In his youth, Li Ying was always by his mother’s side. She was a woman of extremely obsessive character.
Whether it was infiltrating the palace, seducing the Emperor, or even getting pregnant and giving birth, everything she did was for the sake of clearing her father’s name.
She didn’t care in the slightest what Li Ying thought. Her daily ritual was to repeat the same words in his ear, over and over.
"You must never forget how your grandparents died. You must avenge them."
Later, as her health deteriorated, she realized there was no hope of clearing her father’s name. In her despair, she became even more relentless in drilling the need for vengeance into Li Ying’s mind.
Li Ying’s entire childhood was steeped in this brainwashing, in this quest for vengeance.
He received no care, no affection.
After his mother’s death, his uncle, Wu Wang, began to look after him.
Wu Wang was just a carbon copy of his mother.
He, too, spent years drilling the idea of vengeance into Li Ying’s mind, day in and day out.
No matter how much Li Ying suffered, no matter how exhausted he became, it was all framed as preparation for his future revenge.
No one cared that he was just a child.
No one cared about his feelings.
Even Liang Yong, who seemed to diligently attend to his daily needs, was merely following Wu Wang’s orders.
He had never known gentleness, had no concept of warmth. That was why, when he met a little girl crying and begging him for protection, his heart had fluttered, and he had never forgotten her, even to this day.
Li Ying’s hands, hidden inside his sleeves, clenched into tight fists before slowly relaxing.
He placed his hands on his knees and slowly pushed himself to his feet.
Now, it was Hua Manman who had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
Li Ying looked down at her, his voice unhurried as he asked,
"The only reason you dare to speak to me this way is that you’re banking on the fact that I can’t bring myself to kill you, isn’t it?"
Hua Manman replied, "It’s not that you can’t bring yourself to do it, but that you *cannot* kill me.
After all, I still have value to you. And until you’ve squeezed every last drop of that value from me, you won’t let me die."
Li Ying said, "You see things too clearly."
Hua Manman broke into a smile. "Why, thank you for the compliment."
Li Ying continued, "You just said I’ve never been shown genuine care. In that case, why don’t you show me? Let me experience what ’genuine care’ feels like."
Hua Manman replied, "Apologies, but I’m a married woman. I can’t just go around handing out my care to anyone."
Li Ying said, "I know you must have had a reason for coming to the palace. If you can fulfill my request, I can help you achieve your goal."
’Hua Manman thought it over. The deal seemed quite profitable. She wouldn’t have to give up anything significant—just act as a temporary dispenser of warmth.’
So she agreed without a second thought.
"Deal!"
Li Ying had other matters to attend to and couldn’t stay long.
He left her with a simple, "I’ll come see you later," and strode out of Chaoyang Palace.
The great doors of Chaoyang Palace swung shut.
Only Hua Manman and Qing Huan remained inside.
Qing Huan couldn’t help but ask,
"Princess Consort... how could you... agree... to him? When the Prince... comes back... and finds out... about this... he’ll... definitely... be... furious."
Hua Manman gave a sly smile. "Then we just won’t tell the Prince. It’ll be our secret."
Qing Huan’s mood had been quite somber when they first arrived at the palace, but after witnessing Princess Consort Zhao’s outrageous antics, she actually found herself feeling much more relaxed.
She pursed her lips into a smile. "Alright. A secret it is."
Hua Manman led Qing Huan to the rear courtyard, only to discover that the two trees near the perimeter wall had been cut down.
There was nothing left near the wall, making it extremely difficult for an ordinary person to climb over.
Fortunately, Qing Huan knew martial arts.
She said she could scale the wall with ease.
Hua Manman glanced at the sky. "Let’s wait. We’ll make our move after dark. It’s too conspicuous in broad daylight; we’d be spotted easily."
’Although she had agreed to Li Ying’s deal, her own experience—and the lessons of history—told her that you could never rely on a single plan. To be foolproof, you needed backups.’
As the sky gradually darkened, Li Ying returned to Chaoyang Palace.
The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by the aroma of food.
Dishes were already laid out on the table, sent over from the Imperial Kitchen and still warm.
Hua Manman said with a wide smile, "You must be hungry, Prince? Quick, sit down and eat."
Li Ying seemed to be in a daze for a moment.
In the past, when he returned to his quarters after a long day, Liang Yong would also urge him to eat. But there was a world of difference between Liang Yong’s manner and Hua Manman’s.
The way Hua Manman acted felt more like... home. It brought an indescribable sense of comfort.
The two of them sat down at the table, facing each other.
Hua Manman first tasted every dish on the table. Only after she confirmed they were safe did Li Ying pick up his chopsticks.
A pregnant woman’s cravings change from one day to the next.
Lately, Hua Manman had a strong craving for sour and spicy food. She was especially fond of a dish of hot and sour fish fillets, which her chopsticks returned to again and again.
She asked while eating, "Want to try some? If you don’t hurry, I’m going to finish this whole plate of fish myself!"
Li Ying didn’t actually like fish. He’d choked on a fish bone as a child, and the experience had left a deep-seated fear.
But Hua Manman was eating with such gusto that Li Ying couldn’t resist picking up a slice of fish as well.
To avoid choking again, he carefully prodded the fillet with his chopsticks, picking out every single bone before finally taking a tentative bite.
It tasted alright, but nothing special.
Once she was mostly full, Hua Manman was finally in the mood for some idle chatter.
"Are you living in the palace these days?"
It wasn’t a secret, so Li Ying answered casually, "Yes."
Hua Manman asked, "So you’ll be leaving after dinner, right?"
Instead of answering, Li Ying retorted, "What? Are you afraid I’ll stay the night?"
Hua Manman admitted it freely.
"To be honest, I am a little afraid."
Li Ying said, "You’re pregnant. I wouldn’t do anything to you."
Hua Manman glared at him. "Are you saying that if I *weren’t* pregnant, you *would* do something to me?!"
Li Ying didn’t answer.
’Because he didn’t know the answer to that himself.’
Hua Manman rebuked him with righteous indignation.
"I am a married woman! This kind of behavior—trying to steal another man’s wife—is shameful! It’s immoral! You should be scorned for it!"
Li Ying said calmly, "I’ll kill anyone who dares to scorn me."
Hua Manman sighed. "TSK TSK TSK. Don’t be so bloodthirsty, young man. Here, have some chrysanthemum tea to cool your head."
She pushed a cup of chrysanthemum tea toward him.
Li Ying stared at the tea in the cup, then asked abruptly,
"You didn’t drug this tea, did you?"
Hua Manman pouted. "Fine, don’t drink it then."
With that, she picked up the cup, ready to drink it herself.
But Li Ying suddenly reached out and stopped her.
He took the cup from her hand and, right in front of her, slowly drank it all.
After he finished, nothing happened.
Hua Manman said, "I’m suddenly filled with regret. I should have drugged the tea."
Li Ying suddenly broke into laughter.
The smile softened his normally cold, unapproachable aura considerably.
...
This is not the end. The story is not over yet.