The palace servants guarding the pond whispered among themselves with sighs. “Consort Zhao has given birth to the Ninth Prince and dotes on him so much. She probably won’t remember that inauspicious one in the cold palace anymore.”
“Why mention him? So unlucky.” Another servant replied softly. “As long as he doesn’t suddenly appear before Consort Zhao like the past few days. She just gave birth not long ago and was startled by that inauspicious child. His Majesty flew into a huge rage at the time. Those eerie eyes of his are so unsettling. I hope he doesn’t come again; I don’t want to be punished.”
The servants’ murmurs carried over on the wind. Gu Changhuai immediately checked Qin Yan’s reaction.
Seemingly accustomed to such resentment and disdain, the boy’s face showed no expression. He only watched Consort Zhao in the pavilion for a moment before quietly slipping away as he had come.
He returned silently to the cold palace. Actually, the hall’s name wasn’t literally “cold palace”; it sounded rather nice. Gu Changhuai looked up at the plaque above the entrance.
—Clear Pool Hall.
There was a small pond in the courtyard of Clear Pool Hall. Qin Yan rummaged under a rock near the artificial hill and pulled out a blade, seemingly one he had sharpened for a long time. The blade gleamed coldly. It was small for Gu Changhuai, but fit perfectly in Qin Yan’s hand.
He found a whetstone and sat by the pond, silently grinding away with his head lowered. His posture was practiced, as if he had done it countless times.
“Snick, snick, snick—”
The sound of sharpening echoed clearly in the desolate palace hall. Everyone was busy with the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet; no one came to this remote place. He ground the blade razor-thin, thin enough to easily slit a throat.
…
Night fell.
The grand birthday banquet bloomed vibrantly in the imperial palace. Though he knew Qin Yan couldn’t see him, Gu Changhuai still wanted to keep him company. He sat with Qin Yan on the steps in front of the hall.
At night, the palace servants were busy with the banquet, currying favors, and reveling. No one remembered to send food to the prince in Clear Pool Hall. Anyway, a prince out of His Majesty’s favor could miss a meal; as long as he stayed alive, it was fine.
Gu Changhuai propped his chin, sighing. “Poor kid, abused like this by feudal trash.”
He had a bellyful of words, muttering on. “A child so small, without anyone to care for him. How have you survived all these years?”
“Oh, right, you can’t hear me.” Gu Changhuai looked down at Qin Yan. The weather had turned autumnal, and the night was chilly. The old clothes on his body were clearly too thin.
Gu Changhuai instinctively reached out to hug him for warmth, only to pass right through—unable to touch.
“…” Gu Changhuai’s expression twisted for a moment. He jumped up, spinning in circles and cursing. “What the hell is going on? I shouldn’t be dead, right?”
After cursing until he tired himself out, he deflated and sat back down beside Qin Yan, quietly.
Fine.
No point in cursing; the current Qin Yan couldn’t hear anyway.
Thinking seriously, with the Dream-Making Flower’s influence, this was likely a projection of someone’s dreams and memories into an illusion.
Gu Changhuai rested his cheek on his hand, his gaze falling on Qin Yan’s face, where faint traces of his future features could be seen. So even at this time, he was already so steady.
Back in Qing Tang City, he had realized that Rong Ye knew the Ghost-Eye General’s past intimately. His guess was right—Qin Yan was Rong Ye.
The timeline now was five hundred years ago.
And this place…
Was Rong Ye’s memory. No one could interfere, for it was the past; no one could change what had already happened.
So he, the intruding wandering ghost, could only drift on the sidelines, silently observing everything that unfolded.
The birthday banquet was held lavishly, and even the palace servants and maids were granted fine wine. Once off duty, they indulged, and after three rounds of drinks, they grew playful.
Where in the palace was the most fun spot for servants to toy with?
Clear Pool Hall.
Toying with a prince of the same blood as His Majesty, treating him like a kitten or puppy—it brought the greatest thrill.
Normally trampled underfoot by nobles, now they could trample a noble into the mud.
One drunken palace servant staggered into Clear Pool Hall.
Thus, the blade sharpened that day became the weapon that slit the drunkard’s throat.
Qin Yan washed his hands by the pond, changed out of his bloodstained clothes, and meticulously cleaned them before hanging them on the clothesline.
Water dripped steadily down.
Pooling into a small puddle on the ground.
Everything became clean again.
The next day.
In the palace alleys.
Searching guards discovered the servant’s corpse. Such audacious behavior was deemed an assassination attempt. The Goldbird Guards scoured the entire imperial palace for the assassin, not sparing Clear Pool Hall.
