At this moment, the morning court wasn’t over yet. All civil and military officials were still arguing heatedly on the news of the defeat.

“Your Majesty! I’m ashamed to face you or our people! I’m sorry!” yelled a general who just came back from the frontline and was still in his armor. He apologized as he knelt in front of the emperor, looking rather guilty!

“Don’t be too sad. Just tell me the truth and I’ll defend you.” said the emperor. He, though at an old age, looked still in good health.

“Your Majesty. I didn’t have a total command failure. In fact, I didn’t even know when we dispatched troops for the battle?” explained the general.

“What do you mean?” asked the emperor again.

“Your Majesty! Prince Jitian didn’t take my advice at all! Considering his young age and first experience in the battlefield, I helped a lot with the tactical deployment. But instead of listening to me, he locked me up!” continued the general.

Speaking of this, he seemed to be lost in some bad memory and wept as if his aspirations remained unrealized.

Hearing his words, all civil and military officials present tried to defend him. Some even started to curse Prince Jitian in a low voice.

Just as they cursed with righteous indignation, a eunuch hurried in from the side door of the palace, having something to report to the emperor.

The eunuch looked respectful, but also nervous.

“What’s it?” asked the emperor.

“Your Majesty. Prince Jitian has arrived and is now waiting out there.” replied the eunuch.

He had been standing outside the palace and heard people discussing about what Prince Jitian had done. He was angry, too. But just when he looked up, he saw Prince Jitian himself standing before him!

In a dark robe, Prince Jitian looked cool and poker-faced. His eyes, on the contrary, shone in awe. The eunuch couldn’t help yielding, under such pressure.

The girl by his side looked gorgeous! With little makeup, her face still looked pretty! What a graceful and attractive girl, just like the sun in June, hot and energetic!

“Jitian? d.a.m.n him! Get him in!” roared the emperor. He blew his stack upon hearing the son was back after losing the battle. All civil and military officials, who were scared, knelt to propitiate the emperor.  

Wu Jitian walked into the palace, followed by Dong Ling. Someone was still cursing his in a low voice.

Among these angry officials, the general in his armor lowered his head with his arms limp at his sides. Sometimes, he pulled the corner of his robe to cover up his nervousness.

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Kneel!” yelled the emperor as he pointed at Wu Jitian. Mm, even before Wu Jitian managed to kneel and greet his father.

He knelt immediately with Dong Ling.

“How dared you joke with our soldiers? And how dare you lose the battle? Did I ever teach you to do that?” asked the emperor.

Before they came inside, Wu Jitian had asked Dong Ling to stay calm and not to argue. Under such instructions, Dong Ling kept lowing her head and all she could see were the emperor’s feet. “Mm. He’s really a majestic emperor!” thought Dong Ling.

Come on. Wu Jitian was at least a prince, while no one in the court ever supported him. Looked like he lost all the support just because he was framed up!

“You loser! You’re as mean and cruel as your mother! All you want is something dirty! And you even get your brothers involved!” the emperor cursing more angrily.

In this condition, officials got the nerve to mock him!

Wu Jitian looked down calmly as if nothing had influenced him. Blocked by his long eyelashes, the twinkle in his eyes was dimmed and no one could tell what he was really thinking of. He didn’t even move until his mother was mentioned.

Dong Long, as his only partner, noticed that his nails were stuck in his fingers which were bleeding faintly.

The emperor coughed when he seemed to be tired from cursing his own son.

Prince Wu Jiming, who was standing in the first row, hurried to comfort his father.

He said, “Father, don’t get angry. Jitian was too young and that was his first time to fight a war. Think about it. He grew up with Imperial Mother Zhao, he certainly would be arrogant. As his elder brother, I’m sorry. I should have found his mistakes and corrected him!”

After he finished, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the emperor, asking for punishment.

“Wow, he was really a drama queen!” thought Dong Ling. If she weren’t in the morning court, she even would have cheered for him! If Prince Jiming were born in the 21st century, the Oscar Best Actor must have gone to him!

“Jiming, it’s really our luck to have a prince like you!” said the emperor. Obviously, what Wu Jitian said really touched him! He took Wu Jiming’s hand and patted on it gently. Right at this moment, he looked exactly like a loving father instead of the fierce emperor who had just cursed the other son.

Officials, of course, felt pleased to see the pleasant relations.h.i.+p between them. They all flattered that Prince Jiming was a qualified crown prince.

“Wu Jitian!” yelled the emperor after he praised the other son. He looked back to Wu Jitian who was still kneeling on the ground and continued with real disgust, “Everyone has his own ambition. But you need something more than ambition! Indeed, you were born to be ordinary and failed to be well educated! But after all, you’re my son. After your brother took the throne, he wouldn’t kill you, providing you remain a prince without ambition.”

Such were pejorative comments! It sounded like Wu Jitian was a loser and he lived only because the emperor and the crown prince exonerated him.

With her head lowered, Dong Ling was absorbed in meditation. What a miserable life Wu Jitian was living! She looked at Wu Jitian and then at the crown prince. The latter, as expected, gave a satisfied smile.

“Jitian, why don’t you say thank to Father?” asked Prince Wu Jiming in a distressed way as he signaled the eunuch to mollify his father. Looked like the ungratefulness of Wu Jitian really disappointed him!

Wu Jitian hate his untruthful brother. He gazed up at Wu Jiming coldly. The latter, looking back at his younger brother, felt somehow scared. He s.h.i.+vered even in such a hot palace!

“Jitian, since Jiming heard what you did, he has been interceding for you! How dare you be so ungrateful!”

“Yeah. Jiming, don’t be too stubborn, or you’ll bite off your own head!”

As Wu Jitian was arguing with Wu Jiming, several other princes also chipped in to make unwarranted charges against Wu Jitian, which really pleased Wu Jiming.

In fact, these princes didn’t get on too well with Wu Jiming. They did so, just because they knew Wu Jiming would definitely take the throne. You knew. It did no harm to flatter the future emperor!

The emperor, sitting back in his throne, was thoroughly disappointed at Wu Jitian because he was even too cowardly to talk back!