Song recommendation [ Bloody Mary: Lady Gaga]
The eunuchs appeared by Hu Bai’s side the moment he stepped out of the throne room. At their head was He Lian, a man in his late forties who looked no older than thirty. He had served as Hu Bai’s head butler since the day the prince was born.
"You must not move your mother to anger," He Lian said carefully. "The freedom you hold on to so dearly was given to you by her own decree."
Hu Bai stopped and turned to face him.
One might have expected the sight of a familiar face from his childhood to soften his expression, but instead, seeing He Lian only made his mood worsen.
"I gave myself my freedom. If my mother thinks she has a hold on me, then she is surely mistaken."
His gaze settled coldly on He Lian.
"Be warned. I am only here for my own amusement. If you move me to anger, unlike my mother, I will not hesitate to kill you."
He stepped past He Lian as though the man were nothing more than a housefly he wished to swat away.
He Lian’s expression remained composed, though the eunuchs behind him grew visibly tense.
"Your mother asks that you stay the night and spend some time with your siblings. Ninth Prince Huixin has been patiently waiting for you."
Hu Bai finally spared He Lian and the other eunuchs a glance.
He flicked his robes and appeared to consider the suggestion before asking, "Has my courtyard been cleaned?"
He Lian nodded. No one would dare leave the Third Prince’s quarters untended. No one knew when Hu Bai would return, so the maids cleaned Tian-Kuo Courtyard every day as though he were still living there.
"The maids have been very diligent in maintaining Tian-Kuo Courtyard. It is practically brand new."
Hu Bai looked toward the inner palace. He supposed he could stay for the night and see the few siblings who genuinely cared about him. Huixin, in particular, had been waiting for him, and Hu Bai had no desire to disappoint the boy.
"There is no need to escort me. I know the way to my quarters."
The eunuchs hesitated but did not press him.
They knew better.
The inner palace was vast, and as Hu Bai walked through it, memories from his childhood occasionally surfaced. Back then, the palace walls had seemed impossibly high, the corridors endless and the buildings enormous.
Now, those same walls seemed smaller.
The male children’s living quarters occupied the western side of the inner palace, while the female children’s quarters were situated toward the south.
After a long walk, Hu Bai finally stopped before a familiar courtyard.
Tian-Kuo Courtyard was just as he remembered it: quiet, secluded, and almost completely devoid of life. It suited him perfectly.
He had never cared for sitting around drinking tea with his siblings or receiving endless visitors, so he had made certain that his residence remained a place where he could be left alone.
"I do not miss this place," Hu Bai murmured, looking at the familiar entrance. "But I suppose I can spend one night here for Xinxin’s sake."
Bai Huixin was the ninth child and the youngest of the empress’s sons. At thirteen, he had spent much of his childhood with Hu Bai, and his attachment to his third brother ran deeper than ordinary sibling affection.
To Huixin, Hu Bai had always been the older brother he admired most.
Hu Bai stepped into Tian-Kuo Courtyard. The familiar silence immediately surrounded him. Everything was spotless. The furniture remained where he had left it, the gardens had been maintained, and even the smallest details of the courtyard appeared untouched.
The palace had preserved the residence so carefully that it almost seemed as though he had only left yesterday.
Hu Bai walked farther inside, his gaze sweeping over the familiar surroundings.
He had once spent countless days here, hiding from palace affairs and the endless expectations that came with being the Third Prince.
He had never cared for the palace. Too many eyes upon him, too many protocols, and too many courtiers who smiled with duplicity while gauging what they could extract from him.
The only pleasant memories he had of this place were the ones involving Huixin.
As though summoned by the thought, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.
"Third Brother!"
A young voice rang through the courtyard. A thirteen-year-old boy came rushing toward him, his robes slightly disheveled from moving too quickly. The moment Huixin saw him, his entire face lit up.
"Third Brother, you really came back!"
Hu Bai’s cold expression softened. "Xinxin."
Huixin stopped in front of him, looking him over with barely concealed excitement. "I thought you might leave again."
"I only returned today."
"That is why I said you might leave again."
Hu Bai’s lips curved faintly, the barest twitch at the corners of his mouth. "You have not changed."
Huixin grinned in return, after five long months of separation. His third brother had finally returned home. "Neither have you."
Hu Bai raised an eyebrow, stepping further into the courtyard, the gate closing behind them. "That is clearly false."
Huixin stared at him for a moment before laughing. "You look the same to me."
"That is because you have terrible judgment."
Huixin laughed again, his earlier worry disappearing. For a moment, the palace felt almost peaceful.
Hu Bai looked at his youngest brother and remembered the little boy who had once followed him everywhere. Huixin had been the only one among his younger siblings who never approached him for any agenda.
He had wanted to be around his third brother.
"Did Mother tell you to wait for me?"
Huixin’s smile faded slightly. "He Lian told me you were coming."
"I see."
Huixin’s eyes immediately moved to the faint blood at the corner of Hu Bai’s mouth.
His expression changed. "Third Brother, what happened to your face?"
"Nothing."
"There is blood near your lips." Huixin’s expression turned serious, for his brother to get injured then he must have clashed with someone’s powerful.
"I am aware." Hu Bai sighed. If Li Yan were here with him, he would have used the opportunity to score some affection points from him. How nice it would be to be taken care of by such a pretty person.
"Did Mother hurt you?" Huixin asked, he seemed to have reached a verdict on the culprit.
Hu Bai’s expression remained calm. He did not offer him an answer. He believed Huixin was smart enough to know the answer without him responding.
Huixin’s hands tightened into fists. "She did."
"Xinxin."
"She did, did she not? Mother is a tyrant."
Hu Bai sighed. "You should be careful with your words."
"You say that, but she keeps doing this to you."
Hu Bai reached out and lightly flicked his forehead.
Hu Bai had done it lightly but it was enough to send Huixin back by two steps "Ouch."
"You are thirteen. Do not involve yourself in matters you cannot change."
Huixin rubbed his forehead and frowned. "You always say that."
"Because you keep forgetting."
"I am old enough to understand when someone is being mistreated."
Hu Bai looked at him for a moment, then he smiled faintly. "And I am old enough to know when my little brother is trying to act older than he is."
Huixin’s face reddened. "I am not little."
"You came running the moment you heard I had arrived."
"That is because I missed you."
The answer came so naturally that Hu Bai fell silent.
Huixin looked away, suddenly embarrassed by his own honesty.
Hu Bai’s expression softened. "I missed you too."
Huixin looked back at him, his eyes brightening. "Then stay tonight."
"I will. That is why I am here."
"Really?"
"Really..."
Huixin smiled so widely that Hu Bai almost laughed.
The boy had grown considerably, but there were still traces of the child who used to follow him through the palace.
Hu Bai stepped farther into the courtyard, now close to the entrance of the house. "Come inside. Tell me what you have been doing while I was away."
Huixin immediately followed him. The two entered the main hall, where tea and refreshments had already been prepared. Hu Bai took his usual seat while Huixin sat across from him, still looking pleased that his brother had agreed to remain for the night.
"I have been cultivating seriously," Huixin announced.