"You're dreaming."

Before Pei Zhi could say anything, Xiao Chengci spoke first.

"Don't even mention that you're a daughter who returned to the Duke's mansion halfway through her life. Even if you were the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion since childhood, you still wouldn't be qualified for the position of Crown Princess."

Pei Zhi gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly, reminding herself that this was a world ruled by royalty.

Therefore, it's normal for Xiao Chengci to be a little arrogant; patience will bring peace.

She couldn't afford to offend Xiao Chengci.

"Your Highness, how can you think of my daughter like that?"

Pei Zhi raised her hand, "I swear, if I ever have even the slightest thought of becoming the Crown Princess, may I be run over and killed by a carriage as soon as I step out the door."

Pei Zhi's expression was so resolute that Xiao Chengci hesitated. Could it be that he was overthinking things?

How could there be a woman who, after meeting him, wouldn't want a formal title?

"You don't want a title, you're following me. If our affair is discovered, do you know what you'll face?"

Xiao Chengci is the Crown Prince, so even if their affair is discovered...

Xiao Chengci will not be in any trouble. At most, he might be reprimanded by the civil officials when he goes to court.

Pei Zhi was different; she was a woman.

The outside world will definitely think that Pei Zhi shamelessly seduced the Crown Prince.

To preserve the royal family's reputation, Pei Zhi is doomed to die.

“Then we’ll be careful. Your Highness wouldn’t want anything to happen to my daughter, would you?” Pei Zhi held out a teacup to Xiao Chengci, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

Xiao Chengci took the cup from Pei Zhi's hand and gently stroked Pei Zhi's red lips. "Whether you're willing to part with it or not depends on your performance."

Pei Zhi stood up, then squatted down.

The cup of tea that Pei Zhi gave to Xiao Chengci was ultimately used to rinse Pei Zhi's mouth.

After being satisfied, Xiao Chengci was in a good mood and was willing to go along with Pei Zhi.

"If you want to continue like this with me, I will grant your request." Xiao Chengci thought that this kind of sneaking around was quite interesting.

Pei Zhi's current unwillingness to maintain her reputation must stem from her belief that their social statuses are worlds apart.

After several more encounters, Pei Zhi's mindset changed.

After that, Pei Zhi begged him for a formal title, so why was he in such a hurry?

Pei Zhi straightened her skirt and bowed to Xiao Chengci, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

After a short rest, Pei Zhi left ahead of schedule.

After Pei Zhi had been gone for a while, Xiao Chengci got up and left.

Before leaving, Xiao Chengci specifically instructed that the carpet be burned.

On the way back in the carriage, Afu stared at Pei Zhi's face curiously for a few more moments.

Pei Zhi reached up and touched her hair and cheek. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Could it be that Xiao Chengci accidentally got it on her just now?

"No, it's just that your lips are so red, miss?"

Pei Zhi was trying to figure out how to brush this off when she said, "I..."

"Did the girl eat spicy food at the bookstore?"

Pei Zhi nodded quickly and said, "Yes, I got a little hungry while I was reading, so I asked them to bring some food."

Afu didn't ask any more questions, and instead brought his nose close to Pei Zhi's body to smell her again.

"Young lady, do you smell something strange?"

Pei Zhi moved to the side, keeping a certain distance from Afu.

"They probably changed the incense in the cubicle today, because I don't think it smells very good either."

It was probably Xiao Chengci who got it on her clothes. Although Pei Zhi wiped it off and couldn't see it, the smell was still there.

Upon returning to her residence, Pei Zhi immediately instructed her maid to prepare hot water for her to take a bath.

After soaking herself in the tub, Pei Zhi touched her slightly stinging hair.

At the very end, Xiao Chengci pressed down on Pei Zhi's head with a bit too much force.

Pei Zhi pressed her scalp with her fingers, pondering how to sever ties with Xiao Chengci.

Xiao Chengci should be getting along very well with her right now.

She must be careful now and not let Xiao Chengci find out about her affair with Shang Huai.

Pei Zhi was worried that even if Xiao Chengci lost interest in her in the future, he would still interfere with her marriage.

Men all have their flaws, especially a man like Xiao Chengci who wields power.

Perhaps, in Xiao Chengci's eyes, she was simply his possession.

Even if Xiao Chengci loses interest in her, she cannot marry someone else.

If that's the case, then she'll be in real trouble.

Pei Zhi angrily patted the water in the bathtub. If she had known Xiao Chengci's identity earlier, she would definitely have kept her distance from him.

I don't want to put myself in such a difficult situation.

After meeting Pei Zhi, Xiao Chengci got up and returned to the East Palace in a good mood.

On the way back, they were blocked by the eunuch Deshun.

The Emperor wanted to see Xiao Chengci and ordered him to report to the palace.

The carriage was rerouted and headed towards the palace.

Xiao Chengci arrived at the Imperial Study to meet the Emperor. After paying his respects, Emperor Xiao pointed to a pile of memorials and asked Xiao Chengci to review them.

Emperor Xiao had already processed the memorials sent by the cabinet ministers; the rest were sent by his subordinates.

Or they would just send their greetings to the emperor, wishing him good health and other such nonsense.

There weren't many important matters, so Emperor Xiao was too lazy to look at them and let Xiao Chengci handle them.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Chengci tried to leave, saying, "Father, I haven't eaten yet."

Emperor Xiao smiled and said, "No rush. Once you've finished approving the documents, we'll go to your mother's palace for a meal together."

Xiao Chengci had no choice but to pick up his pen and write a reply.

According to Xiao Chengci, these officials below him were simply too idle.

That's why he had the time to write such a long memorial to the throne.

However, something seems amiss with today's memorial.

Xiao Chengci reviewed several documents; although the wording differed, the content was almost identical.

The gist of it is that the Crown Prince is getting old, and the position of Crown Princess is still vacant. Shouldn't they get married?

The crown prince is not included among the princes, so the fact that the crown prince is not married does not affect the princes' right to marry.

But the crown prince was already nearly twenty years old, and among men in the capital, those his age already had several children.

The memorial was written in a grand and righteous tone, urging the crown prince to marry as soon as possible for the sake of the country.

Emperor Xiao and Empress Xiao urged him several times, but Xiao Chengci always said there was no rush.

Emperor Xiao then stopped mentioning it, thinking that when the child grew up, he would want to get married.

To my surprise, even though he's already twenty, Xiao Chengci hasn't brought it up on his own initiative.

There was no one to serve him, which made Emperor Xiao secretly anxious.

"Are all these ministers so disdainful? They're even interfering with whether I get married or not?"

Emperor Xiao ate a piece of pastry, picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. "Although they are meddlesome, you are not young anymore. Do you have a woman you like?"

A woman he fancied? For some reason, Xiao Chengci suddenly thought of Pei Zhi's appearance.

Emperor Xiao, upon seeing Xiao Chengci, seemed to have thought of someone and asked, "Judging from your expression, are you pregnant?"

Xiao Chengci put down his pen and shook his head. "Your father and mother can arrange my marriage."

Emperor Xiao was overjoyed: "Really?"

“Really.” Xiao Chengci uttered a single word and continued to review the memorials.

Emperor Xiao was so excited that he stopped eating his pastries and pulled Xiao Chengci to the Empress's bedroom. He wanted to have a good discussion with the Empress about the selection of the Crown Princess.