His Majesty's intentions

"Emperor Father, please calm down..." / "Your Majesty, please calm down..."

When a tyrant raged, blood would spill!

The crown prince and Consort Wan started to kneel and plead for mercy.

Emperor Jinyuan hurriedly stopped them. "...I wasn't talking about you."

He turned toward the culprit, intending to have him dragged away and given ten hard strokes of the paddle before he grew any more unruly.

But the newcomer's bedraggled appearance startled him into stumbling, and he backed away despite himself. "Who are you?!"

It was hardly surprising that Emperor Jinyuan failed to recognize Xiao Yu. He looked far too... shabby!

His hair was disheveled, his face filthy, and his clothes and body covered in mud. He had not a shred of dignity left.

Xiao Yu replied calmly, "It's me, Elder Imperial Brother."

Hearing the familiar voice, Emperor Jinyuan let down his guard.

He looked at the person before him and suddenly frowned. "Qi'an..."

"Did you... fall into a beggars' den?"

Xiao Yu walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of water.

To tell you the truth, Elder Imperial Brother, I just crawled out of the ground.

The corner of Emperor Jinyuan's eye twitched.

He found that rather hard to believe, but the mud on Xiao Yu made him hesitate.

He frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"

"In short, someone tried to kill me, then buried me!" Xiao Yu replied.

Damn it! Just my rotten luck!

Never mind that they couldn't even find somewhere discreet to plot-they actually blamed me for overhearing and tried to silence me?

At this, the crown prince hurriedly asked, "Little imperial uncle! Are you hurt?"

Consort Wan also looked at him with concern.

Emperor Jinyuan's foot slipped.

Little... imperial uncle?

He glanced at the crown prince, then at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu was now his younger brother in name... so there was nothing wrong with the crown prince addressing him that way.

But he realized this seemed to place him a generation below the Prince of Zhennan, which inexplicably irritated him.

That irritation spilled over onto Xiao Yu.

"You barged in without even washing first! You've dirtied the crown prince's bedchamber!"

Before Xiao Yu could reply, the crown prince cut in. "It's fine. I don't mind!"

Emperor Jinyuan's expression immediately darkened. He looked at his son, who was siding with an outsider, in exasperation.

Whose side was he on, anyway?

Could his own Emperor Father really not compare to a little imperial uncle who had appeared out of nowhere?

Then he heard Consort Wan tell him, "Your Majesty should return to your chambers and retire early. The children need their rest too..."

She simply could not stand watching him give the two children a hard time.

Consort Wan turned to Xiao Yu. "Your Highness, I've just had hot water prepared. Go and wash."

"Sorry for the trouble, imperial sister-in-law." Xiao Yu readily accepted the clothes she had prepared for him.

Emperor Jinyuan watched them ignore him, his face turning green with anger.

Imperial sister-in-law, imperial sister-in-law-he called her that so affectionately... did he not know a man should maintain a proper distance from his brother's wife?

What a disgraceful fool of an emperor. He's even jealous of a child like me. Look at him-his face has gone green!

That's what you get for not knowing what's good for you! You clearly care about my imperial sister-in-law, yet you're too stubborn to say it.

We're all human. What makes anyone better than anyone else? Do you expect everyone to keep coaxing you?

You deserve to be ignored by her! Imperial Sister-in-Law won't pay you any attention, so what are you going to do about it?

Consort Wan was speechless. Stop fanning the flames. That wasn't what I meant.

She simply did not care to see him.

The crown prince thought, Thank goodness Emperor Father and Consort Mother can't hear him.

Emperor Jinyuan was speechless.

Fortunately, Wanwan and Chang'er can't hear him. Otherwise, where would that leave my dignity as the Sovereign of a Nation?

After bathing in the side chamber, Xiao Yu could not be bothered to return to his own quarters.

He went to the bed and said to the crown prince, "My good nephew, move over a little. Your imperial uncle will make do and spend the night here!"

"Hmph! Make do? Is sharing a bed with the crown prince beneath you?"

Emperor Jinyuan was a little envious, but he would not admit it.

"Elder Imperial Brother, you're still here? I thought you'd left long ago."

Then Xiao Yu turned to Consort Wan and continued, "Imperial sister-in-law, it's late. Why don't you stay here tonight too-"

The next instant, Emperor Jinyuan lay down in the spot Xiao Yu had meant to take!

Xiao Yu was speechless.

Consort Wan was speechless.

The crown prince was speechless.

In the end, Xiao Yu and the crown prince slept in the middle, with Emperor Jinyuan and Consort Wan on either side. All four shared one bed.

Fortunately, the bed was fairly large!

Emperor Jinyuan, Xiao Yu, the crown prince, and Consort Wan were all speechless. It was a little cramped...

"Stop shoving! Any more and I'll fall off the bed!"

Emperor Jinyuan grumbled.

Absurd!

He, the Sovereign of a Nation, had been reduced to fighting over space in a bed!

What an utter farce!

"Why don't you go back to your own chambers, Elder Imperial Brother?"

Xiao Yu added, "You insisted on sleeping with us. Whose fault is that?"

The Sovereign of a Nation, fighting with a child like me over a bed. Have you no shame?

"The entire palace belongs to me! I'll sleep wherever I please!" Emperor Jinyuan retorted.

"You're right, Elder Imperial Brother," Xiao Yu said serenely.

Emperor Jinyuan was speechless. Why does this brat make me want to hit him so badly?

The crown prince's bedchamber had never been so lively before, and he could not help letting out a silly laugh.

"Why are you giggling in the middle of the night, Crown Prince?" Xiao Yu asked.

"I'm very happy tonight," the crown prince replied.

Everyone he loved was beside him...

How wonderful.

Xiao Yu was speechless.

Emperor Jinyuan was speechless. This child seems a little foolish. Nothing like me.

Consort Wan looked at him with tender affection.

"I will see that justice is done for all of you!" Emperor Jinyuan suddenly declared solemnly.

"Go to sleep. Dawn will soon be here," Consort Wan said.

His impassioned declaration had been cut short just like that, leaving Emperor Jinyuan rather dejected.

But he did not dare protest and obediently closed his eyes.

Just wait. Once I've done it, they'll know whether I'm sincere.

The next morning, between five and seven.

Once again, Emperor Jinyuan hauled Xiao Yu out of bed and dragged him off to court.

Today, he intended to do something momentous.

He knew the ministers would oppose what he was about to do.

He needed someone firmly on his side, and someone to draw the ministers' attention.

Xiao Yu was undoubtedly the ideal candidate.

In the Hall of Golden Chimes.

The ministers looked at the person standing... sitting in the front row.

This was the second time they had seen Xiao Yu.

The last time, he had been seated beside His Majesty.

An assassin had appeared then, unleashing bloodshed. The very next day, the vice minister of war and his entire family had been executed!

Yet this Young Lord Xiao had only risen higher and higher. Now he had become His Majesty's sworn younger brother and been granted the title of Prince Yu.

At just twelve years old, he could hardly have enjoyed greater glory.

It made them wonder whether His Majesty had some other purpose behind this seemingly profound arrangement.

The ministers were deeply worried.

Especially when they saw Xiao Yu seated at the head of their ranks, opposite Chancellor Cui.

Did His Majesty intend for him to take part in governing?