"My profit-driven father, the Emperor, didn't see the abnormality at the time... Later, as the First Prince grew up, he was my father's eldest son, and since my brother and I were Yin Gu people, he, who was destined to become the Crown Prince, was also a candidate for the throne."
As he spoke, Su Cheng turned over and looked at Gu Qianying's perfect profile.
At this moment, Su Cheng's voice was very gentle: "Qianying, do you know? From childhood to adulthood, I never experienced familial affection or kindness from others. In the Northern Ridge Imperial Palace, I remember being often bullied by those around me when I was little, even the eunuchs who brought me food and the palace maids who dressed me."
"They would also bully me from time to time. They would throw my food on the ground and make me eat from it, and the palace maids who dressed me would stuff fine needles into my robes, making me wear them like that."
"Qianying, do you know how much it hurt back then? It hurt so much."
At that time, I always thought that all princes in the imperial palace grew up being bullied. Sometimes, I desperately wished I could grow up faster so that I wouldn't hurt so much.
As he spoke, Su Cheng's eyes misted over: "Later, until I saw my elder brother, the First Prince, I realized he never had to endure what I did when he ate or dressed. Once, I secretly sneaked into his room and hid under his bed. I saw that when he ate, the eunuchs stood respectfully by his side, and the meals he had were the most abundant, never the stale food I received."
"I also saw that when the palace maids served him, they were all respectful and careful. Some palace maids even knelt on the ground to put on his shoes. Throughout the day, he never complained of pain, and no palace maid dared to stuff needles into his robes."
"Not only that, but the Empress treated him very well. Even my own mother, who gave birth to me, would send him delicious snacks and make fine robes for him to wear."
"At that time, I didn't understand why everyone was so good to him, yet treated my brother and me like plague gods. Even my father and mother hated my brother and me. Later, I realized that it was all because my brother and I were Yin Gu people, and because my brother and I had this third hand."
Su Cheng suddenly sat up.
He unfastened his robe in front of Gu Qianying, allowing her to see his true self.
He did indeed have a hand growing on his chest, but he had cut it off.
"Su Cheng, you..."
Gu Qianying looked at Su Cheng, at the abnormal spot on his chest where the hand had been cut off, not completely removed, leaving only a wrist.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"It's very ugly, isn't it? Qianying... I don't want to become like my brother, having to eat my own kind every month to sustain my life. But I also don't want to be treated as a monster because of this hand. I've had enough of being bullied."
"So I was ruthless with myself. I cut off this hand and sealed it using the sealing techniques of our Northern Ridge country's Gu arts, preventing this hand from growing back."
Su Cheng put on his robe: "Qianying, do you know, I thought my life would just go on like this. I once desperately wanted to escape the Northern Ridge Imperial Palace, to escape my father and the people in the palace."
"I hated them so much. They were my nightmare. I even began to hate my own mother. I also hated those people. So, when my father gave me a mission, I accepted it without hesitation."
"Although, at that time, I was constantly thinking of my elder sister. My father also said that after my brother and I completed this mission, he would return a healthy elder sister to us. And we believed him."
"Qianying, do you know? I am very selfish. In fact, at that time, I accepted my father's mission more for myself. Then, I immediately came to the Southern Yi Kingdom and entered the Su family under the identity of Su Cheng."
"I originally thought I would encounter the same things in the Su family as I did in the Northern Ridge Imperial Palace. At that time, I was prepared to kill everyone here if I was discovered."
"However... the real Su Cheng was very kind to me. I met him on the way to a temple. I told him that I had escaped from bad people and was afraid of being caught again, hoping that the real Su Cheng would keep my secret and not hand me over."
"I thought I would have to persuade Su Cheng more, but I didn't expect him to believe me so quickly and trust me so much, not handing me over."
"During that time, I kept hiding in the real Su Cheng's room. He would often bring me delicious food, get me clothes to wear, and play with me."
"I was really happy at that time. I felt like I finally had a good friend, someone who didn't dislike me and was so good to me."
"After some time, my brother Guo found me and asked me to kill the real Su Cheng and take his place. I agreed at the time, but I kept hesitating."
"I admit I couldn't bear to kill the real Su Cheng, and I admit I was greedy for the kindness the real Su Cheng showed me."
"Just as I was preparing to confront my brother, to no longer work for the Northern Ridge Imperial Palace, and to no longer be a Northern Ridge prince, the real Su Cheng suddenly fell ill for no reason. The old Mr. and Mrs. Su found many physicians for the real Su Cheng, but each physician would shake their heads after examining him."
"At that time, the old Mr. and Mrs. Su were frantic, and the old Mrs. Su cried every day. During that time, I would always secretly hide under the real Su Cheng's bed and crawl out when no one was around to see him."
"Qianying, do you know? Looking at the real Su Cheng's emaciated face, I felt heartbroken, but I knew how to save him."
"Later, when the old Mr. and Mrs. Su were talking, I hid under the bed and heard them discussing whether to invite a Taoist priest to examine the real Su Cheng, perhaps he had provoked something unclean."
"At that time, I heard them clearly while hiding under the bed. It suddenly occurred to me that in our Northern Ridge country, there was a type of Gu art that could bring the dead back to life and also cure the severely ill instantly."
However, I was not proficient in this Gu art; I could say I didn't know it at all. To find the method for this Gu art, I would need to return to the Northern Ridge country, go back to the Northern Ridge Imperial Palace, and search for ancient books related to it. But if I went back, I wouldn't be at ease about the real Su Cheng. I was worried about other people in the Su family doing bad things to the real Su Cheng.
"Although the real Su Cheng, apart from being frequently bullied by his elder sister Su Yuxi, was also often bullied by others in the Su family, they were still quite good to him. However, one must guard against others. Moreover, I would be gone for a long time."
"I was truly not at ease about the real Su Cheng. At that time, my brother noticed my unhappiness and knew why I hadn't acted against the real Su Cheng. He also understood why I hadn't killed the real Su Cheng and told me that it was rare to have a good friend in this world, and one should cherish it."
"I said to my brother, after the real Su Cheng recovers, can I stay in the Su family to accompany him, be his shadow, and stay in his room with him forever? Can I not complete the mission assigned by my father? Can I not be a Northern Ridge prince anymore?"
"After my brother saw my true intentions, he agreed to my request and took the initiative to step forward, promising to protect the real Su Cheng during my absence."
"I hesitated for a long time and finally did as my brother said, letting him stay to protect the real Su Cheng, accompany him, and not tell the real Su Cheng that my brother was me."
My brother also said that if I was still worried, he would send me a copy of the characters the real Su Cheng liked to write every day while I was in the Northern Ridge country. The real Su Cheng loved to write poetry and calligraphy, and he would write a little every day. The characters and poems he wrote daily were all different, and I also knew his handwriting.
"I thought this method was excellent. At that time, I also asked my brother to send me more. My brother nodded in agreement."
"Later, during the time I left the Su family, left the Southern Yi Kingdom, and returned to the Northern Ridge country, I never actually received the characters and poems written by the real Su Cheng, one letter per day..."