The guards stationed before the imperial study were no ordinary men. To serve there, one needed not only martial prowess but sharp senses.
So when they saw Emperor Xuanwu approaching from afar, his expression carrying an uncharacteristic trace of delight, the guards all assumed he had already learned of the surprise prepared for him by the Sixth Prince and Princess Sheng An. They straightened their backs and clamped their lips shut, eager not to spoil the moment.
Unaware of any irregularity, Emperor Xuanwu strode forward in high spirits. No sovereign walked with eyes fixed on the ground, after all.
As he neared the study, a thought crossed his mind. It had been several days since any word came from Yun Shu.
"Has Princess Sheng An still been making daily visits to the Ministry of Works?" he asked casually.
"It seems so," Li Dehai replied as he shuffled behind the emperor with brisk, tiny steps.
He had, in fact, been watching the emperor's path closely, alert for any obstacles. But now, with the imperial study nearly at hand and its surroundings assumed secure, Li Dehai had momentarily lowered his guard. On top of that, the emperor had spoken to him, prompting a reflexive glance upward.
"Her Highness appears to take great interest in the affairs of the Waterworks Division," Li Dehai began, his tone respectful. "Just a few days ago, I heard she even personally inspected the river embankm—"
He never finished the sentence.
In that split second, the corner of his eye caught sight of a strange mound directly in the emperor's path. It resembled a miniature stone wall, lying less than a pace ahead.
What was that doing in front of the imperial study?
Who had placed it there? Were the guards blind? Had they all lost their wits?
If His Majesty were to fall—!
A tidal wave of alarm crashed through Li Dehai's mind. Panic nearly short-circuited his thoughts. There was no time to speak. No time to shout a warning.
So he dove.
"Your Majesty!"
With a desperate cry, Li Dehai flung himself forward, landing on his knees and pitching his body toward the emperor just as Emperor Xuanwu stumbled over the offending obstacle.
It was not quite a full fall—thanks only to Li Dehai, who managed to cushion the emperor's descent—but the scene was undignified enough.
Gasps erupted from the eunuchs and guards nearby. They rushed forward in a flurry.
"Your Majesty, are you harmed?"
"Summon the imperial physician! At once!"
"We are unharmed," the emperor barked.
Embarrassment burned beneath his words.
To fall in public was humiliating for any man. For the Son of Heaven, it was intolerable.
He shook off the hand that tried to help him up and fixed a dark, withering glare upon the offending object. It had tripped him squarely, and now sat there, ugly and insolent.
"What is the meaning of this? Why is such a thing placed before the imperial study?"
"Your Majesty, forgive us!"
The guard on duty went pale. Sweat soaked his back instantly.
Terrified that even a moment's hesitation might doom him, he rushed to explain.
"This unworthy one was told it was a surprise prepared by Princess Sheng An and the Sixth Prince for Your Majesty. That is why it was not reported in advance. We beg Your Majesty's pardon!"
A surprise?
This was their idea of a surprise?
Many among the eunuchs and guards hearing this for the first time nearly choked in shock. However favored those two might be, this stunt surely crossed a line.
But Emperor Xuanwu's fury suddenly stilled. A peculiar look crossed his face.
Could this be what the Simulation Life Selection System had foretold—that someone would trip him?
That little scoundrel, Xiao Wu, had gone to the trouble of placing such a thing at his door just to trip him?
Wait.
Something was wrong.
He narrowed his eyes.
"You just said this surprise was prepared by Princess Sheng An and the Sixth Prince? Did they say so themselves?"
"This… this humble one does not know!" the guard stammered.
He had only just come on duty that morning. The obstacle was already in place when he arrived.
"Then summon the night guard. Bring them here immediately!"
With a furious sweep of his sleeve, Emperor Xuanwu turned and stormed into the study.
Not long after, the night guard was hauled in, half-awake and visibly confused.
Only upon hearing whispers of the emperor's fall did true terror dawn. The young man broke into a cold sweat. His legs went soft as noodles the moment he stepped inside.
He dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
"This humble one greets Your Majesty!"
"Is it true," Emperor Xuanwu demanded, not wasting a breath, "that the object outside was a surprise prepared by Princess Sheng An and the Sixth Prince? What exactly happened yesterday? Speak. Everything."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty! Yesterday…"
The man poured out the entire account like beans from a bamboo tube, leaving nothing out.
"This humble one did see that the thing was soft and floppy at the time. I never imagined it could trip someone. It was my oversight. Please, Your Majesty, grant mercy!"
"Soft and floppy?"
The emperor's fury paused just long enough to register this strange detail.
He slammed his palm on the desk.
"That object, which just now struck Us harder than a stone, was soft?"
"By Your Majesty's discernment, it truly was not hard yesterday!" the guard cried, forehead nearly pressed to the floor. "The Sixth Prince crafted a small section of wall using something called 'cement.' It was too soft and collapsed slightly. That is why it looks as it does now."
There was a pause.
So it was supposed to be a model wall. A collapsed wall.
Emperor Xuanwu froze.
Understanding struck like lightning.
So that little wretch, his son, had not forgotten the grudge. He had gone and built a crumbling wall right at the doors of the imperial study.
As though to mock him.
His face turned a deeper shade of black. He dismissed the guard with an order to receive ten strikes of the paddle.
But his anger had only just begun to rise.
He turned to Li Dehai. "Go to the Academy Hall. Drag Yun Chuhuan here. Now."
In the middle of class, Yun Chuhuan was abruptly summoned. He quickly realized that his handiwork from the previous day must have been discovered.
Fortunately, a year spent at Yun Shu's side had taught him a few tricks.
So the moment he entered, he opened with wide-eyed enthusiasm and a blatant lie.
"Father Emperor! Did you see the surprise your son and Fifth Sister prepared? It is right outside the door!"
===
We've reached Chapter 200!
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