Chapter 358 – The Sweet Princess Was Here – Persona Collapse (03)
Little Squirrel couldn’t handle alcohol at all. Even mild plum wine would knock him out—let alone the royal family’s treasured strong liquor.
After just one cup, two rosy blushes quickly appeared on the young boy’s cheeks. Paired with his round, adorable face, it made people want to reach out and pinch it to see if it was really as soft and springy as it looked.
“Qiu’er, Xiao A, this one is really spicy—try it, you’ll definitely like it~” Using the table as cover, Bai Tang secretly slipped snacks and drinks from the table into the Little White Room.
The gluttonous Qiu’er would never miss out on good food, especially since Tang Tang had personally tested and approved it.
Qiu’er licked the liquor once. Hiss… It was really spicy—but incredibly satisfying.
Outside was one little drunk, and inside the Little White Room was another. Xiao A’s head was throbbing. If he watched Tang Tang, Qiu’er would run off to steal another drink; if he stopped Qiu’er, something would go wrong on Bai Tang’s side again.
The strong liquor hit hard. Bai Tang, who had never drunk a drop in his life, quickly became completely incoherent.
After exchanging the customary pleasantries with Emperor Jude, the King of Huan turned slightly to introduce his pair of children.
“Your Majesty, Emperor of Wu Dynasty,, these are my Third Princess and Seventh Prince.” Since he had willingly become a vassal of Wu Dynasty,, he had to refer to himself as “your subject” before Emperor Jude.
Bai Fangxin rose and offered her salute. “Greetings, Your Majesty.” Her graceful and composed manners won the goodwill of everyone present.
But after Bai Fangxin finished her salute, Bai Tang’s voice remained absent.
The King of Huan felt his expression stiffen. Turning his head, he saw a little drunk staggering in front of him.
“Tang Tang, do not be rude,” he reprimanded softly.
There was no reasoning with someone drunk. Fortunately, Bai Tang was usually obedient; though dazed, he still stood up and wobbled his way through a bow to Emperor Jude. “G–greetings, Your… Majesty…”
The boy couldn’t stand steadily. Holding his wine cup, he swayed as he declared, “Y–Your Majesty’s wine… tastes so good… I’ve never… had anything like it…”
Though Bai Tang was being improper, he was indirectly praising Wu Dynasty’s vast lands, rich resources, and strong national power—capable of producing fine wine and delicacies.
Emperor Jude burst into hearty laughter. “If the Seventh Prince likes it, I shall have the palace servants bring you another pot.”
“Hehehe~ thank you, Your Majesty.” The boy’s adorable drunken innocence didn’t annoy anyone; instead, it made the imperial consorts’ maternal instincts overflow.
Even the strict and rule-abiding Empress couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Very soon, the eunuch presented the fine wine. Bai Tang took a step forward—but staggered. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the table.
Wu Chenyi was startled. He stood up and quickly moved to catch the falling boy. “Did you hurt yourself?”
That warm, jade-like voice drifted into Bai Fangxin’s ears like dazzling fireworks exploding in her mind.
She lifted her gaze—and collided head-on with Wu Chenyi’s impossibly handsome, almost otherworldly face. Her heart thumped uncontrollably.
“I’m… I’m fine~” Bai Tang mumbled, still clutching the pot of wine tightly.
“I… I brought this for A-Yi…” Bai Tang looked down at the wine pot. Fortunately, it wasn’t broken.
A-Yi?
A faint sourness rose in Wu Chenyi’s chest. Who exactly had won the young boy’s favor?
“Don’t touch me…” Bai Tang, being supported by the arm, felt uncomfortable. “D-Don’t touch me… I… I can only be close to my own hubby… not other men…”
Wu Chenyi felt even more sour. Does the boy already have someone he likes?!
Bai Tang lifted his head, ready to scold the bold person who dared to touch him—only to crash right into Wu Chenyi’s deep eyes reflecting his own face.
The boy’s smile brightened. “A-Yi~”
He threw his arms around Wu Chenyi and even rubbed his cheek against Wu Chenyi’s chest. “Hehehe~ I get to see you again… I’m so happy~”
Just moments ago he couldn’t even speak clearly, but now that he had found his husband, his tongue miraculously straightened out. His soft, sticky-sweet voice carried across the entire hall.
