Eleven years ago, in the imperial palace of the Liu Kingdom.
Yun Sheng, the prime minister who had just suffered the loss of his wife, was invited by the queen. He brought his daughter Yun Xi, who was not yet five years old, into the palace.
Looking at his daughter, who had been silent, neither angry nor smiling since her mother's death, Yun Sheng felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Yun Sheng squatted down, stroked his daughter's head, and gently instructed her a few words. Then he left her in the queen's bedroom while he was summoned by the emperor to the Zhenghe Hall.
Empress Xiaoyuan immediately took pity on Yun Xi when she saw the delicate, porcelain - doll - like girl who seemed as lifeless as a puppet. She hugged the little one into her arms.
Hearing that Yun Xi loved to eat, the empress ordered the maids to carefully prepare a long table full of delicious delicacies. She even arranged an interesting juggling show.
However, she still failed to make Yun Xi smile.
A maid came to report an urgent matter. Reluctantly, Empress Xiaoyuan had to go in person and ordered the servants to take good care of Yun Xi.
But as soon as the empress left, a small head popped out from the door.
The boy was about eight years old, wearing a red brocade robe. He had red lips and white teeth, a handsome face, and a pair of black, beady eyes that were constantly rolling, always hiding the intention to play tricks.
When the maids saw him come in, their faces instantly changed, as if facing a great enemy. They all knelt down and said:
"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince, Her Majesty the Empress has gone to the Yangxin Hall. Why don't you come back later?"
Qi Rong was naturally naughty and was a little devil in the harem. The maids and eunuchs who had been tricked by him complained bitterly.
The queen had invited Yun Xi into the palace today. Worried that Yun Xi, who was already in a bad mood, would be bullied by her son, she had specially arranged some schoolwork for him and told the palace servants to guard strictly.
Unexpectedly, he still managed to slip out!
Qi Rong ignored the kneeling servants, paced in, and walked in with a proud look on his face.
He glanced at the delicious food on the long table, fiddled with the juggler's drumsticks a few times, and finally walked straight towards Yun Xi.
Qi Rong raised his nose, pointed at Yun Xi, and couldn't hide his disgust:
"Are you the little daughter - in - law that Father has chosen for me?"
Qi Rong stared at Yun Xi intently.
He thought that she was extremely good - looking. At least he had never seen a more delicate and beautiful little girl than her.
However, her dull and wooden appearance made him feel very bored.
"Are you stupid? Or are you mute?"
Qi Rong reached out and pinched Yun Xi's fair cheek. It was soft, and the feeling was quite pleasant.
Yun Xi neither got angry, nor smiled, nor resisted. But Qi Rong got addicted to pinching and laughed happily.
The maids were so frightened that they quickly stepped forward to separate his hand.
"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince, Miss Yun is Her Majesty's honored guest. Please show mercy."
Feeling the emptiness in his hand, Qi Rong immediately pouted uninterestedly. He tilted his head and glanced at the dull Yun Xi. Suddenly, his eyes brightened.
"Since she is Mother's honored guest, then this prince should do the honors even more!"
After saying that, he bent his body, immediately broke through the servants' defense line, and without hesitation grabbed Yun Xi's wrist and pulled her towards him. With a bright smile, he said:
"Come on! I'll take you to a more fun place!"
He was very agile. Grabbing Yun Xi, he managed to dodge the pursuit of the servants all the way and rushed straight to the imperial garden.
It was summer at this time, and all kinds of flowers in the imperial garden were in full bloom, vying for splendor.
Qi Rong held Yun Xi's hand and happily shuttled through the tall flower branches. From time to time, he picked the flowers along the way and put them one by one in Yun Xi's hair.
It wasn't until Yun Xi's head was full of flowers, looking like a moving small flower garden, that Qi Rong stopped, laughing his head off.
"Hey, say something to me!"
After being fussed over by him for a long time, Qi Rong had almost exhausted all his tricks to make her happy. However, Yun Xi just sat still on the rocking chair.
She looked into the distance, with a dull look in her eyes. No one knew what she was thinking.
Seeing that Yun Xi still ignored him, Qi Rong couldn't help but feel annoyed, and the idea of playing a trick on her came to his mind.
"I'll show you something. You'll definitely like it."
Saying this, Qi Rong smiled secretly. He took off a bamboo - woven box that had always been hanging on his waist. Then he quickly took out the thing inside and put it on Yun Xi's shoulder.
It was a huge, pitch - black stag beetle!
"Hahaha, are you scared silly?"
Qi Rong looked at Yun Xi's expression expectantly.
This was his sharp weapon for being domineering in the palace. Whenever he took out this stag beetle, he would surely see the maids screaming in fright.
It could instantly liven up the boring and cold harem that he always hated!
Yun Xi didn't cry out of fear as Qi Rong had expected. Instead, she tilted her head and glanced at the stag beetle on her shoulder. Her expression was very calm.
Under Qi Rong's shocked gaze, she raised her hand, took the bug off her shoulder, and carefully untied the rope around the stag beetle's waist.
She let it fly away.
"Ah! This was a treasure that Crown Prince Brother gave me!"
Looking at the flying stag beetle, Qi Rong was furious.
The Crown Prince Brother was away most of the time and had little time to accompany him.
So every time the Crown Prince Brother came back, he would bring something for him, and his favorite was this stag beetle.
"You can't tie it up just because you like it."
Yun Xi finally spoke. Her voice was soft and waxy, which made Qi Rong suddenly stunned.
"The bug is also very pitiful. So, you must set it free."
After her mother's death, she was very sad. But her father had taught her that one couldn't restrict another's freedom in the name of love.
Leaving was a relief for her mother who had suffered from illness. Her mother would continue to watch over and protect her from another world.
Qi Rong, who had always been domineering, had never been lectured by a little girl before. This made him even angrier.
"So what if I like it to stay with me?"
He would hold everything he liked close to him.
He would not allow the things he liked to slip away right before his eyes!
Qi Rong's eyes always followed the stag beetle. When he saw it suddenly land not far away, he immediately showed a mischievous smile:
"Wait for me. I'll catch it back right away!"
Qi Rong vowed. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to go and catch it. But Yun Xi hugged his waist tightly, with a serious and determined expression:
"No! It wants to be with its family more."
So, she must stop Qi Rong and give the stag beetle a chance to fly back to its family and reunite with them.
Yun Xi's stubborn hold made Qi Rong unable to move forward.
Seeing the stag beetle flapping its wings and about to fly away, Qi Rong looked anxious. He angrily wanted to push Yun Xi away, but he reached out his hand and still couldn't do it.
Watching the bug fly away and knowing that he could no longer catch it, Qi Rong was extremely angry. He angrily took his anger out on Yun Xi and shouted:
"Your mother is dead too. Why doesn't she want to be with you? It's because you're a nuisance!"
Hearing this, Yun Xi was stunned at first, and her eye sockets gradually turned red. Then, she suddenly opened her mouth and bit Qi Rong's wrist tightly!
"Ah! It hurts so much!"
Qi Rong felt the pain and instinctively wanted to hit someone. But he saw her tear - blurred eyes, and big teardrops were falling on the back of his hand.
It seemed that his heart was also burned at that moment.