Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Never Let Me Down Seeing many beautiful sisters staring at the Fourth Prince, Zhao Yao covered his mouth and "sneered". The Eighth Prince, seeing Zhao Yao’s sly smile, asked amusingly, "What are you laughing at?" Zhao Yao lifted his chin towards the girls staring at the Fourth Prince by the roadside, "Eighth Brother, look, they’re all staring at Fourth Brother." The Eighth Prince glanced over, speaking indifferently, "What about it." "Eighth Brother, there are also many people looking at you too." The Eighth Prince was somewhat frail due to not being in good health, making his appearance somewhat feminine. On top of that, his slim build made him look like a girl. His birth mother was from Jiangnan, known for her delicate and gentle beauty, standing out among the palace maids. Even compared to the concubines, she was not inferior. She had always known she was attractive, so she wasn’t content with being a palace maid. Hence, she climbed onto the Dragon Bed when the Emperor was drunk. The Emperor disliked the Eighth Prince, firstly because he detested his birth mother, and secondly because he looked too much like her. It could be said that the Eighth Prince and his concubine mother were identical, not resembling the Emperor in the least. Whenever he saw the Eighth Prince, the Emperor would think of his birth mother and of the scheme she carried out taking advantage of the situation. The Eighth Prince hated one thing about himself the most, and that was his face. Moreover, he despised people saying he was attractive, even more so when people said he looked like a woman. Regarding the curious and admiring gazes from the women by the road, the Eighth Prince felt a deep disgust within himself, involuntarily welling up with irritation. However, he was always adept at controlling his emotions, never letting his true feelings show in the slightest. "Ignore them." Seeing the Eighth Prince’s expression turn a bit cold, Zhao Yao knew his Eighth Brother was angry. For some reason, his Eighth Brother really disliked women and didn’t like others saying he was good-looking. If someone praised him for being pretty, he would be over the moon. Zhao Yao leaned in close to the Fourth Prince, asking curiously, "Fourth Brother, what kind of woman do you like?" The Fourth Prince was taken aback by Zhao Yao’s sudden question, and asked in return, "Why are you asking this?" "I’m curious, aren’t I? Fourth Brother, you’ll come of age and be granted a title the year after next, and next year Father will surely arrange a marriage for you." Zhao Yao’s eyes, like black opals, sparkled with gossip as he looked at the Fourth Prince, "Fourth Brother, what kind of woman do you like, a pretty one or not pretty?" The Fourth Prince had never thought about this matter. With Zhao Yao’s unexpected question, he was momentarily at a loss for how to answer. "Oh..." Zhao Yao deliberately elongated his tone, "Fourth Brother, you must like scholarly women." Fourth Brother is great at studying and must like women who are as studious as he is. "I haven’t thought about it." The Fourth Prince spoke lightly, "Father’s marriage arrangement, whether I like it or not is unimportant." Although the Fourth Prince hadn’t thought about the matter of his future official wife, it didn’t mean he was unaware of matters between men and women. "Why is it unimportant?" Zhao Yao asked in shock, "Fourth Brother, do you mean that even if Father has you marry someone you particularly dislike, you would still marry her?" "The official wife Father selects for me must be the most suitable." The Fourth Prince added, "Liking or not liking doesn’t matter; suitability is what’s most important." After he finished speaking, seeing Zhao Yao look at him with a face of confusion, he couldn’t help but chuckle, then lifted his hand and gently tapped Zhao Yao’s small head. "You’re still young, you wouldn’t understand even if I explained." "Fourth Brother, are you so knowledgeable then?" "I know more than you." The Fourth Prince didn’t continue with this topic, instead changing the subject to the banquet tomorrow night. Upon hearing about the banquet tomorrow night, Zhao Yao’s thoughts immediately shifted to the delicious food, no longer asking the Fourth Prince about this matter. The Eighth Prince, overhearing the conversation between the Fourth Prince and Zhao Yao, had a flicker of mockery in his eyes. Zhao Yao occasionally chatted with the Fourth Prince, then again with the Eighth Prince. Shortly afterwards, they finally reached the palace gate. The Crown Prince dismounted first, followed by Prince Dai. Besides the Emperor, no one was allowed to ride horses into the palace. The Crown Prince instructed the Imperial Guards and ministers to return. Prince Dai also instructed his men to return. The Crown Prince let Prince Dai’s men return home to rest well, as the Emperor would bestow rewards tomorrow, and there would be a celebration