Chapter 155: Found

(T/L NOTE: Everyone thank the buyers of {240+, now 260+} chapters, that you got to read these bonus chapters!)

Before, the eldest prince and the crown prince were still testing and finding out about each other, but now they have seriously put their thoughts on the surface.

This can be seen from the fact that the faces of Ye Xun and Ye Yan brothers changed immediately after they walked out of the gate of Qiuwu Palace.

In the past, their incompatibility with each other was not so obvious, but now they are too lazy to even pretend, and now they tend to be sarcastic to each other whenever they meet.

Ye Shuo just felt his ears hurt. Once he saw them quarreling so much, he couldn’t help but warn them: “I don’t care what you do outside, but you can’t quarrel here. Whoever quarrels, get out!”

“Children should stay out of the way of adults!”

They are so small, and it seems like they can do something powerful.

“You are so young and you are thinking so much. It’s not too late when you grow up. You will have something to worry about when you grow up.”

Ye Xun, Ye Yan and the others opened their mouths, but when Ye Shuo looked over, they all closed their mouths.

Seeing this, Ye Shuo was satisfied.

“Okay, stop standing there. Today we’re going to play sandbags, kick a ball, or hide and seek. Choose one of the three.”

They were tired of playing with sandbags, and Jianjian was unwilling to play hide-and-seek, so Ye Shuo said quickly, “I’ll count to ten, and whoever says it first will do the talking. Ready, ten…one!”

Jianjian now knows her brother very well. She had long guessed that he was not a normal person, so she was always on guard. Sure enough, when he shouted “one”, she blurted out: “Cuju!”

Ye Shuo nodded: “Well, that’s fine, let’s play Cuju today.”

Ye Xun: “…”

Ye Yan and the other three: “…”

Wait, they haven’t reacted yet!

“Uncle Nine, didn’t we agree on 10 to 1?” What about the 9, 8, 7 in the middle? ?

Ye Shuo blinked at them: “Yes, it’s 10 to 1, that’s right.”

…Damn it! He fooled me again!

As if noticing the resentment in their eyes, Ye Shuo smiled and said, “Be careful next time.”

In front was the little princess with pointy hair, happily holding the football, while behind her were a few dejected looking grandchildren.

When they arrived at the venue, everyone drew lots to form groups. As luck would have it, Ye Xun and Ye Yan were assigned to the same group.

Several people had distorted faces, as if they had eaten something unclean.

Ye Shuo almost laughed out loud.

“Hmm… maybe this is fate.”

Let me make it clear in advance that this was not Ye Shuo’s doing. He knew it was impossible for them to really love each other, and it would be easy to make things worse if he was not careful, so it was really God’s will.

Ye Xun, Ye Yan and the others pinched their noses and stood with Dudu with the mood of visiting a grave.

In addition to Jian Jian, Ye Shuo also found Xiao Luzi and other young eunuchs who knew some martial arts to fight against Ye Xun and others.

The young eunuchs have gotten used to it by now, and there is no such thing as letting the players win. On the contrary, Ye Xun and Ye Yan are good players if taken individually, but because there is no communication and cooperation, they keep conceding goals to Ye Shuo, the main player of the enemy team.

Looking at the smug expression of the Ninth Prince, the brothers who were so angry about losing finally decided to ignore the issue of their positions for the time being. Gradually, they developed a tacit understanding and the situation became a little better.

Why! Why is the Ninth Prince so accurate?

Compared with the group of children who automatically opposed each other, the eldest prince, who was involved, did not take these trivial matters to heart.

No matter what happens between him and the crown prince, it has nothing to do with their respective children. Within a controllable range, the eldest prince also hopes that his children can have a carefree childhood.

I believe the prince is the same.

As for what happens in the future, let’s talk about it after the winner is decided.

So the eldest prince just listened to it and put the matter behind him.

Seeing that the eldest prince seemed to be unconcerned, the people below him tactfully stopped talking about it. The aides under the eldest prince quickly started talking about something else: “Except for the diehards like the Grand Tutor, the voices in the court that support the orthodoxy are getting smaller and smaller, and there are more and more people who can distinguish the important from the unimportant. If this continues, I’m afraid it won’t be long before the prince will be able to decide the winner with the crown prince.”

There was no way. The eldest prince’s victory came at just the right time. He almost used his life to fight for a future for his originally destined fate.

“Beiting led his army westward to launch a surprise attack on the State of Chen. They even found a way to break the poisonous miasma that the State of Chen had set up around them. The State of Chen suffered heavy losses. I’m afraid that this news will be reported back to Shangjing soon. By then, the prince’s reputation will surely rise to a higher level.”

As the saying goes, the death of a rabbit makes the fox mourn. If the Great Zhou had not handled this well, who would have been slaughtered and suffered heavy losses? In the current Great Zhou, only the eldest prince can be compared with the Duke of Zhen.

