The Fourth Prince's words struck Xie Huizhou's heart like a bolt from the blue. A trace of desolation showed in his eyes, along with a little bewilderment.
So Father loathed me this much. Was this why he had wished me dead all these years?
No wonder I never had a father's love.
He had always suspected I wasn't his biological son.
His mother had given birth to him after going through something like that. Xie Huizhou hardly dared to wonder whether anyone had looked forward to his birth, or whether he had been despised.
Xie Huizhou suddenly felt an emptiness in his existence in this world. He had nothing.
Overcome by emotion, he triggered the poison remaining in his body. A mouthful of blood sprayed out like fireworks, and his expression instantly changed.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
It hurts so much. I feel awful. His head spun, and a buzzing rang in his ears, making him suffer all the more.
The thought that the emperor had most likely sent someone to poison him left Xie Huizhou feeling stifled.
The Fourth Prince heard Xie Huizhou coughing up blood and was astonished that his health was even worse than he had imagined. He was even curious about what Xie Huizhou looked like at that moment.
"Are you sad? Are you afraid? Let your elder brother see your expression."
The lantern moved closer to Xie Huizhou, illuminating his pale face, made even more haggard by coughing up blood. His air of fragility made him resemble a ghost who had died unjustly in the dark of night.
"Ninth Son, that's the expression. More. Give me more!"
The Fourth Prince knew perfectly well that he enjoyed tormenting people like this. The more miserable others were, the more excited his twisted heart became.
Xie Huizhou: "..."
Oh no. I've run into a pervert.
The Fourth Prince usually appeared mild and gentle, but behind closed doors, he was a pervert who enjoyed seeing despair on other people's faces.
Xie Huizhou felt he should not linger here. With the poison flaring up, if he delayed any longer, he would probably soon be joining the Eighth Prince for a game of cards.
Each flare-up of the poison was also when Xie Huizhou was weakest. He wanted to leave, but his body had no strength. Trembling, he looked at the blood on his silk handkerchief.
The Fourth Prince wanted to get closer to admire the sight, drawing nearer and nearer to Xie Huizhou.
History repeated itself. He was bitten by a snake again.
Little White Snake, coiled around Xie Huizhou's wrist as an ornament, noticed with its beady eyes that someone else was approaching him and instantly struck, biting him.
Influenced by its original body's thoughts, the avatar was fiercely possessive, attacking anyone who dared approach Xie Huizhou without a second thought.
Mine. This person is mine. None of you are allowed near him!
Or I'll bite you to death.
Hurry, original body! Someone's hurting your wife!
"Ninth Son, of all the pets you could keep, why did you have to choose a snake?" Two holes had been bitten into the Fourth Prince's wrist. The sharp pain stopped him in his tracks, and blood slowly trickled down. His gaze looked somewhat troubled. "Hurry and throw it away. It wouldn't do if it bit you someday. Your elder brother would be heartbroken."
The little snake he carried looked like an exquisite piece of jewelry. The Fourth Prince had never paid attention to it, and he had suffered for it twice now.
He hated snakes more than anything.
Once he seized the throne, he would issue an imperial decree to kill every snake in the Great Xia Dynasty.
"Brother, I couldn't possibly do that. This was a gift from someone important to me. I have to treasure it."
Xie Huizhou thought Little White Snake was wonderfully useful. He could pet it, it could find its own food, and it could serve as both jewelry and protection.
Simply perfect.
The Imperial Preceptor was such a good person. The little snake he had given him had protected him several times already.
Hearing the words "someone important," Little White Snake was delighted and rubbed affectionately against Xie Huizhou's hand. Its icy touch eased his physical discomfort a little.
Soon, it noticed the signs of Xie Huizhou's poison flaring up.
Xie Huizhou was breaking out in a cold sweat. A thin sheen of perspiration dampened his clothes. He was clearly in agony, yet he still held himself together in front of the Fourth Prince, his unsteady body trembling.
