Chapter 155: Demoting Me to a Commoner

Listening to Xiao Youlan's slow narration, the Emperor and Empress Dowager Zong were both stunned.

As for the matter of that cat, they actually could not remember it clearly; if not for Xiao Youlan mentioning it just now, they would not have remembered at all that such an incident had occurred in the palace.

The Crown Prince had once had a little cat, but they had worked together to kill it.

The Emperor tightened his face, "You say so much, you mean to blame your grandmother and blame me!"

He sneered, "What family's Crown Prince would keep a cat? Spending all day in the study with a cat, not going to talk or play with his brothers and sisters—if this continues, where is there any semblance of a Crown Prince?"

Xiao Youlan stopped speaking.

He felt very suffocated; this feeling was not the first time.

Ever since he lost his mother, there were many times he felt suffocated.

Many people envied him, this legitimate and noble Crown Prince, but many times, Xiao Youlan was truly very unhappy.

When General Hongying died, he held the little cat's wet and icy corpse and cried for a long time.

Xiao Mingyu stood to the side at the time, smiling as he said, "Isn't it just a beast? Why are you crying like this? It's not your brother or sister, let alone your father or mother. When the Empress passed away back then, you didn't seem to cry this heartbrokenly, did you?"

Xiao Youlan buried the little cat's corpse, and after that, he rarely smiled again.

He no longer easily kept any little cats or dogs, nor did he easily like any person.

Firstly, his mother had taught him to be single-minded.

Secondly, he was afraid of loss.

"And that female Assassin!"

The Emperor said sternly, "How old are you, to be lured to such a state by a mere little woman? For her sake, you contradict me and lead troops to surround your fourth brother's courtyard. That cat of yours deserved to die back then, and this woman today deserves to die even more! Causing you brothers to fight among yourselves—if this isn't a 'femme fatale' bringing disaster, what is it? Fortunately, I had people bring you back in time, otherwise, who knows what a huge scene would have been caused, inviting ridicule from the entire court and public!"

"Father."

Xiao Youlan spoke again, his voice carrying a clear choke, "From childhood to now, I have never caused you any trouble, nor have I asked for anything. You wanted me to be the Crown Prince, so I did. You wanted me to be sensible, and I tried hard to listen to your words. But now, I have only fallen in love with one person..."

"What use is liking someone? What use is sincerity?" The Emperor suddenly interrupted him, "You are the Crown Prince! You only need to grasp power!"

"But I don't like power! Power is icy cold, the throne is icy cold, the entire imperial family is icy cold," as he spoke, Xiao Youlan's tears rolled down his cheeks, "My mother died in an icy cold palace, and I often feel that I will die here too. Before it was General Hongying, later it was Nan Xueyin; only when they were by my side did I feel that perhaps there could be warmth in this palace."

"What, I am your father, and I cannot give you warmth? Your grandmother, the Empress Dowager, cannot give you warmth either? In your eyes, only a cat and a woman can give you warmth? I think you've read the sage books until you've become a fool! In this world, only your father, mother, and grandmother will love you unconditionally!"

Xiao Youlan was suddenly unable to speak, only tears kept gushing out, wetting his entire handsome face.

Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zong was heartbroken, her old tears streaming down, "Stop talking, both of you stop talking... Youlan, get a good sleep; when you wake up, everything will be fine."

As she spoke, she tugged at Xiao Youlan's arm, wanting to take him back to the bed to sleep.

But Xiao Youlan did not move.

He had grown up too much, his frame was tall, and he possessed the strength of an adult.

Back when Xiao Youlan lost General Hongying, he cried like this, and Empress Dowager Zong was still able to hold him and lead him away.

Now, however, it was no longer possible.

Xiao Youlan gently pushed Empress Dowager Zong away a little, faced the Emperor, and with a "thump," knelt down.

"What are you doing!" Empress Dowager Zong realized something was wrong.

The Emperor also frowned, "What are you doing?"

Xiao Youlan bowed deeply toward the Emperor, his head knocking against the hard, cold floor, "If Father truly loves me, please remove my position as Crown Prince."

The Emperor was stunned.

"If possible, Father, please also strip me of my status as a prince and demote me to a commoner. In this way, I will be a match for a female Assassin."

The Emperor's pupils dilated suddenly.

He looked at Xiao Youlan kneeling before him in disbelief.

This was his son, his eldest legitimate son!

His most proud son!

His other sons were either frail, dissolute, or stupid; all were difficult to present in polite society and difficult to inherit the throne—only this son.

Ever since Xiao Youlan was born, the Ye Dynasty had enjoyed favorable weather, and the civil and military officials praised him endlessly, all saying that the Emperor was truly blessed to have such a Crown Prince.

Both to let his ill-fated mother know in the afterlife and because he truly admired and loved this son, the Emperor had placed high hopes on Xiao Youlan.

Xiao Youlan's studies were always the heaviest; he had to memorize the most poetry and books, write the most essays, and most of the time, the Emperor checked them personally.

His horse riding and archery never lagged behind either.

The time Xiao Youlan slept every day was very short; when he was young, he had three or four hours, and as he grew older, he only had two or three hours.

It was not that the Emperor did not know that the other princes and princesses did not like Xiao Youlan, and sometimes, they would even gang up to bully him.

But the Emperor felt that he, too, had grown up being bullied.

These pains helped one grow.

Thus, he turned a blind eye to it all.

As for that cat, the Emperor had never taken it to heart at all.

It was just like this Assassin.

The Emperor could never have imagined that Xiao Youlan had actually been dwelling on that cat all along, and even less did he expect that Xiao Youlan would actually cry and even kneel to beg to become a commoner.

The Emperor angrily questioned him: "Do you know how many people in this world dream of entering the imperial family? You want to become a commoner... do you know how bitter the life of a commoner is?!"

"Please Father, strip me of my status as a prince and demote me to a commoner." Xiao Youlan simply repeated.

The Emperor was furious, his chest feeling stifled, and he gritted his teeth: "Xiao Youlan! You unfilial thing!"

Xiao Youlan raised his head, "The son is unfilial, I ask that Father..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he frowned in pain and violently spat out a large mouthful of blood!