[Various] The Deposed Crown Prince's Survival Story

As soon as Liu Rong uttered those words, two gasps of astonishment were heard.

Without even thinking, Liu Rong knew that these must be the voices of Liu Piao and Wang Zhi.

It seems that I... ptooey! I, the Crown Prince, am not a baby at all; I've been corrupted by that scumbag Su Yuzhou!

It seems that these two women were terrified when I unleashed my domineering aura.

Liu Rongcai wasn't worried that Liu Piao would think he was lying. First, there were plenty of lolicon lovers on Earth, and many of them were beasts who loved young girls. So, even if he pretended to be a beast, people would still believe him. Second... second... even three-year-old Liu Xiaozhu could tell ten-year-old Ajiao, "If I could have Ajiao as my wife, I would keep her in a golden house," and Liu Piao believed it. Why couldn't she believe what he said?

Last week, when Liu Xiaozhu said those words to Ajiao, everyone, including Emperor Jing, was shocked. Everyone thought it was just childish talk and unreliable, and no one was optimistic about this marriage. After all, there was a seven-year age gap between Liu Xiaozhu and Ajiao. By the time Liu Xiaozhu reached the age of being a young man who knew how to be attracted to women, Ajiao would be old and frankly speaking.

Well, a woman in her twenties who gets married early these days is already a grandmother. How could she not be an old maid?

Basically, no normal person with a modicum of intelligence would believe that an older woman and a younger man could live together for a lifetime. It was only because of Liu Piao that, blinded by greed for the position of empress, she harmed her own daughter.

"Rong'er, is what you said... is it true?" Liu Piao asked Liu Rong in disbelief.

Upon hearing "Rong'er" instead of "Your Highness the Crown Prince," Liu Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Liu Piao's tone had softened. He realized that as long as he persevered, winning over this woman would be no problem at all.

"Aunt, every word I've said is from the bottom of my heart, as clear as day, and there's not a single lie in it." Liu Rong clutched his chest with one hand and pointed to the sky with the other, resolutely declaring, "If you don't believe me, I swear to heaven, if there's even the slightest lie, may I be punished..."

"Alright, Rong'er, you don't need to say anything more. Auntie believes in you, Auntie believes in you," Liu Piao interrupted Liu Rong.

Although she was the eldest princess, if a reputation for coercion were to spread, even if she wasn't impeached by court officials, it would still leave a bad impression on her petty younger brother.

Liu Piao had some understanding of Liu Qi; he was not petty, which was his nature.

Or rather, the emperors of the Han dynasty were all petty and vengeful.

When Liu Qi was the crown prince, he was exceptionally unruly. As a result, ministers would use his misdeeds to make his position as crown prince very precarious, and his own father, the emperor, even considered deposing him several times.

Later, when Liu Qi became emperor, those who had spoken ill of him were all punished by him.

He won't die, but his career will certainly not be smooth.

“But Rong’er, your mother…” Liu Piao’s expression turned sour at the mention of Consort Li. “Didn’t you say you have a cousin from your maternal family?”

"My maternal family..." Liu Rong paused, glanced at Wang Zhi beside him, and said, "Aunt, why don't we go back to the Crown Prince's Palace together to discuss this matter in detail?"

Liu Piao belatedly realized what was happening and looked at Wang Zhi, saying politely, "Madam Wang, I have other matters to attend to today, so I will not disturb you in your palace."

At this moment, Wang Zhi and Liu Piao had just started talking and hadn't had a chance to discuss keeping a mistress in a golden house. Therefore, although Wang Zhi was a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to talk to Liu Piao, she didn't think too much about it. She gave the two of them a dignified bow and then took her leave.

Watching Wang Zhi's retreating figure, Liu Rong sighed. Why wasn't he born into this woman's womb? If he had been born into this woman's womb, he could have been like Liu Xiaozhu, a spoiled rich kid who spent his days eating and playing foolishly.

No, no, no! It should be that whoever is born in her belly, it shouldn't be born in Princess Kuriki's belly, she would be a burden.

Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's Palace, the two sat down, and Liu Rong immediately pointed to the sky and swore an oath: "Aunt, if your nephew has someone he loves, how could he be entangled with other women? This is just wishful thinking on Mother's part, and it doesn't count for anything."

"Is that so?" Liu Piao looked at Liu Rong with suspicion, then thought for a moment and said again, "Even if your mother is just wishful thinking, the fact is that she doesn't like my Ajiao."

Since there were no outsiders present, Liu Piao didn't mind bringing up this embarrassing matter; she wanted to seek justice for her beloved daughter.

“Aunt, it’s not that Mother doesn’t like Ajiao, it’s just that… sigh…” Liu Rong sighed and said to Liu Piao in a guiding tone, “I think Aunt and Mother would have a lot in common?”

"What? What did you say?" Although she didn't quite understand what "common language" meant, Liu Piao still guessed the general meaning of Liu Rong's words. "How could I be with your... mother..."

