[Various] The Deposed Crown Prince's Survival Story

Liu Qi initially listened casually, but as he listened, he couldn't help but think that his eldest son's idea was really brilliant.

The Edict of Grace! If I had had this earlier, how could I have ended up like this because of the policy of reducing the power of the princes?

"Rong'er, did you come up with this?" Liu Qi looked at Liu Rong with suspicion.

I know my own son well. He is smart, but not clever enough. He wouldn't have come up with such an idea.

"Of course it was your son's idea." Liu Rong looked at Liu Qi with a humiliated expression, patted his chest, and said with a flushed face, "Who else but your son could come up with such an idea?"

"This..." Liu Qi pondered for a moment. Although his eyes still held a hint of doubt when he looked at Liu Rong, he had already believed most of it in his heart.

There was no way around it; Liu Rong had left too good an impression on Liu Qi in the past, and no matter how you looked at it, he seemed like a well-behaved person who couldn't lie.

"What is this? Father, even if you think this idea wasn't mine, then... now the question is, who do you think could come up with such a good idea?" Liu Rong said confidently.

The mastermind behind this idea, Zhu Fuyan, is probably selling his political philosophy somewhere. As for the people around Liu Rong... his people... if Liu Rong had such a sharp and vicious person by his side, would he have been able to get crippled last week?

After hearing Liu Rong's words, Liu Qi thought about it and realized that it made sense. His son only had two capable people around him: Dou Ying, who taught him academic subjects, and Zhou Yafu, who taught him martial arts. Neither of them seemed like the kind of person who could come up with this idea.

So, this idea really came from the son?

Thinking of this, Liu Qi was overjoyed. He reached out and stroked Liu Rong's head, saying happily, "My son has really grown up."

"Of course, boys change a lot as they grow up. I'm almost twenty, how can I act like a child all the time?" Liu Rong replied with a smile.

They finally managed to fool Liu Qi; he's really not easy to fool.

"Rong'er, this decree of grace is excellent. You just said you wanted your father to reward you. What reward do you want? Tell...your father." Liu Qi was pleased that his son was so capable and immediately and generously offered to reward Liu Rong. "Are you short of money? Or does your mother want something else?"

"None of them..." Liu Rong lowered her head shyly and stammered.

“What is that? Rong’er… A real man should just say what he wants. Why act like a child?” Liu Qi patted Liu Rong’s shoulders with both hands and said loudly, “Rong’er, if you want something, straighten your back, stand tall, and tell your father loudly. As long as your father can do it, he will definitely grant it to you.”

Provoked by Liu Qi's words, Liu Rong sat up straight, raised his head, looked at Liu Qi with a serious expression, and said loudly, "Rong'er wishes to ask Father to grant me a marriage."

"Huh?" Liu Qi was taken aback at first, then belatedly realized that his son was already twenty years old and the crown prince, but he really did not have a principal wife yet.

In an ordinary family, a child Liu Rong's age, let alone a legal wife, would probably be more than just a baby; he'd probably be able to beat his uncle, Liu Xiaozhu, to a pulp.

But... I really don't know what Liu Qi was thinking. Compared to Liu Xiaozhu, who was only a few years old and already had a fiancée, he was like a stepfather when it came to Liu Rong's marriage. He completely ignored her and didn't care at all. He didn't even know that his sister was planning to marry her niece to his eldest son.

This father is probably not very attentive.

"Ahem, speaking of which, Rong'er, you're not young anymore. You've reached the age to get married." Liu Qi felt a little embarrassed by Liu Rong's reminder, and he began to seriously reflect on whether he had been a bad father.

No! It's not that I'm incompetent! It's just that I've been very busy with state affairs lately. Look, there was the reduction of the power of the vassal states, the Rebellion of the Seven States, and now there's this "succession by brother" thing. I'm really busy!

"Tell me which family's daughter you've taken a fancy to. As long as she's a good person, I'll definitely agree to your request." Overwhelmed with guilt, Liu Qi practically swore an oath.

Fortunately, in this era, when choosing a consort for the crown prince, apart from the primary consort having requirements regarding the woman's status, the other concubines were chosen based on their appearance.

The selection process is very fair; it simply depends on who has a pretty face and big breasts. Whether someone is brainless, remarried, or a woman who has fallen from grace is irrelevant, as long as the prince likes them.

Therefore, upon hearing Liu Rong's request, Liu Qi immediately felt incredibly relieved. Was this even a problem? It was no problem at all!

If the girl's status isn't high enough to be the principal wife, she can simply be a concubine. After all, who you marry is one thing, and who you favor after she enters the household is another.

Liu Qi, the complete scumbag, thought to himself without a shred of shame.

“It’s my cousin,” Liu Rong said.

"Cousin? Which cousin? The one from the Li family?" Liu Qi frowned slightly. The daughter of Li Ji's brothers...

