Yan Sikong walked towards the East Palace under the guidance of the eunuch. After returning to the capital, he only hurriedly paid his respects to the prince in the main hall. The two had never met in private.

Suddenly, the eunuch's shrill voice came from the front: "Concubine Wen has arrived, outsiders, please stand aside--"

Yan Sikong caught a glimpse of a pretty dark green figure from afar, slender as a willow swaying in the wind, walking towards him surrounded by a large group of eunuchs and maids. He took two steps back, knelt at the side of the corridor, and prostrated himself on the ground.

According to the law, outsiders were not allowed to enter the harem, but he could be an exception as he was lecturing to the crown prince. However, when he met the emperor's concubines, he was not allowed to look at them inappropriately.

The sound of footsteps came from far away and came in a chaotic manner. Yan Sikong looked at a group of colorful clothes and shoes floating past his eyes. A person was traveling alone, and he was surrounded by people. It was such a grand scene.

This Concubine Wen Gui was the favorite concubine of Emperor Zhaowu, the daughter of Minister of War Wen Youchi. She was not only beautiful but also very talented. She gave birth to a prince and a princess for Emperor Zhaowu. The second prince was only two years younger than Chen Yi.

At the beginning, Emperor Zhaowu had been arguing with ministers for nearly ten years to make the second prince the crown prince. In the end, he had to make the eldest prince Chen Yi. However, Chen Yi had a weak foundation and a shaky position. The second prince had the power of Consort Wen Gui and Wen Youchi behind him. Although Xie Zhongren did not openly participate in the dispute over the crown prince, the eunuch power was an extension of the imperial power and was used to check and balance the power of the prime minister. He would always stand on the side of the emperor. Therefore, as long as Chen Yi did not ascend the throne, they would not give up.

After Concubine Wen left, Yan Sikong stood up and asked the eunuch beside him: "Why did Concubine Wen come from the direction of the East Palace?"

The eunuch whispered, "We should go talk to Concubine Hui."

Yan Sikong's eyes darkened.

As soon as I stepped into the East Palace, I saw Chen Yi practicing sword from a distance.

In just half a year, the boy's body had grown a lot taller, and he looked a little like an adult. At this time, the long sword in his hand danced with his agile posture, and silver-white sword flowers suddenly appeared in the air. His sword skills were like a gust of wind and thunder in an instant, and like a drizzle and flowing water in an instant. With a combination of hardness and softness, every move was exquisite and powerful, and people couldn't help but want to applaud.

Yan Sikong was surprised at how fast Chen Wu's swordsmanship had improved. He looked aside and found that the one who was instructing him was Zhu Lanting, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was known as the best swordsman in the palace. He was in his thirties, with an upright figure, a high nose and a broad forehead, and was very heroic.

Chen Yu spotted Yan Sikong and his eyes lit up. He made a beautiful spin, landed, retracted his moves, and sheathed his sword in one smooth move. Then he rushed over, calling out "Sir", as if he had been expecting it for a long time.

Yan Sikong was about to bow, but Chen Yi held him back and said, "Sir, please don't bow." Chen Yi looked at Yan Sikong without blinking, "Sir, you look so haggard, are you overworked?"

Yan Sikong smiled slightly: "I have just gone to the Ministry of Personnel and have a lot of official duties. Naturally, it will take me more time to familiarize myself with the job. Therefore, I was unable to pay my respects to Your Highness immediately. Please forgive me." In fact, he rode for two hours yesterday before returning to the city, and then did not sleep all night. Even now, standing in front of the prince, what he could not get rid of in his mind was Feng Ye's face full of surprise, anger and disappointment.

"Sir, why do you have to be so polite to me?"

Zhu Lanting also came over and the two of them greeted each other.

"I have met Commander Zhu."

"Your Excellency Yan, you are so polite." Zhu Lanting bowed to Chen Yi again, "Your Highness, the lecture time is over. I will take my leave first."

"Have a safe journey, Commander. Come back and teach me another day."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Chen Yu pulled Yan Sikong into the house and said, "Since you went to war with the army, I have been paying close attention to the battle reports, looking forward to your victorious return. You are indeed amazing and have made many military achievements."

Yan Sikong repeated his already worn-out self-deprecating words and asked, "Your Highness's swordsmanship has improved a lot. Commander Zhu must have taught you well, right?"

"Yeah." Chen Yu nodded. Although he was smarter than his peers, he couldn't help but feel proud when he said this. "My bow and arrow are better. I'll ask you to take a look next time."

"Why is Commander Zhu here to instruct Your Highness?"

Zhu Lanting was the commander of the Imperial Guard, which was the emperor's personal guard. They belonged to the same garrison as the Jingshan Army led by Zhao Fuyi. However, Zhao Fuyi was in charge of the city, while the Imperial Guard was in charge of the palace. They only took orders from the emperor and did not listen to anyone else.

Most of the personal guards were led by the emperor's confidants, and Zhu Lanting was no exception. He was the great-nephew of the empress dowager, and among the emperor's maternal relatives, the Zhu family was particularly powerful.

