Either bla heaven and earth, or bla oneself.
A good life wasted like this, truly a pity.
The Third Prince before her, isn’t he just like that?
More than half a month and still bewildered.
But as for herself, she couldn’t care less about the Third Prince.
After all, she too is a person with a cold temperant.
All the affection she had, she gave to the Emperor and the Second Prince.
Even the other children in Yihua Palace could only earn her favor, but not her wholehearted care.
Thus, she adjusted her stance slightly.
She and Xiao Luzi ford a strategic encirclent.
If the Third Prince intended harm against the Second Prince, they could imdiately pull the Second Prince away.
The brothers, for the first ti, found themselves in reversed positions.
The once high and mighty Third Prince was now a tiger fallen from grace.
While the oft-overlooked Second Prince was rising higher and higher.
Looking at the elder brother he never cared to notice, the Third Prince’s thoughts grew more complex.
Annoyance, loathing, and a hint of envy.
On the other hand, the Second Prince never expected that in just half a month, the once arrogant younger brother would beco like this.
Originally not wanting to ddle, he couldn’t help but see his forr self in him.
Also closed off, unwilling to speak to outsiders.
Always feeling abandoned by the world.
But later, he encountered his mother, Lin Wanyi.
She appeared and saved that stubborn and gloomy self.
So, on his way to see the Third Prince, he earnestly hoped he could also erge from this ordeal.
He tempered his thoughts and began to speak softly.
"From birth, I was without a mother, always fostered in Lanfei Palace. How many tis I envied you and Ming Ruo back then, why you had soone to care for you, while I was like a wandering soul, so redundant. Even when you showed kindness to once or twice, I fiercely rejected it."
"At that ti, I felt all acts of goodwill were pity, so I did not accept them. I insisted on opposing you, as if that was the only way to prove my existence."
As he reached this point, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
But he soon found solace.
"I once believed there was no hope in life, awaiting death with a single-minded focus. Who knew heaven would be so benevolent, allowing to et my mother, the concubine, who gave hope, warmth, and taught this: If you do not cherish yourself, no one in this world can cherish you."
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince finally showed so reaction.
At least he looked up at the Second Prince, although his eyes were still filled with apprehension, his body had relaxed a little.
Seeing his words were effective, the Second Prince continued.
"The events of recent days would be monuntal for anyone, and I too have pondered whether, if in your shoes, I could accept such circumstances. The answer is no."
"I cannot accept my mother being soone else, cannot accept my maternal family deserting overnight, nor accept the shift from esteed to disregarded, the gazes and attitudes of others."
"But none of these should be reasons to give up on myself. If I were you, I would stand up, go outside, and see whether the world would descend into silence because of my despair, and see if those so-called rumors could truly bring down?"
"Little brother, you’ve been proficient in both literature and martial arts from a young age, striving to excel, but was it truly your own desire or others’ expectations that drove you? Have you truly understood?"
These words shattered the tightly wound nerves of the Third Prince.
The tears he had been holding back now flowed like a burst dam.
At this mont, perhaps even the Third Prince was unclear why he remained trapped in such emotions.
Was it fear of facing others outside?
Or the embarrassnt of falling from grace?
Or perhaps the dread of facing his father’s disapproving gaze?
All these emotions surged toward the Third Prince.
At this mont, he couldn’t help but bury his head and cry.
Disregarding everything else, he was but a seven-year-old child.
Just that, wrapped under imperial power, he was expected to be able to face any unforeseen circumstance.
Nanny Du, watching the Second Prince, looked on with a gaze full of relief.
She had known the Second Prince was wise beyond his years, but never expected him to articulate such profound insights.
Such capability, thankfully, he sought no claim to the Venerable Emperor’s throne.
Otherwise, it might have been another vicious fraternal feud.
The Fifth Prince was intelligent, but his intelligence was more about contentnt in favorable circumstances.
Unlike the Second Prince, who erged from thorns, holding a wisdom born of clarity.
Glancing around the room.
The caretakers of the Third Prince had long gone.
Thus, only the Second Prince, Nanny Du, and Xiao Luzi remained in the main chamber.
The three of them endured as the Third Prince cried for nearly an hour.
Until his voice grew hoarse, and the Third Prince slowly transitioned from wailing to sobbing.
The group stayed by his side, without uttering another word.
Allowing him to release all his pent-up emotions.
When the Third Prince’s eyes were swollen red like peaches, the two brothers for the first ti dropped their defenses and exchanged glances.
And it was then that the Third Prince truly felt a sliver of brotherly affection.
Recalling the words his mother said when she was still alive.
He found it sowhat laughable.
"The Emperor’s path is destined to be lonely; your brothers are re hindrances. Mother will make sure they are all dealt with, not impeding your future!"
But now, the mother who vowed to clear his path was gone.
The ones left to comfort him were ultimately those hindrances.
Thinking back to when he regarded them as obstacles to be dealt with upon ascending to power.
He felt deep sha.
"Second brother..."
The Third Prince’s voice was hoarse from crying, managing to utter a sentence that finally put them at ease.
"Alright, you’ve cried enough, thrown enough tantrums, it’s ti to stand up and think about how to live the days ahead."
How to live?
The thought of it brought sorrow to the Third Prince.
A forsaken Prince, how could he live?
He could almost foresee the groveling life he must endure in the palace ahead.
Yet what could he do?
Seeing the Third Prince in such a state, the Second Prince quickly understood.
He found his own way, thanks to the care of his mother, Lin Wanyi.
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