Let's Squander A Billion First!

“Prince Duan has arrived—”

The eunuch’s piercing voice announcing their arrival echoed; the two princes entered one after the other, both appearing displeased, likely unaware of the nature of today’s event.

“Prince Rong has arrived—”

The young man in white passed through the main hall, and if not for the malicious air between his eyebrows, which did not suit his age, Prince Rong was quite the handsome youth.

“Why is no one speaking?” Prince Rong broke the silence as soon as he entered, “Third Imperial Brother, Fifth Imperial Brother.”

“Eighth Royal Brother,” Prince Duan shook his head, “We can’t compare with Eighth Royal Brother.”

“Third Imperial Brother,” Prince Jing said in a low voice as a reminder.

Prince Duan quickly stopped and flattered Prince Rong with a few words.

Among these princes, only Prince Rong could do as he pleased.

After all, he was the Emperor’s own brother.

These princes should have gone to their fiefdoms after the Emperor’s accession to the throne, yet here they were residing in the Capital City.

The Emperor had claimed he couldn’t bear to be a thousand li away from his brothers.

In reality, it was a disguised form of house arrest.

“Prince Six has arrived—”

“Prince Six is here,” Prince Rong showed much greater interest in Yan Gui compared to the other princes.

Chuzheng looked toward the entrance of the hall, the youth was entering amidst the lamplight, with the cold wind blowing through the doors, swirling the subtly patterned hem of his robe; his hand, emerging from his sleeve, gently held down his cape.

The bamboo-like slender fingers, illuminated by the lamplight, seemed even more translucent.

But around him was too silent.

As if he were trapped in another world.

A world so quiet and soundless, no one could accompany him.

The youth walked slowly into the main hall, under Prince Rong’s eager gaze, he spoke out, “Third Imperial Brother, Fifth Imperial Brother, Eighth Royal Brother.”

“Sixth Imperial Brother, you really took your time,” Prince Rong said with a smile, “Were you, like these ladies, walking slowly?”

Facing Prince Rong’s nearly malicious words, the youth remained silent.

Prince Rong pursed his lips, “You might as well sit with them; after all, there’s no difference between you and the ladies, right, Third Imperial Brother and Fifth Imperial Brother?”

The named Prince Duan and Prince Jing laughed awkwardly in agreement.

The rest of the ministers didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

Palace attendants immediately arranged a seat next to Chuzheng for the youth.

This was truly treating him as the leader among the womenfolk.

Prince Rong continued to applaud and cheer merrily.

This kind of humiliation made the ministers across from him show a pained expression, but with so many royal affairs, they didn’t dare to speak too much.

As they were taking off the young man’s cloak, his brightly colored clothes and raven hair cascaded down his back, with a few strands falling in front. The flickering light set off his starkly beautiful visage, his eyebrows like distant hills, his lips as beautifully crafted as if by an artist’s careful strokes.

As he sat down, the overly ornate robe draped open, making him appear even more stunning than the seated maidens.

Perhaps sensing Chuzheng’s gaze, the youth tilted his head slightly, revealing a soft, friendly smile.

He was as beautiful as a painting.

Every frown and smile was breathtaking.

In this dazzling world, one look at him left an indelible impression.

Yet his eyes made Chuzheng uncomfortable.

The light brown pupils lacked luster; even the prettiest face lost its shine and became lifeless.

But still, so good looking!!

Chuzheng withdrew her gaze.

Why is there such a big difference between people?

What’s the use of a boy being so handsome!

Being handsome without a good background or support.

Better to turn to the dark side.

“[Miss, please control your thoughts.]” The Good Person Card had been bullied just now, and you didn’t speak up to help, and now you want him to turn to the dark side? How can you be so cruel!

I think my ideas are quite reasonable.

[…] “Host feels too good about themselves; how to treat it? Waiting online, quite urgent.”

The youth saw Chuzheng shift his gaze away and also lowered his head.