Although furious, Liu Piao gave Liu Rong face and didn't use any more harsh words to describe Li Ji. She simply addressed her vaguely and continued, "You have something in common? That's unbelievable."

“Both Aunt and Mother have a motherly heart.” Liu Rong said calmly and softly, “Mother loves her nephew as much as Aunt loves Ajiao. In Aunt’s eyes, no one in the world is worthy of Ajiao, she is worthy of being a celestial being; but in Mother’s eyes…” Liu Rong looked at Liu Piao and shook his head with a wry smile, “Aunt, please don’t be offended, Mother doesn’t dislike Ajiao, she just loves her nephew too much, so she… Actually, no matter who it is, Mother will not be satisfied.”

Regarding the fact that Consort Li dislikes Gillian Chung, Liu Rong knows he can't clear his name and doesn't want to.

Instead of going to great lengths to clear Consort Kuri's name while she drags him down, it would be better to simply portray her as a foolish woman who loves her son dearly but is actually harmless.

For a shrewd woman like Liu Piao, a foolish but harmless in-law is always easier to control than a shrewd but cunning one.

After all, her daughter Gillian isn't very smart. If she had a mother-in-law who was too shrewd, she might be outmaneuvered by her in no time.

"Ugh……"

Even so, Liu Rong still couldn't help but sigh whenever he thought of Consort Li.

Liu Rong felt like a celebrity fan in the entertainment industry who accidentally became a fan of an idol with extremely low emotional and intellectual intelligence. The idol's hobby was to spout nonsense on TV shows, which made them, as fans, spend all their time like a wheel, spamming various forums to whitewash him.

Just when you've finally cleared your name, God immediately throws another mess at you.

It's heartbreaking that while fans can choose to unfollow, sons can't change their mothers.

"If that's the case, wouldn't my daughter Ajiao suffer if she married you?" Liu Piao said.

The mother-in-law/daughter-in-law problem has always been the biggest problem in marriage. Unless it's like Liu Piao, who is a princess and marries down, and uses her status to suppress her mother-in-law, they will fight each other to the death.

There can be no two suns in the sky, no two rulers in a country, and no two mistresses in a harem.

If Liu Rong were to ascend the throne, and the Empress Dowager and the Empress were at odds, wouldn't that be a huge joke?

“Aunt, I am a man, and I am capable of protecting my wife from being bullied. If…” Liu Rong paused here, “If that day ever comes, please forgive my bluntness, but I have only one request for Ajiao.”

"What are your requirements? Tell me?" Liu Piao waved his hand and said in a slightly unpleasant tone.

Hmph! It's not even certain whether our Ah Jiao will get married! How dare you make demands, you brat? Really... let this princess hear what your demands are.

"I hope that Gillian can be as filial to her mother as I am to her."

Liu Rong's first words immediately made Liu Piao's face turn black. If it weren't for the fact that the person sitting opposite her was the Crown Prince, and that Liu Piao didn't know the term "male chauvinism," she would have already gone up and berated him.

This is utterly shameless! How dare they mistreat my precious child!

As if he hadn't seen Liu Piao's dark face, Liu Rong slowly said, "Mother has been working hard for her nephew since she was young. She has worked hard all her life and should rest well. She can just plant flowers and watch singing and dancing every day to relax and cultivate her mind."

"I hope that Ah Jiao can handle all matters well and not disturb Mother with these mundane affairs, so as not to disturb Mother's rest."

Upon hearing this, Liu Piao's expression gradually softened, and she finally understood what her nephew was talking about.

Liu Rong was assuring himself that if he were to ascend the throne in the future, Empress Ajiao would be in charge of all affairs in the palace, while Consort Li would only be a figurehead Empress Dowager. She would have no say in anything except having fun. Her only request was that Ajiao treat Consort Li well.

Well, that requirement isn't impossible to meet.

The Han Dynasty governed the country with "filial piety," and the emperor should set an example. If A Jiao was not filial to Consort Li, even if Liu Rong himself could tolerate it, the officials in the court would not let A Jiao off the hook.

However, how to be "filial" is another matter, since no one has ever said that the Empress Dowager must rule as regent.

Looking at Liu Piao's ever-changing expression, Liu Rong couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, wondering if Liu Piao would accept his offer.

To be fair, although Ajiao was a bit willful and capricious, she was quite capable of managing the palace. In her previous life, she managed Liu Xiaozhu's harem in an orderly manner. In addition, she was of noble birth, well-educated and polite, and had been used to grand occasions since childhood. She was much more respectable than women like Wei Zifu and Lady Li, who came from lowly backgrounds.

Liu Rongzhen couldn't understand why Liu Xiaozhu insisted on liking women from poor backgrounds. Just because they were pretty? Didn't he know that "a child's intelligence is determined by the child's mother"?

Of course, Liu Rong wasn't so superstitious as to insist on marrying the daughter of a high-ranking official or nobleman, but wouldn't marrying the daughter of an ordinary scholar be better than marrying a courtesan or the like?

When buying pigs, look at the pen, my friend.