I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 277…404…River crab…

A moment later.

"I have met His Highness..."

When Yi Shuo came in, she kept her head down and her voice was indescribably dull and hoarse.

Now it was completely dark, and although several oil lamps were lit in Liu Ju's room, they could not illuminate her face hidden in the shadows, nor could they penetrate the invisible and intangible gloomy aura emanating from her.

Although Liu Ju could see that Yi Shuo had been trying her best to conceal herself after coming in, trying her best to make herself look calm and sound as usual.

"Come on, take a seat first."

Liu Ju did not point it out, but just smiled and invited Yi Shuo to sit in front of the desk.

The attendants also promptly brought in the hot dishes and fine wine that had been prepared in advance. Soon the table was filled with dishes and a charcoal fire was placed next to the table. A wine jug was also set up to warm the wine so that Liu Ju and Yi Shuo could eat while warming it.

"All of you, please stand down."

Seeing that the attendant was still standing by to help warm the wine, Liu Ju waved his hand to send him away.

After the door was closed again, he sat down with Yi Shuo at the table and personally poured two cups of warm wine, one cup in front of Yi Shuo and one cup in his own hand. He smiled and said:

"Doctor Yi, I see that you don't drink alcohol on weekdays, so make an exception today and try it."

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

Yi Zuo knelt on the seat and bowed quickly as usual.

But Liu Ju had already raised the wine glass in his hand, tilted his neck back and drank the slightly turbid wine, with his Adam's apple moving up and down and a slight "gurgling" sound coming from his throat.

"Your Highness?"

Yi Shuo finally raised her head at this moment, a hint of surprise appeared on her pale face.

The last time she saw Liu Ju drinking was on the eve of the expedition to Western Qiang more than a year ago. On that occasion, Gongsun Jingsheng invited several entertainers to perform at the Prince's Mansion. Liu Ju, holding the idea that happiness is better shared with others than enjoyed alone, called all the people who were not on duty in the Prince's Mansion to come over and drink and have fun together in the yard.

Then, Liu Ju got drunk and went on stage to perform a "Prince's Drunken Dance".

"Spin~jump~I close my eyes..."

Yi Shuo still clearly remembers the melody that Liu Ju hummed at that time, as well as his charming dance moves while caressing his chest and face and twisting his shoulders and hips. Even now, she still can't help but curl her lips when she thinks of it.

However, since then, Liu Ju never drank any alcohol again.

In any occasion and with any person, he only used tea instead of wine, and such a situation never happened again.

Yi Shuo also secretly praised Liu Ju for being such a person. As an imperial physician before, she had seen many princes and nobles, and very few of them could refuse the drink. After all, drinking was one of the few ways to have fun in that era.

Not to mention completely eliminating it like Liu Ju did. People who can strictly discipline themselves have their own personal charm.

"Although alcohol is not a good thing and drinking too much can easily cause trouble, but sometimes when there is a lot of pressure in your heart, it is not a bad idea to indulge yourself occasionally. Doctor Yi might as well give it a try."

Liu Ju wiped his mouth with his sleeve in a rather generous manner, and with a smile made a gesture of invitation to Yi Shuo.

Drinking wine to soothe your sorrows will only make you more sorrowful.

Liu Ju did not think that drinking could relieve sorrow, nor did he advocate such behavior, because some sorrows are caused by real difficulties. If one does not face and solve the real difficulties directly, but only uses alcohol to numb oneself and temporarily forget the difficulties, then it is completely deceiving oneself and others, and one will naturally become more sorrowful after sobering up.

However, if it is just an inner dilemma, especially for someone who is not good at expressing himself, it may be worth a try.

People like this will keep things to themselves and will never be able to release the stress.

Under the influence of alcohol, such people may be able to express things that they cannot normally say.

Expressing, confiding and stating are always the best ways to release inner pressure. Although Liu Ju is not a psychologist and does not know how to help Yishuo, he knows how to be a qualified listener.

Even the treatment methods used by psychologists in later generations, aren’t they essentially talk therapy and listening?
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Yishuo is fine, just a little tired. He should be fine after a night's rest..."

Looking at Liu Ju's smile, how could Yi Shuo not hear the hidden meaning in Liu Ju's words? However, the warmth that just rose in his heart was immediately covered up by the scene of the three assassins' death. His heart felt indescribably suffocated, and he did not pick up the wine glass. He just lowered his head silently and spoke softly.

She just wanted to escape now.

It’s not that I want to escape from Liu Ju, but I want to escape from everything related to today.

Including the scalpel that Liu Ju specially made for her, the surgical tools, all the instruments and medicinal materials that she had used to save lives, she no longer knew how to use these things.

Just like before, she even felt that she couldn't lift the pliers and needle and thread to suture the wound.

While stitching Wei Chen's wound, she couldn't control her stomach and ran out of the door to vomit violently.

This had never happened before. Even when the corpses she dissected had already started to rot and stink, and even when maggots had grown in the internal organs, she had never experienced such a situation...

"..."

