Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

"Forget it." Tao Yao waved her hands and pretended to leave. "I came out here happily, not to quarrel. Since I can't be happy here, I'm leaving."

As soon as she turned around, she felt her wrist tighten and was held by Chu Huanjun.

Then, Chu Huanjun's slightly resentful voice came from behind: "Who said you're not happy? You're obviously very happy. You're not familiar with this place. It's easy for a girl to get lost and be robbed if she wanders around. I think you need a guide and a guard. I happen to know someone who is very suitable for this job. How about I introduce you to him?"

Tao Yao smiled and said, "Could this person be you, Xiao Chu?"

Chu Huanjun retracted his hand, put his fist against his lips, and coughed a few times, complaining, "Xiao Tao, you really don't have a sense of humor."

Tao Yao pointed out his mistake: "Why do you have so much phlegm in your throat today? Did you catch a cold after running around at night these past few days?"

Chu Huanjun said seriously: "Nonsense, I'm in good health."

The streets were bustling with people, and Tao Yao and Chu Huanjun made their way through the crowd. Although they were both dressed casually, they still stood out. Women would occasionally glance at them, secretly wondering who these two handsome young men were.

But the taller young man kept lowering his head and exchanging glances with the shorter young man. When his feelings were deep, he even put his arm around the younger young man's slender waist, which broke the hearts of the girls passing by.

"You sneaked out again today, aren't you afraid of being punished by Lao Shi?" Chu Huanjun asked.

"What are you afraid of? You've got my back," Tao Yao said, feigning indifference. "If my dad really finds out I've sneaked out again and asks me about it, I'll just say you were the one who forced me out to play."

Chu Huanjun smiled and said, "Of course I'm happy to cover for you, but I'm not sure if someone will actually reveal me."

Tao Yao was stunned for a moment, then said, "That's right. But don't worry, even if he catches me again this time, I won't suffer any consequences, because..."

"Because of what?"

"Because I'm getting married tomorrow. My father definitely doesn't want his daughter to get married with a stain on her face. Reputation is what matters most to him."

"Oh?" Chu Huanjun's expression froze for a moment, but it was quickly resolved with a faint smile. He then continued, "I haven't seen you for a few days. Xiaotao is actually getting married."

Tao Yao looked him over carefully, smiled mischievously, and said, "You don't look surprised at all. With so many spies and informants, you must have known about this a long time ago."

Chu Huanjun interrupted her: "Xiao Tao misunderstood. Even if I have many spies, they are all useful. I won't devote all my attention to one woman."

"I know."

As night fell, the surrounding lights became brighter, shining in Tao Yao's already bright and clear eyes. It seemed that there were stars flowing and rippling in her eyes, like the Milky Way.

"Your mind is definitely not on a little girl like me. What you are interested in is my father and the Shi family behind me." Tao Yao said seriously.

She was very straightforward, frighteningly honest. In the past, Chu Huanjun thought such people were stupid, not knowing how to disguise themselves with lies or use masks to protect themselves, and that sooner or later they would fall into danger.

But she just doesn't care. She goes straight ahead like a gust of wind. Others can't catch her, and she doesn't care whether she will hit a wall or not.

"Shi Taoyao, do you know who you are and who you are talking to?"

Chu Huanjun leaned forward slightly, looking down at this ignorant woman from above.

Tao Yao was not willing to be outdone. She stared back at Chu Huanjun with what she thought was a fierce look.

"Your Majesty, no matter how noble your status is, aren't you still just like us ordinary people, eating three meals a day, working during the day, and sleeping at night?"

Tao Yao raised her hand and gently tapped the priceless dragon-carved jade pendant hung around Chu Huanjun's waist. She continued, "It's nothing more than wearing a few more valuable things on your body and preoccupying yourself with a few more so-called family and national affairs. However, throughout history, how many people like the prince have there been?

In my opinion, their end is the same as that of ordinary people, just a handful of yellow earth."

This was the first time Chu Huanjun heard such an argument and he found it very interesting. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but raise a faint arc.

He moved a step closer to her, raised his arm and slowly moved it behind her head, causing her to reflexively shrink her shoulders.

Even though she spoke so boldly, she was still afraid of him in her heart.

However, courage is commendable.

