Zhao Yishi’s entire body swayed violently.

He felt the father before his eyes was very strange.

Strange in what way?

Those eyes.

Father’s gaze had always been murky and lifeless, yet at this moment his eyes were not only clear but sharp, as if he himself were just a self-important, self-satisfied child in Father’s eyes.

“The Crown Prince just said that my position as Crown Prince still depended on you, the Grand Prince, to preserve.”

Zhao Yanluo: “You’re wrong again. It was precisely because I am this crippled, fat, timid, and useless Crown Prince that you could sit in the position of Grand Prince and preserve that position.”

“How is that possible?”

Zhao Yishi was both shocked and terrified, his voice breaking.

“The Deposed Crown Prince’s cautionary tale—the Crown Prince only saw his lack of ruthlessness and thus warned yourself to be ruthless. Have you, Crown Prince, looked deeper at the other side of why the Deposed Crown Prince lost favor with the Yuanfeng Emperor?”

Zhao Yanluo laughed coldly.

“A person who is handsome, excels at studies, has a good temperament, treats people courteously, handles matters impartially—perfect in every way without a single flaw.

But this way, doesn’t it make everyone else look bad?

When a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will surely destroy it.

The Emperor is also human, also has the seven emotions and six desires—jealousy and hatred.”

Zhao Yanluo’s gaze swept lightly across Zhao Yishi’s face.

“How handsome the Deposed Crown Prince’s face was, how outstanding his bearing! Standing in the great hall like a jade tree facing the wind, everyone’s gaze was drawn to him.

The Yuanfeng Emperor sat on the dragon throne, watching this scene daily—wouldn’t he feel jealous?

Crown Prince, you’re well-read in history. Think carefully—throughout history, how many people who were too outstanding had good endings?

Not many.

Why?

Because human hearts are thus, human nature is thus—no one can stand seeing others better than themselves.

Crown Prince, satisfying one’s appetite is the easiest desire in this world to fulfill.

Born into the imperial family, from childhood—things that fly in the sky, swim in the water—what delicacy couldn’t I eat? Why did I still make myself so fat?

Because the Late Emperor was in his prime years while I was gradually growing up, my wings gradually strengthening.

A strong father and strong son is a good thing in common families, but in the imperial family, it’s a great taboo.

The Late Emperor’s manner was extremely similar to the Yuanfeng Emperor’s. They were both decisive heroes of great killing. What do heroes fear?

They fear aging!

So I, this Crown Prince, had to be fat and plump, incompetent and mediocre, accomplishing nothing. Even if mocked by others, it was better than being praised.

Crown Prince, this tactic is called ‘concealing one’s abilities.’

Precisely because of my concealment, when the Late Emperor saw that the Zhao family’s empire couldn’t be handed to me, this useless person, he created you as Grand Prince.”

The former Grand Prince, now Crown Prince, felt cold seeping from even his bone marrow, yet his soul seemed to burn.

Was this true?

Was it really true?

If truly so, then how deeply this man before him had hidden his schemes—even deceiving the Late Emperor.

“In Duanmu Palace, one Crown Prince, one Grand Prince—father and son both holding high positions, every word and action of great importance.”

Zhao Yanluo continued lightly:

“You used your intelligence to contrast my stupidity. I used my stupidity to support your intelligence.

The two sides of the scale maintained balance through intelligence and stupidity.

When the Late Emperor saw me, he felt disgust, thinking the Grand Prince was better.

When he saw the Grand Prince, he thought having such a father was truly pitiful, and would treat you even better, teach you more attentively.

So Crown Prince, you said it backward—it wasn’t you who preserved me, but I who achieved you!”

Zhao Yishi felt dizzy and disoriented, darkness swimming before his eyes.

Father achieved him?

It was actually Father who achieved him!

After a long while, he asked through gritted teeth: “Since we father and son had already achieved such good balance, why did the Late Emperor’s thoughts of deposing you persist all these years?”

“Because in the Late Emperor’s heart, there was also a scale. On one end of this scale sat you and I, on the other end sat the Prince of Han.”

Zhao Yanluo: “Has the Crown Prince carefully observed that when our side rose up, the Late Emperor’s hand would press us down? When Han’s side rose, the Late Emperor’s hand would press him down?

Not allowing any one family to dominate, sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight—Crown Prince, this is yet another kind of balance.

Under this balance, the Late Emperor could obtain two benefits.

One: his empire was more stable. No one dared divide his power. Whoever divided his power, he would take their life.

The other: he could clearly discern who in the court was the Crown Prince’s faction, who was Han’s faction, and who remained neutral.”

The image of the late old censor Lu Shi suddenly flashed through Zhao Yishi’s mind.

This person sided with neither, yet was valued by the Late Emperor.

“The Late Emperor’s repeated thoughts of deposing me, repeatedly placing me in danger—from another perspective, this was also tempering me, tempering the Prince of Han, tempering you.”

Zhao Yanluo: “For the Zhao family’s empire to last for ten thousand generations, incompetent wastes cannot become successors. Only those who have been tempered a thousand times, refined a hundred times, are qualified to stand at the highest position.”

Zhao Yishi looked at the emperor before him, feeling inexplicable waves of fear.

He hid in the shadows, silently observing everyone around him, every face, calculating human hearts and human nature without the slightest error.

He not only calculated against the Late Emperor, even his own son wasn’t spared.

Truly laughable.

He himself had actually… actually thought Father was someone who feared death, who was completely useless.

“As for why I spared her?”

Zhao Yanluo was silent for a very long time, then raised his cane and poked Zhao Yishi’s chest.

“A person in a position should do what that position requires. What the heir apparent’s heart should contain is the empire and state, governmental affairs—not an insignificant woman who can’t make waves.”

Zhao Yishi was poked back half a step, stumbling.

He instantly understood—Father wasn’t unwilling to kill her, but disdained to kill her.

“There’s another point—in doing things, don’t pursue total annihilation. Have a bit of womanly compassion, leave others a path to survival.”

Zhao Yanluo pounded his cane heavily on the ground, covering it with his other hand.

“Leaving others a path to survival may also be leaving yourself a path to survival, leaving your descendants a path to survival.”

No one had ever said these words to him.

His teachers, his Imperial Grandfather—all taught him his heart must be ruthless, his hand must be vicious, trust no one.

Can’t trust brothers, can’t trust the person beside your pillow, can’t trust anyone in the world—even your own parents must be guarded against.

Zhao Yishi’s eyes stung painfully, saying miserably: “Why didn’t Father tell me these things earlier?”

Zhao Yanluo looked at him for a long time. “When have you ever listened to even half a sentence of my words?”

In that instant, Zhao Yishi’s expression was indescribable.

From childhood, Mother had told him—

Son, you absolutely mustn’t learn from your father. Look at your father’s cowering manner—how could he accomplish anything great? All day just knowing how to eat, eat, eat!

Son, you must obediently listen to Mother’s words. Mother and your several uncles will risk death to send you to that position. Stay far away from your useless father.

At first, he had felt sorry for Father.

Hearing such words often, he gradually came to despise him too.

Yes, he had never truly respected the man before him, much less listened carefully to his words or pondered the deeper meaning in them.

Every time the cane struck him, he thought this cripple was jealous of his favor before the Late Emperor, jealous of his appearance, and his pair of sound legs.

He never imagined—Father was teaching him.