General Qin zhenguan, a legendary figure the Jia dynasty and one of the many powerful general that had come out of the Qin clan.
Even a nobody like yeyan from an obscure part of the empire has heard of this glorious man who went to war at 15 and won a great victory even though he was in a disadvantage. There is countless more herorics of man and was praised as the strongest in all of Longjia. But he suddenly retired at a young age and has not been in public since.
Yeyan never imagined that he would meet this great figure one day and that he would be the uncle of his master.
He had learned about the man in the royal academy and now facing him, he was different from what he had imagined. He was quiet and gentle, not at all like the brutish, loud and imposing person he imagined.
. Lord Qin was most definitely here to check on the prince. But if he truly cared for the prince, why was he in this state?
Thinking that, yeyan raised his head to look at the man with an inquiring and doubtful expression. How could a man who seemed so gentle and righteous live a child to come to this state?
Qin zhenguan had lived more years than this child before him, so how could he not sense the complexity of his expression and his thoughts.
Sighing deeply, Qin zhenguan look towards his sisters child. The poor thing was neglected and harmed beyond doubt, as he could see the boys ribbs though the tattered clothes on his body. It was heartbreaking but there was next to nothing he could do before. Now he was here and the child will have a protector.
" He won't get into that tub until you win his trust. Too much has been done to him so it won't be easy." lord zhenguan look at the puzzled expression on the younge eunuch's face and knew he didn't understand.
" According to the information I got of his pervious keepers, they were not the nicest to him. He was hit constantly, mistreated for being abandoned by the emperor and turned their resentment to him for being assigned here."
A look of dawning appeared on yeyan's face. The maids and others were whispering about how the prince had had servants before him and they met gruesome fates. It must have had something to do with them harming him, with his beast-like nature he would surely defend himself when pushed to the wall.
A look of indignation appeared on yeyan's face as he thought about how those people deserved worse fates. The thought of yuan wu being harmed made his heart hurt.
Lord zhenguan saw the changing expressions on the young eunuch's face and nodded, he was worth keeping just for standing on the prince's side without questioning.
" The second changed personal tasked to care for him, had a mid rank eunuch who thought he was too good to serve wu-er. So he developed a sick game. When ever he served wu-er in the bath, he would force him down and hold him there for awhile just to see him struggling to breathe. "
At this lord zhenguan clenched his fist in anger and yeyan looked equally pissed. But they did not notice yuan wu's eyes cloud over slightly, as if remembering something horrible. His body trembled ever so slightly.
" That was a year ago and wu-er was five. It went on for three months before the nanny, nanny lin noticed something wrong when she tried to bathe him. She confronted him and in his anger pushed her to the ground."
He eyes unconsciously fell onto his nephew.
" She hit her head badly on the stone stairs and fractured her spine. As an ordinary mortal such an injury was too much and that bastard even hit her repeatedly when she fell. "
Yeyan could already tell were this was going. Eunuchs were expected to have at least Essence first realm strength but maids were not expected not, meaning some where mortals but that also meant they would be the lowest rank of maids too. A mid-rank eunuch as worst should be Essence fith realm, a mortal would not survive. He turned to look at yuan wu and saw his face covered in tears.
His heart trembled in pain at the sit and pulled yuan wu into his arms to comfort. He felt him trembling in his arms and became even more distressed for him.
Lord zhenguan took in the sight and continued.
" As you could guess, she didn't make it and that was when he changed for the worst. She had been his only protector and leash but with her gone nothing was stopping him." he sighed deeply remembering the report he was sent, a tragedy that could have been prevented if only his father cared, even a little.
" That was when he went berserk for the first time and tore the eunuch into pieces with his bare hands. That day was bloody as that eunuch was not the only one who died.
That was also the day his form changed to this."
"He won't enter not only because you have not earned his trust, but also because his fear is still frash and his heart fragile."
The emperor had forbidden him from coming to the palace for five years and he couldn't even do anything in secret least the boy be in more danger.
But things were going to be different now. This time he was prepared.