Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I was four years old, I accompanied my parents into the palace for a banquet.

Inside the banquet hall, civil and military officials were dressed in their formal court robes. The music of silk and bamboo instruments lingered in the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

My parents were busy exchanging pleasantries and socializing.

Meanwhile, I really had to pee.

The palace banquet was boisterous. I called out to them several times, but they didn’t hear me.

I had no choice but to go find the latrine myself.

The palace was brightly lit, with golden pavilions shimmering under the glazed tiles. I was dazzled by the sight and wandered further and further away.

After several twists and turns, I finally found a latrine.

There, I saw a little boy dressed in bright yellow everyday robes embroidered with gold thread. He was also relieving himself.

He looked to be about the same age as me.

“Why are you standing up to go?” I walked straight up and asked.

To my surprise, I discovered that his body had an extra part compared to mine.

“Why does your body have an extra piece?”

He was startled and hurriedly pulled up his pants.

His porcelain-doll face was deliberately stiff, and the look he gave me was exceptionally resentful.

Realizing I had scared him, I tilted my little face up and gave him a flattering, well-behaved smile.

After I gave a rambling, animated explanation of my confusion, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

“Have you ever seen an Imperial Physician?”

I shook my head.

The two little buns on my head swayed with the movement. They had been neatly tied, but now they looked a bit lopsided and loose.

“No, I’ve only seen a regular doctor.”

By the time I finished speaking, a layer of mist had gathered in my eyes.

I told him, “I want one too.”

Seeing my tears go *patter-patter* down my face, he instantly became flustered.

He wiped the tears from my cheeks with one hand while trying to steady the little buns on top of my head with the other.

But the crying mess in front of him showed no sign of stopping.

Suddenly, he helplessly took my hand and said with great generosity, “I’ll go find some scissors and snip off half to give to you.”

Hearing him say this, my tears fell even harder.

This friend I had just met was simply too loyal.

I nodded and wiped the tears from my face. “Once mine grows in later, I’ll return it to you immediately.”

He raised his hand again and straightened the two little buns on my head.

“Mhm, okay. Just don’t cry anymore.”

A maid soon brought a pair of scissors.

But just as he was about to make the cut, a swarm of palace maids rushed in to stop him.

The surrounding maids and eunuchs fell to their knees in a massive, dark crowd.

At that moment, I hadn’t yet realized the gravity of the situation.

That is, until my father and mother arrived in a hurry.

My parents, who usually held me in the palm of their hands and cherished me like the apple of their eye, treated me to a hearty serving of “bamboo-whip fried meat” today.

It turned out my father, a civil official, had the potential to be a military one. My mother was no less formidable, a true heroine among women.

I nearly “passed away peacefully” at the age of four.

Fortunately, that little boy stopped them. Although he was about the same age as me, he was extremely manly and took all the blame upon himself.

Truly, a friend in need is a friend indeed.

I had definitely made the right choice in befriending him!

Later, I learned that he was the Crown Prince.

A boy destined for a life of “Ten Thousand Years” nearly became a “Nine Thousand Years Old” instead!