"Father!"
Guo Ping called out happily.
"Elder Brother!"
Cao Qi spoke up too.
"Brother-in-law??"
Sima You called out hesitantly.
Cao Mao looked at the three little terrors before him and slowly brushed the dust off his clothes.
He looked at the Cuju on the ground.
"Who threw that Cuju?"
Cao Mao had never expected that, having guarded against assassins sent from outside, he would fail to guard against these enemies within. He had just finished important business in Taiji Hall and was about to head to Zhaoyang Hall when a Cuju had nearly smashed him in the head.
At Cao Mao's words, the three little brats immediately grew nervous. Cao Mao looked around, found a clean stone step, and sat down. He beckoned for the three of them to stand before him.
These three little terrors were now running wild together in the imperial palace.
Ever since Huangfu Mi had treated him several times, Guo Ping's health had steadily improved. Perhaps because his mother feared he would fall ill again, she kept feeding him, and the boy was visibly growing rounder by the day.
What gave Sima Yue a headache was that the brat disliked reading. He ran about all day without the slightest desire to learn.
Then there was Sima You.
Sima You was also a frequent visitor to the imperial palace, often coming to Sima Yue's side. Cao Mao knew this was probably at Wang Yuanji's instruction. She simply wanted him to keep appearing before Cao Mao; no matter how much one did, it could not compare to being remembered by the emperor.
Wang Yuanji was paving the way for her son.
Unlike Guo Ping, Sima You was precocious and intelligent. He had even visited Cao Mao several times before to ask him questions about classical studies.
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