Note: this chapter contains a flashback.
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His family consisted of four people. He, his father, his mother, and his younger brother.
His father worked as the head of the Emperor's guards in the palace, and his name was Zhang Man. Zhang Hei often heard stories from his father about his work for the Emperor, and he knew that his father had been by the Emperor's side since the Emperor was a teenager. It was only after the Emperor ascended the throne that his father finally obtained the title of head of the guards, and Zhang Hei was quite proud of that.
From these stories, he knew that his father and the Emperor were like close friends or brothers despite their different statuses. That was why the two often spent time together outside of work, including one day when the Emperor visited the Zhang family's residence outside the palace.
