"Chengfeng, what are you doing?"

"Playing with yarn balls."

"From now on, you'll be the ruler of a country, so you can't be so playful anymore!"

I shook my head and said, "I want to play, Uncle, play with me..."

My second uncle interrupted me, saying, "My second uncle is very busy."

I have no idea what Grandma and my second uncle are up to.

But I could sense that they didn't seem to like me, their third uncle whom they had never met.

My third uncle seems to be in danger.

I quickly forgot about it until my third uncle actually came.

I wanted to go see him, but my grandmother told me that I was the crown prince and he would come to pay his respects to me.

But I waited and waited, and my third uncle never came to find me.

Until one day, another person found me.

Xu An.

This name was among the four people my father entrusted with my life to before his death.

"Your Highness, please stop traveling around all day."

Why?

Xu An brought his mouth close to my ear and whispered, "Do you know you are the Crown Prince?"

"I know!"

"Do you know you're still very young?"

I looked at Xu An as if he were an idiot and said, "Grandpa Xu, are you getting senile?"

"Nonsense, I'm in my prime!" Xu An pulled me aside and continued in a low voice, "You're destined to be emperor, but you're too young, which could lead to unforeseen circumstances. Do you know why the Empress Dowager hasn't let you ascend the throne immediately? It's because you're too young; she's still observing you."

"Observe what?"

"Let's see if you have the ability to be an emperor!"

"If I don't want to be it, who can?"

Xu An frowned and sighed, probably thinking I was stupid and far inferior to my father and grandfather.

"The late emperor was the empress dowager's son, and your second uncle was also the empress dowager's son. It doesn't matter to the empress dowager whether you or Zhao Changxin become emperor."

"Oh... so what should I do?"

"Stop playing around and study more. Even if you can't concentrate on your studies, at least pretend to be an adult. That way, the Empress Dowager will think you're capable. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I understand."

"This child is teachable."

"Thank you, Grandpa Xu. I'm going to play now."

I ran as fast as I could towards the distance, and then ran up to Xu An, where I saw that his face was dark.

"Why did Your Highness come back instead of going out to play?" Xu An asked in an unfriendly tone.

I thought to myself, this guy is quite interesting. He's such a grown man, yet he still gets angry with a child.

"Grandpa Xu, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Seeing that I asked seriously, Xu An also became serious and said, "Please speak, Your Highness."

"My third uncle is back. Grandma said I'm the crown prince and my third uncle would come to pay his respects to me, but I've been waiting for so many days and he still hasn't come."

Xu An's face darkened again, and he looked around warily.

I find it strange; he wasn't this nervous when he said such outrageous things to me earlier.

Xu An squatted down and looked at me, asking, "Your Highness, why do you want to see Zhao Changgong?"

"He's my third uncle! I've never met him before!"

"It's better not to see them, because even if you wanted to, you might not be able to."

"What's wrong with Third Uncle?"

"He's been placed under house arrest by your second uncle."

I was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Why would Second Uncle imprison his own brother?"

Xu An glanced in the direction of his grandmother's palace and said, "What if it's the Empress Dowager who wants to put Zhao Changgong under house arrest?"

"Ah..." I exclaimed, remembering the conversation between my grandmother and my second uncle.

It turns out that Grandma really didn't like Uncle San.

Xu An looked at me with gentle eyes, as if recalling some past events, and said, "When your father was young, Consort Yang took good care of him. After you were born, Consort Yang also liked you very much. Zhao Changgong probably didn't even get to see her on this trip to Changsui. If you have time, go and visit Consort Yang."

I asked, "Grandpa Xu wants me to help my third uncle, so my third uncle will help me in the future, right?"

This time, Xu An was stunned for a moment, and the way she looked at me changed. She was probably thinking to herself that I wasn't that stupid.

When I got back, I didn't tell my grandmother what Xu An had said to me, because I knew that would cause him trouble.

Consort Yang was indeed in a bad mood. I heard from people in the palace that Consort Yang was once the most beautiful woman in the harem. In fact, she still looks beautiful now, but her haggard eyes and sunken eye sockets are heartbreaking to see.

After I told her that I wanted to visit my third uncle, Yang Taifei seemed to understand something. She gave me a box of pastries and asked me to take them to my third uncle.

My third uncle was placed under house arrest in a small, dilapidated villa in the southeast corner of the palace.

There were only two people guarding the entrance.

I heard that my third uncle is a master of martial arts, and his master is a very powerful martial arts grandmaster. My second uncle knows that he can't keep him under control, so he just pretends to be a master.

My third uncle came to see my mother, and since he didn't see her, he naturally wouldn't leave.

However, Consort Yang was also confined to the inner palace. If Third Uncle were to force his way into the inner palace, it would be a capital offense.

Not to mention how many masters were added to the palace during the prosperous years, just the presence of the master couple Zhao Yan and Yang Huanyun guarding Changsui meant that no one could act recklessly.

"Your Highness, we cannot enter here."

"I'm here to see my third uncle, get out of the way!"

"But the Regent ordered..."

"Anyone who dares to stop me, I'll have my grandma chop them up!"

I snapped at the guards who were blocking my way, and strode into the courtyard with an air of superiority. Then I just searched for my third uncle's figure without making a sound.

Soon, I saw a figure from behind by a lake.

The lake is an artificial lake within the villa, and it has become a stagnant pool.

That figure stood there with his hands behind his back, like a sculpture.

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