Morning sunlight filtered through gaps in the locust tree's branches and leaves, casting a pale golden outline over Zhou Ye's face.
It softened his rugged features.
And lent him a touch of gentleness.
For a moment, Wei Mingxiu's heart pounded like thunder.
His face flushed crimson. "I'm sorry, General. I meant to wake you when it was time for class, but I ended up falling asleep under the tree myself..."
As he spoke, he looked toward Xiao Wu, who immediately said, "Your Highness, the general wouldn't let me wake you..."
"Don't blame him." Zhou Ye smiled at Wei Mingxiu. "Just as you wanted to let me sleep a little longer, I wanted Your Highness to get more rest too."
"And don't worry, Your Highness. It's not time for class yet, and no one else has arrived."
Only then did Wei Mingxiu breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhou Ye noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked, "Did you not sleep well last night, Your Highness? Is something on your mind?"
Wei Mingxiu answered honestly, "I'm a little worried about you, General."
Zhou Ye paused, then smiled. "Are you worried about my appointment as junior preceptor, Your Highness?"
"Yes. The waters in the capital run deep. Your military tally has been taken away, and you have no real power now. I'm afraid the various factions may make things difficult for you."
Zhou Ye met Wei Mingxiu's gaze and saw the pure concern in the youth's peach-blossom eyes.
It was nothing like the gloating or relieved looks he had seen on the ministers' faces at court.
Wei Mingxiu was genuinely worried that he might be in danger.
For some reason, Zhou Ye's mood lifted, and his smile grew brighter.
He reached out and patted Wei Mingxiu's head. "You don't need to worry, Your Highness."
"Actually, I arranged all of this deliberately."
"Huh?" Wei Mingxiu blinked, confused for half a second. Then he quickly caught on and asked,
"Do you mean becoming junior preceptor was a move you made deliberately, General?"
"That's right."
Zhou Ye said, "This move has two advantages. First, it can make His Majesty lower his guard around me, giving me a chance to take action here in the capital. Second, it allows me to enter the Imperial Academy, where I can learn about the other princes' temperaments while openly guiding Your Highness along the path ahead."
"After all, these princes will all become your rivals one day, Your Highness. We need to know ourselves and our enemies to win every battle, don't we?"
As Zhou Ye spoke, Wei Mingxiu's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Like a sponge soaking up knowledge, he worked hard to analyze the advantages and disadvantages involved.
Afterward, he cupped his hands to Zhou Ye. "Thank you for your guidance, General."
"Mind how you address me," Zhou Ye corrected him. "From now on, call me Junior Preceptor."
"Thank you for your guidance, Junior Preceptor!"
Zhou Ye thought the youth, who only came up to his chest, looked rather cute with that expression on his face, as though he regarded Zhou Ye as his idol.
Once again experiencing the joy of raising someone, Zhou Ye's lips curved slightly. He was just about to say something else when he heard movement behind him.
He turned to look and saw that Wei Chengye and Wei Yuanshi had arrived.
Wei Zhao had four sons: the second prince, Wei Zeyu; the third prince, Wei Chengye; the sixth prince, Wei Mingxiu; and the seventh prince, Wei Yuanshi.
The second prince was born to the empress, but when he was five, he fell into the water. After he was rescued, he ran a high fever for days, which left him a fool. All he did each day was play under the care of palace maids and eunuchs.
He rarely came to the Imperial Academy.
The seventh prince, Wei Yuanshi, was the youngest of the princes, only seven years old. But, probably due to his mother Consort Wan's teachings, he liked to follow Wei Chengye's lead all day, trailing behind him and constantly calling him Third Brother.
"Junior Preceptor Zhou, I didn't expect you to arrive so early."
Wei Chengye had the grandest entourage, with no fewer than six palace attendants following him. Some carried his books, some his narrow-sleeved clothing, and others brought snacks and tea.
The look he gave Zhou Ye was unfriendly.
After all, if Zhou Ye hadn't said those things that day, Imperial Father wouldn't have been angered.
Although Imperial Father had sided with him in front of everyone, afterward, he had indeed neglected his mother, Noble Consort Shu, for several days.
As a result, Noble Consort Shu had repeatedly instructed him to curb his fiery temper in the future. Even if he wanted to make a move against Wei Mingxiu, he had to do it without anyone knowing and never give people cause to talk again.
Noble Consort Shu had also made a point of telling him not to antagonize Zhou Ye too much.
So as to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Wei Chengye understood all of this, but he was too accustomed to being arrogant.
After all, among the princes in the palace, he now had the highest status. The empress was too frail to bear more children, his second brother was a fool who could never become crown prince, Wei Mingxiu was deeply disliked by Imperial Father, and Wei Yuanshi obeyed his every command.
In his eyes, his becoming crown prince was a foregone conclusion.
So he paid no heed to Noble Consort Shu's words, believing only that Zhou Ye had caused Imperial Father to reprimand him.
Naturally, he felt a little more disdain for Zhou Ye.
He looked at Zhou Ye, then at Wei Mingxiu beside him, and said mockingly, "Oh, Sixth Brother, you're here too?"
"Did you come so early because you knew Junior Preceptor Zhou would be here and wanted to put on an act in front of him?"
"But unfortunately for you, things aren't what they used to be. The great tree you thought you could climb has fallen. No matter how you try to climb it, you can only struggle in the mud and will never reach the top."
His words carried a double meaning.
They mocked both Zhou Ye and Wei Mingxiu.
Zhou Ye raised an eyebrow.
Rather than speak right away, he calmly watched Wei Mingxiu's reaction.
The last time they met, he had told Wei Mingxiu that failing to endure a small slight could ruin a great plan.
So he wanted to see how Wei Mingxiu would respond to the provocation this time.
"Have you never read these lines by a poet of the previous dynasty, Third Brother?"
"By the sunken boat, a thousand sails pass; before the withered tree, ten thousand trees bloom in spring."
"As long as a trace of life remains, new shoots will grow from this mud."
"Besides, the situation is still undecided, and anything is possible. Who can know which of us will see the view from the top in the future?"
Wei Mingxiu was calmer than Zhou Ye had expected.
Yet he kicked every one of Wei Chengye's remarks back at him like a ball, every sentence dripping with sarcasm and threat.
By the time he finished speaking, he had walked up to Wei Chengye and asked him with a smile,
"Don't you think I'm right, Third Brother?"