Chapter 58

"Is this child... capable of reading a stele while riding a horse and reciting it from memory?!"

Holding the paper on which Zhao Hongrun had silently written the text, the Emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty was so excited that his hands trembled involuntarily.

He did not believe that the Crown Prince Hongli had the audacity to steal the legacy of his ancestors and claim it as a new work.

There was no doubt that this was indeed a new book compiled by the Crown Prince Hongli and his tutors in the Eastern Palace after much deliberation.

In other words, in such a short time, the eighth prince, Zhao Hongrun, had memorized this book and written it down in full, then accused the Crown Prince Hongli of stealing the work of his ancestors.

As for the motive, it was nothing more than revenge for the Crown Prince's earlier scheme to have him study in the Eastern Palace.

Although the Emperor was well aware of this, he did not intend to take sides.

Previously, the Crown Prince Hongli had used underhanded tactics within the rules to harm the eighth prince, Zhao Hongrun. Now, the eighth prince, Zhao Hongrun, had used his extraordinary talent to turn the tables on the Crown Prince, and this was also within the rules. Therefore, the Emperor would not favor either party.

"Underestimated this rascal... I thought it would take him some time to counter the Crown Prince..."

Glancing at Zhao Hongrun without showing any emotion, the Emperor felt a sense of regret for the Crown Prince Hongli.

The Emperor regretted that his eldest son had failed to see through the impressive talent hidden behind his brother's flamboyance, thus inadvertently creating a formidable enemy and ruining the opportunity to establish a good reputation, which could have been achieved in one battle.

This was called overthinking and missing the opportunity.

"Prince, what do you have to say about this?"

The Emperor asked the Crown Prince in a calm tone.

He did not use a harsh tone because he knew that the Crown Prince Hongli had lost too much advantage this time, to the point where even the Emperor felt sorry for him.

"What... what?" The Crown Prince Hongli seemed still in shock.

Seeing this, the Emperor gestured to the manuscript in his hand and repeated, "Your eighth brother, Hongrun, has presented evidence that your so-called new book is a theft of an ancestor's work. What do you have to say about this?"

Before the Crown Prince could speak, the Deputy Tutor of the Crown Prince, Zheng Xi, stood up and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, this is impossible! That is indeed the new book we compiled to assist the Crown Prince!"

"Then why is the text that my eighth son, Hongrun, has written down exactly the same as the new book you compiled, without a single word difference?" Although questioning the Deputy Tutor, the Emperor's eyes revealed a hint of pity.

In this round, the enemy the Eastern Palace faced was too formidable!

So formidable that it might be hard to find such a genius in the entire world!

"It... it must be that the eighth prince has memorized the Crown Prince's new book." Deputy Tutor Zheng Xi pointed at Zhao Hongrun and argued, "Your Majesty saw it yourself, the eighth prince first read through the Crown Prince's new book, then claimed it was written by an anonymous person. ... It must be so!"

"Huh!" Zhao Hongrun curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Sir, don't say I didn't give you a chance. Try to memorize it in the same amount of time."

"I..." Deputy Tutor Zheng Xi's face turned pale.

After all, Zhao Hongrun had only read the Crown Prince Hongli's new book for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. According to common sense, it was impossible to memorize a book in such a short time and write it down without a single mistake.

However, the problem was that this was the only explanation left, as the new book was indeed compiled by the tutors in the Eastern Palace, with every page, line, and word carefully considered, not stolen from an ancestor's work.

"It's not surprising that this sir can't do it, after all, no one can do it..." Zhao Hongrun turned to face the Emperor and bowed, saying, "The matter is clear, the Crown Prince has stolen the work of his ancestors and claimed it as his own."

"I did not!"

At this moment, the Crown Prince Hongli seemed to have come to his senses, staring hatefully at Zhao Hongrun and bowing to the Emperor, "Father, please see clearly, this is indeed the new work of your son and the tutors in the Eastern Palace."

"I know... but the cause and effect you have sown, I cannot help you with it."

The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince Hongli with pity and said calmly, "Then how do you explain the text that your brother has written down, which is exactly the same as the new book you compiled?"

After saying this, the Emperor gestured for Tong Xian to hand the Crown Prince's new book and the text written by Zhao Hongrun to the Crown Prince Hongli.

"Take a look, I hope you can understand the kind of enemy you are facing now."

The Emperor watched the Crown Prince silently.

The Crown Prince Hongli took it anxiously, carefully comparing the two, his face gradually turning pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"The Crown Prince is indeed deceiving the Emperor!" Prince Yong Hongyu, standing nearby, maliciously added fuel to the fire.

Although he did not show it on his face, Prince Yong was laughing inside.

He thought that with the Crown Prince Hongli presenting this new book to the Emperor, the princes who had their eyes on the throne would have no chance. But who would have thought that a disruptor would appear, not only ruining the Crown Prince's plan to establish a good reputation but also saddling him with the charge of "stealing and deceiving the Emperor."

This was truly... exhilarating!

Whether it was Prince Yong or Prince Xiang, they secretly rejoiced and laughed inside.

Anyone with a discerning eye could guess the intricacies of the situation and be amazed by the hidden talent of Zhao Hongrun, who was known for his unruly behavior.

