Everything in the world has its own nature. The spirit deer could originally roam the mountains and rivers and live a carefree life but now it is trapped in a small place, how can it be called "good".
The little child caressed the snow-white fur under his palm. The white deer's fur was not actually soft but rather prickly, just like its nature. It is clearly such an elegant and beautiful creature but it prefers steep mountain streams and has lived in seclusion in the mountains for generations. It can be seen that its temperament is stubborn and tenacious.
He bent down, held the emaciated spirit deer in his arms and whispered: "I also want to let you go home but you are a gift from His Highness, the Crown Prince. If I lose you, it will be a great disrespect to the noble person. There is punishment for being disrespectful. I don't care about my own safety but A-Jin can't ignore the safety of my family, you understand."
There are many people in this world who can't help themselves. He is the son of the Prime Minister but there are things beyond his power.
It was very cold at the beginning of the year and this shack was not a clean place. Grandma An was inevitably unhappy and she gently advised: "Little Master, we have seen the white deer. Why don't you go back to the house for breakfast or the food will be cold if it's too late."
Ye Chongjin shook his head, lowered his eyes and continued to mutter: "It's better to do this. When I see the Crown Prince next time, I will plead for you. It's just... It's just that he hasn't been to the Prime Minister's Mansion for some time so maybe it's a little difficult. If he doesn't come looking for me, I won't be able to see his face."
After saying this, he was a little dazed. Could it be that he wanted to see that person in his heart? How could it be? If he was so afraid of him, how could he look forward to meeting him?
This white deer was just like him in his previous life. Everyone said that he was living a good life but underneath the glamor, there was always filth hidden inside. After staying with that man for more than ten years, he had experienced all kinds of thorns.
The number of murders and assassinations is countless.
Although Gu Chen never treated him as a pet, he did treat Gu Chen as his owner. That person was in charge of his life and death; his honour and disgrace, and even his hair. He was Gu Chen's possession. If one day, that person withdrew his favour, he would not survive a day in the palace. What is he if he is not the owner?
In this world, everyone needs a foundation for a stable life. If you can only live by clinging to others, you will be like duckweed on the water, fluttering in the wind, and it is difficult to find peace of mind.
He asked the white deer: "You think so too, don't you?"
Xia He squatted aside and when she heard the child's words, she covered her mouth and snickered, saying: "I'm afraid that the Young Master is so greedy that he mentions His Highness, the Crown Prince. Could it be that you miss the skills of the Royal Chef in the palace?"
Grandma An poked her on the forehead and said: "It's all because you are talkative, girl. You brought up the white deer shedding tears. In my opinion, you are probably wrong. Although it is a spiritual creature, they are still livestock after all. How can they be sad and happy like humans? It is causing trouble for the little Master."
Xia He pouted and said: "How can I know if this is true or not? It's just a novelty, how can I know that the Young Master takes it seriously?"
Grandma An was about to teach her a lesson when she saw Xia He suddenly bow and say, "This slave pays respect to His Highness, the Crown Prince. May Your Highness be blessed with peace and blessings."
"Don't think that I can't cure you if you bring out His Highness... ...you...this old slave greets His Highness, the Crown Prince. May Your Highness, the Crown Prince be blessed with peace and prosperity." Grandma An followed her line of sight and saw the young man in black standing in the cold wind and she quickly saluted.
Gu Chen only nodded slightly and his eyes fell on the face of the little child beside him. The child was still holding the deer with a little surprise in his dark eyes.
He took a few steps forward and said, "The thing I gave you is so valuable that you hold onto it and refuse to let go?"
His sharp eyes fell on the beast beside him. The white deer did have some intelligence and sensed the danger. He struggled to get out of the child's arms and hid in a corner.
Ye Chongjin was weak and couldn't stop it. When his arms were empty, he had to stand up and say: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is well."
Gu Chen grabbed his white wrist and took out a brocade handkerchief from his sleeve. He wiped his palm carefully. The hand was really small, only half the size of his hand. It was soft, just like the sweet-scented osmanthus sugar cake made by the Royal Chef in the palace. It was fragrant and made people want to take a few bites.
He pinched his little paw and said: "It's such a cold day, if A-Jin is frozen, gu will feel distressed."
Ye Chongjin pursed his lips, did not answer but said tentatively: "Brother Prince, I heard the servants said that the white deer shed tears last night. Do you think it misses its relatives?"
Gu Chen raised his eyebrows and said: "In that case, gu will capture its relatives, old and young, to keep it company. It won't be alone anymore."
