What Are You Laughing At?

Shen Tingjue experienced what the storybooks called "mandarin ducks playing in the water" for the first time. It felt even better than merely reading about it—so blissful his soul seemed ready to take flight, so happy he forgot all about home and stayed out all night.

The Prime Minister was too worried to sleep. He tossed and turned in bed like a pancake on a griddle, utterly unable to understand how his precious son had fallen for such a fierce, crude brute as the Crown Prince. Had he been fed some kind of love potion?

Very likely.

After all, the Crown Prince was exceedingly cunning and devious, with endless tricks up his sleeve. He could come up with countless ways to kill someone; slipping someone a love potion was certainly something he would do.

The Eldest Princess was kept awake by his constant turning and finally snapped, "Are you going to sleep or not?"

The Prime Minister was wide awake, staring at the bed curtains as he clenched his fist. "The Crown Prince has always been highly skilled in such matters. Do you think Xiao Jue might have fallen under his demonic arts?"

The Eldest Princess fell silent for a moment, then poked his arm. "Do you know what His Highness said when he learned I was going to marry you?"

The Prime Minister turned to look at her. "What?"

The Eldest Princess cleared her throat. "Shen Huaiwen is rigid and pedantic. After barely a few words, his beard sticks straight up and his face turns red, and all he says is how improper it is. One look tells you he is not a considerate or romantic match. He is not even as handsome as the Censor-in-Chief, nor can he lift a cauldron with one hand. I truly do not know what Imperial Aunt sees in him. Could it be that he used demonic arts to bewitch her?"

The Prime Minister: "..."

He was furious.

That brat had a dog temper himself, yet he still had the nerve to criticize others.

So this old man was not a considerate or romantic match, but that brat was?

The Eldest Princess smiled. "Everyone has their own tastes. As long as they like each other, that is enough. Stop overthinking Xiao Jue and His Highness. It is useless to think too much about it, and breaking up loving couples is not something decent people do."

The Prime Minister's beard quivered, but he said nothing. He still did not close his eyes all night. The next day, he went to court with two enormous dark circles under his eyes, staring fixedly at the Crown Prince in hopes that Xiao Hanye would feel the resentment radiating from him.

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince did not spare him so much as a glance.

The effects of an entire bottle of floral oil were truly formidable. Even now, His Highness the Crown Prince still smelled wonderfully fragrant, utterly at odds with his cold and ruthless aura, drawing repeated sidelong glances from the civil and military officials.

Making himself smell this fragrant—was he planning to stand outside and attract thousands of butterflies to flutter around him?

Even the Chenghuan Emperor on the dragon throne could not help glancing at Xiao Hanye several times. His expression was peculiar. A faint laugh almost escaped him, but he hastily held it back, raising a fist to his lips and coughing several times with great seriousness.

I did not laugh. I did not laugh.

Xiao Hanye: "..."

After court, the officials gathered in twos and threes as they headed out of the hall, chatting about everyday matters. As they talked, they suddenly began to laugh, only to feel a chill at their necks, as though blades were pressing against their backs. They all turned at once and met the Crown Prince's murderous gaze.

Xiao Hanye's eyes were cold and grim, as if he would start slaughtering people at the slightest disagreement. "What are you laughing at?"

Several officials: "???"

What was going on?

Why was he acting so ferocious?

Did he think they were laughing at the floral fragrance wafting off him?

Good heavens.

That was far too unfair. Who in the world would dare laugh at him?

They wanted to complain but did not dare. Shaking their heads like rattles, they hastily cupped their hands in salute, tucked their tails between their legs, and fled at top speed.

Wen Jingkong patted Xiao Hanye on the shoulder, his gaze full of interest as he laughed. "Tell me, just how many pounds of flower petals did you put in your bath last night? You smell so fragrant. Are you trying to attract bees and butterflies, or what?"

Xiao Hanye shot him a cold look.

Wen Jingkong immediately cowered. Fine, I'll shut up right away!

