Lu Jinghan was caught off guard by a kick, falling to his knees as he pleaded, “Please calm your anger, sir.”
The eunuch grabbed his ear: “Sneaking off to slack in the side hall while work in the backyard remains unfinished—have you grown the courage of a bear and leopard?”
He used tremendous force. Lu Jinghan felt a sharp pain in his ear, soon followed by a warm, wet sensation.
Seeing him powerless to resist only delighted the eunuch further. After years of serving their masters and swallowing humiliation, having a prince—even a fallen one—completely at his mercy felt immensely gratifying.
Others in the hall watched the spectacle unfold.
Qiuhua, seeing blood trickling from his torn ear, felt a pang of compassion and moved to intervene, but was stopped by Chunlan: “He’s just a servant anyway, and it’s not a serious injury. Why bother? If the young lady finds out, she might even scold him.”
Though her eyes showed reluctance, Qiuhua held back.
The scent of blood filled Lu Jinghan’s nostrils. Biting his lower lip, a strange sensation surged within him.
If only he could kill everyone here!
But he was too weak.
Utterly incapable.
Yet the thought of climbing to the highest position, draining every last drop of their blood, and hanging their corpses from the eaves like wind chimes—the image felt intoxicatingly beautiful.
Excitement and longing tinted his eyes crimson.
When Zhao Qingning entered, this was the scene that greeted her: Lu Jinghan forced to his knees, bullied by a eunuch, blood still flowing.
“Stop this at once!” she roared.
Her furious shout sent everyone in the hall scrambling to bow and retreat.
The eunuch, recognizing who had arrived, trembled and dropped to his knees: “Greetings, young lady.”
Half of Lu Jinghan’s face felt numb, but he ignored the pain: “This humble servant pays—”
Before he could finish, Zhao Qingning yanked him to his feet and, unable to restrain herself, slapped the eunuch hard across the face. “How dare you lay a hand on someone under my protection?!”
The eunuch kowtowed repeatedly. “This lowly one deserves punishment.”
She was livid. She had just resolved to support Lu Jinghan, and here he was being abused by a eunuch.
“Get out!”
The eunuch scrambled away in panic. Zhao Qingning turned her glare toward Qiuhua and the others. “Are the two of you dead? You stood by and watched him get beaten?”
Hadn’t she explicitly instructed them to look after Lu Jinghan before she left?
Hearing the fury in her tone, both hurriedly begged for mercy. “Please calm your anger, young lady.”
Zhao Qingning warned, “Do not let this happen again.”
She was no saint—she simply wanted to avoid a tragic ending for herself. There was no reason to be polite to everyone.
Qiuhua replied respectfully, “Yes, this maid will never repeat the offense.”
Being cast out by the young lady meant being sold off—a fate worse than death.
Resentment toward Chunlan simmered within her; if not for her interference, she wouldn’t have been blamed.
Chunlan, equally terrified, didn’t dare lift her head.
Zhao Qingning turned her gaze to Lu Jinghan, her eyes softening with pity.
Blood streamed from the base of his ear, dripping down his neck.
No wonder he grew so twisted later—what child subjected to such cruelty wouldn’t become disturbed?
“This must hurt terribly,” she murmured, pressing a handkerchief gently to stanch the bleeding. “Send for a physician, quickly.”
Qiuhua hurried out to comply.
Lu Jinghan instinctively stepped back. “Do not trouble yourself, young lady. This servant no longer feels any pain.”
“Must you keep calling yourself ‘this servant’?” Zhao Qingning sighed. “It gives me a headache. And with this much blood, who are you trying to fool by saying it doesn’t hurt?”
No sooner had she spoken than he dropped to his knees again. “This servant deserves blame.”
“…”
Zhao Qingning was furious. “Lu Jinghan, get up right now!”
He remained motionless.
Chunlan looked around in confusion. “Miss, who are you calling? And who is Lu Jinghan?”
“Who else would I be calling?” Zhao Qingning snapped irritably.
She paused, pointing at the figure on the ground. “Isn’t that his name?”
It couldn’t be—she couldn’t have mistaken his identity.
Chunlan replied, “Miss, you must be joking. Lu is the imperial surname, far too noble for the likes of him.”
“Then what is his name?”
“This servant doesn’t know, but everyone calls him Little Wild Seed.”
Listening to their conversation, Lu Jinghan’s expression remained completely unchanged.
Those three words—Little Wild Seed—had followed him for ten years.
Indeed, they might as well be his name.
Zhao Qingning was stunned.
So all these years, he hadn’t even had a proper name.
Her emotions were complex, but in the end, she said nothing. She forcibly pulled him up and made him sit on a soft cushion, then ordered Chunlan to fetch hot water. She wiped the blood from his wounds and quickly changed him into fresh clothes—still servant’s attire, but far better than what he had been wearing.
