“May Your Highness appease your wrath! Could it be that Wei Qiao has done something wrong?”
Given his background, Sima Huayao had always pampered him greatly and had never once spoken to him in such a severe tone.
Sima Huayao mused for a moment before replying, “You are already twenty-seven this year; it is time to settle down and establish a family. Over the next few days, I shall have someone prepare a roster of women of suitable age. Choose one from the list, and we will arrange your wedding for an auspicious day.”
Hua Ziwei was stunned, hurriedly protesting, “Your Highness, you promised me that my marriage would be entirely my own decision!”
“I am giving you the roster so that you may choose the person yourself. Is that not letting you decide?”
“Your Highness, I wish to marry someone I truly cherish. I do not want to bind myself in marriage to a stranger whom I have never laid eyes upon.”
Hua Ziwei had originally intended to voice the feelings he had buried deep within his heart for many years, but after hesitating, he ultimately lacked the courage.
A cold look crossed Sima Huayao’s face as he reprimanded, “You are the sole remaining bloodline of the Hua family. Now that you have reached this age, it is your duty to carry on the Hua family line. The matter of your marriage is settled; take your leave.”
Though he personally did not agree with such traditional notions, placed in this era and standing in Sima Nanyao’s shoes, this was precisely how he was supposed to react.
“Your Highness…”
Cutting Hua Ziwei off with a wave of his hand, Sima Huayao said impatiently, “Enough said. Out!”
Startled and struck with a sudden wave of timidity, Hua Ziwei dared not press the matter further. Bowing respectfully, he said, “May Your Highness appease your wrath; Wei Qiao takes his leave.”
Vipers should be paired with vipers. He had already settled on the candidates to marry Hua Ziwei they were all genuine villains who had brought ruin to many lives. Letting them torment one another would spare the rest of the world from their scourge.
“Someone come,” Sima Huayao called out aloud.
Hearing the summons, Hong Yang hurried into the study from outside, bowed, and reported, “This servant is here. What are Your Highness’s instructions?”
“Send men to clear out the mansion on Huayang Street and prepare it for Wei Qiao’s wedding.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Just as Hong Yang was about to withdraw, Sima Huayao called him back. “Keep everything simple and unostentatious.”
Hong Yang paused, a flicker of puzzlement crossing his mind. Hua Ziwei had always enjoyed immense favor, his food and clothing within the manor second only to Sima Huayao’s own. He had expected that when Hua Ziwei finally married, Sima Huayao would pull out all the stops, yet now he was ordering everything kept simple. Something must have happened to thoroughly displease the Regent and alter his attitude toward Hua Ziwei.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
After partaking in the midday meal, Sima Huayao took a nap for an hour before heading to the study to tackle his official duties. Staring at the mountain of memorials piled before him, he froze for a moment, thinking inwardly: “What on earth are these court officials paid for? Do they just collect salaries without doing actual work? With this many memorials, I’ll be reading until the Year of the Monkey.”
Just as he was settling his mind to accept reality, an announcement echoed from outside: “Reporting to Your Highness, His Highness the Prince of Yi is here to pay a visit.”
Sima Huayao pulled up the background information regarding the Prince of Yi, prompting a headache to flare up. The Prince of Yi was named Zhao Mingyu, and he was Zhao Hanqing’s younger brother by the same mother and father. Theoretically, as blood brothers, they ought to have stood shoulder to shoulder; in reality, however, the exact opposite was true. Zhao Mingyu utterly despised Zhao Hanqing and made it his life’s mission to oppose him in everything. Whatever Zhao Hanqing possessed, Zhao Mingyu had to have as well if he didn’t have it, he would simply seize it by force.
Convinced that Zhao Hanqing’s ascent to the throne had been single-handedly orchestrated by Sima Nanyao simply because Zhao Hanqing had managed to crawl into Sima Nanyao’s bed, Zhao Mingyu had gone to great lengths to seduce Sima Nanyao, hoping to oust Zhao Hanqing and usurp that supreme position himself.
Toying with Zhao Hanqing had initially been a mere game of spite and retaliation, but when Zhao Mingyu threw himself at him, Sima Nanyao naturally never turned anyone away. He toyed with him as he pleased after all, it was a mutual agreement, and moreover, the concept of “taking responsibility” simply did not exist in Sima Nanyao’s dictionary.
