Chapter 523 – Post-Wedding Extra Chapter: A Dance That Captivated the City and Spread Across the World – Tang Tang Watches the Show (15)
As spring arrived and the river warmed, Jiang Liangwu gradually handed more and more of his duties over to the Fifth Prince after Bai Tang secretly left the imperial palace. He devoted himself to accompanying Tang Tang and Li Li instead.
The Fifth Prince stared at the mountain of memorials piled before him and nearly burst into tears. He had made his choice, so even if he wanted to cry, he had to see it through.
Bai Tang was bored staying at home, so he planned to take Li Li to a small grove for a spring outing. Little squirrels were supposed to be close to nature, after all. Li Li had been back in the capital for so long that it had been ages since he had gotten to enjoy the great outdoors.
Knowing that Jiang Liangwu was busy, Bai Tang didn’t tell him about his plans. After Jiang Liangwu went out, Bai Tang transformed into a little squirrel and took the tiny squirrel with him.
The two squirrels scampered through the woods, their cheerful, clear chirps echoing through the trees. Li Li clung to Tang Tang’s back, feeling the wind rush over his fur. His nose was filled with the warm, milky scent of pine nuts that belonged to Papa.
It smelled so good.
He loved Papa so much~
After they landed, Bai Tang transformed back into human form. The little squirrel happily wrapped his tiny paws around Bai Tang’s finger and opened his mouth to put it inside.
Papa smelled like milky pine nuts, so why didn’t his finger taste like anything?
Seeing right through Li Li’s thoughts, Bai Tang couldn’t help laughing. He gently pulled his finger from Li Li’s paws and summoned his little storage pouch. Inside were all kinds of snacks Jiang Liangwu had personally made, with the largest supply being Bai Tang’s favorite roasted tea pine nuts.
He took out a pine nut, cracked open the shell, and handed it to Li Li.
This was the taste!
Li Li hugged the pine nut tightly with his tiny paws and slowly nibbled at it, reluctant to eat it all at once, as though it would disappear forever once he finished it.
Sigh… Indeed, once he ate it, it would be gone.
Those were the pine nuts Father had made for Papa, and Father was so stingy. Even when Li Li wanted to sleep with Papa at night, Father wouldn’t let him. He had discovered that Father always moved him to his little bed in the middle of the night.
Although Li Li loved the spiritual energy Father sent into him, he really didn’t like Father hogging Papa all the time.
It had been so nice at Grandmother’s place. Father couldn’t keep hogging Papa there.
What a pity they had left.
“Don’t worry. There are more after you finish that one.” Bai Tang stroked Li Li’s back.
Hearing Papa’s promise, Li Li eagerly began nibbling on the pine nut. He ate so quickly that Bai Tang was astonished.
As expected, squirrels really had no resistance to pine nuts.
“Slowly, slowly…” Bai Tang was afraid Li Li would choke, so he gently rubbed his back with one finger to help him breathe.
“Tang Tang ran off again. That’s naughty~”
The moment that low, sensual male voice rang out, the little squirrel had a piece of pine nut stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down. He was horribly choked.
“Hic—hic…” Father was here!
Afraid that he wouldn’t be allowed to eat anymore, the little squirrel frantically stuffed more pine nuts into his mouth even while choking on the one already stuck in his throat.
Bai Tang was so frightened that his expression changed dramatically.
“Don’t eat anymore, don’t eat anymore. We’re done eating.” Bai Tang tried to take the remaining pine nuts from Li Li, but Li Li refused to give them up. If he handed them over, they would really be gone.
Jiang Liangwu came over to the father and son and noticed that Li Li’s face had already changed color, while Bai Tang looked equally anxious. “What happened to Li Li?”
“Go away! What are you doing here? Go away, go away!” If A Wu hadn’t suddenly appeared and startled Li Li, he wouldn’t have choked in the first place.
Jiang Liangwu, who had suffered this completely undeserved misfortune: “…”
I can’t believe my husband is rejecting me!
Worried sick about Li Li, Bai Tang was so flustered that he completely forgot he had divine power. In the end, it was Jiang Liangwu who stepped in and rescued Li Li. Only then could the little squirrel continue eating his pine nut.
Once the entire pine nut had finally made its way down his throat—
Ah~ So satisfying.
“Squeak squeak squeak—”
Li Li ingratiatingly wrapped his tiny paws around Jiang Liangwu’s finger and rubbed his head against it.
