If this truly was a rebirth, why hadn’t he been allowed to forget the agonizing pain of his past life? That way, even if he remained blind in this lifetime, he would at least be an ignorant, unknowing blind person! Why, why must he still be blind after being reborn, a blind person who remembered every single detail with crystal clarity?!
Ji Ziyu had no idea what was wrong with his brother. However, perhaps due to some special connection existing between twins, he could sense the intense despair, resentment, grievance, and fury radiating from the little infant.
The corners of his brows twitched slightly, solidifying his suspicion that this infant had also been reborn. Ordinary babies knew only to eat, cry, shit, sleep, and wet themselves where would they find such complex emotions? Yet what on earth could have caused this baby to experience such violent emotional fluctuations? Clearly, back in the womb, aside from being overly lively, this fellow had been as normal as normal could be.
At that thought, a realization flashed through Ji Ziyu’s mind. With a trace of astonishment, he turned his head to glance at the baby being held and rocked back and forth by Zi’er to be coaxed.
It couldn’t be… what I’m thinking, could it?
In the end, Ji Ran cried himself out until he was utterly exhausted, drifting off into either a deep sleep or a faint.
Zi’er let out a breath of relief, laying him back down in the bassinet right beside Ji Ziyu. She gently poked Ji Ran’s cheek with her finger and muttered, “Why does he cry so much? The Seventeenth Prince is so quiet.”
Propping her chin in her hand, she gazed down at the two little princes. Black was a color spurned and despised by everyone, yet as these two infants one black, one white slept with their heads resting against each other, she suddenly felt that the color black looked rather striking as well.
“Zi’er.” Mia walked in carrying a basin of hot water and caught her staring blankly and foolishly at the two little princes, prompting her to call out.
Zi’er snapped back to reality and hurriedly shook her head. My, what kind of random nonsense was she thinking about just now!
Walking over to help wring out the hand towel, Zi’er said to Mia, “Sister Mia, the Eighteenth Prince’s eyes are pitch-black too. He opened them just a moment ago his eyes are so big, and his pupils are huge, too. It’s just a pity…”
Mia shot her a glare. “Watch your tongue from now on; the little prince is our master.”
Zi’er pressed her lips together and pouted. “Understood.”
The two of them walked over to wipe Xueyi Wright’s face, but just as they drew near, they saw Xueyi Wright’s aqua-blue eyelashes tremble softly, looking as though she were about to wake up.
010. Docile, or Bizarre?
Spring had already arrived, and the flower buds planted throughout Zhaoxue Palace were bursting open, some blooming even earlier than usual. The two little infants were placed inside a bed draped in light gauze, while a graceful, beautiful woman used an enamel wind chime to amuse them. Nearby, two maids were playing with a kitten, two others were picking fallen petals, and one was earnestly brewing tea.
It was Xueyi Wright and her attendants, bringing Ji Ziyu and Ji Ran out to bask in the spring sunlight.
After entertaining them for a while, Xueyi Wright gave up in frustration, setting the wind chime down on a nearby tray with a sigh. “Why do Xiao Shi-qi and Xiao Shi-ba seem to have virtually no interest in toys?”
Mia finished brewing the tea, handed a cup to Xueyi Wright, and nodded with deep empathy. “It is rather strange! I went to consult experienced wet nurses, and they all said infants should show immense interest in things waving right in front of them, especially brightly colored objects. Yet neither the Seventeenth Prince nor the Eighteenth Prince showed any reaction at all!”
Zi’er carried the kitten over, cupping her chin in one hand. “I originally thought amusing the little princes would be much more fun than teasing this cat.”
Xueyi Wright gave her a helpless look. Does this girl think of the princes as cats and dogs to be played with?
After waking up, Mia had filled her in on everything that had happened. Xueyi Wright didn’t care particularly what name her child bore, so long as he grew up safe, sound, and healthy.
Therefore, upon learning of Ji Ran’s condition, she had summoned physicians and healers. Ji Ziyu’s health was as robust as could be, but Ji Ran while not technically born with a congenital deficiency harbored a severe cold ailment within his body alongside an unidentifiable, unmovable force of energy. Everyone’s meaning was crystal clear: while the cold condition might seem harmless on its own, adding that mysterious force made things entirely unpredictable. Raising this prince would be an uphill battle!
Yet the look in the physicians’ eyes had conveyed something else just as plainly: A pitch-black child like this is nothing but a royal disgrace if kept around. Look at the Seventeenth Prince who knows how promising his future will be? Burdening oneself with a twin like this is simply a dead weight!
Helpless, Xueyi Wright and Mia could only exercise even greater care in looking after the two children, especially little Shi-ba. However, the longer they cared for him, the more they felt that little Shi-ba’s lively, active nature bore virtually no resemblance to what the physicians had predicted. Eventually, Xueyi Wright came to terms with it. She would simply raise little Shi-ba with all her heart; when he grew up, she wouldn’t even need to mention these matters to him. Those physicians were muddled and incompetent themselves, casually tossing out words like “might not live long.” Might didn’t mean definitely.
However… aside from the fact that little Shi-ba loved to wiggle around and latch onto little Shi-qi, weren’t these two children just a bit too well-behaved?
