Chapter 47: Jealousy
That’s it? Come on, although he had never seen the former emperor, he occasionally heard a few words about him. From the rumors, he knew that although he was not a complete tyrant, he was not much better. He was not good at governing the country and was also lustful. It was only because his father couldn’t save face and didn’t allow people to discuss it publicly, otherwise who knows what the historians would write.
But protection is one thing, and whether it is because of affection for the late emperor or because of one’s own face is two completely different matters.
Just based on the fact that when my stepfather was the crown prince, the late emperor almost deposed him several times and made the son of his favorite beautiful concubine the crown prince, Ye Shuo didn’t believe that his stepfather could have much affection for the late emperor.
The late emperor was really too absurd. His grandfather, the Duke of Zhen, was also raised by the late emperor.
When the previous emperor was in power, he was lazy about state affairs and never exercised control. Plus, his grandfather probably didn’t have a brain and took whatever was given to him. He relied on his military merits to rise to the position of Duke of Zhen. In the end, he had no more titles to offer, but he didn’t have much intention of rebelling, so things became what they are today.
Because my grandfather had deep roots in the military, especially when my stepfather ascended the throne, his power reached its peak. More than 70% of the military officers were from my grandfather’s line. It had reached the point where my stepfather would take action against him regardless of whether he was truly loyal or not.
But the mess that the late emperor left for my cheap father was more than just this. There were so many other things. It would be a miracle if my cheap father could still have no grudges under such circumstances.
But even though he knew it in his heart, Ye Shuo couldn’t say that in public. After all, no matter what, he still had to call him grandfather.“This son spoke out of turn, please don’t blame me.” Anyway, he had already said it, and his stepfather must have felt happy about it, so Ye Shuo decided to stop while he was ahead.
Sure enough, his apology was so perfunctory and Emperor Jingwen didn’t say anything, Ye Shuo knew that he guessed right.
Wow, my cheap dad is really awesome and good at pretending.
“Well, this won’t happen again.”
After clearing his throat and giving a mild reprimand, Emperor Jingwen continued, “Calling us ‘father’ or ‘dad’ is against the rules and is disrespectful. You should always remember to call me father*.”
(*as in respect like – imperial or royal father)
Ye Shuo: “…”
Oh, you feel it’s against the rules now, what were you doing before?
He has been shouting for so long, and now he says no.
It seems that my cheap dad is enjoying his life deep down. It’s just that he has been the emperor for so long that he is no longer honest, and his life is really awkward.
Ye Shuo is best at dealing with parents who say one thing and mean another.
Ye Shuo thought about it, then leaned close to his cheap father’s ear and whispered, “Then I will only call when no one is around, and I guarantee that no one will notice me, is that okay?”
Emperor Jingwen said nothing.
Ye Shuo understood immediately.
Alas–
He silently rolled his eyes in his heart, feeling extremely disgusted. On the surface, Ye Shuo lowered his voice again, and kept shouting, “Dad, Dad, Dad.”
“Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy…”
In a short while, Emperor Jingwen’s ears were numb from the shouting, and he was almost numb too.
Wang Ziquan always felt that the reason he was able to climb to this position, in addition to being lucky and being assigned to the side of Emperor Jingwen, who was still the crown prince at the beginning, was another particularly important reason: he was very good at reading people’s faces and knew when to say what.
But today he felt that he had lost, lost to the Ninth Prince who was only seven years old.
Sure enough, true feelings are the most touching.
Perhaps it was because Ye Shuo’s acting was too natural, or perhaps it was because he didn’t expect a child of such age to be so cunning, and even Wang Ziquan was fooled.
Wang Ziquan looked at the Ninth Prince with new eyes. No matter how lawless or absurd he was, it was his ability that made the emperor keep him in mind all the time.
As for Xing Yucheng and Xiao Luzi standing by, they were also stunned, especially Xing Yucheng. He was also a son, but he discovered today that there were differences between sons.
For example, if in today’s situation it was his father, and he didn’t study but slept in bed, he would probably kneel down when his father came in.
Look at the Ninth Prince, he acted as if nothing had happened in the face of the furious Emperor.
That’s His Majesty!
Because of his relationship with the Minister of Works, Xing Yucheng had heard a lot about what happened in the court, so he naturally had some understanding and roughly knew what Emperor Jingwen was like on a daily basis.
Xing Yucheng was frightened when he heard about the harsh methods he used to deal with corrupt officials. When he first saw him today, he almost couldn’t stand up.
So how did the Ninth Prince stay so calm?
In just a short time, not only did the emperor calm down, but he also agreed to his ridiculous request to carry him to school every day.
Xing Yucheng, who had been a good boy for so many years, was shocked, and subconsciously remembered the Ninth Prince’s behavior in his heart. Maybe next time, if he encounters such a thing, he can also…
“You are so smooth-talking. I will be angry if you continue like this.” Emperor Jingwen could no longer hold on under the continuous attacks.
Ye Shuo was still there, saying, “But it’s only natural for a son to call his father ‘dad’. How can you be so stingy, dad?”
How come he is so stingy?
Emperor Jingwen was almost laughing out of anger. Who was the one who was lazy and didn’t go to school every day? Why didn’t he reflect on himself?
The prince would pass by Qiuwu Palace when he went to court every day. When he first heard the sound in the corridor, he didn’t pay much attention to it until he turned a corner and saw a dark figure.
“Greetings to the Emperor, may the Emperor be well.” No, it’s almost time for the court session, why is the Emperor here? And why does his expression look so complicated? Half distressed, half helpless, and half happy.
