Chapter 15

Speaking of Yu Zhao, he was a mysterious figure who was hard to find. The reason for this was not because he had any extraordinary talents, but mostly because he relied on his brother, the king.

Thanks to Yu Xi's protection, Yu Zhao's childhood still had a touch of warmth. After the previous queen passed away after giving birth to Yu Zhao, Yu Xi placed all her family affection on her younger brother, Yu Zhao. Unwilling to stifle his youthful nature, she indulged him with unbridled care. She often questioned Yu Zhao's homework, but whenever he acted recklessly, Yu Xi would simply make a big noise and not do anything, with no intention of punishing him at all. As a result, by the time Yu Zhao reached eighteen, he had neither literary nor military prowess, becoming a veritable idle prince, wandering the palace all day, claiming to be making friends in the underworld. It would take a major event to get him to return to the palace.

Ling Huanchen calculated the time and found that it was almost the anniversary of the late queen's death. No wonder the wild monkey came back obediently.

As soon as Yu Xi arrived at the court, he didn't even need to tell Fu Changshi where he was going, as he understood what he meant.

After all, where else can we go besides Yuluan Palace?

Normally, Yu Xi would have dismissed all the attendants and stayed alone in the bedroom with Ling Huanchen. But today was a special day. The two of them sat at the center of the main hall, with the attendants standing on either side, waiting for someone to pay their respects.

Following the palace servant's report, the spirited young man stepped into the hall.

In his previous life, Ling Huanchen had seen Yu Zhao only a few times, and he had never shown any concern for him. In his memory, the young prince had no talent, but a precious childlike heart. However, it was precisely because of his innocence that he fell prey to the spies.

"Greetings, Brother Wang!" Yu Zhao said loudly.

Yu Xi raised her hand, "No need to be polite."

Yu Zhaohan stood up with a smile, his eyes falling on Ling Huanchen, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "This is the legendary Wang's wife, right?"

Ling Huanchen almost choked because of his call, but luckily he managed to hold it back.

Yu Zhao's gaze was different from those of those who were interested. It was without any color, just surprise and curiosity, which was very similar to Xiao Qi.

Although he had no other intentions, he still received Yu Xi's rebuke.

"What are you looking at?"

Yu Zhao stuck out his tongue and immediately turned his gaze back to his brother, the king. "This isn't the first time I've met the princess. I came in such a hurry that I didn't bring any gifts. I hope the princess won't blame me."

Yu Xi did not comment on his address as "Wang's wife", which was almost equivalent to her consent.

"You've been out all the time, and it's already difficult for you to come back. How can I expect you to bring a gift?"

The words were half joking and half scolding. Yu Zhao thought to himself that he would have to make up for this gift in the future.

"Now that you are back, come with me to pay respects to the Queen Mother."

The late queen had long been buried in the royal mausoleum, but in order to pay homage to her every year, Yu Xi specially set up a mourning hall in the Ziyi Hall to enshrine the late queen's tablet. On weekdays, the room is sealed, and it is only opened on the anniversary of her death.

Ling Huanchen stood at the door, watching the two brothers kowtow and burn incense in front of the tablet, and the word "mother" went over in his mind.

My impression of my mother was based on my childhood before the age of six. My father had many children, all from different mothers. One of his concubines was a mortal woman, his biological mother.

In his memory, his mother was an absolute beauty, but she never smiled. Every time he saw her, she would frown slightly, looking at him with a complicated expression. She never spoke much to him, and basically glanced at him and passed him by, as if he was transparent in her presence.

His mother never held him in her arms, nor did she speak softly or give him careful advice. They lived together in the palace, yet they were like strangers.

Later, he was isolated from the outside world and taught strictly, and he never saw her again. He heard from the old maids in the palace that his mother had left the palace, and no one knew where she had gone.

Ling Huanchen never blamed her. He had heard others say that his mother had first met his father among the common people. He had rescued her, but she was unaware of his identity. By the time he found out, she was already pregnant. So she followed his father back to the mermaid palace. Perhaps because she found out that the child she had carried for ten months was still a mermaid, she found it difficult to accept and treated him as a monster. It was no surprise that she behaved that way. Ultimately, it was his father who had concealed the truth in the first place.

"Huan Chen."

Ling Huanchen came back to his senses and saw Yu Xi extending her hand towards him. Without thinking too much, he walked up and shook her hand.

"You also come and burn some incense for the Queen Mother."

Ling Huanchen was stunned for a moment, then met Yu Xi's gaze and immediately understood. He lit a stick of incense as instructed and bowed three times toward the late queen's tablet.

When coming out of the mourning hall, Ling Huanchen still held Yu Xi's hand tightly. It was not known whether he was doing this to comfort the people around him or to comfort himself. In short, he just didn't want to let go at that moment.

Yu Xi naturally noticed his abnormality, but she did not point it out or get to the bottom of it. She held his fingers tightly and led him back to Yuluan Palace, only letting go when it was time for dinner.

Yu Zhao took in this scene, his heart filled with admiration for his new sister-in-law. In his eyes, Yu Xi was a godlike being, unmatched by the common man. Previous offers of beauty were either hollow shells of exceptional beauty or even mediocre women lacking in beauty. Not only did his brother dislike them, but he was also dissatisfied.

This time it’s different. Judging from the prince’s expression and behavior, apart from the enthronement ceremony, he is the real princess.

"Sister-in-law, please eat fish." Yu Zhao took the initiative to show his courtesy, trying to leave a good impression in front of Ling Huanchen, so that there would be someone who could help him block the homework assigned by his brother in the future.

