When Xie Ming arrived at Yalin Academy, all the boys inside were sitting properly in the pavilion in the bamboo grove, reading beside the teacher from the Prince's Mansion. The scene looked quite respectable.
However, Xie Shuli, who was present, inadvertently saw a familiar figure entering from outside the courtyard, but turned his head away in confusion and did not pay attention.
He couldn't remember whether King Kang had visited Yalin Courtyard in his previous life.
In fact, Xie Ming didn't want any adopted son at all. With his elder brother around, why would he be afraid of no one to take care of him in his old age?
When these children were sent from the palace, he flipped through the documents handed over by the chief steward, then pointed to Xie Shuli, who looked the most honest and upright, thinking that this would put his father and mother at ease.
Even if it was a random choice, he had still put a lot of effort into teaching him. After all, he was going to inherit the Kang Prince's mansion, and he couldn't afford to disgrace the royal family.
He never imagined that the heartless bastard would conspire with others to scheme against the royal family and even use the name of the Prince Kang's Mansion to directly ascend the throne.
Xie Shuli had no idea what Xie Ming was thinking. How could he possibly get used to going from being in his thirties back to being less than ten years old in just half a day?
But he also knew that if he didn't behave himself now, what awaited him wouldn't be immense wealth but rather the destruction of his family.
So, after being emperor for more than a decade, he endured the humiliation and struggled to survive among a group of illegitimate children.
Seeing the familiar yet youthful faces, Xie Shuli secretly memorized them; these were the very people who had competed with him for the position of Prince Kang's heir back then.
In his previous life, he had a very smooth life in the Prince's mansion, so much so that he later forgot about these "treacherous" officials.
When he succeeds in his plot, he will surely wipe out all those people from today.
Yes! It includes everyone, including Kang Wang Xie Ming, who is standing high above outside the door at this moment.
Xie Ming walked outside the study, pointed to a person not far away, and whispered a few words to the guard beside him.
Upon hearing his master's orders, the guard's pupils contracted; he wondered if he had misheard.
He was absolutely certain that today was the day to choose the heir of a prince, so why did the tone of the conversation change?
However, he was only stunned for a moment before accepting the order to go and lead the men.
Xie Shuli was unaware of the changes that had occurred in this life. The Prince Kang, who had not appeared in his previous life, did not come to choose him personally. Instead, a few days later, Eunuch Fuquan from the mansion came to take him away.
What? He looked at Xie Ming's loving eyes again and couldn't help but wonder if the decision was about to be made now?
Everything was destined; he would once again embark on the path of an emperor from his previous life.
Xie Shuli's heart was pounding, but he remained calm as he waited for the guard to approach him.
As people approached, he felt a mix of joy, vanity, and even humiliation.
He is not yet the future emperor, but merely a member of the imperial family to be chosen.
"Young Master Shu, His Highness has instructed me to escort you out first."
The guards were also afraid that the child would misbehave, so they didn't say where they were going to take him.
"Um!"
Xie Shuli suppressed the flutter in his heart and responded with pride.
Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, he stood up, adjusted his clothes slightly, and followed the guards.
He never bowed or greeted Xie Ming, who was standing not far away, from beginning to end.
The eunuchs accompanying these members of the imperial family were sweating profusely, having repeatedly instructed them to greet the prince upon seeing him.
The children I brought today were all carefully selected, how could they be so rude?
As soon as the others left, some of the remaining children immediately realized what was happening and quickly got up and knelt down to pay their respects to Xie Ming.
Xie Ming glanced around and realized that they were all carefully selected individuals; almost everyone he had his eye on had some issues.
Whoever rises to that position in the future will have enough flaws to be controlled by those behind them.
It's truly admirable how much effort the person behind this has put in.
"Your Highness, would you like to see any that suit your taste?"
The head steward who was being questioned was someone who had served Xie Ming since childhood and was also his most trusted assistant—Eunuch Fuquan.
No one present understood Xie Ming better than him; in his eyes, the child who had just been taken away was already out of the game.
"Keep them all here. Connect Shiwen Pavilion, Nongying Pavilion, and this courtyard together, and these children can live here from now on!"
What if someone from the child's relatives comes to ask?
Fuquan was puzzled by his master's arrangement and guessed that these children would not stay in the Kang Prince's Mansion for very long. He also wondered why the connection had to be made.
He wanted them to stay put, but he couldn't figure out Xie Ming's thoughts.
Before he could figure out what was going on, Xie Ming pulled out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve.
"You just decide what to do as long as someone from those children's families comes?"
After handing over the item, Xie Ming casually stroked the jade beads in his hand.
Fu Quan was completely bewildered. After quickly glancing at the contents, he was immediately drenched in cold sweat.
Having experienced the court, how could he not know that if someone with an unclear background entered the Kang Prince's mansion, not only would the mansion be in turmoil, but the entire court and the inner palace would also be thrown into chaos?
"Your Highness, it was my oversight."
Fu Quan immediately knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground, and begged for forgiveness in a trembling voice. Seeing that the man was quite frightened, Xie Ming glanced at him sideways.
“You are guilty; even the things delivered to me were tampered with. And look at this…”
Xie Ming then threw the list of names that had been presented to him that morning, which he hadn't had time to look at yet, onto the ground.
Fuquan quickly picked it up and looked through it, remembering the people his prince had just taken away.
He immediately realized that the person was the most likely candidate to be chosen as the heir, and also the one with the most hidden problems.
Although he was unaware of the inner workings of the imperial clan and did not know the problem with that person, he understood that Prince Kang must have solid evidence.
"This servant deserves to die!"
He kowtowed heavily on the ground several times.
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