41

Just like Guzi had informed Nie Huanzhang and Feng Yuan, Zhou Chuyu went to the outskirt of the city to bid farewell to Zhou Chuqi. He arrived early and sat in a roadside tea pavilion, sipping tea. Four burly men stood guard around him. Soon Zhou Chuqi arrived with Uncle Zhao and Guzi. Two brothers embraced, shedding tears upon their reunion. Zhou Chuqi inquired:

"What's going on? Is is related to that prince?"

"Chuqi, don't say anything. He won't let me go."

"No, I can't let you stay here alone. If you stay..."

"Chuqi, he will threaten me even more if you stay here, including our parents. He knows everything about our family so please tell me what I can do."

"So I can't let you face this alone. Let me stay with you."

"Chuqi, don't say silly things. Right now, I just want to save whoever I can. I secretly had Uncle Zhao send a letter home yesterday, asking them to leave quickly. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Chuyu, doing this will put you at risk and you...."

Zhou Chuqi dared not speak about the kind of fate that awaited Zhou Chuyu, who sadly said: 

"Zhou Wangshi is already died. Chuyu is just a walking corpse. Chuqi, forget about me. You don't have a brother like me."

"Chuyu, don't think like this. You're my good brother forever. There must be a solution. I'll go and find Huanzhang. Yes, you have Huanzhang and you like him, right?"

The pain pierced Zhou Chuyu's heart and he replied sadly:

"Chuqi, when you meet Mr. Nie, please tell him to forget about me. I have died. Don't let him take risks. Do you understand? Please don't let him take any risk for me because I am not worth it. Chuqi, stop talking anymore and go quickly. Hurry up! Go to the western. Go to Liangzhou and seek help from the Eldest Prince. He will help you."

After saying , he urged Zhou Chuqi, who, with tears in his eyes, mounted his horse. However Zhou Chuqi reluctantly looked back at Zhou Chuyu. Zhou Chuyu had already knelt down, even bowing down in submission. Zhou Chuqi saw that Zhou Chuyu on the ground prostrating himself, trembling all over, as if he were crying. Uncle Zhao said:

"Sir, it is better for you to leave as quickly as possible. If you don't leave, Master Chouyu won't get up."

Zhou Chuqi had no choice but to pat his horse and gallop away. 

Zhou Chuyu remained in the same position, lying on the ground without any change. He continued to tremble all over even after Zhou Chuqi had ridden away for a long time. After a while, the four men, fearing that something might happen, approached. After all, they had heard that this boy had just recovered from a serious illness and had come here. One of the men said gently:

"Mr. Zhou, it's getting late. We should go home."

Zhou Chuyu was still trembling, but his posture remained unchanged. One of the men lightly touched Zhou Chuyu, and only then did he slowly lift his head. However, this sight startled the four men. Zhou Chuyu's face was covered in fresh blood, with two deep intersecting bloodstains on his face. Blood continued to flow outward and his lips were also bleeding, indicating that he had bitten them because of pain. His eyes were lifeless, lacking the lively spirit of the past. There was a hint of a smile in the bloodstained corner of his mouth as he looked at four alarmed individuals. It sent shivers down their spines.

Yuhong Xun was both furious and helpless. He had expected that Zhou Chuyu, who seemed be weak and adorable, would cause such trouble. To prevent any suicidal actions by Zhou Chuyu, Yuhong Xun personally searched his body completely. Surprisingly, he discovered that Zhou Chuyu had taken a porcelain cup from a roadside tea stall, secretly smashed it and used the ceramic shards to disfigure his face. Looking at Zhou Chuyu, who was already asleep on the bed, he reflected on his own life.

In fact, he was born a normal and healthy child. His mother, the crown princess at that time, initially kept him in her palace, claiming he had a weak constitution to protect him from any potential harm. As the age of two, she began teaching him to read and write. Unable to hold the quill properly because he was too young, his handwriting naturally suffered. Instead of receiving comfort and encouragement from his mother, he would hear, "Why are you so stupid?" followed by a slap on his hand with a ruler. He envied his eldest brother, Yuhong Xuan, who could grow up freely, studying when he wanted and training Kung Fu at his will. While Yuhong Xuan studied and played freely with his companions in the palace, Yuhong Xun would occasionally sneak out to join them, only to face reprimands upon his return. Yes, his mother educated him according to the standards of a future emperor because his mother was the legitimate wife of his father, the Crown Prince. Despite disliking the endless lessons, he diligently studied, except for one thing, Kung fu. His mother granted him permission for Kung fu and he was delighted, unable to sleep at night. However, he lacked talent and was not cut out for Kung fu, only managing basic exercises. So it was impossible for him to be a person with knowledge and kung fu like his eldest brother, Yuhong Xuan. 

