My Emperor Father Can Read Minds

Chapter 293: The Third Prince Chasing STEM

The posthumous honor granted to the biological mother of the Wise King, formerly Consort An, elevating her to Imperial Concubine Zhao, caused quite a stir in the capital.

After all, simply bestowing a posthumous title upon the Wise King’s birth mother out of the blue—even though the Emperor’s stated reason was Wise King’s meritorious disaster relief—felt somewhat unconvincing.

The Wise King did deserve credit for disaster relief, but the Third Prince had merits too!

Moreover, the Third Prince was the disaster relief inspector this time. Both he and the Wise King lost their biological mothers early. So why, when bestowing posthumous honors, was only Consort An granted a title without recognizing the Third Prince’s birth mother?

There were certainly objections, but when the Emperor had already made up his mind, no matter how many opinions the court officials expressed, Emperor Wei wouldn’t change his decision.

To outsiders, the Emperor’s uneven treatment and favoritism toward his youngest son appeared as things of admiration, feelings of envy, head-shaking disbelief—and some really wanted to know what the Third Prince himself thought.

After all, when it comes to disparities like this, the one most deeply affected should be Third Highness, who is directly involved.

Most people in the capital were secretly guessing that with such unequal paternal affection, even the calm Third Highness must secretly feel a mixture of envy and jealousy.

But in the center of this public opinion storm, the two main parties, Third Prince and Wei Yu, were both more composed than anyone. Wei Yu didn’t care; the Third Prince was indifferent.

Not long after Emperor Wei decreed the posthumous honor, Wei Yu took his Third Brother to the Research Institute, away from the Capital’s center of gossip and controversy.

On the way, Wei Yu told his Third Brother,

“Third Brother, you wanted to study STEM, right? I have already spoken to Father Emperor, and he has approved your studying it. Today I’m taking you to a place where you will definitely learn what you want.”

The Third Prince had been particularly interested in learning about STEM back when they were in Huzhou.

At that time, he planned to find Wei Yu later to make him fulfill that promise.

But now that Ninth Brother was so earnest about it, the Third Prince was naturally not going to refuse.

As for whether Wei Yu’s eagerness was some kind of trap, the Third Prince didn’t care. He only wanted to understand what STEM really was and uncover any secrets Wei Yu might be hiding. The rest about little Ninth wasn’t worth mentioning.

Wei Yu led his Third Brother to a manor.

As soon as they got off the carriage, Wei Yu intended to personally introduce the place to his Third Brother. However, his brother got annoyed at his long-windedness and summoned Steward He instead.

Wei Yu: …

Steward He coming was fine by Wei Yu; it meant he could relax!

Steward He was cheerful and, seeing his lord’s attitude, immediately understood that Tranquil King was one of their own. So, he respectfully began to introduce the manor.

“Third Highness, this manor is large and divided into several areas. Please follow me; I will first show you the map of the estate and then explain everything in detail…”

Steward He took the Third Prince to look at the map.

Wei Yu glanced from behind, hesitated for a couple of seconds between going along or leaving, then turned to ask a few of the manor’s junior stewards who remained behind.

“Has Sun Zhao or that group come recently?”

One junior steward replied, “Your Highness, recently only Master Sun visited. The other young masters have not.”

“Sun Zhao?” Wei Yu asked again, “What did he come here for?”

The junior steward shook his head, “I don’t know, but when Master Sun came last time, he was looking for Master Qi Feng. He didn’t stay long before leaving.”

Wei Yu was just asking on a whim—after all, these young lambs he was keeping an eye on meant a lot to him…

Whether Great Wei’s animal husbandry could reach a new height depended on these young lambs.

Wei Yu thought for a moment and decided to visit them again later. The progress couldn’t be too slow.

While Wei Yu was distracted, the Third Prince was staring intently at the floor plan of the manor, his amazement visible.

No wonder—the so-called floor plan was exceptionally detailed and clear.

It included the three essentials of any map: scale, legend, and directional indicator, with all facilities drawn squarely and neatly. The precision and rigor unlike any map the Third Prince had ever seen before.

“This section is the teaching area. While students are attending classes, others are not allowed to make noise here…”

As Steward He explained, the Third Prince suddenly interrupted, “Who drew this map?”

“Huh?”

Steward He was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, “Previously, the map was drawn by Your Highness. Later, the estate purchased more land and built many more buildings, so this map was entrusted to Master Zhang of the academy to draw.”

“Master Zhang?” The Third Prince looked at him.

Steward He smiled, “Yes, Master Zhang Qingsheng used to be the head of Baima Academy. It was His Highness who invited Master Zhang here specifically to teach mathematics to the academy’s students.”

“Mathematics?” The Third Prince’s eyes flickered.

Steward He’s smile didn’t change. “Yes, mathematics. Your Highness likes to call mathematics by its Chinese name, ‘Shuxue’ (数学).”

The Third Prince thought of Wei Yu’s previous mention of STEM, fixating on Steward He with a deeper gaze.

“What does the academy teach?”

“Words of the sages and the truths of STEM.”

Steward He’s expression suddenly became very serious and solemn. He said, “His Highness has said that the academy is a place for teaching and nurturing people. Teaching someone to fish is better than giving them a fish. His Highness wants every student who studies diligently at the academy to be able to earn their place in this world.”

The Third Prince quietly regarded him for a few seconds.

Steward He, having stayed long in the manor and seen more of the world, considered himself a trusted and capable minister of His Highness. He was no longer the cowardly fat man who was fearful in front of the powerful.

When the Third Prince stared at him like that, he was not flustered. Instead, he was pondering whether his words carried enough weight and whether he maintained the dignity and prestige of His Highness…

The Third Prince diverted his gaze, settling on the academy’s symbol on the map before suddenly saying, “Take me to the academy.”

He could ignore everything else in the manor, but understanding STEM was something he absolutely had to do.

So, when Wei Yu went to find his Third Brother, he saw him standing at the back of a classroom attending a chemistry class taught by Fusheng.

Fusheng was holding several glass bottles containing different materials, showing the students what each material was and which chemicals reacted with others, and how…

Standing beside his Third Brother and watching Fusheng teaching together, Wei Yu could not help but quietly ask,

“Can you understand?”

The Third Prince shook his head.

Wei Yu: “…Then why are you standing here listening?”

The Third Prince ignored him.

Wei Yu stayed with his Third Brother at the back of the classroom for the whole lesson.

Of course, Wei Yu himself didn’t really listen; he had a tablet to distract himself.

But the Third Prince absorbed everything Fusheng taught thoroughly.

When class ended, the students politely thanked their teacher and excitedly said goodbye to Wei Yu. Fusheng then came over with a leisurely gait and bowed.

“Your Highness, greetings.”