"To find an ancient book in the Northern Ridge Imperial Palace, especially for an unfavored prince, is not easy. Yan Shu Pavilion houses ancient books, but to enter it, one needs the consent of the Grand Tutor and the Emperor.
My father never favored me. He would not agree to let me, an Yin Gu person, enter Yan Shu Pavilion, believing I would defile such a sacred place. As for the Grand Tutor, being the First Prince's teacher, he treated me with indifference and distance. To gain his approval, I had to be someone he deemed worthy.
The Grand Tutor valued the First Prince's academic achievements the most. The Second Prince, however, was the best student in the entire imperial palace. To win the Grand Tutor's favor, I had to surpass the First Prince. At that time, since both my father and mother disliked my brother and me, we were not allowed to attend regular schooling. We only knew how to read simple characters, with no other literary knowledge.
But to enter Yan Shu Pavilion, I had to make up for lost time, improve my studies as quickly as possible, and outdo the Second Prince. In a very short period, I studied day and night, and the books I read were all stolen.
Later, during an examination for the princes, I entered the examination hall alone and knelt before the Grand Tutor, begging for a chance to take the test.
Normally, an Yin Gu person like me would not be qualified to be in the examination hall. My father once said that people like my brother and me were only fit to live in darkness, that sunlight was not for us.
But at that time, I was truly desperate. To get the Grand Tutor's permission to enter Yan Shu Pavilion, there was no other way.
I remember the sun was very strong and bright that day. Many princes were taking the exam, and there were more eunuchs and palace maids serving than usual.
The Grand Tutor sat on the steps, watching the many princes taking the exam below.
When I knelt at his feet and pleaded for a chance, he became very angry. The princes and sons of nobles taking the exam below were also furious. They all cursed me. Some even angrily kicked me, but I endured it all. I only knelt at the Grand Tutor's feet, begging him for a chance.
I also declared that if I performed poorly in this exam, not as well as the Second Prince, I would strip naked in public, revealing my true self for everyone to see. In truth, ever since everyone knew my brother and I were Yin Gu people, not many had seen us.
Some even became very interested in our bodies, curious to see what monstrous forms we truly possessed.
The Grand Tutor finally agreed to my request. At that moment, the princes and sons of nobles present also joined in the clamor, agreeing to my terms.
This was because they all knew that Yin Gu people like my brother and me were not meant to be in school, so we couldn't possibly have any good academic standing.
Therefore, to them, I was bound to lose. In their eyes, being forced versus volunteering were entirely different concepts. I knew that those princes and sons of nobles wanted to see me volunteer, to stand on the stage and willingly strip, to discard my meager dignity bit by bit.
So they agreed, and they agreed very quickly, as if afraid I would go back on my word.
At that time, the matter also alerted my father and mother. When they arrived, my mother scolded me and wanted to hit me, but the Grand Tutor stopped her, and the many princes and sons of nobles also persuaded her to desist.
I knew their persuasion was merely to see me disgraced as quickly as possible.
But at that moment, I knew the Grand Tutor was sincere. When my father ordered a eunuch to whip me, the Grand Tutor rushed forward, embraced me, and prevented the eunuch from carrying out the punishment. At that time, those princes and sons of nobles who were merely watching and talking were only offering words of persuasion, trying to display their magnanimity before my father.
Under the Grand Tutor's repeated requests and various guarantees, my father waived the punishment for me.
At this point.
Su Cheng looked at Gu Qianying, a wry smile on his lips. "Qianying, do you know what's most laughable? My mother actually found me troublesome and told my father to lock me up or kill me immediately."
My father greatly valued the Grand Tutor and also relied on my brother and me to investigate the First Prince's disappearance in Nan Yi Kingdom. The Second Prince was not as clever as the First Prince. While the Second Prince was academically gifted, he only understood bookish knowledge and lacked the cunning for court politics.
