Chapter 36: I Merely Handed the Crown Prince a "Blade"

"Enraged?" Zhao Mu stopped laughing, but the corners of his mouth remained curled upward, his eyes shimmering with the clarity of one who sees through the ways of the world. "Of course he would be enraged!"

"Anyone would be furious if their own son brought troops to their doorstep!"

"However!" Zhao Mu looked at Yexiao with a meaningful gaze and spoke slowly. "Little Xiao..."

"You underestimate our Emperor far too much."

Zhao Mu picked up the wine flagon, poured himself another cup, and sipped it leisurely.

"What kind of man is our current Emperor?"

"He is a true dragon who carved his path through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, emerging from the carnage of brothers turning against one another!"

"What is it that such a masterful ruler despises most?"

"It is weakness! It is indecisiveness!"

"The Crown Prince's previous submissive demeanor was the greatest thorn in the Emperor’s side!"

"That is precisely why he persists in favoring that fat pig, the Prince of Wei, despite knowing it distresses the Crown Prince and ignoring the whispers of the court!"

"Today, the Crown Prince's move may seem reckless and foolish, even akin to forcing the throne."

"But it is precisely this desperate, 'reckless' spirit."

"This courage to unsheathe his blade and challenge the highest authority."

"That is what is most likely to... strike a chord with the Emperor!"

Having said this, Zhao Mu’s eyes suddenly turned profound and playful. "And how many men did the Crown Prince actually bring?"

"Dozens?"

"Neither too many nor too few!"

"If he really intended to revolt, what could such a small force achieve?"

"They wouldn't be enough to serve as a snack for Li Er!" Zhao Mu said, his excitement rising as he began to use the Emperor’s personal name.

"But this posturing of his is exactly enough to make his stance clear!"

As he spoke, Zhao Mu seemed to become an actor, imitating the Crown Prince’s tone: "I, Li Chengqian, have staked everything on this! I’m done pretending!"

"I’m laying my cards on the table. This is how blunt and unyielding I am!"

"Father, deal with it as you see fit!"

Yexiao watched as Zhao Mu, whom he revered as a divine being, behaved in such a manner. He could not help but swallow hard, a flicker of shock and worry crossing his eyes. Fortunately, Zhao Mu was only playing around and soon returned to his normal state.

He picked up his wine cup and swirled it gently. "So, Little Xiao."

"What kind of reaction do you think our Emperor will have?"

"Sir, the name you gave me is Yexiao." Yexiao stiffened his face. Instead of answering, he set his jaw and asked with a hint of grievance, "Could you please stop calling me 'Little Xiao'?"

"It sounds odd. If others heard it, they might think my name was just 'Little Little'."

"What do you know? 'Little Xiao' sounds affectionate," Zhao Mu retorted, glancing at him with a grin. "And who asked you to work for me while keeping your real name a secret?"

"All mysterious and secretive—if I don't call you 'Little Little', what should I call you?" Zhao Mu stumbled over his words and ended up saying "Little Little" anyway.

The atmosphere in the courtyard became awkward for a moment.

Fortunately, Zhao Mu was thick-skinned. He glared at Yexiao and changed the subject. "Don't interrupt. I'm in a good mood today, bestowing upon you the favor of watching a grand play, yet you don't want to listen?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening!" Yexiao nodded hurriedly. He decided to ignore how his master addressed him, thoughtfully prepared the table, and poured a cup of wine for Zhao Mu with a fawning smile. "So, Sir, do you know how the Emperor will react?"

"Naturally!" Zhao Mu rolled his eyes at him and continued.

"Regarding the Crown Prince storming the palace today, the Emperor will be angry, he will reprimand him, and he may even punish him."

"But behind this thunderous rage, Yexiao, would you believe me?"

"In the Emperor's heart, there might... be a trace of imperceptible relief?"

"It’s like seeing a cat that has always been docile suddenly unsheathe its claws!"

"Even if those claws scratch him, it’s better than it only knowing how to meow!"

"As for the outcome?" Zhao Mu shrugged, his posture carefree, as if discussing something completely unrelated to himself. "Deposition? Imprisonment? Or even... being ordered to commit suicide?"

"All are possible, but that is a matter between father and son."

"As for me..." Zhao Mu raised his cup and drank as he spoke, "I merely handed the Crown Prince a 'blade' and told him that when it is time to unsheathe it, he must."

"Whether he uses that blade to peel an apple or to kill, whom he cuts, or what the outcome is—that is his fate. It is not my concern, nor do I care to meddle."

Zhao Mu’s tone was relaxed. He set down his cup and leaned back comfortably in a lounge chair. With a sense of detachment from the world, he added, "If he succeeds, it means the Crown Prince is teachable and the Emperor’s judgment was not flawed."

"If he fails, then that is his destiny, proving he was never the right material after all."

"For me, it was merely placing a piece on the board and watching a grand performance."

"After all, watching a show is about the excitement; why worry about the ending?"

"Wouldn't you agree, Yexiao?" Having learned his lesson from the previous awkwardness, Zhao Mu finally got the name right this time.

However, Yexiao was clearly stunned by his words, his mind drifting far away.

After a long while, he replied in a daze, "Ah, yes... everything you say is correct, Sir. You truly are a divine person!"

Finally coming back to his senses, Yexiao asked nervously, "Then... Sir, what should we do next...?"

"Next?" Zhao Mu downed the rest of his wine, tossed the jade pendant the Crown Prince had left him into the air, and caught it with fluid grace. "Next, we simply go about our business!"

"Drink when it's time to drink, sleep when it's time to sleep. After all, the shop opens tomorrow, and those new girls need to be properly trained—I'm a busy man!" Zhao Mu rambled, his thoughts wandering. He paused, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. "Oh, right, Yexiao!"

"Later, make sure to spread the news of the Crown Prince’s 'heroic deed' of storming the Taiji Palace tonight—use the most exaggerated and legendary version possible."

"Especially... ensure that the people in the Prince of Wei’s mansion and the Marquis’s residence 'accidentally' hear about it."

A suave curve appeared on his lips as he spoke slowly: "Let that fat-headed Prince of Wei feel a bit of tension. Let him know what his 'cowardly' older brother looks like when he gets ruthless. Tell him to stop eyeing the girls at our Heavenly Realm and thinking he can buy them and take them back to his mansion. It’s disgusting—he should look at himself; he’s fat as a pig!"

"And that old lecher, Hou Junji!"

"He has tried several times to use his power to bully others and lay a hand on our girls."

"I don't believe the Crown Prince's actions this time won't scare the life out of him!"

Having said this, Zhao Mu tucked the jade pendant into his robe, stretched lazily, and lay back on the recliner. He gazed at the bright moon hanging in the night sky, as if what he had just discussed was nothing more than an inconsequential street performance.

"That's all, Yexiao, you may go."

"I am a bit tired; watching a play is, after all, physically demanding." He waved his hand and closed his eyes, a lingering smile on his lips—a smile that seemed to see through the world and treat life as a game.

As if, no matter how much chaos and bloodshed might be unfolding in the palace tonight, he, Zhao Mu, was merely a spectator in the audience, cracking melon seeds and watching with great interest.

At most... he had simply handed the actor on stage a convenient prop.

As for the outcome?

Does that really matter?