Chapter 23

Auston looked at Ruan Tang in surprise, not expecting him to say that.

He had always thought Ruan Tang was soft-hearted, always sympathizing and helping others even when he could barely save himself. To put it nicely, he was kind; to put it bluntly, he was a pushover anyone could knead and squeeze.

In the orthodox sense, he was the type of good person who was overly saintly, completely different from Auston's own path.

Just now, Ruan Tang's forceful retort to Owen had shown him another side of Ruan Tang, refreshing his understanding of him, but that was still within normal bounds.

It was only after Ruan Tang finished saying all this that Auston suddenly realized that Ruan Tang might be different from what he had imagined.

This inevitably made him even more intrigued by Ruan Tang.

“After all, a thousand-li dike can collapse from an ant's nest. There are countless great figures in the world who end up dying at the hands of insignificant people they looked down upon…” Ruan Tang didn't know what Auston was thinking, but simply spoke his own mind: “It shows that offending too many people, whether high or low, is not a good thing, because you never know when someone might stab you in the back unexpectedly.”

Ruan Tang didn't know what this madman was thinking, but wanted to share his experience as a normal person with him.

As an unloved child growing up in the fiercely competitive aristocratic circle of the Imperial Star, Ruan Tang had experienced the cold and warm of human relationships since childhood. He considered himself not a completely good person or a saint, but simply someone with certain bottom lines.

He had read many historical records and knew that many renowned great figures ultimately died from the hatred of insignificant people. One particular emperor in history, because of his excessive cruelty, was smothered while sleeping by a servant who attended him, dying most disgracefully…

For this reason, Ruan Tang never offended or looked down on others, even if they were just a tiny, insignificant person.

Living in the aristocratic circle, he knew well that few of these great figures had clean hands. He didn't care if Auston killed people, but he didn't want to see Auston deliberately torment others without killing them…

Leaving someone you've tormented by your side, hating you day and night, and never knowing when they might want to strike back at you.

Perhaps Auston this madman enjoyed this feeling.

But in Ruan Tang's view, this was the most foolish and self-destructive behavior…

Even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a human. Today this person might be crushed under your hand, but tomorrow, at some point, they might gather strength and put you to death.

This was also why Ruan Tang stopped Auston from tormenting the household servants whenever he saw it.

Unless he was confident or wanted to kill that person, he never deliberately humiliated others, nor did he stand by coldly while others tormented people and incurred collateral hatred…

If the hatred was too deep, he could use death to erase it.

Killing someone is just bowing the head to the ground; torturing others… is really unnecessary.

Auston hadn't expected Ruan Tang to say this, and looked at him with even more interest: “They humiliated you to such an extent, why haven't I seen you give them a stab?”

“How does my lord know that if given the chance, remaining silent now, I won't put them to death in the future?” Ruan Tang looked back at him with calm eyes, returning the question.

He was never a person who liked to put his hatred and thoughts in plain sight.

If he hated someone, he either didn't act on that person, or when an opportunity came, he would strike with deadly precision…

Auston had not expected to hear such words from Ruan Tang. His whole body trembled. An intense excitement made his entire body tingle, as if electrified, just like the first time he saw Ruan Tang. He could no longer hold back and suddenly burst into loud laughter: “Ha ha ha ha—”

Suddenly he found Ruan Tang more interesting than ever, truly incredibly cute.

Ruan Tang: “…”

Ruan Tang couldn't understand what was so funny, or why Auston was laughing so happily, as if he had heard some joke. He could only attribute it to Auston's madness acting up again, something beyond normal understanding.

Anyway, he always liked to have these occasional fits like that.

“You… you're so cute, you're really too cute. I like you, I really like you.” Auston nearly choked from laughing, repeatedly saying how cute Ruan Tang was, and his fondness for Ruan Tang skyrocketed.

Ruan Tang was frozen on the spot: “…”

Faced with such a statement of 'like' from Auston, he simply couldn't interpret it as liking in the genuine sense and feel shy. He could only think Auston was having a fit.

His plan for today to have a good talk with him was probably not going to work.