Yu Xi remembered what Ling Huanchen said, so she not only picked up the fish, but also picked up Eight Treasure Chicken, Sanshan Duck, etc., and piled them up like a small mountain in front of Ling Huanchen.

Yu Zhao was even happier when he saw this, and whispered, "Sister Wang is really amazing."

Ling Huanchen raised his eyebrows slightly, "What do you mean by that, young prince?"

"Sister Wang, please call me Zhao'er. Calling me the young prince is too formal."

Sure enough, he is a very outgoing person.

Ling Huanchen readily agreed, "Zhao'er."

Yu Zhao replied foolishly, "My brother has very high standards. Those who can catch his eye are definitely not ordinary people."

Ling Huanchen recalled what he had said when they first met, "Zhao'er mentioned that legend before, where did you hear it?"

Yu Zhao was a talkative person to begin with, and as soon as he heard the question, he immediately spilled the beans. He vividly recounted to Ling Huanchen all the rumors circulating in the streets, about a new immortal in the Youcheng Palace, how the Youcheng King had been bewitched by his demon concubine, and how a young prince from the merman tribe could magically turn beans into soldiers. The more he spoke, the more bizarre it became.

"Zhao'er."

Yu Xi murmured, and Yu Zhao shut up with a start.

"Have you finished reading the history book I asked you to read last month?"

Yu Zhao laughed dryly and said, "Brother Wang, I suddenly have a stomachache. I won't disturb you and your wife from having dinner. I will go and take care of my own problem first." As he said that, he covered his stomach, put oil on his feet, and disappeared in a flash.

Yu Xi snorted in annoyance, "You're so careless again."

Although he was unhappy, he was not really angry.

Ling Huanchen put down his silver chopsticks and said with a smile, "Zhao'er is eighteen now, right?"

Yu Xi looked over and waited for his next words.

"Young Prince Su Wen loves to travel, but his martial arts skills are minimal, and his literary talent is also lacking. Even if the king sends people to protect him, if there is a place he cannot take care of, it is inevitable that someone will take advantage of it."

Seeing that Yu Xi was still listening patiently, Ling Huanchen continued, "I know that Your Majesty loves me dearly, but indulgence is ultimately harmful to him. If Your Majesty were to assess me on my studies, the young prince wouldn't make any progress in either his civil or martial arts. It would be better to send a more rigorous teacher to the young prince's residence to teach him the subjects carefully, and then select a master from the secret guards to instruct the young prince in martial arts. Even if he doesn't need to become a master, at least he can protect himself."

Yu Zhao was different from him. The mermaids, stripped of their divine powers, were inferior to mortals, making it difficult for them to practice martial arts. Yu Zhao, however, was in his prime, physically fit. It wasn't too late to start pursuing them now. Furthermore, with a dual approach, both civil and military, he doubted Yu Zhao would have the time to befriend the enemy's spies. Even if they did encounter them, at least they would have a chance to identify them and escape.

Yu Xi nodded, "Huan Chen is right."

A few days later, Ling Huanchen saw Yu Zhao entering the palace for the second time. This time, Yu Zhao did not come to pay a visit to his brother, but to complain to him.

When he saw the young man in front of him with a sad face, as pale as an eggplant hit by frost, he felt no emotion at all.

"Mrs. Wang, do you think there's anyone like Brother Wang? I just came back and he left two of his ancestors behind. One slapped his palms for not being able to recite the book, and the other tickled his feet for not being able to squat properly!"

Tickle the soles of the feet? Only Yu Xi's secret guards could come up with such a mean trick.

"Young Prince." Ling Huanchen had just opened his mouth when he saw Yu Zhao's aggrieved expression, so he changed his words, "Zhao'er, the king also hopes that you will become a talented person."

"But……"

Ling Huanchen smiled and said, "Don't you want to be someone that others look up to? Just like your brother."

Yu Zhao forgot to play the victim for a moment and murmured, "Like my brother?"

"Yes, you really don't want to be able to speak eloquently and wield a sword like a sharp sword one day. The king didn't have this ability since childhood either; he learned it step by step." Seeing that he was listening intently, Ling Huanchen continued to persuade him, "Then the king will be deeply pleased. Besides, when you meet someone you like in the future, you will be able to protect her, isn't that right?"

Yu Zhaojing listened for a while. After hearing this, she finally completely forgot her original intention of entering the palace. Instead, a burning fire of faith arose from the bottom of her heart.

"Don't worry, Madam Wang! Zhao'er will definitely live up to my brother's expectations. It's just memorizing and squatting. I'll fight them to the death!"

Ling Huanchen smiled with satisfaction, "That's great."

Speaking of it, Yu Zhao was a pitiful child. The late queen died of hemorrhage while giving birth to him. His birthday coincided with the late queen's death anniversary, so he never had a birthday.

Thinking of this, Ling Huanchen said to himself in his heart that as long as he could overcome the tribulation in his previous life, he was willing to love this younger brother together with Yu Xi.

"Brother Wang!"

Yu Xi looked at the two of them and said to Yu Zhao with a stern face, "Don't you have enough homework?" You still have time to visit?

However, Yu Zhao surprised him and patted his chest with a solemn oath, "Don't worry, my king. I will go back and do the horse stance right away. I love the horse stance the most."

Yu Xi watched someone walk out of the Yuluan Palace with a proud and confident manner, and turned back, "Did he take the wrong medicine today?"

The author has something to say:

Small Theater

Yu Zhao: So love will disappear, right?

Yu Xi: Yes.

Yu Zhao:(_)

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Thank you "Xiaobai" for the nutrient solution encouragement!