[Inside the harem, the two factions clashed in a chaotic melee.]

[The scene was bustling with excitement.]

[Guards and eunuchs, drawn by the noise, saw Ye Yu beating someone.]

[They calmly walked away as if nothing was happening.]

[Ask yourself.]

[In the palace, who hasn’t received Ye Yu’s silver notes?]

[As the saying goes, When you take someone’s handout, you’re beholden to them.]

[Ye Yu showered them with money every day.]

[Was it excessive for him to beat someone occasionally?]

[Was it worth stopping him?]

[Of course, walking away calmly was only because Ye Yu was the one doing the beating.]

[If Ye Yu were the one being beaten, they would have rushed over to help immediately!]

[In the shadows, Chief Eunuch Sun Fu looked troubled and softly asked: Your Majesty, should this servant intervene?]

[If the beating continues, the Fifteenth Prince won’t be able to take it.]

[Ye Kuiliang replied indifferently: What’s the matter? Have you received so many rewards from Ye Anming’s mother that you now feel sorry seeing him beaten?]

[These words made Chief Eunuch Sun Fu break out in a cold sweat.]

[In the harem, who didn’t have a few people on their payroll as informants?]

[But none did it as blatantly as Ye Yu.]

[Everyone else conducted their dealings secretly.]

[Chief Eunuch Sun Fu had thought his own transactions were hidden well, but had they been discovered after all?]

[He immediately knelt and pleaded: Your Majesty, spare this servant’s life!]

[Ye Kuiliang ignored Sun Fu and instead watched Ye Yu’s back, murmuring softly: Interesting.]

[This simple word made Sun Fu understand.]

[In this fight, Ye Kuiliang admired Ye Yu.]

[Sun Fu was quite surprised; he had served the emperor for fifty years. He rarely saw Ye Kuiliang admire any prince.]

[To be favored by the emperor was a great fortune!]

[Then, Ye Kuiliang waved his large sleeve, gripped his cane, and left slowly.]

[Before leaving, he didn’t forget to leave one more order.]

[Let them fight; the worse it gets, the better. No one is to intervene.]

[That evening.]

[News of Ye Yu’s brutal beating of Ye Anming spread throughout the palace.]

[Suddenly, everyone was filled with curiosity about this Sixteenth Prince of the Great Yong Dynasty.]

[He beat his own elder brother, and in front of so many people. Did he really not know the meaning of fear?]

[Lady Xu, seeing Ye Anming beaten so badly, immediately went crying to Emperor Ye Kuiliang to complain.]

[However, to everyone’s surprise, Ye Kuiliang only gave two sentences.]

[It’s just kids fighting; adults don’t need to interfere.]

[If he lost, it’s his own lack of ability; he can’t blame anyone else.]

[These two casually spoken sentences effectively shifted the blame entirely away.]

[Is it really over just like that?]

[Lady Xu was a smart woman; she read many layers of meaning in those two sentences.]

[So, she neither cried nor made a scene, but turned and left.]

[Soon after, Ye Anming’s screams echoed through the palace once more.]

[Useless! You can’t even beat a child younger than you. What use are you?]

[Under the rod, all children are equal.]

[Ye Anming never expected to be beaten twice in one day.]

[This incident caught everyone off guard.]

[Ye Kuiliang really didn’t punish Ye Yu, not even questioning him.]

[This made Ye Yu’s mother, Lady Zhou, very happy.]

[She distributed another large amount of gold coins.]

[This incident greatly boosted her prestige; in such a joyous state, what else could she do but give money?]

[She couldn’t help it; she was just a little bit extravagant!]

[Ye Yu didn’t stay idle either. He immediately found those who helped him that afternoon and started distributing money.]

[After this event, Ye Yu’s reputation as the money-scattering prince even spread to the court.]

[It became the focus of the ministers’ discussions over tea and meals.]

[Ye Yu also started to ponder why Ye Kuiliang, this rebellious father, didn’t give any punishment.]

[Could it be that he also played like this when he was young?]

[Ye Yu didn’t dwell too much on this question.]

[The emperor’s mind was the hardest to fathom.]

[Who knew what the emperor, who had ruled for over three hundred years, was thinking?]

[No matter, growing up well was the most important thing.]

[Three days later.]

[Ye Kuiliang finally showed his true colors.]

[He summoned Ye Yu and Lady Zhou together.]

[In their presence, he personally wrote an edict.]

[While the princes are in the palace, they are forbidden to accept any property from their mothers. If discovered, they will be confined for three years!]

[After reading the edict, Ye Yu’s face changed drastically, bluntly stating that this was targeting him.]

[However, Ye Kuiliang straightforwardly told Ye Yu.]

[Yes, it is targeting you. You keep scattering money every day. The Zhou family’s wealth isn’t for you to squander like this.]

[What’s the matter, feeling upset?]

[It’s normal to feel upset; this is the privilege of being the emperor.]

[If you want absolute power with no one to check you, then you can be the emperor too!]

[Hearing this, Lady Zhou was overjoyed and immediately tugged on Ye Yu’s sleeve, urging him to stop causing trouble.]

[How could Ye Yu not understand the hint in Ye Kuiliang’s words?]

[Trying to lure him with the emperor’s position?]

[Ye Yu immediately laughed and said: I have no interest in the emperor’s position.]

[Nor would I fight for it.]

[If I’m not allowed to spend money in the palace, then I simply won’t spend it!]

[Ye Yu claimed he was not angry at all.]

[Having already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, advancing further would surely draw attention.]

[Confronting Ye Kuiliang head-on would be unwise; it was better to use this opportunity to recuperate.]

[Once he left the palace at fifteen and established his own residence, he could continue his lavish spending.]

[Ye Yu had already found out that his maternal grandfather had only one daughter, Lady Zhou, and she had only him.]

[This meant that the largest merchant guild in the Great Yong Dynasty would eventually fall into Ye Yu’s hands.]

[By then, he could squander wealth to his heart’s content, so why rush?]

[Ye Yu smiled, didn’t seek permission, and left with a bow.]

[This frightened Lady Zhou.]

[First, he expressed his refusal to compete for the throne, then he turned and left without waiting for Ye Kuiliang’s further instructions.]

[This could easily be deemed as gross disrespect.]

[So Lady Zhou immediately pleaded with Ye Kuiliang, claiming that Ye Yu was still a child, prone to nonsense and impulsive behavior, and begged the emperor for forgiveness.]

[Ye Kuiliang indicated it was no big deal, but the smile on his face grew even wider.]

[In the following five years.]

[Ye Yu cultivated his moral integrity and refrained from spending money.]

[This made many in the palace feel very uncomfortable.]

[At fifteen, Ye Yu officially left the palace and established his own residence, receiving the title of Prince Reckless!]