Chapter 273
**Chapter 271: A Touch of Good and Evil**
Li Chengzhen remained silent.
The Empress Dowager said, “Eunuchs are still human; they have parents and loved ones. Have you ever thought about their families when you cruelly killed them?”
Li Chengzhen lifted his head, his dark eyes glinting. “Eunuchs are servants. Mother has said that servants are always servants, born to be lowly.”
Killing a few servants was nothing significant to him.
The Empress Dowager sighed deeply, her voice tinged with melancholy. “Do you know that the realm of Da Qing is made up of countless servants you look down upon? Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.”
Li Chengzhen looked confused.
Seeing his innocent yet wicked expression, the last remnants of warmth in her heart slowly faded away—this child would forever be estranged from the throne.
As night fell, the palace maids cleaned the blood-stained chamber and replaced it with fresh bedding and curtains. Li Chengzhen lay back down, the palace lanterns casting a dim, cold light.
The Empress Dowager sat by his bedside, patting his hand. “You should sleep first; your grandmother will wait until you’re asleep to leave.”
Li Chengzhen gazed at her with longing, his eyes reddening, his mood sullen. “Grandmother, you haven’t spent time with me for so long... You always stay with Chengtai and Chengyou.”
“I don’t like Chengtai and Chengyou. They took away Father, took away Grandmother, and now they want to take away your throne...”
The Empress Dowager fell silent.
The room was quiet, the soft patter of rain tapping against the window. Li Chengzhen’s eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted into slumber.
In sleep, Li Chengzhen appeared innocent and pure, showing no trace of his bloody and twisted nature.
After leaving Li Chengzhen’s chamber, the Empress Dowager ordered the burial of the deceased eunuchs and sent generous compensation to their families. She also had all the old maids and guards who cared for Li Chengzhen executed.
The next morning, the Empress Dowager summoned Li Yuanjing and briefly informed him of Li Chengzhen’s situation.
The child’s mindset had already twisted beyond repair. After discussing it with the Empress Dowager, Li Yuanjing decided that Li Chengzhen should rest for a while, no longer studying or practicing archery.
...
Time flew by, and five or six days passed. Li Chengzhen lived alone in the spacious courtyard, his emotions a mix of joy and sorrow.
Without the heavy burden of studies, the shackles that weighed him down seemed to vanish. Yet, taking calming medicine all day and being confined in the courtyard made him feel stifled.
One afternoon, Li Chengzhen sat alone on the stone steps of the courtyard. He tilted his head back, gazing at the square sky enclosed by palace walls, watching two wild geese fly by.
He stared blankly at the sky, his heart seemingly filled with bitterness.
Thud—
A small stone rolled down and landed by his feet. Li Chengzhen looked around in confusion and saw two figures emerging from the bushes in the corner of the courtyard.
It was Li Yao and Li Chengyou.
Both were covered in dirt, their hair tousled. Li Yao brushed off the dirt and, upon seeing Li Chengzhen sitting on the steps, hurriedly crept over. “Brother...”
Li Chengzhen looked bewildered.
Li Yao lowered her voice. “Father has sent people to guard the entrance, not allowing outsiders in. But Chengyou found a way; he dug a hole in the corner of the back wall. I’ve never crawled through a hole like that before.”
Li Chengyou ran over, his sturdy little frame circling around Li Chengzhen as he muttered, “Second Brother, did you make Father angry? Don’t be sad; Yao Jie and I brought you some treats.”
As he spoke, Li Chengyou lifted his shirt to reveal a fragrant oil paper bag.
Inside were golden, deep-fried crabs.
Li Chengzhen scoffed and turned his head away. “I’m not eating.”
Li Chengyou huffed, “It’s definitely because you have a bad temper that Father is upset! These fried crabs are delicious; you should try them.”
Li Chengzhen had no fondness for this foolish younger brother.
He resolutely refused to eat the food offered by his brother.
Li Chengyou pouted and plopped down on the stone steps beside him, starting to eat on his own. Li Yao, worried, took Li Chengzhen’s hand and comforted him, “Father is still angry. Once he calms down, you can return to the Guozi Jian to study.”
The incident of the eunuchs being killed had not spread. Li Yao thought her brother had done something wrong, which was why he was under house arrest.
Li Chengzhen looked up at the wild geese flying across the sky. “Sister... I don’t like studying, and I don’t like archery either.”
He truly didn’t like studying at all.
But ever since he learned to walk, he had been forced to read and learn to ride and shoot every day. With insufficient sleep, his mother’s voice echoed in his ears like a spell.
Li Yao gently said, “Then don’t study or practice archery; do what you like.”
Li Chengzhen silently lowered his head. Li Yao didn’t know how to comfort her brother; she could only sit beside him, watching the square sky together.
Li Chengyou offered two golden, crispy fried crabs, waving them in front of Li Chengzhen. “They smell so good; are you really not going to eat?”
Li Chengzhen huffed, “No!”
He despised Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou. Beyond jealousy of their talents, he envied them more—envied their time to play and frolic, envied their colorful childhood.
In the following days, Li Yao and Li Chengyou would quietly crawl through the dog hole in the corner to chat with Li Chengzhen.
Li Chengyou brought pastries, lotus cakes, sesame milk balls, and roasted duck. Eventually, Li Chengzhen, with no other choice, took a bite of the crispy roasted duck.
“Is it good?” Li Chengyou’s eyes sparkled.
Li Chengzhen chewed on the roasted duck, glancing at his chubby little brother out of the corner of his eye.
Suddenly, he felt that Chengyou wasn’t so annoying after all.
Suddenly, he felt that the night wasn’t so frightening anymore.
The childhood moments he had missed for years were briefly compensated during these days.
After dark, Li Yao and Li Chengyou crawled out of the dog hole, thinking no one noticed, and hurried back to Cining Palace.
Once the siblings left, a small eunuch standing at the corner of the palace gate finally sighed in relief and quickly returned to Yongning Palace to report to Shen Wei.
Shen Wei was reading under the lamp. After hearing the eunuch’s report, she smiled and instructed her attendant, Cai Lian, “They crawl through the dog hole every day, and their clothes are getting worn out. Have the Ministry of Internal Affairs make a few more sets of clothes for those two children.”
Cai Lian gladly accepted the order but couldn’t help but wonder, “My lady, the Second Prince is cruel and fierce. How do you know he won’t harm Princess Yao and His Highness Chengyou?”
Shen Wei turned a page of her book. “Even the most wicked person has a bit of goodness in their heart.”
Moreover, Shen Wei had people watching closely. If Li Chengzhen were to harm Li Chengyou, someone would rush out to intervene immediately.
...
...
In Kun Ning Palace.
In recent days, rumors had been swirling in the palace, claiming that Li Chengzhen had angered the Emperor and Empress Dowager, which was why he was under house arrest. The Empress was so furious that she broke the prayer beads in her hand.
What a useless child!
The entire Dantai family hoped for Li Chengzhen to achieve great things, yet he was so disappointing.
The Empress tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling that Li Chengzhen had lost her guidance and had become foolish. So, that night, she took a lamp and quietly left Kun Ning Palace.
She needed to see Li Chengzhen and give him a good scolding to bring him back to the right path.
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