Chu Liuchen was the crown prince when the late emperor was still alive. He was only a few months old when his uncle usurped the throne and scraped his status as the crown prince. He became Prince Chen, half locked up under house arrest in the South Court in the palace. This was why he was also known as the Crown Prince of South Court.
She remembered hearing about him in her previous life. Some said he was a handsome, distinguished gentleman. Other claimed he was a sly and bloodthirsty man. Either way, Qin Wanru didn’t see it as any of her business who he was. She’d only seen him once from far off.
Back then, he was the high and mighty crown prince, looking down at her like she was some kind of lowly creature.
Right now, on the other hand, she had no choice but to face up to this younger version of Prince Chen.
She wanted to keep her distance from him as much as possible, but she couldn’t help but perk at the chance to be recognized by somebody so powerful.
Still, she would not forget how, many years from now, on the day Prince Chen was restored to his throne, he attacked the girls who had come to try and be selected as his concubine. Within one day, the inner palace had been splattered with blood. Those young girls, who have come in filled with hope and expectation, were killed one by one. With their corpses lying face up on the floor of their dormitory, the building became hell itself.
To cover this up, all the people involved were killed as well, leaving more corpses in the dormitory.
It was rumored that such a big percentage of the palace workers were eliminated that many parts of the palace remained empty.
Qin Wanru was implicated at that time as well.
How could she not be terrified when she came face to face again with this same crown prince?
She should never offend this person in front of her. It would be wise to try and get close to him and gain his favor, but she wasn’t sure that was actually a good idea. All she did was to stare blankly at the youth before her.
"Do you know me?" asked Chu Liuchen. He looked over Qin Wanru from her head to her toes. He was all smiles. The bizarre look in his eyes a moment ago had completely disappeared, so much so that it made Qin Wanru wonder if she’d been seeing things.
The frail but handsome young man shot her a refreshing smile. He looked like an immortal being who’d just walked out of a painting. His eyes, half hidden under his long, curly lashes, were smiling as well. He truly looked like a harmless, charming youth.
Qin Wanru would be totally taken if she didn’t know the things he’d someday do.
"I don't. I shouldn't make you wait long for me since you are father's honorable guest!" said Qin Wanru respectfully, as she bowed her head in humility.
She was holding her fists so tightly that her fingernails had dug into her palm. The pain which made her more alert so she could remember to maintain an amicable attitude towards this prince.
She was supposed to be a young virgin who had not been acquainted with Prince Chen.
"You... have disturbed my rest!" Prince Chen was not trying to interrogate her but was merely stating a fact.
Qin Wanru could feel cold sweat going down her back.
"Please forgive me, Prince Chen," she said cautiously.
"You have to be punished for disturbing me," Prince Chen fixed his gaze on Qin Wanru as if it were Qin Wanru who intentionally stirred up trouble with Qin Yuru, thereby disturbing the prince. When in fact, he was the one who accidentally witnessed the drama between Qin Wanru and Qin Yuru.
"Please forgive me, Prince Chen!" Qin Wanru bowed her head lower and continued apologizing. She was keenly aware of the great difference in their status.
"I seldom forgive the sins of people!" said Prince Chen with a chuckle.
"Then... what should I do to receive forgiveness from you?"
"Let me think about it..."
"I will obey Prince Chen's order whatever it is," there was no way Qin Wanru dared to negotiate terms with the prince. She knew her life was in his hands. However, since Prince Chen had spoken to her for a while by now, she was quite sure he did not intend to take her life.
As a person who’d lost his status as crown prince and taken it back by force, he was certainly not kind and harmless character.
"Good! You are indeed a wise girl!" Prince Chen rubbed his palms together, smiling again. "I heard that the Ningyuan Army General has a crystal phoenix lamp which was passed down to him from his ancestors. It is supposed to be exceptionally pretty. If you're able to get me this lamp, I will spare your life."
Crystal phoenix lamp? Qin Wanru was taken aback for a moment. She happened to know that this phoenix crystal lamp was the family heirloom that had been passed down from generation to generation. It was currently with her grandmother. It was very precious to her and she had shown Qin Wanru only once, but her love for it had left a deep impression.
