When He Heng arrived at the Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Fu Yunwei was in the elegant room on the second floor, brewing tea and enjoying the aroma.
The moment he saw He Heng, Fu Yunwei set down the tea bowl in his hand and flashed a somewhat suggestive smile, calling out, “Lord He.”
However, the man standing before him remained completely unmoved, merely casting a sidelong glance and nodding slightly, offering no further acknowledgment.
This dismissive attitude stirred unwarranted anger within Fu Yunwei. He wondered if He Heng truly regarded his position as the National Teacher too highly. Even when conversing with the Crown Prince, He Heng acted like a mute.
He Heng, however, remained oblivious to Fu Yunwei’s discontent. He continued to maintain his icy demeanor and, following the attendants’ assistance, took a seat opposite Fu Yunwei.
His every movement seemed unusually natural, as if he wasn’t here to meet the current Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, but rather sitting in his own home enjoying tea.
After locking eyes with the man’s profound and unreadable gaze, Fu Yunwei suddenly entertained a daring speculation.
Since he was now dressed as the Crown Prince, where was the original Crown Prince?
Looking at He Heng’s arrogant and indifferent demeanor, could it be that he was the original Crown Prince?
Ever since the drowning incident a month ago, He Heng seemed to have become everyone’s perception of his original self—the person who emerged from a backward fishing village, rose through the ranks to become a third-tier local official, and eventually married a princess. However, in Fu Yunwei’s understanding, he was acutely aware that the person before him was not “himself.”
Firstly, they looked completely different, and secondly, his original name wasn’t “He Heng.”
Fu Yunwei couldn’t comprehend what was happening, why he woke up to inexplicably find himself dressed as the Crown Prince, and why someone with a completely different appearance and stature had taken over his “self.”
However, the joy of realizing that he had become the Crown Prince far outweighed his confusion because it brought him one step closer to the power and status he desired.
Fu Yunwei didn’t want to delve further into the reasons behind all this; he preferred to attribute it to the influence of the mermaid’s eyes.
After entertaining the idea that He Heng might be the original Crown Prince, Fu Yunwei felt that his plan to win over the other party had gained a bit more certainty.
With this in mind, he tentatively asked, “Lord He, does this place seem familiar to you?”
At the question, He Heng swept his gaze around, eventually locking eyes with Fu Yunwei. For some reason, despite the lack of any emotional fluctuations in his deep chestnut eyes, it sent an inexplicable shiver down people’s spines.
After a moment, He Heng responded with a casual “Hmm.”
This reaction from He Heng further confirmed Fu Yunwei’s earlier speculation.
So, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice to ask, “Lord He, do you remember me?”
At the question, He Heng raised an eyebrow. “Have we met before?”
If they had met before, Fu Yunwei shouldn’t be sitting across from him drinking tea at this moment; instead, he should be staying underground.
Fu Yunwei, assuming He Heng was also playing word games, decided to be straightforward.
“Perhaps you have a forgetful memory. Just about two months ago, when I presented the mermaid’s eyes to the palace, the Crown Prince should have been by the Emperor’s side.”
After saying this, he smiled at He Heng, awaiting his response.
However, He Heng didn’t answer the question. Instead, he silently picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and lowered his head.
When he heard the mention of the “mermaid’s eyes”, his fingers tightened around the edge of the cup. Although He Heng’s tea-handling remained steady, there was a subtle movement in the water inside the cup as he set it down.
Seeing He Heng completely ignore his words, Fu Yunwei felt frustrated inside. However, he couldn’t express his displeasure openly and had to swallow his pride, giving himself an excuse,
“I suppose the Crown Prince is busy on a regular basis, meeting many people. It’s normal not to remember everyone.”
Simultaneously, he muttered to himself in his heart, thinking that this Crown Prince was nothing more than an ambitious fool without brains. All he needed was to convince him to form an alliance, and once he smoothly ascended to the throne, he could easily kick him aside.
But at that moment, He Heng suddenly looked up, scanned the surroundings, and cast a few glances at the servants standing by the door, including Fu Yunwei.
