At noon, after school, Zhao Yao was surprised when he saw Lu Cong and Tong Xi standing at the door of Wende Hall. He immediately thought of something and felt clear in his heart.
When Lu Cong saw Zhao Yao, he hurriedly came forward. He bowed respectfully to Zhao Yao and then told him why he came to Zhao Yao.
After hearing that Lu Cong said that His Royal Highness the Prince invited him to have lunch with him in the East Palace, Zhao Yao thought to himself: He knew it.
Zhao Yao followed Lu Cong to the East Palace with Tongxi.
When the prince saw Zhao Yao, he smiled very kindly: "The tenth brother is here."
Zhao Yao hurriedly saluted the prince: "Brother Prince."
"Tenth brother, you don't need so many courtesy." The prince motioned for Zhao Yao to sit down first, and Zhao Yao sat down next to the eighth prince.
Lu Cong brought Zhao Yao a cup of tea: "Your Highness, please have some tea."
Zhao Yao nodded lightly, then picked up the teacup and drank slowly.
"Tenth brother, what did you learn this morning? Is there anything you didn't understand?" the prince asked with concern.
As soon as Zhao Yao heard the prince's question, his pretty little face wrinkled up immediately, with a wry smile on his face.
"Brother Prince, it's time for school to end. Can you please not mention such disappointing things? It will affect my appetite."
When the prince heard what Zhao Yao said, he was stunned for a moment, and then chuckled. He pointed at Zhao Yao and scolded with a smile: "You...you are still the same as when you were a child. As soon as I mentioned reading to you, you immediately became unhappy."
"Brother Prince, since you know this, why do you ask me such a terrible question?" Zhao Yao said with a wrinkled face, "Now I am the only one studying in the Wende Hall. I can't get distracted or sleep even if I want to." As he spoke, he sighed and said, "Oh, I'm so miserable now."
The prince was amused by Zhao Yao's distressed look. He deliberately teased him and said: "Now, gentlemen, you only have one student to teach, shouldn't you be happy?"
"Happy?" Zhao Yao couldn't help but let out a scream, and then said with disbelief, "I don't need it, thank you."
"Hahahaha..." The prince burst out laughing at Zhao Yao's interesting appearance, and immediately said, "Next year, Tuantuan will go to Wende Hall to study, and someone will accompany you then."
"Brother Prince, you should let Tuantuan study in the East Palace." Zhao Yao said seriously, "I don't need Tuantuan to study with me."
Zhao Yao's reaction was unexpected by the prince. He thought Zhao Yao was very happy that Tuantuan could study with him.
"You don't like Tuantuan studying with you?"
"Brother Prince, Tuan Tuan is so smart. If he studies with me, I will be under a lot of pressure." Zhao Yao's expression suddenly became very sad, "When the time comes, my uncle, Tuan Tuan, is not as good as my nephew Tuan Tuan, then wouldn't I? Is it too embarrassing?”
The prince did not expect this to be the reason, and his expression was very dumbfounded.
"Although I am not good at studying, as an elder, I have to have some face. If Tuantuan is allowed to study with me and finds that my uncle is very stupid in reading, and then Tuantuan wants to teach my uncle, then as an elder I What should I do with my dignity?" Zhao Yao looked at the prince pitifully, his tone full of pleading, "Brother Prince, please do well and let the gentlemen study in groups in the East Palace. Don't let him go to the Hall of Wende to study."
The prince couldn't help it, his eyes were full of smiles.
"I can't make the decision."
"You are Tuantuan's father, why can't you make the decision?"
"The rule set by the emperor's grandpa is that both the prince and the emperor's grandson must go to the Wende Hall to study." The prince suppressed a smile and said, "As the emperor's grandson, Tuantuan will naturally go to the Wende Hall to study."
"Can't Tuantuan study in the East Palace?" Zhao Yao said unwillingly, "Aren't there many gentlemen in the East Palace?"
