Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne
Chapter 65: Merits

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Merits

The eighth prince noticed Zhao Yao’s sneaky actions and said with amusement and indulgence, "Tenth brother, what are you doing..." Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Zhao Yao putting a finger to his lips, looking around vigilantly, and whispered, "Eighth brother, lower your voice." After that, he secretly stashed away several pieces of beef.

"Tenth brother..."

"Eighth brother, just pretend you didn’t see anything." Zhao Yao put his hands together and bowed slightly to the eighth prince.

The eighth prince reached out and pinched Zhao Yao’s chubby cheeks, affectionately teasing, "You little glutton."

"Eighth brother, who knows when we’ll have beef again, I have to steal more now so I can enjoy it for a few more meals." Zhao Yao thought he was very clever. His eyes brightened as he suddenly came up with a good idea, then he sweetly called out to the eighth prince in a cutesy, drawn-out tone, "Eighth brother~~~~"

Upon hearing Zhao Yao’s fawning tone, the eighth prince immediately knew what he was up to.

"Alright, I’ll help you steal some."

Zhao Yao’s little face instantly lit up with a brilliant smile, sweetly saying to the eighth prince, "Eighth brother, you’re the best."

"What else do you want to stash away?" The dishes on the table didn’t appeal much to the eighth prince. After a few bites, he was already full.

"Eighth brother, I only want the beef, nothing else." They could eat other delicious dishes usually, but beef was only available at important banquets and not normally.

"You really love beef, don’t you?" To the eighth prince, beef, lamb, and pork were all the same, and he didn’t find them tasty. He disliked greasy foods. When he was younger, he was forced to eat meat, and it made him vomit.

"Beef is delicious, the best meat in the world." Zhao Yao loved beef, "Eating beef gives you strength. Eighth brother, you’re too skinny, you should eat more beef."

"I don’t like eating meat." When he was younger, the smell of meat made the eighth prince nauseous. It had improved a lot now; at least the smell didn’t make him sick anymore, and he could eat a bit of meat. "Eating too much meat will make you fat; be careful not to turn into a little piglet."

"I’m still young, so I need to eat more meat to grow tall and strong." Zhao Yao added, "I’m not fat; I even think I’ve gotten thinner."

"You think you’re thin?" The eighth prince showed a look of disbelief, then pinched Zhao Yao’s chubby cheeks again, "Look at your chubby little face, how is that thin."

Zhao Yao shook off the eighth prince’s hand and assertively said, "Eighth brother, every piece of flesh on me is my merit."

"Merit?" The eighth prince looked perplexed, "Every piece of flesh is merit, what kind of merit is that?"

Zhao Yao proudly puffed out his little chest and, with a look of satisfaction, said, "Every piece of flesh on me is earned from my hard work eating; that’s my merit."

The eighth prince nearly couldn’t hold back his laughter after hearing Zhao Yao’s words. He lowered his head, covering his mouth to suppress his laughter.

The fourth prince sitting nearby picked up his tea cup to hide the smile spreading across his face.

Zhao Yao, seeing the eighth prince shaking with laughter, said exasperatedly, "Eighth brother, if you want to laugh, just laugh."

The eighth prince raised his head, his face full of smiles.

It was the first time Zhao Yao had seen the eighth prince laughing so heartily that his eyes disappeared, and he was momentarily stunned. He had never seen the eighth brother laugh so happily before.

"Is it really that funny?" He pondered what he had said that was so amusing.

The eighth prince cupped Zhao Yao’s small face with his hands, rubbing it vigorously while laughing and saying, "Then I must touch your merits more."

Zhao Yao’s little face was deformed from the rubbing, and he angrily swatted away the eighth prince’s hands.

"Why should I let you touch my merits?"

The eighth prince pinched Zhao Yao’s little mouth: "How can you shamelessly call the flesh on you merits."

"Of course, it’s what I’ve diligently eaten, so to me, it’s merits."

"You’re full of nonsense." The eighth prince didn’t expect Zhao Yao had so many fallacious ideas.

"Eighth brother, are you going to help me or not?"

"Of course, I’ve been helping you all along." Without a fuss, the eighth prince discreetly scooped several pieces of beef from the table and hid them.

Zhao Yao was too embarrassed to ask the fourth prince to help him steal and hide meat, but the fourth prince volunteered to help him stash some meat.

