Upon entering the Imperial Study, Yu Jin formally greeted Emperor Jingming: “Your son pays his respects, Imperial Father.”

He had not yet changed out of the clothes he wore during the assassination attempt. The torn sleeve and bloodstains immediately caught Emperor Jingming’s attention.

Those bloodstains ignited a fire in Emperor Jingming’s heart.

Regardless of his feelings towards this son, the Seventh Prince was, after all, the current Dynasty’s Seventh Prince and the dignified Prince Yan. How dare someone attempt to assassinate him right under the Emperor’s nose, even using a poisoned dagger!

What were the assailant’s intentions, and where did that leave him as the Emperor?

The more Emperor Jingming pondered, the more infuriated he became. Comparatively, his anger at Yu Jin’s foolish act of reporting to the Shuntian Prefecture had somewhat subsided.

Nevertheless, whether from the stance of an emperor or a father, admonishment was still necessary where due.

“You encountered an assassination attempt today?”

Yu Jin lowered his gaze: “Your unfilial son has caused you to worry, Imperial Father.”

Emperor Jingming rubbed his nose.

Who was worried? This boy was truly presumptuous.

However, as the Emperor didn’t deny it, the ministers in the Imperial Study were somewhat surprised.

They hadn’t expected His Majesty to be so concerned about Prince Yan. This didn’t align with their previous understanding. It seemed they would need to reassess their positioning of Prince Yan in the future.

Among them, the Minister of Justice thought the deepest.

Since returning to the capital, the Seventh Prince had lived in seclusion, barely making any public appearances. One could say he had virtually no presence in the capital. Many were waiting to see what would happen when the prince turned eighteen without being summoned by the Emperor. Unexpectedly, the Seventh Prince had managed to see the Emperor through a street brawl.

In the Minister of Justice’s view, this was a life-or-death gamble, and the Seventh Prince had undoubtedly won. One audience with the Emperor had smoothly led to his enfeoffment as a prince. And now, the Seventh Prince had once again naturally gained an audience with the Emperor!

Prince Yan was not to be underestimated.

Emperor Jingming looked at his son standing below, his brow gradually furrowing: “Have you offended someone again?”

Such words from the Emperor would have alarmed anyone else, but Yu Jin seemed entirely unconcerned, his expression unchanged: “Since returning to the capital, your son has had little contact with others. I can’t think of who I might have offended.”

“Didn’t you offend quite a few people on your birthday?” Emperor Jingming blurted out.

Yu Jin was stunned for a moment, then sighed: “I did offend a few brothers.”

Emperor Jingming suddenly felt the urge to kick someone.

He had spoken carelessly. By saying this, wasn’t he implying to others that it was one of his other sons who had targeted Old Seven?

Family scandals should not be aired publicly, and there were still three old fellows in the Imperial Study.

The three “old fellows” kept their eyes lowered, wearing innocent expressions as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

Once Emperor Jingming’s suspicions were aroused, they spread like wildfire, unstoppable.

He knew that Old Seven had lived in seclusion since returning to the capital. If he had offended anyone, it would be those brothers. Could it be that because of one fight, someone among them would resort to such vicious means against their brother?

Imperial family affection was thin, but precisely because of this, Emperor Jingming was particularly wary of fraternal strife.

Sending assassins with poisoned daggers was entirely different from a mere brawl.

The more Emperor Jingming thought about it, the more enraged he became, though his face remained impassive. He calmly addressed the Minister of Justice and the other two: “You need not involve yourselves in this matter anymore. Leave it to the Jinlin Guard to thoroughly investigate.”

Hearing this, the corner of Yu Jin’s lips curved slightly upward.

No matter who investigated or how much was uncovered, it could only benefit him. So, a son seeking his father’s help after being wronged was never a mistake.

The Minister of Justice and the other two were more than willing to comply when they heard this. They hurriedly agreed.

