Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 2 Rejecting the Rat Race

In his previous existence, Zhao Yao sensed that he didn't truly belong to this realm.

Several months prior, he had fallen seriously ill. While sick, recurring dreams plagued him. Within those dreams, he inhabited a different realm. There, his name remained Zhao Yao, though it was the illustrious "Glory" Yao. Remarkably, Zhao Yao possessed the ability to comprehend the speech of animals.

Inside the dream, his talent for understanding beasts led to his early capture by a secretive agency, where he trained and undertook missions. Eventually, during one such mission, an unfortunate incident befell Zhao Yao, and the dream abruptly ended.

These visions appeared sporadically and remained fragmented. Upon awakening, most of the dream's details escaped his memory. He could only faintly recall certain fragments.

Once he recovered from his ailment, confusion gripped him for a time, leaving him uncertain if he was Zhao Yao or the dream's Zhao Yao. His mother consort assured him that he was indeed the tenth prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the emperor's youngest offspring—Zhao Yao. The other version was merely a figment of his imagination.

Zhao Yao strolled along, engaging in conversation with Lai Qian.

Lai Qian had recently returned from beyond the palace walls, gathering news from fellow sparrows.

[Yao Yao, your second royal brother has won a victory.]

"I know, the whole palace is talking about it." Zhao Yao added, "By now, it's probably spread throughout the whole capital."

Lai Qian said: [Then you definitely don't know another thing.]

Zhao Yao quickly asked, "What thing?"

[Your second royal brother's maternal grandfather is planning to petition your father to abolish the Crown Prince and propose making your second royal brother the Crown Prince.]

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao showed no astonishment. He murmured to Lai Qian, "Don't they often do this?" Over recent years, pushes to elevate the second royal brother to Crown Prince had become a frequent occurrence, almost habitual.

Lai Qian lacked deep insight into human politics, simply relaying what it had overheard.

[Anyway, you're not the Crown Prince, so you don't have to worry about being deposed.]

"Things are about to get lively." Both in the capital and within the Imperial Palace, tranquility reigned whenever the second royal brother campaigned far away. With his imminent return, excitement would undoubtedly surge through the city and court.

Fortunately, his youth and his maternal family's lack of influence spared him from entanglement in the brutal contest for the throne. Yet, he knew that collateral damage could strike the innocent, so he and his mother consort needed to stay alert.

Were he grown up, he could live as a carefree prince, journeying across the land with his mother consort. That would shield them from these perilous intrigues.

He earnestly wished for swift maturity, ideally in a single night, allowing him and his mother consort to depart the capital and escape these schemes far away.

Noticing Zhao Yao's sigh, Lai Qian inquired with concern: [Yao Yao, what's wrong with you?]

Zhao Yao pouted and replied, "I want to grow up quickly, so I can take my mother consort and you all out to see the world."

Lai Qian joyfully fluttered its tiny wings and exclaimed: [Great, great, we can all go out and play then.]

Zhao Yao pulled a wry face and said, "But, it'll still take ten years."

Lai Qian remarked with a hint of scorn: [You humans take too long to grow up. We grow up in a few months, and we can fly wherever we want.]

"Sometimes I really wish I were a bird." That freedom would let him roam as he pleased.

While chatting with Lai Qian, Zhao Yao reached Wende Hall.

Wende Hall served as the study hall for the princes. By tradition, all princes began their education there at the age of six.

Just a month earlier, Zhao Yao had commenced his studies at Wende Hall. Truthfully, he had no desire to attend, having already received education in his prior life—though the topics differed greatly from this era's curriculum. He harbored no ambitions to become a renowned scholar or dive into the succession battles. Basic literacy sufficed for him. Moreover, he believed his previous life's knowledge would serve well here.

He had pleaded with his mother consort to exempt him from classes. She refused, insisting that every prince must attend, regardless of prior learning.

Tong Xi prompted him, "Your Highness, we've arrived at Wende Hall."

Zhao Yao sighed, "I really don't want to study." Skipping was impossible, though. Thankfully, his mother consort had advised him to simply attend diligently without needing to outshine his siblings. Thus, he ranked as the least ambitious scholar among the princes.

His royal brothers outdid one another in intellect, prominence, and zeal for excellence. Zhao Yao opted out of the rivalry, shunning the brilliance and prowess they displayed. He preferred ordinariness. Matching their sharpness would endanger him and his mother consort.

