The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The 3rd day of the fourth month in the 24th year of Yonghe.

The memorial jointly submitted by Sima Lie and Meng Yanlun was kept in the Imperial Study for three days before it was finally approved and issued.

The vermilion annotations consisted of only a few words.

"Granted. The practical arrangements for the princes shall be discussed and decided by the Ministry of Personnel in consultation with other ministries, and then submitted to me for my review."

There was no specific assignment of who would go where, no defined rank or treatment; only a vague "to be discussed and agreed upon" was given.

However, the more ambiguous the imperial edict, the more room there is for interpretation in the court.

On the afternoon of the day the folded paper was approved, the study of the Grand Tutor's mansion was filled with the aroma of tea.

Kong Yan sat behind his desk, his hand twirling the string of black jade prayer beads he never parted with, while the eldest prince, Zhou Cong, sat before him.

Zhou Cong had just arrived from the cabinet office, still in his official robes, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Grand Tutor, this decree from the Emperor..." Zhou Cong took the teacup handed to him by the old servant but did not drink it; he simply held it in his hands.

"Your Highness, please don't be hasty." Kong Yan slowly sipped his tea. "His Majesty instructed the Ministry of Personnel to consult with other departments to reach a decision. The word 'consult' implies that leeway has been left."

"Among the six ministries, Meng Yanlun of the Ministry of Rites is the junior brother of the old minister, and there are also many protégés and old friends of the old minister in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works."

"Your Highness has been observing the administration of the cabinet for more than half a year, and his skill in handling state affairs is evident to all the court officials."

"Regardless of the Ministry of Personnel's decision, His Highness's position will not be bad, but..."

"Just what?"

"But has Your Highness considered why His Majesty approved this memorial at this crucial juncture?"

Zhou Cong frowned slightly and pondered, "Is it because the war in the northern border has been quelled, and there are no major events in the court for the time being?"

Kong Yan shook his head, placed the prayer beads on the table, picked up the teacup and gently stirred the floating tea with the lid: "Your Highness has only seen the first level. The war in the northern border has been quelled, and there are indeed no major events in the court for the time being."

"But has Your Highness noticed the news from the Imperial Study that only Zhao Gao was present when His Majesty reviewed this memorial? Does Your Highness know what this means?"

Zhou Cong slowly put down his teacup: "Grand Tutor, are you saying that this matter was not initiated by the outer court, but rather by my father?"

"Your Highness understands immediately."

Kong Yan nodded slightly, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes. "If the outer court pushes for it, His Majesty will at least summon the cabinet and the three ministers to discuss it."

"But His Majesty reviewed this memorial alone in the Imperial Study, with only one eunuch attending to him. What does this signify?"

"This shows that His Majesty's decision was made after careful consideration, not on a whim. His Highness has entered the Cabinet to observe government affairs, His Second Prince is assisting in military affairs in the Grand Commandant's Office, and His Third, Fourth, and Fifth Princes have not yet taken on any real duties."

"His Majesty intends to mobilize all the adult princes."

"Get moving?" Zhou Cong frowned even deeper. "Does the Grand Tutor mean that Father Emperor wants to give Third Brother and Fourth Brother a chance?"

Kong Yan gently placed the teacup on the table, making a very light and crisp sound.

He raised his eyes to look directly into Zhou Cong's eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy old eyes: "Your Highness, don't you think the Third Prince has been a little too quiet lately?"

"The Second Prince is thriving in the Grand Commandant's mansion, the Fourth Prince has the Marquis of Wu'an backing him, the Fifth Prince is observing politics in the Ministry of Justice, and the Sixth Prince is backed by the Marquis of Anxi's mansion."

"Only the Third Prince seems to be unrelated to everything, but Your Highness should not forget that although the Third Prince's birth mother, Consort Rong, has fallen out of favor, the Rong family still has many protégés and old friends in the Jiangnan officialdom."

"His Highness the Third Prince has never made any mistakes. Although he does not stand out in the palace or the court, he is impeccable."

Zhou Cong remained silent for a while, his fingers tapping lightly on the tea table.

He knew that the Grand Tutor never exaggerated or alarmist.

The Grand Tutor said that his third brother was "too quiet," which means the Grand Tutor must have noticed something.

"Is the Grand Tutor worried that the Third Brother might become a variable?"

"It's not a matter of variables." Kong Yan twirled his prayer beads, his tone regaining its usual composure. "The Third Prince's foundation is still shallow, and he poses no immediate threat to His Highness."

"But since His Majesty wants all the adult princes to be mobilized, he will definitely arrange a position for the Third Prince."

