"Roll around like a puppy?"
She nodded and pointed at the ground. "Lie down and rub against the ground. Get those clothes dirty."
Zhou Yunshen frowned slightly, but obediently lay down and rubbed against the ground.
His clothes picked up a layer of dirt, and the fabric became scuffed.
After he stood up, Jiang Shuyue brushed off the loose dust, tore his cuffs, and disarranged his collar.
She surveyed her handiwork and nodded. "Mm, now you look miserable enough."
"You... you're very practiced at this."
"At playing pitiful? Of course. I have lots of brothers and sisters at home. Sometimes there wasn't enough to eat, so I had to go out begging. If I didn't look miserable, no one would even spare me a glance."
"After I entered the Palace, I had food to eat, but the auntie in charge was very strict. If I did something wrong, I'd get beaten with a paddle. Playing pitiful saved me several times!"
"Your Highness, remember this: it's good for a boy to take responsibility, but you can't swallow an injustice in silence. If someone else suffers, though, that's another matter. In any case, we're not taking that loss!"
Zhou Yunshen nodded. Jiang Shuyue pushed his shoulder. "All right, hurry along. Remember, you have to play pitiful in front of the emperor, or there's no point."
"I understand."
Zhou Yunshen strode outside.
"Your Highness!"
Jiang Shuyue called out loudly to stop him. Zhou Yunshen turned back and asked softly, "Is there something else?"
"No, I just wanted to say that you're really handsome, Your Highness!"
"Someone handsome really does look good no matter what!"
Looking at her radiant face, Zhou Yunshen smiled back. "You're quite pretty too."
Jiang Shuyue stood stunned for a long while. Only after he had left did she come