Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 648: Chapter 319 Dragon Guards

Capital, Prince Wei Mansion.

Prince Wei was handling affairs in the study when the sound of Yu Hai saluting Princess Consort Wei came from the door. Upon hearing it, Prince Wei slightly frowned and then put away the letters on the table.

Not long after, Princess Consort Wei’s gentle voice sounded at the door.

"Your Highness, may I come in?"

"Come in." Although slightly impatient, Prince Wei allowed Princess Consort Wei to enter.

Princess Consort Wei asked the kitchen to stew an herbal tonic, specially bringing it for Prince Wei to drink.

Prince Wei didn’t like drinking the tonic, but he would always drink it whenever Princess Consort Wei brought it. The reason he drank it wasn’t because it was brought by Princess Consort Wei, but because the herbal tonic was requested by Zhao Yao.

Originally, Zhao Yao wanted to procure a Great Replenishing Pill for Prince Wei, but the doctor from the Miao Border unexpectedly died. He hadn’t left behind the recipe for the Great Replenishing Pill, and his descendants couldn’t produce it. Even if he had left the recipe, his descendants might still not be able to make it, as the process of creating the Great Replenishing Pill is said to be extremely complex and difficult to succeed.

Since obtaining the Great Replenishing Pill was no longer possible, Zhao Yao acquired a recipe for herbal tonic from elsewhere, ensuring Prince Wei drank it daily.

Zhao Yao gave the herbal tonic recipe to Princess Consort Wei, instructing her to supervise Prince Wei’s daily intake.

Though Prince Wei despised the tonic, he couldn’t deny that his health had improved significantly since drinking it. Every winter and spring, Prince Wei was prone to illness, but since drinking the tonic, he barely got sick last winter.

Princess Consort Wei knew Prince Wei was busy, so after he finished the tonic, she left. Before leaving, she reminded him to take care of his health and rest early.

After Princess Consort Wei left, Yu Hai entered with a secret letter from Jiangnan in hand.

Prince Wei took the letter from Yu Hai and immediately tore it open to read.

After Prince Wei read the letter, his expression turned icy, causing Yu Hai’s heart to tighten. Carefully, he asked, "Your Highness, has something happened in Jiangnan?" He immediately thought of the Crown Prince there and asked with a changed expression, "Could it be that the tenth prince is in trouble?"

"The tenth brother is not in trouble, it’s just..." At this point, Prince Wei smirked coldly, "The Crown Prince and Prince Dai have sent people to spy on the tenth brother."

"The Crown Prince and Prince Dai intend to harm the tenth prince?" Yu Hai asked in panic, "Could it be the tenth prince accidentally uncovered something they’re doing, so they want to silence him?"

"No, they’re wary that the Imperial Army followers of the eighth brother might notice something amiss, so they are discreetly monitoring the tenth brother and his people." Prince Wei, thinking of the dirty deeds done by the Crown Prince and Prince Dai in Jiangnan, had a look of disgust on his excessively beautiful face, "They won’t make a move against the tenth brother; doing so would only expose themselves."

Yu Hai felt his tense heart relax upon hearing Prince Wei’s words.

"As long as the tenth prince is safe." With the tenth prince safe, Yu Hai wondered what was making Prince Wei angry. He didn’t dare to ask.

"The tenth brother will arrive in Jinling in a few days. We must ensure our people protect him well." Ever since Zhao Yao went to Jiangnan, Prince Wei had been on edge. Although Zhao Yao had always been fine, there was an underlying unease. "Jinling is the domain of the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen’s Mansion. They’ve done too many vile things in Jinling; it wouldn’t be hard to accidentally implicate the tenth brother without cause."

"Yes, Your Highness." Noticing how concerned Prince Wei was for Zhao Yao, Yu Hai hurried to reassure him, "Your Highness, the tenth prince will definitely be alright, and our people will surely protect him well."

Prince Wei only gave a small nod in response.

Seeing this, Yu Hai hesitated before finally deciding to remind Prince Wei.

"Your Highness, ever since the court opened its examinations, you haven’t visited the Princess’s courtyard. Would you consider taking some time to sit with her?"

Upon hearing Yu Hai’s words, Prince Wei’s eyes sharpened, and his tone turned cold: "Did the Princess ask you to say this?"

Yu Hai hurriedly shook his head: "No, the Princess has never mentioned such matters to this servant. It’s just that the people in the mansion, seeing that you haven’t visited the Princess’s courtyard for a long time, believe there’s discord between you and the Princess." He quickly reminded, "You also know that those people in the Princess’s courtyard were arranged by the Crown Princess Consort."

Prince Wei understood Yu Hai’s point, and his cold expression softened considerably.

"These days, the entire capital is busy with the imperial examinations; I have no time for romance." Speaking of the imperial examinations, Prince Wei was full of admiration for the Emperor, "The imperial examinations created by Father are truly a sharp blade, mercilessly thrust into the hearts of the noble families."