Sheng Mingyu rolled his eyes and broke the window paper.
The second prince's heart sank to the bottom. He glared at Sheng Mingyu and lowered his head in a hurry.
The emperor looked at him and snorted, but did not continue to scold him. Instead, he answered Sheng Mingyu's question.
"I have no objection. Their country is smaller and easier to control. Although they don't have many treasures, at least their people are strong. If there is a war in the future, they may be useful."
The emperor spoke with a smile, obviously treating Sheng Mingyu as his dearest child.
Du Changming and the Second Prince looked up in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief. "Father, what do you mean by this? His Royal Highness is only the Crown Prince after all. How can we leave the decisions of state affairs to him? If you really don't know what to do, why not ask your son?"
"Yes, I used to be the crown prince. Perhaps I could help my father. How could I trouble His Royal Highness with everything? His Royal Highness is already busy enough protecting Kyoto's safety."
Du Changming has learned a lot since the last incident. Although he still hates Sheng Mingyu, he is not as aggressive as before and his words are more roundabout.
"Why not?" The emperor looked at the two of them with dissatisfaction.
"I don't have a son who's well-versed in state affairs, so only the Crown Prince can be proficient. This is a matter of family and country, and you're still fussing over these trivial matters. I'm really disappointed!"
He spoke with such confidence that the two of them were speechless.
"Instead of spending your time finding fault, you should think about how to be smarter. At least you should be well-versed in state affairs. That way, I can be more confident when I ask you to do things for me in the future, and I won't have to hand it over to you and worry about people watching from behind!"
"Your son..."
His words were full of disappointment, leaving the Second Prince and Du Changming unable to refute.
Even though the two of them hated Sheng Mingyu, they had to admit that Sheng Mingyu was indeed much better than them in this kind of thing.
"Your Majesty is right. I will study hard and not let you down. I will also take up the responsibility for you as soon as possible." Du Changming took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
His sudden change surprised the emperor, who looked at him frequently with suspicion in his eyes.
"Seventh Brother has indeed changed a lot. In the past, you were the least stable and the most likely to cause trouble. I've cleaned up a lot of messes for you, but I didn't expect you to be more open-minded than anyone else about this matter. I hope you'll remember what I said today."
"yes."
His tone was tentative, but Du Changming didn't lose his temper at all and nodded in agreement.
Several people felt their hair stand on end, and they had an inexplicable bad premonition.
"Seventh Brother has indeed changed a lot today. Could it be that he has experienced some kind of trauma in the mansion these past few days? Or is there someone behind the scenes who is giving him guidance?"
The eighth prince asked without hesitation.
Du Changming's face froze for a moment, but soon straightened up again. "Eighth brother, please don't joke with me. It was because I was ignorant before that I caused you so much suffering and also made father suffer. Now that I'm sensible, how could I cause so much trouble? Don't you want me to be a better person?"
He set a trap and waited for the Eighth Prince to jump into it.
The eighth prince just laughed and didn't take him seriously.
Even the emperor had a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"I thought Seventh Brother had really changed for the better. After all, you and I are brothers. Why are you putting me in such an unkind and unjust position? Are you feeling resentful because your younger brother hasn't helped you recently?"
"No!" Du Changming didn't expect him to speak so directly, and hurriedly looked up at the emperor.
The emperor's disappointment was evident in his eyes, and his heart sank to the bottom.
"Father, please don't listen to my eighth brother's nonsense. How could I possibly find fault with him? He and I share the same mother. If my eighth brother did something wrong, it was just a child throwing a tantrum. I'll never say anything, you know that!"
He hurriedly explained, but the emperor just waved his hand without answering.
He wanted to continue speaking when the imperial concubine's voice came from outside the palace.
"Seventh Brother said it well. If you didn't know better, you would really think that you two were very close brothers. When you were the Crown Prince, I never saw you helping Eighth Brother. How come you need Eighth Brother's help now that you've fallen from the throne?"
The imperial concubine's words were full of sarcasm, and she didn't give Du Changming any face at all.
Everyone was very surprised. Du Changming was obviously her son, so why was she so partial to him?
"Mother!" Du Changming's face changed unpredictably, with a hint of heartache and a hint of annoyance.
The intertwined two emotions gave him a headache.
"Mother, you must be throwing a tantrum. Are you blaming me for not coming to see you these past few days? I was confined to my residence a few days ago, so it's really inconvenient for me to move around. If you miss me, you can issue an order."
He tried his best to ignore the discomfort in his heart and change the subject.
After all, the person in front of him is still his mother, and he cannot be as indifferent to her as he is to others.
"Seventh Prince, you're joking. How dare I pick on you? You used to be the Crown Prince and never took me seriously. Now you're the Crown Prince. Even though you're no longer favored by His Majesty, don't you still have lackeys around you? Why bother talking to me nicely?"
The imperial concubine's words were incomprehensible. Not only Du Changming was confused, but everyone present was also confused.
Although Du Changming did not take people seriously in the past, he was filial to the imperial concubine.
"Mother, why do you have to make things difficult for me today? You know how I treated you in the past. What did I do to upset you? Just tell me and I will change. Why does our family have to be so awkward?"
Du Changming frowned and was determined to get things clear.
Whether it was the emperor or the imperial concubine, the change in attitude was too sudden. He was really curious about what had happened?
The imperial concubine felt a little guilty and didn't want to argue with him about these trivial matters, so she sat directly next to the emperor.
"I heard that the people from Han Country have already entered the palace. I didn't catch up with them. I wonder what they said? Didn't they say they wanted to arrange a marriage? Have they chosen the right person?"
The imperial concubine changed the subject, and no one dared to refuse, especially the emperor, who fawningly told the imperial concubine what had just happened.
"He was interrupted by Mingyu's appearance before he could state the conditions. However, that prince's vision is indeed poor. If you don't want the marriage, we will not see each other again. There are several other countries. Let's choose one with good judgment."
The emperor's expression changed so quickly that everyone had no choice but to hold their foreheads, but they didn't know what to say.
They knew very well how much the emperor doted on the imperial concubine.
"What a joke! How can a girl like me from the harem interfere in the affairs of the imperial court? I'm afraid those ministers under your command will say that I'm a beauty and a disaster. Are you trying to drive me to death?"
The imperial concubine rolled her eyes and retorted bluntly.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and pretended to be ferocious.
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