In the end, He Heng pointed towards the corridor outside, “If you want to negotiate with me, let’s go out and talk.”
Fu Yunwei assumed he had been pretending to be deaf and dumb earlier for the sake of privacy, so without much thought, he nodded and got up, heading towards the corridor outside.
As the servants pushed open the heavy door, a refreshing breeze welcomed them from the corridor.
In order to have a private conversation with He Heng, Fu Yunwei dismissed all the servants, instructing them to wait in the first-floor hall.
The moment he heard the heavy closing sound of the wooden door behind him, Fu Yunwei walked to the railing, glanced down at the scene below the Eastern Palace, and then turned to face He Heng.
“He—”
However, before he could even utter a complete syllable, he found himself slammed against the railing.
Fu Yunwei unconsciously let out a cry of pain, “Ah!”
In the split second the door closed, He Heng delivered a direct punch to his face.
Since entering the Eastern Palace gates, He Heng had been holding back, enduring, biding his time for this opportunity alone with Fu Yunwei.
As He Heng looked at Fu Yunwei’s face, all he could think about was the image of him digging out Qiao Ran’s eyes.
In that moment, he wished nothing more than to tear Fu Yunwei apart.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Fu Yunwei, now coming to his senses, realized he had fallen into a trap.
However, in terms of physical combat, Fu Yunwei was clearly no match for He Heng. Coupled with the initial disadvantage in momentum, Fu Yunwei had no choice but to scramble away from the railing, heading towards the wall closer to the inner hall.
Yet, He Heng had no intention of letting Fu Yunwei off easily. He extended his leg in a sweep, kicking towards him and causing Fu Yunwei to stumble.
As Fu Yunwei, in a panicked attempt to rise, was trying to use the white wall as support, He Heng delivered another punch directly towards him. Instinctively, Fu Yunwei turned his head to avoid it.
With a resounding “bang!” sound, a large crack appeared in the wall. Although He Heng’s punch didn’t land on Fu Yunwei’s face due to his evasive action, the impact on the wall beside him was significant. The wall had a gaping hole, dented and shattered, with debris falling down, creating a loud and intense shattering noise.
In that moment, cold sweat dripped down Fu Yunwei’s forehead as he observed the restrained anger between the closely knit brows of the man before him. In his heart, he couldn’t help but silently remark:
I thought he was a mute who couldn’t speak. Who would have thought he was a violent maniac?
Without giving Fu Yunwei any time to react, He Heng grabbed his collar and slammed him against the railing.
The railing of the palace corridor wasn’t particularly high, and with both of them being tall men, nearly reaching two meters in height, the railing only came up to their waists.
At this moment, He Heng, gripping Fu Yunwei’s collar, pressed him against the railing. More than half of Fu Yunwei’s body hung over the railing, and the cold wind from the height continuously rushed into his collar.
In this position, with a little more force from He Heng, Fu Yunwei would shatter into pieces from the fall.
He was being choked by He Heng, struggling to breathe. He desperately tried to wrestle with He Heng’s arm in a last-ditch attempt to resist.
In that moment, Fu Yunwei saw an undisguised hatred in He Heng’s deep chestnut eyes. It was the first time he realized, with a sense of horror, that He Heng truly wanted him dead.
As He Heng looked at the person before him, memories of everything Qiao Ran had endured surged again, overpowering his rationality. In his rage, he was about to throw Fu Yunwei over the railing.
However, just as he was about to do so, footsteps echoed from afar on the corridor, “Da! Da! Da!”
“What are you doing?” Fu Yunyu’s voice reached them.
As she walked onto the second-floor corridor, she witnessed He Heng attempting to push the “Crown Prince” from the second floor.
A moment ago, her subordinates had reported to her that He Heng had privately gone to the Eastern Palace to meet Fu Yunwei. So, she quickly dispatched someone to follow him.
Upon arriving, Fu Yunyu witnessed the scene unfolding before her.
Seeing this, she quickly instructed her subordinates to pull He Heng back.
