"Hmph, I don't believe you," Yang Cheng said.
Then he looked around at the palace maids and eunuchs, his childish voice crisp and firm: "All of you, step back. I want to spar with Fourth Brother."
The palace maids and eunuchs suppressed their laughter and moved back about twenty feet.
"Beating a tiny brat like you isn't even worth boasting about," Yang Heng scoffed. "I'll only use one hand, and if you can make me take even a single step back, I'll admit defeat."
Yang Cheng wasn't about to be polite. He walked right up and kicked without hesitation.
Though he had no cultivation yet, his dual sacred bodies gave him immense strength. Combined with his mastery of power control from Sword Dao Initiation, he made every bit of force count.
What looked like an ordinary kick was actually packed with terrifying power.
Yang Heng was kicked flat onto his back, even rolling over once before slumping on the ground with a dazed face, completely stunned.
The surrounding maids and eunuchs all froze in shock.
No one had expected that the one-year-old crown prince would send the three-year-old fourth prince flying with a single kick.
Yang Heng finally snapped out of it, his little face flushing bright red. "I wasn't ready just now! Let's go again!"
Ten breaths later—
Thud!
Yang Heng was once again sent sprawling.
"Do you admit defeat?" Yang Cheng demanded, fierce and unyielding.
But to everyone else watching, his fierce expression was just adorably fierce, impossibly cute.
Several palace maids had sparkles in their eyes, thinking the crown prince was simply too precious for words.
"I don't admit it!" Yang Heng yelled stubbornly, unwilling to accept defeat. He pushed himself up again.
Half a stick of incense later—
Yang Heng had already been kicked over three times in a row.
This time, he sat on the ground, his eyes vacant, as if doubting the meaning of life itself. Then he suddenly burst out crying, wailing at the top of his lungs.
After all, he was still just a three-year-old, with a child's fragile heart.
[The host has completely dominated Martial Emperor Yang Heng, forcing him to break down crying in public, once again creating an unbelievable miracle.]
[This glorious achievement has made your path of late-blooming brilliance shine even brighter.]
[Congratulations, host, the mission is complete.]
[The Great Divination Breathing Technique has been granted. Do you wish to fuse it now?]
Yang Cheng forced down his excitement and silently replied, "No."
"What's going on out here?"
The commotion had drawn Yun Liyue and Yun Yirou over. When they saw Yang Heng bawling on the ground, Yun Yirou's face instantly changed.
"What were you all doing watching them?" Yun Liyue scolded sharply, her gaze cold as she swept over the gathered maids and eunuchs.
The servants' expressions turned awkward.
"Your Majesty, it was… it was the crown prince and the fourth prince sparring in martial arts. The crown prince defeated the fourth prince…" the head palace maid, Hu Po, hurriedly reported.
Yun Yirou looked like she couldn't believe it, glancing instinctively at the maids she'd brought from Radiant Sunlight Hall.
Under her gaze, the maids shifted uncomfortably, confirming the truth without a word.
Yun Yirou's mood darkened immediately. Her three-year-old son had actually been beaten to tears by the crown prince, who was only one—how humiliating!
Yun Liyue's beautiful face grew stern. "Cheng'er, how could you make your fourth brother cry?"
Everyone around them quickly lowered their heads. But from their twitching lips, it was clear they were struggling not to laugh. After all, a one-year-old making a three-year-old cry was just too funny.
Yun Yirou's eyes flashed with anger, though she forced a strained smile. "Sister, you can't blame the crown prince for this. It's normal for children to roughhouse."
"We weren't just roughhousing. We were sparring in martial arts," Yang Cheng said seriously.
"Enough nonsense," Yun Liyue scolded.
"Mother, Fourth Brother told me Auntie said he should just pretend to be nice to me, not actually care," Yang Cheng shouted angrily. "Auntie would never say something like that, so he must be lying. That's why I sparred with him!"
The atmosphere went still. Yun Liyue's expression, and that of everyone nearby, shifted instantly.
