Regarding the sudden discovery of such a research-oriented talent in Third Brother, Wei Yu did not attempt to deceive him like he did with Liu Chenyi.

After all, this is his Third Brother, a prince!

Whether or not Third Prince should pursue the path of a craftsman specializing in research, Wei Yu had to consider not only Third Prince’s own wishes but also consult his father.

In ancient times, the status of craftsmen was indeed very low—just slightly above that of merchants.

Wei Yu ultimately didn’t have the chance to talk to his Third Brother about his intentions because the palace doors had opened.

His first time attending court was about to officially begin.

In the evening, the civil and military officials entered through the Yimen Gate.

Wei Yu followed his older brothers and joined the flow of people to the Jinshui Bridge, then lined up according to rank as directed.

The officials of the seventh rank, such as the left attendant official, were not senior officials. They rarely attended court unless on duty.

Wei Yu was an exception, as not only was he an attendant official, but he was also a prince.

And as a prince, he was placed at the very end of the line.

Wei Yu: …

Truly, what a sarcastic position for a prince to hold as an attendant official.

It’s all because of that old man who doesn’t handle things properly!

–

The morning court ceremony was both tedious and exhausting.

The tedious part was secondary; after all, when it comes to the palace, no ceremony is without complexity. What was truly exhausting was the long wait.

No talking, no moving around, and feeling cold, hungry, and sleepy. Since there was an official from the Honglu Temple standing behind him, Wei Yu didn’t even dare to nap too deeply!

Because if he slept too soundly, he’d risk falling over.

After enduring through the wait, he finally heard the sound of the whip cracking, signaling that he could follow the others into the hall.

It was his first time entering Taihe Gate as official. After completing the formal bow to the emperor, Wei Yu saw his superior—Zhou Shikai, another official from the Ministry of War—waving at him from beside the left pillar.

Oh, he’s calling me over.

The position of attendant officials wasn’t in the center of the court but to the far left, just below the emperor’s seat. Those on duty had a small desk with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

After all, attendant officials were close to the emperor.

There were two desks, and Zhou Shikai sat at the upper position.

When Wei Yu approached, he was quietly reminded, “Ninth Prince, this will be your seat from now on.”

Wei Yu looked down.

Good grief, these brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are so familiar—it’s exactly the set I used in the study!

Wei Yu wanted to clutch his chest; he felt he was about to develop high blood pressure.

They moved my things here—what does that mean?

It means this seat is exclusive to me! I’m going to be a permanent fixture as an attendant official!

[Dammit, that old man really doesn’t handle anything properly!!]

At the upper seat, Emperor Wei caught a glimpse of Wei Yu. Upon hearing his muttered complaints, instead of being angry, he was actually quite pleased.

Why get angry? What’s there to get angry about?

Has he never heard disrespectful words before?

The little rascal is just grumbling in his heart. Since he can’t punish him physically, why not find another way? Instead of punishing his body, he can “torment” him mentally. As long as the people who annoy him are unhappy, that makes him happy!

Emperor Wei felt content.

Finally, the little rascal is experiencing a life even worse than a dog’s.

–

As for attending court, Wei Yu wasn’t as enthusiastic as his Eighth Brother.

It’s just going to work.

What’s so exciting about going to work?

You probably think about quitting as soon as you wake up, but life forces you to drag yourself there.

It’s really a miserable thought.

Wei Yu was also miserable. He lowered his head, gripping the brush, listening to the officials report while pretending to write, actually teetering on the edge of falling asleep.

Since he was sitting at the side, in a corner, not many people were paying attention to him—only a few could be counted on one hand.

And yet, those few included the emperor, the Grand Commandant, a prince, and the eunuchs.

Oh, thankfully, the Censor and the Honglu Temple officials hadn’t noticed yet.

Because everyone knew Wei Yu’s nature, Eighth Prince had already been watching him.

When he saw Wei Yu’s head hanging down and staying still for a long time, he realized something was wrong.

This rascal probably fell asleep again!

Eighth Prince: [Wei Yu is doomed! It was bad enough in the study, but now he’s sleeping in court? How dare he?! It’s over, Li Cheng saw him too…]

Li Cheng: [Oh, this poor child. Judging by the way the Ninth Prince looks, he probably didn’t sleep at all last night. I wonder if he’s worried about Second Prince… Such deep brotherly love.]

Grand Commandant Du Xing: [Hmm? The Ninth Prince’s sleeping position is quite similar to Third Brother’s. Third Brother used to sleep like this when he was studying. Haha, so princes can be lazy too, huh? Got the emperor’s little secret!]

Emperor Wei: …

A little angry now.

In the hall, the Censor’s sharp eyes scanned everyone in the court. Anyone not paying attention was quickly noted down.

Hmm, yawning? Note it down. This person’s belt is crooked? Not good, note it down. This one’s swaying? Must be sleepy, note it down. This person’s head is lowered too much? Definitely asleep!

Note it down!

The Censor’s gaze landed on the slumped, sleeping Wei Yu, just as he was about to note it down when he suddenly realized who this person was.

Ninth Prince!

The Ninth Prince who had just been appointed as an attendant official by the emperor!

The Censor fell silent.

How can a prince sleep in the court? Isn’t this too disrespectful?

Should he note it or not?

The morning court was divided into four parts: receiving officials from outside the capital, handling urgent military affairs, dealing with regular state matters, and finally handling officials who had failed in their duties.

Nothing of note happened in the first three parts—recently, Great Wei had been quite peaceful. The officials mostly dealt with regular state matters and then wrapped up the court.

Everyone thought today would be the same, but then Minister of Works Pei Zhi suddenly stood up.

“Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

The main event had arrived.

This had all been arranged with Pei Zhi beforehand, so now they were just playing along in the court. Emperor Wei straightened up and nodded seriously.

“Lord Pei, speak.”

Pei Zhi: “Your Majesty, what I wish to report concerns the weapons in the military. Recently, the Ministry of Works has discovered a method of forging steel that makes weapons sharper and lighter than before… I humbly request that Your Majesty use this method to reforge our military armaments!”

What!

This news hadn’t been leaked even a little, and the courtiers, unprepared, were stunned.

The Prime Minister furrowed his brows, the Minister of Personnel pursed his lips, the Grand Commandant clenched his fist, and the Minister of War stared wide-eyed…

Only Qi Tishou beside them couldn’t help but gasp.

[What reckless person wants to get money from me!]