“Prince Yan brought Er… uh, brought General Xiaotian?” The Crown Prince nearly broke out in a cold sweat.
Indeed, speaking too much leads to mistakes! He had almost called out Er’niu’s name!
Although Er’niu was famous, he was supposed to have lost his memory and wouldn’t have had the chance to learn about this in others’ eyes.
The attendant quickly replied, “Yes, Your Highness. General Xiaotian is Prince Yan’s dog, named Er’niu, and holds the imperial rank of fourth-grade general.”
Everyone in the palace knew that General Xiaotian was called Er’niu.
It was impossible not to know. General Xiaotian had recently been summoned by His Majesty. How could a dog receiving such an honor be an unknown one? Certainly not.
But why was a dog called Er’niu (Second Ox)?
The attendant pondered this question for the umpteenth time, waiting for the Crown Prince to decide whether to receive them or not.
The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment.
He had already seen several of his brothers; it would be inappropriate to refuse only Seventh Brother.
He was now supposed to be an amnesiac; past closeness or distance no longer mattered. He should treat all his brothers impartially.
He certainly had to see Seventh Brother, but should he see Er’niu?
Remembering how Er’niu had bitten his backside in Prince Yan’s garden, the Crown Prince felt a bit apprehensive.
But if Seventh Brother brought Er’niu to see him, surely Er’niu wouldn’t bite people randomly now?
The Crown Prince hadn’t given up on Er’niu despite that one bite.
It was normal for a dog to bite someone other than its owner, wasn’t it?
If it were any other dog, it would be put down, but Er’niu was different. Er’niu could predict earthquakes and could save lives at crucial moments.
Greed overcame fear, and the Crown Prince smiled, “Then please invite Prince Yan and General Xiaotian in together. I’m quite curious to see what a fourth-grade dog looks like.”
The Crown Prince was satisfied with his performance.
Yes, his reaction seemed quite natural.
Who wouldn’t be curious upon hearing about a dog with an official fourth-grade rank coming to visit?
The attendant hurried to relay the message.
In the imperial study, Emperor Jingming put down a memorial and took a sip from the teacup handed by Pan Hai. He asked, “It seems lively at the Crown Prince’s place?”
With the Crown Prince’s memory loss offering a chance for re-education, Emperor Jingming had been paying extra attention to the happenings in the Eastern Palace these past few days.
Yesterday’s Mid-Autumn family banquet and today’s visits from several princes to the Crown Prince were not unexpected.
The Crown Prince had performed well these two days, not only becoming more composed but also taking the initiative to read history books, which truly pleased him.
Letting the Fourth Prince and the others see the Crown Prince’s current transformation would also help quell any inappropriate thoughts they might have.
Pan Hai replied, “Prince Yan has just arrived.”
“Seventh?” Emperor Jingming casually remarked, “He’s a bit later than the others.”
“The Prince brought General Xiaotian along.”
Emperor Jingming put down his teacup, his interest piqued. “He brought Er’niu?”
“Yes.”
“How absurd!”
Who brings a dog when visiting someone—
Emperor Jingming stood up and said lightly, “Let’s go to the Eastern Palace and take a look.”
Come to think of it, he also missed Minister Xiao a bit. He wondered if Minister Xiao had lost any weight since his promotion.
Confined to the palace, Emperor Jingming couldn’t go out casually, let alone summon General Xiaotian frequently. This rare opportunity was not to be missed.
Emperor Jingming sat in his palanquin with Pan Hai following at his side, leisurely making their way to the Eastern Palace.
Yu Jin heard the attendant say “His Highness requests your presence” and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had truly feared that the Crown Prince might refuse to see Er’niu after being bitten. If that were the case, he would have to wait for another opportunity to expose the Crown Prince.
Yu Jin was impatient; he wanted to eliminate those he targeted immediately, lacking the patience to wait.
What? Could it be that the Crown Prince had forgotten about being bitten by Er’niu due to his memory loss?
Yu Jin scoffed at this idea.
Regardless of what others thought, in his view, the Crown Prince was certainly faking. This could perhaps be attributed to the animal-like instincts he had developed through numerous life-and-death situations in the Southern Frontier.
“This way, Your Highness,” the attendant led the way respectfully.
It was said that Er’niu had suffered no consequences after biting the Crown Prince, and Prince Yan hadn’t been reprimanded by His Majesty. Both Prince Yan and Er’niu were in His Majesty’s favor and couldn’t be treated carelessly.
Upon entering the room with Er’niu, Yu Jin found Prince Lu already there.
“I was about to take my leave, but hearing that Seventh Brother had arrived, I decided to wait and leave with you,” Prince Lu explained.
“That’s perfect,” Yu Jin responded casually, then greeted the Crown Prince, “I heard yesterday that Second Brother was injured and was quite worried. I couldn’t ask much during the banquet, so I came to the palace today to check on Second Brother.”
The Crown Prince had heard such words several times already and smiled, “Seventh Brother is too kind. I’m not seriously injured.”
“I’m glad Second Brother is well,” Yu Jin smiled, patting Er’niu. “Second Brother used to be quite fond of Er’niu, so I brought him along.”
With Yu Jin’s pat, Er’niu took a step forward.
In that instant, the Crown Prince’s pupils dilated sharply.
Yu Jin noticed this and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
The Crown Prince was indeed faking. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reacted this way to Er’niu’s approaching.
Pupil dilation—a sign of nervousness, wasn’t it?
If the Crown Prince had truly lost his memory, shouldn’t his first reaction to seeing a dog with a fourth-grade official rank be curiosity?
With this discovery, Yu Jin became more confident in his next moves.
It was a pity he couldn’t expose the Crown Prince’s disguise in front of the Emperor. That was slightly regrettable. But it didn’t matter; the news would reach the Emperor’s ears with the same effect.
Just as he was thinking this, an attendant announced loudly: “His Majesty the Emperor arrives—”
At that moment, even Yu Jin was stunned.
Was this a case of someone offering a pillow just as he was about to fall asleep?
Thinking of the eighteen years without parental love, Yu Jin silently concluded that marrying Ah Si had brought him good fortune.
Emperor Jingming quickly entered, with Pan Hai following silently behind.
“Sons greet Father Emperor,” the Crown Prince, Yu Jin, and Prince Lu said in unison.
“No need for formalities,” Emperor Jingming said, as if unaware of anything, addressing Yu Jin and Prince Lu, “You’re here too.”
Prince Lu became nervous upon seeing Emperor Jingming and hurriedly said, “Seventh Brother and I came to see Second Brother.”
He gave Yu Jin a look as he spoke.
Father Emperor is here, let’s leave.
Emperor Jingming found Prince Lu’s reaction quite amusing.
He used to think this son was the most reckless, but after one punishment, he had learned to be cautious.
Prince Lu sighed inwardly.
How could he not be cautious? Seventh Brother’s daughter was born a princess, while his daughter could only be titled a county lady when she came of age. When his daughter asked why, where would he put his face?
“Oh, Minister Xiao is here too?” Emperor Jingming had little interest in his two sons and turned his gaze to Er’niu.
Er’niu wagged his tail obediently at Emperor Jingming.
The Crown Prince watched enviously, thinking to himself: Er’niu was so fierce towards him, why was he so docile in front of Father Emperor?
Yu Jin glanced at the Crown Prince from the corner of his eye, displaying an innocent smile: “At A’huan’s full moon celebration, Second Brother said he was quite fond of Er’niu, so I brought him along.”