Qiuhua brought the physician inside. After an examination, the physician applied medicine to Lu Jinghan’s injuries. Only after repeated assurances that he was not seriously hurt did Zhao Qingning finally relax.
“Keep this safe. Remember to use it every day—it will help your wounds heal.”
She placed the medicinal powder in his palm. Lu Jinghan’s expression was indifferent, as if the injuries weren’t his own. “This slave—”
“Stop,” Zhao Qingning cut him off sharply. “From today onward, in my presence, you are not to kneel casually, nor are you to refer to yourself as a slave. If you misspeak even once, I will punish you each time.”
He paused briefly before replying softly, “I understand.”
After a moment’s thought, she decided to give him a name for the time being.
After all, Lu was the imperial surname, and since he hadn’t yet ascended the throne, he couldn’t be called Lu Jinghan.
“From now on, your name is Xiao Jiu.”
He was the ninth among the princes, so this name wouldn’t raise suspicion.
Lu Jinghan lifted his gaze, about to speak, but met Zhao Qingning’s warning glare. He swallowed hard and held back the word “slave.” “Yes.”
Seeing this, she was finally satisfied and smiled.
Noticing her smile, Lu Jinghan stood up. “Miss, I should return now.”
Zhao Qingning was taken aback. “? Go where?”
“There is still work in the rear courtyard. I must finish it.”
He didn’t let Zhao Qingning’s words go to his head, still firmly placing himself in the position of a servant.
“There are so many servants—it won’t matter if you’re not there.”
Zhao Qingning hadn’t expected him to say this and immediately declared, “You don’t need to do those tasks anymore.”
Lu Jinghan had no choice but to comply.
To prevent him from being bullied again, Zhao Qingning decided to escort him back personally.
But when they reached the rear courtyard, she was dumbfounded.
Piles of laundry and dirty bowls were heaped everywhere, clearly waiting for him to return and wash them.
What shocked her even more was that Lu Jinghan’s “living quarters” were nothing more than a pile of wild grass hastily spread in a corner, with the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed.
Even the guard dogs had kennels, but he had none.
What truly made her breath catch was the steward eunuch, who hurried over to greet her and asked if she was satisfied with the arrangements for the Little Wild Seed.
It was only then that Zhao Qingning realized the reason he lived worse than a dog was because the original host had specifically ordered it.
No wonder she had died so miserably in the end—she truly deserved it.
“Quickly prepare a room for Xiao Jiu to live in,” Zhao Qingning commanded sternly.
The steward eunuch was momentarily confused. “May I ask, miss, who is Xiao Jiu?”
Without expression, she pointed at Lu Jinghan.
She deliberately brought this up precisely to eliminate the title of “Little Wild Seed.”
The steward eunuch couldn’t understand why the Little Wild Seed’s brief outing had caused this young mistress to change her attitude.
But he followed his master’s instructions to the letter.
Soon, the room was tidied up, complete with all necessary items.
She sternly looked at the steward eunuch: “From now on, he doesn’t need to do any work here. And if I find out anyone bullies him…”
Before she could finish, the steward eunuch understood her meaning and hurriedly responded: “Rest assured, this servant will handle it perfectly.”
Only then was Zhao Qingning satisfied: “See if you like it?”
She had considered sending him back to the palace, but the palace was even darker. He might be worse off there than here, where she could rush to his side if anything happened.
Lu Jinghan’s tone carried some gratitude: “I like it. Thank you, Miss.”
Though he said this, his heart remained unmoved, and he maintained his vigilance toward Zhao Qingning.
Perhaps her kindness was just an illusion—she might have other motives.
Did she want to kill him or toy with him?
But Lu Jinghan didn’t care about these things.
His life was worthless; having such a place to stay was already great treatment, something he wouldn’t have dared to imagine before.
Hearing the gratitude in his words, Zhao Qingning felt encouraged.
It seemed she was a step further from her tragic ending.
After finishing all this, it was time for school to end.
Zhao Qingning prepared to return home, reminding him before she left to wait for her at the side hall tomorrow.
Watching her walk away, Lu Jinghan’s expression remained calm, devoid of joy or sorrow, as he turned and entered the room.
Grand Princess Manor.
Returning home, Zhao Qingning felt utterly exhausted.
Just as she was about to rest properly, the door opened and Qiuhua entered: “Miss, Her Highness wants you to come over.”
Zhao Qingning had to get up. When she arrived at the main hall, she saw Yongjia seated at the head.
She bowed in greeting: “Greetings, Mother…”
Yongjia angrily smashed a cup: “You wretched girl, kneel down!”
Zhao Qingning: “???”
Had she done anything wrong today?