Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Trouble Arises In the racecourse, the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince were neck and neck, their horses on the verge of colliding. On another side, the Third Prince, Fifth Prince, and Sixth Prince were competing. Suddenly, the Ninth Prince's horse went berserk, whinnying and raising its front hooves, trying to throw the Ninth Prince off its back. The Ninth Prince held the reins tightly, preventing himself from being thrown off. The horse beneath him became more forceful, even lifting its hooves to kick at the horse beneath the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince's horse became startled and agitated, sprinting forward madly and crashing into the Third Prince's horse. The Third Prince's horse then crashed into the horses of the Fifth Prince and Sixth Prince. In a short time, the horses beneath the five men started fighting, creating a scene of chaos and danger that left the nearby eunuchs and soldiers stunned. The five of them, including the Seventh and Ninth Princes, gripped the reins tightly and hugged the horses' necks to avoid being thrown off. Their faces were pale, their expressions frightened, and they kept calling out, "Save me." "Fourth Brother, what do we do?" If Third Brother and the others get hurt, won't we be implicated again? It was the Fourth Prince's first time encountering such a situation and he didn't know what to do. The Eighth Prince frowned and said, "It's too dangerous, it's better not to go." If they went, not only would they be unable to help, but they might also find themselves in danger. In the middle of the racecourse, the horses beneath the Ninth Prince and the others grew even more frenzied. The eunuchs and soldiers who tried to hold them were brutally kicked. Two people even coughed up blood from being kicked. Zhao Yao noticed that something was wrong with the horse under the Ninth Prince, as if it had been provoked; otherwise, it wouldn't have become so agitated. If this continued, someone could die. His mind raced and he came up with a good idea. "Tenth Brother, where are you going?" The Eighth Prince saw Zhao Yao riding Hei Yu away from the corner, making his heart skip a beat, and hurriedly chased after him. The Fourth Prince, also frightened, quickly followed. Zhao Yao wasn't going to help the Ninth Prince and the others; instead, he headed to the stable. He jumped off Hei Yu and walked up to Lie Huo. "Lie Huo, quickly go stop them. If this continues, Third Brother and the others will at least be injured if not dead." Lie Huo looked down arrogantly at Zhao Yao, unmoved. Zhao Yao coaxed, "If you can stop them, I'll give you something delicious to eat." Lie Huo haughtily responded, [Is it a deal?] "It's a deal," Zhao Yao said, and then untied Lie Huo's reins. Lie Huo ran out of the stable and rushed to the side of the Ninth Prince and the others. It raised its hooves and kicked the horse under the Ninth Prince, then roared at it. Instantly, the horse beneath the Ninth Prince became docile. Lie Huo did the same to the horses under the Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Princes, and they all became obedient. Zhao Yao shouted, "Hurry and help Third Brother and the others down." The nearby eunuchs and soldiers came to their senses and quickly helped the Third Prince and others dismount. The Third Prince and others were terrified out of their wits, and their legs were weak, nearly collapsing to the ground as they dismounted. The Fourth Prince came over first to check if the Third Prince and the others were injured or bleeding. Seeing that only the palms of their hands were skinned and no other injuries, he was greatly relieved and instructed the eunuchs around the Third Prince to escort his highnesses back to the palace. Zhao Yao and the Fourth Prince didn't leave the racecourse in a hurry. The Fourth Prince ordered the racecourse eunuchs to investigate the Ninth Prince's horse to see if it had been drugged or tampered with. This matter was quite serious, so the Fourth Prince and others had to go to Chengguang Hall. The eunuchs and soldiers guarding the racecourse also had to go to Chengguang Hall to confess their guilt. Though the Ninth Prince and the others weren't injured, something did happen, and they had to be held accountable. As Zhao Yao was leaving, his back collar was caught by Lie Huo. Lie Huo's large eyes stared intently at Zhao Yao, as if saying, "Don't forget what you just said." Zhao Yao understood and quickly said, "I will bring you something delicious in a while." Hearing this, Lie Huo released Zhao Yao and gently nudged his face with dignity. Zhao Yao couldn't resist and reached out to stroke Lie Huo's face, "Do you like apples? I can bring apples for you to eat?" Lie Huo snorted softly, [Barely like it.] "Alright, I'll bring apples for you to eat." Zhao Yao gently patted Lie Huo's face, "I have to go to Chengguang