Chapter 52: A Myriad Facets of All Living Beings

As Li Er and the civil and military officials finalized the remaining matters one by one, His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu managed to endure the grueling morning court session. Refusing to wait for Chief Eunuch Zhang Nan to bellow that classic curtain call—"If there are memorials, present them; if none, withdraw"—he took the lead, bounding forward like a startled macabre ape. With a few swift, lateral leaps that highlighted his astonishing agility, he was the very first to vault out the gates of the Taiji Hall.

Leaving behind countless stunned gazes in his wake.

At that exact moment, the officials' sympathy for Emperor Li Er and the blazing fury within the Emperor's own heart reached their absolute peaks simultaneously.

At that exact moment, the tacit understanding between sovereign and subjects hit a climax: You call this attending the morning court? You are simply here to humiliate Us (His Majesty)!

Emperor Li Er now wished he could slap himself a few times across the face: Why on earth did he ever extend his deep affection for Guanyinbi to this wretched scoundrel by mere association?

He must have truly lost his mind...

Basking in the meaningful, lingering gazes of the officials below the dais, Li Er was gripped by a mounting wave of regret.

With a gloomy expression, he began to ponder whether he should commission a brand-new rattan cane for administering domestic discipline—one that was thicker, harder, and easier to grip. Moreover, simple toughness wouldn't suffice; it needed thorns!

Yet, even if he were to get his wish, Li Er doubted that his more-lively-than-anyone mischievous son would ever yield to a new instrument of torture. At the very least, though, it would make the brat hurt a bit more, allowing him to vent his frustration more thoroughly, wouldn't it?

Indeed, Emperor Li Er had now completely abandoned any notion of correcting Li Kuan. After all, some free birds simply cannot be caged!

And His Free Royal Highness the Prince of Chu was the epitome of such a bird!

Meanwhile, another scene was unfolding elsewhere.

Below the long stone steps, Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who had mustered a rare display of backbone that day, sensed the bizarre atmosphere inside the hall. After much deliberation, he wanted to speak up and absolve his younger brother, but he simply could not conjure a suitable excuse. Thinking better of it, he ultimately held his tongue.

Forget it... He would just seek out his imperial father alone in the Royal Study later.

To the Crown Prince's utter astonishment, however, after descending the court alongside his father and following Li Er into the Royal Study, things took an unexpected turn.

The moment he dropped to his knees, just as he was about to plead for leniency before Li Er's back as the Emperor strode toward the imperial desk, an eunuch's voice echoed from outside: "Your Majesty, Official Yu Shinan requests an audience."

And so... before the Crown Prince could even rise to his feet, he was caught red-handed by Yu Shinan.

"Lord Yu..." Li Chengqian greeted him dryly. In the current situation, everyone seemed to be trapped in an awkward predicament.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what are you doing?" Yu Shinan asked, looking in bewildered surprise at Li Chengqian kneeling before the desk, completely unaware of what was transpiring.

"Hmph... This rascal saw there were too many people outside just now and was too embarrassed to kneel to Us." Li Er, now seated behind the imperial desk, lifted his eyelids slightly, glanced at the Crown Prince's somewhat unnatural expression, and offered a cold snort of explanation.

Li Chengqian: "..."

Imperial Father, you might as well not have explained at all...

By phrasing it this way, you make your son sound utterly reluctant... It wasn't that I cared about the crowd... I was afraid that kneeling in public would cause you to lose face, and if you got angry later, not only would my plea for Brother Kuan fail, but I would drag myself down with him as well...

One had to admit that ever since a monstrous anomaly like Li Kuan had come into existence, Emperor Li Er's sons had all shown great promise in evolving into cunning masterminds.

"His Highness is so devoted to his brothers; he truly lives up to his reputation for benevolence." Yu Shinan chuckled, bestowing this verdict upon Li Chengqian.

Hearing this, Li Chengqian pressed his lips together and cast a stealthy glance at Li Er. Noticing no trace of displeasure on his old man's face, he cautiously replied, "I am unworthy of such undeserved praise from Lord Yu."

Behold, this was the difference between the so-called Virtuous Prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

If Yu Shinan had offered such high praise to Li Kuan, the latter would undoubtedly have grabbed the old man's arm and demanded, "And what else? What else?" dozens of times over, refusing to let go until he got more.

Worse still, Li Kuan might even summon Yan Shu—the Retired Emperor's Diary Chronicler, with whom Li Kuan had crossed paths once—to meticulously record the encounter.

Such a monumental event would certainly be exploited to hitch a ride on the *Emperor's Diary of Daily Activities* (though Emperor Li Er would certainly never allow him to freeload), or else Li Kuan would not truly be Li Kuan.

"Minister Yu," Li Er said, his expression finally softening as he grew satisfied with his eldest son's modesty. "What brings you to see Me? Of course, if you are pursuing me in search of punishment, I might consider it."

When Li Er could speak half-jokingly with his ministers, it was a sign that his mood was remarkably good.

Emboldened by this, Yu Shinan finally summoned his courage, abandoning his original intention of beating around the bush and pursuing a roundabout victory. Instead, he went straight to the point: "Your Majesty... this old minister wishes to take His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu as his final closed-door disciple."

"What did you say?!" Hearing such joyous news out of nowhere, Emperor Li Er bolted upright from his seat and blurted out almost without thinking, "You had better not regret this!"

Yu Shinan: "..."

"Minister Yu?" Li Er stared at the silent Yu Shinan, his expression carrying a trace of tension that defied all precedent.

"Your Majesty..." After a long silence, Yu Shinan suddenly smiled and said, "I originally had no regrets, but since Your Majesty reacts this way... you must allow this old minister to have second thoughts..."

Oh? Judging by this posturing, was he regretting his decision or not?

Li Er understood the subtext immediately.

"Haha, Minister Yu, do not misunderstand! My meaning is that Minister Yu truly possesses a discerning eye for... talent!" Li Er was no fool. Realizing he had lost his composure just moments before, he hastily began to salvage the situation, though shouting "Minister Yu" twice in succession made the kneeling Li Chengqian tremble visibly.

Since when had his Imperial Father become so utterly... devoid of bottom lines?

However...

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow slightly. Watching Emperor Li Er and Yu Shinan harmoniously engaged in cordial conversation, he thought to himself that if Brother Kuan could receive instruction from Lord Yu in the future, it could only be described as a wonderful stroke of fortune no matter how one looked at it!

Thus, he immediately began to feel genuinely happy for Li Kuan.

Yet... poor Crown Prince Li Chengqian remained blissfully unaware that at this very moment, his Eastern Palace was being raided by his own younger brother.

Naturally, before Li Kuan actually launched his demolition operation, he had made a detour to the Wude Hall.

Therefore, Emperor Li Er, who was currently enjoying such a pleasant chat with Yu Shinan, had no inkling that the heavy cavalry spear—stored within the Wude Hall and carried by the Emperor through years of warfare—had already been stolen. Before long, it would make its appearance atop the rockery in the Eastern Palace garden, serving its purpose in an entirely brand-new capacity...