The so-called plowing was merely Chu Shaoling holding a plow and tilling a small prepared plot of land while music played and officials chanted around him.

After Chu Shaoling finished plowing, the officials had to plow as well. Chu Shaoling stood on a high platform watching. When the officials were done, everyone held a sacrificial ceremony together to pray for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest this year.

After the ceremony, as it was already late, the group returned to the temporary palace to spend the night since there wasn't enough time to return to the city. Adhering to protocol, Chu Shaoling didn't stay in the main hall but accompanied Wei Ji to rest in the warm chamber of a side hall.

The earlier commotion still weighed on Chu Shaoling's mind. At night, he embraced Wei Ji on the bed and coaxed him for a while. Chu Shaoling leaned against a soft pillow, letting Wei Ji lay on his chest as he stroked his hair and asked softly, "Does the wound still hurt?"

Wei Ji shook his head and yawned. "This subordinate is not in pain anymore. Are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes." Chu Shaoling figured the Supreme Court must be in an uproar right now. Over a dozen assassins had died under unclear circumstances. Anyone would suspect the Zhen family of silencing them. Daring to make a move within the Supreme Court, the Zhen family wouldn't be able to explain this away. Chu Shaoling wondered what those two in Linzhi Palace were doing now. He closed his eyes, contemplating tomorrow's matters.

Wei Ji lifted his head to look at Chu Shaoling and said softly, "Your Highness."

Chu Shaoling opened his eyes. "Hm?"

Wei Ji hesitated for a moment before saying, "This subordinate is hungry."

Chu Shaoling couldn't help but laugh. He let down the bed curtains and ordered some snacks to be brought in. Due to Wei Ji's injury, he had to watch his diet. Chu Shaoling didn't have a full meal served in the evening, only some congee. It was fine for Chu Shaoling, but Wei Ji was at an age where he was still growing. Eating just congee wasn't enough to fill him up. In just an hour, he was hungry again.

Chu Shaoling had a few of Wei Ji's favorite meat and vegetable dishes brought up. Without getting off the bed, he set up a small table for Wei Ji to eat at. Wei Ji had a big appetite. He ate two plates of snacks with tea. Seeing him eat so heartily, Chu Shaoling also had some. Before long, the snacks were cleared away and they washed their hands.

Wei Ji no longer lay on top of Chu Shaoling but settled on his own pillow beside him. After some thought, he said, "We'll be returning to the palace tomorrow. Could this subordinate rise a bit earlier in the morning to have a word with Commander Wei? It won't delay Big Brother's duties."

Chu Shaoling's heart stirred. He had been intentionally keeping Wei Ji and Wei Zhan apart. It seemed Wei Ji had sensed it.

Wei Ji was still young and had always served in the palace. Missing his family was only natural. But this wasn't the first time Chu Shaoling had obstructed Wei Ji's contact with the Wei household. Chu Shaoling had been using the excuse of not wanting Wei Ji to be beaten by Wei Ming again to keep him in the palace. In reality, Chu Shaoling simply disliked Wei Ji still thinking of others in his heart.

This worry was clearly unnecessary. Chu Shaoling understood that himself. No one could be more important in Wei Ji's heart than him. Even if Wei Ji was dull-witted, he could certainly distinguish between familial and romantic love. But when faced with this situation, Chu Shaoling's subconscious reaction was still to fight with nonexistent rivals, wanting to occupy all of Wei Ji's time and thoughts.

If Chu Shaoling could already act as he pleased, he even suspected he would expel all irrelevant people from the palace, remodel the inner city to Wei Ji's liking, then devote the nation's strength to delivering the best things to Wei Ji. In the end, he would trap Wei Ji forever in the world he built for him, where no one could touch him and no one would vie with Chu Shaoling for him.

The nightmare of his past life had become a fierce beast in Chu Shaoling's heart that would howl from time to time. Chu Shaoling needed great, great willpower to control it, at least while he couldn't yet act as he wished.

Of course, Wei Ji had no idea of these thoughts. He was quite dense in this regard, only perceiving a little based on an instinct similar to a small animal's.

Chu Shaoling looked at Wei Ji and said with feigned nonchalance, "How much time would you have even if you rose early? Besides, you're still injured. You can't skimp on rest. Is it hard to find a chance to talk with your big brother? Tomorrow I'll let you two brothers have the carriage to chat properly." Since he couldn't truly separate Wei Ji from his family, he might as well go with the flow and be the bigger man. It would make Wei Ji think he was considerate and magnanimous.

Sure enough, Wei Ji instantly felt warm inside. He snuggled closer and slowly hugged one of Chu Shaoling's arms, smiling. "I wouldn't dare. Why doesn't Your Highness let this subordinate ride a horse tomorrow? I can talk with Big Brother outside just the same."

Chu Shaoling turned to tuck Wei Ji in properly. "You're just asking for me to discipline you again. Don't even think about riding a horse for a month. What if you tear your wound? I was planning to ride tomorrow anyway. With so many people watching as we enter the city, how would it look for me to always sit in the carriage? Be good."

Chu Shaoling gently rested his hand on Wei Ji's forehead. Wei Ji closed his eyes and obediently went to sleep.

The next day as they returned to the city, Chu Shaoling indeed left the carriage to the two brothers.

Wei Zhan had countless questions in his heart, but now seeing his little brother, he didn't know how to ask.

Wei Ji was quite happy to see Wei Zhan. The two brothers had both entered the Imperial Guards from a young age and had duties. It was rare for their time off to coincide. Seeing each other was a precious occasion. The martial arts techniques Wei Ji learned as a child were all taught to him personally by Wei Zhan. The brothers had a very good relationship.

