Chapter 0226 Shen Yuan! Come Quickly! Shen Yuan, Come Quickly!

Xie Chengze crossed his arms, his gaze fixed directly on Xie Jinyu’s arm as he said calmly, “Xie Jinyu, you are not allowed to touch randomly without your elder brother’s permission.”

It was time to teach him some rules.

This was the first time Xie Chengze had called Xie Jinyu by his full name. Xie Jinyu froze momentarily, like a nursing puppy whose pacifier had been snatched away, looking up at him in confusion.

“If you want to draw a sense of security from your elder brother, you must pay the corresponding price,” Xie Chengze said leisurely. “Minister Qin and Doctor Hu have always belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction and refuse to be bribed by me. I want you to abandon both of them.”

Minister Qin and Doctor Hu were loyal members of the Crown Prince’s faction and were Xie Jinyu’s right-hand men. Xie Jinyu raised his eyes to stare at Xie Chengze, never expecting that the demand he would make would be related to power.

“Unwilling?” Xie Chengze tilted his head slightly, smiling meaningfully. “What’s this? I thought you cared about me so much.”

“Does Second Brother also want the throne?” Xie Jinyu rose up, half-kneeling before Xie Chengze, leaning close to his face.

“Think about it carefully—why not?” Xie Chengze met his dangerous gaze without fear. “Jinyu, you rely heavily on your Second Brother, don’t you? In that case, I’ll become the emperor, and you can remain as the Crown Prince. I will keep you in the Eastern Palace, always by your side, pampering you, never going anywhere.”

He pressed his hands on Xie Jinyu’s shoulders, straddling his waist, looking down at the young Crown Prince with deep, somber eyes. “There are many ways to never part, but this is the one I favor most. If you want to read memorials, I’ll let you read them all. If you want to form cliques for personal gain, I can turn a blind eye…”

He stroked Xie Jinyu’s earlobe, a faint smile floating in his eyes that didn’t reach their depths. “Your elder brother can indulge you in everything. I won’t take a wife, won’t take concubines, and won’t continue the lineage. So, yield the throne to your elder brother, alright?”

Xie Jinyu’s gaze wavered for a moment.

He had never imagined that Second Brother would say such things. If Second Brother was truly willing to be entangled with him alone for a lifetime, managing the empire for him while staying devotedly by his side, what would be wrong with leaving the throne to Second Brother?

But… Second Brother couldn’t possibly be willing.

Second Brother had too many people around him. Even if he ascended the throne, his heart would never settle on just one person. His love would be divided into countless portions, with the largest share going to the common people of the empire, not to him—a puppet forever trapped in the imperial palace, bound to wield imperial power.

Second Brother wasn’t as obsessive and stubborn as he was. He was just a real and ordinary person, and such a person couldn’t escape human emotions and desires. As time passed, Second Brother would eventually grow tired of his possessiveness and despise his deformity.

This was the difference between them.

To possess him alone, he had to ascend to that position of ultimate power, binding him completely to his side.

But…

He didn’t mind humoring Second Brother.

Second Brother’s guard was too low; if he humored him, he would surely believe it.

“As long as Second Brother is willing to stay by my side, I am willing to let Second Brother ascend the throne,” Xie Jinyu embraced the young man before him, pressing his cheek against his abdomen, and whispered softly, “Tomorrow, I will go to court and abandon Minister Qin and Doctor Hu.”

Hearing his words, Xie Chengze gaped, utterly dumbfounded.

He had only wanted Xie Jinyu to understand how unpleasant it was to be forcibly kept by someone’s side as a plaything, so why was the Crown Prince getting carried away instead?

“Is that true?” Xie Chengze asked uncertainly.

“Mm.” Xie Jinyu tightened his embrace around the person in his arms. “Whatever Second Brother wants, I shall give.”

Except for freedom.

Xie Chengze: …

It’s over.