Aside from what Mia had mentioned about the one time little Shi-ba had cried terribly, she had never heard them make a fuss since. Neither of these two children had ever cried a single time! If not for the occasional sound when they had specific needs, Xueyi Wright would have started worrying that both her boys were mute.
Children this sensible made things wonderfully worry-free, yet all the more worrisome!
Ji Ran groped around blindly until he finally managed to touch Ji Ziyu’s body, whereupon he snuggled closer and wrapped his arms around him. Perhaps because they had shared the same placenta, Ji Ran always seemed able to find Ji Ziyu, and thus he loved touching him to know his brother was right beside him. As for Ji Ziyu, though he couldn’t dodge him back in the womb, after birth, a lingering sense of guilt and sympathy led him to tacitly permit Ji Ran’s clingy behavior.
As time went on, both of them grew utterly accustomed to it!
In all this time, Ji Ran had long since realized that this world was entirely different from the one he had lived in before. He also knew that this time around, rather than being born into an ordinary family, he had been born into an imperial royal family far more vast and powerful than any great clan. Furthermore, he learned that his hair and eyes had turned jet-black due to the accident before birth a color regarded in this world as inauspicious and detestable. He even learned the meaning behind his two-character name lacking a generation marker.
Yet he could push all of that aside. Because in this lifetime, he had a gentle mother. And he had a taciturn twin who alone didn’t repel his approach. He had also learned that those two colors he had glimpsed back in the womb were called white and gold.
In his past life, he had begged the heavens merely for a shred of pity, asking for just a single wish to be granted: to let him lay eyes on the world, or to have a single person willing to draw close to him and cherish him.
Therefore, Ji Ran grew increasingly able to let go of the fact that he was blind once more. Right now, he simply ate obediently, slept obediently, and waited to grow up fast.
Every single time everyone else fell asleep, Ji Ziyu would engage in small-scale cultivation. Having reached such heights in his past life, he naturally knew what kind of intensity suited this young body best. While cultivating, he also pondered how to fully integrate his two divine sparks as quickly as possible, reasoning that doing so might allow him to resolve Ji Ran’s vision problem.
As for external stimuli, unless it was necessary for growth, he ignored it entirely aside from Ji Ran, who persistently and somewhat anxiously clung to him, prompting Ji Ziyu to occasionally reach out a hand in response.
Thus, amidst an atmosphere that Xueyi Wright and the maids found utterly bizarre, the two boys slowly grew up.
011. Little Buns Record: The Talent Assessment (Part 1)
Another winter had arrived. This winter seemed exceptionally bitter, and the heavy snow made traveling virtually impossible. Reports of snow disasters poured in from numerous regions, leaving the Emperor of the Chuyun Empire, Ji Aotian, buried under a mountain of disaster reports every single day.
Having settled the major affairs for the day and dispatched various petitions to the ministers for their discretion, he leaned back in his chair and asked Huaide, “I just saw a memorial mentioning that it’s time for the Sixteenth’s talent assessment?”
Huaide hurriedly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. A few days have passed since the Sixteenth Prince’s birthday, but because Your Majesty has been occupied with the snow disaster, the matter wasn’t brought up.”
Holding a memorial in his hand, Ji Aotian remarked, “People merely kept it unsaid. Sixteenth…” He paused in thought for a moment before asking, “Did the Fifteenth miss hers as well?”
The flesh on Huaide’s face twitched imperceptibly before he lowered his head and answered, “The Fifteenth Princess was indeed supposed to be tested last year…”
After a long silence, seeing that Ji Aotian offered no reaction, Huaide grew even more nervous. Having served Ji Aotian since childhood, he knew the capricious nature of this sovereign.
Sure enough, Ji Aotian suddenly stated, “Since the matter for the Fifteenth was delayed, let’s make up for it now. How about this aren’t Xiao Shi-qi and Xiao Shi-ba due for their talent assessments next year anyway? Let’s hold them all together.”
Huaide desperately wanted to ask what kind of compensation that was. However, as a loyal servant, he would never question his master’s decisions: “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Come to think of it, Xiao Shi-qi and Xiao Shi-ba are nearly four years old now?” Ji Aotian stroked his chin. “They haven’t shown their faces before the court yet, have they?”
Huaide nodded. “Your Majesty, because the Eighteenth Prince is in extremely poor health and reportedly suffers from total congenital blindness, with physicians predicting he might not live past the age of ten, he has never left Zhaoxue Palace.” Huaide possessed a crystal-clear understanding of matters within the inner palace.. Hearing Ji Aotian’s inquiries, he naturally launched into a steady stream of explanations. “The Seventeenth Prince and Eighteenth Prince share a deep bond and the former constantly keeps him company, which is why they rarely attend public events.”
As for other reasons… Your Majesty, you haven’t visited Zhaoxue Palace in ages either, and Consort Xue hasn’t received your favor in quite some time.
However, Huaide would never utter those words aloud. Four years ago, Huaide had witnessed the birth; the Eighteenth Prince was a black-haired child~ Being a diligent servant, he naturally wouldn’t meddle in the private affairs of his masters.