Just then, the Goldbird Guard commander witnessed palace servants treating Qin Yan like a dog.
Not everyone believed the rumors of the heterochromatic eyes being inauspicious. The upright commander immediately reported it to Consort Zhao. His Majesty was dining with her at the time.
Consort Zhao flew into a rage.
She punished a batch of servants on the spot.
Even if the Seventh Prince was out of favor, he was still imperial blood. Emperors hated insubordination the most, especially when witnessed by a scion of a noble house like the Goldbird Guard commander—it was a loss of face. He berated the chief eunuch and reassigned a new batch of servants to tend to the imperial heir in Clear Pool Hall.
However, from start to finish, he never mentioned meeting this mistreated prince.
Recalling the Seventh Prince’s age.
Ordinary princes began enlightenment at three and entered the Imperial Academy at five, with tutors and masters. Yet the Seventh Prince, already six, had not begun his studies.
Thus, the Goldbird Guard commander mentioned it again.
Loath to let royal scandals spread, His Majesty could only agree with a grim face, permitting the Seventh Prince to enter the Imperial Academy like the others and select companions.
Gu Changhuai sat in a tree, watching a group of servants file in one after another. They tucked away their disdain and arrogance, quickly tidying up the desolate Clear Pool Hall.
They repaired what needed fixing and supplied what was missing. With orders from His Majesty and Consort Zhao, the servants didn’t dare slack off.
Who would have thought that on the night of the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, an assassin would kill a servant—and the one to benefit was the Seventh Prince, who should have been forever forgotten and despised.
…
With the Emperor’s decree, officials and noble families had to send children for the Seventh Prince to select as companions.
But since Qin Yan was out of favor, the families sent lesser sons—mostly illegitimate children or random picks from branches.
Consort Zhao didn’t care. If not for the matter reaching His Majesty, she wouldn’t have bothered. Now, she cared more about her other son and her own face.
Consort Zhao lowered her gaze.
Gently, meticulously wiping the drool from her little one’s sleeping mouth.
This was her hope.
Back then, she was young and naive, not understanding that affection could be exhausted. Three days after giving birth to the Seventh Prince, he finally opened his eyes.
In Xuan Jin, heterochromatic eyes were seen as ominous.
Bringing calamity, endangering the realm.
His Majesty, wise and martial, diligent and benevolent, abhorred such ill omens that threatened the kingdom. Upon seeing them, he flew into fury and ordered the child’s death.
But it was his own flesh and blood, and after caring for it three days, Consort Zhao couldn’t bear to drown him. She begged His Majesty to spare his life.
From then on, His Majesty grew distant toward her, gradually ceasing to visit her hall.
She knew the coldness of palace life well—fall from favor meant bullying. Three years later, the selection brought many younger, more alluring women.
As time passed, she felt little attachment to that child and believed he truly was inauspicious, bringing her years of suffering.
She couldn’t keep being dragged down by an ominous child.
She deliberately used some tricks to rekindle His Majesty’s old affections. People cherish what they’ve lost and regained.
As if things were back to normal, Consort Zhao then had the chance to give birth to the Ninth Prince.
Though reluctant to deal with it, the Seventh Prince had come from her womb. If he suffered, it slapped her face—especially now that it had reached the Emperor. She feared being abandoned again over Qin Yan.
In short, minimize mentions of Qin Yan before His Majesty.
He would have what other princes had; Consort Zhao would arrange it properly, avoiding any oversights that could reach the Emperor.
As for companions…
They were all the same. His Majesty despised the Seventh Prince; the child was doomed to no great prospects. Best he stay low-key and out of trouble.
A dozen young boys stood in the room. Consort Zhao pointed casually at the one who looked most honest, too lazy to ask his name before ordering servants to send him to the Seventh Prince.
…
Companions lived with the prince, only returning home on rest days.
The selected companion was from a concubine’s son of a Xue family branch, lowly in status, his brows naturally furrowed with gloom.
The senior maid politely escorted the companion to Qin Yan and said, “Your Highness, this is the companion selected for you by Her Ladyship. He is the second young master of the Xue family, Xue Cheng. Henceforth, he will accompany you to school.”
She then admonished the Clear Pool Hall servants, determined to prevent any two-faced behavior that could trouble Her Ladyship.
One such hassle was enough.
After the admonition, she left satisfied.
![Hundreds of Assassination Attempts on the Immortal Venerable [Transmigration Book]](https://i1.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/tr.jpg?resize=151,215 "Hundreds of Assassination Attempts on the Immortal Venerable [Transmigration Book]")
