How can I bow my head and serve the powerful officials?

Xie Chengze crossed his arms, his straightforward gaze fell on Xie Jinyu's arm, and he said lightly, "Xie Jinyu, you are not allowed to touch me without my permission."

It's time he taught him some manners.

This was the first time Xie Chengze called Xie Jinyu by her full name. Xie Jinyu was stunned for a moment, like a puppy whose pacifier was taken away from it. She looked up at him blankly.

"Since you want to gain a sense of security from me, you must pay the corresponding reward." Xie Chengze said slowly, "Qin Zhengshi and Doctor Hu have always been affiliated with the prince's party and refused to be bribed by me. I want you to abandon them."

Qin Zhengshi and Doctor Hu are loyal members of the prince's party and are also Xie Jinyu's right-hand men. Xie Jinyu raised his eyes and stared at Xie Chengze, never expecting that the request he put forward was related to power.

"You won't?" Xie Chengze tilted his head slightly and smiled playfully, "What? I thought you cared about me so much."

"Second brother also wants the throne?" Xie Jinyu stood up, half-knelt in front of Xie Chengze, and approached his face.

"Think about it carefully, why not?" Xie Chengze met his dangerous gaze without fear, "Jinyu, you are very dependent on your second brother, right? In this case, I will be the emperor, and you will continue to be your prince. I will raise you in the East Palace, accompany you at any time, pamper you, and never go anywhere."

He put his hands on Xie Jinyu's shoulders, knelt beside his waist, and looked down at the young prince with gloomy eyes. "There are many ways to never separate. I prefer this one the most. If you want to see the memorials, I will show them to you. If you want to form a clique for personal gain, I can turn a blind eye..."

He stroked Xie Jinyu's earlobe, with a faint smile in his eyes, but not in his eyes, "Brother can do whatever you want. I won't marry, I won't take concubines, and I won't have children. So let me be the emperor, okay?"

Xie Jinyu's vision was dazed for a moment.

He had never thought that his second brother would say such words. If his second brother really wanted to do so, to be entangled with him alone for his whole life, and he would manage the world for him and he would stay by his side without distraction, then what would be wrong with leaving the throne to his second brother?

But... there's no way my second brother would agree to that.

There are too many people around the second brother. Even if he ascends the throne, his mind will not be focused on himself alone. His love will be divided into countless parts, and the largest one is for the people of the world, not him, a puppet who is trapped in the imperial palace for life and must hold the throne.

The second brother is not as paranoid and stubborn as him. He is just a real and ordinary person, and such a person cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires. As time goes by, the second brother will always get tired of his dominance and disgusted with his deformity.

That's the difference between the two.

If you want to possess him alone, you have to sit in a position of power and tie him down completely.

but……

He doesn't mind coaxing his second brother.

My second brother is too relaxed. If you coax him a little, he will definitely believe it.

"As long as Second Brother is willing to stay by my side, I am willing to let Second Brother ascend the throne." Xie Jinyu hugged the waist of the young man in front of him, put his cheek against his abdomen, and whispered, "Tomorrow, I will go to court and abandon Qin Zhengshi and Doctor Hu."

Hearing his words, Xie Chengze opened his mouth and was dumbfounded.

He just wanted Xie Jinyu to empathize with him. It must be very uncomfortable to be forced to stay by someone's side and be treated as a toy. Why was he breathing heavily?

"Are you serious?" Xie Chengze asked uncertainly.

"Yes." Xie Jinyu hugged the person in his arms tightly, "Whatever Second Brother wants, I will give it to him."

Except, freedom.

Xie Chengze: ...

That's it.

Shen Yuan! Come quickly! Your prince is on strike! He doesn't want to be the emperor anymore!

He doesn't want to be a scapegoat! Get out of here, the throne! He doesn't want to joke around anymore, wow wow wow——

-

The next day, the prince recovered and went to court.

The prince's party, which had been suppressed for more than half a month, started to celebrate and were ready to strike hard at the court officials of the regent's party. However, their own prince failed to keep his word and reported Qin Zhengshi and Doctor Hu. No matter how other ministers tried to persuade him, he refused to change his mind.

Shen Yuan's face didn't look very good either. He felt that Xie Jinyu shouldn't do such a thing. He set his sights on Xie Chengze, and sure enough, he saw Xie Chengze looking away guiltily.

Shen Yuan: Haha.

It turns out that it was just pillow talk.

After the court session, Shen Yuan and Xie Jinyu walked towards Xie Chengze at the same time. Seeing them walking towards him with a smile and a cold expression, Xie Chengze decided to escape reality and go to the villains to hide from the limelight first.

Compared to the angry protagonist and the crazy second male lead, the villain looked so normal that Xie Chengze felt at ease.

In Cheng Huan Palace, Sheng Shihuai asked about the anomaly in the court today, "Why did the prince suddenly cut off his own hands and feet? Does Your Highness know something about this?"

"Hey!" Xie Chengze had been thinking of an excuse all night, and it finally came in handy. "Shi Huai, you don't know, I secretly found a master to cast a spell on the prince! That's why he behaved so abnormally! It's a pity that the prince has purple energy, so it can only be used once."

Black magic?

Sheng Shihuai wondered if it was some kind of witchcraft that could make people unlucky or behave abnormally.

He would secretly find someone to investigate, in case Xie Chengze suddenly had a brain seizure one day and planned to use it against him.

"Speaking of which..." Xie Chengze rubbed his hands, a bit of greed on his face, "The Spring Examination is coming soon, should we..."

He rubbed his thumbs quickly and said, "Make a little profit from it?"

Sheng Shihuai raised his eyebrows and stroked the edge of the teacup with his fingertips, "How does Your Highness want to make a profit?"

"For example, leaking some test questions or something." Xie Chengze patted Sheng Shihuai on the shoulder and took the initiative to say, "Or, Lord Sheng, do you have any good ideas?"

Sheng Shihuai took a sip of tea and asked, "Your Highness, are you trying to make a profit, or are you trying to pave the way for the students you like?"

"Of course it's for profit!" Xie Chengze said without hesitation, "You and Lord Shen will take care of paving the way."

Sheng Shihuai nodded, "Then I don't suggest that Your Highness leak the exam questions for profit. First of all, Your Highness is in charge of this Spring Examination, and the Crown Prince and his party are eyeing it covetously. It would be a mercy not to cause trouble for you. If there is evidence that you abuse your power for personal gain, I'm afraid the position of Regent will be immediately removed, and even the power of the Imperial College will probably be transferred to the Crown Prince."

"As for the students you favor, they must be quite knowledgeable. If the test questions are leaked, it will undoubtedly affect their rankings, causing the official positions they get to be of a lower grade. At that time, they will have to spend more time and energy to arrange them, which is not worth the loss."

"Besides..." Sheng Shihuai's face became slightly serious, and he accused, "Your Highness, making a profit by leaking the exam questions is ultimately short-sighted and unwise. Whether you are the regent or the prince, you should follow the example of the Land of Abundance and the Ice Sculpture Festival. Only by making profits in a legitimate way can the dynasty last long, not by crooked means."

Xie Chengze, who was suddenly taught a lesson by the villain: ...

That's it.

Shen Yuan! Come quickly! Our villain is starting to walk the right path!

It was so hard for him! Why didn't these people follow the script? He was really about to cry!