After all the trouble and difficulty he went through to find him, why could he not look at him for long?

Emperor Yuan He retracted his eyes away from Chang Geng, like a weak and cowardly child, he said to Gu Yun instead: "He must be weather-beaten and weary from the long travel already, let the boy go get some rest, I want to have a few words with you."

Gu Yun led Chang Geng to the door and handed him over to a guard. He whispered in his ear: "Go rest first, wait for me to come find you later."

Chang Geng did not say anything and silently followed the guard's lead. He could not describe what he was feeling inside.

This time, he had officially and formally become Gu Yun's adopted son. It should be a good thing, yet he could not make himself feel any joy.

However, the prestigious words of the ruler had been bestowed, there was no room for him to refuse. He was not allowed to resist, and he was not allowed to say a word in this matter.

He could only bow his head and walk with small strides away from the palace that was full of a medicinal and deathly aura. But after merely a few steps, Chang Geng involuntarily looked back at Gu Yun and saw that the man was turning sideways back towards the inside of the palace. The young Marquis of Order had a side profile that was as beautiful as a painting.

The heavy formal attire wrapped around him, gave off a sense of restraint that could not be said in a few words, causing a bitter feeling to rise up inside one's chest.

What were you thinking? Chang Geng smiled mockingly and thought to himself: A few days ago you were only the son of a small town's mayor, with a mother who abused you and gave you poison. Today you're the adopted son of the Marquis of Order, you can't even dream up such an amazing thing as this.

He laughed at himself, powerless with everything that had happened around him. The thirteen-year-old boy walked through the dimly lit palace corridor, a total of nine hundred and eighty-one steps — a walk for him to remember for a lifetime.

The gate was tightly closed once again, and the incense burner steaming at the bedside was letting out white smoke.

Emperor Yuan He spoke to Gu Yun, who was kneeling next to him: "I remember in your childhood you were very close with A Yan, you were similar in age. Standing together, the two of you resembled a pair of jade dolls."

At the mention of the Third Prince, Gu Yun's expression finally changed: "Your subject was very stubborn, not at all comparable to the Third Prince, who was already refined and had understanding manners at a young age."