Thinking about the glory of the Duke of Zhen in the past, the staff couldn’t help but feel excited.

Then the aide paused and looked at the eldest prince.

The always arrogant eldest prince shook his head: “Don’t be complacent, and don’t underestimate the prince.”

If the prince could be brought down so easily, he would not have been able to stay in that position safely until now.

Now that the eldest prince dares to confront the crown prince head-on, he has naturally made full preparations. The more difficult the time, the more he cannot take it lightly.

Now that luck is on his side, as long as he doesn’t make any mistakes, he will be able to take advantage of the situation and rise sooner or later.

“I will warn my subordinates later. During this special period, I want them to be more alert.”

The aide was a little stunned. In his opinion, with the prince’s current power, it would be more than enough to deal with a prince who had never set foot out of the capital. However, since the prince was so careful this time, the aide naturally would not spoil his fun.

On the other side, the East Palace——

The prince couldn’t help but look at the tutor and a few other people beside him. They all sighed and shook their heads helplessly.

It’s not that they don’t want to, but this time the eldest prince came well prepared. He kept restraining his men and was cautious everywhere, not giving them any chance to find any flaws.

The eldest prince can now rise up by taking advantage of the situation, so why would he do anything extra?

The only one who can fight against the eldest prince, the Duke of Zhen, has already registered his name with the emperor, so he cannot be touched at all.

Besides, he has his own grandson, so why would he join the Crown Prince?

If the Ninth Prince could be won over, there might still be hope.

The Grand Tutor was probably the most stable person among all the people. He advised: “Don’t panic, Your Highness. Even if public opinion is boiling, it will not be able to overcome the will of the emperor.”

From ancient times to the present, although the people’s will has always been emphasised, but throughout history, how many crown princes were deposed because of public opinion?

Therefore, no matter how popular the eldest prince is among the people, in the eyes of the Grand Tutor, he is nothing more than a flower in the mirror and a moon in the water.

The prince did not say anything. Instead, he waited until everyone else left and showed the tutor what he had found out.

After the Master looked through it carefully, his expression changed slightly.

There were so many people in the court, especially so many military generals, who secretly defected to the eldest prince!

The prince lowered his eyes and said, “Teacher, now it is not just the will of the people.”

The Grand Tutor was somewhat speechless, and the two of them looked at each other in silence.

After a while, the Grand Tutor brought up the old matter again: “Perhaps, Xiaojiu…”

The prince shook his head: “The Duke of Zhen can’t protect himself, so there’s no need to mention it again, teacher.”

Since the child is clean, let him remain clean.

What the prince didn’t say was that what he showed to the tutor was only a part of it. As for the rest, even the prince was unsure.

Therefore, for now, no matter what, the prince must find a way to take action.

Soon, Ye Shuo clearly felt that the prince was distancing himself from him.

At the beginning, Ye Shuo just went to the East Palace several times in a row but didn’t see the prince. He knew that the prince was busy, but when Ye Shuo met him on the road, he just greeted him quickly and left. This made Ye Shuo alert all of a sudden.

Something is wrong.

Then Ye Shuo deliberately chose a day when the prince was present, but still did not see the prince himself, only the prince’s wife. Ye Shuo was almost certain that he was avoiding him.

Plus, the eldest prince has been pressing on…

Ye Shuo shuddered suddenly.

Shit!

The prince wasn’t going to do anything stupid, was he? ?

Now, Ye Shuo had to go see him no matter what.

The prince hid here and there, but one day when he was leaving the court, he was finally blocked in a corner of the imperial garden by the quick-eyed and quick-handed Ye Shuo, leaving him no chance to escape.

“Tell me the truth, what have you been doing recently?”

The prince did not want to involve his younger brother in these matters, so he tried every means to avoid him. He did not expect that he would be so stubborn and would not give up until he found him.

After being rejected a few times, any sensible person would not keep pestering the matter, but he did not do that.

Especially, he asked such a question as soon as they met.

The prince couldn’t help but be shocked by his sharpness.

The prince looked relaxed: “Ninth brother, you are joking. I have been in this palace all the time. What can I do?”

“My father has told me that I have things to do. Ninth brother, I wil take myl leave now.”

Having said that, the prince turned around and was about to leave.

“Third brother, you used to call me Xiaojiu.” Ye Shuo said in a faint voice.

The prince was stunned for a moment. Ye Shuo took a deep breath and quickly chased after him. After observing that there was no one else around, Ye Shuo spoke: “No matter what, no matter what the situation is, Third Brother, you must, you must believe in Father.”

Looking at his brother’s expression, which was completely different from usual and was serious to the point of being solemn, the prince wanted to dismiss him with a few words, but found that he couldn’t open his mouth no matter what.

After a long silence, the prince lost his usual gentle smile: “What if I say that even my father can’t do anything this time?”

The prince’s voice was so soft that it could not be heard if one was not paying attention.