Liu Ju did not try to persuade him again, but just reached out and took the glass of wine that was poured for Yi Shuo.

Such a Yishuo is heartbreaking.

However, he had no experience in this kind of thing and didn't know what to do to help Yishuo. He was so upset that he wanted to get drunk even though he knew it was useless to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Perhaps, the ugly appearance revealed by himself after being drunk could make Yishuo temporarily forget what happened today and release some of his inner pressure?

As a result, he just raised his glass.

A slender and smooth hand suddenly held his hand. It was very cold. It was Yi Shuo's hand.

Yi Shuo frowned and looked at him, but quickly avoided his gaze.

Then Liu Ju felt an irresistible force, which slowly pried open his fingers and took the glass of wine from his hand.

"I eat."

Yi Shuo spoke softly, covering his face with his sleeves, and drank the glass of wine in one breath.

"How about you be rude to me again?"

Liu Ju suddenly asked. "Ahem! Ahem!"

Yi Shuo suddenly got a stitch in the side and the wine spurted out of her mouth. She let go of her sleeves that were soaked by the wine, revealing a pretty face full of suspicion.

Liu Ju said seriously:

"Just like last time, if you need it, it's not just once, it's just for a while."

"Your Highness, you are joking. How dare Yishuo be rude to Your Highness? Last time... Last time I was just..."

Yi Shuo's pretty face turned red in an instant and she was at a loss for words to explain.

"I think you need it."

Liu Ju had already stood up, walked over the table and came to Yi Shuo's side. He took her cold hand and pulled her up, then held her in his arms without saying a word.

"I just……"

Yi Shuo's body stiffened and his voice suddenly became quieter.

Her arms were stretched out to the sides, at a loss, just like Liu Ju did last time, not knowing where to put them.

But her pretty face, which Liu Ju could not see at the moment, was instantly filled with tears, and then the tears flowed out of her eyes uncontrollably, as if a dam in her eyes had suddenly burst, and nothing could stop it anymore.

Her body was trembling, her breathing was sobbing, and her warm tears had already wet Liu Ju's shoulders.

But she never allowed herself to make any sound.

Her arms slowly...slowly closed together, and finally gently rested on Liu Ju's back. Her body gradually became less tense, and she leaned in Liu Ju's arms.

It seems... to be effective?
"..."

Feeling the softness in his arms, at this moment, Liu Ju finally understood the subtle emotion that he had carelessly ignored before. He also finally understood why he heard a farewell from Yi Shuo's words "Just this time, just a little longer". He also understood why Yi Shuo avoided him after performing surgery on Liu Hong.

He always boasted that he was smart, but he was so slow when it came to Yishuo...

Perhaps it was because of his heartfelt respect for Yishuo that he was unwilling to easily harbor any blasphemous thoughts towards Yishuo?

But now, Liu Ju felt that he should take the initiative and give Yi Shuo the warmest response, which was the respect for her.

"Do you know, Yishuo?"

Liu Ju said softly,

"Although Guo Xuanzi is a rumormonger, she is not wrong this time. This time when I went out for the tour, I seem to have really found my lucky star."

As he spoke, Liu Ju pinched Yi Shuo's shoulders and gently pushed her out of his arms.

"Yishuo is so rude... Congratulations, Your Highness!"

Yi Shuo woke up as if from a dream. She wiped the tears from her face at a loss, but she forced herself to smile to Liu Ju. However, this smile looked very unnatural.

"Do you have your lancet with you?"

Liu Ju asked again for no reason.

"Bring it, bring it, right here."

Yi Shuo hurriedly reached for the cloth bag hanging around his waist and took out the small knife with a small piece of deerskin as a sheath.

Except for Liu Ju's closest attendants, no one was allowed to carry sharp weapons when approaching him. However, Yi Shuo was an exception, and no one would search her body.

Liu Ju reached out but did not take the knife.

Instead, he placed it in Yishuo's palm and gently closed her cold fingers into a fist.

"?"

Yi Shuo looked at Liu Ju in confusion. She didn't understand what Liu Ju was doing and what his intention was.

“Don’t blink.”

Liu Ju smiled and gently pried her fingers apart.

"..."

Yi Shuo still didn't understand what was going on, so he had to obediently spread out his fingers, revealing the scimitar that he couldn't completely hide in his palm.

"Look, I only need to gently bend your hand, and it will open up, and there is a scimitar hidden in it. And you still say that you are not my lucky star?"

Liu Ju picked up the scimitar and waved it in his hand, smiling at Yishuo in a proud but childish manner.

"???"

"!!!"

Yi Shuo froze in place, staring at Liu Ju in a daze.

"Doctor Yi, in two hours it will be midnight. By then I will have passed my birthday, and my good fortune will have passed. I am afraid I will have to live out my life alone."

Liu Ju took the initiative to crawl into Yi Shuo's arms, showing his affectation.

"As my lucky star, Doctor Yi will not stand by and watch me die, right?"

"..."

"…404…"

“…River crab…”

"..."

(End of this chapter)