banquet in the evening, letting them recuperate. "Second Brother, Father is still waiting for you, let’s enter the palace." The Crown Prince said to the Third Prince and the others, "Third Brother, you all may return first." "Yes, Crown Prince." Watching as the Crown Prince and Prince Dai walked shoulder to shoulder towards Chengguang Hall, the Third Prince smiled enigmatically, then took out a folding fan from his bosom and lightly waved it. "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, would you like to come to my place for a cup of tea?" "With Third Brother’s invitation, we naturally follow." The Fifth Prince said with a smile. "Let’s go." Zhao Yao saw the Fourth Prince looking at him and was so startled he immediately retreated behind the Eighth Prince, "Fourth Brother, you said I don’t have to go to your place, you shouldn’t go back on your word." The Fourth Prince smiled helplessly, "I was going to remind you not to forget to copy The Analects." "Fourth Brother, I won’t forget, I’ll go back and copy it right away." The Fourth Prince said no more and turned to return to Xingde Palace. Among the princes, only the Seventh Prince, Ninth Prince, and Zhao Yao did not move into Xingde Palace, while the rest lived there. "Eighth Brother, I’ll go back and copy The Analects first, see you tomorrow." Zhao Yao said dispiritedly. The Eighth Prince grabbed Zhao Yao’s collar and said with a smile, "Come to my place, we can copy it together." Only then did Zhao Yao remember the Eighth Prince had always been helping him copy The Analects. His once sullen eyes immediately became very bright, and his exquisite and lovely face showed an expectant expression. "Eighth Brother, you help me copy..." Before he could finish his sentence, the Eighth Prince covered his mouth. "Shh, this isn’t the place for talking, let’s head back to Xingde Palace first." "Alright." Zhao Yao obediently followed behind the Eighth Prince. Xingde Palace was very large, and the princes living inside each had their own courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard, there were ten or twenty rooms. However, the Eighth Prince’s courtyard was not large, with only about ten rooms. The Eighth Prince’s courtyard was located in the most secluded place in Xingde Palace, yet it was extremely quiet. The Third Prince and others never came to the Eighth Prince’s courtyard, nor did they send anyone to monitor him, allowing the Eighth Prince to do many things in his courtyard. Walking into Xingde Palace, the first sight was a very large garden. The garden was arranged with Jiangnan flair, with every detail being very elegant. Just upon entering Xingde Palace, there was laughter coming from the Third Prince and Fifth Prince. "What are Third Brother and the others laughing about, laughing so happily?" Zhao Yao hadn’t been to the Third Prince’s courtyard because the Third Prince and others didn’t let him in. "Ignore them." At this moment, Yu Hai came over, saluting the Eighth Prince and Zhao Yao, "Greetings, Your Highness, greetings, Tenth Highness." The Eighth Prince nodded slightly, then instructed Yu Hai, "Have the small kitchen make a cup of milk tea for Tenth Brother." Zhao Yao quickly said, "Add extra honey." "Yes, Tenth Highness." "Did the small kitchen make any snacks today?" "Replying to Your Highness, they did make some." "Bring them over for Tenth Brother to taste later." "Eighth Brother treats me the best." Zhao Yao followed the Eighth Prince to the study. The Eighth Prince took out the copied The Analects for him to see. He carefully counted, realizing the Eighth Prince had helped him copy it fifty times. This was a huge surprise for Zhao Yao. He hugged the Eighth Prince, joyfully exclaiming, "Eighth Brother is the best," "Eighth Brother is amazing," "Eighth Brother is the best person in the world," and other praises. Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, Prince Dai was reporting to the Emperor about the great victory in Liangzhou. The Crown Prince was not in the Imperial Study, having returned to the Eastern Palace. It wasn’t that the Emperor dismissed the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince thoughtfully withdrew on his own, leaving the Emperor and Prince Dai to be alone. Though Prince Dai had written several letters to the Emperor before returning to the capital, detailing the process of quelling the Liangzhou rebellion, they hadn’t been very specific. Prince Dai reported for two hours before finishing his account of the great victory in Liangzhou, then looked at the Emperor with an expression of seeking praise. The Emperor, seeing his look, smiled and said, "Well done, better than I imagined, you didn’t let me down." Although many had praised Prince Dai for his outstanding efforts in quelling the rebellion in Liangzhou, Prince Dai wanted to hear the Emperor’s praise personally. To him, the Emperor’s praise and recognition were the most important. "Father, when have I ever let you down?"