A few streets away from the West Market, there is a house that was originally owned by the prince. It has been unused for several years since it was purchased, but now it finally has an owner. The owner is none other than Xiao Lun, who was just demoted to a commoner.
Now, the topic of discussion in the court and the streets is most likely how the arrogant Sixth Prince had the audacity to offend the emperor and made the emperor so angry that he wanted to kill him. From a favored prince to a poor commoner, from the sky to the ground, the pain of being shattered to pieces must be unbearable for ordinary people. Some sighed, some were disdainful, some were proud, and some were pitying.
He sat in the courtyard, drinking wine in silence. He had already drunk so many bottles that he was almost in a trance. Now he just wanted to get drunk and let off some steam.
Someone reached out to grab the wine jug in his hand and shouted angrily, "Stop drinking!"
Xiao Lun angrily opened it with one hand, then snatched it back again: "Unruly servant! Don't bother me, get out!"
The man was very bold, and he grabbed it and threw it to the ground. The sound of "bang" made him come back to his senses, and he raised his hand to hit her. But when he saw her face clearly, he froze in the distance. After staring at each other for a moment, he looked away and sat back in his seat dejectedly.
Zhao Pei looked at him, not knowing what to say for a moment. Was this disheveled, dishevelled, hair-strewn man still the same young and proud Shaoling Prince? She hadn't seen him since the quarrel that day, and who would have thought that the result would be like this.
Xiao Lun sat down, sitting upright, and looked at her with a smile: "So it's the second daughter of the Xu family. Why are you here?"
"Sixth brother." Zhao Pei sat beside him and looked at him worriedly, "What's wrong with you? What happened?"
Xiao Lun shrugged and drank a glass of wine. "I had a quarrel with my father... the emperor. I got really angry and this is what happened."
Seeing that he finished speaking in just a few words, Zhao Pei could only sigh that maybe all the brothers of the Xiao family had this problem, always trying to cover up their deepest hurts with such a nonchalant attitude.
"For what?" Zhao Pei asked him.
Xiao Lun avoided the question and said, "If you came here to question me, I'm sorry, I have nothing to say. If you came here to laugh at me, that's fine, go ahead and laugh."
Zhao Pei frowned and said angrily, "What are you talking about? I'm not here to question you or to laugh at you. As a friend, of course I have to come and see you if you get into trouble."
Xiao Lun sneered: "It's an honor. But I don't think it's necessary."
Zhao Pei saw that he was so cold and there was a hint of sarcasm in his words. Knowing that he was upset, she suppressed her anger and gently advised, "Sixth brother, I am Zhao Pei. I am here to accompany you."
"Why?" Xiao Lun suddenly narrowed his eyes and stared at her with interest. "Haven't you always been avoiding me like a ferocious beast? Why are you coming to me now?"
Zhao Pei was choked by him and really didn't know how to answer.
Then Xiao Lun sneered, "Are you being too kind again? I'm not Xiao Yi, you don't have to show me such sympathy."
Zhao Pei's heart skipped a beat, and she argued, "That's not sympathy. It's just as a friend..." Before she could finish her words, Xiao Lun interrupted and asked, "If that's not sympathy, then what is it? Do you have Xiao Yi in your heart? Why do you want to marry him? If he wasn't blind, how could you agree so easily? Oh, if I were still my rich and idle man, I guess you would never want to see me again in your life, right?"
Every word touched her heart, but Zhao Pei was unwilling to admit it.
Xiao Lun leaned forward and stared into her dodging eyes, chuckling, "Did I get it right? Haha... If you sympathize with me, why don't you marry me? Then I won't be sad anymore."
His strong smell of alcohol surrounded Zhao Pei. Zhao Pei leaned back to avoid him, but he grabbed her shoulders and she could not dodge. She could only push him as hard as she could. "Let go, please respect yourself." Unfortunately, the difference in strength between the two was too great.
"Self-respect? Haha, I never knew what self-respect was." Xiao Lun was so frivolous that Zhao Pei could no longer tolerate it.
"You are drunk." Zhao Pei struggled desperately but could not escape his restraints.
Xiao Lun forced her to look him in the eye. His eyes were burning as he asked, "Since you've come to me, I want to ask you, are you willing to go with me?"
Zhao Pei saw that he was really drunk and his speech was incoherent. She was both angry and amused, and said seriously: "Xiao Lun, you are really drunk. You should know that I will marry Xiao Yi soon. Do you think these words are still meaningful?"
Xiao Lun laughed at himself: "That's right. Although Xiao Yi is blind, he is still a prince and a powerful general. How can a lowly commoner like me compare with him? Moreover, I might not be in your eyes when I was a prince, and it is even more impossible now. Haha."
"Xiao Lun..." Zhao Pei felt bad, and she knew that he felt even worse. After all, he was very good to her and always tried his best to please her, but she never gave him anything. It seemed that she owed more than one person, so how could she pay him back
Xiao Lun continued, "Pepe, let me ask you this. If Big Brother told you that he wanted to take you away right now, would you agree?"
Zhao Pei was slightly stunned, and sighed that his thoughts were so far-fetched, jumping from here to there in a flash. It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it, but when he mentioned him, Zhao Pei's eyes became moist. "Are you kidding? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't like me at all, so he doesn't care about these things. Don't say these impossible things again." It makes me daydream and makes me sad.
But for unknown reasons, he lifted the wine glass on the table and threw it to the ground weakly. He was not only crying but also laughing: "Pepe, you don't know... It was me who begged Big Brother to let go and let him give you to me... The painting given to you on your coming-of-age day was painted by Big Brother for you. Haha, in the end, I still didn't get you, and Old Seven got the advantage. Big Brother was sacrificed in vain..."
Thunderclaps in the sky. Zhao Pei stared at Xiao Lun's half-smile in disbelief, as if she was hallucinating. It was me who begged Big Brother to let go and let him give you to me... It was Big Brother who drew you... Let Big Brother make a sacrifice in vain...
You mean... he... How is this possible, how can this be true
Zhao Pei's heart was in a mess, and the buzzing sound in her ears did not stop. Xiao Lun leaned on the stone table and did not move. Zhao Pei ignored him and stumbled out of the house like a lost soul. He ignored the driver's shouting and ran wildly on the deserted street.
There were so many unexpected events today, how could she digest them in time? (To be continued)