Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Little Boat That Had Just Braved the Waves Nearly Capsized

"Was it your mother who harmed mine?" Just moments ago, their fragile friendship was blossoming, but now it threatened to capsize. Yunbai, too small to grab Xiao Chengze’s collar, could only clutch at the fabric on his chest and tug with all her strength.

"She is not my mother; she's the Empress. It's not my fault. I came to warn you, didn't I? Who knows what punishment I'll face when I return?" Xiao Chengze grew agitated, lowering his head in dejection at the thought of the consequences awaiting him.

Xiao Jingxuan, though angry, felt a pang of empathy for Xiao Chengze’s fate. The crown prince was not born of the Empress; she was childless, and the Emperor had few heirs—just two princesses and this one son. Thus, the Empress had resorted to keeping the child while discarding the mother. The only difference was that Xiao Chengze was the crown prince, whereas Xiao Jingxuan had once been an unfavored prince. Thinking of this, Xiao Jingxuan felt sympathy for the crown prince's circumstances and gently pulled at the furious Yunbai.

"Enough. The crown prince came to you as a friend to deliver this news. Don’t blame him too harshly," Xiao Jingxuan’s words calmed Yunbai considerably.

"Stop calling yourself ‘the crown prince’ all the time—I don’t like it. And why did you crawl through a doghole? Can’t you use the front door?" Yunbai, seeing Xiao Chengze’s crestfallen expression, felt a twinge of pity. Her eyes darted as she changed the topic.

"I… I want to enter through the main gate, but when I got there and said I was the crown prince, the gatekeeper laughed at me. He said if I were the crown prince, then he was the crown prince’s father—the current emperor! It wasn’t easy; I searched for ages and finally found the most dilapidated section of the wall, saw this doghole, and crawled through. Why do you and your mother live in such squalor? Is your family really poor?" Xiao Chengze now understood why Yunbai had gazed so hungrily at the food the other day. His eyes were tinged with sympathy as he looked at her.

"Ahem, you two can chat later. Crown prince, let me ask you: What poison did the Empress claim my consort was afflicted with, and how can it be cured?" Xiao Chengze’s earlier remarks made Xiao Jingxuan realize the household staff needed some discipline, but the latter part left him mortified. This child’s way with words could only worsen the already strained relationship between father and son.

"I don’t know either; the Empress never said. I managed to escape only because Xiao Nuo led me through the doghole." Escaping the palace through that doghole was the boldest, most thrilling thing Xiao Chengze had ever done, and he enjoyed recounting it over and over.

"Zhuo Yue’an, take the crown prince somewhere private where he won’t be discovered," Xiao Jingxuan hurriedly called out to Zhuo Yue’an, feeling increasingly that the situation was complicated.

The crown prince was still boasting, but his disappearance would soon be noticed. If he were found at the Prince Jing’s residence, at best it would be called a mischievous outing to make friends, but at worst, it would be seen as Prince Jing abducting the crown prince in rebellion.

"Let Yunbai stay with me, or else it’ll be too boring," Xiao Chengze grasped Yunbai’s hand, pleading with Xiao Jingxuan.

"Do you want to?" Xiao Jingxuan was reluctant for Yunbai to have much contact with the royals; too much familiarity could make future conflicts harder to handle.

"Will you protect my mother?" Yunbai looked anxiously at Su Jingluo, who had finished her candied hawthorn and was licking the stick.

Xiao Jingxuan nodded solemnly.

"Then I don’t mind," Yunbai shrugged, glancing at the expectant Xiao Chengze.

Xiao Jingxuan removed the cloak from his shoulders and draped it over Su Jingluo. She was perhaps too delighted by her candied hawthorn to resist and let Xiao Jingxuan lead her into the room.

Once Su Jingluo was settled, Xiao Jingxuan simply stared at her in a daze. She was alone in the room, her mind dimmed, so he had no need to hide his feelings. Watching this woman licking the candied stick, who yesterday had been fierce as a tigress and now was gentle as a kitten, he found he could never tire of looking at her, no matter her guise.