Yun Yirou panicked. "Sister, that must've been childish nonsense—"
But before she could finish, Yang Heng wailed in aggrieved confusion, "No, I never said that!"
"You dare talk back?" Yun Yirou glared sternly at Yang Heng. This son of hers always seemed clever, but why was he so stupid today, blurting out those words right in front of the crown prince?
"Mother, you told me these things were only for us to talk about privately. How could I possibly say them out loud otherwise?" Yang Heng protested tearfully. He wouldn't have betrayed their secret to anyone else, but now his own mother was doubting him, and he was desperate to explain himself through his tears.
Gasps rippled through the surrounding servants, and their gazes toward Yun Yirou brimmed with disdain. The people of Splendid Radiance Hall looked especially furious—so Consort Xian was this kind of person after all? On the surface, she acted so close and caring toward Yun Liyue, but secretly she told her son to just pretend to care for the crown prince.
Yun Yirou's face turned deathly pale. She'd always schemed from the shadows, carefully laying her plans in secret. Never did she think that today, her idiot son would expose her so completely in front of everyone.
Yun Liyue's eyes glinted with a deep, unreadable light as she stared at Yun Yirou. Meanwhile, Yang Cheng, who had orchestrated the whole scene, still looked perfectly innocent, his chubby face blank as if he had no idea what had just happened. Everything was playing out exactly as he wished—he wanted Yun Liyue to start doubting Yun Yirou.
He wasn't worried about anyone suspecting him. After all, who would think a one-year-old could deliberately set someone up?
"Big Sister, let me explain, I—" Yun Yirou stammered in panic.
"Consort Xian, this is the imperial palace. You will address me as the empress," Yun Liyue interrupted coldly, her face emotionless.
Yun Liyue had always harbored faint suspicions of Yun Yirou, but she'd tried to dismiss them, unwilling to believe her own sister would harbor ill will. But now, she could no longer ignore what was right in front of her.
Yun Yirou blanched, her voice trembling. "Sister, we've been sisters for nearly twenty years—how could you let a child's nonsense ruin our bond?"
"I said, address me as the empress," Yun Liyue repeated, her gaze turning icy.
A chill surged through Yun Yirou's heart. She lowered her head, biting her lip. "Yes… Empress."
"You may leave now. I am tired," Yun Liyue said flatly.
She might value their sisterhood, but only as long as it didn't endanger her son. Anyone who threatened Yang Cheng, no matter who they were, would become her enemy.
With that, she took Yang Cheng's hand and started walking back toward Splendid Radiance Hall.
Yun Yirou tried to follow, but a palace maid from Splendid Radiance Hall stepped forward and blocked her. "Consort Xian, Her Majesty needs rest. Please return."
Yun Yirou's body swayed slightly, but she had no choice but to stop. In that moment, her heart sank into utter despair.
"Let's go," she snapped, her face dark as she dragged Yang Heng back toward Radiant Sunlight Hall.
Once they reached her palace, Yun Yirou slammed the doors shut. "You useless fool! You can't even beat a one-year-old baby. What good are you? Not only are you useless, but you're unbelievably stupid. Years of careful planning—ruined, all because of you!"
Sharp, furious words rang through the hall, mixed with Yang Heng's wailing cries.
A few minutes later, Yun Yirou turned to her trusted maid. "Go. Bring Princess Changle to me."
Princess Changle, Lu Jingshu, was the daughter of the late Marquis Loyal and Brave. After the marquis sacrificed his life for the country, Lu Jingshu was left orphaned. Out of gratitude for the marquis's service, Emperor Qian Yuan had brought Lu Jingshu into the palace to raise her, giving her the title of Princess Changle.
Before long, the maid returned and reported, "Your Highness, Princess Changle says that you've probably already attracted the empress's suspicion. She believes it's best if you don't meet for now. But she asked me to deliver this message: the mandate of heaven belongs to the sixth prince. Please do not doubt your decision."
Yun Yirou finally let out a long breath. She had sacrificed so much to gamble on this future, and as long as she had chosen correctly, all the costs now would be repaid a hundredfold in the future.