Only those who did not understand the situation would wonder why the Crown Prince Hongli, a noble prince, would stoop so low as to steal an ancestor's work and claim it as his own.

"This... this..."

After comparing the entire text, he found that they were indeed identical, and the Crown Prince Hongli was now in despair.

He could not understand how the new book, which he and the tutors in the Eastern Palace had worked hard to compile, had become the work of an anonymous ancestor.

He had not ruled out the possibility that Zhao Hongrun might have memorized the entire book, but the idea was so outrageous that it seemed impossible.

"If you cannot explain, sit down," the Emperor kindly reminded him.

The Crown Prince, in a state of panic, sat back in his seat, his eyes still fixed on the new book and the manuscript in his hand.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun sneered inwardly and turned to the Emperor, bowing and saying, "Father, from the Crown Prince's expression, perhaps he was unaware..."

"Hmm? Is he trying to speak for the Crown Prince? Is this rascal so kind-hearted?"

The Emperor listened to Zhao Hongrun's explanation with some surprise, but soon realized that he had not misjudged the nature of this rascal.

"... Perhaps the Crown Prince was deceived by the tutors in the Eastern Palace! Your son believes that it might be the tutors who stole the work of the ancestors and deceived the Crown Prince. Such people should not be appointed as tutors in the Eastern Palace!"

"Good! This is to dismantle the core advisors and companions around the Eastern Palace!"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, shocked by the "ferocious retaliation" of his eighth son.

"Enough, in the end, this rascal has won..."

Thinking of this, the Emperor sternly said, "Your son's words are very reasonable. Hongli, I will help you select new tutors for the Eastern Palace on another day."

"Your Majesty!" The Deputy Tutor Zheng Xi and the other tutors in the Eastern Palace hurriedly knelt down.

But seeing the Emperor's calm gaze, they could not bring themselves to plead.

The Emperor's calm gaze conveyed a simple message: you have lost.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

Prince Yong Hongyu was laughing inside.

He thought that when he heard the first part of the eighth prince's statement, he assumed that the eighth prince was planning to stop while ahead and do the Crown Prince a favor.

If that were the case, Prince Yong Hongyu's evaluation of Zhao Hongrun would have decreased: having already offended the Crown Prince and ruined his plan to establish a good reputation, how could he expect the Crown Prince to forgive him just because he said a few nice words?

But unexpectedly, Zhao Hongrun cleared the Crown Prince of the charge of deceiving the Emperor, only to strike a heavy blow against the Eastern Palace's advisors, directly driving out the tutors, companions, and advisors serving the Crown Prince.

This move was highly strategic, as the Crown Prince, being the eldest son and the heir, would not be deposed for such a minor offense. Instead of further damaging the Crown Prince, it was better to tarnish the reputation of the advisors around him, thus weakening his support base.

This was like cutting off the fuel supply!

"This is truly... gratifying!"

Glancing at the disoriented Crown Prince, Prince Yong Hongyu sneered inwardly.

The Crown Prince's plan to establish a good reputation had turned into a farce due to Zhao Hongrun's deliberate sabotage. Some princes finally realized that their eighth brother, known for his unruly behavior, was not as simple as he appeared.

For example, Prince Yong Hongyu's desire to ally with Zhao Hongrun became even stronger.

"Hongrun, did you really memorize a whole book?"

When Zhao Hongrun returned to his seat, even the sixth prince, Hongzhao, could not help but ask in a low voice, as he could not do such a thing himself.

Of course, Zhao Hongrun denied it outright, "Sixth brother, what are you talking about? Hongrun really did read that book."

"Do you think I believe you?"

"I do."

"Guess again."

"..." Zhao Hongrun rolled his eyes.

The family banquet continued, and around the hour of Xu, the Emperor led the concubines, princes, and princesses to a high pavilion to admire the lanterns that lit up the streets and alleys of the city.

The princes and princesses gradually took their leave, as this was a time for the Emperor and his beloved concubines.

Of course, the Crown Prince and the princes who had already left the palace were not included, as they did not spend much time with the Emperor in the palace and had to seize every opportunity to win his favor and strengthen their claims to the throne.

During this time, the sixth prince, Zhao Hongzhao, whispered to Zhao Hongrun, "Later, meet at the Yafeng Pavilion."

Watching his sixth brother leave quietly, Zhao Hongrun sighed helplessly, as he had already promised to attend a poetry gathering at the Yafeng Pavilion, though he was not interested in it at all.

He greeted his younger brother, Hongxuan, and asked him to take care of their mother, Consort Shen, before quietly leaving.

Since he knew that his sixth brother, Zhao Hongzhao, needed to prepare at the Yafeng Pavilion, Zhao Hongrun did not rush there but wandered around the palace with Wei Jiao, Gao Kuo, and Zhou Bo.

As they walked, Zhao Hongrun passed by a courtyard and saw a white figure sitting on a large, oval stone by the pond, lost in thought.

Upon closer inspection, he recognized the white figure as one of his half-sisters, a princess who had caused him to wake up feeling terrible several times in the past.

"Is it her? What is she doing here?"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Hongrun could not help but walk over.