“So, what did you want to tell me by saying all this?” After a while, Auston suddenly became normal again, stopped laughing, and directly asked Ruan Tang.

In this Imperial Star, everyone wore a mask on their face, living with a façade.

Auston was long accustomed to this; he himself also had a mask. He just didn't know what Ruan Tang was trying to achieve by taking off his mask in front of him now.

Ruan Tang looked at Auston like this, not knowing if he was really normal now or pretending. But after hesitating a moment, he felt since the conversation had come this far, he decided to speak his sincere heart: “I just want to advise my lord: in the future, be merciful where mercy is due, and don't go too far in anything. If you don't like someone, just get rid of them; there's really no need to torment people.”

“There are already enough people in the Imperial Star who want to stab you, my lord. You wouldn't want to continue making trouble and have that number multiply even more, would you…” He didn't know if Auston would listen, but he wanted to say it anyway.

Growing up in this circle, Ruan Tang considered his political acumen fairly sharp. As one of the Seven Dukes, Auston had done countless dirty deeds for the Emperor that offended people, and had already incurred enough hatred.

Now, although the Empress had maneuvered to get the Emperor to agree to make Auston's child the next Crown Prince, the Emperor's thoughts were different. The one currently on the throne was completely focused on elevating Lady Samantha's son. Auston, his notorious eldest son from the Empress, had long become a thorn in the Emperor's side, something he wished to eliminate as soon as possible.

The situation was delicate now, and Auston's position was already dangerous enough. As soon as the Emperor gave the signal, countless people who hated him would rush forward to tear him apart.

If Auston still didn't lie low and restrain himself, and kept offending people, wouldn't that be handing his fatal weaknesses to others?

When the time came for the Emperor to deal with him, he wouldn't even need to bother finding incriminating evidence…

Earlier, Ruan Tang hadn't intended to tell Auston these things, nor did he want to get himself involved by offering advice and not get enough in return. He just wanted to live his own life peacefully.

But after marriage, this duke, whom outsiders called ferocious and cruel, had actually been quite good to him…

Ruan Tang didn't want to watch him muddle along and drive himself to death with madness. So, whether Auston would listen or not, he wanted to speak these words to Auston.

Auston hadn't expected Ruan Tang to say this. He was stunned on the spot, and looked at Ruan Tang with a probing gaze.

But Ruan Tang's gaze in return was frank and clear…

“Are you worried about me?” Auston stared at him for a long while, then asked somewhat uncertainly, a bit confused.

He wasn't stupid; he could understand the meaning in Ruan Tang's words and what his eyes conveyed. But understanding made him even more confused.

Because of his status and position, people around him who approached to use him, to rely on him to achieve some goal, emerged in an endless stream, countless in number.

And while these people used him, because of his brutality and fearsomeness, they also wished him dead…

Auston was well aware of all this.

Ruan Tang, this wife the Empress had forced upon him, was different from all of them. His eyes were full of clarity, he was uncontentious and uncompetitive, filled with desirelessness, and even sometimes overly kind like a pushover.

But he had thought that Ruan Tang should also be like the others, wishing him dead.

After all, he was loathed by people and spirits, and also a cripple. No matter how much Ruan Tang had said he sympathized with him, a normal Omega would never see an Alpha like him as a good match.

It was just that Ruan Tang didn't show it as obviously as others did.

Auston had always understood it this way. He couldn't read Ruan Tang and didn't bother to investigate, just following his own will to dote on him…

But he had never expected that Ruan Tang, who had never tried to convey any opinion to influence him, when he first tried to influence him, surprisingly did so without any purpose or reason, but purely out of worry for him…

This suddenly made Auston unable to understand?

Why?

“Of course.” Ruan Tang gave a definite answer to this question without thinking.

Auston looked at him as if puzzled, digging deeper: “Why?”

He couldn't figure out why Ruan Tang would worry about him, and why he would wade into this muddy water to advise him…

“Because you are my husband.” Facing this kind of question, Ruan Tang had no idea how to answer, so he resorted to a formulaic template: “We are legal partners. Naturally, when one prospers, the other prospers; when one suffers, the other suffers.”

