Prince Li Yuhan, the 3rd prince, was lounging carelessly in his private pavilion when his second brother went barging in.
"Brother, what brings you here?" he asked as he lazily fanned himself.
"Nothing. I was quite bored without you annoying me," Prince Qing said as he sat on the empty seat.
"How is the palace?" Yuhan asked as he poured his older brother tea.
"Just as you predicted, the ministers and officials are starting to put Xuiying back in his seat," Qing said as he sipped his tea. "But Xuiying still disregards them and still focuses on Northern Province's drought."
"They're taking the chance that Jiahao's at war. But I heard the Hans are offering a peace treaty," Yuhan said as he lazily plopped on his long seat. "This is a big opportunity for him to gain the title."
Qing looked at his brother. Yuhan was the laziest brother they have with a big ambition. He was smart and was the most ruthless when on the battlefield. Qing remained silent for a moment as Yue's face flashed on his mind.
He knew she wouldn't want any of them to fight to the death for the throne and he was afraid that this peaceful competition would start to go in disarray. It would break her heart. He looked at his brother who was lazing around. If Yuhan was to take action, he was sure to sit on the throne without any much effort. But he knew what was holding him back, it was Yue's memories.
Yuhan was the most affected one when Yue disappeared. It left a big hole in his heart which was the reason why he became so inattentive and indifferent with anyone.
No one would dare mention Yue in front of him as he would become aggravated and could possibly become violent.
"What about your investigation?" Qing asked as he leaned back on his chair.
"I already passed the list to Father Emperor," Yuhan said as he closed his eyes. "I heard Father Emperor and some officials wanted to pass another tax?"
After hearing this, Qing choked on his tea.
"Yes, particularly on luxury items. It's quite brilliant actually. Since this new tax is only on rare silk brocades, jewelry, and rare items it won't burden much our people. It was actually my idea," he said proudly.
Yuhan smiled. It was what Yue wanted. He knew if she was still around, she wouldn't want the poor to suffer.
"I'm glad. This is what she wanted," Yuhan smiled sadly. Yuhan mentioning Yue caught Qing off-guard. It was the first time since Yue disappeared.
"Yes, it is, brother," Qing smiled as he sipped his tea.
As they continued their discussion, Xuiying came to visit them.
"Brothers," he greeted.
The two princes bowed to meet their eldest brother.
"Greetings to the first prince."
"There is something I'd like to discuss with the both of you," Xuiying said as he sat beside Yuhan.
The 2 princes looked at each other, confused with their brother's surprise visit.