Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Main Purpose "My prince, you’re finally back." After attending to Liang Zhaoyi’s bath, Gui Xing had been waiting for Zhao Yao at the door. She had waited a long time and finally saw Zhao Yao return. If Zhao Yao hadn’t come back, she was about to go out to find him. Seeing Zhao Yao alone, without Tong Xi, she quickly asked, "Your Highness, why are you alone? Where is Tong Xi?" "I sent him to handle something; he’ll be back soon." Zhao Yao said, grinning at Gui Xing, "Gui Xing, I have something good for you." "Something good?" Gui Xing asked curiously, "What good thing?" "You’ll know right away," Zhao Yao replied, "Where are Mother and Second Mother?" "The Beauty and the Princess have returned to their rooms to rest, and the lady is reading," Gui Xing asked, "Your Highness, where did you go? I went to Chaoyang Palace and Xingde Palace but couldn’t find you. Did anything happen to you?" "Something did happen; otherwise, I’d have been back earlier." "What happened?" Gui Xing asked urgently, "Did Ninth Prince bully you again?" Zhao Yao waved his hand: "No, I’ll tell you later. Now, let’s go find Mother." As he walked inside, he shouted loudly, "Mother, I’m back!" Liang Zhaoyi heard her son’s voice and smiled with a mix of helplessness and affection before putting down her book. Soon after, Zhao Yao ran in. "Mother, I brought you something good." Seeing her son’s proud look, Liang Zhaoyi asked amusingly, "What good thing?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎 "Ta-da..." Zhao Yao took out a package from his arms and presented it like a treasure to Liang Zhaoyi, "Mother, look what this is." Liang Zhaoyi smelled the aroma and exclaimed with surprise, "Beef?" "Yes, it’s beef." Zhao Yao opened the oil-wrapped paper to reveal the beef inside, "I hid it secretly. Mother, it’s still warm, have a piece quickly." "Hidden it secretly?" Liang Zhaoyi asked in astonishment, "How did you hide it?" "I took two pieces of beef at once, ate one, and hid one," Zhao Yao said proudly, "Fourth Brother and Eighth Brother also helped me hide. Mother, am I clever?" He had hidden a big package of beef. Liang Zhaoyi and Gui Xing were dumbfounded after hearing this. "Mother, I hid it on purpose so we can have a few more meals," Zhao Yao said, feeding a piece of beef into Liang Zhaoyi’s mouth, "Mother, this beef is delicious, eat a piece quickly." Then, he gave a piece of beef to Gui Xing and boasted, "Gui Xing, this is what I said was good, have a taste." As a servant, Gui Xing never got to eat beef normally, not on ordinary days, nor on special ones. She had never had beef from childhood until now; this was her first taste. "Thank you, Your Highness." "Isn’t the beef delicious?" Gui Xing nodded quickly, her eyes slightly red, "Delicious!" She didn’t expect the prince to secretly hide beef and specially bring it back for them to eat. "See, I told you beef is the best." Zhao Yao took another piece of beef for Gui Xing, "Since it’s good, have another piece." "Your Highness, one piece is enough for me." "One piece is not enough; you need more to appreciate the good taste of beef." Zhao Yao picked up a few more pieces of beef for Gui Xing, "Eat more to truly enjoy it." "Your Highness..." Zhao Yao ignored Gui Xing, turning to eagerly look at Liang Zhaoyi, "Mother, is it good?" Liang Zhaoyi gently touched her son’s cheek and smiled warmly, "Delicious, it’s the best beef I’ve ever had." "I knew the beef in Chaoyang Palace tastes better than in Qionglin Garden." Zhao Yao took a piece of beef and started eating himself, "Mother, you probably haven’t eaten much, right?" "Not much," Liang Zhaoyi replied, sitting with Zhao Yao on the couch, "What made you think of hiding beef?" "Just thought of it suddenly." Zhao Yao grinned, "As soon as I thought there wouldn’t be another meal after this beef, I thought of hiding some so I can eat it tomorrow. Am I not smart?" Seeing her son’s expression of seeking praise, Liang Zhaoyi laughed and complimented him, "Very smart." "Your Highness, you’re not just smart, but also good at managing things," Gui Xing joined in the praise. "I also think I’m incredibly smart," Zhao Yao said, beaming with pride, "Gui Xing, take some beef and let others taste it." "Your Highness, you should keep the beef for yourself." "I’ll keep a few pieces for tomorrow; the rest you can share." "Your Highness..." "Go ahead and share it," Zhao Yao said, not allowing any refusal. "On behalf of everyone, thank you, Your Highness." After giving a salute, Gui Xing took half of the beef and left. Liang Zhaoyi asked, "Why did you come back so late; what happened?" "On the way back, I rescued an eunuch..." Zhao Yao recounted the incident with Tong An to Liang Zhaoyi. "Mother, I