After they finished meeting, the Emperor arrived.
If Jiang Changtian hadn't been eavesdropping outside, he wouldn't be worthy of the Jiang name.
Even if he hadn't eavesdropped, some eunuch had probably been live broadcasting the scene to the Emperor.
The Emperor looked at the princes and the handsome Second son of Jiang family, and noticed they all had one thing in common - youth.
It made him feel quite uneasy.
Old age is a terrifying experience that's hard to put into words.
In fact, sometimes he knew taking elixirs wasn't good, and could even become addictive.
But compared to the side effects of taking elixirs, he was more afraid of getting old, of feeling old and sick.
That sense of fear was like a bottomless abyss, constantly surrounding him.
He couldn't find a way out.
This fear grew day by day.
It twisted his personality.
He felt an inexplicable hatred when he saw his young sons.
He would even be much more tolerant of a stranger.
Because in his eyes, each son was an enemy, an enemy who wanted him to die sooner.
But he was also a sensible person. He knew this way of thinking was terrible and abnormal.
If he couldn't trust his own sons, who could he trust?
He was the Emperor, he was alone.
He was the monarch, he was the father.
When the princes saw their father come out, they all became a bit nervous.
They had experienced their father's fickleness before.
He might favor you greatly one day, and tell you to go die the next.
It drove the princes to become abnormal - some studied Buddhism, some indulged in debauchery, some became obsessed with love...
The Second son of Jiang family was actually the most normal among them.
His attitude remained as respectful as ever.
When the Emperor came over, the Second son of Jiang family earnestly showed him the gifts he had received from the princes.
In fact, the Emperor already knew about them.
But he still listened to it again.
He also wanted to know if there would be any discrepancies with what the palace servants had said.
Seeing the Buddhist scriptures sent by the Fifth Prince, he snorted, "That miser, just studying the superficial aspects of Buddhism without learning anything. Lady Zhang is quite generous, the headdress she sent to Princess Caiyi last time was very valuable, how did she give birth to such a stingy son?"
The Sixth Prince sent a multi-treasure jade, symbolizing reunion. The Emperor nodded, "Good, good, good." He thought to himself, "Old Sixth has quite a few good things, I wonder which minister sent them? They're already so eager?"
Regarding the Old Seventh's property deed, the Emperor was very displeased with Old Seventh. For the sake of a poisonous woman's daughter, he refused to take concubines or have children, putting on an act of deep love - who knew if it was real or fake. Either way, it was irritating to see.
The Emperor didn't even change his expression.
Old Nine gave cash. The Emperor scolded, "Money-grubbing thing, competing with the people for profit, how can a prince do such a thing?"
Old Nine talked back directly, "If I don't earn this money, other servants will. The servants are living better than me, a dignified prince. Why should that be?"
The Emperor's expression eased slightly. It seemed that although he scolded Old Nine, he actually liked Old Nine more.
"You are all brothers. You should get along well in the future. Don't fight over trivial gains and make fools of yourselves in front of others."
The princes and the Second son of Jiang family all knelt down and agreed.
This was the trouble with talking to the Emperor.
Even if he was your own father, you'd have to kneel down in the middle of a conversation.
The princes, worthy of their title, made the meal lively.
They were knowledgeable and eloquent.
The Fifth Prince, who seemed devoted to Buddhism, was actually quite talkative and well-informed.
The Sixth Prince spoke in verses, every sentence a classic.
Old Nine cracked jokes.
Only Old Seventh was rather taciturn, sometimes even speaking incorrectly, appearing poor at conversation.
Jiang Changtian observed carefully and felt that Old Seventh was particularly cunning.
If he hadn't learned from Jiang Wan that this would be the final winner, he wouldn't have been able to tell at all. Old Seventh was truly a master of deception.
During the meal, the Second son of Jiang family sat next to the Emperor, with the Sixth Prince occupying the other side.
The Sixth Prince thoughtfully helped serve dishes to his father.
Dishes the Emperor disliked rarely appeared on the table.
But even among liked dishes, there were degrees of preference.
The Sixth Prince was very attentive and filial. He could remember if the Emperor chewed a little more on something and would serve another portion.
The princes all ate gracefully, but the Second son of Jiang family was surprisingly the most elegant among them. Looking around the table, it seemed as if they were the children just found and brought back, while the Second son of Jiang family was the one raised in the palace all along.
Just as they were enjoying the hot pot and lively conversation, with the Emperor in a rare good mood, suddenly there was an earthquake.
The epicenter was right in the Capital City. If it had been far away, people would have felt a slight swaying from side to side, with small arcs of movement on the table surface. But this time it was an up and down motion, and the full table of dishes and hot pot actually tipped over.
The entire palace was shaking, up and down movements, with the overhead beams making cracking sounds.
Everyone was panicked, thinking first of escaping.
In that split second, the Second son of Jiang family, as if he had predicted the earthquake, rushed to the Emperor's side first, dragging the Emperor to a safe corner.
Old Seventh, who followed closely behind, grasped at empty air.
Even the palace maids, eunuchs, and secret guards hadn't reacted in time.
At this critical moment, the Second son of Jiang family acted without thinking, immediately rushing to protect the Emperor.
Everyone else was rushing to get outside.
They only heard the Second son of Jiang family talking to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, are you alright? Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you. This humble servant is willing to go through fire and water for you, to sacrifice my life..."
The palace maids and eunuchs: ... Their minds went blank. Shouldn't they be fleeing for their lives at a time like this? Why was the Second son of Jiang family's first thought to show loyalty and curry favor with the Emperor? He was taking it too far...
The princes: ... Second son of Jiang family, you're truly a bootlicker.
