The fourth prince's mother

As he got dragged into the bath, Hou Tian suddenly felt embarrassed as the maids started to remove his clothes and wanted to help him bath. His brain started to run, as he began thinking of ways to escape such humiliation.

"No lookie, no lookie, father's book said th-that if I'm seen *****, I-I'll get pregnant" Hou Tian waved his arms around to stop the maids from taking off his clothes.

"...." The maids all fell silent with a sense of awkwardness

'S-So his majesty...is into those types of things?' They all wondered

As for Hou Tian, he played the fool with his innocent gaze

The maids stared at him for a moment

"But your highness, his majesty told us to wash you properly, if we don't, we'll-"

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna be pregnant!" Hou Tian shouted and started to throw a tantrum

The maids all felt helpless in this matter

"Y-Your highness, you won't get pregnant, that book is fake" One of the maids said

Hou Tian's tantrum however, didn't end there

"No, father said it's real, he said it's serious business, father won't lie to me" He shouted

'Sorry father, but only this way, can I preserve my dignity as a man...thank you for taking the fall' Hou Tian thanked and apologized to Hou Dan Di in his mind as he acted like a spoiled brat.

The maids fell into a deep dilemma, they couldn't disobey Hou Tian, but at the same time, if they did listen to him, they'd be punished by the emperor! And that usually ends in death!

"Let him bath alone" Suddenly, a deep voice came from the side

The maids all bowed

"Greetings, your majesty"

Hou Dan Di walked out from behind, shocking Hou Tian

'F**k! Why is he here now! Then wouldn't I be caught, he'll know I'm not his real son!' He began panicking

Hou Dan Di waved for the maids to leave, his expression was extremely dark as he walked closer to Hou Tian, who was seated on the ground due to his tantrum earlier.

'F**k f**k f**k' He cursed over and over again as Hou Dan Di stepped closer

As he drew closer, Hou Tian's heart started to beat quicker

"You..." Hou Dan Di narrowed his gaze in on Hou Tian

Suddenly, he covered his face

"Don't tell your mother I was reading those things, I don't know how you found them, but don't go through daddy's stuff anymore" He said shyly as he blushed red

"...."

Hou Tian was stupefied

'F**k! The emperor is actually into those things!' Hou Tian cursed in his head.

"Don't worry father, I can clean myself properly! Mother won't suspect that I didn't let others wash me" Hou Tian acted dumb and nodded his head, replying with a strange response that had almost nothing to do with Hou Dan Di's request.

However, it seemed to have made him relieved as he smiled

"Good, it's our promise, a promise between men" He said

"Yes, men! I'm a big man!" Hou Tian said proudly as he grinned

Hou Dan Di rubbed his head and walked out. Once he left, his smile faded as grief filled his eyes.

"My Tian'er...as the emperor, I've been known as a great hero and ruler, yet I can't even cure you of your disease, daddy will definitely let you live like a normal boy" He wiped his tears and reverted back to his stern expression.

Hou Tian who was now alone in the large bath house slowly removed his clothes and walked towards the large body of water. When his feet entered the warm water, he felt a relaxing feeling surge into his body.

"As expected of the royal family, although the fourth prince, I, cannot cultivate due to the lunacy, they still treat him so well" He sat down in the water that reached up to his neck.

He splashed some water onto his face as he began washing his face and hair. Once the thick makeup on his face was washed away, Hou Tian glanced at the reflection in the water and smiled.

"A little thin, but once I fatten up a little, I'll probably return to around seventy percent of my past world's handsomeness" Hou Tian grinned as he stroked his chin, his narcissism reached almost the high heavens itself.

He cleansed his body and got out of the bath, after drying himself and switching into a new set of clothes, he finally felt energized and much more clean. The previous thick makeup really made him feel uncomfortable.

When he stepped out, the maids that greeted him all froze as they stared at him and gasped. As if they have seen something amazing, they all stared at him, some even blushed.