When Emperor Jingwen saw the crown prince, he subconsciously put away the smile on his face and returned to his usual serious and solemn look.
“Well, get up.”
The prince stood up and stood still after hearing this, and Ye Shuo followed his action and popped his head out from behind.
Because it was still dark and visibility was not very good, the Crown Prince did not notice the arm around Emperor Jingwen’s neck at first. When he suddenly saw his ninth brother’s face, he was startled.
“This, this, this…” What on earth happened? ? ?
Ye Shuo chuckled and said, “Hello, Third Brother.”
The prince’s thoughts became increasingly confused.
The Crown Prince saw this scene, and for some reason, Emperor Jingwen felt a little embarrassed. In addition, time was running out, so he said, “You go to Xuan Zheng Hall and wait. I will go there after I send your ninth brother to the upper study.”
“Goodbye, Third Brother. See you later.” Ye Shuo wanted to wave to the prince, but his adoptive father held him down without any explanation.
“Don’t move, or I’ll throw you down.”
Looking at the backs of the two people, the prince couldn’t come back to his senses for a long time.
From what Emperor Jingwen said just now, the Crown Prince already knew what the two were going to do. He didn’t expect that his father would actually send ninth brother to school personally and carry him on his back.
For a moment, the prince felt mixed emotions, that feeling was so terrible that he can’t even describe it.
Because of his mother’s relationship, he was born as the legitimate son and was taught to be cautious and polite. Although his father loved him very much, he also had high hopes for him, so the two of them were rarely truly close.
It is unprecedented for the Ninth Prince to lie on his father’s back and act like a spoiled child like this.
The crown prince is already in his twenties, and his second child is about to be born. He has been unable to recover for a long time, not to mention his younger brothers in the study.
The prince suddenly didn’t dare to think about what consequences would be caused by his father and Xiao jiu appearing in the upper study.
(Jiu = 9)
I hope the royal brothers can control themselves by then…
the other side.
The Fifth Prince was in a very bad mood. He was filled with remorse when he thought about how he would actually say such words to his mother.
Obviously, his mother was also very worried about his condition. She was so restless last night that she didn’t fall asleep until late at night. She even got up before dawn this morning. She even asked the kitchen to make ginger soup to drive away the cold. She had done a great job. How could he…
It’s all the Ninth Prince’s fault, it’s all Ye Shuo’s fault!
If he hadn’t provoked me every day, would I have been able to blurt out such a sentence? !
But thinking about it carefully, even after he said that, his mother still insisted on letting him come to the study, and told him not to compare himself with people like the Ninth Prince, and to work harder so that he could stand out in the future. The Fifth Prince felt complicated again.
Although the Ninth Prince is indeed absurd, it is also true that Concubine Rong dotes on him unconditionally…
Because of a few arguments with Concubine Shu, the Fifth Prince arrived a little late today. After hurrying and hurrying, he finally arrived at the upper study before the hour of Mao.
When he sat down with his study companion, it was exactly time.
Looking at the last table, there was indeed no one there.
Looks like he won’t be able to escape those 136 hand boards today!
Thinking of this, the Fifth Prince suddenly felt relaxed all over. The symptoms of nasal congestion and dizziness were alleviated a lot. He couldn’t even concentrate on reading. He just waited for Ye Shuo to come and watch him get beaten.
136 hand slaps, just take your time!
As for Lord Cen, who was supervising the princes’ morning reading, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Oh, after about a hundred slaps on the hand, I’m afraid I won’t be able to lift my arms after that.
Not long after, Emperor Jingwen and Ye Shuo appeared at the door of the upper study.
Qiuwu Palace is located neither far nor near to Shangshufang. In any case, it is definitely closer than the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince, but it is still quite difficult for Emperor Jingwen.
Although he exercised on weekdays, he was not an expert in it after all. Besides, the seven-year-old Ye Shuo was as strong as a calf, and he would inevitably feel tired after carrying it for a long time.
When he arrived at the door of the study, Emperor Jingwen was already slightly out of breath.
It’s a good thing that his son is in good health, but the scoring situation, for example, Emperor Jingwen is not very happy now.
Emperor Jingwen subconsciously wanted to let him go, but Ye Shuo refused to let him go. Emperor Jingwen immediately became furious, thinking that this little bastard was going to break the agreement again, so he opened his mouth and was ready to curse.
Before he could finish his curse, he heard his son say anxiously, “Hurry up, Dad, help me.”
Emperor Jingwen was stunned for a moment: “What help?”
“Just come closer and you’ll know. It’s just a small favor. It won’t take you too long.”
Emperor Jingwen narrowed his eyes: “…Are you sure you are not lying to me this time?”
“a man of his words.”
Since he said so, then… okay.
Anyway, they had walked such a long distance, so this little bit didn’t matter. So Emperor Jingwen walked closer to a distance of about ten feet.
When he got close to the window, Ye Shuo, without thinking, made a trumpet shape with his hands and shouted towards the window, almost deafening the ears of Emperor Jingwen who was so close.
It can be seen that the child is in good health.
“Fifth Brother, are you there?”
“Come and see!”
When the Fifth Prince heard the noise, he looked over subconsciously.
Looking at Ye Shuo, who was sitting on his father’s back with a malicious look on his face, the Fifth Prince lost control and tore the page of the book, which was already missing a corner.
Emperor Jingwen finally understood what his son meant by “a small favor”.
Looking at his son who was causing trouble everywhere, Emperor Jingwen suddenly felt a headache, a very painful one…