【Inside the harem, the two factions clashed in a chaotic melee.】

【The scene was bustling with excitement.】

【Guards and eunuchs, drawn by the noise, saw Ye Yu beating someone.】

【They calmly walked away as if nothing was happening.】

【Ask yourself.】

【In the palace, who hasn’t received Ye Yu’s silver notes?】

【As the saying goes, When you take someone’s handout, you’re beholden to them.】

【Ye Yu showered them with money every day.】

【Was it excessive for him to beat someone occasionally?】

【Was it worth stopping him?】

【Of course, walking away calmly was only because Ye Yu was the one doing the beating.】

【If Ye Yu were the one being beaten, they would have rushed over to help immediately!】

【In the shadows, Chief Eunuch Sun Fu looked troubled and softly asked: Your Majesty, should this servant intervene?】

【If the beating continues, the Fifteenth Prince won’t be able to take it.】

【Ye Kuiliang replied indifferently: What’s the matter? Have you received so many rewards from Ye Anming’s mother that you now feel sorry seeing him beaten?】

【These words made Chief Eunuch Sun Fu break out in a cold sweat.】

【In the harem, who didn’t have a few people on their payroll as informants?】

【But none did it as blatantly as Ye Yu.】

【Everyone else conducted their dealings secretly.】

【Chief Eunuch Sun Fu had thought his own transactions were hidden well, but had they been discovered after all?】

【He immediately knelt and pleaded: Your Majesty, spare this servant’s life!】

【Ye Kuiliang ignored Sun Fu and instead watched Ye Yu’s back, murmuring softly: Interesting.】

【This simple word made Sun Fu understand.】

【In this fight, Ye Kuiliang admired Ye Yu.】

【Sun Fu was quite surprised; he had served the emperor for fifty years. He rarely saw Ye Kuiliang admire any prince.】

【To be favored by the emperor was a great fortune!】

【Then, Ye Kuiliang waved his large sleeve, gripped his cane, and left slowly.】

【Before leaving, he didn’t forget to leave one more order.】

【Let them fight; the worse it gets, the better. No one is to intervene.】

【That evening.】

【News of Ye Yu’s brutal beating of Ye Anming spread throughout the palace.】

【Suddenly, everyone was filled with curiosity about this Sixteenth Prince of the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【He beat his own elder brother, and in front of so many people. Did he really not know the meaning of fear?】

【Lady Xu, seeing Ye Anming beaten so badly, immediately went crying to Emperor Ye Kuiliang to complain.】

【However, to everyone’s surprise, Ye Kuiliang only gave two sentences.】

【It’s just kids fighting; adults don’t need to interfere.】

【If he lost, it’s his own lack of ability; he can’t blame anyone else.】

【These two casually spoken sentences effectively shifted the blame entirely away.】

【Is it really over just like that?】

【Lady Xu was a smart woman; she read many layers of meaning in those two sentences.】

【So, she neither cried nor made a scene, but turned and left.】

【Soon after, Ye Anming’s screams echoed through the palace once more.】

【Useless! You can’t even beat a child younger than you. What use are you?】

【Under the rod, all children are equal.】

【Ye Anming never expected to be beaten twice in one day.】

【This incident caught everyone off guard.】

【Ye Kuiliang really didn’t punish Ye Yu, not even questioning him.】

【This made Ye Yu’s mother, Lady Zhou, very happy.】

【She distributed another large amount of gold coins.】

【This incident greatly boosted her prestige; in such a joyous state, what else could she do but give money?】

【She couldn’t help it; she was just a little bit extravagant!】

【Ye Yu didn’t stay idle either. He immediately found those who helped him that afternoon and started distributing money.】

【After this event, Ye Yu’s reputation as the money-scattering prince even spread to the court.】

【It became the focus of the ministers’ discussions over tea and meals.】

【Ye Yu also started to ponder why Ye Kuiliang, this rebellious father, didn’t give any punishment.】

【Could it be that he also played like this when he was young?】

【Ye Yu didn’t dwell too much on this question.】

【The emperor’s mind was the hardest to fathom.】

【Who knew what the emperor, who had ruled for over three hundred years, was thinking?】

【No matter, growing up well was the most important thing.】

【Three days later.】

【Ye Kuiliang finally showed his true colors.】

【He summoned Ye Yu and Lady Zhou together.】

【In their presence, he personally wrote an edict.】

【While the princes are in the palace, they are forbidden to accept any property from their mothers. If discovered, they will be confined for three years!】

【After reading the edict, Ye Yu’s face changed drastically, bluntly stating that this was targeting him.】

【However, Ye Kuiliang straightforwardly told Ye Yu.】

【Yes, it is targeting you. You keep scattering money every day. The Zhou family’s wealth isn’t for you to squander like this.】

【What’s the matter, feeling upset?】

【It’s normal to feel upset; this is the privilege of being the emperor.】

【If you want absolute power with no one to check you, then you can be the emperor too!】

【Hearing this, Lady Zhou was overjoyed and immediately tugged on Ye Yu’s sleeve, urging him to stop causing trouble.】

【How could Ye Yu not understand the hint in Ye Kuiliang’s words?】

【Trying to lure him with the emperor’s position?】

【Ye Yu immediately laughed and said: I have no interest in the emperor’s position.】

【Nor would I fight for it.】

【If I’m not allowed to spend money in the palace, then I simply won’t spend it!】

【Ye Yu claimed he was not angry at all.】

【Having already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, advancing further would surely draw attention.】

【Confronting Ye Kuiliang head-on would be unwise; it was better to use this opportunity to recuperate.】

【Once he left the palace at fifteen and established his own residence, he could continue his lavish spending.】

【Ye Yu had already found out that his maternal grandfather had only one daughter, Lady Zhou, and she had only him.】

【This meant that the largest merchant guild in the Great Yong Dynasty would eventually fall into Ye Yu’s hands.】

【By then, he could squander wealth to his heart’s content, so why rush?】

【Ye Yu smiled, didn’t seek permission, and left with a bow.】

【This frightened Lady Zhou.】

【First, he expressed his refusal to compete for the throne, then he turned and left without waiting for Ye Kuiliang’s further instructions.】

【This could easily be deemed as gross disrespect.】

【So Lady Zhou immediately pleaded with Ye Kuiliang, claiming that Ye Yu was still a child, prone to nonsense and impulsive behavior, and begged the emperor for forgiveness.】

【Ye Kuiliang indicated it was no big deal, but the smile on his face grew even wider.】

【In the following five years.】

【Ye Yu cultivated his moral integrity and refrained from spending money.】

【This made many in the palace feel very uncomfortable.】

【At fifteen, Ye Yu officially left the palace and established his own residence, receiving the title of Prince Reckless!】