Ye Shuo’s pupils suddenly shrank.

If even my cheap father can’t stop me, then the eldest prince…

Wait, that’s not right.

Given my cheap dad’s character, there’s no way he didn’t know.

Given my cheap dad’s personality, he has probably already made arrangements for everyone in his mind.

What’s more, he had already given hints.

——King Ding.

Taking all factors into consideration, Ye Shuo still prefers his cheap father.

But… the prince couldn’t be aimless, he must know something!

Ye Shuo didn’t know the specific situation, but the prince alienated him first, and saved his life first, even Ye Shuo couldn’t be completely indifferent.

Even though Ye Shuo had already decided not to interfere in these matters, he still couldn’t help but remind him: “Third brother! No matter what the situation is, it won’t be wrong to listen to father.”

Having said this, Ye Shuo has already reached his limit.

The prince had never seen his brother like this before, and meeting his brother’s slightly anxious eyes, the prince finally shook his head.

Sometimes, people in high positions are not as free as they imagine.

“Xiaojiu, I’m not you. I can’t remain indifferent.”

The smarter a person is, the more he trusts his own judgement. The smarter a person is, the less likely he is to pin all his hopes on others, even if that person is his biological father.

In the prince’s view, his younger brother could rely on their father wholeheartedly, but he really couldn’t do it.

There is nothing more dangerous in this world than tying your entire fortune on the pity of others. Once the person holding the delicate thread turns against you, you will no longer have a chance to resist.

But what the prince didn’t know was that Ye Shuo was the same.

So in the end, the two of them just ended up in the same place.

How could Ye Shuo persuade the prince if he couldn’t even do it himself?

In this palace, there is no one who is not suspicious every day.

“Xiaojiu, since you have said this yourself, I will also remind you that since you have no intention of fighting, remember to stay away from these things in the future.”

“Otherwise, sooner or later, there will be a day when it will no longer be up to you.”

The prince was not stupid. He could clearly see whether he had this idea or not, and whether it was real or fake.

In the end, Ye Shuo watched the other person leave.

At this moment, Ye Shuo felt extremely powerless.

Everyone understands it, but no one can escape it. There is nothing more torturous than this.

After all, he couldn’t change anything.

Make the cake bigger? Ye Shuo has tried countless times in his life, but no one would listen to him. Everyone thought he was daydreaming.

Without anyone under his command and no one to support him, what can Ye Shuo use to unify the country?

Kick out the eldest prince and the crown prince and take the throne himself? How could he have such ability! It was no problem for his eight brothers to eat him up.

In the end, the tragedy could not be prevented, and he ended up sacrificing himself.

No matter how you count, it’s a dead end on all sides.

Ye Shuo returned to Qiuwu Palace dejectedly. He hugged his mother and Jianjian for most of the day, and the pain was slightly relieved.

Ye Shuo sat in the middle, with the imperial concubine on his left and Jian Jian on his right. The two of them had to sit close to him and hug him. They couldn’t be any further away.

Jianjian has long been accustomed to her brother’s occasional tantrums. He probably just suffered some kind of blow again.

Oh, what a fragile brother…

Noticing that her brother’s grip on her clothes was getting tighter and tighter, Jianjian hummed a song and patted his back with her little hands in an imitative manner.

The days passed one by one, and about a year went by, but there was still no movement from the Sixth Prince, who had been married for a whole year.

The Sixth Prince couldn’t help but feel anxious.

He tried many methods, but none of them seemed to work. The imperial physician who took the princess’ pulse said that there was nothing wrong with her.

The Sixth Prince suddenly remembered what Xiao Jiu had said before –

“Exercise more and have a baby soon.”

There is really no connection between exercise and having a baby early, and it is really incongruous to put the two sentences together.

With the attitude of preferring to believe it to be true than not, the Sixth Prince inadvertently brought up the matter when he brought his wife to the palace to pay his respects to the Imperial Concubine.

Ye Shuo: “…”

Fuck!

Could this group of people not be so perceptive?

If these people were just a little dumber, they wouldn’t be…

Things have come to this point, Ye Shuo weighed it for a long time and finally decided not to continue hiding it.

So he said: “With your body, if you don’t exercise more, it would be strange if you can give birth to a child.”

At first, the Sixth Prince thought that this was just another way of saying that he was weak. It would be strange for a man to not get angry when being insulted like this.

The Sixth Prince was a little angry at first, but when he calmed down, he couldn’t help but think, could it really be his problem?

The Sixth Prince’s desire to have a child eventually overcame his male pride.

For the first time ever, the Sixth Prince did not take a carriage to travel between the six ministries, but walked between the six ministries and the Prince’s Mansion every day.

While the Sixth Prince was trying his best to get a child, his eldest cousin who had always tried his best to avoid contact with Ye Shuo suddenly sent him news.

After many years, without a map, the people sent by my cousin finally found the Champa rice that could be harvested twice a year on their own feet.