diskusbooks Chapter 163 Ying Gaoya was released
Chapter 163 Ying Gaoya was released
In stark contrast to Ying Wuyou's indifference towards Ying Gaoya's release, the other young masters and princesses all paid close attention to Ying Gaoya's regained freedom.
It's important to know that Ying Gaoya was extremely unpopular among his many siblings. In the past, he often bullied others, specifically targeting his younger brothers and sisters, causing widespread resentment. Therefore, when Madam Zhao finally lost her patience last year and cruelly imprisoned him, not a single person went to visit him or plead for his life.
Now that he has been released, everyone is naturally curious and wants to see if this once arrogant and domineering man has changed. So, several young masters and princesses agreed to go together to visit Ying Gaoya.
Among them, Ying Lingyuan pleaded with Ying Gaoshan and Ying Gaolu to take her and Ying Yueying along. The group slowly entered the courtyard, where they saw Ying Gaoya sitting alone on a stone bench.
Surprisingly, after this period of confinement, Ying Gaoya had grown noticeably taller, but at the same time, his once chubby figure had disappeared, replaced by a skeletal appearance. He was wearing loose clothing that looked as if a gust of wind could blow it away, and he looked extremely haggard.
Not only that, his once round and rosy face was now unusually pale, devoid of color, and even his eyes were empty, lifeless, and dull. Seeing Ying Gaoya in this state, everyone present was stunned, and an awkward silence fell over the room.
After a moment, Ying Lingyuan broke the deadlock first, timidly calling out softly, "Twelfth Brother..." However, Ying Gaoya did not seem to react immediately. It wasn't until a while later that he slowly turned his neck as if waking from a dream, looking at the source of the voice with his lifeless eyes.
When everyone saw his lifeless and sullen appearance, they were all startled and instinctively stepped back to keep a certain distance from him.
Ying Gaoya silently gazed at his familiar yet unfamiliar brothers and sisters, his lips trembling slightly as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he couldn't utter a sound. Everyone watched him quietly, a wave of sorrow and sadness washing over them.
Although Ying Gaoya used to be an arrogant and domineering person who often caused trouble and bullied others, they still shared the same blood and had an unbreakable bond of kinship. Who could have imagined that in just one short year, that once invincible boy would become like this?
At this moment, the kind-hearted Ying Lingyuan couldn't help but step forward and ask softly with concern, "Twelfth Brother, are you... alright?" Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, carrying a hint of warmth and worry.
Ying Gaoya seemed to take a long time to come to his senses. He was stunned for a moment, then nodded very slowly to indicate that he was alright.
Seeing this, Ying Gaoshan quickly pressed his advantage and asked, "Twelfth Brother, would you like to go out and have some fun, to relax a bit?"
Upon hearing the words "go out and play," Ying Gaoya, who had been lifeless, suddenly changed slightly. A faint blush gradually appeared on his paper-white face, as if parched land had received a refreshing rain; the corners of his stiff mouth began to turn up slightly, as if a bright smile was about to bloom. However, surprisingly, despite his efforts to smile, the smile remained only on his lips, unable to truly appear on his face.
Seeing this bizarre scene, Ying Yueying couldn't help but recall a phrase Ying Wuyou had once used—"a forced smile." At this moment, this phrase was perfectly suited to describe Ying Gaoya.
Finally, Ying Gaoya slowly shook his head, the movement appearing somewhat weak and heavy. Seeing this, everyone understood that Ying Gaoya wanted to go out and play. They changed the subject and inquired about Ying Gaoya's health with concern. However, faced with everyone's concern, Ying Gaoya only responded with nods or shakes of his head in silence, never uttering a single word.
The group carefully examined Ying Gaoya. His face was as pale as paper, his eyes were bloodshot and vacant, and he looked extremely haggard and weak. Seeing Ying Gaoya's appearance, the group knew that he was in very poor condition, so they did not linger and bid him farewell before turning and leaving.
Ying Gaoya gazed silently at the departing figures of the group, his eyes filled with envy. He recalled what had happened last year; he had angered his mother in a moment of impulsiveness and was ruthlessly locked in this room as a result.
At first, during his imprisonment, he couldn't accept reality and cried and screamed all day, but all his resistance was in vain. Seeing that crying and screaming were useless, he came up with a plan to protest by going on a hunger strike to force his mother to give in. In this way, he starved himself for three days and three nights, until he was so hungry that he was dizzy and his vision was going black. But even so, his mother still didn't come to visit him, let alone release him from his cage and give him his freedom.
He finally realized that no matter how much he made a scene or went on a hunger strike, it was all in vain to change the situation. So, he could only shout again and again, "Mother, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Please forgive me..." However, no matter how hard he shouted, until his throat was hoarse and painful, he received no response.
The room wasn't actually small, but to Ying Gaoya at this moment, it felt like a giant prison. He was all alone inside, imprisoned day after day. Aside from the maids and eunuchs who brought him food regularly, he had no one else to interact with.
At first, he tried to get close to the maids and eunuchs who delivered his meals, hoping to convey his apology and pleading for forgiveness to his mother through them. But gradually he realized that this was just wishful thinking on his part; they always ignored his pleas and didn't say a word to him.
Gradually, Ying Gaoya's days became a mechanical repetition: getting up on time, eating, and then endless sleep. This monotonous and tedious life drove him to the brink of madness, but the tightly locked door was like an impenetrable wall, firmly trapping him in this small space.
Day after day, he had nothing to do but sleep. The long hours of sleep caused his mental state to deteriorate, and he often forgot to eat. As time went on, his body seemed to gradually adapt to the hunger, and eventually, he no longer felt hungry at all, often only managing to eat a bite when the hunger became unbearable.
And so, Ying Gaoya's life became a blur, completely losing his sense of time. It felt like decades had passed before the door, which had remained tightly shut, finally opened slowly. The sudden burst of intense light was like a sharp sword, piercing his eyes and making it impossible for him to open them. He instinctively shielded his eyes with his hand, and it took him a long time to adjust to the long-lost light.
When he finally saw clearly, he found himself being silently led away. Standing not far away was his mother, whom he had longed for day and night—Madam Zhao. Gazing at his mother's familiar yet unfamiliar face, Ying Gaoya was overwhelmed with emotions. He wanted to call out, wanted to rush into his mother's warm embrace and cry his heart out like he had as a child, but at this moment, his throat felt as if it were blocked by something, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't utter a sound. His face, which should have been full of life, was now stiff and expressionless.
Even walking had become incredibly difficult for Ying Gaoya at this moment, requiring immense effort for each step. But even so, he preferred to sit silently, especially on the bitterly cold winter days, when he particularly favored the icy stone bench. Only the chill felt when his skin touched the bench could make him truly feel that he was still alive in this world.