"This position is certainly good in the Six Ministries, but if it were elsewhere, such as the Imperial Horse Administration or the Censorate, it would be even more noteworthy."

"Although these places are not prestigious, they provide access to the deployment of the Imperial Guards and the impeachment of officials. If Your Majesty places the Third Prince in such a position, you are cultivating a third force."

Almost at the same moment, swords flashed in the martial arts training ground in the backyard of the Grand Commandant's mansion.

The Second Prince, Zhou Xun, shirtless and wielding an unsharpened heavy sword, was locked in a fierce battle with two sparring guards.

His muscles were bulging, and he was sweating profusely. Every slash he made was accompanied by a dull whistling sound, forcing the two guards to retreat step by step.

On the sidelines of the training ground, Grand Commandant Zhou Jing leaned on his bamboo cane and quietly watched the battle.

He wasn't wearing court robes today, only an old cotton robe, his gray hair casually tied back, making him look like an ordinary old man from the countryside. But his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's.

Zhou Xun cleaved the wooden sword in the hand of one of the guards with a single stroke, sheathed his sword, stood up, panting heavily, sweat streaming down his back and pooling at his feet.

He turned to Zhou Jing and asked, "Master, what brings you here today to watch me practice my sword?"

"I just returned from the Ministry of War." Zhou Jing leaned on his bamboo cane and slowly walked to the center of the training ground. He bent down, picked up the wooden sword that had been cleaved in two, and placed it on the weapon rack. "Sima Lie told me that His Majesty approved the proposals for your and Cong'er's practical arrangements."

"This time it's not just the two of you; the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Fifth Prince are all on the list."

Zhou Xun stopped wiping his sweat.

He took the cloth offered by the guard but didn't wipe himself; he just held it in his hand and remained silent for a while: "Is Third Brother coming out too?"

"Not just the Third Prince, His Majesty intends to mobilize all adult princes this time."

Zhou Jing, leaning on his bamboo cane, walked to the stone bench by the training ground and sat down, gesturing for Zhou Xun to come and sit down as well.

Zhou Xun draped a cloth over his shoulder, walked to the stone bench, sat down, took the water bag handed to him by the guard, gulped down several mouthfuls, and then wiped his mouth: "Master, I'm not afraid of Third Brother, with his meager abilities..."

"You're not afraid of the Third Prince, but are you afraid of your eldest brother?" Zhou Jing interrupted him, his gaze sharp as a knife.

Zhou Xun opened his mouth, but did not refute.

"Your elder brother's support is the Grand Tutor and the upright civil officials, while your support is your teacher and the military."

"What's behind the Third Prince? The Rong family? The Rong family's connections in the Jiangnan officialdom aren't even enough to gather enough people to become a vice minister."

"But precisely because the Third Prince has nothing, he has no burdens whatsoever."

"Your elder brother cares about the public opinion of the civil officials, while you care about the military's reputation."

"The Third Prince doesn't need to care about anything. If he loses, he can simply go back to being a carefree prince. If he wins, he'll make a fortune."

"This is the most terrifying opponent."

Zhou Xun's brows furrowed.

He placed the water pouch heavily on the stone table, stood up, paced restlessly around the training ground twice, then stopped and turned around.

He asked the most crucial question: "Where does Master think Father will place the Third Brother?"

Zhou Jing stood up, leaning on his bamboo cane, and walked to the edge of the training ground, gazing at the distant, layered palaces.

Dusk was slowly creeping up the palace walls, turning the glazed tiles a dark gold.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "The Imperial Stables."

"Hai Dafu, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Stable, is a distant relative of your mother and seems to be one of your people, but Hai Dafu is old and his deputy Zheng He is an old acquaintance of Zhao Gao."

"Zhao Gao is Wang Zheng's man, and Wang Zheng is His Majesty's man. Everyone wants to fight for the Imperial Horse Stable, but no one can win it because it is His Majesty's private territory."

"If His Majesty places the Third Prince in the Imperial Stables, it is neither a sign of favoritism towards you nor towards your elder brother, but rather a message to everyone that he has not yet made a decision."

Zhou Xun stood on the training ground, the twilight stretching his shadow long and thin.

He suddenly remembered that on the day of the spring hunt, his elder brother had quietly won first place in the flag-capturing competition at the hunting grounds.

He was nearly bitten in the waist by a tiger that had been drugged.

He later sent people to investigate the origin of the tiger, but the investigation revealed that the Zhenwu Division and the Imperial Horse Administration were passing the buck and the matter was eventually dropped.

