The deposed Crown Prince stumbled, throwing himself before Emperor Taian: "Imperial Father, why are you doing this to me!"
He looked up, his eyes filled with resentment and disbelief.
Emperor Taian felt a sting in his heart from that resentment, and because of it, he felt even more certain that this decision was correct.
"You are blaming me?"
The deposed Crown Prince believed himself to be afraid of this father, but in reality, his unshakable position as the heir for many years had left him completely unaware of his own willful nature.
He was the Crown Prince; this realization was as natural to him as breathing.
He could not perceive Emperor Taian's disappointment and scrutiny; he only knew that he felt wronged, unwilling, and furious.
"Imperial Father, I am your son! How could you depose me!"
Liu Chuan, standing in attendance to the side, sighed secretly.
No wonder the ironclad position of the heir could be snatched away by Prince Liang; even at a time like this, he could still be so self-righteous toward the Emperor.
Emperor Taian's temper flared, and his expression grew increasingly indifferent: "Just because you are my son, does that mean you can run naked in public?"
The deposed Crown Prince's face turned the color of pig liver: "Your son drank too much; it was not intentional."
Emperor Taian gave him a deep look: "You didn't drink too much; you took too much Five-Color Powder."
The deposed Crown Prince took two steps forward but was blocked by the eunuchs.
The eunuchs' actions instantly provoked him, sending his anger soaring: "Imperial Father, just because your son took Five-Color Powder, you deposed me?"
"Just because you took Five-Color Powder?" Emperor Taian's tone turned chilly, emphasizing his words, "You also ran naked in public."
He did not want the people of the world to mock the Emperor of Great Zhou for having a son who ran naked in public and was seen by a foreign princess—and for the history books to clearly record that it was his son.
He could not afford such a loss of face!
The act of running naked had made him resolve to depose the heir, and discovering the use of Five-Color Powder made that resolve unshakable.
"Your son knows he was wrong! It won't happen again! Why won't you give me even one chance to repent?"
Emperor Taian closed his eyes, no longer wishing to speak with the deposed Crown Prince, and said flatly, "If you had a heart for repentance, you would not have become addicted to Five-Color Powder after Wang Gui died."
Upon hearing this, the deposed Crown Prince felt utterly aggrieved: "Waaaah, if Wang Gui hadn't died, your son wouldn't have taken the Five-Color Powder Wang Fu gave me..."
Emperor Taian nearly fainted from anger.
Was he saying it was all his fault?
Incurable!
"Escort Prince Liang out." Emperor Taian lowered his eyes, unwilling to look at the deposed Crown Prince for another second.
Quickly, two eunuchs seized the deposed Crown Prince, one on each side.
The deposed Crown Prince struggled violently: "Imperial Father, you cannot treat me like this! I am the Crown Prince! I am the Crown Prince—"
The deposed Crown Prince was hauled away, his screams still echoing from afar.
Liu Chuan shook his head secretly.
Prince Liang was truly "凉" (finished/cold).
***
Upon receiving the news that the Crown Prince had been deposed, Lin Hao grabbed a wine jar and scaled the wall immediately.
At a time like this, one must share the joy with a companion who shares the same goal!
Qi Shuo never failed her expectations; sure enough, he was waiting for her on the other side of the wall.
"Follow me." The girl's face, brimming with joy, was more radiant than the most vivid flowers of summer, causing Qi Shuo to smile involuntarily.
Climbing roses covered the trellis—red, pink, and yellow—completely obscuring the frame along with the lush green leaves.
Lin Hao followed Qi Shuo behind the trellis and found a set of wine vessels and a lotus-leaf bundle placed on a stone table.
Based on experience, she felt there was a Beggar's Chicken inside.
"We're thinking the same thing." She set the wine jar on the stone table and poked the steaming lotus-leaf bundle. "Is this Beggar's Chicken?"
The dog-Crown Prince is deposed; let us drink a great bowl!
"Yes," Qi Shuo nodded with a smile. "Just in time to go with the wine."
Lin Hao sat down, feeling somewhat puzzled: "If I had come later or tomorrow, wouldn't it have gone bad?"
Qi Shuo couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
The young man, a smile lingering on his lips, pointed toward the wall: "I can climb over the wall too."
Lin Hao rubbed her nose.
That was true.
"Let's drink!" she said, though her hand reached for the Beggar's Chicken.
The Beggar's Chicken, with its tender skin and soft bones, tasted delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth. The two took a bite of chicken, a sip of wine, a bite of chicken, a sip of wine...
Lin Hao's cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked at Qi Shuo and smiled foolishly: "A-Shuo—"
Qi Shuo leaned forward slightly, drawing closer to her: "What is it?"
"The dog-Crown Prince is deposed... we won't die anymore, right?" She spoke somewhat slurredly, clearly having had too much to drink.
Qi Shuo grasped her hand.
That hand was warm, completely different from the body that had gradually cooled in his arms on that snow-covered street.
"No, you won't," his voice was soft, but his tone was firm.
"A-Shuo—" Lin Hao leaned in closer, her eyes filled with the enlarged image of the man. "It's so good that you came back with me—"
The rest of her words were blocked in her throat by the other's slightly cool lips, turning into fragmented murmurs.
Lin Hao's eyes widened in shock, seeing his thin, fair eyelids and thick, long eyelashes.
A hand suddenly covered her eyes.
"Silly girl."
The world before her suddenly went dark. She heard him utter those three words with a slight breathiness, and her misplaced hands quietly looped around his shoulders.
The wind blew, moving the roses and bringing a rich floral fragrance. Someone's hand accidentally knocked over a wine cup; the sound of shattering porcelain startled the two.
Lin Hao abruptly pushed Qi Shuo away, not daring to even glance at him. She turned and ran in a panic, but after a few steps, she doubled back, snatched up the already empty wine jar from the stone table, and flew away.
She ran all the way to the wall and climbed over. Clutching the empty wine jar, she leaned against the wall for a long while before regaining her senses.
Once sober, she stared at the wine jar blankly: Why did she bring back an empty wine jar?
No, that wasn't the point. The point was that Qi Shuo had just kissed her!
Lin Hao covered her forehead, feeling a bit dizzy; the alcohol seemed to have hit her again.
***
Separated by a wall, Baozhu stared suspiciously at the rose trellis for a while, feeling deeply confused: She had been guarding this spot and saw the young lady and the Heir of Prince Jing go in with her own eyes, so why did only the young lady come out?
Could the young master have vanished?
In an instant, strange thoughts filled the little maid's head, giving her the urge to investigate.
One step, two steps, three steps—
A familiar voice rang out: "Baozhu?"
Baozhu turned around calmly, revealing a pair of small tiger teeth: "Oh, it's Changshun."
Changshun's eyebrows were knitted tight enough to pinch a fly to death: "This time, you aren't here to pick up a shuttlecock again, are you?"
He refused to believe it was this coincidental every time!
"No, no," Baozhu waved her hand.
"Then why are you here?"
Baozhu raised her hand: "I'm here to pick up a beanbag."
The round beanbag was lake-blue, conspicuous and cute under the sunlight.
Changshun's expression slowly froze.
Where did this girl get so many little trinkets!
"Do you know how to play with beanbags?" Baozhu asked.
Perhaps because the girl's voice was too sweet, Changshun subconsciously nodded: "I do."
"Catch!" Baozhu tossed the beanbag.
The lake-blue beanbag traced a beautiful arc in the air and *smack*—hit Changshun right in the face.
"Hmph, meddlesome fatty," Baozhu hummed softly, then nimbly scaled the wall and ran off.
(End of Chapter)