Yesterday, the Seventh and Ninth Princes were punished. They were forced to crawl on the ground, exhausted, before Qin Su let them go. Today, they originally didn't want to come to Wende Hall to study, but feared displeasing the Emperor, so they dared not skip and trudged over, utterly exhausted.
Yesterday's punishment was so severe that the two of them didn't even have the strength to speak, much less bicker. For days, the Ninth Prince hadn't stopped bragging about Prince Dai's great victory in Liangzhou. Today, he was too tired to say a word, bringing an overdue silence that Zhao Yao and the others appreciated.
After the noon study session, the eunuchs next to the Seventh and Ninth Princes carried them out of Wende Hall. They were so weary they couldn't even muster the strength to walk or write, let alone speak.
Zhao Yao didn't rush off after finishing his studies today; instead, he waited for the Seventh and Ninth Princes to leave before departing. Seeing how terribly they were punished, Zhao Yao felt much less resentful about his hundred times copying of "The Analects".
"Hehehe..."
The Eighth Prince noticed Zhao Yao's glee and couldn't resist teasing him: "So happy?"
Zhao Yao placed his hands on his hips, grinning widely as he said, "Of course I'm happy. I feel much more balanced now."
"You..."
"Eighth Brother, don't you think today's especially peaceful?" Zhao Yao exaggeratedly expressed, "Doesn't the air feel particularly fresh today?"
The Eighth Prince lightly tapped Zhao Yao's head. "Your stomach isn't hungry; aren't you eager to go back for lunch?"
"Eighth Brother, come have lunch with me."
"No, I need to go see the Crown Prince Brother." The Eighth Prince patted Zhao Yao's shoulder, smiling, "You go ahead and have lunch."
"Alright then, I'll go have lunch first." Zhao Yao waved to the Eighth Prince and then left Wende Hall with Tong Xi.
The Fourth Prince walked beside the Eighth Prince, suddenly stopping, looking down on him. The Fourth Prince was much taller than the Eighth Prince, towering over his shoulders.
The Eighth Prince didn't like this overbearing gaze the Fourth Prince had. He frowned slightly with discontent but didn't show it on his face.
"Fourth Brother, do you have something to say?"
The Fourth Prince looked deeply at the Eighth Prince, his tone indifferent and filled with warning: "Tenth Brother is innocent. You shouldn't get too close to him."
The Eighth Prince squinted slightly upon hearing this, pretending not to understand, "Fourth Brother, what do you mean?"
The Fourth Prince replied, "You'll bring danger to him." With that, he turned and left Wende Hall.
The Eighth Prince stood there, watching the departing Fourth Prince with cold eyes.
Yu Hai approached the Eighth Prince, gazing at the Fourth Prince's retreating back together, "Your Highness, what does Fourth Highness mean?"
The Eighth Prince spoke solemnly, "He's warning me."
"You've never interfered with the Fourth Prince. Why is he warning you?" Yu Hai asked, puzzled, "Moreover, your good relationship with Tenth Highness, how could it bring danger to him?"
The Eighth Prince replied as he walked, "Because I'm close to the Crown Prince."
"Is there something wrong with being close to the Crown Prince, Your Highness?" Suddenly realizing something, Yu Hai remarked, "Does the Fourth Prince want to compete for that position too?"
The Eighth Prince sneered, "Besides the Tenth Brother, who doesn't want that position?"
"But on what grounds does the Fourth Prince have to warn you?" Yu Hai said indignantly, "Does he think you're easy to bully?"
"He doesn't want me to implicate the Tenth Brother," the Eighth Prince replied coldly, "Even though I dislike Zhao Xi's pretense, he's truly concerned about the Tenth Brother."
"So, will you really heed the Fourth Highness's words and keep a distance from the Tenth Highness in the future?"
The Eighth Prince sneered, "Why should I listen to Zhao Xi?"
"Exactly, who is the Fourth Highness to decide?"
"To the Eastern Palace."
On the way to the Eastern Palace, Yu Hai gave the Eighth Prince a detailed report on the events of the early morning court assembly.
After listening, the Eighth Prince smiled ambiguously, "So it is!"
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is not in a good mood. Are you sure you want to visit the Eastern Palace?"
"It's precisely times like these that I must visit," the Eighth Prince declared, "Besides, the Crown Prince won't take it out on me."
As soon as the Eighth Prince reached the entrance of the Eastern Palace, a teacup flew towards him, nearly hitting his head. Luckily, he dodged in time, and it shattered at his feet.
He looked over and saw the Crown Prince looking furious, realizing at once. He stepped forward and respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Seeing that it was the Eighth Prince, the Crown Prince quickly hid his anger, "Eighth Brother, you're here."
"Brother, is this about the Second Brother?" hesitated the Eighth Prince.
"This morning at court, the ministers all support bestowing additional pearls on Prince Dai."
"Could the Marquis Xuanping have also bribed the Wang and Yuan families?"
The Crown Prince said coldly, "The Marquis Xuanping isn't that capable."
"So the Wang and Yuan families want a share of the profits, hence the agreement to add pearls to the Second Brother?"
The Crown Prince nodded slightly, "The Third Brother will come of age next year and be enfeoffed as a prince. The Wang Family supports adding pearls to Prince Dai, hoping that the Third Brother will also receive pearls when he is enfeoffed next year."