As he grew older, he became tired of the never-ending courses. So he began feigning illness to avoid writing and pretended to have stomachaches to evade reading. Over time, the image of the frail Second Prince became ingrained among the people and he found satisfaction in manipulating those around him. The outward weakness earned him sympathy and he interacted with others kindly and friendly for the sake of his reputation. So he had to suppress himself outside but behind closed doors, he vented his frustration on those close to him, reveling in their pain and cries.

He started having sex at the age of 14. He felt that this feeling was very wonderful. He liked it, especially watching those women shouting under him made him even more excited. But his mother strictly restricted his sexual intercourse and put several of his women whom he liked was either killed or sent away. He was married to a woman, chosen by his mother, early and around him were mostly eunuchs. Because he was not satisfied with sexual intercourse, he slowly turned his attention to the delicate-looking eunuchs around him. After a few times, he found that it was more exciting to sex with these eunuchs but these eunuchs couldn't stand his rough tossing so they suggested to him to raise the younger boys in the mansion. He likes those cute and clever boys. Some even flattered him and talked sweet words to please him, which made him happy. That was the reason that he couldn't help but think to get Zhou Chuyu when he saw him. He was attracts by Zhou Chuyu's cute and sweet expression. But he was not interested in those boys and women who were like zombies and fainted when they had made love with him. It even made him so angry that he used his whip to beat them continuously, resulting in four or five persons died under his whip. 

But there was one thing that made him extremely angry, that was, the cause of his mother, Queen Lai's death. It had been a lingering doubt in his mind. Queen Lai died suddenly when Yuhong Xun was 20 years old. At that time, he had already established his own mansion. The news he received was that his mother died of a sudden illness. Although he was somewhat afraid of his mother and didn't even like her, she was still his mother. So, he discreetly inquired about the matter. He discovered that everyone in her mother's palace had been punished and even the imperial doctors remained silent. The incident with Concubine Xian's poison, Yuhong Xun took advantage of this situation, firstly by detaining Zhou Chuqi to threaten Zhou Chuyu. Secondly he approached Dr. Du to inquire the cause of Queen Lai's death. When Queen Lai died, Dr. Du had initially offered some insights but later chose to remain silent. In a secret meeting, Yuhong Xun questioned Dr. Du his suspicions. The answer he received was Dr. Du had detected a foul smell from Queen Lai's mouth, a symptom of poisoning, at that time. However, he was quickly silenced and when asked who had silenced him, he only said it was from higher authorities. This revelation stunned Yuhong Xun. Apart from his own father, who else would have the audacity? So he secretly approached some elderly eunuchs under the pretext of caring about their retired lives but actually to investigate the matter while he had chatted with them. By piecing together all the information, he concluded that his mother had died because of a wrongdoing and his father, the Emperor, had given her poisoned wine. However, externally it was declared as a sudden illness. But what exactly had his mother done to deserve being poisoned by his father? He wanted to know. To uncover these details, he had no inquire within the Lai family. This was something he detested the most. He disliked the relatives of his mother, who were all arrogant and self-important, lacking in both knowledge and skill. They exploited their identity as the queen's family and ended up with mere official positions, lacking real power. Ever his advisors were reluctant to involve them in affairs, fearing their stupid. Finally, he learned the reason when he promised his uncle, upon his ascension, the position of the Prime Minister. Xun got his answer: His mother had colluded with his younger uncle, Yuhong Zan, the sixth brother of his father. They had sexed each other secretly and his fifth brother, Yuhong Zhen, was likely the child of both. His father had endured it, acknowledged the son, put the mother to death and confined Yuhong Zan. Learning this reason, Yuhong Xun was filled with both anger towards his mother and had a sense of distance from the throne. However, he was unwilling to accept it. He would strive for it, even by any means necessary. After all, that was his goal!