"..."
The little child withdrew his hand angrily and turned around to leave. Gu Chen grabbed the child's clothes by the back of his neck, pulled him into his arms and said with a smile, "A-Jin hugged that white deer for a long time. Brother Prince got tired of it. It is considered generous not to boil it to make soup but you still want to let it go home?"
Is this Gu Chen's style of coquettishness? Ye Chongjin blinked and said: "Then...how can the Prince Brother not eat it?"
Gu Chen raised his eyes and smiled softly, stretched out his index finger and tapped his side cheek and said: "A-Jin, please give me a kiss. I will think about it."
Ye Chongjin looked back at the deer which was lying sleepily in the corner at the moment. Its originally clear eyes were covered with dust which made people feel pitiful... but it was absolutely impossible to touch Gu Chen.
He has been extremely pampered in both lives
Whether it is as Lord Jiu Qiansui who is above ten thousand people and held the most important position or the Young Master who is favoured by the Ye family, he is not a person who can suffer a loss. He would not wrong himself for irrelevant reasons.
The little child thought for a moment and murmured to Gu Chen: "That's it, I don't agree."
"Seriously? Even if gu wants to kill the white deer for stew, A-Jin doesn't think it matters?"
Ye Chongjin frowned and suddenly glanced at the corridor. He pursed his lips, raised two small dough-like fists to cover his eyes and accused with a cry: "Brother Prince is a bad person, wuwu, A- Jin hates Brother Prince the most..."
The little child's voice was already soft but now it has a crying tone, scratching at the heart like a kitten. Crying until the heart melted. Gu Chen was stunned and at a loss for a moment. He had never seen A-Li shed tears before. In his impression, A-Li always had a light smile and rarely even got angry. He looked weak but on the inside he was stronger than anyone else.
But he forgot that it was Song Li who had experienced abandonment by his family and the punishment of castration. He was not the inexperienced child in front of him who is loved by everyone in the Ye family. Children cannot withstand being scared.
The majestic Crown Prince of a country, a former Emperor, seemed to be confused in front of a three-year-old child.
Gu Chen half-knelt in front of the little child, hugged his soft body and coaxed: "A-Jin, don't cry. Brother Prince is just joking with you. I will order people to send this white deer away so that he can be reunited with his family. As long as you stop crying, I will give you everything I have ..."
Ye Chongjin was not willing to listen. His crying became louder but he was thinking in his heart that he had just seen his brother clearly. Why hadn't he come yet? He still wanted to go back to the courtyard with grandma to have breakfast. Noticing that the little body in his arms was trembling slightly, Gu Chen thought he was sobbing and quickly kissed his temple, coaxing him more gently.
"A-Jin, what's going on?"
Ye Chonghui saw his brother crying as soon as he walked in. He was also startled. His brother had never shed a tear until now. What on earth did Gu Chen do to A-Jin!
He gritted his teeth and said: "On this wonderful Lantern Festival, His Royal Highness is not accompanying the Emperor and the Empress in the palace but he comes to my Ye family to bully my younger brother. You really have too much time."
When Gu Chen saw Ye Chonghui, he was filled with irritation. He tightened his arms around the child and said in a deep voice: "Gu can come whenever he wants. Prime Minister Ye doesn't dare to say anything. Young Master Ye wants to keep gu in check but there is still the etiquette between monarchs and ministers so he should take gu into consideration."
"Even if you are the Crown Prince, there is no reason to bully a three-year-old child!"
"It's not enough for gu to feel distressed so naturally he won't bully A-Jin."
Ye Chonghui said each word carefully: "There is no need for Your Highness to feel sorry for my younger brother."
Gu Chen narrowed his black eyes and said coldly: "The heart belongs to gu and gu will hurt for whomever gu wants. Gu is afraid Young Master Ye won't be able to control it."
"I can't control His Highness, the Crown Prince" Ye Chonghui stepped forward, pulled his brother out and said, "But I can control my brother."
Gu Chen's eyes were dark and he grabbed Ye Chongjin's other wrist. Neither of them dared to use force for fear of hurting the child and there was a stalemate for a while.
Being grabbed by his brother and Gu Chen, the little child was forced to put down his fists and reveal his tender white face. There was a drop of water in his bright black eyes. It turned out that it was only thundering but not raining and he was pretending to cry to scare people.
Gu Chen frowned and Ye Chonghui also blinked. They both said at the same time: "A-Jin?"
The little child pursed his lips and muttered: "You are stupid, you can't blame me."