Emperor Liu Qi was usually busy with state affairs and rarely paid attention to his son, let alone his concubine's niece. Therefore, he had no other opinions about Lady Li herself. However, he was worried about Lady Li's brother. In the past, he had often committed evil deeds outside because of Lady Li. Now that Rong'er had become the crown prince, more and more people were impeaching them.

Speaking of this, I can't help but shed a tear of sympathy for Liu Rong. It's one thing for his mother to be stupid, but none of his uncles are honest either. Even if they can't help him like Liu Xiaozhu's uncle Tian Fen, they should at least learn from Empress Bo's brother and be a quiet, unassuming American uncle. But no... The Li family is a bunch of stupid fools.

Scientific evidence suggests that a child's intelligence is greatly influenced by their mother. Therefore, just thinking about how stupid that girl Li had an aunt and father, Liu Rong said she absolutely, positively did not want to be harmed by that girl Li in the next generation.

"No... I meant my cousin Ajiao." Liu Rong said awkwardly and haltingly.

"Cousin Ajiao... Ajiao... Which Ajiao... You mean Ajiao? She's only ten years old!" Liu Qi exclaimed in surprise, staring wide-eyed at Liu Rong and asking, "You... you... you... tell me, when did you... develop those feelings for Ajiao?"

"Well... Ajiao is very beautiful and cute. Why can't I have feelings for her? So what if she's ten years old? In two or three years, she can get married, right?" Liu Rong said nonchalantly.

Women on Earth tend to marry young, and men on Earth are often attracted to young girls. Although Gillian's age might seem a bit alarming, if you think about it carefully, she'll be able to get married in another two or three years, so there's nothing surprising about it.

"Of course, the age difference between ten and twenty years old seems a bit large and somewhat frightening, but in another ten years, when we are twenty and thirty, will Father Emperor think there is a problem?" Liu Rong asked Liu Qi.

No problem! Of course, no problem! I recently accepted a few pretty, youthful, and adorable thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls as my concubines.

After hearing Liu Rong's words, Liu Qi immediately felt that his son made a lot of sense. However, he was a little confused as to why his son, who liked mature women so much, would have a son who was obsessed with young girls.

"You want to marry Ajiao, of course I don't object, but what about your aunt..." Liu Qi began, "Your aunt is my own sister, and Ajiao is my niece. They are both the apple of your grandmother's eye, so if she is unwilling, I will absolutely not force her."

"Father, please rest assured, Aunt is willing. Aunt even went to see my mother today and... mentioned this matter to her." Liu Rong lowered his head shyly as he said this, his expression no different from any other young man with a sweetheart when talking about his marriage to his sweetheart.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi asked curiously, "Oh? Why didn't your mother tell me about this?"

Liu Rong raised his head and said with a wry smile, "Because my mother doesn't agree to this marriage."

"Why doesn't she agree? If she doesn't agree, then why did you come?" Liu Qi glanced at Liu Rong, almost saying, "Aren't you always the one who listens to your mother the most?"

"Mother favors my cousin from the Li family, but I don't like her at all. I prefer my cousin Ajiao." Liu Rong carefully observed Liu Qi's expression as he spoke. "Marriage is my own business and has nothing to do with others. If Mother disagrees, I can go to Father. You are the head of the family and the one whose word is law. Besides, although I am filial, I am not blindly obedient. I can distinguish right from wrong..." Liu Rong paused, giving Liu Qi another deep look, and said with a double meaning, "Just like Father, although you are extremely filial to your grandmother, an emperor has things he will and will not do."

"Although I am useless, I am willing to follow in the footsteps of my father!"

Liu Rong said loudly.

"Good, good, good!" Liu Qi patted Liu Rong's shoulder, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Rong'er has finally grown up..."

This growth wasn't because he was going to get married, but because Liu Qi was finally no longer a docile child who only listened to women and let them control him, but an adult with his own thoughts and opinions.

"Then...about Ajiao's cousin?" Liu Rong asked Liu Qi cautiously.

"Well, your father will talk to her for you... Hmm... Your mother is a straightforward person, and her refusal will definitely offend your aunt badly, which will be quite troublesome for her..." Liu Qi pondered for a moment, thinking about the personalities of his wife and sister, and realized that it would not be an easy thing to negotiate this marriage again.

Princess Kuri was straightforward and naive, always speaking without thinking and never paying attention to her manners. If she was like that in front of me, it goes without saying that she would be like that in front of others. And yet she still refused the marriage proposal.

As for Guantao, when her father was alive, she, like herself, lived a life of humility. But after her father's death, the favor of her mother, Empress Dowager Dou, and her own indulgence made her soar to great heights, and she was no woman to be trifled with.

If these two women started arguing, Liu Qi really wasn't confident he could stop them.