Chapter 286: A Wise and Benevolent Ruler

This amount of money was nothing to Xiao Yu and Shen Zhaozhi, but Xiao Yu just wanted to annoy him.

He could not forget how Chen Zhaozhi had stood between him and Xu Chuchu and made things difficult for him when the three of them were together.

"Yes, yes." Ah Fu had no choice but to accept it.

He didn't want to do something as offensive as collecting debts, but he couldn't disobey the young master's orders.

Seeing that Ah Fu was busy, Daju turned into a human unhappily, picked up the ball of wool, and jumped to play with Jiji.

The courtyard was finally quiet. Xu Chuchu and Xiao Yu sat side by side under the shade of the tree, feeling the breeze and the fragrance of flowers.

"How is your arm? Does it hurt?" Xu Chuchu asked.

"It doesn't hurt." Xiao Yu lied and moved towards Xu Chuchu calmly.

He felt that the atmosphere was about right, and whispered: "Chu Chu, can I... kiss you now?"

He had really been craving it for a long time. The last time they kissed was underwater, and it felt like ten thousand years had passed. And that time was just a breather, so it wasn't enough.

Although there were opportunities later, he didn't dare to mention it much, for fear that Xu Chuchu would think he had become a sex maniac again.

It should be ok now, right?

Xu Chuchu didn't expect that Xiao Yu would suddenly become so shameless. Just as she was about to speak, Ah Fu came from a distance like a gust of wind and interrupted them.

"Master!" He held a large gold ingot in his hand, "Master Shen said he would cover it for a year first! What should I do?"

"Tell him to get out, tell him to get out!" Xiao Yu was furious when his good deeds were interrupted.

"Oh..." Ah Fu retreated tremblingly.

Is this telling Mr. Shen to get out? Does it mean that he doesn't want the gold ingot, or does it mean that he should get out of the Xiao Mansion?

Alas, sir, you don’t explain it clearly.

As Ah Fu walked away, Xiao Yu quickly calmed down and moved a little closer to Xu Chuchu.

"Chu Chu, is this okay?" He continued to ask shamelessly, "Just a kiss, there's no one around anyway."

"Oh, why are you kissing me?" Xu Chuchu really couldn't do anything about him.

My arm is still in a sling and I haven't fully recovered yet. I don't know what's going on in my mind every day.

"Kiss!" Xiao Yu said immediately, "Well, if you really don't want to, you can just kiss my face."

"No!" Xu Chuchu looked up at the sky speechlessly, "I'm not asking you where to kiss me, I'm asking you to kiss me... Forget it."

The Chinese language and culture are so profound and extensive.

Seeing that she wasn't very resistant, Xiao Yu suddenly became bolder and went straight to her: "Come closer, Chuchu..."

"Young Master, Young Master!" Ah Fu ran over from a distance again.

Xu Chuchu immediately pushed Xiao Yu away, as the latter only wanted to make hot pot out of Ah Fu.

"...What happened again?" Xiao Yu gritted his teeth.

For the first time, he felt that Ah Fu's efficiency was also extremely annoying.

Ah Fu had no idea what rock he had just kicked. He said cautiously, "Sir, the Crown Prince is here and is waiting at the door."

"Prince?"

"I have come here uninvited. Fourth brother, you are finally getting better." The prince was seen walking over from not far behind Ah Fu.

He looked at Xiao Yu, especially at his empty arms: "How do you feel now?"

"Okay, that's great." Xiao Yu had no expression on his face.

The prince was a little confused by Xiao Yu's reaction, but he didn't know what to say.

Seeing this, Xu Chuchu had no choice but to smooth things over: "The Crown Prince came to visit several times these days, but when he saw you were still asleep, he left. Today, you happened to wake up, and we ran into each other again."

Ah Fu was also very considerate and placed an extra chair for the prince.

The Crown Prince sat down and said, "Fourth brother, you are still recovering from your injuries, so I shouldn't bother you any more. However, matters at court are complicated, as you well know. Now that the world is without a ruler, there are some matters I must discuss with you."

Xiao Yu said calmly, "There's no need to discuss anything with me. Just make your own decision, brother. I'm not a member of the royal family."

As if he had expected him to say this, the Crown Prince replied, "Although you are of a different surname, you are of royal descent, known to the world. It's not a problem. Moreover, you have been intelligent since childhood and have grown up to be a brilliant talent, both civil and military. This time, you have overthrown the evil party and have made great contributions. You now enjoy a very high reputation in the court."

He paused and said, "The court cannot be without a ruler for a day. Fourth brother, have you considered the succession?"

Before Xiao Yu could react, Xu Chuchu was startled.

She guessed that the prince came here every now and then not only to visit Xiao Yu's illness, but she didn't expect that he was discussing the throne?

Let Xiao Yu be the emperor? ...Xu Chuchu imagined that scene for a while.

I don't seem to like it very much.

She prefers the world of martial arts to the imperial court.

Xiao Yu, however, was unconcerned: "Brother is the most suitable candidate to succeed the throne. If you are here today to test whether I have any intention of usurping the throne, then don't worry. I don't have the ability, let alone the intention."

The prince gave a bitter smile and said, "I knew you would misunderstand. But fourth brother, I have no intention of testing you. I sincerely hope that you will ascend the throne. I came here today to persuade you."

"Brother, you have worked hard for so many years, why do you give up now?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Just like you said, I've been working on this for too long." The prince sighed. "Even after all this time, every time I compare myself to you, I always feel I'm a bit behind you. For example, if you hadn't repeatedly persuaded me to rebel against my father the other day, I wouldn't have made the final decision."

"Plus, the court is in such a mess right now, I... really don't have much confidence. It would be better if you were the ruler and I were your minister, with me assisting you from the side."

Although Xu Chuchu didn't know how chaotic the court was, she could feel some fatigue and sincerity from the prince.

Ever since she came into contact with the prince, he has been constantly trying to find ways to maintain the court and justice. Although his methods are sometimes wrong, his intentions are always good.

"So you want to dump this mess on me." Xiao Yu smiled helplessly. "Brother, I really have no interest in the throne. My lifelong wish is to always be by my wife's side, wherever she goes, I go. She doesn't like the constraints of the harem, and I don't like the complexity of the court. From now on, we will stay away from troubled places and live a free life."

The prince hurriedly said, "Fourth brother, this is your responsibility. The world needs you, you can't..."

"Brother..." Xiao Yu drawled, "You are the most suitable person for the throne. Moreover, the world needs a benevolent ruler more than a 'wise ruler' who is good at manipulating the court."

When Xu Chuchu heard this, she suddenly remembered Xiao Yu's evaluation of the prince when they first met him.

He said that the prince was wise and always cared about the common people, which was different from many monarchs and princes in history.

Seeing the Crown Prince remain silent, Xiao Yu immediately cut the Gordian knot: "Then it's settled. I will write a document to give up my position as Crown Prince and support your ascension to the throne. It's a deal."

The prince sighed tiredly, "You are really determined."

In fact, he himself had guessed this result. Whether he was a benevolent monarch or a wise monarch, he always felt that if Xiao Yu were to govern the world, he might be much better than him.

He stood up and prepared to leave, then changed his mind and asked, "One more thing, did you bring a child before, saying that he was a descendant of the Shen family?"