Fu Yunyu was indifferent to the life or death of this impostor Crown Prince. Her concern was that she didn’t want He Heng to act so impulsively. She knew that it was not the right time to make a move, and even if they were to act, it couldn’t be so brazen.
The old emperor hadn’t completely lost his sanity yet, and he would never allow such internal conflicts. If the Crown Prince were to die and upset the current delicate balance, the other princes would likely start causing trouble.
In the moment her subordinates restrained He Heng, Fu Yunwei, gasping for breath, crawled back into the room, shouting for help.
After being pulled back, He Heng appeared visibly displeased. He angrily pushed away the people holding him and walked out of the Eastern Palace alone.
Once outside the hall, Fu Yunyu couldn’t help but call out to him, “If he had fallen from the second floor just now, do you think you would have walked out of here alive?”
There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
“I saved you, and now you’re angry with me?”
At Fu Yunyu’s words, He Heng turned his gaze towards her but remained silent. He clenched his fingers, and his right hand, injured from smashing against the wall, continued to drip blood.
Fu Yunyu noticed the scattered crimson on the ground. It was the first time she had seen He Heng so impulsive, as if he had transformed into a different person.
Earlier, he had advised her to remain calm, yet he couldn’t control his own impulsiveness.
With this in mind, Fu Yunyu took a few steps forward, leaning in close to his ear as she spoke,
“Even if you want to kill him, you can’t do it so brazenly. Besides, Qiao Ran’s eyes are still in his possession. If he dies, can you guarantee that you’ll still find the mermaid’s eyes?”
After uttering those words, Fu Yunyu left with her people without looking back.
When He Heng returned to the Lin Yuan Pavilion, he deliberately made his footsteps light. He didn’t want Qiao Ran to see him in such an emotionally unstable state.
Still immersed in the anger from earlier, he unconsciously quickened his pace, paying little attention to the path ahead. As a result, when he was walking back to his room, he collided with the little mermaid, who had already changed into dry clothes and come ashore.
“Oops!”
The little mermaid bumped into the man, lost his balance, and was about to fall to the side. Fortunately, He Heng quickly reacted, pulling him into his arms.
Sensing the familiar aura, Qiao Ran immediately realized that He Heng had returned.
“Da Zhu? You’re back?” Qiao Ran greeted.
He Heng raised his hand, intending to write “Yes” in the palm of Qiao Ran’s hand. However, he discovered that the wound at the joints of his right hand was still bleeding, and the pain was so intense that he couldn’t bend his fingers.
So, he switched to his left hand and awkwardly wrote the characters in Qiao Ran’s palm. After some effort, he managed to form a somewhat legible “Yes.”
The image of He Heng smashing the wall with a single punch seemed powerful at the time, but now, with only his left hand available for writing, he appeared somewhat awkward.
However, Qiao Ran immediately sensed something unusual. Even though he couldn’t see, he could feel the low pressure radiating from He Heng’s body.
“Da Zhu, why are you suddenly using your left hand to write?” Qiao Ran inquired, reaching out to touch He Heng’s right arm.
To prevent Qiao Ran from touching his injured arm, He Heng instinctively recoiled, pulling his right hand behind him to conceal any signs of discomfort from the little mermaid.
However, the little mermaid was persistent. He reached out and tried to pull down He Heng’s right shoulder to investigate, “What happened to your right hand?”
Seeing this, He Heng took a slight step back.
As a result, Qiao Ran, holding He Heng’s hand, stumbled due to the sudden movement. He almost fell, and now, He Heng couldn’t avoid Qiao Ran anymore. He had to support him with one hand on his waist, allowing the little mermaid to explore his body.
As Qiao Ran touched the warm liquid flowing down the back of He Heng’s hand, he heard the man in front of him sharply inhale a breath of cold air.
In that moment, the little mermaid’s long eyelashes trembled lightly, and a sense of urgency crept into his tone.
“Are you injured?”
Seeing Qiao Ran’s worried expression as he looked up at him, He Heng immediately extended his left hand and soothingly pinched the back of Qiao Ran’s neck, indicating that he was fine.
