Chapter 88: Bridges are bridges, roads are roads

Having said that, she laughed at herself and said, "Yes, you are the prince, how could you think about me?"

Xiao Mingyi felt a suffocating pain in his heart.

At first, he did not take her seriously, thinking that they were just casual acquaintances and would become strangers one day; later, when he kept her by his side, she was always getting into trouble and only cared about eating and not about being beaten, so he thought about changing her personality. If she could be more steady and reserved, it would not be a bad idea for her to be a concubine.

Going to the capital to quell the rebellion was full of dangers. If you were not careful, you would be doomed. Leaving her in Hexian Tower was for her safety, but who would have thought that she would run away after a few days of not seeing her.

A few months ago, he had thought that if he found her, he would break her legs and not dare to run away again. But when he learned that her whereabouts were in the Jiuhua Mountain bandit camp, he panicked for the first time. After that, he sent the Pacification Bureau to investigate many times, but still found no clues.

He gradually discovered that she meant much more to him than he had imagined.

The moment he hugged her in the backyard of the Chu Mansion, it was like waking up from a nightmare. He knew very well that rather than being annoyed by her leaving without saying goodbye and getting engaged without his permission, he felt more joy at having lost her.

"...Brother Jianzhi is very kind, and the elders of the Pei family are also very kind to me. This marriage is the best I can get."

While thinking, Song Lingyi continued to chatter, saying things that made Xiao Mingyi so angry that his stomach hurt.

"He's fine, what about me?" He stood up from the couch and his tall body suddenly leaned towards her.

Song Lingyi took a half step back and turned her head away from him.

"You are the crown prince, you can hold a beauty pageant. There are so many beautiful girls in Kyoto and even in the whole of Dayuan—"

Before she could finish her words, two long fingers clamped her jaw firmly, forcing her to look into those deep phoenix eyes.

Xiao Mingyi sneered, "Selection? That's a good idea. You can cancel your marriage with the Pei family tomorrow and enter the Eastern Palace as a concubine."

Hearing this, Song Lingyi shook her head and pushed him away as if she had seen a ghost.

"I don't want to break off the engagement, let alone enter the Eastern Palace."

His eyes were firm and clear. "I've just said it before, I've never had any intention of marrying someone above my station. You didn't want to marry me in the beginning, so why force it now? Besides, you're going to be the emperor in the future, with three thousand beauties in your harem. What am I to you?"

Xiao Mingyi narrowed his eyes and asked, "What about Pei Zhao? If he takes a concubine in the future, would you mind?"

Song Lingyi was stunned for a moment and said, "Brother Jianzhi is not a man who is obsessed with women. Besides, the Lu and Pei families are old friends. As long as I don't agree to take a concubine, the Pei family will not force me. But you are different. As the crown prince, the former and harem will not allow you to stay with only one woman."

"When we first met at the Guanyin Temple, I said that I would never be a concubine in this life, let alone let my husband take a concubine. What I want is to be with one person for the rest of my life. If you can't give me that, there are others who can."

Seeing her so calm and yet ruthlessly drawing the line, Xiao Mingyi was so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment. He stared at her for a long while, then suddenly sneered, "How do you know I can't give it to you?"

“…”

What?

Song Lingyi's eyebrows twitched slightly, and her brain froze for a moment. After realizing what he meant, she didn't feel happy at all, but only felt it was absurd.

"It doesn't matter whether I give it or not."

She swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "At least Brother Jianzhi is the first person in such a long time who said he likes me and wants to marry me. I can't let him down."

"But if he knew that we had a relationship, would he still be willing to marry you?" Xiao Mingyi frowned.

This was not a threat, but a practical consideration.

Song Lingyi lowered her head and said sullenly, "...Perhaps you Kyoto people would think that losing your virginity before marriage is a morally corrupt and catastrophic act, but I don't think so. I've been a wanderer and beggar, and I know how dangerous the world is. So I don't think virginity is more important than life. I'm only using you to gain your favor."

What's more, as long as he doesn't tell anyone about this kind of thing, no one will know.

The word "utilize" struck Xiao Mingyi's heart straight in the heart, and the girl couldn't utter a word that he liked to hear.

"If you really mind me getting married, then I can just stay single for the rest of my life. Just stop pestering me and we can go our separate ways. You can marry your Crown Princess, and I'll be the cousin of my Duke's Mansion." Song Lingyi said.

Xiao Mingyi hadn't expected that she would rather remain single than marry him. His stern face darkened as he stared at her without blinking, the coldness in his eyes growing more intense.

"It's really great." He smiled through gritted teeth, his narrow eyes tinged with red. He reached out and held her arm, bringing her forward.

"Bridges are bridges, roads are roads. There is no such good thing in the world."

He had been searching for her for so long, unable to sleep every night, and had tasted the pain of losing and finding her again, so how could he let her go so easily?

The hand holding her arm was getting tighter and tighter. Song Lingyi frowned and struggled, while her other hand kept pushing her away.

"It hurts, let go..."

Just when Song Lingyi felt that her arm was about to be broken, Xiao Mingyi loosened his grip a little and pulled her into his arms.

When the girl looked at him in surprise, he suddenly leaned over and kissed her rosy lips, sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily, tenderly and passionately, causing the girl's cheeks to blush and her breathing to become faster.

Knowing that there shouldn't be such an unclear relationship between them anymore, Song Lingyi put all her strength into pushing the man away. If she hadn't still been rational, she would have slapped him in the face.

The atmosphere in the room was charming. She no longer dared to look at the man's face and turned around and ran towards the door.

Just as she was about to open the door, the man behind her caught up and trapped her between the door and his chest.

"I've made it very clear, your only option is to break off the engagement and marry me." His voice had returned to its usual calm.

Crazy, really crazy.

Song Lingyi closed her eyes, ready to risk everything. She shouted, "I've made it very clear. I won't marry you. If you want to tell others about what happened before, go ahead. At worst, I'll go back to Huaizhou City and become a nun!"

After yelling, she gathered strength and thrust her back.

Xiao Mingyi was careless for a moment and actually knocked her back half a step.

Song Lingyi opened the door and ran downstairs without stopping, making the stairs creak.

Seeing this, the strong men in tight clothes and carrying swords downstairs immediately blocked the way. Their cold and stern looks made Song Lingyi shrink her shoulders. She felt a little timid and looked at Xuanfeng for help.

The latter said nothing, raised his head to look upstairs, and after four breaths, he still didn't see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ask them to stop the people, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let him go."

At Xuanfeng's command, the group of strong men in tight clothes and armed with swords stopped making trouble and made way out.

Song Lingyi said "Thank you, Brother Xuanfeng" and ran out the door with her skirt lifted.

The Lantern Festival was still bustling. By the time she found the memorial archway, the Lu and Pei families had already ordered soldiers to clear the streets in a hurry.

Lu Qian paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. Suddenly he looked up and saw a familiar graceful figure running towards him in the bustling crowd.