After the divorce, I pursued the Ninth Prince 100 times.

"Big brother, Huashan Temple is so far away. Mom said I have to stay overnight before coming back. I will come to see you the day after tomorrow!"

"Big brother, if the Bodhisattva appears and brings rain, I will ask my grandfather to recommend you to study at the Imperial College. When the time comes, you must study hard and become a high-ranking official. Don't let me down. Do you understand?"

Fu Jiuli's mind raced, and he said, "I promise you."

He will study hard and become a high-ranking official; he will certainly not let her down.

Early the next morning, Fu Jiuli hid in the crowd and watched the carriage of the Marquis of Nanyang leave.

But the carriage curtains and doors were all tightly closed, and he couldn't see anything.

He was slightly disappointed, but even so, he couldn't bear to take his eyes off the carriage for even a moment.

Fortunately, just as the carriage was about to leave, the small curtain was lifted, revealing the little girl's chubby smiling face.

A surge of joy welled up inside Fu Jiuli, and he waved frantically at her. But there were too many people, and she didn't seem to see him.

As the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance, until it was completely out of his sight, he turned away and left.

I just feel empty inside.

It's alright, he reassured himself; she would be back in two days.

Two days is all it takes; it'll be over quickly.

But to his utter surprise, he neither saw the rain nor saw her return.

What returned was her coffin.

She is dead.

Fu Jiuli didn't believe it. He desperately tried to rush into the Nanyang Marquis's mansion, wanting to uncover the coffin and take a look.

He couldn't believe that the kind little girl who loved wearing red dresses and was always smiling was gone!

However, he was thrown out by the guards of the Marquis's mansion time and time again.

He was born with brute strength, and he knew he could beat all the guards down.

Several times when he was thrown out, his fists were clenched so tightly that he almost couldn't control himself from swinging them out...

But he ultimately refrained from making a move.

Those are all her family members; if he lays a hand on them, she'll be unhappy...

He was thrown around many times, covered in dirt, and his face was bruised and swollen.

He asked many people, grabbing anyone he could and asking, "Please tell me, the young lady from the Marquis of Nanyang's mansion isn't dead, is she? Where is she?"

Some people ignored him, some thought he was crazy, and a few kind people answered him.

And the answers he received were all the same.

Shen Nanxing, the eight-year-old legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Nanyang, is indeed dead.

While playing on the back mountain of Huashan Temple, he accidentally fell off a cliff and was never found.

Fu Jiuli broke down in tears.

So her name is Shen Nanxing!

What a lovely name...

Unfortunately, he found out too late; she was already gone…

Fu Jiuli was distraught.

Every day, he would go to the side gate of the Marquis of Nanyang's mansion at the time he had agreed upon with the little girl, eagerly hoping that the little girl in the red dress would suddenly appear.

I waited from dawn till dusk, only to be disappointed day after day.

His mother brought him some porridge, but he smiled and refused, saying, "Mother, she'll bring us delicious food."

My mother slapped me hard across the face.

His mother dragged him to the edge of a cliff in the suburbs and threw him to the ground.

She pointed at the cliff: "Fu Jiuli, do you really want to die!"

"If you really want to die, jump! Jump down and you'll see her!"

Fu Jiuli's eyes lit up.

Mother continued, "Go see her! You're a faithless scoundrel anyway, so go see her and tell her you can't keep your promise. Let her do whatever she wants!"

Fu Jiuli's expression froze.

He remembered the little girl's repeated instructions to him: he must study hard, pass the imperial examination, and become a high-ranking official!

She told him not to let her down.

The image of the little girl appeared in his mind. She asked with a smile, "Have you passed the imperial examination with top honors? Have you become a high-ranking official?"

When she learned that he hadn't kept his promise to her, her bright eyes turned to disappointment, which stung his eyes...

He clutched his head in anguish.

Her mother's gentle voice rang out: "Li'er, this little girl is our salvation, she has done us a great favor. Since you care about her so much, you should live up to her expectations... What do you say?"

Fu Jiuli recalled the little girl visiting him before she left, her bright, lively eyes fixed on him, telling him not to let her down...

Didn't he secretly resolve never to let her down?

So he wiped his tears and got up from the ground.

Now that the little girl was gone, there was no one to bring food to the mother and son. They still relied on the porridge provided by the Nanyang Marquis' Mansion every day to survive, waiting for the rain to moisten all things and bring good times.

But another six months passed, and not a drop of rain fell; the famine worsened.

The porridge became thinner day by day, gradually turning into rice water, and eventually into clear soup. A bowl of porridge was so clear that you could see the bottom, with only a handful of rice grains floating on the surface.

People died of starvation every day, and their bones could be seen everywhere on the streets.

There were not many pedestrians on the street, and each of them was skinny and pale.

There are even rumors that some people have started eating humans...

The mother and son were almost starving to death. They didn't even have the strength to walk, and they had no idea where hope lay.

At this time, the court posted a notice that the palace would select a group of eunuchs from the public to enter the palace.

Fu Jiuli certainly didn't want to be a eunuch, but he couldn't resist his mother's pleading. His mother said that her only wish was for him to be alive. If he starved to death, she would die with regret.

His mother dragged him to line up to register, but they learned that the palace only recruited ready-made eunuchs and was not responsible for subjecting those who registered to castration.

To register, one must first castrate oneself.

Of course, castration only means you are eligible to apply; it doesn't guarantee you'll be selected.

Normally, it was difficult to recruit people for the position of eunuch. Those who were willing to become eunuchs were not only given generous rewards by the court to their families, but the Censorate would also be responsible for the castration punishment.

But now that the people were struggling to make a living, many people lined up to sign up, so the Ministry of Punishment wanted to pick one.

The mother and son left in dismay.

Purification is a risky business. If you are not careful, you may lose your life.

It would be fine if the Ministry of Punishment was responsible for the castration. They are experienced and efficient, and generally no deaths will be caused.

But if you do it yourself, the risk is huge.

Of course, they could spend money to go to a private workshop for purification, but they didn't have any money...

Fu Jiuli felt relieved.

But what he never expected was that that night he felt a sharp pain in his body, and dimly saw his mother holding a bloody knife. Then he fainted from the pain and knew nothing.