Because Xiao Hanye carried the aura of a great demon king who wanted to kill someone everywhere he went, no one dared approach to investigate why His Highness the Crown Prince smelled so fragrant today. They only dared discuss it in secret. As they spoke, the topic drifted to Young Marquis Shen, who had spent the night in the East Palace. Everyone felt that the relationship between the two was far too unusual, and with recent rumors claiming that Young Marquis Shen preferred men, it gave people even more to speculate about.

Consort Shu had set her hopes for her son too high. Whenever she supervised Xiao Chongrui's studies and martial training, she would be angered until her face darkened and her limbs trembled. Once her temper flared, she would point at his nose and scold him for being useless.

Xiao Chongrui lowered his head and listened to the reprimand like a quail.

Seeing him like that only made Consort Shu hate his lack of ambition even more. "Look at the Crown Prince, utterly fearless. He can lead troops into battle and wield political schemes with ease. Now look at you—good for neither literature nor martial arts, thinking of nothing but romance all day long. Tell me honestly, did you sneak out to see Ji Pinglan again yesterday?"

Xiao Chongrui bit his lip, too guilty to raise his head. "...No."

Hearing him lie made Consort Shu even angrier. "Never mind that Ji Pinglan is your cousin. With her status as a concubine-born daughter, she can forget about entering Prince Kang's Residence. She likes you only because she wants to rise from a branch into a phoenix. There are countless fine women in the capital better than her. Take the second young lady of the Xiang Family from before—she was countless times better. Yet I heard you have always worn a sour face and ignored her. Is that not so?"

The moment Xiao Chongrui heard her disparage the woman he loved, a hint of displeasure finally appeared on his face. He stiffened his neck. "If I do not like her, I will not marry her."

"What kind of love potion did Ji Pinglan give you?" Consort Shu pointed straight at him with a fingernail stained red. "I went to great lengths to select consorts for you for the sake of your grand ambitions. It would be one thing if you refused to make progress, but now you will not even obediently follow my arrangements. All you ever think about is your cousin, your cousin. How did I give birth to something as useless as you?"

Xiao Chongrui clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Suddenly, he swept the books from the table with one arm. They clattered across the floor. Rising to his feet, he finally exploded after enduring it for too long.

"Yes! I cannot compare to the Crown Prince in anything. I cannot seize the position of heir apparent. I am useless—but are you so capable? The empress's seat has been empty for so many years. If you are so capable, why have you still not become Empress? If you became Empress, I could tell everyone outside that I was legitimate-born. Wouldn't that bring you plenty of honor?"

For the first time in his life, Prince Kang dared defy Consort Shu like this.

The palace maids serving in the hall immediately dropped to their knees, silent as cicadas in winter.

Hearing those words, Consort Shu stared in utter disbelief. Her lips trembled and her entire body shook. One hand clutched her forehead as her chest heaved violently. Her body swayed, as though she were about to faint from rage.

Seeing this, her personal maid hurried forward to support her.

Consort Shu's hand pointed at Xiao Chongrui, trembling violently. Her voice abruptly rose, shrill and piercing. "Everything I have done was for your sake, and you dare speak to your mother like that? Did that little slut Ji Pinglan whisper something in your ear?"

After shouting those words, Xiao Chongrui felt relieved, but also somewhat guilty. Especially when he saw Consort Shu's deathly pale face, unease filled him. Just as he was about to apologize, he heard her irrationally place all the blame on his cousin again. His temper flared up at once. He kicked over a nearby chair, then stalked away with a dark face and a flick of his sleeve.

"Stop right there! You stop right there! Rebellion... this is rebellion!"

Consort Shu was so furious that her chest hurt. She covered her lips with a handkerchief and coughed for a long while, gritting her teeth bitterly. Her eyes turned sinister, and she grew even more disgusted with Ji Pinglan.

It had to be her.

It had to be her who had led her son astray!