The crown prince felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.

He was unwilling to accept it.

"Why?"

Song Xibai sighed.

“Your Highness, we are from two different worlds. You are the Crown Prince, and whether now or in the future, you must consider the greater good. You say you like me, but it's only temporary. The husband I want must be devoted to me alone, body and soul, with no other woman. Even if you like me, can you give up other women for me? Will you disband your harem?”

The prince looked at her incredulously.

Do you know what you're saying?

Only one person allowed?

How is that possible?

Song Xibai shrugged.

"You see, I only said it, and Your Highness can't accept it. Even if you agree now in a moment of passion, you won't be able to do it in the decades to come."

It wouldn't be accurate to say that Song Xibai had absolutely no feelings for the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince sent jewelry, clothes, and flowers, and even arranged this whole thing. Anyone would be moved!

Even if what Song Xibai said is true, it's only temporary.

As a man in a patriarchal society, especially one at the very top of power, the Crown Prince could never accept her idea of ​​monogamy.

If he agreed, he would have to return to the Eastern Palace and face the Crown Prince's wives and concubines, and be caught in an environment of jealousy and vying for favor. Just thinking about it made him shudder.

Even if you can stay true to yourself and not harm others, what if you have children?

Song Xibai dared not think any further.

The light in the Crown Prince's eyes gradually faded, and he looked at Song Xibai with an expression as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"You should know that your request is impossible to fulfill. Throughout history, there has never been a crown prince or emperor who married only one woman. Even ordinary scholars and officials usually had multiple wives and concubines."

Song Xibai nodded earnestly: "That's right! So, I don't expect Your Highness to be able to do it."

The prince has a headache.

"So what are your plans for the future? Leave the palace? And then? Marry an ordinary man?"

He spoke through gritted teeth as he said his last words.

"I don't force anyone to get married. If I meet the right person, we'll be together. If not, I won't get married. I can live well on my own." Song Xibai was speaking her truest thoughts. "With my medical skills, I won't starve. When my father and brothers come back, we can go back to our hometown and open a clinic. That will be enough."

The crown prince remained silent for a long time: "Haven't you thought about what will happen when you get old? What will happen after you pass away? What about the incense offerings and sacrifices?"

Song Xibai wanted to say, "What do I care about the incense offerings? I'm dead, who cares about what happens after I die?" But these words might frighten the Crown Prince, an ancient man.

So, Song Xibai thought for a moment and then replied.

"With enough money, I can hire servants to take care of my life, so I won't be afraid when I get old. Besides, I have two older brothers! I'll definitely have many nephews and nieces in the future, so I don't need to worry about the issue of having descendants after I die."

The crown prince twitched the corner of his mouth.

"What family would allow an unmarried girl to be buried in the ancestral grave!"

Song Xibai glanced at him.

“Your Highness can go out and see more of the world. The lives of ordinary people are very different from those of the royal family. My family is not some noble family. It is no outsider’s place to tell us who is buried in my ancestral graves.”

"Your Highness may not understand, but my father only ever had my mother, and even though she has been gone for many years, he never considered remarrying. Neither of my brothers has taken a concubine either. Is it too much for me to want a husband who is devoted to me?"

“Look at the Ding family, they haven’t taken any concubines. It’s common for ordinary families to do this. Of course, my situation is different from Your Highness’s. Your Highness is already married and it’s impossible for you to depose your Crown Princess, so it was never possible for us to be together from the beginning.”

Song Xibai's tone was exceptionally firm.

The crown prince felt utterly defeated.

Before this, he had imagined all sorts of reactions from Song Xibai, but he never expected it to be like this.

Depose the Crown Princess?

That's impossible.

Putting everything else aside, the Crown Princess has not made any major mistakes over the years, so it's impossible for him to divorce her.

The Crown Princess is the future Empress, and her position is extremely important. It's not something he can decide on his own, nor can he simply dismiss her with a single word.

More importantly, he is now in a precarious situation and needs the support of the Zhao family.

Countless thoughts raced through the Crown Prince's mind, but he ultimately fell silent.

After a while, Dingxiang's voice came from outside.

"Dinner's ready!"

Song Xibai was the first to come to her senses and bowed to the Crown Prince.

"I still have to thank Your Highness for today's matter. I will repay Your Highness for the money used to buy the house later."

The crown prince said sullenly, "No need, I don't lack this little bit of money."

“One thing at a time, I don’t want to owe Your Highness anything.”

With that, Song Xibai walked out of the room.

The crown prince was even more frustrated.

The two returned to the main house one after the other, and the Ding family pulled them to sit in the main seats.

"It's not even New Year's Eve yet, but we're already celebrating the New Year early." Aunt Ding smiled and added a meatball to Song Xibai's plate. "This is made according to your recipe, with water chestnuts added. Try it."

Song Xibai smiled and said thank you, then took a couple of bites and praised it repeatedly.

"Auntie's cooking skills are so good, she could open a restaurant."

Aunt Ding burst into laughter.

"You know what, a few years ago when the clinic wasn't doing well, I really thought about setting up a food stall! But your uncle stopped me. He was afraid I would be bullied if I went out, so he told me to cook at home and he would pick out the food to sell."

Aunt Ding couldn't help but laugh as she talked about it.

"Your uncle's temperament is such that you can't get a word out of him even if you hit him three times. How could he go out to do business? I've laughed at him for ages."

Uncle Ding, who was standing to the side, blushed slightly and tugged at her arm.

"Just eat, why bring up these things?"

Aunt Ding snorted and turned around to twist the flesh on his waist.

Why can't I speak?

Uncle Ding gasped in pain, "There are outsiders here!"

Aunt Ding exclaimed "Oh dear!" only then remembering that the Crown Prince was still there.

"Your Highness has made a fool of yourself."

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince waved his hand, looked at the two of them, and seemed to be deep in thought.

So, this is the kind of married life that Xixi wants?

He put himself in Uncle Ding's shoes and imagined Song Xibai smiling at him. For some reason, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

This feeling... isn't bad!

Just don't pinch the meat too hard.

The Crown Prince watched as Song Xibai interacted with the Ding family, appearing relaxed and at ease, unlike her usual polite demeanor in the Eastern Palace.

Then, the Crown Prince thought about his usual interactions with the Crown Princess, and then recalled the past interactions between his mother and father, which were always polite and courteous, but never as relaxed and intimate as this.

Is this what it's like for ordinary couples to get along?

The crown prince fell into deep thought.