Wei Zeyu's childlike manner gave Wei Chengye goosebumps as he watched from the side.
He had only heard that his second brother was a fool, but he had never expected Wei Zeyu to be this foolish.
He was a grown man, yet he skipped as he walked and spoke to a stupid cat in a high-pitched voice.
No wonder his mother had told him he needn't worry about his second brother competing with him for the throne.
If someone this foolish became crown prince, wouldn't the whole world laugh at him?
At the thought, a sense of superiority welled up in Wei Chengye's heart.
So what if his mother was the empress?
With such a ridiculous son, no wonder Father Emperor had entrusted the empress's phoenix seal to his mother.
Surely, the position of empress would fall into his mother's hands sooner or later too!
"Could you be Second Brother?" Wei Chengye asked with a smile, blocking Wei Zeyu's path. "I wonder if you still remember how old you are?"
Wei Zeyu met his gaze, and his pupils involuntarily shrank.
He was as innocent as a child, but he was also as sensitive as one.
He could tell that Wei Chengye looked down on him.
The way Wei Chengye looked at him, as though he were a stinkbug, frightened him.
He instinctively ducked behind Wei Mingxiu. Hugging Xuexue and hunching over, he tried his best to hide and asked Wei Mingxiu quietly, "Sixth Brother, who is he?"
His comically timid manner made Wei Chengye laugh again.
But Wei Chengye also noticed how much Wei Zeyu relied on Wei Mingxiu.
So he said, "You don't remember who I am, Second Brother, but you remember Sixth Brother. Did he do something today to make you think he's a good person?"
"Sixth Brother saved my Xuexue!" Wei Zeyu said, mustering his courage. "He's always been a good person, unlike you. You're like a bad guy!"
At those words, the expressions of Wei Chengye and Wei Zeyu's attendants all changed.
Eunuch Qin, the head eunuch attending Wei Zeyu, spoke up to dissuade him. "Your Highness, you mustn't say that. He is the third prince, your own younger brother."
But Wei Zeyu refused to listen and said from behind Wei Mingxiu:
"I just don't like this brother!"
"Sixth Brother, let's ignore him, all right? We can go play together and leave him out!"
"..." Wei Chengye's face darkened.
He had never imagined that one day he would be insulted by a fool like this.
He couldn't swallow his anger.
He gave a cold snort and laughed. "I wouldn't lower myself to associate with you anyway."
"What could a bastard and a fool possibly accomplish together?"
He spoke the last sentence quietly, but those standing nearby still heard it clearly.
Eunuch Qin's expression darkened. "Please watch your words, Third Prince."
Wei Chengye's attendants were all furious. One retorted, "I didn't see the second prince watching his words just now. How is it that when my master does nothing more than speak the truth, you servants take him to task?"
"You call the third prince's slip of the tongue the truth?" Eunuch Qin's expression sharpened, and his whole bearing changed in an instant.
He sneered. "The second prince is His Majesty's eldest legitimate son, and his birth mother is the empress. How dare a lowly servant like you slander and insult him?!"
He appeared to be scolding the servant, but he was actually scolding Wei Chengye.
Without waiting for Wei Chengye to react, he waved his hand. The eunuchs and palace maids beside him immediately strode forward and seized the maid who had defended Wei Chengye.
"Slap her fifty times! Let's see if she dares run her mouth again!"
Slap, slap, slap-
A few slaps landed before the maid could even beg for mercy, leaving her face bruised and swollen.
Wei Chengye's attendants turned pale with fright, every one of them falling silent.
"Eunuch Qin! What are you doing?!" Wei Chengye was stunned. He had always been used to acting arrogantly in front of Wei Mingxiu and Wei Yuanshi.
Last time, he had insulted Wei Mingxiu like that in front of Father Emperor and hadn't been punished at all. He had even come close to getting Father Emperor to kill the little eunuch attending Wei Mingxiu.
But now, he had merely said a little too much, and his attendant had merely spoken up for him, yet she was being treated like this. The contrast was too much for him, and all he wanted was to shout for an explanation!
"Third Prince, this servant is helping you discipline this ignorant servant," Eunuch Qin said sincerely. "As an imperial prince, your every word and deed reflects on the dignity of the imperial family. Respecting your father and elder brothers is the most basic rule of propriety and morality. I know you are still young, and your slip of the tongue today must have been unintentional. So I thought I would refrain from reporting it to His Majesty, lest he become angry with you. But this wretched servant claimed that your slip of the tongue was the truth. Isn't she deliberately trying to make the matter worse and harm you?!"
"So this servant took it upon himself to help you discipline this maid who means to harm you. I also hope you understand that I am sincerely acting in your best interests."
[Oh my heavens!! Host! This eunuch scored major points!!] The little system and Zhou Ye happily watched the drama from the sidelines.
[Every word sounds like it's for Wei Chengye's sake, but every word uses reason to pressure him, leaving him unable to speak up for his attendant!]
[The empress really does have no shortage of talented people around her.] Zhou Ye felt that if he had some melon seeds, he would definitely be cracking a handful right now.
Wei Chengye was no fool.
He understood what Eunuch Qin meant now.
His expression turned exceedingly ugly.
His hands clenched at his sides, his nails nearly digging into his palms.
He had never suffered such humiliation in all his life.
Only now did he realize that although his mother held a noble status, she was not the empress. So even though his second brother was a fool, he would still be beneath him!
So this is what humiliation feels like?
Did Wei Mingxiu feel the same way when he faced me before?
At that thought, Wei Chengye suddenly realized something.
He looked up at Wei Mingxiu, who had stood silently to one side and watched everything unfold.
He found that the youth had been watching him with a smile the whole time.
It was a mocking smile, the smile of someone who held everything in his hands as he faced the weak.
And now their eyes met.
Wei Mingxiu's smile looked even more mocking.
He opened his mouth, but made no sound.
Yet Wei Chengye understood the movement of his lips.
He said: This. Is. Just. The. Beginning.
"Wei Mingxiu!!" Wei Chengye flew into a rage and shouted, "You did this on purpose!"
"You used Second Brother! You deliberately provoked me!"
"Third Brother, what are you talking about?" Wei Mingxiu immediately put on a puzzled expression. "You were the one who misspoke first, so why are you blaming everything on me now?"
With that, a trace of dejection passed through his eyes. "Of course, everyone in the palace knows that whenever something goes wrong for you, you take it out on me. Father Emperor has punished me who knows how many times because of it. I should be used to it by now."
Wei Zeyu's attendants had been following Wei Mingxiu and Wei Zeyu since that morning and had seen and heard everything clearly.
They knew that Wei Mingxiu had neither intended to seek Wei Zeyu's thanks nor to bring him here.
It had all been a coincidence.
Now, hearing Wei Chengye berate him like this, they couldn't help feeling even sorrier for Wei Mingxiu.
Although Wei Zeyu was a fool, he could understand some of what was being said and could see the dejection on Wei Mingxiu's face.
He freed one of the hands holding the cat and gently tugged Wei Mingxiu's sleeve. "Don't be sad, Sixth Brother. I'll ask Mother Empress to stand up for you. I won't let bad Third Brother bully you again!"
Thank you all for the little gifts (ღ˘︶˘ღ). Please send me some more free little gifts! Love you all~
Just to clarify, the "raising" Nezha is writing about doesn't mean all kinds of play. It means watching him grow up and become stronger. The romance might not come until he's grown up _(:зゝ∠)_
In any case, I've put real thought into planning this book. Although it may not be well received by the mainstream on Tomato, and my future earnings probably won't be high, I'll do my best to finish telling the story!