Splendid Radiance Hall.
Yun Liyue's face was dark as she said slowly, "Hu Po, in the days before the crown prince was poisoned, did Consort Xian act strangely?"
Hu Po lowered her head, guilt in her eyes. "Your Majesty, Consort Xian has always been a frequent visitor to Splendid Radiance Hall, and she is His Highness's aunt. Because of that, this servant never thought to pay special attention to her behavior."
She knelt down, voice trembling. "It was this servant's negligence. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
"If anyone deserves punishment, it should be me," Yun Liyue sighed softly. "She is my sister. Without my permission, how could you dare suspect her?"
Then her gaze hardened as she said, "Hu Po, investigate Consort Xian's activities over the past year in secret. Pay special attention to anyone she's been in close contact with."
Hu Po, who had been with Yun Liyue since before she entered the palace and shared her heart, immediately whispered, "Your Majesty, do you suspect Consort Xian is working with someone else?"
"If my sister truly dared to target Cheng'er, she would never have the courage or ability to act alone," Yun Liyue said quietly. "There must be someone behind her. You must investigate secretly. Do not alert anyone."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Hu Po answered firmly.
Late at night.
"Great Divination Breathing Technique, integrate!" Yang Cheng murmured as he lay on his bed.
Buzz!
A vast, starry sea of mysterious knowledge poured into his mind. In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, Yang Cheng had fully mastered this ancient, peerless breathing technique.
He instinctively began to breathe following its method.
"Hu..."
In an instant, every cell in his body stirred, as if each one was breathing on its own. Endless spiritual energy from between heaven and earth began to stream quietly into his body.
This process wasn't violent at all. There was no grand spectacle, like a vortex of energy forming around him. Instead, the flow of energy was like a silent spring rain, soaking him without a sound.
The most terrifying part was that the technique didn't even need him to consciously control it. It would run automatically, meaning from now on, every breath he took would cultivate his body.
In the days that followed, Yang Cheng lived leisurely.
Emperor Qian Yuan and Yun Liyue shared a strong bond; they often made time to visit Splendid Radiance Hall. Yang Cheng's performance during the bone-testing ceremony, where he revealed his Divine Dragon Sword Body, had only made Emperor Qian Yuan value him more.
But every time the emperor came, he loved to tease Yang Cheng. In order to keep up his act as an innocent baby, Yang Cheng had no choice but to play along. He couldn't help but wish Emperor Qian Yuan would stop coming altogether.
One day, lines of text appeared once more on the system panel.
[The host previously sparred with the Supreme Emperor Yang Yuan without being defeated, but Yang Yuan had not yet used his full strength.]
[The host is requested to continue striving and gain deeper recognition from Yang Yuan.]
[Note: As this task is extremely difficult, the host is granted a one-year deadline. If the task fails, the host will be struck by heavenly lightning.]
[Task Reward: Minor Achievement in Sword Dao.]
Seeing the new task, Yang Cheng immediately wished he could see Yang Yuan right away. But in the days that followed, Yang Yuan never appeared.
Of course, that was normal. As an ambitious emperor dedicated to his duties, it was only natural that he would be busy. A ruler who spent all day idling in the harem would surely be a foolish one.
Later, Yang Cheng learned from Yun Liyue that Yang Yuan had left for an inspection tour in the south and wouldn't return for three months. That meant Yang Cheng could only wait patiently.
Fortunately, he had plenty of time now.
While waiting, he quietly pondered how best to complete his task. Gaining further recognition from Yang Yuan?
That was far too easy. Whether he displayed his sword intent or his sword technique mastery, he could easily astonish Yang Yuan.
The only problem was that Yang Cheng needed to control himself carefully. After all, he was still far too young.
"A one-year-old baby showing sword intent or sword skills—wouldn't that be a bit too outrageous?" Yang Cheng thought to himself.
His current performance already marked him as a genius, but it was still within a believable range. If he showed off too much, he'd seem like a monster.
As he pondered, his gaze fell on the books beside him. His mind stirred. Maybe his thinking was too narrow. Gaining others' recognition didn't have to rely solely on martial arts. Especially for a baby like him, there were plenty of other ways.
For example—reading and recognizing words.
Thinking further, he realized that in the future, he'd gradually need to reveal his talents, but within a reasonable range. Knowing how to read would be crucial. If he couldn't even read, how would he explain being able to learn all kinds of martial techniques later on? If people learned he was born knowing everything, it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing—at least not before he had the strength to protect himself.
His father and mother were powerful, but the Myriad Despair Divine Water incident had already proved they weren't omnipotent.
"In my last life, I didn't know how to read at first. I started learning from scratch, progressed slowly, and it took until I was three before I recognized most characters. By then, except for mother, almost no one paid attention to me."
"This life, I already know how to read. I can show off a bit more."
So over the next days, Yang Cheng deliberately showed a strong interest in books in front of Yun Liyue.
"Cheng'er, do you want to learn to read?" Yun Liyue noticed his eagerness. At first, she didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a child's fleeting curiosity—kids often lost interest after a while.
But soon, Yun Liyue was shocked. She found that almost every character, once taught to Yang Cheng two or three times, he could remember. He wasn't quite photographic, but it was still astonishing.
This made Yun Liyue take it seriously. She began to teach him carefully. From initial surprise to acceptance, her thoughts shifted quickly.
"His Majesty was a genius too. Although he wasn't this extreme, he could read martial texts by the age of three. I was considered quite bright myself as a child."
"For our son to be so smart makes perfect sense," she reasoned. Or perhaps, in every mother's eyes, their child's excellence always seemed perfectly natural.
So in just two short months, Yang Cheng learned over 7,000 commonly used characters. This caused quite a stir in the imperial city.
In Splendid Radiance Hall.
"Xiu'er, you didn't disappoint me. In just two months, you already know over 3,000 characters," Noble Consort Zhuang Wanrong said proudly.
Overjoyed, she invited a few concubines and noblewomen to her hall, eager to boast about Yang Xiu's reading skills. She expected envious, amazed looks. But instead, the other women wore hesitant expressions.
"What's wrong with all of you?" Zhuang Wanrong asked, her voice tinged with displeasure.
Most were afraid to challenge her openly, but not everyone.
Among the gathered consorts was Consort Li, clad in yellow, a loyal supporter of the empress. She chuckled lightly, "Sister Zhuang, the sixth prince is indeed impressive—he'll make a fine study companion for the crown prince."
"What do you mean by that?" Zhuang Wanrong's eyes darkened.
"I just came from Splendid Radiance Hall yesterday," Consort Li replied with a faint smile. "The crown prince already knows over 7,000 characters. With the sixth prince's literacy, he's just about qualified to be His Highness's study companion. Don't you think so, Sister Zhuang?"
"Impossible!" Zhuang Wanrong blurted, eyes wide with disbelief.
For the past two months, she'd been wholly focused on teaching Yang Xiu, basking in the joy of his progress. She really hadn't paid attention to what was happening in Splendid Radiance Hall.
"What's this? Do you mean to say you doubt the crown prince's brilliance?" Consort Li asked, half-smiling.
By now, Zhuang Wanrong forced herself to calm down. Consort Li had no reason to lie—this was the kind of claim that could be easily exposed. She scanned the other consorts' faces and saw their quiet smiles, confirming the truth. Her right hand clenched so hard her nails bit into her palm.
"His Highness the crown prince is, of course, exceptionally gifted," she said coldly. "I suddenly feel unwell and can't continue entertaining everyone."
"Sister must take care of her health."
"We won't disturb you any longer," the other consorts said, though whether they truly believed her words was anyone's guess—on their faces, they all wore expressions of polite agreement.