The Imperial Preceptor, Zhang Lanhe, sensed that something was wrong. Using his avatar to guide him, he was hurrying toward Xie Huizhou.
White mist appeared in the darkness, making the atmosphere in the palace hall exceedingly strange.
"Why has it suddenly turned foggy? Inside a palace hall, too. How strange."
The Fourth Prince suddenly saw a phantom silver serpent appear behind Xie Huizhou, glaring at him with vivid green eyes that looked as though they had been steeped in poison.
Its slightly open mouth hissed as its forked tongue flickered out. The venomous serpent's body was tensed, poised to pounce and strangle at any moment-a chilling sight.
Its translucent, silvery-white tail was quietly coiling around the oblivious Xie Huizhou, proclaiming its ownership to everyone.
Purplish-black poison was passing into the white snake's body. The agony of the potent poison made its face increasingly sinister and terrifying, its man-eating gaze utterly frightening.
[Get lost! Stay away from him, or I'll kill you.]
"Ninth Son! There's a monster behind you!" This was the first time the Fourth Prince had seen anything so horrifying. The Silver Snake of rumor was staring right at him. "I'm leaving first. Look after yourself. Don't die too soon."
Damn it, I actually saw the rumored White Snake in the imperial palace.
I can't fight that. No chance. I'm getting out of here first.
He had no idea when Xie Huizhou had encountered this White Snake. The possessiveness in its eyes was frightening.
"A monster?"
Xie Huizhou watched the Fourth Prince flee in panic, utterly baffled. When he turned around, he saw no monster, only the handsome face of the Imperial Preceptor, Zhang Lanhe.
At the same time, the pain in Xie Huizhou's body inexplicably vanished.
Zhang Lanhe rested a hand on Xie Huizhou's shoulder. "Your Highness, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you for ages. I was worried something had happened to you."
Fortunately, he had arrived in time. If Xie Huizhou had died from the poison somewhere without his knowledge, what would he have done?
Xie Huizhou blinked. "I got lost. I passed by and came in for a look, only to run into a pervert."
Fine, fine. So much for this palace hall being heavily guarded and off-limits to unauthorized people. Everyone's coming and going as they please.
He wondered whether they were all so skilled that no one noticed them, or whether the Imperial Guards had learned to go through the motions and slack off after patrolling the same way for over a decade.
Come to think of it, I really have run into quite a few perverts lately.
I should pick some pomelo leaves later and bathe with them to wash away the bad luck.
"Imperial Preceptor, have you dealt with the Eighth Prince's situation?" Xie Huizhou recalled the Eighth Prince bobbing in the water. "He's dead. Father will probably order a thorough investigation, won't he?"
Zhang Lanhe wiped the blood from Xie Huizhou, his heart aching terribly. "Your Highness, don't worry. I've already taken care of it. No one will investigate."
The Fourth Prince deliberately provoked Xie Huizhou into a poison flare-up. He's no good either. I need to find a way to get rid of him.
Zhang Lanhe's tenderness toward Xie Huizhou left him at a loss.
He thought Zhang Lanhe treated him so well now because he was a prince. If he really was not of imperial blood, would Zhang Lanhe still treat him this way?
Or would he look at him with indifference and disgust?
Seeing Xie Huizhou's worried expression, Zhang Lanhe asked, "Your Highness, what are you worried about?"
With me here, you don't need to worry about anything. I'll resolve it for you myself.
Xie Huizhou did not hide anything from Zhang Lanhe and voiced his concern. "Imperial Preceptor, you treat me so well because of Father's orders. What if one day I'm no longer a prince?"
Although this was only speculation, and there was no way to verify it in an age without blood relationship testing, if his guess came true one day, how would he face being abandoned by everyone?
"Your Highness, what nonsense are you saying? This has nothing to do with His Majesty's orders. He cannot command me. I follow you because of who you are."
Zhang Lanhe looked into Xie Huizhou's eyes. His own lake-like eyes seemed to possess the power to calm others.
"Your Highness, even if everyone abandons you, I never will."
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