Jiang Liangwu couldn’t help laughing. This child was definitely number one when it came to pretending to be well-behaved. He wondered who Li Li had learned it from.
Bai Tang still remembered that this had all been Jiang Liangwu’s fault. He gave a soft little snort.
Jiang Liangwu immediately thought, Oh no.
After a moment of preparation, he put on a completely different expression.
“Tang Tang~” The man looked utterly wronged. “You yelled at me. Do you not love me anymore?”
Bai Tang was the type who responded to both softness and firmness, but seeing someone lower themselves and act pitiful was even more effective at melting his heart. Jiang Liangwu rarely acted like this, so Bai Tang was stunned for a moment.
Jiang Liangwu continued, “Those court officials don’t respect me, Mother only loves Li Li, and now even Tang Tang doesn’t love me anymore. I… I…”
Under Qiu’er’s influence, Bai Tang had become exceptionally good at filling in the blanks with his imagination. From Jiang Liangwu’s short speech, he immediately conjured up a whole scene:
Jiang Liangwu worked tirelessly day and night, exhausting himself for the sake of the country and its people, only to be met with disrespect from the court and a mother who didn’t love him. And because he was hardly ever home, even Bai Tang had taken his frustrations out on him.
The little squirrel immediately felt guilty.
He raised his head and stood on tiptoe to pat Jiang Liangwu’s head. “There, there~ I love A Wu the most. I’m sorry I yelled at you just now~”
Acting pitiful really had its advantages. Jiang Liangwu was an expert at taking advantage of an opening.
He bent his knees until he was at the same height as Bai Tang, then leaned against Bai Tang’s shoulder and nuzzled him for a moment, acting spoiled.
“Tang Tang~”
“Ah~ I’m right here.” Bai Tang no longer needed to stand on tiptoe. With a bright smile in his eyes, he wrapped his arms around Jiang Liangwu.
From now on, I’ll take care of the two of you. A Wu has worked so hard for so long. It’s time for him to shoulder the responsibility of being the head of the family.
The little squirrel felt that his mission was going to be arduous, yet sacred and magnificent!
“We haven’t gone on an outing together in a long time. Why don’t we go camping and have a picnic today?” Jiang Liangwu didn’t want to end Tang Tang’s pampering so soon.
With a snap of his fingers, a clean, comfortable picnic blanket appeared on the ground.
Jiang Liangwu placed Li Li on the blanket, took out some roasted tea pine nuts, cracked open the shells, and handed them to him.
With food in front of him, the little squirrel was perfectly content. He naturally let go of Jiang Liangwu’s finger and eagerly cupped the pine nuts in his tiny paws instead.
With piles of shelled pine nuts beside him, the little squirrel thought life couldn’t possibly get any better.
Father, just go enjoy your date with Papa. I absolutely won’t bother you.
Jiang Liangwu was very pleased with Li Li’s performance.
Li Li really is such a good child.
He put an arm around Tang Tang and sat down. One by one, all kinds of little pastries appeared on the picnic blanket, every single one of them among Bai Tang’s favorites.
“Wow~” Bai Tang let out a soft gasp. He hadn’t had Western-style pastries in a long time, and the delight on his face made it obvious how happy he was.
He picked up a small cake, peeled away its wrapping, and held it up to Jiang Liangwu’s mouth. “A Wu, you eat first~”
Jiang Liangwu took a small bite. Bai Tang then bit into the exact spot Jiang Liangwu had bitten, his mouth filling with the rich fragrance of cream and the taste of pine nuts.
The man built a fire in the clearing. He took fresh corn, sweet potatoes, and other foods from his storage space, washed them clean, and placed them over the fire to roast. On the tablet, he played a new episode of Animal World that Bai Tang hadn’t seen yet.
A Wu was busy grilling, so there was no one to keep him company. Bai Tang took out the squirrel-shaped that had been with him for a long time. After transforming back into his original form, he cuddled Li Li and leaned against the cushion. The big squirrel and little squirrel stared intently at the screen, occasionally popping a pine nut into their mouths. Their perfectly synchronized expressions and movements were unbearably adorable.
Back at court, after the Emperor broke free of the hypnotic influence, his former shrewdness had returned. However, his health had been damaged, and he was getting old, making it increasingly difficult for him to handle memorials and state affairs. He had no choice but to consider which prince would be suitable to succeed him, lest he suddenly pass away and leave the court in chaos.