He had a guess as to who was responsible.

It's not the eldest brother; the eldest brother wouldn't resort to such despicable methods.

It wasn't the third brother either; the third brother didn't have that ability back then.

Who could it be?

The answer was obvious, but he had no evidence.

"Fourth brother," he uttered in a low voice, his tone as cold as the northern winds, "He holds military power under the Marquis of Wu'an in the southwest, and has connections with the Zhao family in the palace. Master, don't you think Fourth brother has been too quiet lately?"

Zhou Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, but did not answer.

……

Phoenix Palace.

A faint scent of sandalwood filled the air at that moment.

The Empress sat on the phoenix throne, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, with the Second Prince Zhou Xun standing in front of her.

Zhou Xun relayed the words spoken at the Grand Commandant's martial arts training ground to his mother in their entirety.

After listening, the Empress remained silent for a long time, slowly turning the prayer beads in her hand one by one.

She hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking: "Your master is right. Your father was able to stand out from eight princes because he looked down on everyone else."

"The Third Prince's current situation is indeed somewhat similar to that of your father back then, but you don't need to be too wary of him."

"His foundation is too shallow, and he can't threaten you in the short term. The one you should really pay attention to is the fourth brother."

Zhou Xun raised his head: "Does Mother think so too?"

"The fourth prince married the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an. The Marquis of Wu'an, Zhao Xi, controls the southwestern border army, and his sphere of influence happens to be adjacent to that of your Marquis of Dingyuan."

"You are in the north, he is in the southwest, you should keep to your own business."

"But have you ever considered that if you and the third brother were to fight, who would benefit from the situation?"

The Empress stopped fiddling with her prayer beads. "Your fourth brother's principal wife, Lady Zhao, is no pushover, and neither is your eldest brother's principal wife, Lady Xie."

"In all my years in the harem, what I fear most is not open warfare, but the difficulty of guarding against hidden attacks."

"You've been investigating that tiger from the spring hunt for over a year without any results, which means the person who poisoned it is hiding much deeper than you and I thought."

Zhou Xun was silent for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes suddenly becoming exceptionally firm: "Mother, I would like to request that Lady Han be allowed to enter the palace to accompany you for a few days."

The empress was slightly taken aback, but then she understood what he meant.

Lady Han was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Dingyuan, Han Chong, and the principal wife of Zhou Xun. She was a daughter of a military family and had a meticulous mind.

Sending her into the palace to accompany the Empress was not only to keep her mother company, but also to have her plant spies in the harem to keep an eye on the other princes' principal wives.

She nodded: "Alright, let her come."

As night completely enveloped the capital, a single lamp flickered dimly in an inconspicuous three-courtyard house deep within Osmanthus Lane.

The Third Prince, Zhou Ying, sat alone in his study, with a newly delivered secret report spread out in front of him.

The secret report was written in neat small characters.

"The imperial edict has been issued. The Ministry of Personnel will hold a meeting with other ministries in three days to finalize the practical arrangements for the princes. Hai Dafu, the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration, will enter the palace to meet the emperor this afternoon and will not leave until 5 pm."

Zhou Ying held the secret report to the candle flame and lit it, watching it turn to ashes and fall into the copper plate.

The fact that Hai Dafu, from the Imperial Horse Administration, entered the palace to meet the Emperor indicates that the Emperor was indeed considering arrangements for the Imperial Horse Administration.

The Imperial Horse Stables is one of the most powerful government offices in the inner court. If the Emperor really puts him there, it will be both an opportunity and a test.

He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the small clump of ashes in the bronze dish, a faint smile playing on his lips.

At the same time, Zhao Gao placed a freshly brewed cup of Longjing tea gently next to Zhou Qian.

After Zhou Qian finished reviewing the last stack of memorials, he put down his vermilion brush, rubbed his temples, and suddenly asked, "I heard that the Third Prince went to Consort Rong's place again tonight?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Third Prince visits Consort Rong every three days, rain or shine."

Zhou Qian nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

He picked up the teacup Zhao Gao handed him, took a sip, and his gaze fell on the red-inked folded document on the table. He remained silent for a long time.

He put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and murmured to himself, "Back then, I was also viewed with such disdain."

Zhao Gao's hand, which was holding the teapot, paused in mid-air, and then he gently put it down.

Looking at Zhou Qian's slightly tired face in the candlelight, he suddenly felt that this emperor was not like an emperor at this moment, but more like an old man reminiscing about his youth.

He silently took two steps back and stood at attention again with his hands at his sides. The only sound in the imperial study was the faint crackling of the candlelight.