the promise you made to your mother when you were full of youthful vigor?"

promise……

Yes, how could I forget?

From a young age, my biggest dream has been to ascend to that supreme position, to rule the world, and to make everyone submit to me.

How can I give up my lifelong pursuit just because of my physical disability?

Do not!

I can't!

Lin Yi ruined my body, but I can't destroy his will!

I will survive, and I will become stronger and more ruthless than before! I will make everyone who looked down on me and hurt me pay a bloody price!

Thinking of this, Nangong Jin's eyes gradually hardened, even becoming sinister.

"Father, Mother, rest assured, your son will not fall." He looked at his parents and said, word by word, "I will not only live, but I will live better than anyone else! Lin Yi owes me, and I will make him pay back a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

"Good! Hahaha, this is my good son!" Seeing that he had cheered up again, Nangong Xiong was overjoyed and patted him on the shoulder heavily.

Consort Hui also stopped crying and smiled, quickly instructing the palace maid beside her, "Quickly, quickly bring the tonic prescribed by the imperial physician; His Highness needs to take it!"

"Yes."