Wei Yu was watching Detective Conan.
This anime, which he suspected would never have a proper ending in his lifetime, had already reached episode 583 for him.
That was about halfway through the currently released episodes…
A long and arduous journey indeed!
Three months in, and he had only made it halfway—absolute torment for someone with a completionist compulsion!
“Hoo—”
Shutting off the tablet playing the anime in his mind, Wei Yu refocused. His dull gaze instantly sharpened with clarity.
He straightened his posture and adjusted his robes. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a “fool” into an elegant young noble.
After making sure everything was in order, Wei Yu looked at the excited Xiao Anzi, clasped his hands behind his back, and sighed with the weariness of someone far beyond his years.
Xiao Anzi was Wei Yu’s personal attendant, having served him since he was six. At that time, Wei Yu had only been a four-year-old toddler.
Eleven years had passed, and Xiao Anzi had grown from six to seventeen. In theory, he should be the person who understood Wei Yu the most. But unfortunately, the kid was just… a bit slow.
The skinny Xiao Anzi’s face fell instantly, looking at Wei Yu with wide, pitiful eyes. “Your Highness, are you saying I’m stupid again?”
That wasn’t a question—it was an outright accusation!
If any other servant had said this to their master, they would have been beaten for insubordination. After all, who dared to question their master’s words?
Whatever the master said or did was an act of grace.
Wei Yu cast him a fond glance and casually coaxed, “No, of course not. I’m just worried about you. If something happened to you, what would your master do?”
This little fool always had a tendency to talk back—a huge taboo in the palace.
Luckily, it was Wei Yu he served, someone who didn’t mind. If he ever accidentally offended someone else, Wei Yu wasn’t sure if he could even make it in time to collect the fool’s corpse.
True to form, Xiao Anzi brightened up immediately. “Don’t worry, Your Highness! I’m really smart—I won’t get into trouble.”
After all, he still had to take care of His Highness.
Everyone in the palace said the Ninth Prince wasn’t right in the head, that he was a bit of a fool. But Xiao Anzi would never abandon him!
He stared at Wei Yu with unwavering sincerity.
Wei Yu found his gaze a bit odd, but he didn’t dwell on it. Xiao Anzi often gave him weird looks—he was used to it.
Too lazy to refute his words, Wei Yu figured it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he needed Xiao Anzi to do anything important. A little fool was fine as long as he was careful.
Taking a couple of steps forward, Wei Yu looked toward the palace gates. All he could see was a sea of luxurious robes and intricate hairdos—no sound reached him.
He turned to Xiao Anzi. “What else did you hear when you ran up there just now?”
“Nothing.”
Wei Yu: …
Tsk.
Closing his eyes, he turned to look at him in exasperation. “Then why did you even run back? Huh? Do you think your master wouldn’t know if something important happened?”
Xiao Anzi replied earnestly, “I’m just a nobody. No one would pay attention to me. The Eighth Prince was called away by the Third Princess, and you were lost in thought. If something happened, no one would inform you. So I came to remind you.”
What a loyal little fool.
Wei Yu was no longer annoyed.
Interrupting his anime session at such a critical moment—if it had been anyone else, they’d have been struck by lightning!
Oh, right. His father had been struck by lightning.
Realizing this, Wei Yu stroked his chin and muttered under his breath, “My god, getting struck by lightning and still waking up… A medical miracle. So is my father now paralyzed? A stroke patient? Or a vegetative state…?”
“Your Highness, if you keep talking, we might just lose our heads.”
Xiao Anzi leaned in and whispered in a hushed voice.
Wei Yu paused, straightened up, gave a fake cough, and glanced around.
All clear. No danger.
Xiao Anzi bent down to tidy Wei Yu’s robe hem. “Your Highness, you should go stand with the Eighth Prince and the others. The Prime Minister has gone inside. If His Majesty summons you later and you’re missing, Consort Xian will complain about you again.”
Ah, that meddlesome Consort Xian.
A ruthless woman willing to do anything to ensure her son’s rise to the throne—even if it meant scheming against the entire world!
Even an insignificant prince like Wei Yu, with no maternal family backing, couldn’t escape her calculations.
Best not to provoke her.
Wei Yu shook his head, acknowledging Xiao Anzi’s wisdom. “You’re right. That makes sense. Where’s Eighth Brother? Take me to him.”
Wei Yu found the Eighth Prince among the princesses.
A handsome young man stood beside a delicate, doll-like little girl. When Wei Yu spotted them, they were leaning in close, speaking in hushed tones.
“Eighth Brother, Jing’an.”
Wei Yu called out as he approached.
The Eighth Prince, Wei Qi, turned and immediately broke into a smile. “Ninth Brother, there you are! I was just about to look for you.”
The Third Princess, Wei Jing’an, also beamed at him. Her delicate features lit up with twin dimples. “Ninth Brother, I don’t even have to guess—I bet you were slacking off again.”
The Eighth Prince and the Third Princess were full-blooded siblings. Like Wei Yu, they had lost their mother at a young age. As a result, the three of them had always stuck together, relying on each other for warmth in the cold palace.
Wei Yu ruffled the little girl’s head and smirked mischievously. “Ah, yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. No osmanthus cakes for you tomorrow.”
“No! Ninth Brother, I was wrong! How could you have been slacking? You must have been praying for Father’s health, right?”
“Hah, too late. You’ve already offended me. That’s one less osmanthus cake for you next time.”
“Ah—Ninth Brother, you’re so stingy!”
Seeing the two bicker, Wei Qi, standing nearby, sighed helplessly. “Alright, you two, cut it out. We’re in public.”
A well-timed reminder—this was a serious occasion, not a place for jokes.
Wei Yu immediately wiped the playful look off his face and turned serious in an instant. “Eighth Brother, Father has woken up? What did the Empress say?”
Used to his Ninth Brother’s quick mood shifts, Wei Qi wasn’t surprised. “Eunuch Wang from the Empress’s side came by earlier. He told Eldest Brother and the others to be patient. It looks like Father wants to see us soon.”
Wei Yu asked, “All of us?”
“Seems like it. Not sure about the princesses, but the princes will definitely be summoned.”
Tsk.
Wei Yu dreaded meeting the Emperor the most.
It wasn’t about fearing royal authority or the threat of life and death—he just found it unbearably troublesome!
As the Ninth Prince of Great Wei, Wei Yu had lived here for fifteen years, yet he could count the times he had met the Emperor on one hand.
His long-deceased mother had never been favored, and her family had no significant power. As a result, he, too, remained largely unnoticed by the Emperor.
Every time he was summoned, the routine was the same—being lectured on etiquette beforehand, then kneeling, bowing, and answering academic questions. If he got them wrong, he’d get scolded or punished…
In short, one word summed it up—exhausting.
Absolutely exhausting!