What would it be like to smash a wine jar over a prince’s head? Not only could the serving maids not imagine it, but even the other princes present couldn’t conceive of such a thing.
Yet this very scene was unfolding before them!
In that instant, everyone froze like wooden chickens, including the Fifth Prince who had been struck.
Of course, the others were frozen in shock, while the Fifth Prince was stunned by the blow.
A stream of blood trickled down the Fifth Prince’s forehead and into his mouth, which hung open in astonishment.
The sharp taste of blood finally woke him from his daze. He leaped up with a roar: “You dare strike me?”
The Fifth Prince’s mother was from a military family, and he had favored martial arts since childhood. Among all the princes, he was considered the most skilled fighter. Once he recovered, he immediately counterattacked.
Yu Jin let out a cold laugh, grabbed the Fifth Prince’s arm, twisted it forcefully, and pinned him to the long table before raining down punches.
Some people’s mouths were too foul – they needed a beating before anything else!
The other princes were stunned at the sight.
So brothers could be this direct with each other?
The Fourth Prince’s expression was particularly ugly – he nearly rolled his eyes.
He had organized this birthday celebration simply to gain a reputation for brotherly harmony. How had it devolved into two princes brawling like street thugs?
If the Seventh Brother seriously injured the Fifth Brother, he would face the Father Emperor’s displeasure as well.
Thinking this, the Fourth Prince hurried to break up the fight: “Seventh Brother, stop at once—”
The other princes, whether sincere or not, all rushed to intervene.
Yu Jin, who had grown tired of punching anyway, loosened his hold on the Fifth Prince.
The Fifth Prince, his hands suddenly free, immediately threw a punch.
With a loud thump, his fist connected squarely with the Sixth Prince’s face, causing an immediate nosebleed.
The already tipsy Sixth Prince touched his nose, saw the blood, and flew into a rage, immediately slapping the Fifth Prince across the face.
The string of rationality in the Fifth Prince’s mind had long since snapped. His fists whooshed through the air as he swung, and his legs weren’t idle either – he kicked the Eighth Prince flying while shouting in fury: “You all hit me, you all hit me, I’ll show you all for hitting me!”
The Eighth Prince crashed into the Third Prince, and their combined momentum sent them both tumbling.
The Eighth Prince instinctively grabbed at something, catching hold of something soft.
What was that? This thought hazily crossed the Eighth Prince’s mind as he unconsciously squeezed.
The Third Prince let out an agonized howl, clutching his lower regions as he rolled around in pain.
The Fourth Prince was completely dismayed.
Surely Eighth Brother hadn’t torn off Third Brother’s vital part?
Well, that might be good news – but timing was everything! If this happened at his banquet, Third Brother would hate him for life!
The Fourth Prince rushed over to make a show of comforting the Third Prince: “Third Brother, what’s wrong?”
Whether intentionally or not, the Third Prince’s rolling body caught the Fourth Prince’s trouser leg. As the Fourth Prince instinctively stepped back, he felt a sudden draft – looking down, he realized the Third Prince had pulled down both his trousers and undergarments.
In the blink of an eye, the princes had devolved into an all-out brawl.
The servants watching from the side were frozen in terror.
The Crown Prince, who had managed to extricate himself with difficulty, finally called for guards to separate the princes. Looking at his younger brothers with their disheveled hair and torn clothes, he felt waves of heart-wrenching pain.
This had gotten completely out of hand!
Half an hour later, seven princes knelt in a row in the main hall as Emperor Jingming paced back and forth in anger, hands clasped behind his back.
The Crown Prince, having heard the news, came to watch the excitement. Before he could speak, Emperor Jingming pointed at him: “You kneel too!”
Crown Prince: “…” He hadn’t even said anything – he’d just come to watch!
Emperor Jingming didn’t care about the Crown Prince’s thoughts. In his view, when his sons got into a group fight, should the one who stayed out of it be rewarded with a red flower instead of punishment?
The more Emperor Jingming thought about it, the angrier he became, casting a cold glance at those kneeling below the stone steps.
These were the sons he had been so proud of!
The Great Zhou royal family had historically not been blessed with many children, but he had seven surviving sons. He had always felt he could hold his head high before the ancestors, but who knew having many sons would bring its troubles!
Wait a moment!
Emperor Jingming, still pacing, suddenly froze.
How many sons had he just counted?
One, two… eight.
That couldn’t be right!
Emperor Jingming silently counted again and still got eight.
He had seven sons – where did the extra one come from?
They knelt in a row on the steps below, heads bowed so low he could only see their crowns.
“Raise your heads!” Emperor Jingming commanded after counting a third time.
As an emperor, especially one who considered himself enlightened, he couldn’t possibly miscount numbers under ten!
The princes obediently raised their heads, with Yu Jin appearing quite calm among them.
Emperor Jingming started counting from the leftmost prince.
Eldest, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Fourth, Eighth, Crown Prince…
Wait, why were there two Fourth Princes?
Emperor Jingming rubbed his temples – having too many sons was making him dizzy.
He walked down the stone steps to see more clearly, and his gaze fell on Yu Jin.
“You—”
Only upon getting a clear look did he realize the youth before him was far more handsome than the Fourth Prince, with more delicate features, superior bearing, and a more upright posture – as if a rough mold had been carefully refined.
The resemblance was still there, anyone could see the similarities between them, but the youth before him simply outshone the Fourth Prince.
“Your son Jing greets Father Emperor.” Yu Jin lowered his gaze after letting Emperor Jingming look his fill.
“Jing?” Emperor Jingming grew more confused and glanced at his trusted eunuch Pan Hai.
Pan Hai immediately reminded him in a low voice: “Your Majesty, this is the Seventh Prince.”
Emperor Jingming was stunned for a moment before reacting, his gaze burning as he stared at Yu Jin: “You’re Seventh?”
“Indeed, your son.”
Emperor Jingming fell silent for a moment.
He had almost forgotten about this son.
No, forgotten wasn’t quite right – this son had left the palace at birth, making him the most special one in his heart.
But this special status didn’t mean he could remember having such a son at any given moment. Just like earlier, looking at his kneeling sons, he never imagined the Seventh Prince would be among them.
Seeing Emperor Jingming’s expression change, Pan Hai quietly wiped his sweat, inwardly cursing the reckless guards.
When His Majesty heard the princes were fighting uncontrollably and ordered them all brought in, these fools had brought them all – including the Seventh Prince – without thinking to mention it first.
These idiots!
“Your Majesty, today is the Seventh Prince’s birthday. He has turned eighteen,” Pan Hai quickly added in a low voice, knowing the emperor’s taboos.
Hearing this, Emperor Jingming’s eyebrows twitched. After a long while, he sighed: “How time flies.”
Having an eighteen-year-old son suddenly appear was like getting an unexpected gift.
No one knew what Emperor Jingming meant by these words, and the main hall fell into silence.
Sweeping his gaze over his kneeling sons, Emperor Jingming’s face darkened: “Now, tell me what exactly happened today!”