The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Epilogue - Third Prince, Ning Yu Han

As the only prince imprisoned in the royal family, the Third Prince spent his life trapped within the square confines of the temple. There was no need to elaborate on his childhood; he had grown up under the guidance of his mother, Wu Shi.

Thus, his desire for the throne surpassed that of any other prince. This led him to make foolish decisions, even when he realized that he might not attain it. Yet, the Third Prince never regretted this choice until his death. His obsession was so deep that even Master Ruokong, the abbot of Yanqing Temple, sighed for him.

When he was taken back to the capital and placed under house arrest, the Third Prince was merely thirteen, at the prime of his youth. Ning Chen saw that the boy had already lost his mind and demoted him to a commoner, hoping to make him let go of his misguided obsession. However, the Third Prince did not understand Ning Chen's intentions; instead, he believed his father's actions meant he had been expelled from the royal family and that he was no longer acknowledged as a son.

Upon arriving at Yanqing Temple, he even used chopsticks to poke out a monk's eye in a fit of rage. When Ning Chen heard about this after returning to the capital, he ordered the boy to be taken to the back mountain and imprisoned in the empty Zen courtyard, leaving only a cooking maid and a middle-aged eunuch to serve him.

This eunuch was no ordinary person; he had some martial arts skills, which allowed him to handle the Third Prince, who also possessed some martial prowess. At first, the Third Prince cursed and refused to eat, pointing to the heavens and cursing the earth every day. Initially, the maid tried to persuade him, but when he smashed a bowl in anger, she became furious.

She pointed at his forehead and scolded him:

"Ning Yu Han, do you think you're still a prince? If it weren't for the Emperor's mercy, you'd have met the King of Hell by now. It would be cleaner if you were dead, and I wouldn't have to serve you here. Let me tell you the truth: the Fourth Prince has already been declared the Crown Prince by imperial decree, and Ming Guifei is now the Empress. You don't have the fate to be a Crown Prince, so you might as well give up!"

Those words hit him like a bolt from the blue, leaving the Third Prince completely numb. Deep down, he knew that the Fourth Prince would surely become the Crown Prince, but he refused to accept or acknowledge it. Now, however, the truth lay before him like a sharp sword, completely shattering the illusions in his heart.

Anger, resentment, humiliation, and jealousy surged through him, and in that moment, he lost his reason. He kicked the maid to the ground and picked up a stone, smashing it violently against her head. Just one blow sent blood splattering, staining her sleeves red. But before he could strike again, the eunuch rushed in, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and pulled him away.

The maid, bleeding from her head, cried out and scrambled to her feet to flee. The Third Prince, still clutching the bloody stone, attempted to attack the eunuch again, but was pinned to the ground with a foot on his shoulder. The eunuch's eyes were cold as he picked up a piece of broken porcelain that had rice grains on it. This was from the bowl the Third Prince had just smashed.

In that moment, the shard pressed against his neck, sending a sharp pain coursing through him. "If you want to die, just tell me. There's no need to harm others," the eunuch said. A drop of blood slid down the porcelain, falling to the ground and catching the Third Prince's eye. He had never been so threatened before and had never felt so close to death.

"The Emperor sent you to watch me, not to take my life. If I die, you won't have it easy either!" the Third Prince roared. But the eunuch merely smiled lightly, not loosening his grip on the shard. "My life is worthless. Though you've become a commoner, you still carry the bloodline of the Emperor. Dying with you wouldn't be a loss for me."