After the prince came of age, he no longer studied in the Wende Hall, but he still had to study every day. So, there are some gentlemen in the East Palace. They not only have to read to the prince every day, but also explain it to the prince.
"No, Tuantuan must go to the Wende Hall to study. This is the rule."
"Alas..." Zhao Yao sighed resentfully, "It's over, I am a very good uncle in Tuantuan's heart now. When Tuantuan goes to Wende Hall to study, he will find that his uncle is a stupid student. Tuantuan will definitely laugh at me."
"Tuan Tuan is a sensible child. He will not laugh at your little uncle." The prince comforted Zhao Yao.
"It's all because I'm young..." There's really no benefit to being young. It's really difficult for him.
"If you are afraid that everyone will laugh at you, then you should study hard on weekdays." The prince's tone naturally shifted to Mr. Meng, "You met Mr. Meng yesterday, and he must have advised you to study hard. Bar."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao marveled in his heart that the prince changed the subject so suddenly and so smoothly.
"No, Mr. Meng didn't ask me to study hard."
The prince pretended to be surprised and asked, "Mr. Meng didn't ask you to study hard when he saw you, so what did he say to you?"
Zhao Yao complained unceremoniously to the prince in his heart: Brother prince, your acting skills are too poor and too exaggerated.
"Mr. Meng asked me how I made printing and the plow, and told me that what I made was very useful to the people." Zhao Yao said innocently, "He even thanked me specifically."
The prince frowned slightly after hearing this. He asked again: "Mr. Meng, what else did I tell you?"
Zhao Yao shook his head and said, "No more."
"No more?" The prince didn't believe it. "Didn't you and your father spend the whole morning at Mr. Meng's place?"
"Yes, my father is playing chess with Mr. Meng in person."
The prince didn't bother to ask around in circles and asked Zhao Yao directly: "Did your father talk to Mr. Meng when they were playing chess?"
"Of course I spoke."
The prince hurriedly asked: "What did you say?"
Zhao Yao pretended to be thinking, and after a while he said: "I didn't listen carefully. They seemed to be talking about food and farming. They talked a lot."
The prince hurriedly asked again: "Did my father and Mr. Meng talk about me, the acting king, or the ministers in the court?"
"I have no idea."
"I don't know?" The prince was dissatisfied with Zhao Yao's answer, "Aren't you with your father? Why don't you know what your father and Mr. Meng are talking about?"
Zhao Yao smiled sheepishly: "I felt bored listening to Father and the others talking, and then fell asleep. I don't know what they said next."
The prince's expression suddenly became very strange.
"Brother Prince, what's wrong with you?" Seeing that the prince looked a little strange, Zhao Yao asked with concern, "Brother Prince, do you have a stomachache?"
The prince came back to his senses and smiled gently at Zhao Yao: "I'm fine. Did you and your father have lunch with Mr. Meng?"
Zhao Yao nodded and said, "Well, Mr. Meng can eat as well as me. He ate a lot." As he said that, he raised four fingers and said with great admiration, "He ate four bowls of rice." .”
The Eighth Prince sitting aside could hardly hold back his laughter.
The prince was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "It seems that Mr. Meng has a good appetite."
"Very good. Mr. Meng said that even though he doesn't eat vegetables, he can eat four bowls of food." Zhao Yao said with admiration on his face, "He is really amazing."
"Did your father say anything when he had lunch with Mr. Meng?" The prince was not very interested in the fact that Mr. Meng could eat. He only cared about whether Mr. Meng mentioned him.
"My father asked Mr. Meng what he likes to do in his daily life. Mr. Meng said that he likes to farm and grow vegetables. Then he kept telling his father how he farmed and how he grew vegetables." If Mr. Meng met his mother-in-law, he would They should be able to chat, because the mother-in-law also likes to farm and grow vegetables.
"Didn't you say anything about the imperial court?"