Meanwhile, at the front, the Crown Prince and Prince Dai were embroiled in a verbal battle, but Zhao Yao was completely unconcerned, solely focused on stealing meat.

Opposite Zhao Yao, among the ministers, Minister Kong was restless. His expression was troubled as he glanced several times at the emperor. He wanted to refuse the marriage bestowed by the emperor, but now was not the right time. However, it was also the best opportunity. Although speaking up might anger the emperor and offend Prince Dai, it could clearly state his position.

After weighing it in his mind, Minister Kong decided to tactfully refuse the marriage at this moment. Just as he was about to stand up, Kong Yuan grabbed him.

Kong Yuan, seeing his father’s expression, immediately knew what he was planning to do.

"Father, let’s talk about it tomorrow, not today."

"Now is the best time." Minister Kong would rather anger the emperor and offend Prince Dai than have his daughter marry Prince Dai as a concubine.

"Father, look at the current situation."

Upon hearing this, Minister Kong looked around and noticed the odd atmosphere.

Lowering his voice, Kong Yuan said, "Everyone’s vying for power; bringing up the marriage now would only add fuel to the fire." If possible, Kong Yuan really didn’t want to attend tonight’s banquet as he had anticipated such dynamics.

Minister Kong didn’t like it either: "We’ll discuss it after the morning court tomorrow." With Prince Dai’s return to the capital, the struggle between him and the Crown Prince intensified. He would rather their family be convicted than be drawn into this whirlpool.

Although the factions of the Crown Prince and Prince Dai were in ’sword and sabre shadows,’ they knew tonight was a celebration banquet and couldn’t escalate too much, so they were much more ’restrained’ than in the court.

At this moment, the eunuch Lv Cong brought the Imperial Grandson to the Crown Prince.

The Imperial Grandson had just woken up after a milk feed and was now spirited, his big round eyes curiously wandering around.

The Crown Prince took his son from Lv Cong, lowering his head to see his son looking at him, his heart softened, and he gave him a gentle smile. Held in his arms, his son immediately beamed back a wide smile.

The Imperial Grandson giggled, reaching out his chubby little hands to touch his father’s face.

Prince Dai’s face immediately darkened when he saw the Crown Prince bringing his son over.

The Crown Prince lifted the Imperial Grandson to face the emperor.

The Imperial Grandson smiled upon seeing the emperor and stretched out his hands, babbling as if saying "Grandpa, hold me."

The emperor’s expression softened into kindness at the sight of his grandson. He stood up and took the grandson from the Crown Prince’s arms.

"Tuantuan, do you remember grandpa?"

Tuantuan reached out and patted the emperor’s face, babbling.

The Imperial Grandson was adorably cute, and the emperor’s heart melted. He lowered his head, gently rubbing his nose against the grandson’s cheek.

The Imperial Grandson laughed even more joyously, filling Chaoyang Palace with his crisp and charming laughter.

The emperor sat down holding the Imperial Grandson, no longer drinking or eating, just playing with his grandson.

The Imperial Grandson stood on the emperor’s lap, energetically bouncing, waving his little hands happily.

Duke Zhen, seeing the emperor playing with the Imperial Grandson, flattered him by saying the Imperial Grandson looked like the emperor.

The Imperial Grandson indeed bore some resemblance to the emperor.

While praising the Imperial Grandson’s liveliness and cuteness, Duke Zhen didn’t forget to glance at Prince Dai. Although his gaze was calm, Prince Dai felt sullen as if being mocked.

The Imperial Grandson grasped the Jade Pendant from the emperor’s waist and held it firmly, unwilling to let go.

The Crown Prince, seeing this, quickly urged his son to return the Jade Pendant, but the Imperial Grandson shook his head, seeming to say, "It’s mine, won’t give it."

The emperor, seeing his grandson’s affection for it, directly gifted the Jade Pendant to him.

"Since Tuantuan likes it, grandpa will give it to you."

It seemed the Imperial Grandson understood, as he immediately started jubilantly dancing and moving.

Prince Dai and Marquis Xuanping’s faces changed instantly when they saw the emperor giving the always-carried Nine Dragons Jade Pendant to the Imperial Grandson.

Duke Zhen, witnessing this, subtly turned his head, arching a brow towards Marquis Xuanping seated across from him.