Therefore, my father still hoped that my brother and I could find the First Prince for him. Thus... my father did not heed my mother's words and did not try to eliminate me entirely.
Under the Grand Tutor's repeated pleas, my father agreed to let me take the exam with the other princes and sons of nobles.
For fairness, the Grand Tutor requested my father to remain and act as the judge.
My father agreed.
But my mother still found me troublesome and didn't want to see me, so she left directly.
"Su Cheng... your childhood was truly too unfortunate."
Listening to Su Cheng's story, Gu Qianying's heart ached with sympathy.
Su Cheng shrugged, seemingly indifferent to what he had been through.
But Gu Qianying knew that he was hurt, his heart wounded, his heart pained, and then numbed, which made him appear so indifferent.
Humans are born with emotions. When one becomes indifferent to their relatives, it's not because they are cold-blooded, but perhaps because they have been hurt too deeply, transforming them into cold-blooded individuals.
Listening to Su Cheng recount his past.
Not only did she feel pity, but she also knew that Su Cheng desperately needed a friend to listen to his troubles.
And at this moment, she felt willing to be that kind of friend by Su Cheng's side.
Gu Qianying moved closer to Su Cheng. She looked at him and said, "Then what happened? Su Cheng, I really want to know your story. Tell me, your unhappiness or your happiness, and your past, you can share it all with me. I am willing to listen and to accompany you."
Gu Qianying offered Su Cheng encouragement.
Su Cheng smiled at Gu Qianying, a genuine smile from his heart.
"Later... I proved myself. In the exam with the other princes and sons of nobles, I took first place, with the Second Prince coming in second. After my results were announced, many princes and sons of nobles couldn't believe it. They always suspected I had cheated."
But at that time, I had nothing hidden on me. My father also suspected I had hidden answers. Only the Grand Tutor believed in me, that I was capable.
To prove my innocence, I still stripped off my robes under everyone's watchful eyes. When those people saw my true appearance, they were startled and mocked me. However, I didn't care; I had proven my innocence.
"Although my grades meant nothing in my father's eyes, and at the time, when I stripped to prove my innocence, my father, angered by my actions, wanted to kill me."
But a king's word is his bond. No matter how much my father disliked me, he needed to continue using me. And the Grand Tutor kept speaking favorably for me. My father eventually abandoned the idea of killing me.
"Truly, Qianying, I don't care about these things. I know they never liked me, and no matter what I did, they would never like me."
"Before, perhaps my brother and I would do things to please our father and mother, to make them happy. But later, we realized that our father and mother's dislike and disdain for my brother and me would not change, no matter how much we did or how hard we tried."
"We tried, and then we stopped trying. We have given up on that familial affection."
"Qianying, to be honest, back then, I wasn't doing these things to gain favor from my father and mother. So, their feelings were already beyond my concern. However, I still cared about the impression I made on the Grand Tutor."
"The Grand Tutor looked at me with new respect and praised me as intelligent and promising. I seized this opportunity, knelt before the Grand Tutor, and sought his permission to enter Yan Shu Pavilion."
"The Grand Tutor was shocked by my request. He had always thought my efforts were aimed at competing for the future position of Crown Prince, especially since the First Prince was missing, making him the undisputed heir. His disappearance had opened the door for many princes to vie for the throne."
I told the Grand Tutor that I did not want the position of Crown Prince and was not qualified to contend for it. I only wanted the key to Yan Shu Pavilion. The Grand Tutor did not know my true intentions but was curious as to why I was so determined.
I did not reveal my relationship with the younger Su Cheng, nor did I ask the Grand Tutor to disclose what I had experienced in Nan Yi Kingdom. I only told him that a friend of mine was gravely ill and needed to be saved using a form of Gu术 recorded in ancient books.
The Grand Tutor was moved by my sincerity. The next morning, he took me to Yan Shu Pavilion and stayed there, helping me search for the ancient book that recorded the Gu术.
"It's just..."