After they finished meeting, the Emperor arrived.
If Jiang Changtian hadn't been eavesdropping outside, he wouldn't be worthy of the Jiang name.
Even if he hadn't eavesdropped, some eunuch had probably been live broadcasting the scene to the Emperor.
The Emperor looked at the princes and the handsome Second son of Jiang family, and noticed they all had one thing in common - youth.
It made him feel quite uneasy.
Old age is a terrifying experience that's hard to put into words.
In fact, sometimes he knew taking elixirs wasn't good, and could even become addictive.
But compared to the side effects of taking elixirs, he was more afraid of getting old, of feeling old and sick.
That sense of fear was like a bottomless abyss, constantly surrounding him.
He couldn't find a way out.
This fear grew day by day.
It twisted his personality.
He felt an inexplicable hatred when he saw his young sons.
He would even be much more tolerant of a stranger.
Because in his eyes, each son was an enemy, an enemy who wanted him to die sooner.
But he was also a sensible person. He knew this way of thinking was terrible and abnormal.
If he couldn't trust his own sons, who could he trust?
He was the Emperor, he was alone.
He was the monarch, he was the father.
When the princes saw their father come out, they all became a bit nervous.
They had experienced their father's fickleness before.
He might favor you greatly one day, and tell you to go die the next.
Old Nine cracked jokes.
Only Old Seventh was rather taciturn, sometimes even speaking incorrectly, appearing poor at conversation.
Jiang Changtian observed carefully and felt that Old Seventh was particularly cunning.
If he hadn't learned from Jiang Wan that this would be the final winner, he wouldn't have been able to tell at all. Old Seventh was truly a master of deception.
During the meal, the Second son of Jiang family sat next to the Emperor, with the Sixth Prince occupying the other side.
The Sixth Prince thoughtfully helped serve dishes to his father.
Dishes the Emperor disliked rarely appeared on the table.
But even among liked dishes, there were degrees of preference.
The Sixth Prince was very attentive and filial. He could remember if the Emperor chewed a little more on something and would serve another portion.
The princes all ate gracefully, but the Second son of Jiang family was surprisingly the most elegant among them. Looking around the table, it seemed as if they were the children just found and brought back, while the Second son of Jiang family was the one raised in the palace all along.
Just as they were enjoying the hot pot and lively conversation, with the Emperor in a rare good mood, suddenly there was an earthquake.
The epicenter was right in the Capital City. If it had been far away, people would have felt a slight swaying from side to side, with small arcs of movement on the table surface. But this time it was an up and down motion, and the full table of dishes and hot pot actually tipped over.
The entire palace was shaking, up and down movements, with the overhead beams making cracking sounds.
Everyone was panicked, thinking first of escaping.
In that split second, the Second son of Jiang family, as if he had predicted the earthquake, rushed to the Emperor's side first, dragging the Emperor to a safe corner.
Old Seventh, who followed closely behind, grasped at empty air.
Even the palace maids, eunuchs, and secret guards hadn't reacted in time.
At this critical moment, the Second son of Jiang family acted without thinking, immediately rushing to protect the Emperor.
Everyone else was rushing to get outside.
They only heard the Second son of Jiang family talking to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, are you alright? Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you. This humble servant is willing to go through fire and water for you, to sacrifice my life..."
The palace maids and eunuchs: ... Their minds went blank. Shouldn't they be fleeing for their lives at a time like this? Why was the Second son of Jiang family's first thought to show loyalty and curry favor with the Emperor? He was taking it too far...
The princes: ... Second son of Jiang family, you're truly a bootlicker.