"No." Zhao Yao added, "I didn't say anything about you and the second brother, the prince brother."
The prince still refused to give up and asked, "Didn't you mention me even once?"
"Anyway, the prince brother and you were not mentioned during lunch." Zhao Yao added, "Father and Mr. Meng have been talking about farming, and the two of them had a great time chatting."
The prince found it difficult to accept. Why didn't Mr. Meng mention him?
He suddenly thought of something and asked again: "Has Mr. Meng read the articles and poems I wrote?"
"No." After Zhao Yao finished speaking, he looked at the prince with strange eyes, "Brother Prince, who knows how to read while eating?"
Before the Eighth Prince laughed out loud, he quickly put the back of his hand against his mouth.
The prince was choked by what Zhao Yao said and smiled unnaturally. He asked again: "Did Mr. Meng and my father talk about anything else?"
"No, after lunch, Mr. Meng and my father were still talking about farming." Zhao Yao curled his lips and said, "My father has never farmed before. I really don't know where he knew about farming. The conversation with Mr. Meng was very exciting. My father also said that his previous wish was to buy more than ten acres of land to grow food and vegetables."
The prince didn't want to hear these words. What he wanted to hear was Mr. Meng's praise for him.
Seeing that the prince's face was a little ugly, the eighth prince quickly changed the subject and said, "Brother, it's time for lunch. Let's go have lunch."
When Zhao Yao heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and a look of anticipation appeared on his face.
"Brother Prince, Brother Ba, what should we eat for lunch today?"
The eighth prince led Zhao Yao to the dining hall. He gently shook his head at Zhao Yao, then raised his chin and nuzzled towards the prince.
Zhao Yao instantly understood what the eighth prince meant and became quiet.
During the meal, the prince had no appetite and remained sullen and silent.
Although it was a table of delicious food, Zhao Yao's appetite was affected by the prince and he didn't eat much. After finishing lunch, Zhao Yao left quickly at the Eighth Prince's signal.
Back at Xingdeok Palace, Zhao Yao quickly asked the small kitchen to make him some food. He just didn't have enough to eat in the East Palace.
"Your Highness, this is the first time that this servant has seen you eating so elegantly."
"What do you think? It's not like you haven't seen the expression on the prince's brother's face. It's as if I owe him hundreds of taels of gold and haven't paid him back." Last night, the eighth prince reminded Zhao Yao that the prince or the acting king would find him today. He asked him what Mr. Meng said.
"Your Highness, you did not lie to His Highness the Crown Prince. Why is His Highness the Crown Prince unhappy?" Tong Xi felt very distressed when he saw that Zhao Yao was so frightened just now that he didn't dare to eat more. "Mr. Meng didn't mention him. It's not your fault. Why should he blame you?"
"Yeah, what does it have to do with me? It's inexplicable."
Tong Xi lowered his voice and said to Zhao Yao: "Your Highness, I really didn't expect His Royal Highness to be so narrow-minded."
Zhao Yao nodded and said with deep approval: "I really didn't expect that the prince brother would hate me."
When Tong Xi heard what Zhao Yao said, he turned pale with fright, and then his face was full of worry and anxiety: "Your Highness, Your Highness, the Crown Prince will not do anything bad to you, right?"
"That's not the case." Zhao Yao said, narrowing his eyes slightly with an inexplicable expression.
Tongxi saw that Zhao Yao's expression became a little strange, and asked worriedly: "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, I just feel that the prince brother is getting more and more..." Zhao Yao couldn't say anything for a while, "You haven't noticed that the prince brother has become... in the past two years..." Zhao Yao couldn't find the words to describe it, and struggled for a long time before saying, "He has become less gentle and kind than before, and has become a bit mean?"
"Ah?" Tong Xi was startled for a moment, then quickly nodded in agreement with Zhao Yao's words, "You can tell from what happened just now."