What surprised Sima Huayao the most was that Zhao Mingyu had genuinely fallen in love with Sima Nanyao. After Zhao Hanqing eventually imprisoned Sima Nanyao, Zhao Mingyu had even mobilized his own network in a desperate attempt to rescue him. Pity that he was no match for the deeply scheming Zhao Hanqing, ultimately meeting his end via a poisoned cup of wine bestowed by royal decree.
“Let him in.” With the objective of identifying the faces behind the names, Sima Huayao instructed that the visitor be admitted to the study.
With a soft creak, the study door swung open, and Zhao Mingyu stepped inside. As Sima Huayao raised his eyes to look at him, he couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. Zhao Mingyu bore not the slightest resemblance to Zhao Hanqing; while Zhao Hanqing possessed sharp, distinct, and ruggedly handsome features, Zhao Mingyu exuded a soft, feminine delicacy. Clad today in a goose-yellow outfit, he radiated the lively, youthful energy of a sunny adolescent. Indeed, Zhao Mingyu had only just turned sixteen this year, making him a teenager in every sense of the word.
At this thought, Sima Huayao couldn’t help silently cursing Sima Nanyao as an absolute beast, recalling that there were quite a few fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds kept among his collection of young favorites in the inner courtyards.
Beaming brightly, Zhao Mingyu bowed and greeted, “A pleasant day to you, Older Brother Yao.”
One had to admit that Zhao Mingyu was genuinely skilled at winning affection. His smile was innocent and radiant, making him look at first glance like a youth completely devoid of hidden schemes.
“Mhm,” Sima Huayao replied indifferently. “What brings you to find this Prince?”
Bypassing the desk, Zhao Mingyu walked straight up to Sima Huayao, plopped unceremoniously onto his lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, and cooed coquettishly, “Older Brother Yao has been stuck in the palace for a full three days! Yu’er has missed you terribly. The moment I heard Older Brother Yao had returned to the manor, I rushed right over to see you. Did Older Brother Yao miss Yu’er at all?”
Sima Huayao was momentarily startled by this rapid succession of physical actions, taking a full beat to process them before frowning and snapping, “Get up!”
“Older Brother Yao, Yu’er misses you; Yu’er refuses to get up.”
As Zhao Mingyu leaned in closer, Sima Huayao hastily raised a hand to block the boy’s mouth, demanding with displeasure, “Did you treat the words coming out of this Prince’s mouth as wind blowing past your ears?”
Seeing this, Zhao Mingyu’s heart tightened in panic, not daring to push his luck any further. He scrambled to his feet looking deeply aggrieved, and whimpered, “Older Brother Yao, why has your attitude toward Yu’er changed so much after just three days in the palace? Could it be that Zhao Hanqing said something to sow discord and make Older Brother Yao misunderstand me?”
Sima Huayao rebuked sharply, “Audacious! Do you not know that directly uttering His Majesty’s given name is a grave offense of lèse-majesté?”
Ever since he and Sima Nanyao had become intimate, Sima Nanyao had never spoken to him in such a harsh tone. This only served to reinforce Zhao Mingyu’s suspicions, leaving him feeling simultaneously wronged and furious. “I knew it must be Zhao Hanqing playing dirty tricks! I’m going to go find him right now!”
Sima Nanyao had indeed treated Zhao Mingyu reasonably well, but that was merely the indulgence shown toward a favored pet he held not a shred of genuine affection for him.
Watching Zhao Mingyu storm out in a fury, Sima Huayao curled the corners of his lips in a faint smile. His deliberate provocation just then was meant to rile Zhao Mingyu up and sow further discord between him and Zhao Hanqing. While he lacked intricate political schemes, his talent for stirring up trouble was top-tier at the very least, it would force Zhao Hanqing to divert a portion of his energy toward dealing with this pest.
In high spirits, Sima Huayao picked up a memorial, only to frown deeply a second later. After reading through several pages of text, he still couldn’t decipher what the author was trying to convey. The entire piece was drowning in flowery rhetoric and endless classical allusions while completely failing to state the actual point. Was this not a blatant waste of his time?
Picking up another memorial, his brows knitted even tighter as he found the exact same issue. After reading several in a row, Sima Huayao finally lost his temper, thinking: “No wonder the administrative efficiency of ancients was so appalling with conditions like this, how could it be anything else?”
“Someone come.”
Hearing the summons, Hong Yang hurried inside and reported, “This servant is here.”