“Sixth Royal Brother, did you like the clothes I sent you?” Prince Rong, sitting opposite, laughed uproariously, “I knew they would suit you well, Sixth Royal Brother. Look, you are much prettier than those girls.”

The young man pursed his lips, about to speak, when a loud noise interrupted him.

Crash—

The table Prince Rong leaned on suddenly splintered into pieces, and he tumbled through the middle, the snacks, tea, and wine scattered all over him.

The shattered porcelain on the floor splashed upwards, slicing the exposed skin of Prince Rong.

Yan Gui caught a fleeting glimpse of a silver flash in the air—upon closer inspection, it seemed to be just an illusion.

This incident terrified everyone in the hall— the girls each lowered their heads, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

“Eighth Royal Brother, are you alright?” Prince Duan helped Prince Rong to his feet.

Prince Rong, covered in wine and tea stains, looked extremely disheveled.

Clearly still in shock, Prince Rong was helped up by Prince Duan and only then did he feel the pain and suddenly cried out.

“Who! Who did this!!” Prince Rong’s face twisted with rage.

“…”

Who did this?

Everyone had seen with their own eyes that the table had suddenly split, but no one had touched it.

“Eighth Royal Brother, don’t be angry. It was just an accident. You should get medical attention first,” Prince Jing suggested.

Even if Prince Rong was a scoundrel, under the watchful eyes of all present, he wouldn’t be able to blame his cracked table on someone else.

People persuaded Prince Rong to leave, and as he did, he threatened everyone present—if anyone dared to speak of today’s events, they would be beheaded.

Everyone fell silent, as quiet as cicadas in winter.

When Prince Rong returned, he was accompanied by the Emperor.

The Emperor bore a striking resemblance to Prince Rong—one the adult version, the other the youthful one.

The imperial majesty added a few degrees of grandeur to the Emperor, making him more awe-inspiring than Prince Rong.

Yet the Emperor’s eyes were not kind at all, carrying the air of a tyrant.

The Emperor spoke a few succinct opening words, without mentioning the day’s purpose, but ordered the music and dance to begin.

The sound of strings and flutes rose, and the dancers gracefully entered the hall.

The atmosphere in the hall seemed to calm down.

Chuzheng, who knew the plot due to her system advantage, was aware of the Emperor’s intention for the day.

It was just for choosing a concubine.

Yes!

It was that simple.

Prince Rong’s dark eyes swept over the crowd, finally resting on Yan Gui.

After the dance and music ended, Prince Rong suddenly spoke out, “Imperial Brother, why don’t we have Sixth Royal Brother give us a performance?”

“Oh?” The Emperor raised an eyebrow, cooperatively asking, “Does Sixth Royal Brother know how to do this?”

Prince Rong: “Of course Sixth Royal Brother knows how to. Isn’t that right, Sixth Royal Brother?”

Prince Rong bullying Yan Gui was a common occurrence. Before the Emperor had also often done this, but after becoming the Emperor, he had to maintain his imperial dignity, so he indulged Prince Rong instead.

Yan Gui clenched his fists and stood up from his seat.

“To Your Majesty, your brother does not know how.”

Prince Rong immediately showed displeasure, “Do not know? Nonsense, you clearly do! Or is it that Sixth Royal Brother does not wish to dance for us? Then perhaps…”

“I’ll dance,” Yan Gui cut in.

Prince Rong immediately looked triumphant.

Yan Gui took a deep breath and stepped into the hall.

“Why are you all keeping your heads down? Lift them up! Not everyone gets to see Sixth Royal Brother’s dance. It’s a privilege for you all!” Prince Rong chided those below.

Are these two psychologically distorted?

Chuzheng asked the King’s Account.

[Hmm… They grew up under the Empress Dowager’s indoctrination. The Empress Dowager believed Yan Gui’s mother was lowly, yet seduced the Emperor when she was out of favor, and also that bullying can become addictive.] The King’s Account analyzed the plot objectively.