Wei Yu spent three difficult days at the old man’s place.
Unlike the usual study sessions in the imperial study where princes normally studied, here, in the emperor’s place, Wei Yu didn’t dare slack off. He had to maintain a fa??ade, even when he wanted to relax by browsing his tablet.
For instance, when it was ti to turn a page, he pretended to be deeply focused on his book; or when he needed to read or write sothing, it was to show that he was truly studying.
The difficulty of the process was comparable to the treacherous path through Shu!
[Why can’t I be a playboy!]
Nestled in the chair, Wei Yu held his book and made his most luxurious wish for the ninety-eighth ti in his life.
He was frustrated!
Today was the last day, and he had been reading in this side hall for three whole days.
During this ti, his father seed to have forgotten about him; aside from als, he hadn’t actively sought him out at all.
He doubted that the old man even rembered about random inspections.
He just didn’t know why he was still left here!
Wei Yu slamd his book onto the table and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, lazily leaned back in his chair, tilted his head toward the direction of the inner hall, staring blankly.
Unlike his neglect, his eighth brother had been staying with the old man these past few days.
The servants said that his eighth brother was serving the emperor, attending to his books and ink, and occasionally even reading imperial edicts to the emperor!
When Wei Yu first heard this, he was shocked.
After all, only the emperor or the crown prince could read the edicts.
Now, with the crown prince of Great Wei still undecided and his older brothers secretly fighting amongst themselves, the old man had never clearly favored anyone.
But now things had changed.
A single strike of thunder, and it was as though people had suddenly shifted their focus, suddenly paying attention to him and his eighth brother, two insignificant figures.
And it seed like they were actually being taken seriously.
Wei Yu drifted into a daze.
He glanced out the window, ntally calculating the ti, and estimated that it was almost ti for the evening al.
Great Wei had two main als: breakfast was served between the hours of Chen (7–9 AM), and dinner between Shen (3–5 PM). There were also lighter als in between.
Of course, if one was hungry in the interim, one could always call for snacks and tea.
In short, the royal family of Great Wei advocated for smaller, more frequent als.
Wei Yu, feeling a bit hungry, touched his stomach.
When eating in his own palace, the monthly als were fixed, and because he wasn’t favored, the kitchen sotis cut back on portions. If he wanted better food, he had to spend his own money.
But eating at the old man’s place was totally different!
He could eat until full without paying a cent!
Thinking about the als from the past couple of days, Wei Yu couldn’t help but touch his chin.
[My eighth brother has gained the old man’s favor. If he establishes a residence, could I ask him to get an imperial chef for ? Eating, drinking, and enjoying life are important, and I just want to eat better. Is that too much to ask?]
Emperor Wei, standing at the door, heard this and his face soured in frustration.
How could this brat be so disgraceful?
All he ever thinks about is food, drink, and entertainnt, or how to be a playboy!
It’s a miracle this fool has any brains at all; at least he knows how to cover for himself. Otherwise, if he dared to show any of this behavior, I would seize the opportunity to give him a thorough scolding!
Li Cheng had been standing behind Emperor Wei for a while.
He glanced at the emperor’s back and couldn’t understand why the emperor always ca to the side hall but never entered.
[How did the ninth prince catch the emperor’s attention? On the surface, it seems like the eighth prince is doing better, but it’s these quiet, hidden observations from the emperor that really grab one’s attention!]
Emperor Wei: …
The old man sure thinks a lot in private.
Emperor Wei didn’t stand by the door for long. Once he no longer heard Wei Yu’s thoughts, he quietly returned.
This act of eavesdropping on Wei Yu’s thoughts at the door had beco sothing Emperor Wei did frequently during these three days.
It could be said that, aside from Wei Yu, the eighth prince, and their imdiate servants, nearly everyone in the emperor’s inner palace was aware of this.
However, even if they knew, no one would dare tell the two.
After all, they were the emperor’s people.
As for Emperor Wei, who had suddenly gained the ability of “mind reading,” aside from initially not understanding it, he had been quickly familiarizing himself with the power over the past couple of days.
After several trials, Emperor Wei discovered: he could only hear people’s thoughts if they were within three zhang (roughly ten ters) of him. When he focused on listening to soone’s thoughts, the voices of others would gradually fade away. When he relaxed, as long as the person was within range, he could hear everyone’s thoughts…
Emperor Wei had good learning abilities; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to quickly summarize so much in such a short ti.
He tested everyone around him, learning when they were hungry, cold, or trying to slack off, who was loyal, and which people were spies sent by others. Emperor Wei could hear everything clearly!
As an emperor, Emperor Wei naturally wouldn’t leave any hidden dangers for himself.
If he couldn’t move against those courtiers or consorts hiding treachery in their hearts, could he not deal with the palace servants and eunuchs with ill intentions?
He would get rid of all of them without hesitation!
And it was in this environnt, where Emperor Wei was furious, had his world turned upside down, and was questioning himself, that Wei Yu and the eighth prince—who had no ill intentions toward the emperor or anyone else—stood out starkly.
The eighth prince was always thinking about the ninth brother when he was around Emperor Wei.
Whether he was thinking about sothing the ninth brother had said or wondering if the ninth brother was daydreaming or slacking off, it made Emperor Wei very curious.
As for Wei Yu, that was harder to say.
A few secretive eavesdropping experiences made Emperor Wei seriously suspect that this son’s mind was preoccupied with nothing but food, drink, and enjoynt.
—
After the evening al, Wei Yu underwent a random check of his assignnts from his father.
It wasn’t anything too important—just morization, translation, and summaries, much like the reading comprehension tests from back in school.
Wei Yu casually muddled through.
He thought his performance was flawless, his acting so perfect it could earn him an Oscar. But!
As he was leaving, Wei Yu caught a glimpse of his father’s expression.
The old man’s face didn’t reveal much; it was a typical imperial mask of emotionless composure. But Wei Yu couldn’t shake the feeling that his father’s eyes seed… off.
What was off about them?
He couldn’t quite tell.
It just felt strange!
It made him uneasy.
When he left the Yangxin Hall, Wei Yu looked back thoughtfully.
The eighth prince noticed his movent and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you looking at?”
Wei Yu blinked, leaned in, and quietly asked, “Eighth brother, while you’ve been staying with Father these past two days, have you noticed anything strange?”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing was off with the old man after being struck by lightning.
The eighth prince gave him a sideways glance. “What’s strange? Father is the ruler; everything he does is right.”
Wei Yu was montarily stunned. Watching the eighth prince walk away, he couldn’t help but give him a big thumbs-up.
“Now that’s what I call awareness.”
Impressive!
He was perfect for holding onto the emperor’s coattails!
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