"Wah, don't look, don't look, third brother said I'm very ugly, don't look at my face" Hou Tian covered his face and spoke in a childish manner.

The maids immediately snapped out of their stupor

"Alas, the fourth prince is such a stunner, yet he's a fool" The maids all muttered under their breath, feeling a pity that such a handsome man is a complete lunatic.

"Your highness, please allow us to keep you company" The maids bowed and said reverently

Hou Tian stared at them

"Th-This, th-then get me a mask, third brother said I shouldn't show my face around, or I'll scare people away" Hou Tian said, seemingly having a very low self-esteem.

The maids bowed, one of them left to get a mask, while the remaining three stayed to watch over him. Honestly, having been in the entertainment industry for so long, he didn't feel strange that these people were acting this way, to him, the whole world is a stage, all a play.

As long as he maintains this thought, then he won't even have trouble if his father asked him to buy a slave or order people around.

Soon, the maid came back and handed the mask to Hou Tian, who was still covering his face with his sleeves, it honestly made the maids sigh with how much he believed his third brother. They knew he bullied the fourth prince, but none of them could do anything about it.

Wearing the mask that covered the top half of his face, Hou Tian smiled innocently.

"I wanna go outside and play" He said childishly

The maids all nodded and bowed to show their obedience.

With that, Hou Tian laughed as he skipped towards the entrance of the palace. However, before he could make it through the gate, he felt a sudden coldness that made his heart skip a beat. When he turned to the side...he saw a woman.

The woman had an otherworldly aura around her, her gaze was indifferent and tranquil, however, it carried a cold glint that made Hou Tian shiver inexplicably.

He gulped

'Act natural...I'm the fourth prince...' He thought to himself as a dumb smile appeared on his face, he waved his hands at the woman.

"Mother, mother, are you going out with me as well?" He called out naively

Yes, the woman was Hou Tian's mother, Xiang Mei, as well as the empress of this nation.

'With such a scary background, he actually still gets bullied...but then again, his third and second brother are both sons of concubines, while his first brother, who is his real older brother, ignores him as if he's the scum of the earth' Hou Tian sighed in his heart.

The woman revealed a smile that made the whole world seem colorless, with only her smile as the color that blooms the world.

"Silly Tian'er, mother can't leave the palace easily, but if you're going out, at least bring a few guards, I heard from your father that you collapsed earlier...mind telling me what that's about?" She smiled, but that smile bade Hou Tian tremble...she's definitely angry!

But he maintained his dumb smile

"Yes, I felt that I can cultivate if I follow the book, third brother said it himself so I asked father to buy it for me" Hou Tian said as he jumped around.

Xiang Mei sighed as she stroked Hou Tian's head, her long red hair is one of the few traits that Hou Tian has in common with her. His sharp eyes came from his father, his beautiful red eyes came from her, and his facial features, they were from his father.

"Tian'er...mommy will definitely find a way for you to cultivate, so don't listen to what your third brother says, okay?" She smiled and asked

Hou Tian looked up at her, he felt warm in his heart

"But third brother is third brother, h-how can I reject his offers? Third brother says it's for my own good" He asked innocently, his eyes glimmering with the word "naivety".

His mother stroked is hair

"Just say I told you to reject him, alright?" She replied

"Okay" Hou Tian grinned

The maids by the side all sighed deeply, all feeling bad that the fourth prince is like this. He is already sixteen, yet he still acts like a child.

"Tian'er, what's with that mask?" Xiang Mei asked as she touched Hou Tian's face.

"Third brother said I'm very ugly, so he told me to cover my face with make up to make me look prettier, but the powder was itchy, so I switched it to a mask" Hou Tian replied as he smiled dumbly

"I see...but Tian'er, you're very handsome, you don't need to hide your face" She said bitterly, since young, Hou Tian has listened to his third brother, so even the public believes he's a hideous monster.

Only a few people in the palace knows what Hou Tian truly looks like, and the maids never dare to gossip in front of the members of the royal family, thus, very little news about Hou Tian's appearance spread.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***