Although Wei Zhan didn't say much, he was very gentle with Wei Ji. While he would occasionally sternly reprimand little Wei Ji when he made a mistake, that doting love was genuine. Compared to their cold father, the silent and caring Wei Zhan gave Wei Ji more of a fatherly feeling. Wei Ji wasn't little anymore, but he still relied on Wei Zhan somewhat.

Wei Ji hadn't seen Wei Zhan since the new year. Yesterday had been a flurry of activity and they hadn't been able to talk. Now, finally able to chat intimately with his big brother, he was very happy. He chattered on and on for half the day. Wei Zhan listened silently, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. After a while, he said, "How did you get promoted three ranks after the new year?"

Wei Ji looked at Wei Zhan blankly and shook his head. "I don't know."

Wei Zhan examined Wei Ji. Wei Ji's ink-black eyes were clear as he raised his head to look at Wei Zhan. He wasn't lying. He truly didn't know.

That day when he returned to Bitao Palace on his break, before he even entered the palace gates, he saw Chu Shaoling standing in the snow holding an umbrella, seemingly admiring the snowfall. Unable to avoid him, Wei Ji had no choice but to go pay his respects. To his surprise, after asking his name, Chu Shaoling promoted him.

Wei Ji later found this matter strange. After thinking about it for a long time, he felt that it must have been because His Highness was happy to appreciate the snow that day and incidentally promoted him. Wei Ji secretly rejoiced at his good luck.

Although Wei Ji was not very smart, he also knew that it was not good to let others know about his relationship with His Highness. If Wei Zhan really pressed him, he wouldn't know what to say. Fortunately, Wei Zhan also avoided the topic, and with a bit of youthful pride, he didn't actually ask.

Wei Zhan looked very much like Wei Ji, but his eyes were deeper, making him appear much more steady than Wei Ji.

One knows one's own brother. Wei Ji's aptitude could barely be considered top-notch. Even if Chu Shaoling was desperate for worthy men, he would not have gone so far as to show such respect. Since Wei Zhan was promoted by Marquis Zijun to be the commander of the Cavalry Battalion the year before, he had always been puzzled. The eldest prince's favor was not easy to accept. Wei Zhan had been suspicious, but he had never been able to find time to have a good chat with Wei Ji. Yesterday, seeing him and Chu Shaoling's various interactions, a thought that Wei Zhan dared not think of popped into his mind.

Could it be that the eldest prince favored their Wei family because of Wei Ji...

Wei Zhan forced himself to forget these thoughts, but he was still worried. Not to mention whether this matter would sound good if spread, Chu Shaoling was not a good-tempered person. With his younger brother's naive temperament, what if he angered Chu Shaoling at some point? Accompanying a lord was like accompanying a tiger. Wei Zhan was worried that his younger brother would be punished for no reason.

Wei Zhan had never thought of using his younger brother to rise in rank quickly. If it could make the eldest prince let go of Wei Ji, Wei Zhan would be willing to resign from his post and return home now, but obviously Chu Shaoling would not do that. The favors from the royal family could only be thanked for, and could not be avoided.

Wei Ji carefreely asked Wei Zhan about matters of the Cavalry Battalion, and even showed some yearning in his expression. Wei Zhan brushed him off, and after a long silence said, "Ji'er, have some sense usually. Don't be too close with His Highness, and focus more on your duties as a guard, understand? Also, don't ask for rewards, just wait until they are given." As long as he didn't make any big mistakes, when the day came that Chu Shaoling grew tired of him, he would probably give his younger brother a good way out.

Wei Ji was stunned upon hearing this. What Wei Zhan instructed was clearly at odds with what Chu Shaoling had taught him. Wei Ji subconsciously felt that his older brother was talking about yesterday's matter. The lesson Chu Shaoling gave was too deep. Wei Ji shook his head, "I... I'll listen to His Highness."

Wei Ji had also thought a lot about yesterday's matter after returning. Chu Shaoling's words "if it was me who got hurt today" had touched Wei Ji. Putting himself in Chu Shaoling's shoes, Wei Ji deeply felt that Chu Shaoling's words made sense. To Wei Ji, Chu Shaoling's words were the truth. He kindheartedly used the words Chu Shaoling had coaxed him with to comfort Wei Zhan, "Big brother, don't worry. As long as I listen to His Highness, it'll be fine. No need to think about anything else."

Wei Zhan looked at Wei Ji in shock. How could his younger brother's heart be so broad?

Wei Ji was completely unaware of his older brother's worries. He sat cross-legged in the carriage, his left arm wrapped up nicely, hugging a box of pastries. Slowly, he ate one of each kind according to the pattern. When he ate a butterfly roll and found it tasty, he put all the butterfly rolls together. He handed one to Wei Zhan. He couldn't bear to eat the rest, thinking that if Chu Shaoling got hungry later, he could have some.

Wei Zhan took the pastry and ate it, his brows still tightly furrowed. Wei Zhan could never understand. In the long years to come, he always silently worried about his younger brother's future. At first, he worried that Chu Shaoling liked Wei Ji. Later, he began to worry that Chu Shaoling no longer loved Wei Ji. He always worried, until many years later, when their Wei family became a powerful clan in the imperial city, Wei Ji had reached the pinnacle of officials, and Chu Shaoling had even conferred the title of marquis on Wei Ji's two infant sons, using the blood of countless people to remove all obstacles between the two.

Only then did Wei Zhan understand that with every step along the way, Chu Shaoling had been silently paving the way for Wei Ji. Chu Shaoling was like an elder patiently guiding a child to learn to walk, holding Wei Ji's hand, allowing his foolish younger brother to follow Chu Shaoling's footsteps in a daze yet steadily to the highest place in the world. Only then did Wei Zhan let go of all his unease and completely put his heart at ease.