ITVCFITB CHAPTER 97

Chapter 97 – A Multiplayer Game

Time passed quickly. In the Third Prince’s household, little Chongchong was now chubby, healthy, and almost able to roll over.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince’s faction was relentless, bombarding Emperor Tiansheng with memorials. Their core argument was simple: the empire cannot go without a crown prince forever. Nearly two years had passed since the former heir’s death, and succession was no longer a taboo topic.

But Emperor Tiansheng’s health was faltering. Though minor ailments like colds should have been nothing, at his age every illness carried risk. Thanks to Concubine Mei and Consort Xian keeping him on his medicine, he recovered this time. What wore him down far more than sickness was state business: without a crown prince to share the burden, he alone had to shoulder the endless flow of memorials.

Officials clamored for a designated heir. The reasoning was obvious: should the emperor suddenly collapse, the crown prince must be ready to take the reins at once.

The Fourth Prince’s supporters naturally declared him the ideal choice. He had toppled both the disgraced Noble Consort’s clan and the powerful Yan faction, and was now deeply trusted with state affairs. The Third Prince, by contrast, had returned from Guzhou but held no office, with no word of being sent back or appointed to duty.

Court gossip buzzed: Emperor Tiansheng doted endlessly on the Third Prince’s infant son, yet gave the Third Prince himself no responsibility. Did this mean he still intended to send him back to Guzhou?

The emperor summoned the Fourth Prince five times for every one audience with the Third Prince. To most eyes, including the Fourth Prince’s own, it seemed the emperor clearly favored him.

One day, after being tested by the emperor on policy matters in the imperial study, the Fourth Prince left with satisfaction glowing on his face. To his surprise, he ran into his Third Brother on his way in.

“Third Brother, what brings you to the palace today?” His smile brimmed with pride, his ambitions practically radiating off him.

“Because I felt like it,” Li Mingjin replied flatly.

The emperor had just been consulting the Fourth Prince on the upcoming civil service examinations. In truth, the Fourth Prince had hoped this would be his chance to shine, perhaps even be appointed as chief examiner. Instead, when the emperor brought the same question before Li Mingjin, the Third Prince glanced lazily at the list of proposed names, didn’t even bother to read, and declared:

“Why not let me do it, Father? I’m bored anyway.”

Emperor Tiansheng nearly choked. “Being chief examiner is hardly a game!”

Li Mingjin said earnestly, “Why not? I’ve been thinking about how to educate Chongchong. When he’s older, if he knows his father once served as chief examiner, won’t he admire me even more?”

The emperor was speechless. Only Li Mingjin could use fatherly bragging rights as a justification for a major appointment. And yet, as he thought of his beloved grandson’s bright eyes, he couldn’t help laughing.

“Very well. I’ll consider it,” he said.

And three days later, the decree was issued: the chief examiner for the twenty-seventh year’s imperial exams would be the Third Prince, Li Mingjin.

The court erupted in shock.

The Fourth Prince’s jaw nearly hit the floor. How on earth had his brother pulled this off? He cornered Li Mingjin after court.

“Third Brother, how did you persuade Father?”

Li Mingjin shrugged. “I just asked. You didn’t. Simple as that.”

The Fourth Prince was livid. He’s just a soldier! What does he know about civil exams? He had wanted to appear modest, but now realized his humility had cost him dearly.

Meanwhile, the emperor brushed aside protests from ministers who argued that a general was unsuited to oversee the civil examinations. His reasoning was simple: anyone could question Li Mingjin, but no one could question the emperor’s love for his grandson.

That evening, Li Mingjin returned home, half-amused. “Your idea worked,” he told Luo Shuyu. “I gave what I thought was a ridiculous reason, and Father actually bought it.”

Luo Shuyu untied his belt with a smile. “That’s because you treat him like family. If you were as formal as Fourth Brother, he’d treat you like a minister. And since he dotes on Chongchong, why not let that bond work in our favor?”

Li Mingjin kissed his temple. “My wife is too clever.”

“Who are you calling cunning?” Luo Shuyu jabbed him in the ribs.

“I meant brilliant,” Li Mingjin corrected quickly, kissing him again.

Their life was sweet, even after years of marriage. That night, as they settled their drowsy son, Li Mingjin whispered shamelessly, “Why isn’t he asleep yet? Doesn’t he know he needs to make room for a little brother?”

“Shameless!” Luo Shuyu hissed, elbowing him. “Don’t say that in front of him.”

“He can’t understand anyway,” Li Mingjin replied, grinning.

“Babies learn from everything.”

“Then we’d better hurry and put him to bed… so we can go to bed too.”

Luo Shuyu: “…”

Their playful banter carried long into the night.

---

Across the city, however, the Fourth Prince and Shen Mingyun’s marriage had lost its spark. Shen Mingyun finally grew desperate enough to spend precious system points on a weight-loss pill, locking himself away for half a month until he slimmed down.

When he reappeared, slender once more, the Fourth Prince felt a pang of regret because now he had no excuse to avoid intimacy.

They went out together to the flower market, where Shen Mingyun immediately began buying gaudy blooms, earning silent disdain from his husband. And then…

A strikingly handsome man appeared before them.

The Second Prince of Zhou.

The Fourth Prince and Shen Mingyun both blurted out in surprise: “Why are you here?”

The Zhou prince arched a brow at the Fourth Prince, and the latter’s face warmed. Shen Mingyun, oblivious, noticed nothing.

Not far away, Li Mingjin tugged Luo Shuyu into a clothing shop, peeking out to watch.

“Shuyu, we’re in for a show,” he murmured.

“What show?”

“A multiplayer game.”

---

Author’s Note:

【Mini-Storybook: Fill-in-the-blank exercise. Complete each line with at least 100 words. Full score: 100 points. Off-topic answers get zero.】

Third Prince: Darling, today I am ________, and you ________.

Luo Shuyu: ________________________________.

Third Prince: …

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