The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Epilogue - Second Prince, Ning Yu Chun

The name Ning Yuchun was poorly chosen.

Whether in his childhood or later, the actions of the Second Prince rarely matched the meaning of the character "chun", which implies purity or simplicity.

Growing up under the care of Jing Xian Fei, Song Shi, who had remarkable cunning and abilities, there was no one else in the harem quite like her.

If it hadn't been for Ye Yun forcing her into a panic, with Song Shi's adeptness at patience and subtlety, she might have managed to manipulate the situation for several more years.

Being raised by such a stepmother, the Second Prince was certainly not one to be simple-minded.

In his youth, he had ambitious thoughts of competing with his brothers.

At that time, his mother, Jing Xian Fei, was the foremost among the palace concubines, while the Eldest Prince lacked his mother's support. Thus, as the second son, he regarded himself as the true heir to the throne.

In terms of education, he and the Third Prince each had their strengths, and their father often praised him for his benevolence and sincerity.

A gentleman should establish the rightful heir and favor the virtuous, and the Second Prince believed he had two of those qualities, making his chances quite good.

However, later on, Ye Yun gave birth to twins, a dragon and a phoenix, and quickly rose to the rank of Guifei. From then on, the Fourth Prince and the newly born Sixth Prince were known as the sons of Ming Guifei, making them even more esteemed than he.

Moreover, Ming Guifei was favored, a status that his stepmother, Jing Xian Fei, could not match.

From the depths of his heart, the Second Prince began to feel jealousy; why should this pair of mother and son easily steal his limelight?

So, when the three brothers were playing in the imperial garden's theater, he intentionally provoked the Third Prince's anger, causing him to push the Fourth Prince off the stage.

The flowerpot shattered, and the Fourth Prince let out a muffled groan, hitting the back of his head and bleeding, collapsing onto the ground.

In that moment, the Second Prince felt fear and began to regret.

He didn't even understand why he had done such a thing; after all, he was brothers with the Fourth Prince.

Later, reflecting on the incident, the Second Prince realized that perhaps he still had a shred of conscience at that time.

He was grateful that he had not completely lost his sanity; otherwise, he might have ended up like the Third Prince.

After Jing Xian Fei passed away, all her deeds were exposed, and it was then that the Second Prince learned that his nurturing mother had gone to great lengths to secure her position by committing fratricide.

The beloved stepmother, whom he had cherished for many years, turned out to be the murderer of his biological mother, shattering his psychological defenses.

Thus, all the years of maternal affection were utterly revolting; it was all part of a massive lie crafted by Jing Xian Fei to elevate herself through him.

Amidst fear and sorrow, the Second Prince fell seriously ill.

He not only hated Jing Xian Fei for killing his biological mother and deceiving him for years but also feared that, like the Eldest Prince, he would no longer have a mother to protect him.

After all, Jing Xian Fei had been overthrown by Ming Guifei; would he be despised by Guifei and be killed too?

With so many worries weighing on his mind, his illness showed no signs of improvement.