Chapter 1

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Chapter 1:
The Fool Second young master of Zephyr Citadel.

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The sun shines brightly as Maple leaves gently descend from the tree. They gracefully fall through the air, carried by the soft breeze, and land delicately on the open windowsill. One of these leaves lands gently on the forehead of a peacefully sleeping young man.

His eyelashes caress his soft, fair skin with a hint of rosy cheeks. His small, pointed nose twitches slightly, tickled by the leaf's touch.
his red, kissable lips quirk into a thin line.

The young man slowly opens his eyes, blinking a couple of times before rubbing them with his delicate hand. He removes the bothersome leaf from his forehead, pinching it between his slender fingers, and gazes at it with a glare as if it were his archenemy.

The room feels a bit chilly; perhaps Lixin forgot to close the window again? With a tired sigh, the young man sits up, still feeling a bit disoriented.

He is about to call out for Lixin or Yangfan to close the window and fetch him a cup of tea when something catches his attention. The room appears smaller than he remembers,
despite it title as 'Worn Down Palace',

Niǎo wō palace is still made In high-quality construction materials.
But strangely, the room seems to be made from bamboo and other lower-quality materials.

Inside, there isn't much besides a stack of hay in one corner, two buckets of water, a bowl and chopsticks resting on the floor, separated from the dirt by a tattered fabric. A thin, old mattress with a barely sufficient blanket covers him.

He blinks twice, a realization dawning on him. This is not his chambers in the Niǎo Wō Palace.

This place appeared to be the old shack where he resided before his marriage to the emperor. However, he couldn't comprehend how he had ended up here.

Had the Shen family taken him back? No, that couldn't be right. He vividly recalled the Niǎo Wō Palace engulfed in flames. Even if they had managed to rescue him, it would have been impossible for him to emerge unscathed.

So, how had he wound up in this place?

As he pondered over these questions, a throbbing ache began to form in Xiaoniao's head. The effort of trying to make sense of the situation was taking its toll on him.

His memory of the events was blurry, but he did remember the moment he set himself on fire, a desperate attempt at ending his own life along with the little egg he often referred to as Xiaobao—

Hold on, speaking of Xiaobao—where had that little egg disappeared to?

Xiaoniao's eyes darted around the surroundings, a sense of urgency overtaking him as he searched for the infant-sized egg. Yet, no matter where he looked, the precious golden egg remained elusive.

He lifted his blanket, only to find it absent. He even flipped over his mattress, but there was still no sign of the egg. He peered into the buckets, only to find murky water staring back at him. The egg was nowhere to be seen.

His last resort was to check the hay, but once again, he was met with disappointment. The golden egg was nowhere to be found.

Xiaoniao's chest tightened, and panic surged within him. He clutched at his chest, struggling to catch his breath, fearing that another bout of coughing up blood might strike. Luckily, it didn't, but his lips quivered and tears welled up in his eyes.

His worry was centered on his cherished companion, A'xiao, the small egg. He couldn't bear the thought that A'xiao might not have survived the fire, consumed by the flames. Determination surged through him, igniting a fire of resolve within his heart. He refused to accept such a fate for A'xiao.

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