The most dissolute couple in the capital

When Li Chengjing was summoned to the palace, he was squatting in the back garden of the Liang Prince's mansion, teasing a cat with a small bamboo stick.

That was an orange tabby cat he picked up from the street a few years ago. When he found it, it was skinny and small, but after half a year it grew into a big, fat orange tabby with a shiny luster. It was very picky and only ate fresh fish. Li Chengjing named it "Little Fatty" and fed it himself whenever he had free time.

"Your Highness," a servant boy ran over, "someone from the palace has come. His Majesty summons you to the palace immediately."

Li Chengjing paused in his bamboo stick.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the chubby little boy slapped the bamboo stick askew with his paw, rolled over, exposed his belly, and started snoring on his back.

"Go to the palace?" Li Chengjing tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Why?"

The servant's lips moved, and his voice was lowered even further: "The messenger is Eunuch Liu from the Emperor's court. He says that His Majesty knows about Your Highness's visit to the Cui residence by climbing over the wall a few days ago."

Li Chengjing remained silent for two breaths.

Then he stood up, dusted off his knees, and looked perfectly normal.

"Oh, let's go then."

The attendant was taken aback: "Your Highness...won't you...make some preparations?"

"Prepare for what?" Li Chengjing retorted, straightening his collar as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I haven't done anything wrong. Going to see my fiancée is only right and proper."

The servant opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Having served for so many years, he had learned one thing: reasoning with the King of Liang was just as pointless as reasoning with the chubby boy.

---

When Li Chengjing arrived, the eunuchs outside the palace gates all stood with their heads bowed, the atmosphere unusually quiet.

He paused at the doorway, then turned to the young eunuch who had led the way and asked, "How is His Majesty's mood?"

The young eunuch, with a pained expression, replied in a low voice, "This servant dares not say."

Li Chengjing nodded, lifted his foot and walked inside, his pace not slowing down at all.

The palace was softly lit, with a felt mat laid out under the window and a rosewood desk on it. The emperor sat behind the desk, his sleeves rolled up halfway, pouring water into an inkstone to grind ink, his posture casual and relaxed.

The Empress stood beside him, dressed in a simple, moon-white robe, writing on a silk scroll. It was a half-finished orchid painting, its outlines sparse and elegant, its brushstrokes refined and graceful, revealing her profound skill.

The two worked in perfect harmony, one grinding ink and the other painting. The hall was quiet, and even the servants retreated outside the curtain.

Li Chengjing stepped inside, glanced at the scene, and paused for a moment.

Goodness, are they just showing off their love?

He quickly calculated his safety margin in his mind. The Empress was also there, so judging from the situation, it shouldn't really come to a fight.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty." He bowed respectfully, his waist bending more formally than usual.

The emperor didn't even look up, continuing to grind ink.

silence.

Li Chengjing maintained his bowing posture and counted the cracks between the bricks on the ground.

One, two, three...

"You've got some nerve."

The emperor finally spoke, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "In broad daylight, you climbed over someone's wall, and it was your fiancée's courtyard no less."

He set down the ink stick, picked up the inkstone and handed it to the Empress, then turned his gaze to Li Chengjing. "The Cui family is a family of high moral character. How can you act so recklessly and damage the reputation of this young lady?"

Li Chengjing defiantly slid to his knees, saying, "Your Majesty, please let me explain! I was delivering medicine for her hand injury. How can this be considered reckless?"

"Send medicine for injuries?" The emperor raised an eyebrow. "You, the dignified Prince of Liang, couldn't you just send someone to deliver it? Did you have to climb over the wall yourself?"

"How can that be the same?" Li Chengjing asked sincerely. "Delivering it personally shows my sincerity! Doesn't that make me appear more devout?"

Piety? Are you worshipping Buddha?

The empress's brush trembled slightly, and a drop of excess ink fell onto the orchid leaf. Without making a sound, she transformed that drop of ink into a leaf shadow, and the corners of her mouth curved almost imperceptibly.

"You still have the nerve to talk back?" The emperor's voice deepened slightly as he maintained his composure. "I heard that you not only scaled the wall, but you were also caught red-handed by the Cui family in someone else's garden?"

"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" Li Chengjing waved his hand. "Servants are concerned about their master, who am I to argue with them?"

"Making a fuss about it?" the emperor scoffed. "The maids and nannies of the Cui family almost took you for a lecher, and you call that a trivial matter?"

"But they didn't win them over." Li Chengjing blinked, his voice tinged with grievance. "They knelt down as soon as I revealed my identity. Your Majesty, think about it, I'm a prince, after all. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss just to see my fiancée?"

The emperor took a deep breath.

This younger brother is about the same age as his children. He has been raised by his side since he was a child, and there is no difference between him and his own children.

To be precise, there is a difference. If it's your own son, you can fight him without restraint.

"Chengjing," the emperor addressed him, adopting a serious tone, "you're not young anymore, and you're about to get married. Can't you be a little more mature? What kind of talk will people have if word gets out that you're climbing over the wall?"

Li Chengjing thought for a moment, glanced at the emperor, then at the empress who was quietly painting, and revealed a look of sudden realization.

"Your Majesty, I also have my reasons."

Emperor: "...What difficulties could you possibly have?"

"Your Majesty and Your Majesty have such a good relationship, one grinding ink and the other painting, a harmonious and loving couple," Li Chengjing said solemnly, bowing with his hands clasped. "I see this and I envy it from the bottom of my heart. So I also wish to have a harmonious relationship with my wife. But I am not yet married, and I can only see her by climbing over the wall. There is nothing I can do about it."

He paused for a moment, his expression utterly sincere: "Your Majesty and Your Majesty's love is so profound, a model for all couples. I, your humble servant, merely wish to emulate Your Majesty and show more care for my fiancée. Is there anything wrong with that?"

The Empress finally stopped writing. She didn't turn around, but her shoulders trembled slightly, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

The emperor's expression underwent a complex change—first astonishment, then silence, and finally a choked-up frustration.

Even if it's your own brother, you should still beat him!

"you--"

The emperor stood up, walked around the desk, and went to Li Chengjing.

Li Chengjing instinctively took half a step back, but it was too late—

The emperor kicked him hard, but it looked scary; he didn't hit him hard, just a symbolic kick to the shin.

"Get out," the emperor gritted his teeth.

Li Chengjing was kicked and staggered back a step, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he rubbed his calf with a grin.

"Alright, alright, your subject will go." He took two steps back, then suddenly stopped, turned to look at the emperor with a serious expression.

"Wait, brother, you kicked me!"

Emperor: "...So?"

"So, we've considered it over now, right?" Li Chengjing raised an eyebrow, his smile exceptionally bright. "This whole wall-climbing thing, let's leave it at that, no further pursuit?"

The emperor felt a tightness in his chest.

"roll--"

"Okay!"

Without saying a word, Li Chengjing turned and left, his steps as light as if he were riding on wheels of fire, without the slightest hesitation.

The moment he stepped out of the palace gate, the eunuchs waiting outside could clearly see that His Highness Prince Liang had a smile on his lips and walked with a brisk pace, showing no sign of the frustration one would expect after being reprimanded.

Zhao An stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, what did His Majesty say?"

"It's alright now." Li Chengjing patted his sleeves. "One kick was enough. It's not bad, much lighter than when I threw the inkstone last time."

Zhao An: "..."