"That's... grandmother's favorite item," Qin Wanru said with hesitation.
"Is your life not worth that much?" asked Prince Chen, raising his eyebrows. He somehow managed to look both interested and dismissive.
"I will definitely get hold of the crystal phoenix lamp for Prince Chen," replied Qin Wanru, gritting her teeth. His look of interest had struck her with deep terror.
The look in his eyes should not belong to a prince who grew up in riches and comfort. It wreaked terror in Qin Wanru's heart. She immediately understood that if she failed to bring him the Phoenix crystal lamp, she really would have to pay him with her life.
"If that's the case, go get ahold of that Phoenix crystal lamp now!" said Prince Chen. He waved her away and leaned back to indicate that he was letting her go.
"Yes!" Qin Wanru felt relieved and immediately got up to leave. Although meeting Prince Chen was entirely a coincidence, she knew she had to be on her toes.
"Wait, did you inflict the injury on your arm yourself?" the youth said with an elegant smile, but Qin Wanru could hear the malice in his voice.
Worse, he held onto her arm where her wound was and pressed down hard. Instantly, blood soaked through the thin gauze of the bandage.
What a lowlife!
This was the first thing that came to Qin Wanru's mind when the pain subsided. Was he not Prince Chen of the royal family? Wasn’t he supposed to behave elegantly and with grace?
Moreover, Qin Wanru was in the body of a child!
"Prince Chen, you..." someone cried out, seeming to try and stand up for her.
“It’s rare to meet somebody so frail, but so fascinating. A little girl daring enough to pierce her own arm… well done you!” Prince Chen's voice sounded near and far off at the same time. His voice sounded so graceful and natural yet the meaning of the words was dangerous. Just then, darkness befell Qin Wanru...
By the time Qin Wanru regained consciousness, it was evening. An old woman bent over the lamp, holding scissors to cut the wick.This was her grandmother, the only member of her family who doted on her. The bandages on her arm had been rewrapped."Are you feeling better, Grandma?" she said, almost in a whisper. Old grandma looked up and saw that Qin Wanru had opened her eyes, her face brightened immediately and she got up to walk toward Wanru, and with a gentle voice, she said, “Zhuozhuo, you're finally awake. Quick, will someone prepare her dinner?"Qing Yue emerged from behind the screen and came up to Qin Wanru help her sit up on her bed and slipped a cushion behind her for support. Her injured arm seemed to have been re-bandaged and so she could not see any blood soaking through the gauze, and it was not hurting as much as before.Another maid came into the room to place a bowl of porridge and some dishes in front of Qin Wanru.Qin Wanru was indeed
"Don't meddle with this affair, you're just a kid..." Qin Huaiyong said as he frowned and waved his hand as if to dismiss what Qin Wanru said. "Asking a kid not to meddle with this affair. How about me? Am I too old to meddle with this?" Old grandma cut in. Qin Wanru indicated for Qing Yue to help old grandma to the chair to sit down. "Mother, something did not add up here..." Qin Huaiyong tried to explain when he heard old grandma's angry tone of voice. "What are you doubting? As a father, would you rather believe the words of an old maid or your own daughter?" said Qin Wanru as she looked up at Qin Huaiyong with a pair of bright eyes. Mammy Fang followed Mrs. Qin when she married into the Qin family. Qin Wanru would like Mammy Fang's arm to be severed by Mrs. Qin personally. She wanted to see how many maids would remain faithful to their mistress if the mistress could not even protect her own henchmen.
