Chapter 171: If you don't keep an eye on it, there will be many more competitors

When he stepped back again, his deep phoenix eyes looked at her deeply, as if waiting for her answer.

Song Lingyi's eyelashes trembled and she made a soft "hmm" sound in her throat.

The night outside the window is clear and the moon is high in the sky.

The main room was dimly lit and filled with an unusual erotic atmosphere.

"Girl, girl?"

The maid came to the backyard to look for someone.

Lying on the soft couch behind the window, Song Lingyi's ears twitched slightly, like a frightened rabbit. She quickly pushed Xiao Mingyi away, glared at him with an angry look, and whispered, "Mammy is looking for me. Hide quickly and don't go out for the time being."

Xiao Mingyi's eyes were dark, and he didn't move. He just watched the girl tidy up her slightly messy skirt.

The maid's footsteps were getting closer and closer, and a swaying figure could be vaguely seen outside the window.

Song Lingyi turned her head and saw the man still sitting on the couch. She frowned, grabbed his arm, and pushed him towards the screen.

"Hide now!"

In truth, this anxiety had no real reason. This morning, when Xiao Mingyi had escorted her back to the mansion, the maids and servants had seen it, and everyone was aware of their relationship. Yet, Song Lingyi still found it awkward for the servants to see them in the same room. After all, the marriage hadn't been formally proposed yet.

The light behind the screen is dim.

Xiao Mingyi leaned against the wall with his arms folded. The large shadow cast by the screen frame fell right on his deep brow bone, and his handsome face was half hidden in the darkness.

He was taller than the screen, and with his head slightly tilted, he could easily see over the top of the screen and see the girl straightening the pleats of her skirt and standing calmly at the door.

"Mammy, what's wrong?"

The maid had just called out several times and thought that no one was in the main house. When she turned around and saw her own daughter standing at the door, she was a little surprised.

"Oh... didn't you order me to prepare some dry food and clothes for the young master? I've prepared everything, but I just looked around the yard and couldn't find him. Have you seen him?"

Hearing that Lu Qian was not in the yard, Song Lingyi frowned.

"I haven't seen him either..." We agreed to go to Youzhou tomorrow morning, so why is he gone tonight?

"Then should I send a few more people to look for it?"

"He shouldn't have gone far. Find a few guards and ask at the nearby inn."

The Song residence was in ruins after being looted by pirates, and there were no spare rooms. It was possible that Lu Qian had stayed in an inn.

The maid nodded in agreement and then hurried to the front yard.

The candlelight flickered in the room. Xiao Mingyi lifted the pink curtain with one hand, walked out slowly, and said in a calm voice, "I saw Lu Qian when I came here."

Song Lingyi looked back at him and asked, "Then do you know where he went?"

"I don't know. We just chatted briefly. I told him that the Duke knew that he had come to Huaizhou City privately and entrusted me to send someone to escort him back to the capital. He also promised me that he would set off for the capital tomorrow." Xiao Mingyi said.

Song Lingyi pursed her thin lips.

It seems that Lu Qian hid because he was afraid that Xiao Mingyi would send someone to escort him back to Beijing.

Seeing her eyes lowered in thought, Xiao Mingyi's dark eyes moved slightly: "If you are really worried, I can send someone to bring him back."

"Need not."

Since Lu Qian wants to go to Youzhou, he cannot let Xiao Mingyi's people keep an eye on him.

While she was thinking, her nose was suddenly pinched. She looked up in panic and saw Xiao Mingyi retracting his claws. "Why did you pinch me?"

"If I don't remind you, do I have to stare at you while you think about other men?" Xiao Mingyi raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice low and hoarse.

“…”

Song Lingyi was stunned for a moment, then reacted and smiled knowingly: "You are jealous of your brother."

Xiao Mingyi remained calm and said seriously, "Brother? When did your relationship with Lu Qian become so close? I've known you for so long, and I've never heard you call me brother."

When you are angry, call him a bastard; when you are upset, call him by his name; if you want to distance yourself from him, call him His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Song Lingyi raised her eyebrows and poked the man's chest with her finger. "Who told you to be so mean to me in the beginning? You bullied me and called me a rat when we first met. Um—"

Xiao Mingyi pinched her cheek.

"You're quite vindictive." He smiled slightly and asked, "It's been so long since you returned to Huaizhou City. Have you paid your respects to your father-in-law and mother-in-law?"

Deliberately ignoring the man's address, Song Lingyi shook her head: "Not yet. I plan to go to the memorial service after I've mostly dealt with things at home."

"By the way, Huaizhou City has suffered heavy damage this time, and it will take quite some time to rebuild. Prefect Guo is also seriously injured. When do you plan to return to Kyoto?"

Xiao Mingyi's expression calmed down. "I've already assigned another official to take over the reconstruction of Huaizhou City. There's still a lot of government affairs waiting for me to handle back in Kyoto, so I can't stay for long. After you've paid your respects to your father-in-law and mother-in-law in a few days, come back with me to the capital."

"You want to go to worship too?" Song Lingyi's eyes widened like a cat.

We haven't even gotten married yet, but calling them father-in-law and mother-in-law is getting easier and easier...

"What else?" Xiao Mingyi glanced at her dimly. "Are you going to regret what you promised me just now?"

"..." Song Lingyi was speechless. When she felt the gaze fixed on her, she bit her lip and turned her face away.

"What nonsense!"

Glancing at the tip of her slightly red ear, Xiao Mingyi raised his hand and touched it, his low voice faintly revealing a smile: "Since you have decided to get married, you should at least inform your father-in-law and mother-in-law."

Plop, plop...

Song Lingyi's heart was beating fast. She seemed to have thought of something. She turned her head suddenly and looked at him intently.

"I can marry you, but you have to promise me that from now on, there will only be me in the harem. You are not allowed to lie to me, take concubines, or fall in love with other women. You must treat me well for the rest of your life. If I'm unhappy, you have to make me happy. No matter what I do, you must agree with me. Even if I make a mistake, you have to clap your hands and say 'well done'. Can you do that?"

The girl had a charming demeanor and spoke a lot of words like a rapid-fire cannon. After listening to her, Xiao Mingyi curled his lips into a faint smile, his black eyes bright and serious, without any selfish desires.

"Of course. Do I need to swear an oath before my father-in-law and mother-in-law, or should I write this into our marriage certificate?"

"...There's no need for a marriage certificate." She poked the man's waist and abdomen with her finger and threatened, "I'm not that easy to marry."

Her slender wrist was suddenly grabbed, and she raised her head to meet the man's eyes full of interest, her heart pounding.

"It's not easy to marry. I just didn't keep a close eye on her and she had a lot of competitors."

As soon as he finished speaking, the candle in the candlestick burned out and the room suddenly became dark.

The moonlight shone obliquely into the room, everything was hazy, and an ambiguous atmosphere grew quietly.

Xiao Mingyi bent down and kissed her, then quickly stepped away.

Facing the girl's slightly confused gaze, the man said with a smile: "It's very late tonight, go to bed early. I should also go back to the government office to handle official business. If Ali is reluctant to leave, wait until we return to Kyoto..."

Before he could finish his words, Song Lingyi covered his mouth.