Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The Cold Palace has been abandoned for many years, its walls are mottled and covered with withered black vines.

Xiao Yiheng stood motionless in front of the well, the moonlight casting a long, thin shadow of him.

Liu Wenying approached with a lantern, its orange glow barely illuminating half of his profile.

Xiao Yiheng's lips still held their usual curve, but his eyes were empty and blank.

"Your Highness."

The voice was weak yet powerful, like a ray of light, awakening those immersed in grief.

Xiao Yiheng's eyes still showed pain, and he did not respond.

He stepped onto the stone steps and creaked open the dilapidated door.

The room had been cleaned up after Consort Yu passed away.

It was old and cobwebs hung down, and the smell of dust was overwhelming. The only old table was still intact, with a few dried ink stains on its surface.

Xiao Yiheng walked to the table and touched the dried ink, as if he could still feel the warmth of his mother's handwriting back then.

His eyelashes drooped, and grief welled up within him.

He opened his lips and spoke, as if he were narrating to himself, or perhaps telling his mother.

"When I was young, I lived in the most remote palace, without the protection of my mother or the love of my father..."

As the emperor grew older and his offspring increased, Xiao Yiheng was increasingly neglected and lived a life as difficult as dust.

The princes in the palace could all step on him.

Even the lowest-ranking palace servants dared to mock and bully him.

The Yu family outside the palace had long since declined and was too busy taking care of themselves to be of any help.

Without the care of the eldest princess, he would never have lived to adulthood.

However, the palace was vast, and there were places the eldest princess could not take care of.

Once, the crown prince snatched his newly acquired inkstone. When he refused to give it up, the crown prince ordered a eunuch to hold him down and smash his hand with the inkstone.

The pain in my fingers was so intense that my whole body trembled.

It was from that time that Xiao Yiheng learned to use a smile to please others.

He looked up at the Crown Prince and smiled, saying that if his elder brother liked it, he could take it; he didn't want it.

From then on, when people bullied him, he laughed; when they insulted him, he still laughed.

The more genuine the laughter, the more boring they found it.

He was frequently beaten, and the more he cried and hated, the more excited the abusers became.

Only by laughing and barking like a dog can one survive.

Pei Zeyu's smiling demeanor is that of a gentleman, gentle and refined like jade.

Xiao Yiheng's smile was never his true self; it was a survival tactic honed little by little through years of beatings and hardship.

He learned to be tactful, to be agreeable to all sides, and to hide his hatred and resentment.

It's all just to live one more day and accumulate one more bit of strength.

One day, he will stand at the highest point and never be bullied again!

Liu Wenying listened silently. She knew that Xiao Yiheng was not trying to gain sympathy or pity, but rather expressing the grievances and pain that had accumulated over the years, as if he were in the place where his mother had lived.

She was finally able to vent her emotions, but she was just an intruder who happened to overhear.

"I remember clearly that when I was four years old, I was beaten by several princes and was covered in bruises. My schoolwork was also torn to shreds."

"I was in so much pain, but I didn't dare to cry, afraid that someone would hear me. So I could only run to Ninglu Lake alone, shrink into the grass and cry like a coward."

"On that same day, I met a woman who was dressed in plain clothes and had no hairpins in her hair, but she had a pair of very beautiful eyes, almond-shaped eyes."

Liu Wenying vaguely guessed the woman's identity, and her heart ached even more.

"She comforted me, wiped away my tears, helped me piece together my lessons, and even taught me."

At that time, everyone said that Ninglu Lake was an ominous place, and that the lakeside was haunted by the resentment of concubines who had drowned there, so no one dared to approach it.

But Xiao Yiheng was fearless. Compared to the princes who bullied him at every turn, what were those so-called ghosts and monsters?

In the depths of the palace, the living are far more terrifying than ghosts.

"It's a pity I only found out now that I've actually met my mother. So the person who treated me so gently by Ninglu Lake all those years ago was her!"

He was too young then and didn't understand anything, so he didn't recognize her.

If he is a wandering ghost, why would you treat him with gentleness?

Overwhelmed by grievances, pain, regret, and remorse, Xiao Yiheng lost control of his emotions and choked up.

He clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall with a loud thud, injuring his knuckles and drawing blood.

Liu Wenying pressed his hand down, "Second Prince! Don't hurt yourself. Even Consort Shu had no choice back then!"

But Xiao Yiheng, who was out of control, was not listening to any of this. He had already been overwhelmed by grief.

Liu Wenying bit her lip in anxiety, suddenly remembering his earlier confession.

Xiao Yiheng survived entirely thanks to the protection of the Eldest Princess, who also knew Consort Yu and understood his suffering best.

The one who tied the knot must untie it.

Having made up her mind, Liu Wenying decided to go to Huiyin Palace.

As soon as he took a step, his wrist was grabbed and he was pulled back.

The door slammed shut, shaking the roof beams. The lantern fell to the ground, went out, and kicked up a cloud of gray dust.

Liu Wenying was pinned to the ground by Xiao Yiheng, her back pressed against the cold bricks.

Moonlight streamed in through the dilapidated window, illuminating his face.

His eyes droop slightly at the corners, his pupils are large and dark, and his smile is like a gentle breeze.

At this moment, those smiling eyes were reflected in the sunlight and turned red.

He pinned her to the ground, his breath hot and ragged, muttering repeatedly, "Why did you abandon me..."

Liu Wenying was pinned down by him and couldn't move or break free.

At the same time, I was also afraid that he would completely lose control and hurt himself and others.

In her panic, Liu Wenying touched the small knife tucked into her waistband, which she had intended to use for self-defense.

She quietly grasped the hilt of the knife, about to pull it out, when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Liu Wenying was startled. Had she been discovered?

The expected outburst of anger did not materialize the next moment. Instead, Xiao Yiheng threw himself into her arms and whispered a soft call.

"Mother, Heng'er misses you so much..."

When a person is in a state of extreme distress, their cognition becomes confused, and they may mistake those around them for the people they most desire in order to seek comfort and alleviate their pain.

After Liu Wenying finished speaking, she put down the knife and, like a mother would treat her child, patted his back to comfort him silently.

Xiao Yiheng trembled and hugged her even tighter, his tears soaking her clothes.

Just like she was comforting Luo Luo, she gently patted her, and the person in her arms gradually stopped trembling and her breathing became calm.

Moonlight shone through the broken windowpane, casting a silvery glow upon the two embracing figures.

As dawn broke, the morning light dispelled the chill and silence inside the house, making it less frightening than the night.

Liu Wenying opened her eyes, sat up, and her clothes slipped off, revealing that she was wearing the Second Prince's outer robe.

The other person was no longer in the house, leaving only their clothes.

Liu Wenying put the lantern away, picked up the extinguished lantern from the ground, pushed open the door, and went outside.

Under the tree in the courtyard, Xiao Yiheng sat at the tree root, gazing at the sealed well.

His profile was bathed in the pale gold of the morning light. He turned around when he heard footsteps.

The smile returned to his lips, but bloodshot eyes remained.

Liu Wenying curtsied: "Your Highness."

After she finished speaking, she carefully examined him.

Xiao Yiheng seemed to see through her thoughts and said with a smile, "I am fine now."

"It's good that the Second Prince is alright."

Liu Wenying still had to go back to take care of the eldest princess's breakfast, and judging by the time, it was about time.

She turned to leave, but Xiao Yiheng called her back.

…………