The realization that the old man lacked great virtue reached its peak for Wei Yu when Xiao Anzi woke him up at 3 AM the next morning.

3 AM!

Being woken up at 3 AM—at this time, even the chickens hadn’t woken up yet!

In the past, Wei Yu would only wake up at 5 AM to go to the study, and he was already on the brink of death at that time. Now, having to get up at 3 AM for work, he really felt like he might as well slit his throat in front of the old man.

The whole process of getting up could be described as the birth of a major grudge ghost. Xiao Anzi and the others didn’t dare to speak, and only after sending off the prince did they finally voice their thoughts.

Xiao Anzi, relieved: “Finally, it’s the day His Highness is going to court. Although the position is low, at least there’s a salary.”

Bai Ban, calm: “I still feel like His Highness won’t have a smooth day today.”

Hong Zhong, indifferent: “Just don’t fall asleep during court and get caught by the censors.”

Xiao Anzi, Bai Ban: …

Saying that suddenly made them feel a bit guilty.

–

The sky at 3 AM was still pitch dark.

Wei Yu collapsed into the seat of the carriage as soon as he got in, swaying and barely staying awake. Before he could completely fall asleep, the coachman, Fang Sheng, reminded him from outside.

“Your Highness, Eighth Prince’s carriage is ahead.”

So what if it’s ahead? Am I supposed to get down and greet him?

With resentment and exhaustion, Wei Yu had no mood to pay attention to his Eighth Brother.

“Let’s talk when we reach the Meridian Gate.”

The officials going to court had to first gather at the Meridian Gate and wait for the palace gates to open before they could enter, so Wei Yu wasn’t in a hurry to greet his Eighth Brother.

The carriage moved at a steady pace through the night, passing many other official carriages also headed to the Meridian Gate.

The only sound in the street was the squeak of the wheels on the ground.

Wei Yu took a short nap and, when he was awakened by Fang Sheng, the carriage had already reached the Meridian Gate.

The curtain was lifted by Yi Shisan, who was also serving as the coachman. Wei Yu, still half-asleep, awkwardly adjusted his official hat and got out.

He stumbled when getting off, and Fang Sheng quietly helped him up, quietly reminding him, “Your Highness, the censors are watching.”

At the mention of the censors, Wei Yu became alert.

He straightened his back and mechanically widened his eyes.

The censors, much like the disciplinary officers back in school, would record any misbehavior, such as coughing, spitting, walking unsteadily, or improper posture. After the morning court session, the censors and officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would report any improper conduct during the session, and the officials would be punished.

Social death was secondary, but the real fear was being fined.

Wei Yu woke up fully in the cold morning wind.

The court session was usually from 5 to 7 AM. In the past, the emperor had been considerate of the officials and built several rest rooms inside the palace for them to wait for court.

These rest rooms were generally assigned based on the official’s rank and status.

Since it was Wei Yu’s first time attending court, he wasn’t sure and was led to one of the rest rooms by the palace servants.

Once inside, he saw all seven of his older brothers already seated.

Wei Yu quickly scanned his brothers’ conditions.

His eldest and third brothers were resting with their eyes closed, his fourth brother was quietly drinking tea and nodded when he saw Wei Yu, his fifth brother was playing with a fan, and his sixth brother was secretly eating pastries…

Wei Yu’s eyes widened.

Wow, his sixth brother actually snuck in food!

It was well known that officials wouldn’t eat before the morning court session to avoid showing any improper behavior in front of the emperor. They would wait until after the session to have their breakfast.

Wei Yu hadn’t eaten either.

First, it was too early and he was too tired to have an appetite; second, he genuinely wasn’t hungry when he left.

Wei Yu saluted his brothers and then sat next to his Eighth Brother.

The Eighth Prince had his eyes wide open, looking extremely excited.

Wei Yu suspected he hadn’t slept at all last night.

He whispered to his Eighth Brother, “Eighth Brother, why are you so energetic?”

“I’m excited.”

Wei Yu: “…What are you excited about? There’s nothing for you to do when you actually attend court.”

“You don’t understand, it’s a feeling.”

A feeling, my ass.

Wei Yu turned to grab a teacup, but suddenly heard his Third Brother call him.

“Ninth Brother, I heard that you and Fourth Brother are working together on the glass factory. May I come and see it?”

Hmm?

As soon as these words were spoken, the others in the rest room subtly turned their attention to him.

Sensing several pairs of eyes on him, Wei Yu smiled silently, “Third Brother wants to visit the glass factory?”

“Yes, I want to see how the craftsmen make the glass.”

The Third Prince nodded, his expression calm, as if he hadn’t noticed the change in atmosphere in the room. “Last time, I asked Lord Pei for the glass formula, but there were some parts I didn’t quite understand, so I wanted to see how the craftsmen do it.”

His calm attitude made even the Fourth Prince, who had initially thought the Third Brother wanted to get involved in the glass business, begin to doubt himself.

The Fourth Prince couldn’t help but put down his cup and laughed, “Then Third Brother, you went to the wrong person. Ninth Brother isn’t involved in the glass factory at all. It’s all managed by me. If you want to visit, it’s better to ask me.”

“No need.” The Third Prince glanced at him indifferently, “The formula was given by Ninth Brother, so he probably understands this better than Fourth Brother.”

Wei Yu: 6

Seeing the smile fade from his Fourth Brother’s face, Wei Yu quickly said, “It’s just about making glass, Third Brother. If you want to know something about it, just ask me. There’s no need to personally visit the factory to see how the craftsmen are doing it.”

He reassured his Third Brother and then turned to comfort his Fourth Brother.

“Fourth Brother, you’ve taken care of everything in the glass factory, and I’m extremely grateful and relieved. After all, we’re not making money for ourselves, but for the people of Great Wei. If Third Brother visits the factory, maybe he can give us more ideas to help us earn even more money, right?”

Although Wei Yu’s words seemed directed at both the Third and Fourth Princes, everyone in the room understood the subtle hint.

— Don’t get any ideas about the glass business. The money earned from it is for the people of Great Wei, and it’s all being deposited into the national treasury. Our father also approved of this, understand?

The princes understood.

Especially the Eldest Prince, who, while lowering his head to drink tea, concealed the knowing look in his eyes.

No wonder. He had been wondering how their father could allow the Fourth and Ninth Brothers to do business, and it turned out they were using their ventures to fill the national treasury… He wondered if Father had given them financial support.

Unaware that he was the subject of a mistaken assumption from his older brother, Wei Yu was currently discussing the glass-making process with his Third Brother.

And it was during this conversation that Wei Yu suddenly realized something.

His Third Brother seemed to be a research-type, science-minded person!

Listening to his Third Brother talk about things like how the candle wick doesn’t burn his hand, how the flame changes color when burning different materials, and how different stones burn at different rates…

Wei Yu was curious.

What exactly does his Third Brother, a prince, usually do?

How does he find the time to burn this and that?

How idle is he!