Lin Xiaowei, kneeling on the ground, looked at Sima Zhu with surprise, her face filled with disbelief, yet tinged with the sweetness of a young maiden.
The two conflicting emotions on her face did not create a sense of anguish, but rather made her appear as pure as a blank sheet of paper, someone one would not wish to hurt.
Seeing Lin Xiaowei too excited to speak, Sima Zhu smiled gently, "Xiaowei, we can talk about anything later. You go down first, I have something to attend to."
Lin Xiaowei obediently nodded, stood up, and slowly withdrew.
Sima Zhu watched Lin Xiaowei leave, then collected himself and turned to Sima Han and Yi Zhixie, "Heh heh, forgive the Grand Tutor and Fifth Brother for witnessing that."
Yi Zhixie cooperated with a smile, nodding seriously and saying, "Indeed, it was quite amusing."
Sima Zhu had merely been polite, but Yi Zhixie had taken his words seriously.
For a moment, Sima Zhu didn't know what to say.
Sima Hao glanced at Sima Zhu and silently cursed him as an idiot.
Did he really think that two women fighting over him would showcase his charm?
He had been the Emperor for years, yet he was toyed with by two young girls in their teens and was even proud of it. Truly, he was as foolish as could be.
Just thinking about it made Sima Hao smile again.
It was better for Sima Zhu to be so foolish; otherwise, he would have to expend a great deal of effort to reclaim the throne.
Seeing that Sima Zhu had fallen silent, Sima Han turned to Sima Hao, "May I ask what the Grand Emperor and His Majesty wanted us for?"
After watching the show for half the day, Sima Han felt incredibly weary.
Since neither Sima Hao nor Sima Zhu would speak, he had no choice but to ask.
If they still didn't say anything, he would have to leave.
He couldn't just sit here forever.
Hearing Sima Han's question, Sima Hao and Sima Zhu exchanged a glance.
Finally, Sima Hao spoke, "Last time, the Grand Tutor brought the Holy Water..."
Hearing the words "Holy Water," Sima Han looked at Yi Zhixie with some confusion. Seeing that Yi Zhixie remained composed, he instantly understood.
That so-called Holy Water was actually Immortal Spring Water?
Although Immortal Spring Water was indeed very effective, he found it somewhat amusing that Sima Hao called it Holy Water.
"What about the Holy Water?" Sima Han asked.
Sima Hao cleared his throat and continued, "It's like this. After the Holy Water was brought, I kept it with me. You know, I'm old, and I have old injuries. With this Holy Water, I can naturally live a few more years. However, the imperial physicians told me to recuperate first, and then take the Holy Water when my body is better. Just yesterday, His Majesty came to see me and said that he caught a chill during the banquet and has had a waist ache these past few days. The imperial physicians said that Holy Water has miraculous effects, so he wanted me to give him the Holy Water first, and I could use it later when I'm better."
Sima Hao spoke at length, but no one responded.
Yi Zhixie curled his lips into a slight smile, lost in thought.
Sima Han, however, stared blankly at him, appearing to listen intently, as if he didn't understand a word Sima Hao was saying. When Sima Hao paused, he looked at him with a hint of surprise.
With no other choice, Sima Hao continued.
"But as you both know, I'm old. If I could obtain it this time, it was a blessing from heaven. If I use it, who knows when I'll encounter it again!"
Sima Han pursed his lips, "Then what is the Grand Emperor's intention?"
Seeing that Sima Han had finally responded, Sima Hao was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Therefore, I've come to the Grand Tutor shamelessly, hoping to ask if the Grand Tutor has any more. As long as you do, no matter the cost, I am willing to exchange for it. Naturally, His Majesty is also willing."
Upon hearing this, Sima Han looked towards Yi Zhixie.
He didn't know if Yi Zhixie had Immortal Spring Water.
But Zheng Wei certainly did.
However, even if he had it, why should he give it to Sima Hao?
Seeing Sima Han look at Yi Zhixie, Sima Hao also looked at Yi Zhixie nervously.
Yi Zhixie chuckled lightly, "May I ask how much the Grand Emperor values this Holy Water?"
Sima Hao immediately said with a serious expression, "The Holy Water is naturally a priceless treasure."
Yi Zhixie nodded with satisfaction, "The Grand Emperor speaks the truth. Since it is a priceless treasure, what does the Grand Emperor think he can exchange for it with me?"
"This..."
Sima Hao was suddenly speechless.
He regretted speaking so confidently just now.
But what he said was indeed the truth.
Seeing Sima Hao unable to retort, Yi Zhixie smiled again, "Even if I had Holy Water now, which I don't, what would the Grand Emperor use to exchange with me?"
Sima Hao was stunned again.
Yi Zhixie had never spoken so forcefully before.
Suddenly seeing Yi Zhixie like this, Sima Hao felt a bit overwhelmed.
However, even if Yi Zhixie made things difficult, he had to continue.
"Grand Tutor, it's not that I'm intentionally making things difficult, nor that I'm not content. I know that it must have been difficult for the Grand Tutor to produce so much Holy Water before, but this is truly a matter of urgency. You see, His Majesty and I both need it..."
"According to the Grand Emperor, there are countless people in this world who need Holy Water. Can I give everyone a portion?" Yi Zhixie interrupted Sima Hao and retorted.
Sima Hao quickly shook his head, "That's definitely not possible. Aren't His Majesty and I different from others?"
Yi Zhixie raised an eyebrow, "How are you different?"