really didn’t expect Third Brother to enjoy whipping people for fun." Liang Zhaoyi was also shocked, "The Third Prince..." "If Father knew that Third Brother enjoyed torturing people, would he kill him?" "Not kill, but he would be disappointed with the Third Prince." "If I hadn’t encountered Tong An, I wouldn’t have known Third Brother was a cruel person," Zhao Yao said, "Third Brother disguises himself well." "There’s no wall that doesn’t leak. You and I know now, others will know in the future too," Liang Zhaoyi said. Zhao Yao rubbed his chin, suddenly smiling cunningly, "If Third Brother tries to harm me in the future, I’ll tell Father about this." Liang Zhaoyi furrowed her brow, her expression turning serious, "With Tong An suddenly missing, the Third Prince will definitely look for him; the Third Prince will not let him go." "That’s why I sent him to the Cold Palace," Zhao Yao mistakenly thought Liang Zhaoyi was worried about the Cold Palace’s secret passage, "Mother, don’t worry; Tong An won’t find out about it. Also, Tong Le will keep a close watch on him." "I’m not worried about that; I’m worried that your rescue of Tong An will be discovered by the Third Prince." Liang Zhaoyi didn’t blame Zhao Yao for saving Tong An, "Did you leave any traces when you saved Tong An?" "No. Tong An was also very cautious; he chose an obscure well to jump into, where people rarely go." Zhao Yao wouldn’t recklessly save Tong An and put himself in danger. He knew very well his and Liang Zhaoyi’s situation and would never do anything to put them at risk. "If it weren’t for Lai Yi and the others leading the way, I couldn’t have found Tong An." After leaving Chaoyang Palace, Zhao Yao didn’t go with Eighth Prince and the others to Xingde Palace but returned to Kunde Hall. On the way back to Kunde Hall, Lai Yi and the others flew to find him and told him Tong An was attempting to commit suicide by jumping into a well. The last time he met Tong An, Zhao Yao had told Tong Xi not to meddle, but he still had Lai Yi and the others keep an eye on Tong An. Lai Yi and Lai Qian are both sparrows. They often fly into the palace to find Zhao Yao. Zhao Yao didn’t want to meddle too much, but once involved, he couldn’t just watch him die. "Tong Xi took Tong An to the Cold Palace through a small path; they won’t be discovered." Hearing Zhao Yao say this, Liang Zhaoyi felt reassured. "What do you plan to do with Tong An?" "I’ll observe him for a while; if he has no issues, I plan to employ him," Zhao Yao tapped gently on the couch table with his index finger, "He’s good at painting, which is a valuable skill for future use." "He can no longer stay in the palace," Liang Zhaoyi said seriously, "We cannot let the Third Prince know he’s still alive." Zhao Yao nodded, "I know. Once he passes my assessment, I’ll send him out of the palace to find my second uncle." "Bring him to see me once he passes your assessment." "Alright." "What happened in Chaoyang Palace?" Mentioning the events in Chaoyang Palace, Zhao Yao suddenly became spirited, speaking with some excitement, "Mother, what happened in Chaoyang Palace was amazing." Liang Zhaoyi asked curiously, "What happened?" "Mother, let me tell you, Duke Zhen’s methods are impressive..." Zhao Yao vividly recounted the events of the celebration banquet in Chaoyang Palace to Liang Zhaoyi. Liang Zhaoyi listened in astonishment, and by the end, her face was full of incredulity. "Mother, you didn’t see it, but the ministers’ eyes were full of suspicion when they looked at Second Brother, and his face turned black." Zhao Yao couldn’t help but laugh when he remembered the scene, "By tomorrow morning, the whole capital will surely be buzzing with rumors that Second Brother is impotent." Liang Zhaoyi marveled, "Duke Zhen’s move is truly ruthless." "It’s insidious; it not only ruined Second Brother’s reputation but also spoiled his triumphant return," Zhao Yao chuckled, "Tonight’s celebration banquet was meant to be Second Brother’s moment of glory, but Duke Zhen hit him hard. Starting tomorrow, Second Brother will become the laughingstock of the entire capital." "Duke Zhen’s move was indeed killing three birds with one stone," Liang Zhaoyi said, thinking she wouldn’t have come up with such a counterattack against Prince Dai and Marquis Xuanping. "Actually, the biggest aim of the move wasn’t just to ruin Second Brother’s reputation. After all, soon there will be good news from his residence." Given Prince Dai’s character, he would likely be trying for children as of tonight, and within a month, there would be happy news, quelling the rumors of his impotence. Liang Zhaoyi followed up on Zhao Yao’s insight, "Duke Zhen’s primary goal was to sow discord, to make Marquis Xuanping wary of Confucius Tai Chang."