However, Qiao Ran couldn’t shake off his concern.
He had lost so much blood; how could nothing be wrong?
Even though Qiao Ran couldn’t see He Heng’s wound, he could sense how much pain the man was in when the wound was touched earlier.
With this in mind, he immediately called for Wang Shu,
“Could you kindly bring over some supplies for treating injuries?”
After Wang Shu brought the gauze and medicinal alcohol, Qiao Ran led He Heng to sit by the bed.
Carefully, he used a piece of cotton cloth dipped in ointment to treat the wound on the back of He Heng’s hand. He also reminded him gently,
“If it hurts, remember to let me know.”
He Heng remained silent, quietly watching the little mermaid with a focused expression as he applied the ointment.
Qiao Ran’s movements were a bit clumsy; sometimes he couldn’t find the right direction, and occasionally the ointment went beyond the intended area. However, every move he made was gentle, and his expression while applying the medicine was so focused that he didn’t notice strands of his hair falling onto his lips.
Observing this, He Heng reached out and gently brushed away the strands of hair falling onto Qiao Ran’s forehead. Inadvertently, the slightly calloused pads of his fingers brushed over the soft petals of the little mermaid’s lips.
The moment Qiao Ran felt the warm touch of He Heng’s fingertips, it was as if a faint electric current surged through him. He momentarily froze, and even the movements of his hands slowed down.
When he snapped back to reality, a suspicious blush tinged the tips of his pointed ears.
The little mermaid lightly bit his lower lip, trying to suppress this strange impulse, forcing himself to focus once again on applying the ointment to He Heng’s hand.
However, the rough and warm sensation of He Heng’s fingertips brushing over his lips lingered in Qiao Ran’s mind, vexing him to no end.
So annoying!
So annoying!
Why is it like this?
The little mermaid felt like the thoughts in his mind were entangled in a chaotic mess, like a red thread wrapped around everything.
He didn’t understand why a simple touch from He Heng could evoke such a strong reaction in him.
Observing the little mermaid’s silent and contemplative demeanor, He Heng had no idea about Qiao Ran’s current thoughts. He just found the blushing pointed ears, resembling those of an elf, exceptionally cute and couldn’t help but playfully pinch them.
However, as soon as Qiao Ran was touched by He Heng, he recoiled as if shocked, hastily wrapping the bandage around him and anxiously saying, “All done.”
He Heng wrote a “thank you” in the palm of his hand.
Then, he lowered his head to look at the wound that had been bandaged by the other.
With a thick layer of white gauze wrapped around his palm, He Heng flexed his fingers, which appeared less agile due to the restrictive nature of the heavy bandaging.
This sensation brought back memories of the moment when his fist slammed into the wall next to Fu Yanwei’s face.
The image of Fu Yanwei’s face flashed in his mind, and the deep-seated resentment that had accumulated in He Heng’s heart surged once again.
Looking at the layers of white gauze wrapped around his hand, all He Heng could think of at that moment was how he wished that his punch had landed on Fu Yanwei’s face instead of the wall.
He wished he could make Fu Yanwei experience the pain of losing sight just as Qiao Ran did.
After confirming that Fu Yanwei was the original owner who had taken Qiao Ran’s eyes, He Heng wanted him dead. However, at the same time, he felt that letting him die so easily was too kind for this scum.
The extreme and unrelieved emotions held him like a trapped beast in a cage. Unconsciously, his left hand had crumpled the bedding beneath him, and his nails were deeply embedded in his palm.
At that moment, a pair of hands gently wrapped around his back, and he felt a warm touch in front of him. It seemed like something soft had suddenly been stuffed into his arms.
Lowering his head to take a look, he discovered that the little merman had unexpectedly reached out and embraced him.
Qiao Ran placed his head in the crook of He Heng’s neck, extending his hand to gently pat the man’s back.
The man’s back was tense, emitting a dangerous aura like a coiled leopard ready to strike.