Shen Yuan! Come quickly! Your Crown Prince is slacking off! He doesn’t want to be emperor anymore!

He doesn’t want to be the fall guy! Get lost, imperial throne! He’ll never make casual jokes again, wuwu—

—

The next day, the Crown Prince returned to court after recovering from his illness.

The Crown Prince’s faction, suppressed for over half a month, rejoiced and eagerly prepared to strike hard against the Prince Regent’s faction. However, their own Crown Prince dropped the ball, impeaching Minister Qin and Imperial Censor Hu. No matter how the other ministers tried to persuade him, he refused to change his mind.

Shen Yuan didn’t look too well either, feeling that Xie Jinyu shouldn’t have done such a thing. His gaze fell upon Xie Chengze, and sure enough, he saw Xie Chengze guiltily avert his eyes.

Shen Yuan: Hah.

So it was pillow talk.

After court adjourned, both Shen Yuan and Xie Jinyu headed toward Xie Chengze. Seeing them approach—one smiling, the other cold—Xie Chengze decided to escape reality and take shelter with the antagonist for now.

Compared to the angry male lead and the deranged second male lead, the antagonist seemed so normal that Xie Chengze felt reassured.

In Cheng Huan Palace, Sheng Shihai inquired about the unusual events in court that day. “Why did the Crown Prince suddenly cut off his own support? Does Your Highness know anything about it?”

“Ah!” Xie Chengze finally put the excuse he’d been concocting all night to use. “Shihai, you don’t know this, but I secretly found a master to cast a love spell on the Crown Prince! That’s why he’s acting so strangely! Unfortunately, the Crown Prince is protected by imperial aura, so it can only work once.”

A love spell?

Sheng Shihai pondered, assuming it was some kind of sorcery that could make people unlucky or behave abnormally.

He’d have to secretly investigate later to prevent Xie Chengze from getting any bright ideas about using it on him someday.

“Speaking of which…” Xie Chengze rubbed his hands together, a greedy glint appearing on his little face. “The Spring Examination is coming up soon. Should we…”

He quickly rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, hinting, “Make a little profit from it?”

Sheng Shihai raised an eyebrow, stroking the rim of his teacup with his fingertip. “How does Your Highness propose to profit?”

“For example, by leaking some exam questions.” Xie Chengze patted Sheng Shihai’s shoulder, taking the initiative. “Or does Minister Sheng have any brilliant ideas?”

Sheng Shihai took a sip of tea. “Does Your Highness want to profit, or are you trying to pave the way for scholars you favor?”

“Of course, to profit!” Xie Chengze replied without hesitation. “Paving the way is something for you and Minister Shen to worry about.”

Sheng Shihai nodded. “Then I wouldn’t advise Your Highness to profit by leaking exam questions. Firstly, this Spring Examination falls under your jurisdiction. The Crown Prince’s faction is watching like tigers, and it would be merciful if they didn’t cause trouble for you. If they catch evidence of you abusing your power for personal gain, you’d likely be immediately removed from the position of Prince Regent. Even your authority over the Imperial Academy might be transferred to the Crown Prince.”

“As for the scholars you favor, they must possess some erudition. If examination questions were to be leaked, it would undoubtedly affect their rankings, resulting in lower official positions than they deserve. This would then require more time and effort to rearrange, making the gains not worth the losses.”

“Moreover…” Sheng Shihai’s expression turned slightly stern as he admonished, “Your Highness, profiting through leaking examination questions is ultimately a shortsighted and unwise move. Whether as Prince Regent or imperial prince, you should emulate the Celestial Empire and the Ice Sculpture Festival—seeking benefits through righteous means is what ensures the dynasty’s longevity, not crooked paths.”

Suddenly being lectured by the antagonist, Xie Chengze: …

This is bad.

Shen Yuan! Come quickly! Our antagonist has started walking the righteous path!

This is so difficult! Why is everyone deviating from the script! He really wants to cry!