Chapter 116: Why Aren't You in Line

"Why must you act like a dog to me just to secure that position?" Crown Prince Li Hanwen asked indifferently. Upon hearing this, Fourth Prince Li Deren burst into laughter, covering his mouth. After a long while, he looked up, his eyes brimming with tears.

Crown Prince Li Hanwen raised an eyebrow and asked nonchalantly, "What? Is the question I posed so laughable?"

Fourth Prince Li Deren looked up at him and replied, "Indeed, it is a little bit amusing."

Smoothing back the hair that had become disheveled from his frantic laughter, he looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Actually, sometimes I envy the Second Prince."

"At the very least, we share a father, even if our mothers are different. The Noble Consort was willing to burn bridges with the Emperor for his sake, even casting aside her own favor."

"Brother, truthfully, after the Second Prince was married, the Emperor should have fulfilled his promise of years past; his fiefdom had been designated long ago."

"Though our Great Yong Dynasty speaks of princes and fiefdoms, it is a pity that no prince or duke has ever successfully taken possession of one."

"In other words, no one has ever lived to possess a fiefdom. Under the vast heavens, all land belongs to the King; to the ends of the earth, all are the King’s subjects."

"After these men die, their lands naturally revert to the Emperor. Once a man is dead, who would bother to remember him?"

"But the Second Prince is different. He has been at the border since he was fourteen, enduring every storm. The moment he walked out of the battlefield alive, he became the youngest prince in the history of Great Yong. He is the only one who could walk out of the capital alive to inherit his own fiefdom."

"As for us, whom can we rely on? Our mothers? Even if the mothers of the Seventh and Ninth Princes are in favor, they are unwilling to offend the Emperor for their sons."

"Relying on the Emperor's benevolence? Even if he possessed such a heart, he would not be willing to grant his own territory and fiefdoms to his sons."

"Who can I rely on? Brother, you always ask if I have the ambition to take that position. I will tell you the truth: I do!"

After saying this, a look of sorrow appeared in the pupils of the Fourth Prince.

"It is a pity that I lack a favored mother and a benevolent father. If I wish to make my way out, I can only crawl on the ground like a dog."

"To be the most obedient dog—that is my only path. It is ironic to even speak of it; is there any point?"

Crown Prince Li Hanwen frowned at these words and said, "Are you no longer even willing to keep up the facade with me?"

Upon hearing this, Fourth Prince Li Deren pulled his legs onto the chair, looking at the Crown Prince like an insecure child. He did not continue. After a long time, he brushed the dust off himself and turned to leave the East Palace.

"Where are you going?" Hearing the Crown Prince's voice from behind, the sadness in the Fourth Prince's eyes grew heavier.

"Brother, if I may speak bluntly, the greatest difference between you and the Second Prince lies in your mothers. The Empress risked everything to ensure your birth and to make you the Crown Prince. But the Noble Consort is different; she thinks only of how to secure more rights for her son, how to ensure he can walk out of this palace alive."

"Brother, in truth, you should understand what I mean better than anyone."

After a long sigh, the Fourth Prince stood at the doorway of the study and looked back at the Crown Prince.

"This palace is too cold. Everyone struggles to survive, and it is so difficult to live well. As princes here, they are sometimes even worse off than princesses."

"A princess can marry a good husband, but a prince cannot. If you are a nobody, you must endure the bullying of those servants."

Lowering his gaze, he sighed once more and said, "Brother, I am tired. I am leaving."

The moment he stepped out of the East Palace, a sorrowful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. As he walked, he drifted out of the palace, leaving the cold, stone walls behind him entirely. He licked his lips and let out a heavy, lingering sigh.

Sitting in the carriage, he closed his eyes. For some reason, he recalled what Lin Miaomiao had once told him: "I do not belong here."

Thinking of her, he whispered to himself, "If I could, I suppose I would not want to belong here either."

That night, both the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince were left in low spirits. Yet, this was limited to the night. By the time the sun rose the next day, these troubles were no longer troubles at all.

The next day, Lin Miaomiao saw the Fourth Prince early in the morning. She was startled for a moment before smiling and saying, "Fourth Prince, long time no see."

He smiled back, a graceful arc, and replied, "I am no longer the Fourth Prince."

She nodded in recognition. "You are a Prince of the Commandery now. I recall your title is Prince Deren, correct?"

He nodded. Lin Miaomiao smiled and said, "That is fine; it counts as progress. After all, one works hard in officialdom to get a promotion and a raise, wouldn't you say?"

He smiled again, though his eyes held no joy. "Yes, it is indeed for the promotion."

Noticing the lack of true happiness in his eyes, she asked curiously, "What is the matter? You do not seem very happy."

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Ah, official duties have been heavy lately. I suppose I am just tired."

Lin Miaomiao nodded. "If there is too much to handle, change your location, your environment, or your mood. Relax for a few days, then come back to work."

She remembered her own days of preparing for college entrance exams, living the same exhausted life day after day with no way out. She recalled how, upon graduation, she had spent a whole month traveling just to break free from the cycle of waking at five and sleeping at midnight.

He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "I knew you would have a way. I did not expect you to come up with such a good one."

Lin Miaomiao laughed. "It is not a 'good' method; it is just a temporary relief. Things you cannot figure out now might become clearer later."

"Well, everyone goes through it. It is exhausting, but if one were not exhausted, one would likely already be lying in a coffin. We endure the exhaustion of life so that we may rest peacefully in a coffin when we are dead, right?"

He listened, then remarked, "That is the first time I have heard such a perspective, yet it makes a strange kind of sense."

Lin Miaomiao shook her head with a smile. "It is not so much 'sense' as it is a form of spiritual comfort."

She glanced at Li Yanhe, who seemed to have finished his work. Seeing the Fourth Prince in the courtyard, Li Yanhe paused, then raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be very busy lately?"

The Fourth Prince looked at him and said slowly, "I am indeed busy, but I have not seen the Princess in a long time, so I came to reminisce. That is what friends do, is it not?"

Li Yanhe remained silent, his expression cold.

Lin Miaomiao spoke up, "We are heading to my dessert shop soon. It has been a while since we added new items, so I am going to check on things and research some new recipes."

The Fourth Prince looked at her. "That little shop of yours... the threshold is almost worn down by the noble ladies of the capital, isn't it? If I were you, I would open several more branches so those ladies wouldn't have to keep waiting in such a hurry."

Lin Miaomiao replied, "Desserts become cloying if there is too much. Only when the amount is just right is it truly perfect."

She turned to Li Yanhe with a playful glint in her eye. "Come on, Mr. Li, let us go!"

Li Yanhe nodded and said in a cold tone to the Fourth Prince, "Let's go."

With a helpless sigh, the Fourth Prince followed them to the carriage. Upon arriving at the shop, it was indeed bustling, with a long line at the door. The chairs she had placed outside were full. She watched her staff expertly package the sweets, and the young ladies left, beaming with delight.

As she entered, one young woman looked at her and said irritably, "Did you not see the sign at the front that says 'Queue'?"

Lin Miaomiao nodded. "I saw the words on the sign."

"Then why are you being so rude? Everyone here is waiting in line. What right do you have to cut?"

The girl, dressed in goose-yellow, stared at her. Lin Miaomiao nodded and replied, "The reason I am not waiting in line is because I am the owner of this shop."

The girl in the goose-yellow dress froze, her face turning bright red. The other ladies who had been watching the scene with annoyance suddenly realized exactly who Lin Miaomiao was.