Actually, Sima Shu has his own personal reasons for opposition.

Although he has never met Lin Yi, he knows nothing about this suddenly emerged great eunuch Lin Yi.

However, looking at the various incredible achievements Lin Yi has made in these past months, this person is definitely not mediocre.

If Lin Yi were really taken under the wing of the Eighth Prince, the power of the Eighth Prince would indeed soar, but this would not be a good thing for Sima Shu.

After all, why have Yu if Liang shines just as bright.

Yet the Eighth Prince, eager to achieve and establish himself, did not consider so much; his only thought now is to do whatever it takes to bring Lin Yi into his ranks.

"One Lin Yi is equal to ten National Treasury reserves, if I, the Prince, take in Lin Yi, will I have to worry about not having new National Treasury reserves?"

"Moreover, if this plan fails, given Lin Yi's intelligence, he will surely suspect it has something to do with me, how can I protect myself if I don't throw in some benefits?"

Actually, the Eighth Prince not only stored a National Treasury reserve within You Country but also kept a backup at Yumen Pass where he has been deeply entrenched for more than a decade.

In You Country, he has slight control over the twenty-some money houses, enabling a continuous flow of silver to the Border.

Of course, he wouldn't squander this silver but would rather semi-aggressively harass a few barbarian towns, use Martial Force to subdue them and exploit their labor, planting much grain deep in Yumen Pass.

Gradually over these years, the Eighth Prince has seized nearly 20 barbarian towns, forming a small scale operation.

If regular barbarian armies want justice, he'd feint with a few Silver Taels to pacify them. If that fails, he just needs to rally an army of a hundred thousand to scare the opponent into submission.

This is the key as to how the Eighth Prince can maintain a "friendly relationship" with the Barbarians at the Border.

Seeing the resolute Eighth Prince, Sima Shu smartly shuts his mouth.

Right then, a confidential letter from the Fourth Prince also arrived.

"Hmph, at least my Fourth brother has some conscience."

But after reading the Fourth Prince's confidential letter, the Eighth Prince regretted having just praised him.

"What, what kind of words are these, my Fourth brother is actually telling me to fold, this time even the heavens are helping the Emperor, a torrential rain saved the Emperor, telling me to wait for another half a year before making plans, to contentedly be a Prince first."

"So lackluster!"

The Eighth Prince, furious, threw the Fourth Prince's confidential letter onto the ground.

Half a year later, two concubines from the Emperor's Harem are due, and new candidates for the Crown Prince will emerge, does he need to wait another eighteen years to seize the throne?

But how many eighteen years does one have in life?

"My Fourth brother has grown too comfortable in the Imperial City, bring me pen and ink."

Subsequently, the Eighth Prince wrote a lengthy ten-page letter to the Fourth Prince.

Returning the gaze to the Imperial City, the little Emperor had been sitting in the Dragon Chariot for three whole hours and was already starving.

"Little Lin, come here."

The guilty-feeling little Emperor peeked out, halting Lin Yi.

"Whoa—"

Lin Yi halted his steed, stopping the whole procession; he leapt down from his horse to approach the little Emperor.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

Lin Yi observing the anxious appearance of the little Emperor knew it was time again for this little glutton to ask for a snack. But when outside, the proper decorum between the sovereign and his servant must still be maintained.

'I really messed up, I didn't bring enough food for my adorable wife when we left, my fault, my fault.'

[Ding Ding Ding! Host successfully purchased two servings of soup dumplings, two servings of tiger-skin chicken feet, and two servings of stir-fried noodles, paying 2000 Heavenly Bead Coins in total. The goods have been delivered to the back of the Dragon Chariot.]

"Lin Yi, the citizens are so enthusiastic today, and when I see the osmanthus cakes in their hands, I can't help but crave them, cough cough." The little Emperor felt embarrassed to finish the sentence, subtly hinting instead.

'You scoundrel, I have been hungry for so long, and you still don't take action, do you want to starve me and your unborn son to death? Hurry up and get me something to eat.'

The little Emperor had a full meal before leaving, thinking that sitting in the Dragon Chariot and strolling through the Imperial City wouldn't require any physical effort.

But the reality was quite the opposite, sitting in the Dragon Chariot made him even hungrier than sitting in the Imperial Palace.

Lin Yi threw a knowing glance at the little Emperor, smiled without saying a word, and walked past him.

This drove the little Emperor anxious.

'Ah, this Lin Yi has such gall, daring to defy the imperial command! And the osmanthus cake is right there in front of him.'

The little Emperor was furious, cursing Lin Yi in his heart.

Just then, Lin Yi came over with several boxes of steaming buns and two boxes of osmanthus cake.

Seeing the food, the little Emperor's earlier rage vanished instantly, a joy he could hardly hide sparkled in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yi bypassed the little Emperor again, handing the two boxes of osmanthus cake to Ying Qi before turning back.

"Your Majesty, this is for you."

When Lin Yi handed over the two boxes of steaming buns to the little Emperor, the emperor deliberately acted angry and turned his head away haughtily.

'Hmph, it seems I, the main wife, am no longer important, huh? You serve Ying Qi first and then me, when have I ever been treated like this!'

Seeing the little Emperor's displeasure, and knowing his darling main wife was angry, Lin Yi had no choice but to patiently coax him.

"Your Majesty, if you want to eat osmanthus cake, Lin Yi will make you 100 different types of osmanthus cake tonight, but since we're outside the Imperial Palace, I dare not gamble with your safety to let you eat street food."

Knowing the reason behind the little Emperor's anger, the osmanthus cake in Ying Qi's hands suddenly lost its allure, he didn't dare to take another bite.

Smelling the mouth-watering soup dumplings, the little Emperor decided to give in; at this critical moment, he couldn't oppose the delicious food.

"You are considerate; remember your promise of 100 different types of osmanthus cakes tonight."

The little Emperor took the two boxes of buns, and when she opened them to find a layer of tiger-skin chicken feet below, she nodded at Lin Yi satisfactorily.

'You still have some conscience, knowing I like chicken feet.'

After feasting contently, the little Emperor actually dozed off in the Dragon Chariot.

As time passed, it soon reached midday, the Imperial City was alive with the sound of drums and gongs, and Cheng Hu, along with his guards, came to report to Lin Yi.

"Reporting to Lin Yi, this year's Magpie Festival preparation is all set."

Lin Yi nodded, pulled out a megaphone from behind, and shouted to the crowd: "This year's Magpie Festival officially begins, retaining traditional programs from previous years with the addition of love song and poetry competitions. Interested citizens may head to the Western City District's grand Magpie Festival stage to watch."

"Anyone attending can receive either two jin of millet or an incense bag!"

Lin Yi distributed millet to attract the elderly, and incense bags to attract the younger ones, ensuring more people would come to the grand Magpie Festival stage.

Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, the festival stage in the Western City District was packed with people, surrounding the little Emperor's Dragon Chariot to the point where no water could leak through.

And the drowsy little Emperor, oblivious to the activity outside, having eaten his fill, was better able to sleep in the shaky Dragon Chariot.

Of course, Lin Yi was well-prepared; he had installed bulletproof panels around the little Emperor's seat, making sure that even if someone tried to attack, they wouldn't be able to hurt the little Emperor right away.

...This chapter ends...

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