Chapter 528 The Heartless Top Scholar 2

As expected of someone raised in the palace, he is truly handsome. Most importantly, he is incredibly fair-skinned, as white as jade. He is also tall, and although he is not the muscular type developed through modern fitness, he is not thin either.

Ning Yan stepped back and bowed, and only after the Third Prince entered the teahouse did she follow him.

In the private room on the second floor, the Third Prince sat in the head seat, and Ning Yan bowed again before sitting opposite him.

After the waiter brought a pot of tea, the Third Prince finally spoke, "Ning Yan, you should know why I saw you today, right?"

Ning Yan shook her head: "This humble subject does not know."

She's not stupid; she absolutely cannot say she knows. When the Emperor asked her if she was married, he didn't say who he was going to marry. If she said she knew, it would be like rejecting the Third Prince. If the Third Prince is petty, would she still have a good life?

"Heh, you know I've taken a liking to you. I know you have a husband. If you divorce him, I'll have my mother grant us a marriage. However, you can't marry anyone else after that. Is that possible?"

Ning Yan hurriedly stood up and bowed, "Third Prince, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

I met Xi Hua when we were both struggling, and I owe all my success to his support. Now that I have achieved success, I want to divorce my first wife. How am I any different from an ingrate?

If I really did that, would I still be the one the Third Prince was willing to marry?

The Third Prince fell silent, his star-like eyes fixed on Ning Yan. She was so beautiful, and her voice was so sweet and sincere. But every word she uttered conveyed her rejection. How could he not have such a wonderful person?

The conversation ended unhappily, and the Third Prince was so depressed after returning to the palace that he didn't even eat dinner.

The palace servants reported the matter to the Emperor, who was shocked to hear it.

This is her most precious son, and no one should be allowed to mistreat him!

The Emperor immediately went to the Third Prince's palace. "My son, if you really like that Ning the Compiler, I can simply issue an imperial edict to make her divorce that husband and then write a decree to grant you and her a marriage."

The Third Prince was deeply moved, but remembering what Ning Yan had said, he shook his head. "If Mother really did that, wouldn't she be breaking up a loving couple? Would she still like me?"

The Emperor: "...Then what do you intend to do?"

The third prince hugged his mother's waist and whispered sweetly, "My brothers have all chosen wives who are only for them. If I were to share a wife with someone else, wouldn't the whole world laugh at me?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately touched his son's forehead: "What virtue or ability does Ning Yan possess that makes you willing to share a wife with another man? Are you delirious from the fever?"

The Third Prince had never cried since he could remember, but now tears were streaming down his face. He didn't want this to happen either. He hadn't had these thoughts before meeting Ning Yan today. He met her because he was unwilling to accept it, but after seeing her, he truly couldn't let go.

"But I can't live without her, Mother Empress, please grant my wish."

The Emperor was angry that her son was useless and that Ning Yan had seduced him. However, no matter how angry she was, she was unwilling to wrong her son.

She didn't agree on the spot. Instead, she went back and summoned the Crown Princess, who was also the Third Prince's older sister, to discuss with her whether there was another way to handle the matter.

The Crown Princess smiled after hearing this, "Mother, that's just how people are; what they can't have is always the best."

"Mother, why don't you go along with your brother's wishes? If he regrets it one day, with you here, dealing with someone he doesn't like will be a piece of cake."

Why be the stick that breaks up a couple?

Wouldn't it be better to let them go their separate ways on their own?

The Emperor thought the Crown Princess's words made sense, so the next afternoon, after finishing dealing with the memorials, he specially summoned Ning Yan.

As soon as Ning Yan arrived, the Emperor asked her to play chess with him. While playing chess, Ning Yan pondered the Emperor's intention in summoning her.

She had just met with the Third Prince yesterday, and today he summoned her. Needless to say, it must be related to the Third Prince.

If the Third Prince had given up on her, none of this would have happened. Therefore, it's clear that the Third Prince still wants to marry her.

Either the Emperor wants her to divorce her husband, or he wants her to promise to treat her ex-husband as a mere decoration and only have the Third Prince, or—it's a situation where she has two husbands and they live together peacefully.

If that's the case, today's game of chess might just be the Emperor testing her character.

It is said that a person's character is reflected in their chess skills. If she were to find a wife for her son, what kind of woman would she be looking for?

A good woman who is open and honest, upright and indomitable, who can protect her son from the wind and rain, truly loves her son, and would never deceive him in the slightest.

Thinking of this, Ning Yan's chess style changed instantly, becoming bold and unrestrained, like a heavy sword without an edge. Soon, the game ended, and Ning Yan won by half a point.

But now is the time for her to showcase her acting skills—

The moment the Emperor conceded defeat, Ning Yan immediately wiped the sweat from her brow. "You won already? Your Majesty, you must have gone easy on him!"

I felt like I couldn't continue this game several times, but I was so surprised to win by half a point in the end!

"From now on, I dare not play chess with Your Majesty again; it is too exhausting."

After saying that, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

The Emperor's lips twitched. She hadn't expected Ning Yan's chess skills to be so superb, and moreover, she wasn't letting him win at all!

That's incredibly bold!

However, judging from the way she was covered in sweat after finishing a game of chess, she probably realized after winning that she was afraid I would be angry with her for winning, and she regretted it a little.

As for the effort involved, that is indeed necessary, after all, my chess skills are not bad either.

The Emperor ordered that the tea be changed for the two of them. “Minister Ning’s chess skills are superb. His playing style is straightforward and bold, which is very different from the impression you gave me before.”

Ning Yan quickly stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, in my eyes, playing chess is just a pastime, and winning or losing has no impact on life."

But being an official is different. An official cannot act according to their own preferences; a single wrong step could affect millions of ordinary people. Therefore, I may have been a bit too cautious in my daily life.”

Your Majesty: This isn't just you being reserved...

Well, looking at it from all angles, what bad intentions could someone who dares to beat her, the Emperor of Chess, possibly have?

She tries so hard to win, she doesn't even pretend to lose, it seems she's incapable of doing anything unfaithful.

"Never mind. I summoned you here today to discuss your marriage with the Third Prince."

With a "plop," Ning Yan knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I already have a husband. Even if I didn't, how could I be worthy of the Third Prince, who is of noble birth? I would never dare to have such thoughts."

"You do have some self-awareness. But now you can think about it."

Ning Yan lowered her head, not daring to speak again, afraid that if the Emperor were to order her to divorce him, her husband would be in a terrible state.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you really look down on my third prince?"

Ning Yan: "Your Majesty, I am deeply apprehensive."

I forgot to mark it as 1V2. If you don't like stories with two men, you can skip this one. This story is about sixteen chapters long.