He wasn't the type to be overly sentimental, nor did he know how to be emotional; even saying these words sounded stiff.

Hearing this, Auston seemed to have heard some joke again and couldn't help laughing out loud: “Pfft ha ha ha, I am your husband, we are legal partners, naturally when one prospers, the other prospers; when one suffers, the other suffers?”

Ruan Tang: “…”

Faced with someone who had fits like this from time to time, he really didn't know how to communicate.

“Aren't you someone sent by my good mother the Empress? I think, even if I were dead, the impact on you shouldn't be very great…” Only when Auston had laughed enough did he suddenly speak.

Since Ruan Tang wanted to be frank with him, he didn't mind being open and honest too.

Who knows a mother better than her son? Although Auston often had episodes, he was actually very clear-headed. He knew very well what promises his good mother the Empress would have made to Ruan Tang.

Even if he died right now, his good mother the Empress would obtain his sperm, make Ruan Tang conceive, claim it as a posthumous child, and bring forth that so-called 'Crown Prince'.

However, he wouldn't give them that chance.

And whether Ruan Tang chose to be his mother's tool or find ways to continue avoiding conflict and living his uncontentious life, given his good mindset, his own life or death probably had little impact on him.

So he wouldn't believe his bullshit.

Ruan Tang looked at him in surprise, never expecting that Duke Auston, who had been driving himself to death, actually had something like intelligence.

Being crazy and delirious did not hinder his clarity at all.

Ruan Tang was stunned for a moment, then felt relieved, thinking that talking with an intelligent person was much better than talking at cross-purposes with a real madman.

He sighed and said: “Since my lord knows the Empress… then you should also know that I don't have such great ambition to be the Empress's pawn. Therefore, compared to being the Empress's minion, if you live, my life by your side is much better than falling into the whirlpool by the Empress's side…”

The hovercar was a sealed space with autopilot, and Auston had already spoken his true feelings.

Therefore, Ruan Tang wasn't worried about eavesdroppers, and also spoke his true heart.

“After all, since we got married, my lord has always been quite good to me…” Ruan Tang said bluntly, “I hope my lord can always be well.”

It was sad to say, but in all his life, Auston, this mad husband forced on him, turned out to be the best person to him.

Before marriage, he didn't care whether Auston lived or died after marriage, but after marrying and getting along, he hoped Auston could live well…

Because if Auston didn't die, Ruan Tang felt his current life was quite good. If he died… with the Empress and the Ruan Family pressuring him, Ruan Tang really didn't know what his life would become…

He really didn't want to continue being a rootless duckweed at others' mercy.

Auston looked deeply at him, visibly moved.

“So, my lord, rest assured…” Ruan Tang said word by word, “As long as you live, no matter what the Empress asks me to do in the future, I will stand on your side.”

If Auston weren't mad, he wouldn't have the ability to resist the Empress…

But Auston, this powerful duke, did have it.

Auston looked at Ruan Tang quietly for a long time, saying nothing.

The two faced each other in silence for so long that Ruan Tang thought he would not speak again, when Auston suddenly said, “Them… whether it's those just now or those in the manor, don't be fooled by their pitiful appearances. Their hearts are dirty, venomous, and deep. They can endure a lot. They won't impatiently act against me right now because of a little humiliation; the time hasn't come yet…”

“Just rest assured, I know my limits. I'm not to the point of forcing them into a fight to the death with me.” To have muddled through to this day by playing mad and going along with things, Auston had always had a sober benchmark in his heart; he wasn't foolish enough to drive himself to death.

Ruan Tang was stunned, momentarily not reacting to why Auston was telling him all this.

After a while, he realized Auston was telling him that he actually had boundaries in his madness and wouldn't play himself to death, to reassure him.

He didn't know if he was boasting.

So, this Bluebeard Duke, infamous far and wide, was actually not a madman, but had been playing the fool all along?

Ruan Tang quietly scrutinized Auston, trying to find clues on his face, but through the mask, nothing was clear.