Tao Yao turned her head away, trying to avoid Chu Huanjun's outstretched hand, but suddenly found that his hand was reaching behind her and taking down a lantern in the shape of a peach blossom.

Chu Huanjun placed the lantern in Tao Yao's palm, and the light suddenly illuminated their faces. Perhaps it was the dim light that created an unusual atmosphere, and an unusual feeling suddenly arose in both of their hearts.

The endless stream of people became just a silent background. The only thing that lit up before my eyes was the face of one person, something both strange and familiar.

"So, in my heart, everyone in this world is the same, and everyone has their own tragic fate.

Just like Yao Zhuo in the storybook, he desperately wanted to give birth to a ninth tail and achieve immortality, but there are many ordinary foxes in the world that only have one tail. In their eyes, an eight-tailed fox demon is already something they can only dream of.

Tao Yao looked into Chu Huanjun's eyes and spoke word by word.

Chu Huanjun smiled, grabbed her wrist and pressed it down, and the lantern lowered. The glow on their faces instantly disappeared into the night.

His voice was low, but one could hear the pride in it: "I won't be Yao Zhuo."

The winter wind was biting, and the fine snow, as fine as goose down, drifted down from the inky night, covering people's bodies.

Tao Yao patted the thin layer of snow on her shoulders, rubbed her red, frozen hands, and breathed out from her lips. She held the lantern in her arms, and it reflected her red face.

The next second, she suddenly felt her hands warm up. A thick and warm hand warmer was put on her hands.

This hand warmer has a thick layer of fox fur on the outside, and the inside is also soft fur. But it seems... it looks a little familiar...

Tao Yao held up the hand warmer and examined it for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! It's still the same one!"

Tao Yao's incredulous eyes fell on Chu Huanjun's face, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Ahem... seeing how much you liked it, it would be a shame to throw it away... so I picked it up. But the original one was a bit shoddy, so I just gave it some rough work."

It's clearly not some crudely crafted piece. Whether it's the newly added fox fur or the embroidery on either end of the muff, it's clear that a lot of thought went into its creation, and it's incredibly delicate.

Tao Yao couldn't help but hold the soft and warm thing tightly in her hands, and her heart also became warm.

Well, he's not a bad person actually.

The two walked side by side, not speaking - after all, they didn't really know each other well, so there was nothing much to talk about. Fortunately, the surrounding noise replaced the silence between the two.

Tao Yao occasionally glanced up at the person beside her. Chu Huanjun wasn't wearing fancy clothes today, and perhaps because of that, he looked much more approachable than usual. The colorful lanterns along the way fell on his profile, outlining a graceful curve.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they suddenly stopped. Chu Huanjun pointed to a place not far away and said, "There's a noodle shop over there that's delicious. Do you want to try it?"

Tao Yao looked in the direction he pointed and saw a noodle shop. She jokingly said, "How dare the dignified Prince Yi not enjoy the imperial banquet in the palace but come here to eat noodles?"

Chu Huanjun smiled nonchalantly and said stubbornly, "Of course I don't like it, but I can eat with you."

The two walked into the noodle shop and found that there were only four tables in the shop, and all four tables were full of people. Before Chu Huanjun even set foot in, the noodle shop owner came up to him and said, "Oh, my dear, unfortunately, we are about to close."

Tao Yao couldn't help but chuckle and whispered, "See, I'm right, aren't I? Even if you're the famous Prince Yi, you'll be turned away at the most ordinary noodle shop in the capital."

Chu Huanjun gave her a look that said "wait and see," and pulled out a bulging purse from his pocket. He tossed it into the noodle shop owner's hand and said, "You need to find a way to clear out two seats. I want to eat noodles here today."

The noodle shop owner looked embarrassed. He handed the purse back respectfully and explained with great embarrassment, "Sir, I'm a small business. Today is the first day of the Lantern Festival, and the people who come to eat here are all long-time customers. They come here out of loyalty and friendship, and I can't turn them away. To be honest, I have a seriously ill mother to take care of at home, and my family is waiting for me to close the shop early today so they can have a reunion dinner. That's why I can't accommodate you. I hope you can forgive me."

Tao Yao was easily persuaded and quickly tried to persuade Chu Huanjun: "Xiao Chu, please don't make things difficult for the store owner. We can just go out and find another place to eat, it will be the same."