Chapter 167 Three thousand concubines in the harem are not as good as you alone

Xiao Xingyuan rubbed his temples: "I rarely drink alcohol, didn't you know that?"

She said it would be better if I weren't the emperor, and that I was short-lived.

"Tell me, if I weren't an emperor or a short-lived man, would she have liked me?"

Xiao Xingyuan took a sip of tea, looked at Ling Xiao very seriously, and asked sincerely.

"puff!"

Without any hesitation, Ling Xiao spat out the tea in his mouth. When he looked at Xiao Xingyuan, his eyes were full of horror. He found it hard to believe that the person in front of him was Xiao Xingyuan, who had grown up with him since childhood.

"You, you, you! How could you say something so pathetic? Are you crazy?"

"Normally, if someone said something like that, they should be beaten to death with sticks, but now you're actually reflecting on yourself?"

"You like Meng Yanzhi that much?"

Ling Xiao took a deep breath and began to calculate with his fingers.

This marriage was originally something he had calculated, but seeing Xiao Xingyuan's current state, Ling Xiao became anxious. He needed to calculate carefully to see what was going on.

Seeing Ling Xiao like this, Xiao Xingyuan felt helpless.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. Before, I just thought of her as a trinket, but now, all I can think about is her!"

"I have three thousand beauties in my harem, but I don't want any of them. I'm going crazy thinking about her day and night."

When Xiao Xingyuan said these words, he was indeed in a somewhat insane state.

After carefully calculating for a while, Ling Xiao resignedly took a sip of tea, his eyebrows furrowed tightly: "So be it, so be it. It's a love tribulation, a life-or-death tribulation. She is your nemesis. Getting close to her means getting close to pain, and staying away from her means staying away from happiness. Your Majesty, you really should think this over carefully."

"Since they are a perfect match, why do you need to think about it?" Xiao Xingyuan looked at Ling Xiao with a puzzled expression.

Ling Xiao really didn't expect that after he had talked for so long, Xiao Xingyuan would only hear one sentence: "A match made in heaven."

For a moment, Ling Xiao was both amused and exasperated, but he still nodded: "If Your Majesty really thinks so, it is a good thing. However, the court is becoming increasingly complicated, and factional struggles are becoming more and more intense. You can't put all your thoughts on women; you still need to focus on serious matters."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xingyuan nodded and then said calmly, "I know what's going on in these matters. It's not a big deal. At worst, I'll just kill them all!"

Is this even possible?

Ling Xiao thought he could leave after saying these words, but to his surprise, Xiao Xingyuan kept talking to him until it was dawn outside before letting him go and going to court feeling refreshed.

On the other side, when Meng Yanzhi opened her eyes, she felt a chill on her body. She stared in disbelief at her naked body and was completely dumbfounded.

What... what's going on here?

Meng Yanzhi sat up, looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that this was her room.

Ming Chu walked in carrying a washbasin, smiling at Meng Yanzhi: "Miss, you're awake. Shall we get dressed first?"

"Yes, get dressed. You're right, get dressed first." Meng Yanzhi smiled and then began to get dressed.

Seeing Mingchu so focused on dressing herself, I felt a pang of sadness.

“Mingchu, I have already spoken to His Highness about this matter. He said he is willing for you to go to the Crown Prince’s residence, and you can go at any time.”

"It's just that given your background, I can only offer you the position of a concubine. That's a disservice to you."

Meng Yanzhi looked at Ming Chu with a pang of sympathy.

Mingchu looked at Meng Yanzhi in surprise and disbelief: "Miss, you, you really said that he... he really agrees?"

"Yes, I really said it, I really was willing."

"But you need to think this through carefully. After all, there will be more women in the Crown Prince's residence in the future, and they will also enter the harem. As the number of women increases, the Crown Prince will naturally have more favorites. Will you be able to handle that situation?"

Is it worthwhile to immerse oneself in those struggles?

Meng Yanzhi's original plan was to take this little girl out with her, so that she could do whatever she wanted when the world was vast and the sea was wide open.

But to everyone's surprise, Mingchu fell in love with Xiao Ce halfway through her life and was even willing to stay by his side.

Mingchu knelt on the ground: "Miss, I understand everything you're saying, but I love him."

I like him...

Those three simple words almost exposed Meng Yanzhi's true colors.

In both her past and present lives, Meng Yanzhi never truly loved anyone, nor did she know what it felt like to love someone.

But seeing Mingchu like this, I felt like he was a moth drawn to a flame.

"Miss, you've been running around everywhere lately, is it really just for yourself?"

“Every night, Miss secretly watches His Majesty and knows he is very busy and sleeps late. So what you are doing is also to share His Majesty's burden, isn't it?”

Ming Chu knelt on the ground, smiling as he looked at Meng Yanzhi.

"Miss may not say it, but she always thinks about His Majesty. When he is unwell, you give him medicinal meals; when he doesn't sleep well, you sew him pillows. She cares for him in every way and is very attentive. Isn't that a sign of affection?"

What nonsense is this little girl spouting?

"I'm not!"

"I am a lady-in-waiting in the palace, this is what I should do, I am just doing my duty!"

Meng Yanzhi was somewhat flustered and didn't even dare to look Ming Chu in the eye.

"Really? Is that really true?"

“Miss, there is nothing shameful about loving someone. You should accept your love and accept that you can fall in love with someone.”

"Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings?"

Ming Chu stepped forward, gently taking Meng Yanzhi's hand and patiently guiding her.

Having been by Meng Yanzhi's side for so long, she roughly understood Meng Yanzhi's thoughts. She knew that there was a wall in Meng Yanzhi's heart, but that was not Meng Yanzhi's fault; it was all the sins they had committed.

“Not everyone in the world is like the Meng family. Miss always says she wants freedom, but she still confines herself to the Meng family and can’t get out no matter what.”

As Mingchu spoke, she burst into tears; it was heartbreaking.

Why are you crying?

Shen Mingyu smiled gently and helped Mingchu up.

"I know you're genuinely good to me, but it's impossible for me to be with him."

“He is the emperor, His Majesty, someone I cannot curry favor with. I only want to do my duty until the very last day.”

That was also the time when they parted ways.

Meng Yanzhi lowered her eyes, feeling quite uncomfortable.

I knew his fate long ago, and now, thinking back, all I feel is heartache.