Sima Hao and Sima Zhu didn't know how to answer this.
The words had been spoken so clearly, yet Yi Zhixie insisted on asking. This was clearly intentional obstruction.
"This... Ah Han, why are you just sitting there and not saying anything?" Sima Hao prompted Sima Han.
Sima Han sneered inwardly, but his face remained solemn as he said, "Imperial Father, I've actually been hiding something from you. It's that when Xin Xin was giving birth to Rong Ge, her body was injured. The Grand Tutor said that if there was Holy Water, she could recover by taking it. I originally wanted Xin Xin to take the previous Holy Water, but the situation was dire at the time, so I had no choice but to give up. Now... if there is Holy Water, I would have already asked the Grand Tutor for it and given it to Xin Xin."
The implication was that he should no longer expect Sima Han to ask Yi Zhixie for Holy Water.
Even if there were, and he could get it, he would definitely give it to Yue Qingxin first.
This made Sima Hao and Sima Zhu's faces turn red with anger.
Sima Zhu, in particular, looked at Sima Han with immense disappointment, "Fifth Brother, I never expected you to be such a person. With Holy Water, you actually want to give it to your wife first. Where do you place Imperial Father? Where do you place me? How can you be so selfish and not consider the nation?"
Sima Zhu was indeed worthy of having been Emperor for several years; he still had some wit.
As soon as he spoke, he imposed the heavy burden of "nation."
However, even with that, it depended on whether one was willing to bear it.
Sima Han looked at Sima Zhu seriously, saying with utmost sincerity, "Then why does His Majesty insist on competing with Imperial Father for the Holy Water? His Majesty says he caught a chill in his waist, what kind of chill is it that only Holy Water can cure? I think His Majesty's health is quite good now."
Hearing this, Sima Hao's face turned extremely ugly.
He had said he caught a chill in his waist merely as an excuse.
Anyone intelligent would understand that this was just a pretext for wanting the Holy Water.
Everyone knew this, and there was no need to scrutinize it.
Yet, Sima Han had singled it out and spoken of it.
He didn't know if he was truly foolish or intentionally being so.
Or perhaps, he was intentionally doing it.
Sima Zhu looked at Sima Han for a while. Seeing that Sima Han's expression was extremely calm, without any embarrassment or panic, the more Sima Zhu looked, the more he felt that Sima Han was doing it intentionally, and his anger surged uncontrollably.
"Sima Han, I am the Emperor, and this is not a discussion, but a command."
In his anger, Sima Zhu's tone was no longer gentle but sternly commanding.
Sima Han revealed a look of understanding, "Since that is the case, why didn't His Majesty say so earlier? I thought Imperial Brother was discussing it with me."
Sima Zhu faltered. He wanted to say that they had been discussing it just now, but the words turned in his mouth and he held them back.
"Stop the nonsense. Hurry and discuss with the Grand Tutor, and ask the Grand Tutor to bring out some more Holy Water," Sima Zhu commanded.
In this regard, Sima Hao was a seasoned veteran.
Guessing that he wouldn't get anything good today, he decided to stand aside and remain silent.
As for why he didn't remind Sima Zhu, it was because he was also unwilling.
Therefore, he watched Sima Zhu rage and confront Yi Zhixie and Sima Han head-on.
But he hadn't expected that Sima Zhu not only looked like a pig but also thought like a pig.
Listen to his words just now. If Yi Zhixie wasn't present, it would have been fine. But now, saying such things in front of Yi Zhixie was clearly slapping Yi Zhixie in the face.
Sima Hao glanced at Yi Zhixie and indeed saw Yi Zhixie with a cold expression, looking displeased.
Sighing inwardly, realizing there would be no gains today, Sima Hao wanted to change the subject.
But who would have thought that Yi Zhixie would speak up at this moment, "Actually, it's not impossible to obtain Holy Water~"
Yi Zhixie's sudden words not only stunned Sima Zhu and Sima Hao, but even Sima Han looked at him strangely, asking with his eyes what he intended to do.
Yi Zhixie directly ignored Sima Han's questioning gaze and leisurely watched the father and son before him.
Sima Zhu and Sima Hao hadn't expected Yi Zhixie to suddenly relent and were both extremely surprised.
However, after the surprise, both of them instantly understood.
Yi Zhixie had conditions.
Sima Zhu smiled with certainty.
As long as there were conditions, they would be controlled and in a passive position.
Earlier, when they were begging for Holy Water, they were in a passive position.
Now that Yi Zhixie was proposing conditions, the roles had naturally switched.
But even so, Sima Zhu dared not make any excessive moves.
Yi Zhixie's conditions had not yet been stated, but the Holy Water was crucial.
He watched Yi Zhixie quietly, waiting for him to state his conditions so that he could quickly agree and obtain the Holy Water.
Time ticked by. Only when Sima Zhu and Sima Hao had become somewhat impatient did Yi Zhixie slowly open his mouth:
"If you want Holy Water, why not exchange it for the throne?"
Yi Zhixie's voice was light and airy, filled with infinite joy.
To the listener, it conveyed his good mood, making them unconsciously smile.
But this depended on the person.
Sima Zhu's smile had already turned uglier than crying.
Twisted features, contorted expression, trembling body, heavy breathing - all these told everyone that Sima Zhu was currently enraged.
Yi Zhixie had anticipated Sima Zhu's reaction before speaking, so he showed no surprise or fear when he saw him like this, still smiling at him.