In the Imperial Garden, Xiao Chuchu watched the retreating figure of the Third Prince, still straining her neck.
"It seems like the Third Prince has truly fallen for my brother."
"Unexpectedly, my brother threw the sweet pastries he dislikes at him to eat, and then scolded him harshly in front of everyone, but the Third Prince still thinks he is the best brother."
Fifth Prince Cheng Qian had only taken a few steps when he was startled by his sister's thoughts, nearly stumbling.
What?
Is Third Brother that strange?
The more he is scolded, the happier he becomes?
Luckily, Fifth Prince Cheng Qian usually had a mature demeanor and maintained a poker face no matter the situation, or else his surprise would have shown.
He really didn't expect this.
"Brother, you should scold the Third Prince more often in the future. Who knows, his affection for you might just skyrocket."
"Oh, and the braised pork at the Study Pavilion at noon that you've always found too sweet to eat a bite of."
"Just give it to the Third Prince from now on."
"..."
Fifth Prince Cheng Qian was both amused and perplexed.
Is it really that simple?
Scolding someone isn't that easy, is it?
The new emperor was described as muddled and ruthless by his sister. He had long wanted to scold him himself!
Even if this world has changed and Third Brother can't become emperor, he still couldn't help but want to vent his anger for the sake of his sister's words about the Liu family's extermination.
Thinking about it, Cheng Qian stopped in his tracks and spoke to the little eunuch beside him.
"Go, go tell my Third Brother."
"Has he finished reciting the essay the tutor assigned? If not, how dare he go back and rest! Unacceptable!"
"If he can't even set an example for his younger brother, who will treat him like an elder brother!"
The little eunuch was dumbfounded.
*
Concubine Yu's Palace.
"Mother, I'm back. What did you use today?"
Third Prince Cheng Qing, carrying a box of pastries, came to visit his mother, Concubine Fucha.
Boom!
Before he even entered, he heard the sound of a vase breaking from within the palace.
"That wench, the Liu family must have deliberately harmed me!"
"Knowing that Liao King rebelled, she hid it from me and deliberately set a trap, letting me go and complain to my Imperial Brother the Emperor! So that I would be punished, those damned Lius!"
Third Prince Cheng Qing was startled.
Liao King?
His father's uncle, his grandfather's generation, attempted to rebel?
He hadn't heard about this incident at the Study Pavilion today.
"Cheng Qing, you're back," Concubine Fucha saw her son and threw herself at him, tears streaming down her face, with hatred in her eyes, "That wretched Concubine Liu is so malicious."
"And that Fifth Prince she bore is no good either!"
"You must be careful at the Study Pavilion in the future, they must be plotting to harm you!"
Cheng Qing's face suddenly changed.
In his mind, the scenes from the Study Pavilion today flashed one by one...
"You must beware of that wretched Concubine Liu and her family, they are all evil-minded!"
No, that's not true.
Everyone had ignored him, even mocking him.
Only his Fifth Brother stood up, protecting him, telling him to study.
Cheng Qing suddenly looked up, "Mother, Fifth Brother is not as you say. He is a good one, and has treated me well."
Concubine Fucha: "???"
What?
Her son said what?
Concubine Fucha, grabbing her son's arm, almost thought she had heard wrong.
"Cheng Qing, you are young, you don't know people's true hearts."
"Which prince among them doesn't want to inherit the throne? To become emperor is to be above all others, and if they can't, then their life and death will be in others' hands!"
Fucha crouched down, persuading her son earnestly, "You don't know that when I was punished, that Concubine Liu was in the side palace of your father the Emperor."
"This time the Liu family discovered Liao King's rebellion, they must have schemed against me, deliberately letting me see him with the imperial guards, setting a trap to have me go and complain, so that I would incur your father the Emperor's displeasure."
"How could Fifth Prince possibly be truly good to you? Wake up!"
"He wants us all to fall, so he can step on us to become the Crown Prince!"
Third Prince Cheng Qing frowned as he looked at his mother.
Before, he would believe whatever his mother said.
But today, after experiencing the incident at the Study Pavilion, he now has doubts.
Carefully pondering it, he felt that his mother's words were full of loopholes.
"How did the Liu family know that Mother would go to Qianqing Palace that night, and how did they design it in advance for Mother to go and complain to the Emperor?" Third Prince frowned.
Concubine Fucha's breathing hitched.
"That Concubine Liu was in the side palace, how does that prove she harmed you by getting you confined? Wasn't it your uncle who first presented some unknown Taoist priest to the injured Emperor, angering him?"
The more Third Prince thought about it, the more it didn't seem right.
"Cheng Qing, you're actually defending them?"
Concubine Fucha was stunned.
"The only ones who want the best for you in this world are the Fucha family!"
"Everyone else wants you to fail, wants you to learn nothing and become a waste, to be despised by your father the Emperor, and have nothing to do with the throne!"
What nonsense!?
Cheng Qing frowned, "That's not how it is."
His Fifth Brother is not like that, his Fifth Brother today even threw the book at his desk, telling him to study!
Especially when he thought about what Cheng Qian said at the Study Pavilion today.
Why do the Princes study? It's not for sibling rivalry, nor is it for their father the Emperor.
-- It's for the future, for them to together defeat all enemies who dare to offend Jing Country!