First Prince Yu Weiyi was too easily swayed. He had actually allowed himself to favor and trust the words of a woman, so he wasn’t a good choice. The Second Prince was addicted to wine and women and had no talent for governing. The Third Prince was excellent in every respect, but he had sworn never to take a concubine. Although he now had a child, how could the Emperor possibly leave the imperial harem unfilled? The affairs of the inner and outer courts could not be separated. As for the Fourth Prince, he had been given away to another branch of the imperial family a year ago. Sigh~ As for the Fifth Prince, his maternal family lacked influence, which meant there was little need to worry about maternal relatives interfering in government. His abilities were also gradually beginning to show…
The Emperor went through all his sons in his mind and ultimately realized that only the Third Prince and Fifth Prince were the best candidates. However, the Third Prince’s recent actions seemed to vaguely indicate that he was supporting the Fifth Prince. Hmm~ He would have to think it over carefully.
Before the Emperor could make a final decision, the court officials suddenly submitted a joint memorial requesting that he appoint a Crown Prince.
Everyone could see that the Emperor’s health was deteriorating. There was no telling when he might suddenly die, so it would be better to appoint a Crown Prince sooner rather than later. As it happened, the Emperor also wanted to find out exactly who was forming factions and pursuing private interests, so he ordered the ministers to state whom they recommended. Every prince except Jiang Liangwu had someone recommending him. The Tenth Prince received the most recommendations, followed by the First Prince, while the Fifth Prince received the fewest. This also showed that the Fifth Prince truly hadn’t been cultivating ties with the court officials, which pleased the Emperor greatly.
“What? You all recommend the Tenth Prince? He hasn’t even entered the imperial court yet, so how do you already know what kind of talent he possesses?”
The Emperor’s thoughts were impossible to read, and the ministers could not tell from his expression whether he was pleased or displeased.
The minister whose name had been called stepped forward with a stiff expression. “Although the Tenth Prince has yet to take up any official duties, the teachers at the Imperial Academy have repeatedly praised him. Moreover, his maternal family lacks influence, so there is no need to worry about his maternal relatives growing too powerful. That is why we recommend the Tenth Prince.”
The Emperor suddenly smiled. “My Fifth Prince’s maternal family also lacks influence. Why didn’t you recommend the Fifth Prince?”
“Although the Fifth Prince has recently shown some talent, he is being guided by the Third Prince and does not have much of a mind of his own. I’m afraid he may not be suitable…”
“Your understanding of my imperial harem is truly remarkable.”
Everyone heard the sarcasm in the Emperor’s words and hurriedly dropped to their knees. The leading minister was drenched in cold sweat. “This subject would never dare.”
He absolutely could not admit to that accusation. Once he did, it would amount to a charge of causing disorder in the imperial harem—ten heads would not be enough to pay for it. Only then did he begin to regret himself. Why had he listened to pillow talk and recommended the Tenth Prince? He had originally thought that since the Tenth Prince had yet to enter the court and had not yet formed factions or pursued private interests, recommending him would surely be safe. Who would have thought that so many people would recommend the Tenth Prince? What on earth was going on?!
This was all thanks to Sang Tiantian. Back then, she had bought the freedom of her sisters from Wanhua Tower and sent them one by one into the residences of court officials. Serving an official was far better than entertaining all kinds of guests, especially since they now had people to serve them as well. Everything they had gained had come from Sang Tiantian. Grateful to her for buying their freedom, they had become even more loyal to her.
This time, too, it was Sang Tiantian who had instructed them to whisper into their husbands’ ears and recommend Consort Li’s son, the Tenth Prince.
Yu Weiyi would certainly refuse to accept it. Having already had conflicts with Consort Li, he would inevitably clash with her. Once the two sides had fought each other to mutual destruction, the foreign prince would be able to stir up trouble along the border. With no one left to lead the troops, Jiang Liangwu would certainly have to personally lead an expedition. At that point, Sang Tiantian would bring the foreign forces she had secretly planted in the capital and overthrow the Yu dynasty in one fell swoop. The Fifth Prince was incompetent, and Jiang Liangwu would be too far away to intervene. On top of that, she had assassins of her own. Once the foreign prince ascended the throne, she would become Empress. She would rule the realm from the phoenix throne, and everything would still belong to her.
Everything unfolded exactly as Sang Tiantian had planned. The Emperor temporarily put the matter of appointing a Crown Prince on hold, and the factions supporting the First Prince and the Tenth Prince soon began to clash.