"Brother, having the Third and Fifth Brothers enfeoffed with additional pearls isn't necessarily a bad thing." The Eighth Prince analyzed for the Crown Prince, "The Wang, Yuan, and Xun families, while slightly inferior to the hundred-year-old Xie family, are more established than the Marquis Xuanping's Mansion. Additional pearls for the Third Brother pose a threat to the Second Brother."
"The Wang, Yuan, and Xun families indeed have more power than Marquis Xuanping's Mansion, but even if the Third Brother receives additional pearls in the future, they still wouldn't match Prince Dai." The Crown Prince noted, "Even combined, the Third Brother and the others don't match Prince Dai."
"That's true."
"The proposal to add pearls cannot be allowed to pass; otherwise, there will be endless trouble," the Crown Prince sighed heavily, "Father..."
"Brother, I have an idea. I just don't know if it's feasible."
The Crown Prince's eyes lit up at this, asking eagerly, "What idea?"
The Eighth Prince moved closer, whispering into the Crown Prince's ear.
After listening, the Crown Prince's expression was somewhat complex.
"Brother, do you think it will work?" the Eighth Prince asked cautiously.
"It should be useful," the Crown Prince chuckled lightly, "If I'm truly out of options, I'll use your method."
"Brother, I've always felt Father cares for you. It's just you're the eldest son and the Crown Prince, so Father holds you to higher standards." The Eighth Prince consoled the Crown Prince, "Moreover, Father and your mother the Empress have a deep bond. Out of respect for the late Empress, Father wouldn't let the Second Brother replace you."
This comment truly hit home for the Crown Prince; it was music to his ears.
"It would be great if it were really like that," the Crown Prince's demeanor softened considerably, "Are you hungry? Let's go eat."
The Eighth Prince chuckled a little awkwardly and then curiously asked, "What's good to eat today?"
"Today we have your favorite dishes: stewed goose web feet and duck tongues." The Crown Prince often had meals with the Eighth Prince in the Eastern Palace, so he remembered what the Eighth Prince liked and disliked.
"That's great." The Eighth Prince suddenly inquired, "Brother, is there any extra of that dish? I'd like to take some for the Tenth Brother."
The Crown Prince was a bit surprised, "For Tenth Brother?"
"Yes, Tenth Brother loves this dish. At the last banquet, he secretly ate a lot."
"It's considerate of you to remember," the Crown Prince was comforted to see the Eighth Prince's concern for their youngest brother, "Take some for Tenth Brother to enjoy."
"Then I'll thank you on behalf of Tenth Brother."
"No need for thanks," the Crown Prince, recalling yesterday's events after he left the martial arts arena, asked with concern, "Father punished Tenth Brother to copy 'The Analects' a hundred times; he must be crying impatiently."
"Brother, you saw right through it." The Eighth Prince recounted in vivid detail how Zhao Yao reacted to learning about his punishment, making the Crown Prince laugh heartily.
"That Tenth Brother..." The Crown Prince shook his head with a helpless smile, "He may not be bright in his studies, but he's quite clever in everything else."
"Especially when it comes to food."
The brothers talked and laughed as they walked to the dining hall.
With this distraction, the Crown Prince was in a much better mood, and his appetite naturally improved.
In Kunde Hall, while having lunch, Zhao Yao sneezed unexpectedly, startling Yu Meiren and the others, fearing he had caught a chill.
A few months ago, Zhao Yao caught a cold that led to a fever, keeping him bedridden for over a month, which frightened Liang Zhaoyi and the others greatly, hence their anxiety over his sneeze.
Liang Zhaoyi, possessing some knowledge of pulse reading, checked her son's pulse and was relieved to find it normal.
Zhao Yao rubbed his itchy nose, saying that someone must be speaking ill of him behind his back. He guessed it must be Ninth Brother. Among all his royal brothers, only Ninth Brother enjoyed speaking ill of him.
After lunch, Zhao Yao and Tong Xi went to their secret base.
Upon arriving, Lai Lu and Laiwang rushed over to him.
[Yao Yao, something's wrong, there's trouble at Pei Mansion.]
Zhao Yao's heart tightened, and he asked with a frown, "What's happening at Pei Mansion?"
Laiwang said, [Last night, someone was lurking around Pei Mansion.]
Zhao Yao asked, "How many people? Did they enter Pei Mansion?"
[Quite a few, but they didn't enter Pei Mansion,] Laiwang replied, [They were probably scared off by our men.]
"Pei Mansion has long become an abandoned residence, and the Pei family was wiped out ages ago. Why would anyone still be interested in Pei Mansion?"
Pei Mansion was once the home of Noble Consort Pei, a prominent family during the previous dynasty of Emperor Xia Ling. Back then, when Noble Consort Pei was favored in the six palaces, the Pei family flourished. Later, after the noble consort was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, the Pei family was executed entirely with no survivors.
Their secret base was initially the Cold Palace where Noble Consort Pei had resided.
While exploring the Cold Palace, Zhao Yao and his companions discovered a hidden passage, which ended at Pei Mansion.
Thanks to this secret passage, Zhao Yao could leave the palace, something otherwise impossible given his status.