【Ye Yu’s mother, Lady Zhou, though residing in the inner palace, had heard of the schemes and deceit in the court.】

【She cherished Ye Yu as her only son, naturally treating him as a treasure.】

【Thus, Lady Zhou immediately went to the Yangxin Hall to beg for forgiveness from Ye Kuiliang.】

【She claimed it was her lack of proper guidance that led Ye Yu to act somewhat flamboyant.】

【She pleaded with the emperor to be lenient and not to punish Ye Yu too harshly, considering his youth and ignorance.】

【This was not because Lady Zhou was overly cautious.】

【Rather, it was due to the allure of the crown prince’s position, making the princes of Great Yong Dynasty act like hungry wolves.】

【They were all watching each other closely, ready to pounce on any mistake made by their brothers.】

【Should one of them make a mistake, they would unite to attack and eliminate him, thus reducing a competitor.】

【If nothing unexpected happened, the morning court session would see not only ministers but also other princes condemning Ye Yu.】

【After all, no one would want to miss the chance to eliminate a rival.】

【However, what was unexpected was that Ye Kuiliang suddenly burst into laughter.】

【Ye Yu’s ignorance and youth were just a huge joke.】

【Wasn’t it just a way to distance himself from the fight for the throne by deliberately acting arrogant and wasteful?】

【But since he was a prince of the Great Yong Dynasty, he had responsibilities.】

【The throne wasn’t something he could simply avoid contesting by choice. He must compete!】

【Hearing Ye Kuiliang’s words, Lady Zhou was momentarily stunned.】

【Then she quickly realized.】

【Indeed, if one were to say that Ye Yu was disrespectful and arrogant, it would be an exaggeration.】

【During his years in the palace, aside from his fondness for squandering money and his one-time altercation with the Fifteenth Prince, Ye Yu had committed no wrongdoing.】

【After his departure to open a manor, his sudden display of arrogance and wastefulness seemed somewhat abnormal.】

【If he were using this to avoid competing for the throne, it was indeed not out of the question.】

【After all, Ye Yu had repeatedly stated his disinterest in the throne.】

【Lady Zhou had long since come to terms with it.】

【If he didn’t compete, so be it. Being a leisurely prince, living in peace, was fine too.】

【But now, Ye Kuiliang’s intention was to make Ye Yu participate in the fight for the crown prince.】

【Lady Zhou frowned slightly.】

【She tentatively said: Your Majesty, Ye Yu has been resolutely unwilling to vie for the crown prince position since he was young.】

【Forcing him won’t help!】

【Ye Kuiliang coldly replied: Who says it won’t help? Starting tomorrow, I will make him compete for the position, whether he wants to or not, he must fight for it!】

【That night, Ye Kuiliang ordered someone to summon Ye Yu to the palace.】

【Seeing the palace eunuchs coming to find him, Ye Yu showed no fear, but rather a hint of joy.】

【He strode towards the palace with large steps.】

【Inside Yangxin Hall, Ye Yu first bowed and saluted Ye Kuiliang.】

【But he received no response for a long time.】

【Ye Kuiliang seemed to be ignoring him, continuing to handle the documents.】

【Seeing this, Ye Yu couldn’t help but sneer.】

【Are you showing off your power? 】

【You want me to bend over in submission, begging for mercy?】

【Too naive, rebellious father!】

【Ye Yu spoke directly: Thank you, Father.】

【Then he straightened up on his own.】

【This action left Ye Kuiliang dumbfounded.】

【He immediately asked: Did I say you could stand up?】

【Ye Yu nodded: You did, and I heard it clearly.】

【Upon hearing this, Ye Kuiliang was immediately left with a black line on his forehead.】

【This kid was indeed audacious!】

【But the more so, the more Ye Kuiliang found him likable.】

【This wasn’t surprising.】

【When all the princes were obedient and conventional, a unique character suddenly standing out naturally felt refreshing.】

【Like the saying, “The dog licks and licks until it ends up with nothing.”】

【Ye Kuiliang didn’t hold a grudge about it.】

【He simply raised his hand lightly, and two eunuchs carried a square table and placed it in front of Ye Yu.】

【On it were nearly a hundred memorials.】

【Ye Kuiliang teased: These are all memorials to impeach you. Do you want to read them?】

【Ye Yu decisively pushed the table aside.】

【He seriously stated that there was no need to read the contents.】

【His actions had been too unruly, infuriating the Prime Minister, forcibly purchasing properties, committing a major mistake.】

【Ye Yu knew that this was a grave offense.】

【So he willingly accepted the punishment and expulsion from the capital, never to return.】

【Ye Kuiliang couldn’t help but laugh.】

【As expected, it was just as he had guessed.】

【Ye Yu’s outlandish behavior was simply to escape the capital and avoid competing for the crown prince position.】

【The idea was good, but in the face of absolute power, it all seemed pale and powerless.】

【Ye Kuiliang slowly stood up.】

【He bluntly stated that before the crown prince selection was made, none of the eighteen princes were allowed to leave the capital.】

【I know what you’re thinking—you don’t want to compete for the crown prince position, right?】

【Well, I’m going to make you compete.】

【I will tell everyone. Soon, you will become the crown prince of the Great Yong Dynasty.】

【Thus, everyone will focus their attention on you.】

【The other princes will also regard you as their primary competitor.】

【Upon hearing this, Ye Yu’s face instantly turned pale.】

【Through the money he had scattered yesterday, his strength was steadily improving.】

【Ye Yu believed it wouldn’t be long before he reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.】

【But such strength was far from enough for self-preservation.】

【With seventeen princes, it was hard to ensure that none would become desperate enough to resort to extreme measures.】

【What if someone hired a cultivator to come assassinate him?】

【That would be pure disaster!】

【Ye Yu’s expression grew serious.】

【Damn it, this is a blatant scheme!】

【Ye Kuiliang was determined to push him into the fire pit.】

【Ye Yu was very angry.】

【He said in a deep voice: Why do you have to target me like this? You know I have no interest in the throne.】

【Ye Kuiliang smiled: Being born into the royal family, you must compete whether you want to or not; it’s your fate.】

【Of course, if you’re willing to actively compete, I won’t say anything.】

【You can develop at your own pace.】

【But you must compete for the position of crown prince just like the other princes.】

【By the way, you like to squander money, right? Use silver to pave your way and let me see if you can buy your way to the crown prince position.】

【I’m really curious about that.】

【Ye Kuiliang’s words seemed to open a new world for Ye Yu.】

【The anger in his heart instantly dissipated.】

【Yes, since he wanted to squander money, buying properties alone wouldn’t be enough.】

【What truly burns money should be buying people’s hearts!】