My Emperor Father Can Read Minds
Chapter 35

Next door to Wei Yu, in the Eighth Prince’s sleeping quarters—

The Eighth Prince, who had indeed already opened his younger brother’s chest and taken out a book to read, was currently holding a book with a blank expression and red-tipped ears.

His expression was equal parts embarrassed, annoyed, and slightly conflicted. He glanced at the book in his hand, then at the thick stack still in the chest. Gritting his teeth, he cursed under his breath,

“Wei Yu, that bastard!”

He tossed the book onto the table with a thud. The cover read The Correct Meaning of the Five Classics.

But.

That book was just disguised as The Correct Meaning of the Five Classics.

And what was inside?

Ha! If it had been legitimate content, the Eighth Prince wouldn’t be this upset!

That scoundrel Wei Yu was secretly reading illustrated erotic scrolls!

Glancing again at the “Five Classics” on the table, the Eighth Prince recalled the crystal-clear, vivid illustrations within, and felt a rush of blood rise straight to his head.

Not from excitement—from shame!

He had seen Wei Yu looking tired earlier today and assumed his brother had found some particularly riveting storybook and lost sleep over it. He’d even thought to borrow it for a peek himself…

The Eighth Prince ground his teeth and irritably reached back into the chest to flip through the rest.

The Diamond Sutra, The Classic of Filial Piety, Records of the Grand Historian… At first glance, all very upright and scholarly. But when he opened them?

Pah!

They were all secondhand books wrapped in serious-looking covers!

Inside, it was either erotic paintings or lewd poetry—there wasn’t a single proper storybook in the bunch!

The Eighth Prince shook the book in his hand, trying to shake off the outer cover.

But it was pointless—the cover was original and not something Wei Yu had faked. That’s just how it was sold!

Now he was even angrier.

He threw all the books back into the chest, shut the lid, called over a servant, and asked if the Ninth Prince had returned.

“Your Highness, the Ninth Prince returned about a quarter of an hour ago.”

Hearing that Wei Yu was back, the Eighth Prince stormed out with the chest in his arms.

“Wei Yu! Get out here!”

Wei Yu had just set down his bowl and was about to pick up his teacup to rinse his mouth when his Eighth Brother’s voice suddenly boomed from outside.

It didn’t sound good at all. Thinking of his precious spiritual sustenance, Wei Yu immediately had the urge to flee.

Unfortunately, the room wasn’t big. Unless he ran out right past his Eighth Brother, there was nowhere to hide.

“Sigh.”

Wei Yu sighed and waved at Xiao Anzi. “You go out, don’t stand at the door.”

If he was going to get chewed out by his brother, the fewer witnesses, the less shame.

Xiao Anzi had just stepped aside when the Eighth Prince stormed in carrying the chest.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Xiao Anzi greeted.

Hearing Xiao Anzi’s voice, Wei Yu immediately put on a fawning smile and walked up to his brother.

“Eighth Brother, what brings you here? You look exhausted, all sweaty—come, sit, sit. I’ll go fetch someone to make you tea—”

As he spoke, he turned to leave, but the Eighth Prince grabbed him by the collar.

“Stay put.”

The Eighth Prince gave a cold smile, lifted his chin, and gestured to the chest in his arms. “Explain what’s in here. I want to know when you started reading this filth.”

Princes were given an education even more elite than elites. These types of books were all lumped into the category of vulgar literature and were virtually never seen in the palace—except, perhaps, after marriage.

Wei Yu chuckled and started to weasel his way out. “Oh, come on, Eighth Brother, don’t be so serious. I was just doing research on local customs and traditions!”

“Local customs and traditions?”

The Eighth Prince raised his eyebrows.

Reading erotic scrolls and calling it research on local customs? Now that was a stretch.

He released Wei Yu’s collar and set the chest on the table, gesturing for him to continue. “Go on, what customs?”

“Ah, now that you ask, I’ve got just the thing to show you.”

Wei Yu rolled up his sleeves, pulled out a copy of The Classic of Filial Piety, flipped to a specific page, and pointed it out to the Eighth Prince.

“Here, Eighth Brother, take a look at this passage. It’s a story about a pair of lovers from the southern Miao tribes eloping together. They’ve just arrived in another village…”

He practically shoved the book under the Eighth Prince’s nose. The Eighth Prince leaned back, squinting to read the passage Wei Yu pointed at.

“A beauty in his arms, soft and warm as jade… like driftwood, rising and falling, drowning in intoxicated dreams…”

Lewd poetry!

The Eighth Prince’s ears turned red again.

He opened his mouth to scold Wei Yu for being improper—only to see Wei Yu staring at him seriously, face solemn, speaking with utter conviction.

“Eighth Brother, don’t blush—don’t get shy. Eyes on the text, not on the images. Look here!”

The Eighth Prince: …

“Ahem! Who’s blushing?!”

The Eighth Prince tried to argue, his teenage gaze darting away—but under his younger brother’s disapproving look, he reluctantly returned his eyes to the page.

Wei Yu said, “See, here, when the villagers talk to the couple about directions, they warn them about the ‘Five Poisons’. Now, to us in the Central Plains, the Five Poisons are centipedes, vipers, scorpions, geckos, and toads. But in the book, the Five Poisons are listed as scorpions, snakes, centipedes, toads, and spiders.”

“This book was brought over from the southern Miao region. The background is all about the southern Miao people. The customs of the southern Miao are different from ours in the Central Plains. If Great Wei wants to fully conquer the southern Miao, then we need to understand them better, right? I’m doing serious research here!”

The Eighth Prince was greatly shocked.

Was Wei Yu just making excuses?

He was definitely making excuses.

But the fact that Wei Yu was able to extract such important information from this kind of lewd book was something the Eighth Prince truly hadn’t expected!

After all, who would think that someone would buy such books to understand the customs of the southern Miao? Isn’t everyone just after lust and desire in these kinds of books?

It seemed like only his Ninth Brother was odd enough to think of such a method.

After the initial shock, the Eighth Prince thought about the unity of the southern Miao people, their ruthless methods, and couldn’t help but ask Wei Yu, “What else have you learned from these books? Does it mention the southern Miao’s methods of controlling snakes and insects?”

The southern Miao region was filled with rugged mountains and had a hot, humid climate, which made it especially conducive to the breeding of snakes and insects.

Aside from the locals, people from the Central Plains who went there couldn’t handle the environment and were easily plagued by all sorts of snakes and insects.

Great Wei’s army had failed several times in the past to conquer the southern Miao due to this issue.

Just like with the northern nomads, once you conquered them, the people of the southern Miao or the northern nomads would revolt again due to governance problems.

Wei Yu shook the book and nonchalantly replied, “I don’t know. I haven’t finished reading it yet. How about you take a look, Eighth Brother?”

Wei Yu was being honest.

He had too many entertaining books to read. He would get bored after finishing one and rarely managed to finish them all. Most books he’d read halfway and then abandoned.

This Classic of Filial Piety was one of them.