"If your Second Uncle had news about your Eldest Uncle, he would certainly send you a message." Liang Zhaoyi patted Zhao Yao's head and then took away the book in his hand. "Your Second Uncle hasn't sent any message, which means he doesn't have any news about your Eldest Uncle for the moment. Going to look for him during your break won't help."
"Mother, I haven't left the palace for a long time, I want to go out and have fun." Zhao Yao tugged at Liang Zhaoyi's sleeve, gently shaking it, acting spoiled, "Let me out of the palace during my break, please."
"Alright, I'll allow you to go out during your break."
Zhao Yao stood up and threw himself into Liang Zhaoyi's arms, rubbing his mother's face.
"Thank you, Mother."
Liang Zhaoyi pinched her son's adorable little face and then poked the dimple beside his left mouth corner.
"It's getting late, you should go to bed. You still have to go to Wende Hall to study early tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing the words "study," the smile on Zhao Yao's face instantly vanished. He flopped onto the bed, speaking bitterly, "Why do I have to study again tomorrow?" As he spoke, he rolled himself into the quilt, wriggling around, "Can't I not go to study?"
"No." Liang Zhaoyi raised her hand and lightly slapped her son's small buttock, "Lie down and sleep properly."
Zhao Yao obediently laid down. His pair of clear and beautiful eyes looked at Liang Zhaoyi plaintively, and he asked persistently, "Mother, can't I really skip studying tomorrow?"
After tucking her son in, Liang Zhaoyi gently flicked Zhao Yao's forehead with her finger, again mercilessly rejecting his coquetry and pleas: "No!"
"Mother, I've studied and learned many characters already, I don't need to go to Wende Hall to study anymore." Although he forgot much of the dream he had before, he hadn't forgotten about studying and recognizing characters.
"We've discussed this before, there's no need to discuss it again." Liang Zhaoyi deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Don't ever talk about not wanting to study again. Also, you can't mention the fact that you've studied and recognized characters, otherwise, Mother will get angry."
Liang Zhaoyi's last words frightened Zhao Yao severely. He quickly nodded, "I won't say it anymore. I won't say it again." The consequences of his mother being angry would be very serious, beyond what he could bear.
"Good boy." Liang Zhaoyi lowered her head, kissed Zhao Yao's little face, and said, "Sleep."
Zhao Yao obediently closed his eyes, "I'll sleep right away."
Liang Zhaoyi stood up and glanced at Lai Fu, who was squatting by her son's pillow.
Lai Fu gave her a cold look, then withdrew its gaze, crawled into the quilt, and placed its noble head in the crook of Zhao Yao's neck.
Seeing this, Liang Zhaoyi smiled slightly, then turned and left.
Zhao Yao hugged Lai Fu into his arms and pulled up the quilt to cover both of them. He whispered to Lai Fu, "Mother was really scary just now with her words."
Lai Fu whispered back, imitating Zhao Yao, "You're so useless."
"You don't understand." Zhao Yao said, yawning with his little mouth wide open, and snuggled into Lai Fu's head, "I'm going to sleep." Shortly after saying this, he fell asleep.
Lai Fu lay meekly in Zhao Yao's arms, motionless. It was clearly a nocturnal animal, and it should be out hunting for prey at this time, but at this moment, it was obediently keeping Zhao Yao company while he slept.
The next morning, Zhao Yao was rudely awakened by Lai Fu pecking at him.
Zhao Yao sat up, rubbed his sleepy eyes with his hand, then hugged Lai Fu into his arms, messing up its beautiful feathers. Lai Fu pecked angrily at his head until his hair was in disarray, then it stopped.
"Your Highness, are you awake?" Tong Xi's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Awake."
"Then allow me to come in." Tong Xi entered respectfully, helping Zhao Yao get dressed.
Once dressed, Zhao Yao suddenly remembered something and turned to Lai Fu, "Lai Fu, help me send a letter to my Second Uncle today."
Hearing Zhao Yao's orders, Tong Xi couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, Lingyun is not a pigeon."
"But Lai Fu can deliver letters."
Lai Fu arrogantly said, "How dare you have me deliver a letter for you."
Zhao Yao knew what Lai Fu wanted and asked directly, "What do you want, meat or pastries?"
Lai Fu, satisfied that Zhao Yao was so sensible, replied, "I want pastries, ten pieces!"
"Deal." Zhao Yao extended his right hand toward Lai Fu, and Lai Fu extended its wing to high-five him. "Deal."
"I'll write it now." Zhao Yao went to the desk and picked up a pen to write a simple letter.
Lai Fu stood on the desk, looking at Zhao Yao's crooked writing with great disdain, "Your writing is so ugly. If the master saw it, he would definitely scold you."
Zhao Yao completely didn't care, "Let him scold me if he wants." After saying this, he rolled up the letter he had just written and tied it to Lai Fu's leg, "Remember to bring back my Second Uncle's reply."
