"Tenth Brother, I’ve told you before, the things you’ve made are amazing, and the mon people are full of gratitude towards you."
"Really?"
"The curved plow you invented has significantly increased crop yields in many areas, and the people praise you highly." The Eighth Prince felt very protective of Zhao Yao, and he deliberately teased him, "The mon folk are calling you a genius."
"Hehehe..." Zhao Yao couldn’t help but laugh proudly, "I’m not that great."
"Tenth Brother, you may not be a great scholar, but what you create is indeed remarkable. In the future, you should make more things that benefit the mon people."
"Eighth Brother, I got it." Zhao Yao said, recalling that soon it would be the Eighth Prince’s birthday when he would e of age and be granted a fiefdom. "Eighth Brother, did the Crown Prince speak to Father about letting you stay in the capital instead of going to the fief?"
"Didn’t I tell you about this?"
"Oh, when did you tell me, Eighth Brother?"
The Eighth Prince smiled apologetically at Zhao Yao, "I forgot to tell you, Big Brother has already spoken to Father, and Father agreed to let me stay in the capital."
Zhao Yao said happily, "That’s wonderful, this way I won’t have to be separated from you, Eighth Brother."
Seeing Zhao Yao so pleased about him staying, a smile involuntarily appeared on the Eighth Prince’s face.
"What, reluctant to see me go?"
"Very reluctant." Zhao Yao truly didn’t want to be separated from the Eighth Prince. Ever since Prince Chu went to Liangzhou, Zhao Yao’s relationship with the Eighth Prince had grown closer. Over the years, they had been inseparable, never apart. "Eighth Brother, if you go to the fief, it would really leave me all alone." Then he would bee a solitary figure.
"Don’t worry, you won’t be left alone." The reason the Eighth Prince wanted to stay in the capital was partly to remain by the Crown Prince’s side to strategize his plans. The other reason was his attachment to his younger brother, Zhao Yao. If he went to the fief, there would be no one left in the palace to protect the Tenth Brother.
"I knew you were the best to me, Eighth Brother." Zhao Yao stood up and ran to the Eighth Prince’s side, hugging him and rubbing his face against the Eighth Prince’s. "I like Eighth Brother the most."
The Eighth Prince raised his hand and playfully smacked Zhao Yao’s backside, jokingly scolding, "Little flatterer."
Zhao Yao sat back down, curiously asking, "Eighth Brother, although you’re staying in the capital, what about your fief? Did the Crown Prince find out from Father about your fief?"
"Big Brother asked Father for Qingzhou on my behalf."
"Qingzhou?" Zhao Yao exclaimed, "Isn’t that by the sea?" If the Eighth Brother went to Qingzhou, then what his maternal uncle was doing there would be discovered by the Eighth Brother, and he would find out that his Tenth Brother was not just an innocent fool.
"Yes, but Father didn’t agree."
"Why?" Zhao Yao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and then thought that Father would never give Qingzhou to the Eighth Brother. Even though Father didn’t yet know the true nature of his eighth son, due to the Eighth Brother’s relationship with the Crown Prince, Father would never give the ’cash cow’ of Qingzhou to the Eighth Brother. Once given to the Eighth Brother, it would be like handing it over to Duke Zhen, and Father would never feed Duke Zhen with Qingzhou’s wealth."
The Eighth Prince couldn’t tell Zhao Yao the real reason, so he said, "It’s not suitable for me." Back when the Crown Prince intended to request Qingzhou for the Eighth Prince, the Eighth Prince knew the emperor wouldn’t agree. Although Qingzhou was just a small seaside city, after the sea ban was lifted, it had bee extremely important and very prosperous too.
Zhao Yao asked, "Then what place did Father give you as a fief?"
Yu Hai quickly interjected, "The Emperor hasn’t granted the Prince a fief."
"What?" Zhao Yao was stunned, "Father didn’t grant a fief? Is that true?"
The Eighth Prince glared at the talkative Yu Hai, then gently explained to Zhao Yao, "Since I’m not leaving the capital for now, Father is temporarily not granting me a fief."
Whenever this topic came up, Yu Hai felt indignant for the Eighth Prince. He muttered quietly, "That’s not the real reason." The emperor was purposely withholding the fief from the Prince.
"Second Brother also hasn’t left the capital, so why does he have a fief and Eighth Brother can’t?" Although always aware that Father didn’t favor the Eighth Brother, Zhao Yao hadn’t expected that Father wouldn’t even grant him a fief. It was truly excessive.
"I can’t be pared to Second Brother." The Eighth Prince didn’t dwell too much on this matter, "Having no fief temporarily isn’t necessarily bad. Besides, with a fief, I wouldn’t be able to focus on staying in the capital to help Big Brother."
Yu Hai couldn’t stay silent, expressing his indignation for the Eighth Prince, "Your Highness, all princes are granted fiefs upon being of age, except for you. Isn’t this..." Yu Hai’s eyes turned red, though he didn’t dare finish his sentence. However, he couldn’t help but add, "Your Highness, you are the Emperor’s own son, why does he treat you this way..."
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