In the palace, the eunuchs often chatted about the princes in private. The Eldest Prince, bold; the Second Prince – that is, the Crown Prince, noble; the Third Prince, scholarly; the Fourth Prince, tough; the Fifth Prince, peaceable; the Seventh Prince, naughty. As for the Sixth Prince, their evaluation was often this:
"Him? HMPH!"
A ruler should provide what people need and align with their aspirations to win their hearts and make them serve his purpose. These very words were spoken to me by my Father Emperor when I was young, as he held me on his lap. That is why a peripheral spy for the Qian State's Spy Bureau would, quite coincidentally, suddenly overhear news from a certain Qian State minister's residence and send that secret report. And that is why Ji Chengsu would suddenly remember to fly the kite I had given him six months ago, and "accidentally" fall into the water. They are all minor figures, usually unnoticeable. But at the critical moment, they can achieve real results.