Despite that, the little merman wasn’t afraid at all. He hugged He Heng, comforting him by patting his back.
Sensing He Heng’s current mood, Qiao Ran tentatively asked, “Da Zhu, what’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”
In the moment of being held by the other, the tension in He Heng’s muscles suddenly eased. He replied with two simple words, “Not much.”
Qiao Ran didn’t buy into his response at all, saying, “You’re lying. You are angry. Otherwise, how do you explain the wound on your hand when you came back?”
Seeing this, He Heng sighed helplessly. With Qiao Ran hugging him like this, how could he stay angry?
The next moment, he gently extended his hand to embrace Qiao Ran again.
“I’m not angry now.”
“Not angry.”
It’s unclear whether he said this for the other to hear or for himself.
“Really?”
The little merman raised his head, staring at him with disbelief.
“Really.” He Heng took Qiao Ran’s hand and wrote on it.
“Oh.” Qiao Ran nodded but still seemed unconvinced, not completely letting go of his worry.
Originally, before going out, he even asked if he wanted to eat osmanthus cake. However, when he returned, not only did he turn into a silent explosive device, but he also had his right hand in a bloody mess.
He Heng must have encountered something unpleasant outside just now.
Thinking about this, Qiao Ran continued to inquire, “Da Zhu, what happened? Can you tell me, please?”
The little merman’s tone was very soft, and He Heng didn’t know how to refuse. After a moment of silence, he still told him,
“I encountered someone who made me very angry.”
Qiao Ran: “What did he do to make you so angry?”
He Heng hugged the little merman and wrote in his palm, “He harmed something very important to me.”
Hearing this, Qiao Ran felt a bit distressed and asked, “How important is it?”
“As important as Ah Ran’s eyes.” After hesitating for a while, He Heng finally asked the question he had in mind, “What does Ah Ran feel when someone tricks him into giving away his eyes?”
Hearing this, Qiao Ran took a deep breath and said, “It hurts a lot.”
He Heng felt his heart tighten at the little merman’s tone filled with grievance and helplessness. He asked again, “Do you hate him?”
“I do,” Qiao Ran replied. “At that time, I wished I could repay him with a hundred times the pain I endured.”
He Heng continued, “What if Ah Ran suddenly appeared in front of you now? Would you seek revenge and make him pay for everything he did?”
“I would,” Qiao Ran answered.
The little merman’s response to this question seemed lighter than his previous answers. However, when He Heng asked the question, Qiao Ran fell silent, opened his mouth to speak but hesitated.
After a while, Qiao Ran said, “But now, compared to seeking revenge on that person,” the little merman buried his face in He Heng’s neck, and his nose unintentionally brushed against the side of the man’s neck.
“I just want you to be well,” he expressed his sincerity awkwardly, “I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
Qiao Ran hated the human who deceived him and took away his eyes, but he liked He Heng more than that hatred. It was a bit more than just “hate.”
Seeking revenge on the person who once harmed him might not be as important now. Qiao Ran hoped that the person he liked could be happy.
In that moment, He Heng’s pupils contracted, and his arms around Qiao Ran’s waist subconsciously tightened.
He pressed the little merman into his embrace, feeling the gentle touches and warmth coming from him. It was as if spring rain melted the winter ice, and the anger that He Heng harbored earlier gradually dissipated.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace,
Fu Yanwei angrily swept everything off the desk onto the floor. The feeling of suffocation when He Heng had his neck gripped near the railing still vividly lingered in his mind.
Recalling the humiliation of having his life at the mercy of the other party, Fu Yanwei felt that he couldn’t swallow this indignation.
The plan to form an alliance with the other party was now undoubtedly unfeasible. Since that was the case, he wanted to make He Heng experience the feeling of losing everything.
At this moment, Li Yu, who had been carefully observing his master’s expression on the side, suddenly spoke up: “Crown Prince, when I went to Lin Yuan Pavilion earlier, I discovered something. I wonder if I should report it?”
Hearing this, Fu Yanwei stopped his actions and turned to him with a sinister look, “Speak.”