Hall now, see you later." Lie Huo couldn't resist either and licked Zhao Yao's face with its tongue, then shyly turned away, not looking at Zhao Yao. Zhao Yao ran towards the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince, "Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother, let's go." The Fourth and Eighth Princes had just seen the intimate scene between Zhao Yao and Lie Huo. Although they were somewhat shocked, they didn't say anything. They always knew that the Tenth Brother was well-liked by animals, and the animals were very close to the Tenth Brother. Lie Huo being friendly with the Tenth Brother was unexpected but understandable. "Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother, if something happens to Third Brother, will we be in trouble too?" Zhao Yao suddenly remembered that he still had to copy the "Analects" a hundred times, and his face fell into a look of despair, "Father won't punish me to copy the 'Analects' a hundred times again, right?" The Eighth Prince quickly comforted, "This time it has nothing to do with us; Father shouldn't punish us." The Fourth Prince saw Zhao Yao looking at him for help and nodded at him, "Father shouldn't punish you." Hearing the assurances from the Fourth and Eighth Princes, Zhao Yao was instantly relieved. He sighed with relief, patted his small chest, and said, "That's good." If he got punished again to write the "Analects" a hundred times, his little hands would be completely ruined. In Chengguang Hall, in the Imperial Study, the Fourth Prince reported the events leading up to the Ninth Prince's incident in detail to the Emperor. After listening, the Emperor called on Sun Kui with a somber expression to investigate why the Ninth Prince's horse went berserk. As for the racecourse eunuchs and soldiers, they naturally would be punished, with everyone receiving fifty strokes. The Emperor looked at Zhao Yao and asked, "Little Ten, how did you think of getting Lie Huo to stop the mad horses?" "Because Lie Huo is the best, and all the horses in the stable listen to it." "You were smart this time." The Emperor rarely praised Zhao Yao, "Well done." Zhao Yao, who thought he would be scolded, was pleasantly surprised to receive the Emperor's praise, feeling very flattered. Seeing his youngest son's stunned, silly look, the Emperor said with disdain, "Alright, it's settled, you can go rest now." "Wait a minute." Zhao Yao suddenly realized something and looked at the Emperor expectantly, "Father, did you just praise me?" This question made the Emperor raise his eyebrows slightly, "I praised you." Why did this silly son look so incredulous after receiving praise? Zhao Yao's heart was moved, and he thought of a good idea. "Father, can I make a deal with you?" The Emperor was surprised, "What do you want to negotiate with me?" What scheme was this silly son plotting again? "Father, can I only copy the 'Analects' fifty times?" Zhao Yao looked at the Emperor with pleading and clear eyes. The Emperor didn't expect Zhao Yao to make this negotiation. He was both surprised and amused at his son's hopeful gaze. He replied with unyielding words, "No, you can't." Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao wrinkled his small face immediately. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 The Emperor was very satisfied with his son's dejected look, smiling as he said, "A hundred copies of the 'Analects', not a word less." How could this silly son think to barter over such a matter? Zhao Yao dared not speak his anger and could only nod in frustration, "Your son understands." Ahhh, that old rascal Father did it on purpose. The Emperor waved to Zhao Yao and the others, "Go rest." The Fourth Prince quickly bowed, "Your son takes his leave." The Eighth Prince and Zhao Yao followed suit, bowing, and left the Imperial Study with the Fourth Prince. "Your Majesty, the Tenth Highness was about to cry just now. Why didn't you grant his request?" Sun Kui felt a twinge of pity watching. "Why should I agree?" The Emperor thought of his son's disheartened face and chuckled. "Don't you find Little Ten's silly reactions amusing?" Hearing this mischievous remark, Sun Kui felt deep sympathy for Zhao Yao. At this moment, the young eunuch sent to investigate the incident of the Ninth Prince's horse madness entered, reporting to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince's horse was drugged." Upon hearing this, the Emperor was not surprised at all. "Continue the investigation." "Yes, Your Majesty." The young eunuch respectfully exited after speaking. Sun Kui's first thought was that the Seventh Prince had someone drug the Ninth Prince's horse. The Seventh Prince never got along with the Ninth Prince, and considering their previous arguments and competitions, the Seventh Prince had enough motive to drug the Ninth Prince's horse. Why did His Majesty look so calm? Doesn't he worry about the Ninth Prince at all?