Insufficient balance

  "Rong Ruo" made my hair stand on end even more, he held my hand with a smile of approval as if looking at precious goods, suddenly leaned in close and whispered "You're not married yet, are you? In the palace, there are still many daughters of nobles waiting to be married, if one day you find someone suitable, just let me know, I'll still have some face, hehe". So that's what it was about, a stone fell into place, the Crown Prince really did intend to win me over. Just this one instance of seemingly intimate and unguarded whispering could already give rise to enough speculation among certain people. But even though I knew it was just a tactic to win people's hearts, it still managed to move me, directly putting the expression on my face.

  He also noticed that the prince's attendants were scattered around, intentionally or unintentionally isolating others at a distance where they could be seen but not heard.

  Although it is said that the Imperial Guard General and the Crown Prince are getting too close, which is not reassuring for the current Emperor. From what I've seen in many movies and TV shows, Emperor Xuanzong was just a minor prince of a collateral branch of the imperial family at that time. He relied on his position as the Commander of the Imperial Guards to gain the support of the powerful generals, took advantage of the power vacuum after Empress Wu's downfall, and eliminated the powerful Wu family and many hidden chess pieces and party members left behind by Empress Wu in the intense and cruel struggle between the imperial faction and the court faction. He then helped his father, Emperor Ruizong, ascend to the throne, "persuaded" his older brother, Prince Xiang, to give up his position as Crown Prince, and finally forced his ambitious aunt, Princess Taiping, who had been in power for decades, to death, thoroughly grasping the reins of power. Such a person must have someone reporting back to him soon after he speaks, and the Crown Prince will not be unaware of this. No matter how hard he tries to avoid suspicion, it's probably useless.

  I'd be a fool to refuse such a good thing, so I'll just take it one step at a time. After all, I know he's going to be the future emperor, so it's better to show my attitude early on. Since things have come to this point, I can only cooperate and said a double-edged sentence "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness, how dare I disobey?"

  A pleased expression flashed across his smiling face, and after nodding slightly and advising a few more words, he led a group of followers away, but left Xiaobai behind.

  Seeing his poor complexion, Li Shu felt a bit apologetic and wanted to explain something, but didn't know how to start. A gloomy feeling arose in her heart, he already knew his own identity, it seemed like she was going to lose another friend with whom she could talk freely.

  At this time, Liang Xiao naturally didn't understand his thoughts. But thinking of the dangers earlier, he snorted and walked towards the culprit in his mind with clenched fists.

  Who would have thought... This person suddenly pounced on him, grabbing his neck and giving him a good scolding "You little brat, even if your dad was the crown prince, you wouldn't dare try to harm me, I wasted so much saliva on you... (omitting some curses)" He hit him until he couldn't help but grit his teeth and crouch on the ground, holding his head in his hands, tears almost welling up in his eyes. But in his heart, a wave of indescribable relief and warmth surged through, an unexplainable lightness. This person was indeed fearless and unchanged, no wonder his little sister liked to stick around him.

  Liang Xiao had already thought of various countermeasures, "You really don't care who I am?" Li Shu rubbed her temples, saying with a mixture of incredulity and caution.

  "Who cares who you are, whether you're Shu or whatever, all I know is that you're Xiao Bai...", his eyes flashed with emotion and excitement, his mind suddenly cleared up, and his heart was filled with the words "You'll always be my little brother". Of course, he didn't notice the following sentences like "Don't think that just because your father is the prince, you can slack off, hurry up and pay me" or "Don't think you can get away with it just because your dad is the prince, pay up quickly".

  Who would have thought that these young masters from wealthy families had never seen the world and were so easily fooled.

  The king's father had just left, and he dared to openly find someone to settle accounts. This adult has already given everyone a big fright today. Now, with his arm around the crown prince's neck, he is staring blankly, asking for money under various pretexts such as consolation fees, consultation fees, and spiritual loss fees. He is also harming others who have not yet recovered from the shock of the crown prince's departure, with a look of confusion and stupidity on his face.

  From the value of the season, it can be said that he has seen a lot and is knowledgeable before being entrusted to serve the crown prince, but how can he compare with the continuous frights of this evening? Perhaps in his lifetime, he may not have experienced such a "rich" experience. His master was still very pleased.

  "What did you see?" He noticed the gaze of that unkind adult sweeping over, and under everyone's watchful eyes, they all shook their heads in ignorance. This reminded him of some rumors about this adult, such as how people who gossiped behind his back would easily encounter accidents, be found with a swollen face the next day, or suddenly go missing without a word (this was a huge injustice, I really didn't do anything! If someone got "greeted" by me and then fell into a ditch due to nervousness, or got hit by a horse-drawn carriage, how could that be my fault? As for the missing people, it's normal in these chaotic times, especially when the rebels catch up and start killing. It's not surprising that some old and weak people can't run fast and get into trouble). His mind suddenly flashed back to his own life-or-death experience of being left in the wilderness, and he shuddered at the thought. Unconsciously, he echoed others, saying "I don't know anything", "I didn't see anything".

  The whole thing smells of conspiracy to me. I extracted some information from Xiaobai, and it seems that there's a 70% chance that something is off. Why would Xiaobai, who's usually so lazy, suddenly have the mood to come listen to me tell stories every day? And why would Yuwen Jin's brother, whom I beat up with a military stick and is still lying on a stretcher, suddenly change his tune and speak well of me in front of others? It just so happens that Xiaobai's father, the Crown Prince, appears at this time, and behind the scenes, there are hints of the Northern Army gang's involvement. This group of people clearly has a mastermind planning things out, doing it without leaving any traces, and cleverly linking everything together. They've obviously learned from their mistakes and are looking for an indirect way to deal with me, but they're doing it very skillfully, without saying anything bad about me directly. Instead, they're using certain people to make "innocent" remarks that touch on my "glorious deeds", which is enough to pique his interest. And as everyone knows, I'm known for being a bit of an oddball with my words and actions. As the saying goes, "those who speak much will inevitably slip up". It seems they're looking for evidence of me being disobedient, disrespectful, or treasonous, and once they've collected enough, they'll attack me. And with this Crown Prince's identity as a witness, it's clear that I won't be able to escape punishment.

  Even if it's the worst-case scenario, they can still grasp the basis of my discussion on state affairs. Moreover, when necessary, they would also use other channels to provide feedback and facilitate the emergence of the crown prince. The arrival of the crown prince is merely a double guarantee for them to achieve their goal. Unexpectedly, however, the young emperor was drawn in by my words, and as the final link, the crown prince instead showed appreciation and even spoke up on my behalf. I suppose it's quite disappointing.