Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

Yu Zhen was bewildered by her question. His childhood? Where should he begin? He knew his own childhood had been just as bad, perhaps even worse.

The problem was, he preferred to forget what had happened. There was no reason for him to continue dwelling on it, or to keep it in his mind. Such a brutal experience should not remain in his memory.

Despite this, Yuzhen still felt it was only fair to share some of his childhood memories. He didn't mind his experiences, as his brother had gone through the same thing. It was just that the eldest prince was lucky enough to be the queen's favorite child.

"What do you want to know?" he asked her calmly, curious about what had prompted her to ask such a question.

What surprised Yu Zhen was that she didn't beat around the bush, but asked a direct question and got a direct answer.

"Well, I don't really know," she admitted.

Li Xueyue bit her lower lip, trying to figure out what she was curious about. She subconsciously touched her chin. A few seconds later, an idea came to her mind.

“Maybe, the dynamics of your relationship with your parents?” she asked.

Yu Zhen chuckled. He stroked the side of her face, a smile on his lips. "The words you used today are so complicated. I admire you," he teased.

Li Xueyue sneered and patted his chest. She knew he was just joking and trying to change the subject.

"I'm serious," she deadpanned.

Yu Zhen grabbed the hand that had hit him. Despite recent events, her strength had increased considerably. The slap finally felt heavier.

"How is it?" she asked eagerly.

His smile widened when he saw her looking up at him like a curious little pet.

"You can tell my parents didn't have a good relationship. I can't remember when it started to fall apart."

Li Xueyue nodded. This was quite interesting to hear, especially considering he had several brothers and sisters. However, she had only met one, Yu Lingluo.

"Perhaps, it all started when the Queen stood by the eldest prince when he was beaten. She didn't protect anyone except him, and only protected me."

Li Xueyue's heart tightened when he heard him say this. She and he had experienced the same childhood, and the favoritism was too obvious to ignore. Thinking of young Yuzhen, eyes open, terrified, and without anyone to protect him, she felt heartbroken.

"The Emperor favored his daughter, and the Empress favored her eldest son. They ignored me completely and didn't give me much time. Of course, with such a miserable childhood, I was destined to hate them when I grew up. And that's exactly what happened."

Yu Zhen felt that "hate" was the right word to describe his feelings towards his parents. What he felt now was resentment.

He will never forget the beatings that made him strong and the scoldings that made him humble. Funny to say, it was these that made him what he is today.

"There was indeed some abuse, perhaps enough to rival yours. The Emperor enjoyed torturing his son, believing it would make a man out of the boy, but in reality, it only made a villain out of his son."

Li Xueyue didn't know where to begin. She had assumed the emperor must have done something cruel to deserve such hatred... but insulting him had never crossed her mind.

He continued walking forward, his tone so calm that it made her a little worried, as if he had already moved on from those painful experiences, or didn't care at all.

Maybe it's a combination of both, or maybe it's his coping mechanism - to ignore all the worries that weigh on his shoulders.

"The eldest prince and I have suffered losses every day. However, the eldest prince has the protection of the queen. The queen believes that he will become the crown prince and has placed all her hopes and ambitions on him."

Yu Zhen paused, thinking about it now… "Or rather, the eldest prince is the most like her, in terms of personality, small habits, even his eyes are exactly the same as the queen's."

Yu Zhen smiled bitterly: "And I look like the emperor from head to toe. She must think that looking at me is like looking at a man she despises."

Li Xueyue asked doubtfully, "I thought... you once loved the emperor? If not, how come you have so many brothers and sisters?"

Yuzhen laughed. "They fell in love the moment they met. It was an arranged marriage, so they had to get along. However, once the queen granted his wish, the cold shoulder began."

Li Xueyue nodded slowly.

"The Queen has no problem with that. She knows her duty in the palace is to bear him as many children as possible, but she also wants him to protect her."

"Guardians?" Li Xueyue asked without hesitation. The Queen was the mother of a country, and she should have many guardians in her life, just like the ones Yu Zhen arranged for her.

"Yes, life at court was much worse in my parents' generation. They weren't very welcoming to foreigners, and the queen at the time was a foreigner—the most favored princess of an enemy country, sent as a sacrifice to forge an alliance."

Li Xueyue was surprised to find the similarities between herself and the queen, as if she had heard her love story with Yuzhen.

"In a way, the Queen paved the way for you. With her achievements and strict control over the women in the palace, she was able to gradually eliminate the outside world's prejudice against foreigners."

Yu Zhen didn't want Li Xueyue to think she was as cold, ruthless, and rude as her mother, but the similarities between them were too hard to ignore.

"Unfortunately, she eventually became power-hungry. This happened when she failed to give birth to my brother."

Li Xueyue's mouth dropped slightly. Miscarriage.

"And another brother, and maybe even a sister or two..."

Li Xueyue's eyes widened in horror. She looked up at Yuzhen, her face filled with shock. She hadn't expected the queen to have suffered so many miscarriages since giving birth to the eldest prince.

"Having lost so many things over and over again, her life must have felt out of control. As a result, she had to take control of other things. The palace. The servants. Eventually, everything became the emperor's responsibility."

Li Xueyue's breath hitched. "The Emperor failed to protect her... Wasn't she obstructed by all those rumors? Was she thrown into the lion's den and forced to survive?"

Yu Zhen nodded solemnly. "Yes. I've heard how gentle she was, until my father failed in his duties as a husband."

Li Xueyue couldn't imagine how difficult the Empress's life must have been. A young woman forced to live in a foreign land, with a husband she barely spent time with, and a palace filled with people who were determined to kill her.

However, the Queen did not succumb to these obstacles. She overcame the difficulties, but lost contact with her children.

"That explains why she's partial to someone," Li Xueyue blurted out, but she covered her mouth with a slap. "No, wait, that's not what I meant—"

"I don't mind." Yu Zhen smiled. "She favors the eldest prince, that's what she means. In her eyes, the eldest prince is the embodiment of perfection. Every time she has a miscarriage, she hugs him tightly and says he is a gift from God."

Li Xueyue was puzzled. After countless failures, Yuzhen was finally born... If she were the queen, she would embrace Yuzhen as if she were the eldest prince. After countless losses, she finally saw the light at the end of the dark cave.

"The Queen resents me not only because my eyes resemble my father's, but also because she doesn't know what to do with me. She dotes on the eldest prince so much that she has no room for anyone else because she believes she will never have another child."

Li Xueyue's heart ached for him. She could only lean forward and hug him tightly. Growing up without love, only to watch others receive it...the sting of jealousy and self-doubt. It was all too familiar.

“Don’t cry for me,” Yu Zhen whispered. He had forgotten that she knew nothing about her childhood. It was strange for someone to cry about her childhood. In his opinion, growing up with parents who lacked love was normal.

Li Xueyue's response was that he hugged her tighter, "You have no one."

"It makes me more independent," he whispered, caressing the back of her head affectionately.

"Children don't need independence. They need to be loved."

Yu Zhen could only smile lightly after hearing her words. She was too considerate. These words really didn’t hurt him. He had already lived that time of his life. Now, all that was left was resentment.

"Now you own me."

He smiled at her words. He felt he couldn't possibly fall in love with her anymore. "And you're all I need, sunshine."