Thank you, MiBR, for the Ko-fi treat! This chapter has been released early thanks to MiBR’s support!
Faced with Emperor Wei’s questioning and oppressive gaze, the First Prince did not show panic on his face, instead, he looked up at the Emperor with an expression of injustice.
“Father, Your Majesty, I am wronged! In the past two days while you were unconscious, the court was entirely controlled by Prime Minister Gongsun. The Prime Minister is elderly, and as the eldest son, I was concerned about overburdening him. I wanted to familiarize myself with the other officials, help share some of the burden for the Prime Minister, and do more for the people of the world.”
[What a clever excuse.]
Wei Yu’s light-hearted thought floated through.
This caused Emperor Wei, who had been somewhat moved, to immediately regain his composure.
He listened carefully to the First Prince’s inner thoughts, and his expression darkened.
[It must have been that old fool Gongsun Tai who spoke to Father about this. That scoundrel! If not for him, Father wouldn’t have learned about things outside the palace so soon. It seems we need to speed up the cleanup process…]
Indeed, this troublemaker was deliberately playing the victim!
Although he had heard from the ministers about the plans of the First and Second Princes, hearing it from the person involved was an entirely different matter.
After all, the one plotting rebellion was his own son!
Emperor Wei closed his eyes briefly and opened them again.
Fearing he might lose his temper, he shifted his gaze from the First Prince and turned to the Second Prince. In a deep voice, he said, “Second, I’ve heard that you’ve been quite comfortable these past two days.”
The oppressive feeling from the Emperor’s gaze, looking down from a position of power, immediately weighed heavily on the princes.
The intense pressure caused the Second Prince and the others to feel a jolt in their hearts.
Those who felt guilty were overthinking, silently recalling everything they dared not speak of aloud. For Emperor Wei, who could now read minds, this was like a confession without words.
And those who felt they had done nothing wrong were either gloating or mocking, showing no brotherly affection whatsoever!
Emperor Wei felt a headache coming on.
Each of them had the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog, malicious, calculating, and treacherous!
Emperor Wei was furious, but at this moment, the Second Prince was still following the First Prince, crying out his innocence.
“Father, Your Majesty, I am wronged! I am truly wronged! These past two days, you were ill, and I was so worried and anxious that I couldn’t even relax. How could I be comfortable? Are you trying to harm me, Father? Tell me, which villain has been slandering me in front of you? I will have him come here to face me!”
Emperor Wei’s eyes narrowed, and he was about to speak when Wei Yu’s voice floated over.
[Oh wow, Second Brother’s eloquence is on another level. He knows exactly what Father likes—make a sad face, shout loudly, shed a couple of tears, and be so dramatic that even the actors would be impressed. Impressive!]
His anger suddenly dissipated.
Wei Yu always knew his place.
A transparent person.
No matter where he stood, he wouldn’t attract attention. Or rather, even if someone noticed him, they wouldn’t think much of him.
Because he knew no one was paying attention to him, Wei Yu stood relaxed next to the Eighth Prince, unlike his older brother who was stiff and proper.
A salted fish, after all.
If there was a chance to slack off, why not take it?
Having received an equal education, Wei Yu’s soul carried the banner of freedom, and deep down, he didn’t have that servile mentality.
Although he was standing aside slacking off, because of the Emperor suddenly calling attention to him earlier, Wei Yu decided not to open his tablet and watch Conan.
He kept his head slightly lowered, eyelids drooping, his left ear listening to the Emperor’s questioning, while his right ear picked up the nonsense from his older brothers. He truly felt like he was in the best “seat” to watch the drama unfold.
Although the show was exciting to listen to, after a while, Wei Yu couldn’t shake the feeling…
It seemed like his father was looking at him!
Having been ignored for so long, Wei Yu could almost immediately sense when someone was watching him.
He felt a gaze on him from the left, sometimes on him, sometimes looking away, and then again, it returned…
Wei Yu couldn’t take it anymore.
[What’s he staring at? Why is Father watching me? Is it because First Brother and Second Brother haven’t been criticized enough, so now it’s my turn?! Don’t, please! Criticize Eighth Brother! He’s easier to scold!!]
He didn’t know what to say about this boy.
Just as Wei Yu was enjoying his inner complaints, he noticed the gaze on him shift away.
He thought it would return, but instead, after waiting, Wei Yu heard the Emperor tell them to leave.
No punishment, no reward.
After the princes’ meeting, only Wei Yu and the Eighth Prince had the chance to meet with the eunuchs. Everyone else had been questioned by Emperor Wei.
The questions were abrupt and caused unease and fear.
Especially the First and Second Princes.
They felt like the Emperor’s questions were full of implication, as though he knew exactly what they had been up to these past few days!
But the Emperor had only just woken up!
They knew exactly who had been outside the palace and who had entered before them. There were only a few ministers.
Was someone in their circle reporting to the Emperor?
Who didn’t have their own people?
They were all old foxes in the officialdom. Without solid evidence, claiming rebellion was just asking for trouble!
The First and Second Princes were certain that their people would never betray them.
So, when Father asked those questions, it was likely that someone had vaguely mentioned something in front of him, rather than directly accusing them of harboring ill intentions.
After all, if it were really said, they would have been thrown into prison right away.
— Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs ɴovelfire.net
The princes left one by one.
Once everyone had left, the entire palace hall felt considerably emptier.
Emperor Wei leaned back on the bed, appearing to close his eyes and rest.
After a moment, a young eunuch quietly entered.
“Your Majesty, the Empress is still waiting outside. She asked me to inquire if you would like to meet with the other concubines in the harem?”
Emperor Wei remained silent.
Li Cheng, standing nearby, glanced at him.
[The Emperor just woke up and saw so many people. If he calls the harem concubines in as well, who knows how long this will take? He’ll never be able to handle it…]
Emperor Wei opened his eyes and cast a displeased glance at Li Cheng, furrowing his brows. “Tell the Empress that I’m fine. Have everyone else return to their quarters for now.”
In fact, he really couldn’t handle it.
After all, Emperor Wei had just woken up, and he had inexplicably acquired a new ability.
This ability was one he hadn’t fully mastered yet, and he could only passively hear everyone’s thoughts.
And not just noisy—it was unbearably noisy.
But the noise wasn’t the most important part. The real issue was that because of this ability, Emperor Wei could hear a person’s true thoughts and see their real nature.
He could now clearly distinguish between loyalty and treachery!