The imperial consorts stared in shock. Even the King of Huan was stunned by how naturally familiar his youngest son was acting. The other party was the Crown Prince of Wu Dynasty—what if Bai Tang angered him?
But the explosion of royal fury the King expected never came. Instead, he witnessed the Crown Prince gently holding Bai Tang, fully enjoying the boy’s affection.
“The wine… the wine… don’t spill it… I saved it for you…” Good things were meant to be shared with his hubby. Qiu’er and Xiao A already had theirs—this one belonged to A-Yi.
“For me? Thank you, Tang Tang.” Wu Chenyi’s eyes were filled with laughter, his entire aura radiating joy. Anyone with eyes could see it—Wu Chenyi had taken a liking to Bai Tang.
Everyone understood instantly. Even the King of Huan felt delighted. A marriage between Bai Tang and the Crown Prince wasn’t a bad match at all. From what he knew, Wu Chenyi wasn’t just the heir to Wu Dynasty, but also the most talented among all the princes. If nothing unexpected happened, Wu Chenyi would become the next emperor.
And with such a bond, he no longer had to worry about Wu Dynasty turning against the Huan Kingdom after the current emperor passed away.
Bai Fangxin quickly adjusted her expression and parted her crimson lips.
“Seventh Brother is drunk and was discourteous toward Your Highness the Crown Prince. I hope Your Highness will forgive him.”
With such a beauty in his arms, Wu Chenyi wished he could hold him for a lifetime. How could he possibly mind?
“Third Princess, you are too polite.”
He turned, half-supporting the drunk little Bai Tang, and said to Emperor Jude, “Father, the Seventh Prince is drunk. Your son will take him down to sober up.”
After witnessing how attentive Wu Chenyi was toward Bai Tang, Emperor Jude felt no displeasure at Bai Tang’s earlier behavior. Wu Chenyi was the heir he valued most—among all the princes, only he had the capability to lead Wu Dynasty to continued prosperity. Sacrificing his relationship with his own son over a foreign prince was not worth it.
With a wave of his hand, Emperor Jude granted permission.
Wu Chenyi carried Bai Tang out.
The King of Huan once again apologized, “My youngest son was rude and has troubled Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Emperor Jude replied, “It’s of no consequence. Who knows—perhaps we will soon become in-laws.”
Though the Kingdom of Huan was poor in resources and had low production, its geographical location was exceptional. Every nation’s trade routes passed through it. Anyone wishing to invade another country had to first trample through the Huan Kingdom.
Over the years, many nations had considered attacking, but were always suppressed by the combined pressure of the surrounding countries. Now that the Huan Kingdom had voluntarily aligned itself with Wu Dynasty, expanding the empire’s territory would be far easier.
Emperor Jude had calculated well. The King of Huan was equally delighted. In his eyes, both the marriage alliance and the military aid were already as good as set in stone. How could he not be pleased?
Watching Bai Tang being carried away by Wu Chenyi, Bai Fangxin felt unwilling, yet proper etiquette forbade her from leaving her seat.
To ensure the marriage alliance went smoothly, the King of Huan had even arranged a performance for Bai Fangxin to rehearse.
After Emperor Jude and the King of Huan selected a few pieces, the banquet reached its most lively point.
Bai Tang was simple-hearted. The King of Huan thought it over and felt uneasy letting only Bai Tang marry into Wu Dynasty.
His gaze shifted to Bai Fangxin, signaling her to go prepare.
“Your Majesty, Emperor of Wu Dynasty, my daughter has prepared a performance to enliven the banquet. I ask for Your Majesty’s permission.”
Originally, the King of Huan hadn’t planned for Bai Fangxin to perform—after all, she was a princess. Performing publicly was not much different from a dancer or singer. But he couldn’t refuse her insistence, and now that he felt the situation uncertain, he agreed to let her go on stage.
Bai Fangxin suppressed the excitement in her heart, bowed respectfully to Emperor Jude and the Empress, and then went down to change her costume.
Onstage, all the lights dimmed. Bai Fangxin took her position and began dancing with her water sleeves. Each time her sleeves brushed past a lantern, that lantern lit up, and soft pink petals drifted down. Truly, she outshone even the blossoms.