This is not something that ordinary people can afford, unless...

"It's the Empress Dowager." Chen Yu said.

It was indeed the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was very righteous. During the dispute over the succession, she tried her best to protect the eldest son, which made Emperor Zhaowu cautious and allowed Chen Yu to finally sit on the throne of the crown prince.

"How is the Queen Mother doing these days?"

Chen Yi lowered his voice and said sadly, "It's not good. I go to pay my respects to her every day, but sometimes she doesn't recognize me."

Yan Sikong sighed. The Queen Mother was the biggest tree protecting Chen Yi. If this tree fell, the situation would become even more critical.

The two of them came to the study, and Chen Yi showed Yan Sikong the case files on the table: "I have completed all the homework that the teacher asked me to do. These days, it was mostly Mr. Shen who taught me, and I did not slack off for a single day."

"Your Highness is diligent and studious, which is a blessing to the country and the people."

Chen Yu smiled and said, "You still know how to praise me, Mr. Shen." He tapped his head, "He always wants to pry open my mouth and pour the liquid in. He is still not satisfied."

"Lord Shen is a scholar of great learning and a great talent. He knows that Your Highness is very intelligent, so he naturally has high hopes for you. It is inevitable that he will be a little strict, but it is all for Your Highness's good."

"I know." Chen Yu stroked the scroll with a faint smile, "I know who treats me well."

Yan Sikong nodded with relief, and then asked, "I just ran into Concubine Wen on the road, and the eunuch said that she... came to talk to Concubine Hui?"

Chen Yu frowned: "Well, it's not the first time. Recently, she has been showing her affection to my mother frequently..."

"Your Highness, have you reminded Concubine Hui to be careful?"

Chen Yu looked worried, "How could I not remind her, but my mother...she has never been to school and is simple and timid by nature. Concubine Wen is very good at dealing with people and is probably very good at seeing through people's hearts. My mother actually thinks she is amiable and respectable." A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, "She has completely forgotten how she used to oppress us mother and son."

Yan Sikong shook his head, his heart full of worry: "There must be something fishy going on. That Concubine Wen definitely has bad intentions. Whether she wants to curry favor with me or has other plans, we must not let her succeed. You must have a serious talk with Concubine Hui, be careful and guard against her, and try to keep your distance."

"Don't worry, sir."

Yan Sikong held Chen Yu's hand tightly and looked deeply into the eyes of the young prince: "Your Highness, you are the future ruler of the world, but the future is not yet here. There are already countless treacherous villains who want to stop Your Highness. I will not discuss the emperor's mind with Your Highness at this time. There is only one thing that Your Highness must remember."

"Sir, please speak."

"Beware of everyone, doubt everyone, and trust only yourself."

Chen Yu was stunned for a moment. He pursed his rosy lips and said "hmm" solemnly.

Yan Sikong nodded with satisfaction. He sat up straight, picked up the book, and prepared to start teaching.

"Sir." Chen Yi put down the book, "Today we are not in a hurry to teach. Tell me about the war to suppress the rebellion. Tell me about your mission to Kuizhou, how you used your eloquent words to persuade the rebels to surrender, and how you and the prince of Jingyuan crossed Nanyue Mountain, passed Qingxu Valley, and attacked Yueyang within ten days!" He looked at Yan Sikong with shining eyes, and became more and more excited as he spoke. "I heard that Feng Ye has supernatural powers and can use a stone spear and shoot two stone bows. Is it true?"

Yan Sikong's body froze. Kuizhou, Nanyue Mountain, Qingxu Valley, Yueyang, these were all places where he and Feng Ye had risked their lives and fought bloody battles. Each place left their life-and-death friendship, especially Qingxu Valley, where they had fought side by side and survived many life-and-death situations. But now...

"Sir, sir?" Seeing Yan Sikong in a daze, Chen Yu waved his hand in front of Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong woke up from a dream: "Uh, Your Highness..."

"What's wrong with you, sir?" Chen Yu said with concern, "You don't look well, are you sick?" As he spoke, he placed his palm on Yan Sikong's forehead.

"I... I just remembered the brutality of the war to quell the rebellion." Yan Sikong lowered his head to cover up, "It was my first time on the battlefield, too."

"I understand." Chen Yu said solemnly, "The ruins are broken, blood is flowing like a river, and one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of people. What a scene that is."

"I hope Your Highness will never see that from now on, our Great Sheng will be peaceful and prosperous..."

Chen Yu interrupted him and said bluntly: "I don't like you saying these things to fool children. You and I both know that it is impossible."

Yan Sikong was stunned for a moment. He was shocked by the surging dragon energy that Chen Yu suddenly exuded. This boy has really grown up. His youthful face can no longer hide the majesty of a "king". He couldn't help but bow and said, "Your Highness is right. I will no longer treat Your Highness as a child."

Chen Yu laughed again: "That would be great, sir, please tell me quickly, I really want to hear it."

Yan Sikong smiled helplessly and closed the book: "Okay. Half a year ago, I followed Jingshan's army to the two lakes..."