Prince 06

Prince Qi followed behind Fang Zhiyi and finally reached out to pat his eldest brother's shoulder.

Fang Zhiyi turned around, and Prince Qi chuckled.

"Eldest brother, you were quite fierce today. I can't believe you dared to speak to the old man like that."

"I had no choice. If it were you, you'd go crazy too. Don't you know how I used to live? Waking up just to work, and going to sleep right after. I got no benefits, but I never missed out on getting scolded."

"But you were too impulsive..."

Although the other princes didn't turn their heads, their footsteps clearly slowed down a lot.

"I've already thought it through, and I'll make my stance clear to you all right now. Whether it's the Crown Prince position or the throne, whoever wants it can go take it. I don't want it anymore anyway." Fang Zhiyi didn't shy away, throwing his arms around the shoulders of the Prince of Chu and Prince Xiang on either side. "Old Fourth, Old Second, what do you think?"

The Prince of Chu smiled awkwardly. "The Crown Prince has the final say."

Prince Xiang remained silent.

However, the youngest, Old Fifth Prince Wei, chimed in, "Actually, I think your idea of taking turns to oversee the state is pretty good, eldest brother. It saves us from fighting back and forth. Whoever does a good job gets the position."

Fang Zhiyi reached out and rubbed his head. "Good boy, you're the one who understands your eldest brother."

Prince Wei was a bit surprised but quickly laughed. "You're always so busy, eldest brother. I thought you had long forgotten about us brothers."

Prince Xiang, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up. "Crown Prince, I don't know what you're scheming, but you don't need to trouble yourself with our affairs." After saying that, he bowed and walked straight away.

Seeing this, the Prince of Chu also took his leave from Fang Zhiyi.

Prince Qi watched the two brothers leave and laughed. "Those two have the most schemes." He looked at Fang Zhiyi with profound meaning.

Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "You don't think your eldest brother is scheming too, do you?"

"Hard to say." Prince Qi paused. "But I think you were right about one thing, eldest brother."

"What?"

"We're all family, why bother." He cupped his hands at Fang Zhiyi and also left.

"Old Fifth, you're not going to abandon your frail and sickly eldest brother, are you?" Fang Zhiyi threw an arm around Prince Wei. Cursing the other three in his heart for slipping away so fast, Prince Wei smiled bitterly and said, "I'll escort you back, eldest brother."

"That's right. You don't know about that broken carriage at the Crown Prince's estate; it leaks air from all sides. When I get money, I'm definitely going to exchange it for a luxurious extended version!"

"Eldest brother, actually, it's quite simple for you to get money..." Before he could finish, Prince Wei looked at Fang Zhiyi, who was holding his hand out toward him. "What do you mean?"

"I want money. Didn't you just say it? You won't just watch your eldest brother die of poverty, will you?"

The next day, Fang Zhiyi still called in sick and did not attend the morning court. A dangerous aura permeated the court. The old emperor sat at the top with a dark face, looking at the empty spot where the usually ever-present Crown Prince would stand. After a long time, he let out a long breath.

"Prince Xiang will temporarily oversee the court affairs."

Prince Xiang's expression showed some surprise, but mostly joy. He hastily kowtowed in gratitude.

Could it be that what the eldest brother said yesterday was completely sincere? Weren't things finally looking up?

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's estate was a completely different scene. Fang Zhiyi had left the study where he usually spent all his time and was instead directing the servants to plant flowers and grass along the walls. Just as he was planning to build a fish pond, Xu Ruyi rushed in front of him, exasperated, her usually aloof image completely shattered.

"Fang Zhiyi! Why did you treat my younger brother like that!"

"Huh?"

"Still playing dumb! He was thrown into prison!" Xu Ruyi had a reason to be angry. Her mother had come over that morning, crying that Xu Dalang's buttocks had been beaten to a pulp. This wasn't just beating Xu Dalang's buttocks; it was clearly a slap in the face to the Crown Prince's estate!

"Madam, if someone breaks the law, they must face the consequences, alright? Now please step aside." Fang Zhiyi was a bit impatient.

"Are... are you truly so heartless?"

Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "The law doesn't care about personal feelings. If everything was about personal feelings, it would be a disaster."

"Fang Zhiyi, you bastard!" Xu Ruyi stomped her foot and ran off. She had her own methods. Although her network of connections hadn't fully expanded yet, she had still managed to reel in a few officials.

Watching Xu Ruyi's retreating back, Fang Zhiyi slapped his forehead.

"Someone, prepare the carriage. I'm going to visit my fourth brother's house."

The Prince of Chu never expected that his eldest brother, who never visited, would actually come to his house. Moreover, he didn't act like an outsider at all. He ate fruit whenever he saw it and stuffed handfuls of dried fruits into his robes. The Prince of Chu almost suspected there was a famine at the Crown Prince's estate.

"Crown Prince..."

Fang Zhiyi kicked him.

The Prince of Chu was a bit dazed.

"Call me brother."

The Prince of Chu hesitated for a good while. "Eldest brother..."

"That's more like it." Fang Zhiyi's mouth was full of fruit. "Let me tell you something."

"Go ahead, eldest brother."

"Your troublemaker of a sister-in-law is very dissatisfied with your subordinates arresting her brother. She'll probably use her connections to get him out. You need to keep a close eye on this. If he gets out, don't end up being impeached for dereliction of duty."

The Prince of Chu looked at Fang Zhiyi. "Cro... Eldest brother, why... why are you telling me this?"

Fang Zhiyi glanced at him in confusion. "Because you are my own blood brother. How could I just watch you fall into a pit?"

The Prince of Chu saw nothing but sincerity on Fang Zhiyi's face. After a long while, he nodded. "I will remember your words, eldest brother."

"Good that you remember. Hand it over."

Seeing Fang Zhiyi's outstretched hand, the Prince of Chu was a bit puzzled. "Hand over what?"

"Money! I came all this way, aren't you going to give me some travel expenses or something?"

The Prince of Chu looked at Fang Zhiyi and fell into a state of doubt. What exactly was this Crown Prince scheming?

But in the end, he still took out some money. However, turning around, Fang Zhiyi immediately went straight to Prince Qi's estate.

"Oh, the Crown Prince graces us with his presence..."

"Cut the useless talk." Fang Zhiyi still reached out and grabbed a handful of dried fruit from the table. "How is it, did the old man relent?"

Prince Qi nodded. "Prince Xiang is now in charge of overseeing the state. Crown Prince, I'm afraid you..."

"Shut up. I have something to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Prince Qi became alert. Immediately after, Fang Zhiyi threw out a crumpled piece of paper.

"The names on this list make up the Crown Princess's network of connections. I know you have quite a few people in the Ministry of Personnel. Look into it. Catch one, crush one."

"This..." What kind of tactic was this? Prince Qi was completely baffled. Was the eldest brother blowing himself up?

"What's with that look? Anyway, I've told you. In the future, if these pests cause trouble out there under my banner, it will be your responsibility." Fang Zhiyi stood up, clapped his hands, and left.

"What do you think the eldest brother really means?" It wasn't until Fang Zhiyi had left that Prince Wei, who had been hiding behind the curtain, slowly walked out, also looking bewildered.

"I don't know, but..." Prince Qi looked at the paper in his hand, then pulled another piece of paper from his robes. A few names on the two pieces of paper were identical.