“Return every single one of these memorials. Tell them to state their business plainly if they can say something in one sentence, they are forbidden from using a second. If anyone dares to write this kind of unintelligible nonsense again, I will have their head.”
Sensing the dangerous edge in Sima Huayao’s tone and recalling how Zhao Mingyu had just stormed out of the study in a huff, Hong Yang automatically assumed that Zhao Mingyu was the one who had angered the Regent, while the court officials were merely suffering collateral damage. He conveniently fabricated a logical explanation for Sima Huayao’s sudden change in mood. “Understood, Your Highness.”
As Hong Yang began gathering the memorials, Sima Huayao pondered for a moment. Fearing that some of those ministers might resort to extreme measures, he added as an afterthought, “Additionally, if anyone attempts to conceal matters or fails to report an issue entirely, once this Prince finds out, they shall be charged with the exact same crime.”
“Understood! Rest assured, Your Highness, this servant will handle it properly.”
Meanwhile, inside the Qiankun Palace, Zhao Hanqing was taking an afternoon rest in his bedchamber. Having been thoroughly tormented for three solid days, even a man of his robust constitution could barely hold up not to mention his body was still covered in wounds that urgently needed proper recovery. He knew full well that possessing a strong physique was the fundamental prerequisite for everything else.
“This Prince demands to see His Majesty.”
“Your Highness, His Majesty is currently resting and has given strict orders not to be disturbed by anyone.”
“Audacious! What gall a pack of dogs has, daring to block this Prince!”
“May Your Highness appease your wrath; this servant is merely obeying orders.”
The commotion outside drifted clearly into the bedchamber. Zhao Hanqing heard every word yet had zero inclination to intervene. He felt an intense headache whenever this younger brother of his crossed his mind. Instead of focusing on uniting forces to deal with Sima Huayao, Zhao Mingyu spent his days picking fights, even going so far as to practically offer himself up in Sima Hanqing’s bed utterly, hopelessly foolish!
Seeing that San Xi was standing guard outside the entrance and stubbornly refusing to clear the path, Zhao Mingyu found himself completely stymied. After all, San Xi was Sima Huayao’s man, and Zhao Mingyu didn’t dare push him too far. Raising his voice, he bellowed, “Zhao Hanqing, you get up this instant! I have things to say to you. If you aren’t afraid of losing face, I don’t mind shouting them right out here!”
Seething with anger, Zhao Hanqing pushed himself up from the bed and stepped onto the floor. “Let him in.”
Obeying the command, San Xi unlatched the palace doors and bowed. “Please enter, Your Highness.”
With a cold huff, Zhao Mingyu stepped across the threshold. Not daring to neglect his duties, San Xi followed right behind him. As Sima Huayao’s man, he naturally couldn’t allow the royal brothers to converse behind closed doors; if they were hatching some unspeakable conspiracy and he remained completely in the dark, he would be the one facing dire consequences.
Glancing briefly at San Xi, Zhao Hanqing easily guessed his intentions. Choosing not to press the matter, he shifted his gaze to Zhao Mingyu and demanded, “Do you know where you are standing? Making such a ruckus what kind of decorum is this?”
With a face full of indignation, Zhao Mingyu demanded, “Was it you who spoke ill of me before Older Brother Yao, causing him to despise me?”
At that accusation, a surge of towering rage flared in Zhao Hanqing’s chest. He desperately wanted to walk over and slap Zhao Mingyu across the face, but refusing to let San Xi watch the spectacle, he forced the fury down and replied curtly, “No.”
“It must have been you! Otherwise, why would Older Brother Yao defend you and lecture me?” Believing none of Zhao Hanqing’s denial, Zhao Mingyu flushed a brilliant shade of crimson with anger. “Had I known this would happen, I never would have tipped Older Brother Yao off about Consort Xian’s pregnancy and given you a chance to slip away!”
Zhao Hanqing’s pupils constricted sharply, his complexion turning leaden. “Consort Xian’s pregnancy… you were the one who reported it to the Regent?”
“Of course! How dare you sneak around behind Older Brother Yao’s back and keep a woman in the inner palace? Naturally, I had to inform him.” Zhao Mingyu glared defiantly at Zhao Hanqing, completely unfazed by his rapidly darkening expression.
Unable to suppress his boiling fury any longer, Zhao Hanqing stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap straight across Zhao Mingyu’s face.