When Shen returned to the palace, Consort Zhang's bird's nest soup had already been delivered, and the steward of the Imperial Household Department was waiting for him.
When Chen was done, he listed out everything that needed to be added or replaced, and then gave Chen a thorough dressing-down.
The head steward of the Imperial Household Department, who had received a lot of tasks, wiped the sweat from his brow and left Guangyang Palace.
This fifth prince, once he makes a move, will keep him busy for half a month.
What can you do when they're the masters and you're the servants? Just get to work!
As soon as the people from the Imperial Household Department left, the chief eunuch beside Shen Shi immediately asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do with the bird's nests that the Imperial Concubine sent?"
The bird's nests sent by Consort Zhang filled two large trays, indicating that the tributes were indeed all in her possession.
"You guys stew it and share it," Shen Shi replied nonchalantly.
Qingyu, who had been standing, immediately knelt down and pleaded in a fearful tone, "Master, how can this be!"
Shen Shi still couldn't accept being knelt to, but the times were what they were, and he couldn't do anything to change it.
However, it's best to avoid such incidents as much as possible.
"Get up! Kneeling all the time is getting on my nerves!" Shen Shi deliberately raised his voice and ordered Qing He.
Upon hearing this, Qingyu immediately stood up, but still hesitated and advised, "Master, how can we eat something like bird's nest?"
Shen Shi asked Consort Zhang for bird's nest purely to annoy her; he didn't want to eat her food, and of course, he couldn't give it to Empress Wang either.
"I told you to eat, so just eat. Why all the nonsense!" Shen Shi decisively made the decision and sent the bird's nests away as if they were a burden.
During the following quiet time, she would sometimes try on the new clothes sent by the Imperial Household Department, and sometimes lead her own guards out of the palace to wander around.
Only three or five days later, his elder brother, the crown prince, came knocking on his door.
As soon as Shen Yu arrived at Guangyang Palace, he saw his usually diligent younger brother playing cards with a servant, and he seemed to be having a great time.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." The eunuch guarding the gate immediately bowed and shouted as soon as he saw Shen Yu.
The young eunuchs who were playing cards with Chen Shi also hurriedly bowed.
Shen Shi had a good impression of this older brother, and he was counting on him for his future wealth and honor.
Shen Shi immediately greeted Shen Yu, "Please sit down, I'll have Xiao Shunzi make you some tea."
In front of so many people, Shen Yu, who was displeased, couldn't say anything, but seeing that his younger brother was about to go astray, he, as the older brother, naturally had to discipline him.
Shen Yu addressed the people kneeling on the ground calmly, saying, "You all go outside and wait."
When His Highness the Crown Prince spoke, the group immediately withdrew, but the personal eunuch Qingyu still looked at Chen Shi.
Sensing that something was wrong, Shen Shi thought that Shen Yu wanted to discuss something important with him and that he needed to clear the room before he could speak.
He immediately said to Qingyu, "What are you standing there for? His Highness the Crown Prince has spoken, so get out of here at once!"
With Qingyu gone, only the two brothers remained in the house.
Seeing that Shen Yu remained silent, Shen Shi, growing impatient, had no choice but to ask, "Brother, is there something important you want to discuss with me?"
Looking at her younger brother's starry eyes, Shen Yu nodded.
Then, under Shen Shi's increasingly shocked gaze, Shen Yu gathered up the leaf cards on the table and said, "I'm confiscating this set. You're not allowed to play it again."
How could someone with a body temperature of 36 degrees Celsius utter such cold words?
Life in the deep palace was so boring it could suffocate a person, so playing cards was purely for amusement.
Even if it's just for leisure, this thing is far inferior to games like Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) and Mahjong.
"Sigh, I only played it because I was so bored."
Knowing that Shen Yu was a good brother, Shen Shi poured out all his pent-up frustrations: "I've only left the palace twice, and Father Emperor already won't let me go anymore. I'm stuck in this little house every day, and I'm so bored."
If Shen Shi hadn't traveled back to ancient times, he would never have imagined that this place would be so crowded.
As a prince, his residence was naturally not small, but it was still a bit cramped to have about twenty people living in one courtyard.
Although the palace is large, after touring it once, there's nothing new to see.
Besides, the palace was full of his father's concubines. He could run into two or three of them every time he went out, and he had to greet them and exchange pleasantries. Chen Shi was too lazy to deal with them.
Since leaving the palace to establish her own residence, Shen Yu has rarely communicated with her younger brother. Hearing him say this reminded her of the time she spent living in seclusion in the palace.
Looking at Shen Shi, who was throwing a childish tantrum, Shen Yu comforted him, saying, "Your residence is already under construction and should be finished by the end of the year. You'll be able to leave the palace and live there soon."
Upon hearing Shen Yu mention the mansion, Shen Shi immediately became happy.
Seeing that he was happy, Shen Yu immediately asked, "I heard rumors in the palace that you have developed a habit of extravagance and debauchery."
Upon hearing this, Shen Shi immediately objected. "He's so arrogant and dissolute! Heaven and earth bear witness!"
During this period, he got up earlier than the chickens and went to bed later than the dogs every day. In order not to end up in a life of confinement, he studied every day how to help his prince ascend the throne.
"This is truly a miscarriage of justice!" Shen Shi, who had done all this for nothing, couldn't help but sigh to the heavens.
He was just a prince who made a few clothes and planted a few flowers and plants. Was it really necessary to describe him as extravagant and dissolute?
His fourth brother's bathtub was made of pure gold by a craftsman, and no one ever said anything about it.
Seeing that her younger brother looked aggrieved, Shen Yu immediately explained, "I didn't come here to interrogate you. The person who was spreading rumors has already been dealt with."
However, considering that Shen Shi is already fifteen years old, he should have long understood the ruthlessness of the royal family.
“These rumors must have been deliberately spread by someone, but if they reach Father’s ears, he will inevitably become annoyed with you. You should be more careful in the palace,” Shen Yu reminded Shen Shi.
Unexpectedly, Shen Shi remained unmoved after hearing this: "Even if I do nothing, Father will still not like me."
Aside from the children born to Consort Zhang, Shen Tunan only cared about Shen Yu, a fact that Shen Shi was fully aware of.
So, according to Shen Shi's thinking, since nothing he does is liked, he might as well do anything.
Knowing the plot well, Shen Shi was fearless, since Shen Tu Nan wouldn't kill his son anyway.
Despite the plot's support, Shen Shi had no intention of sitting on the dragon throne. He only hoped that Shen Yu could successfully ascend the throne so that he could be a carefree prince.
As for the struggle for the throne, that will have to wait another three to five years.
Therefore, whether Shen Tunan liked him or not was of no importance to him.
But seeing Shen Yu's worried gaze, he also understood that he was not alone; his mother and brothers were still behind him, worrying about him.
"Brother, don't worry, I won't do it again," Shen Shi assured him.
Shen Yu was still shocked by Shen Shi's words. He hadn't expected his younger brother to see things so clearly. He sighed helplessly and said, "Just bear with it a little longer. Things will get better."
Shen Shi didn't know whether Shen Yu's "later" referred to establishing his own residence a few months later, or waiting until he ascended to the throne, but he still nodded.
Either way, it will come.
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