Aunt Shui was none other than Shui Ruolan, Qin Huaiyong's cousin, the daughter of old grandma's younger sister. She had come to take shelter under the Qins from a young age when old grandma's younger sister passed away. When she came of age, she got married, but her husband passed away later on before they bore any children. For this reason, old grandma brought her back to the Ningyuan Army General's house to be with her. Shui Ruolan was a woman with a gentle spirit who had never said a word of complaint even though she had a sad life. Qin Huaiyong had always had a soft spot for this cousin of his. Unfortunately, they each had their prearranged marriages respectively since young for this reason, they kept their distance in honor of their commitments. When Shui Ruolan returned to Qin Huaiyong's house as a widow, they continued to treat each other honorably. In fact, they did not see each other much within the manor grounds. Even when the need arose, they a
"You want that Fenghua glass light?" marveled Mrs. Qin. "Yes!" Qin Wan blinked and nodded. "You really want it?" Mrs. Qin asked again. "I really want it!" Qin Wanru said with resignation. Actually, it was not what she wanted, but Prince Chen who wanted it. Even if she did not ride on his coattail, she dared to offend him. Since a Fenghua glass light could satisfy him, why not giving it to him! "Why does Prince Chen want the Fenghua glass light? His role is so extravagant. He must have seen all the good products, so why does he want my Fenghua glass light? There must be something to do with it." "Fenghua glass light is certainly precious. As a prince, what treasures cannot he own?" Now look at grandmother's behavior, Qin Wanru gained a deep understanding that this Fenghua glass light was probably not simple. But she did not want to ask! "Grandmother did not have the Fenghua
"Qin Wanru, you want to go out to fetch Fenghua glass light?" Prince Chen said in a mild tone and raised his black eyes with his customary elegance. He turned over and coughed weakly and sickly. One day was enough for him to know Qin Wanru. Of course, Qin Wanru knew that the so-called gentleness was actually an illusion. "Yes, I hope that the prince can help!" Qin Wanru requested sincerely though she was nervous. If there is anyone in the house who can persuade father to let me go, he must be prince Chen in front of me. "Is this related to me?" The young man raised his beautiful eyes and looked at her with his head tilted. His smile was still elegant but his tone was a bit of ironic. "It is the Fenghua glass light that the prince wants." Qin Wanru said respectfully with her fist clenched. It seemed that she did not see the irony in his eyes. "I wanna see whether you can go out on your own or not!" Pr
Qin Wanru stood on the swing and felt it safe by pulling the ropes of the swing. "Old grandma ordered people to fasten the ropes in case of my playing it secretly. Since the swing was safe, Qin Wanru sat on it. However, she hesitated after sitting on it." She touched the place where her arm was injured, not knowing whether she would misplay. Looking up at the tall courtyard wall, she found when the swing swayed, it was likely to hit the courtyard wall. "Anyway, I have to try it." She held the ropes on both sides with her feet slammed back. Then the swing swayed, slipped down later and was about to hit the trunk behind it. When Qin Wanru felt right, she kicked the trunk behind. Then, the swing went out again. Then the swing came back again. She kicked it again. She was familiar with the swing, so she kicked almost at the same position. As the swing was getting higher and higher, she was closer and clo
Seeing that the prince also jumped into the wall, Xiao Xuanzi was scared. "Fortunately, my master did not like lady Wanru who was lying on the wall. He was standing still and seemed to be stable." Chu Liuchen stood on the wall of the courtyard, seeing a drop of blood on the wall with his eyebrows wrinkled and then seeing a drop of blood outside the courtyard. From the wall to the tree was a trail of blood which could be seen until somewhere along the trunk. Over there was a rut so it was possible that she left by carriage. Prince raised his eyes and looked ahead, only to see the back of a carriage. She was a clever little girl who left through this method. Then there was nothing interesting to see. He had his feet diverted and fell from the wall. Xiao Xuanzi was scared when he saw his master falling from the wall, reaching for the high wall on one side and coughing up with sharp pain in his chest. "P
"Where did this medicine powder come from?" the master of the Jingxin monastery asked casually as he took a clean cloth and wiped away the powder mixed with blood on Qin Wanru's wound. No one noticed darkness flickered over her eyes and eyebrows. Her hands trembled a little. But soon she held one hand tightly. When her hands were raised again, they were not trembling at all. "Is it the man's medicine? After all these years, did he finally show up?" "It must be the medicine from the doctor who was called by grandma!" Qin Wanru looked at the wound on her arm with a little confusion since she really didn't know. "Please ask old Mrs. Qin, which doctor gave her the medicine powder after going back." The voice of the master of the Jingxin monastery was soft, but there was a kind of heaviness which could be heard by Qin Wanru in her voice. Qin Wanru titled to look and thought, "Does the medicine have a problem?" "OK, I w