Chu Zhaoyou’s gaze wandered over the ancestral tablets, hoping to find a few offerings.

“I’ll starve to death and change the country’s name to Xiao. Please understand.”

He searched the entire long table, but there was only one apple that he could eat.

Chu Zhaoyou wiped the apple clean, revealing its dry skin. This sole offering had been there for at least a month or two without being replaced.

The Regent had gone too far, not even bothering to replace an offering.

Although he had just mentally criticized the Empress Dowager, facing this apple, Chu Zhaoyou found it hard to convince himself that Xiao Heng didn’t want to usurp the throne.

He threw the dry apple skin on the ground, and in no time, there was another fruit core.

Chu Zhaoyou wiped his hands and stared at the fruit skin on the ground, feeling a bit sorry. In reality, they could have shared it.

As the sky darkened, the eunuch who was supposed to supervise Chu Zhaoyou was nowhere to be found, probably having gone to eat first.

Just as Chu Zhaoyou was thinking of finding an excuse to leave, Eunuch Xue, who had been out on official business, finally returned.

Eunuch Xue had inquired around before finding the Fuxian Hall. Seeing his Emperor sitting alone on the ground, he was almost moved to tears.

“Your Majesty!” Eunuch Xue quickly handed him a fur cloak and looked around. From his pocket, he pulled out a warm package of glutinous rice cakes.

Previously, when the Empress Dowager ordered kneeling, Eunuch Xue didn’t dare to bring food. However, this time, the Emperor had just returned from outside the palace, feeling famished and cold. Eunuch Xue couldn’t bear to let the Emperor continue to starve, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

Chu Zhaoyou ate voraciously, but considering that the ancestral tablets of his ancestors were placed in front of him, he refrained from making any noise.

He wasn’t yet cold enough to wear the cloak, but his lower body was starting to feel a bit numb from kneeling. Chu Zhaoyou folded the cloak into a soft cushion to sit on. After nearly choking on his food, he switched to eating slowly.

In the dim light, Eunuch Xue took out a candle from a small drawer under the altar and lit it with a match. The room brightened up, casting elongated shadows of the dozen or so ancestral tablets on the disheveled white walls, resembling dark beasts with long horns.

Suddenly, a clicking sound of a lock echoed from outside the hall. Chu Zhaoyou was startled and turned to see the eunuch who had been supervising him earlier returning after finishing his meal and locking the door before leaving.

The eunuch’s skills in palace intrigue were too proficient.

Chu Zhaoyou’s thoughts of leaving were put on hold. It seemed that if he didn’t stay the night, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t let the matter rest.

“Eunuch Xue, was there anything wrong with what I said today?”

How could Eunuch Xue dare to criticize the Emperor? Seeing Chu Zhaoyou earnestly looking at him, he cautiously pointed out a minor issue.

“Your Majesty usually addresses the Regent as ‘Imperial Uncle.’ Why did you not use this form of address today?” Was he really going to challenge the Regent’s authority?

Eunuch Xue was perplexed. The Emperor’s behavior was contradictory, and he couldn’t understand it.

“Im-Imperial Uncle?” What kind of strange address was that?

Eunuch Xue explained, “Your Majesty, I understand your grievances, but the Regent was personally conferred the title of prince by the late Emperor and was granted the family name. He was also given half of the seal of authority, signifying that he could manage state affairs and family matters. If the form of address is changed without due consideration and it upsets the prince, it will be the Emperor who suffers.”

Chu Zhaoyou was taken aback. “Then why is he still called Xiao Heng?”

“He was indeed called Chu Heng for a few days, but after the late Emperor’s passing, the Regent took charge and changed it back.”

Did the late Emperor lose his mind? Why would he grant Xiao Heng such immense power?

He stared at the late Emperor’s tablet in disbelief. How much trust did he have in Xiao Heng to grant him such authority? He even granted him the family name. Was Xiao Heng the late Emperor’s illegitimate child?

He questioned the late Emperor, but a voice in his mind seemed to say, “You two are indeed father and son, both allowing Xiao Heng to run amok.”

Chu Zhaoyou’s gaze at the tablet suddenly became somewhat affectionate, as if he had encountered another big fool and felt a shameless sense of superiority.

Look, he had only been suppressed once, but the late Emperor had given away half the country, no, the entire country, and even thrown in a foolish son.

Upon this realization, it was all the late Emperor’s fault, and he was blameless.

He beckoned and, with a hint of gossip, asked Eunuch Xue, “Does the Regent Prince resemble the late Emperor?”

Eunuch Xue was shocked and didn’t expect the Emperor to ask such a disrespectful question. He quickly knelt down, bowing towards the ancestral tablet of the Chu family, and said anxiously, “Your Majesty is young, please don’t blame him, late Emperor’s spirit!”

Chu Zhaoyou looked at the flustered Eunuch Xue in silence. He hadn’t even made a fuss when the Regent Prince and he had… been intimate.

Fearing that Chu Zhaoyou might say something else shocking, Eunuch Xue, who was always cautious with his words, had to reveal some information. “In the late Emperor’s final years, he was seriously ill. The maternal family of the Empress Dowager held immense power, overshadowing the imperial authority. At that time, Your Majesty was only eleven or twelve years old, so it’s normal not to remember. The late Emperor was afraid that after Your Majesty ascended, the Empress Dowager would monopolize power, so he overcame all obstacles and promoted the Regent Prince.”

In short, the late Emperor had created a formidable political rival for the Empress Dowager. Xiao Heng had initially faced numerous difficulties, but after two years of careful planning and strategy, he managed to eliminate the influence of the Empress Dowager’s family from the court, causing the Empress Dowager to retreat to the Ren Shou Palace. However, the Regent Prince’s power had since expanded, surpassing that of the Empress Dowager.

With threats from both sides, the young Emperor had remained a puppet throughout.

Chu Zhaoyou understood that the country wasn’t simply handed over by the late Emperor; Xiao Heng had snatched it from the Empress Dowager’s hands. From this perspective, Xiao Heng hadn’t done anything wrong. He had acquired power through his own abilities, so why should he give it up?

Having been forced to kneel by the Empress Dowager, and seeing the eunuch who supervised him earlier, it was likely not the first time. If the Empress Dowager were in power now, the young puppet would have an even more difficult time.

The Regent Prince had ambitions, but he had never made things difficult for the puppet. Except… for the theater.

It was unfortunate that the original owner had a penchant for something that rubbed the Regent Prince the wrong way. In his previous life, he had been a performer, and naturally clashed with the Regent Prince.

Chu Zhaoyou sighed. No matter how he looked at it, he and Xiao Heng could never be a pair of wise ruler and loyal minister.

Had the late Emperor ever considered the possibility of Xiao Heng usurping the throne when he made those arrangements?

He suddenly thought of a question. “How old is the Regent this year?”

Eunuch Xue replied, “Twenty-seven.”

Twenty-seven… Chu Zhaoyou clenched his fists in frustration. He was only nineteen this year.

An eight-year difference! Eight years!

At that moment, the Regent passed by the Fuxian Hall and noticed the flickering candlelight inside. His steps faltered. “Who’s in there?”

Qian Shicheng rolled his eyes. Who else could it be? The Emperor, of course.

“The Regent Prince is such a pain!” Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t help but mutter inside the Fuxian Hall.

Xiao Heng: “…”

Qian Shicheng: “…Wow, the young Emperor has some nerve.”