-- It's for the future, so that people will fear the name of Jing Country, and no one dares to bully it!
As Third Prince thought about it, his blood started to boil, "Fifth Brother is not as Mother thinks, he wants me to do well."
Concubine Fucha was lost for words.
Her son has gone mad!
Brainwashed by Fifth Prince Cheng Qian and the Liu family!
"So Liao King actually rebelled..." Third Prince mused.
Fifth Brother is right.
Liao King's rebellion shows that he feels the Emperor and these Princes are all easy to bully!
Thinks the Emperor and these Princes are too weak, thinks the current ministers of the Jing Country court are incompetent, that's why he dares to rebel at this moment!
Now recalling Fifth Brother Cheng Qian's words, he felt they made a lot of sense.
If they were strong, strong enough to make others fear them, would Liao King have the guts to rebel?
Thinking this way, Third Prince felt that what his mother used to say, that Princes must fight to the death, hateful enough to turn everyone else into useless trash except themselves, was very wrong.
"Mother, the Emperor's punishment of you for being confined was not without reason."
"As someone close to the Emperor, you should have advised him not to indulge in Taoist practices and focus on state affairs. How could you let your uncle present that Taoist priest?"
Through Fifth Brother's enlightenment, Third Prince now thinks that Liao King's rebellion is because the Emperor was too slack before!
Not admonishing, but instead enabling the Emperor's negligence, his mother being punished, was not unjust at all!
If his mother could supervise and urge the Emperor to improve, like how Fifth Brother urged himself, the current rebellion incident would not have happened.
Looking at his mother, Third Prince sighed, "Mother, don't always think others are wrong, you should also examine yourself more."
Concubine Fucha: "???"
She took a step back, feeling like the sky was about to collapse.
Her son's brain is broken!
Not helping himself, but helping others instead!
"Third Prince, stop talking, look at how you've upset your mother," the personal maid of Concubine Fucha comforted, having the kitchen prepare some osmanthus congee for him.
"You haven't finished your studies yet, and your mother has already had the kitchen prepare the osmanthus congee for you. Your mother is doing this for your own good."
Hearing this, Third Prince turned to look at the little eunuch at the door, holding the food box in his hands.
It turns out that his Fifth Brother knew what he liked to eat and specially left it for him, truly caring for him, just like how his mother prepared the osmanthus congee for him.
Third Prince couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile.
Even though in the past he had wrongly listened to his mother's words and bullied his few brothers.
Fifth Brother still respects him as the elder brother, and still wants to do good for him.
So what he said at the Study Pavilion was all sincere.
Thinking about it, Third Prince Cheng Qing's smile grew wider, and he no longer talked about his mother.
"Mother, making mistakes and being able to correct them is the greatest virtue."
"Starting today, you and I will study hard and strive to improve together."
Concubine Fucha felt like she was about to faint.
*
Three days later, Imperial Censor Liu Wenchang, returned triumphantly to the capital.
Without delay, he handed the Liao King over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation, and immediately went to the palace to audience with Xiao Yunzhou.
After Mr. Liu recounted the events along the way and the preliminary statements from the Liao King, Xiao Yunzhou smiled and told him to go see his daughter Concubine Liu and his grandchildren.
"Mr. Liu, you have worked hard. After the interrogation of the Liao King is complete, We shall bestow rewards upon you and Commander Pang together."
Mr. Liu immediately bowed and said, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom."
Xiao Yunzhou waved his hand and smiled, "Now the Little Princess's health has not yet fully recovered, and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau says it's best not to move her for a year. We can only inconvenience Concubine Liu by letting her continue to reside in the side palace of Donghua Palace."
"Next year at this time, We shall have the Imperial Astronomical Bureau choose a good place for her."
Mr. Liu heard this and nodded.
Of course his granddaughter must live in the best place.
"Alright, you go to Concubine Liu's place. She was quite frightened this time as well. We shall come dine with you all later."
Mr. Liu's face lit up with a brilliant smile as he left the Emperor's study and hurried to his daughter's residence.
Concubine Wei had already learned of Wei Zheng's news and was staying in her own room, avoiding Mr. Liu.
So Mr. Liu proceeded smoothly, without encountering anyone, straight to the front of his daughter's palace.
However, as soon as he stepped inside, he nearly stumbled.
"Ah, Grandfather is back!" Little Chuchu was the first to see him. "Chuchu has missed you so!"
Hearing the adorable voice of his granddaughter, Liu Wenchang still wasn't quite used to it.
But he quickly broke into a full smile, his face creasing up.
His little granddaughter was truly an adorable treasure.
He wished he could snatch her away from the Emperor's household and bring her back home.
But Liu Wenchang had only taken a few steps when he was stunned.
"Hehe, Grandfather has accomplished a great feat this time, but he doesn't know there's an even bigger joyous news!"
"My fifth brother has been chosen as the Crown Prince, it's written in the secret edict behind the plaque in the Qianqing Palace!"
Liu Wenchang was dumbfounded: "!?"
His Liu family had been farmers for generations, and he himself had only risen to the rank of Fourth-Rank Official - their ancestral graves were just starting to smoke.
And now what...?
His grandson is going to be the Crown Prince, the future Emperor?
In the future, he will be the Emperor's father-in-law, the Emperor's revered uncle?
