After they finished work for the day, they locked up the restaurant and then Jia Yi and Meng Yao walked around.

"Yao, do you who that little boy is?" Jia Yi wanted to know.

"Hmm..."

"I've been talking to the she-men. They say he is the Crown Prince's child. Do you know what that means?"

"I know he is a very important figure but don't fret, Jiaj--"

"You don't understand! Yao, that boy has a lot on his shoulders. He is the only child of a great general and the Crown Prince. He has two very important demands on him. Since the royal blood runs in his veins, it's his duty to carry on the bloodline of both families," JiaYi said.

Meng Yao's sympathy for Huan increased. How unfair for him to have such a burden at only thirteen years old.

"Hm, the kid has it tough but there's nothing that can be done except for the Crown Prince to have more children. Why hasn't he done that?" Meng Yao asked.

"The Crown Prince and the General don't have a good relationship; in fact, the Crown Prince hates the General so he rejects the idea of having more kids. Because his Royal Highness is a feared and respected figure, no one dares to try and force him against his will," Jia Yi explained.

"Interesting! But isn't this the part where the Emperor comes in to force him to bear more children?" Meng Yao joked.

Jia Yi shook his head with a serious expression.

"No. The Emperor loves his only son and since he was a child the Emperor has always spoiled him. But later, after the disappearance of Minister Liang and his reported death, His Majesty didn't interfere with the Crown Prince's choices anymore. He has only focused on running his empire since then," Jia Yi explained.

Meng Yao was itching with curiosity. He'd been hearing about this "Minister Liang" since he had arrived in this place. He really wanted to know more about the man.

"Who is this minister?"

Jia Yi stopped as a gust of wind blew through their clothes but then moved forward again.

"The Minister Liang... I don't know him but I heard from my parents that he was described as a very influential person. He was kind and intelligent but his origin and family are a total mystery," Jia Yi answered. "The common folk in this country feel that Minister Liang came too late and left too early." Jia Yi added after a little thought.

Meng Yao was confused. If this person was so influential and so well loved then why was it taboo to use his name? Shouldn't his name be written down in history?

"I don't understand these people," he told Jia Yi with a perplexed frown.

"It's not the Emperor's command but the Crown Prince's."

Meng Yao's steps froze.

"The Crown Prince...?"

"I can't tell you any more because that's all I know about the matter."

Meng Yao's curiosity was far from satisfied. In fact, his heart was begging him to dig deeper. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to know everything about this drama from the past and wondered why he was plagued with this unnatural curiosity.

The two went home and Jia Yi cooked dinner. He brought it to the veranda where Meng Yao was sitting in deep contemplation.

"Is something bothering you?" Jia Yi asked.

"I feel this nagging need to understand the entire story," Meng Yao told him.

"You're still curious about the story of the royal family," Jia Yi said with understanding.

"In a way, yes. I feel as if something in that story will unlock something that I've been looking for."

"Really? Then you can ask Huan to visit his home so yo-"

"No! He is a child and I will not use him for my own gain. In fact, I feel I like we have things in common and I refuse to betray his trust," Meng Yao cut Jia Yi off.

Jia Yi smiled slightly then turned around to study his handsome husband.

"Yao, even if it's bad I want to know more about you," Jia Yi said.

"I want to know all about you too, Jiajia," Meng Yao replied.

"Well, my father was an official and my daddy was a kind and friendly she-man," Jia Yi told him after a moment's thought. "Daddy was beautiful too. We were very happy together but one day when I was staying at Hong Zhu's home they were killed in a carriage accident." Jia Yi's eyes reddened at the memory.

"It was the saddest day of my life and it was also the beginning of a life of hard work and loneliness. I was only 15 years old at the time," Jia Yi shared. "First my uncles stole my inheritance, dividing it between them. With no power, I could do nothing to stop them. Then my first fiance died in the cold freezing to death, my second one left because I was too ugly, and the third took my money and ran off but what really hurt was not the fact that they left - it was the loneliness. I would still sleep in my parents bed back then, even though I was 15 years old but suddenly I had no one at all." Jia Yi's voice trailed off as he finished his story.