"You cannot not study, Your Highness." Tong Xi gently persuaded, "Your Highness, let's go in."

Zhao Yao turned his head and addressed Lai Qian perched on his shoulder, "I'm going to study, you go play by yourself."

Lai Qian lifted its right wing and softly tapped Zhao Yao's cheek, speaking in an elder-like manner: [You have to study hard, I'll come to pick you up after class.] With that, it took flight.

Zhao Yao waved farewell to the flying Lai Qian, then stepped into Wende Hall alongside Tong Xi.

No sooner had he entered than he caught the ninth prince's loud praises for Prince Dai's triumph. Zhao Yao rolled his eyes and whispered to Tong Xi, "I knew Ninth Brother would boast."

"You don't have to mind it."

Accompanied by Tong Xi, Zhao Yao made his way to the classroom, offering courteous greetings to each brother. In his former life, he had no siblings, but now he boasted nine brothers and five sisters.

All princes except the Crown Prince and Prince Dai attended classes at Wende Hall. This indicated that only those two had reached adulthood; the rest remained minors.

Zhao Yao arrived last today. Typically, he wasn't tardy—the ninth prince held that distinction. Yet on this day, the ninth prince had come early, eager to trumpet his brother's success.

"Zhao Yao, have you heard about my brother?" The ninth prince hurried over to Zhao Yao and launched into his brag, "My brother won another battle, he's the War God..."

Zhao Yao feigned appropriate curiosity and admiration, allowing the ninth prince to continue his tale.

Delighted by Zhao Yao's apparent envy, the ninth prince grew even more animated in his recounting.

Settling into his seat, Zhao Yao listened halfheartedly, the words entering one ear and exiting the other.

The remaining princes had grown weary of the endless boasting and ignored the ninth prince entirely.

Zhao Yao shared their impatience, silently urging the teacher's prompt arrival.

Shortly after, the teacher stepped into the room. The ninth prince promptly directed his praises toward him.

After offering commendations for Prince Dai and nodding in agreement, the teacher instructed the ninth prince to sit down.

Unsated and craving more bragging time, the ninth prince relented only because the teacher had begun the lesson with open books.

At that moment, in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince, face etched with concern, consulted his advisors on the next steps.

"Prince Dai will definitely be richly rewarded by father after this return to the capital."

"Your Highness, the emperor will just bestow some gold and silver jewelry to Prince Dai."

"Prince Dai has made significant contributions again this time, his prestige in the army is growing, and the military officers increasingly trust him. Over half of the military officers in court support Prince Dai." The normally poised Crown Prince unraveled, his features twisting in distress, "You know they often say to father that Prince Dai has the emperor's flair from his younger days and is most suitable to be the Crown Prince. Father often says Prince Dai resembles him. At this rate, I'll be deposed as the Crown Prince."

"Your Highness, you were personally appointed as the Crown Prince by the emperor. Unless you commit some great betrayal, the emperor won't depose you."

"That's easy to say, but Prince Dai's power grows increasingly aggressive. If it continues, it will become more disadvantageous for me."

"Over these years, Prince Dai has been fighting abroad, earning numerous military achievements, and winning the admiration of those military officers. Those officers are the ones who followed the emperor to the battlefield back then. The emperor listens to them."

"That's the thing I worry about most." The Crown Prince snapped irritably, "Prince Dai earned a lot of military achievements. However, I, the Crown Prince, have never been on the battlefield, never made any military contributions, so naturally, those officers don't respect me as the Crown Prince."

"Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince; you can't go on the battlefield."

"Your Highness, although you haven't achieved military honors, you've done a lot for the kingdom and the people at the court; you are not inferior to Prince Dai."

"I am naturally not inferior to Prince Dai, but the people only know of Prince Dai quelling rebellion after rebellion. I fear in the people's mind, there's only Prince Dai." The Crown Prince sneered, "I fear tomorrow there'll be ministers praising Prince Dai while belittling me, proposing to father to change the Crown Prince to Prince Dai."

"Your Highness, as long as Duke Zhen is around, the emperor will not depose you."

At these words, the Crown Prince's tension eased a bit. News of Prince Dai's successes always rattled him, shattering his usual serenity.

"You're right. However, I'm worried that father already favors Prince Dai internally."