"I am not a fool." Lai Fu had helped Zhao Yao deliver letters more than once. If it weren't for Zhao Yao, Lai Fu wouldn't allow Zhao Yao's Second Uncle to touch it.
Zhao Yao hugged Lai Fu, kissed its little head, and flattered it, "Lai Fu is the smartest Sea Eagle in the world and also the most beautiful."
Very pleased with Zhao Yao's flattering words, Lai Fu lifted one of its wings and gently patted Zhao Yao's little head, "I'm off."
Zhao Yao waved at Lai Fu, "I'll have the ten pieces of pastries ready for you so you can eat them right when you fly back."
Only after the grand master Lai Fu flew away did Tong Xi dare to speak, "Your Highness, is it really alright for you to have Lingyun deliver the letter?"
"What's wrong with it?" Zhao Yao looked at Tong Xi confusedly, "Lai Fu has delivered letters for me more than once."
"Your Highness, that's not what I mean. Lingyun is after all the Emperor's cherished pet," Tong Xi said, "Aren't you afraid that Lingyun will fly to Chengguang Hall and be discovered by the Emperor with Second Uncle's letter?"
"Is that what you mean?" Zhao Yao laughed, "Lai Fu wouldn't do that."
"Lingyun listens to the Emperor a lot. What if it meets the Emperor on the way back and gets called away by him?"
"That won't happen. With my letter tied to its leg, it won't fly to Father Emperor's side." Zhao Yao stated confidently.
"But Lingyun is the Emperor's cherished pet. Compared to you, it should obey the Emperor more, shouldn't it?"
"You're wrong. Lai Fu obeys me more."
Tong Xi didn't understand why his Highness was so confident, but he reminded Zhao Yao again, "Your Highness, Lingyun is the Emperor's cherished pet."
Zhao Yao saw that Tong Xi didn't believe him and couldn't be bothered to say any more.
"Don't worry, Lai Fu won't make any mistakes."
Liang Zhaoyi, seeing her son humming and skipping joyfully to the dining hall, asked curiously, "What good thing happened to make you so happy?"
"Mother, I wrote a letter to my Second Uncle and had Lai Fu deliver it."
Hearing this, Liang Zhaoyi said helplessly, "Yao Yao, Lingyun is not a pigeon."
Tong Xi nodded repeatedly on the side, thinking to himself: Even the lady says so.
"You could use other birds to send your letters."
"Lai Fu was just there, sending with it is the fastest." Zhao Yao sat at the table and said, "Mother, please prepare ten pieces of pastries for Lai Fu and leave them on my desk for when Lai Fu returns from delivering the letter."
"Alright." Seeing her son trust Lai Fu, Liang Zhaoyi said no more.
After finishing breakfast, Zhao Yao went to comfort Qian He and Lai Cai. Last night when Lai Fu came, they had to stay aside and didn't dare approach Zhao Yao.
Lai Fu was very domineering and possessive. Whenever it came to find Zhao Yao, it wouldn't allow other animals to approach him.
After comforting Lai Cai, Zhao Yao headed to Wende Hall with Tong Xi.
Seeing the person walking ahead was the Eighth Prince, Zhao Yao was very surprised. He ran toward the Eighth Prince, calling out, "Eighth Brother."
The Eighth Prince heard Zhao Yao's call, stopped, and turned to look at him, "Tenth Brother."
Zhao Yao ran to the front of the Eighth Prince, carefully looked him up and down, and then asked, "Eighth Brother, why did you come out if you're not fully recovered?"
Seeing Zhao Yao looking at him with concern, a faint smile appeared in the Eighth Prince's eyes. He reached out to stroke Zhao Yao's little head, speaking warmly, "I'm almost recovered, so I should come to study."
"Eighth Brother, if I were you, I would take a few more days of rest while I can."
"So you can skip studying for a few days, right?"
Zhao Yao nodded repeatedly, "Yes."
"Tenth Brother, you really don't like studying, huh?"
"It's a pity I'm not sick..." Before he could finish, Zhao Yao's forehead was gently tapped, and then he heard his Eighth Brother say sternly, "Don't say such nonsense again. Being sick isn't a good thing."
While talking, Zhao Yao and the Eighth Prince heard several little eunuchs not far away discussing what had happened during the morning court.
"I heard that during the morning court, people from the Crown Prince's faction and people from Prince Dai's faction argued again."
"The argument was so intense that people near Chengguang Hall could hear it."
"What was the argument about this time?"
"This time, Prince Dai made such a great contribution that Marquis Xuanping and others proposed to add beads to Prince Dai, and they want to count previous merits too, adding up to eight beads."
"What does it mean to add beads, and what does adding eight beads represent?"
"The Crown Prince only has eight beads, so what do you think Prince Dai wants by adding eight beads?"
"This..."