They could finally rid themselves of this hot potato; let whoever wants it take it.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study grew somewhat tense. Emperor Jingming glanced at Pan Hai with a stern face: “Pan Hai, go ask Minister Dou if he plans to keep Prince Yan’s mansion for himself until the New Year.”

The Minister of Justice and the other two exchanged glances, thinking silently that the Minister of Works had truly suffered an undeserved calamity.

“Alright, you may all withdraw.”

“We take our leave, Your Majesty.”

Seeing Yu Jin prepare to leave with the Minister of Justice and the others, Emperor Jingming raised his eyelids slightly: “Old Seven, you stay.”

Under the peculiar gazes of the Minister of Justice and the others, Yu Jin halted his steps.

After the others had withdrawn, Emperor Jingming’s posture relaxed slightly. He snorted coldly: “Old Seven, have you no sense of propriety? Why did you go to the Shuntian Prefecture to report after the assassination attempt?”

For a dignified prince, his imperial son, to run to report like a common citizen – he could almost imagine the expressions of those people when this boy revealed his identity.

“Who are you?”

“Born of the imperial family, my father is the current Emperor.”

Just thinking about it made Emperor Jingming feel like his old face had been utterly disgraced!

Yu Jin remained silent for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Emperor Jingming: “Your son also didn’t know how to handle such a situation. The first thing that came to mind was to report it officially.”

The youth’s features were exquisite, his demeanor as pure and clear as snow on high mountains, quite pleasing to the eye.

And those who are pleasing to the eye are often favored.

Looking at his son of distinguished bearing, Emperor Jingming suddenly thought of how he had drifted outside the palace for over a decade, especially in the later years when he was far away in the uncivilized Southern Frontier. It was only natural that he wouldn’t understand the proper etiquette.

How could he expect a child raised in the wilderness to understand the subtleties of court etiquette like those grown up in the palace? It would be like blaming a wild wolf for not eating grass – not something a wise ruler should do.

“Ahem, once you move into your princely mansion, you’ll have your officials. They will handle these matters for you in the future. You must never act so recklessly again.”

“Your son acknowledges his mistake.” Yu Jin admitted his fault quite readily.

After all, admitting a mistake wouldn’t cost him any flesh. As for whether others might lose some flesh, that was none of his concern.

“Very well, you may withdraw. Stay put in your residence when you have no business. Don’t go stirring up trouble every day.”

“Your son will heed Father Emperor’s teachings.”

Looking at his calm and obedient son, Emperor Jingming vaguely felt an ominous premonition.

He felt he wouldn’t have much leisure time to read novels in the future.

Never mind, out of sight, out of mind.

Emperor Jingming waved his hand, signaling Yu Jin to withdraw. Over an hour later, the Commander of the Jinlin Guard arrived.

“Speak,” Emperor Jingming said impatiently, seeing the Commander of the Jinlin Guard hesitating.

The Commander lowered his head and said, “Your Majesty, we have yet to find any clues about the person who ambushed Prince Yan. The only unusual thing is… Prince Lu was seen lingering near Prince Yan’s temporary residence today, and he had a brief conversation with Prince Yan before the latter entered the palace—”

“That scoundrel!” Emperor Jingming angrily slammed his hand on the dragon’s desk.

In his heart, Yu Jin was an insignificant prince to both the court and himself. How could such a person provoke someone to attempt murder?

He couldn’t help but suspect several of his sons.

“Summon Prince Lu to the palace!”

As Pan Hai was about to leave with the order, Emperor Jingming called him back: “Wait, summon all the princes to the palace.”

Even though the Fifth Prince was the most suspicious, fraternal strife was too unsightly to be made public, especially without evidence.

Emperor Jingming decided to summon all his sons to the palace and admonish them all, treating them equally.

Pan Hai walked to the door of the Imperial Study with his head lowered, only to be called back again by Emperor Jingming: “Summon the Crown Prince as well.”