The Eighth Prince had only come to give Wei Yu a reminder.

Once he saw that Wei Yu already had a grasp on the situation, he didn’t say more and calmly started eating the water chestnut cakes.

The whole plate on the table ended up in his stomach.

The way he wolfed them down…

Wei Yu watched him in silence and couldn’t help asking, “Eighth Brother, did you not have dinner yet?”

Dinner was typically served between 3 and 5 p.m., but the princes finished their studies at 4.

So usually, as soon as class ended, they would head off to eat.

Wei Yu had already eaten before listening to gossip, so naturally, he wasn’t hungry. That’s why he couldn’t help asking when he saw the Eighth Prince eating so much.

But unlike Wei Yu—who was carefree and idle, with no ambitions and no burdens, completely detached once his lessons were over—the Eighth Prince was nothing like that.

Every day after class, he first had to visit Consort Rong and check on his younger sister Jing’an, greet Consort Rong respectfully and maintain their relationship, then return to his own quarters. Only after that would he review what the Grand Tutor had taught that day and carefully redo the assigned homework—not once, but twice: once properly, and another time deliberately full of mistakes and omissions!

By the time he finished all that, it was finally time for his dinner.

He wiped his mouth and took a sip of tea to soothe his throat, straightened his robe, and stood up.

“Alright, I’ve said everything I came to say. Be sure to take care of yourself. I’m heading back.”

Came in a hurry, left in a hurry—and took a whole plate of water chestnut cakes with him.

Wei Yu was silent for three seconds, then got up and walked toward the bed.

The time for reflection had passed. It was time to go back to watching Conan.

Ten days—neither long nor short.

Wei Yu was still that same idle salted fish, always pestering Xiao Chenzi and the others for gossip.

However, due to his father’s sudden “outburst,” the officials of Great Wei, after being caught off guard at first, quickly pulled themselves together.

Because of that, the gossip that Xiao Chenzi and the others brought him in the past few days had become far less juicy than before.

Yesterday, for example, the best he heard was that some Censor had impeached a Dali Temple official for being too rough in his duties—utterly uninteresting.

Once again squatting on the doorframe, with a handful of sunflower seeds in hand and just about to crack one open, Wei Yu suddenly heard Xiao Chenzi speak excitedly.

“Your Highness! That group claiming to be envoys from Xiqi has arrived in the capital! And they’ve brought loads of treasures!”

Huh?

The seed paused at his lips and didn’t get cracked.

Wei Yu squinted over. “Heard what kind of treasures they brought?”

Xiao Chenzi replied, “No need to ask around! This servant’s friend at Taihe Gate said that when those Xiqi envoys entered the capital, the treasures filled thirty-six whole carriages! There were crowds of people following them, gawking the entire way…”

“Stuff from the sky, the land, and the water—rare birds and beasts no one’s ever seen before! They even brought tons of gold and silver jewelry, and apparently, they had some kind of transparent colored glaze! Really beautiful—everyone’s going crazy trying to buy it at a high price!”

Transparent glaze?

Wait… glass?

Wei Yu blinked, a vague sense of I know what this is dawning on him.

He continued asking, “Anything else? Do we know when the envoys are entering the palace to meet His Majesty?”

Xiao Chenzi looked troubled. “How would this servant know that?”

Wei Yu thought, fair enough. This was a state matter. If the Xiqi envoys were going to enter the palace, the Ministry of Rites would still need to report it to his father first.

Liu Ping chimed in from the side, “Your Highness, this servant heard the Xiqi envoys brought a lot of hides with them. They said it was some kind of wild ox leather.”

Liu Ping looked a bit distressed. “Oxen are so valuable… and yet Xiqi actually kills them for their hides? Barbarians, truly.”

In Great Wei, it was against the law for commoners to slaughter oxen.

After all, as a vital agricultural tool, protecting oxen was important not just for maintaining national productivity but also for stabilizing the smallholder economy.

It had that official policy flavor.

“Different countries, different situations.”

Wei Yu casually explained, “Oxen are essential farming partners here in Great Wei. But what about up north? Just look at the Xiongnu. The land there isn’t fit for crops, they lack food, so every winter they come raiding our borders—burning, killing, and looting. If the Xiongnu are like that, Xiqi, which is even farther away, probably sees oxen no differently than chickens or ducks.”

That explanation was crystal clear. Xiao Chenzi, Liu Ping, and even Xiao Anzi, who stood watch nearby, all understood.

The three young eunuchs froze for a second, deep in thought—then a wave of realization washed over them.

“Ohhh—so that’s how it is! Your Highness, you’re amazing!”

Xiao Chenzi’s eyes were full of admiration. “Your Highness is so learned. After hearing your explanation, this servant feels smarter already!”

Wei Yu waved it off humbly. “Ah, low-key, low-key. It’s nothing.”

Being praised like this was a little embarrassing.

Anyone who had gone through nine years of compulsory education and learned a bit of civics could figure that out, right?

Wei Yu tried to stay modest, but the two young eunuchs couldn’t stop their flattery.

“No, no, Your Highness is truly gifted! This servant has always thought you’re the most that one among the princes!”

“Your Highness, don’t worry. We’re all well aware—we’ll never reveal your secret!”

Wei Yu: …?

The hand holding the sunflower seeds froze.

Wei Yu stared blankly at the increasingly excited and loyal little eunuchs in front of him, completely lost on where this was going.

Well aware?

What exactly are you guys well aware of?!

The two excited young eunuchs silently drew in a breath.

The Ninth Prince had always been disliked in the palace and was rumored to be a fool, but only those like them who had actually interacted with him knew: His Highness was not a fool! His Highness was very clever! His Highness had been quietly building up his strength, preparing for a great leap forward!

As people secretly loyal to His Highness, they absolutely wouldn’t drag him down!

After giving themselves a mental pep talk and working through their imagined strategy, Xiao Chenzi suddenly stood up and respectfully took his leave from Wei Yu.

“Your Highness, it’s getting late. This servant will take his leave for now. Once there’s new information, I’ll come report it to you in detail!”

Watching the righteously indignant backs of the two young eunuchs as they left, Wei Yu tilted his head and let out a long “ah,” then lowered his head to look at the sunflower seeds in his hand that he hadn’t finished cracking.

Wait a second!

What the hell is wrong with those two?

He hadn’t even finished his seeds yet!

“Xiao Anzi, what do you think is up with those two?”

Wei Yu couldn’t help asking Xiao Anzi, who was on lookout by the door.

Xiao Anzi tilted his head, glanced at him, and answered honestly and sincerely, “Your Highness, this servant thinks it’s probably because what you said earlier exceeded your usual level of speech, so they were startled.”

Wei Yu: …

How dare you!

Slandering him like that!

This little fool is done for.

Wei Yu looked at him silently. “For the next three days, the honorable task of cleaning the latrines will be yours. The feng shui there is quite nice—perfect for refreshing the mind.”

“Huh? Your Highness, but…”

“No buts! Resistance is futile!”

Wei Yu finished speaking and slipped away, not even looking at Xiao Anzi’s pitiful and aggrieved expression.

Hmph.

Not assigning him to clean the entrance hall was already merciful. That little fool had the nerve to insult him.

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