"Do you think that the prince is very concerned about Mr. Meng's opinion of him? He has been asking me whether Mr. Meng has mentioned him." Zhao Yao knew why the prince cared so much about Mr. Meng's opinion of him, but he did not expect that The prince would be so eager. Also, it seems that Mr. Meng did something very wrong for not mentioning him.
"That's it." Tongxi said, "I feel that His Highness the Crown Prince seems to be in a hurry."
"Forget it, it has nothing to do with me." Anyway, Mr. Meng will not see him again, so it is useless for the prince to be jealous.
"Your Highness, does it really matter? Your Highness, won't you wear small shoes?"
"If he really makes things difficult for me, he will be doomed." Zhao Yao was hungry and hurriedly asked Tong Xi to go to the small kitchen to see if the noodles were ready.
Tongxi came back with the freshly made noodles: "Your Highness, please eat a bowl of noodles first to fill your stomach. The small kitchen is still making other things for you."
While Zhao Yao was eating noodles, he said in his heart: From now on, if I beat him to death, I won’t even go to the East Palace.
As soon as he finished eating the noodles, he saw King Dai arrive.
As soon as he saw Dai Wang, Zhao Yao knew what his purpose was for coming to him, and he sighed deeply and helplessly in his heart: Is this the case?
The King of Dai did not go around in circles and talk about something that was not available like the Prince. He first gave Zhao Yao a bag of golden beans, and then asked Zhao Yao straight to the point, what Mr. Meng said to the emperor, whether he mentioned him, and whether he mentioned the prince.
Compared to the prince's approach, Zhao Yao prefers the king's approach. He told the king again exactly what he said to the prince before.
Unlike the prince, the acting king repeatedly confirmed whether Mr. Meng mentioned him. He felt relieved when he learned that Mr. Meng did not mention him or the prince. Without asking Zhao Yao again, he left Xingde Palace.
After the King Dai left, Tongxi said: "Your Highness, this servant suddenly feels that His Highness the King Dai is quite good."
Zhao Yao threw the money bag in his hand and said with a smile: "You are right, the second brother is very good." At least the second brother is generous and not as petty as the prince brother.
When the eighth prince learned that King Dai had come to see Zhao Yao, he felt uneasy and hurried back, asking Zhao Yao if King Dai had given him any trouble.
Zhao Yao said that King Dai not only did not make things difficult for him, but also gave him a bag of golden beans.
He told the eighth prince exactly what he said to the king.
The Eighth Prince felt relieved after hearing this.
"Brother Bage, is the prince brother angry with me?" Zhao Yao asked cautiously, "Did the prince brother blame me for going to see Mr. Meng?"
"Don't worry about him." The eighth prince now looked down upon the prince even more.
"However, when we were eating just now, the prince brother seemed very unhappy."
Seeing Zhao Yao's frightened and uneasy look, the Eighth Prince reached out and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him in a gentle tone: "The prince wants Mr. Meng to see him, it has nothing to do with you." He added, "Yes. Brother Ba is here, don’t be afraid, the prince won’t do anything to you.”
Zhao Yao immediately smiled: "Then I'm not afraid anymore."
"You didn't eat enough in the East Palace just now. Did you eat anything when you came back?"
"Eat." Zhao Yao patted his belly and said, "I'm full now."
"That's good." The Eighth Prince comforted Zhao Yao again before leaving.
On the way to the East Palace, the Eighth Prince told Yu Hai with a gloomy face: "Let Wei Yan tell the king about that matter."
Yu Hai was shocked and said: "Your Highness, didn't you tell Mr. Wei that you should hide this matter first and wait until the time is right to tell the king and let the king deal with the prince? Why did you tell him now?"
The eighth prince sneered: "The prince is too idle, I have to make some trouble for him."
Yu Hai: Your Highness, you just want to vent your anger on His Highness Tenth.
Prince: Mr. Meng didn’t mention me. This is unscientific.
Mr. Meng: Who are you?
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