[Various] The Deposed Crown Prince's Survival Story

Looking at Ajiao, who had suddenly become shy, Liu Rong gave Liu Piao a knowing smile, stood up, returned half a bow to Ajiao, and said gently, "Cousin Ajiao."

Although Consort Li had a bad temper, she was extremely beautiful and outstanding. Liu Rong, who inherited her beauty, was naturally also an outstandingly handsome, elegant, and refined man.

Therefore, it was no surprise to Liu Rong that Gillian Chung would fall for him.

"Cousin Rong, what good things have you brought for Ajiao this time?" Ajiao lowered her head shyly, but occasionally looked up to examine Liu Rong with what she thought was a careful gesture.

"A kaleidoscope, I bought it from a merchant from the Western Regions," Liu Rong said, handing a kaleidoscope studded with gemstones to Ajiao, and said gently, "I wonder if my cousin likes it?"

Gillian grabbed the kaleidoscope and blurted out without even looking at it, "I love it! I love everything, as long as it's a gift from my cousin..."

Halfway through her sentence, Ah Jiao realized something was amiss, her face flushed even more, and she gripped the kaleidoscope tightly with both hands, so tightly that Liu Rong was worried she would wring water out of it.

"Um... Mother, what were you talking about with my cousin just now?" Looking at Liu Rong's eyes, Ajiao felt even more embarrassed and awkwardly changed the subject. At the same time, she reached out and tugged at her mother's sleeve, signaling her mother to help her out of the predicament.

Faced with this situation, Liu Piao could only sigh, "A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home once she grows up," and also worry that Gillian hadn't chosen a good topic.

How can we say this in front of Liu Rong? Shouldn't it be a private conversation between mother and daughter?

Thinking of this, Liu Piao glanced at Liu Rong and saw that he still had a smiling and nonchalant expression. Her frustration grew, so she said, "Well, Ajiao, you should ask your cousin Rong yourself."

"Cousin Rong, what were you saying to Mother just now?" Ajiao tilted her head slightly, looking at Liu Rong with an innocent expression.

“We…” Liu Rong glanced at Liu Piao, then turned to look at Ajiao, and said in a seductive tone, “Ajiao, do you like a golden house? A house made of gold, do you like it?”

"A golden house?" Gillian exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Piao was known in the Han Dynasty for her love of money and her ability to get things done. People who wanted her help could line up from the princess's residence to the palace, so it was not easy to get into her princess's residence.

"A thousand jin" is exactly the starting price for a ticket to the Princess's Mansion.

With such a greedy mother, Gillian Chung, though not greedy herself, was a girl who had no concept of money. To her, the Golden House was just a pretty house; she never thought about its actual value or whether it was luxurious.

"Yes, the Golden House, does Ah Jiao like it?" Liu Rong smiled even more tenderly, making Ah Jiao blush and her heart race again.

"I like it!" Gillian nodded and replied with a smile. After thinking for a moment, she added, "I like anything that Cousin Rong gives me."

Looking at the incredibly cute and trusting Ah Jiao, Liu Rong felt a little guilty, but he quickly dismissed the guilt.

Although his words contained elements of deception towards Gillian, he would definitely keep his promise, treat Gillian well, and not let her end up as tragically as she did last time. Moreover, as long as she could give birth to a child, it didn't matter whether she found other women or not.

Anyway, I'm an alien, and I'm not like Liu Xiaozhu who has no morals and sleeps with women and then men.

"Well, here's the thing, Cousin Rong is planning to build a golden house in the palace, but this house needs a mistress, right?" Liu Rong continued to coax patiently.

“Yes!” Ah Jiao nodded innocently, her silly little face making Liu Piao, who was sitting next to her, wish she could put her daughter back in her belly and give birth again.

Looking at Gillian's adorable appearance, Liu Rong couldn't help but want to reach out and pinch the little girl's pink cheeks. However, with his mother-in-law right there, Liu Rong could only pinch his nose and say, "Then tell me, who would be the best mistress of this golden house?"

"Who does Cousin Rong think is better?" Ajiao frowned, thinking seriously. Her worried look made Liu Rong think she was pretending to be confused if he didn't know she wasn't very bright.

"I don't know who's good either. Besides my own sister and the girls from the Liu clan, the only girl I know is you, Ajiao." Liu Rong sighed, deliberately looking at Ajiao with a helpless expression.

Although Ah Jiao was a bit slow-witted, she wasn't completely oblivious. Hearing Liu Rong's words, which were practically the same as saying his name directly, she blushed and said shyly, "Is that so... or... Cousin Rong, could you keep looking?"

"I can't find her!" Liu Rong said with a deliberately mournful tone. "I don't have any requirements for this mistress. I just hope she can be as cute, beautiful, and well-behaved as my cousin Ajiao. As for other things... I don't have any requirements."

"Is this how you want me to be?" Gillian lowered her head, playing with the ends of her hair with her fingers, and said in a shy voice, "Then you'll have a hard time finding someone like me."

“It’s definitely hard to find! That’s why I came to Auntie.” Liu Rong looked at Liu Piao with a grin.

