"Knock knock." A soft knock came from outside the door. The man looked up at the two half-open wooden doors and said gently, "Please come in."
The door creaked open, and a middle-aged man walked in.
The man was not tall and had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes seemed to hold a shrewd and calculating glint.
He approached the table, bowed slightly, and then looked at the painting in the man's hand. He smiled slightly and said, "Why didn't Your Highness paint eyes on the woman in the painting again?"
Jade King Xuan Yuanhao chuckled, gently crumpled the Xuan paper into a ball, and shook his head, saying, "I can't draw the eyes of the woman I imagine in my mind, so I'd rather not draw them at all."
The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "In my opinion, even the best painter in the world cannot match Your Highness's skill. How could Your Highness not be able to paint the image you imagine?"
Xuan Yuanhao said gently, "Mr. Fang, you flatter me. I can indeed draw the shape of an eye, but I cannot draw its soul."
Mr. Fang did not delve further into the topic. His expression gradually turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, news has come from Yingyang City that the Emperor has summoned Grand Commandant Zhang several times in the past few days. Each time, the two of them had a long private conversation in the palace, and they never left any attendants behind."
Xuan Yuanhao frowned slightly and sighed, "I know what Mr. Fang means. Now my second brother, fourth brother, and seventh brother have all passed away, my sixth brother has been imprisoned, and my third brother is sick and weak and poses no threat to the Emperor. I'm afraid his blade is already pointed at me."
As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed softly, "We are all born of the same root, why are we so eager to harm each other..."
Judging from his tone of voice, he addressed the other princes as brothers, but when it came to Emperor Rui, he addressed him as "Your Majesty," which sounded very distant.
Mr. Fang carefully observed Xuan Yuanhao's expression and asked in a low voice, "This subordinate does not know what Your Highness's plans are?"
Xuanyuan Hao replied in a low voice, "What plans can I possibly have? If that time comes, I can only leave it to fate... Under heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all people within the realm are his subjects. Although I am a member of the royal family, I am merely a subject under the emperor. If the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject cannot refuse."
Mr. Fang said somewhat anxiously, "Your Highness must not have such thoughts about making appointments. Your Highness is of pure and kind nature, and is exactly the kind of wise ruler that the world needs most in this day and age!"
"Mr. Fang!" Xuan Yuanhao raised his voice and said in a deep voice, "Does Mr. Fang know what you are saying?"
Mr. Fang immediately realized what was happening. His expression changed, he swallowed hard, and subconsciously looked around.
Xuan Yuanhao shook his head and said in a low voice, "My study is the quietest place I have. There are guards to keep unrelated people away. Mr. Fang doesn't need to worry too much, but please don't say such things again in the future."
"Yes." Mr. Fang nodded sheepishly and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I misspoke."
Xuan Yuanhao smiled gently and said, "Mr. Fang, there's no need to blame yourself. I know you did it all for my own good."
He laid another sheet of Xuan paper on the table, dipped his brush in ink, lowered his head and eyes, and gently drew a stroke on the Xuan paper.
Seeing this, Mr. Fang lowered his head and said softly, "Then I'll take my leave."
“Okay.” Xuan Yuanhao did not look up, but looked at the Xuan paper on the table seriously. His hand holding the brush moved nimbly, and soon he outlined the shape of a mountain peak.
Mr. Fang looked up at him, sighed silently, turned around and tiptoed out of the study, but suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps. He stopped and turned to look at Xuan Yuanhao.
Xuan Yuanhao naturally heard the hurried footsteps. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, he put his pen down on the pen holder, and looked up at the door.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, great news! Incredible good news!" The voice rang out before the person even arrived. A moment later, a man dressed as a steward rushed in, his face beaming with joy, breathless, and exclaimed, "Your...Your Highness, Young Master Yihan is back!"
"What!" Xuan Yuanhao was startled, then overjoyed. He hurriedly turned around from behind the table. In his haste, his clothes brushed the Xuan paper off, and the paper also pulled the inkstone to the ground with a loud crash. Fortunately, the table wasn't too high, and his clothes cushioned the fall, so the inkstone didn't shatter, but the ink inside splashed out, all over his moon-white clothes.
Ignoring the fallen inkstone, Xuan Yuanhao hurried to the man dressed as a butler, his voice tinged with disbelief, and asked, "Are you serious? Yi Han really came back?"
Before the man could reply, a clear male voice rang out, saying, "Haozi, your palace is quite well built!"
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