The Huan Kingdom was famed for its plum blossoms, and its achievements in music and dance were exceptional—far beyond even the grand Wu Dynasty.
For a moment, the entire audience was entranced. Bai Fangxin felt proud, and from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Wu Chenyi returning. Her sleeves fluttered even more vigorously.
She had to make the Crown Prince of Wu Dynasty see that she, Bai Fangxin, was not inferior to Bai Tang.
Wu Chenyi hadn’t wanted to leave the boy, but drunk little Tang Tang pouted and fussed, insisting on retrieving the plate of pinecones left on the banquet table.
“I’ll have the imperial kitchen make a fresh plate for you, all right?” Wu Chenyi asked with extreme patience.
“No, no! I want that one, I want THAT one…” Bai Tang kicked and struggled. If he didn’t get the exact one from the banquet, he would throw a tantrum.
Wu Chenyi held down his flailing hands and feet so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Helpless, he said, “All right, all right—we’ll get that one.”
“You—go bring the pinecones from the Seventh Prince’s table at the banquet.”
Bai Tang was satisfied for a moment, then pouted again.
“No, no… If you don’t bring it to me yourself, I won’t eat it~”
If Wu Chenyi didn’t bring it personally, Bai Tang would run off himself.
Bai Tang still reeked of alcohol. After bringing him back to Guangyang Hall, Wu Chenyi helped him remove his outer robe so he would feel more comfortable.
He would never allow anyone else to see Bai Tang’s body.
In his eyes, Tang Tang wearing only inner clothes was no different from being unclothed.
“All right, all right, I’ll go get it. I’ll bring it back myself, all right? Tang Tang, be good and wait here for me.” Wu Chenyi reached out and scooped the boy into his arms.
Bai Tang obediently leaned against Wu Chenyi’s chest. The scent of wine mixed with his natural milk-sweet scent as he murmured, “Then hurry back, okay? Otherwise you’re not allowed to sleep in my bed tonight…”
Wu Chenyi: !!!
He lowered his head to meet Bai Tang’s hazy eyes.
“Tang Tang… are you saying you want to share a bed with me?” Was he interpreting it correctly?
The little squirrel puckered his lips.
“So you don’t want to, huh? Fine then—you can sleep in the hallway…”
“I want to, I want to—!” Wu Chenyi answered immediately.
There had been too many surprises that day—Wu Chenyi could hardly process them all.
Watching the Crown Prince grinning foolishly, his attendant couldn’t help covering his forehead in exasperation. Your Highness… do you not realize your dignified image is gone…?
If the attendant were from the modern world, he would know—this wasn’t just an image collapse; this was a complete character breakdown.
After finally calming Qiu’er and Xiao A, the latter found a moment to check on Bai Tang. But when he caught sight of Wu Chenyi’s silly smile, he also raised a hand to his forehead.
Male lead, your persona of keen insight, righteous integrity, and never smiling lightly… it has completely collapsed.
Wu Chenyi stayed with Tang Tang for quite a while, holding him close. After coaxing the boy to sleep, he instructed the attendants to take good care of Bai Tang and not let him wander off. Only then did he rise to return to the banquet.
Which explained the moment when Bai Fangxin, dancing on stage, saw Wu Chenyi returning.
On stage, Bai Fangxin ended her dance with a spinning bow-like gesture. Emperor Jude began applauding, followed by the concubines and ministers. Thunderous applause filled the hall.
Wu Chenyi picked up the plate of pinecones, ready to leave.
Just then, Bai Fangxin stepped off the stage and approached him from behind. Slightly breathless, she said in a soft, delicate voice, “Your Majesty, forgive my poor performance, I—ah…”
Wu Chenyi turned around, accidentally bumping into Bai Fangxin, causing the plate to tilt and the pinecones to scatter across the floor. Bai Fangxin took several steps back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pinecones on the ground—and a sudden idea flashed through her mind.
She deliberately shifted her steps, “accidentally” stepping on a pinecone, then let out a “terrified” gasp as she pretended to fall backward.
Author’s Note :
Male Lead: My arms are only for Tang Tang. And you (Bai Fangxin)… what flower do you think you are?
Bai Tang: You behaved well. Tonight, you’re allowed to sleep in my bed.
Male Lead: Yes, sir!