Liu Piao stared at Liu Rong expressionlessly, wishing she could sweep the guy out with a broom.

He actually dared to harass her daughter right in front of her, it's unbelievable...

"I think that since my aunt was able to raise such a lovely, beautiful, and well-behaved girl like my cousin Ajiao, she must know girls like her. It shouldn't be a problem for her to introduce one to me."

Without that rascal Liu Xiaozhu causing trouble, and with no prince in Liu Qi's line of succession, Liu Rong wasn't worried that Liu Piao would turn against him over such a small matter. After all, who would she support if they did?

King Liu Wu of Liang? That's hilarious!

When Liu Qi became emperor, she was still the eldest princess; when Liu Wu became emperor, she was still the eldest princess. How incredibly bored must she have been to support Liu Wu?

Moreover, he wouldn't be able to get past Liu Qi, because even if Liu Qi died, he wouldn't pass the throne to his brother.

Therefore, Liu Piao didn't say anything in response to Liu Rong's teasing. She just glared at him resentfully and said, "You little greedy devil."

Hearing her mother say this, Ah Jiao, who thought her mother had already introduced a girl to Liu Rong, reddened her eyes, pouted, and said unhappily, "Mother, what girl in this world is as pretty, cute, and well-behaved as Ah Jiao?"

Upon hearing Ah Jiao's words, Liu Piao almost fainted from her daughter's naivety and jealousy, while Liu Rong laughed exaggeratedly.

"Cousin Rong, are you laughing at Ah Jiao too?" Ah Jiao turned her head to look at Liu Rong, who was laughing exaggeratedly. She pursed her lips and said stubbornly and aggrievedly, "Do you guys have other girls now, so you don't like Ah Jiao anymore?"

"No! Absolutely not! Cousin Rong only likes... *chuckle*... But it's really funny." Liu Rong said, cupping her cheeks and laughing.

"You only like...what?" Ajiao looked at Liu Rong's happy smile and felt annoyed. She reached out and pushed Liu Rong's arm, saying in annoyance, "Cousin Rong, just tell me."

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Liu Rong, afraid that Ajiao would really get angry, forced himself to straighten up and looked at Ajiao affectionately, saying, "I just told my aunt... I said I wanted to find a pretty, cute, and well-behaved girl like Ajiao to be the mistress of my golden house... My aunt said that such a good girl, there is no other girl in the world besides Ajiao... I said, then how about Ajiao be the woman in my golden house... My aunt said..."

At this point, Liu Rong paused, then stared intently at Ajiao with her beautiful big eyes.

Ah Jiao felt her face burning as if it were on fire. After a while, she finally spoke, "What did Mother say?"

Liu Rong didn't speak, but turned his head to look at Liu Piao, and A Jiao also looked at Liu Piao along with Liu Rong.

Liu Piao looked at Liu Rong with amusement. "Little fox, such a shrewd little fox, will my precious Ajiao be fooled to death?"

Compared to her helplessness when facing Liu Rong, Ajiao was quite adept at dealing with Liu Piao. She stretched out her little hand and hugged Liu Piao's arm, shaking her mother's arm while asking in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Mother, what did you say to my cousin?"

"Mother said..." Annoyed by her daughter, Liu Piao could only glare angrily at Liu Rong, then patted Ajiao's hand and said soothingly, "Ajiao's marriage is Ajiao's own decision. As long as he can persuade Ajiao to agree, Mother will not stop him."

“Oh…no wonder when I came in just now, I heard my mother saying…” At this point, Gillian lowered her head deeply, only her flushed neck revealing her excitement.

"Cousin, tell your cousin quickly, do you agree or not?" Liu Rong had no intention of letting Ajiao off the hook. He came today to press his advantage and finalize the marriage, lest things get complicated and the cockroaches turn the tables.

"Agree to what?" Gillian asked, feigning ignorance.

"You agree to be the mistress of the golden house?" Liu Rong smiled slightly, her voice deliberately carrying a hint of eagerness.

"How can a girl like Ajiao have the right to decide her own marriage?" Ajiao raised her head, glanced shyly at Liu Piao, and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Ajiao will leave it to her mother to decide."

“Alright, since it’s up to me to decide, then this marriage is…” Liu Piao glanced at Ajiao, sighed, “Girls are more inclined to be independent,” and then said, “Let’s just forget about it?”

"Ah?" Gillian's shy expression hadn't completely faded yet. Her face froze, her little mouth agape in an "o" shape, making her look incredibly cute.

"Hahaha! My son is so cute! Just kidding!" Liu Piao said with a laugh, patting Ajiao on the back.

Although he knew Liu Piao wouldn't refuse him, Liu Rong was still taken aback by her move. He patted his chest, let out a long breath, and said, "Auntie, you really are..."

"Mother! You're bad!" Ajiao stood up, both embarrassed and ashamed. She stomped her foot, glared at Liu Piao, then at Liu Rong, and said coquettishly, "Cousin Rong is bad too! Ajiao isn't playing with you anymore!"

After saying that, Gillian turned around angrily and deliberately stomped her feet heavily as she left the room.