Upon returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xiao Chengci was quite decisive.

There was no need to wait for Emperor Xiao to get angry; he knelt down immediately.

Emperor Xiao was filled with rage, but seeing Xiao Chengci's wretched appearance, he couldn't muster any anger.

"Tell me, what can I possibly say about you in this state?"

"If Father wishes to beat or scold me, I will endure it. Please don't upset yourself."

Emperor Xiao snorted coldly, "You still remember having such a father?"

"I'm afraid you've already forgotten that you even have a father and mother."

Xiao Chengci bowed and kowtowed, "Your subject has never asked anything of Father Emperor from childhood to adulthood."

"Your Majesty, I beg you not to interfere in the matter between me and her."

Emperor Xiao was so angry that he circled around Xiao Chengci. Today, Emperor Xiao wanted to see what kind of girl Pei Zhi was.

It was able to attract Xiao Chengci and Shang Huai.

Ideally, he could also intimidate Pei Zhi.

Unexpectedly, he was quite infuriated by Xiao Chengci, that rebellious son.

"If you won't let me get involved, are you going to just stand by and watch me go to such lengths for a woman?"

Emperor Xiao clapped his hands anxiously, "Now that you're married, why aren't you giving up?"

Xiao Chengci said with a hint of stubbornness, "If it weren't for Father Emperor's intervention back then, it's uncertain whose wife she would be now."

Emperor Xiao didn't give Xiao Chengci any face either, "Hmph, anyway, even if it belongs to Shang Huai, it won't be yours."

Xiao Chengci lowered his head, his face pale, after Emperor Xiao had hit his weak spot.

Seeing Xiao Chengci like this, Emperor Xiao felt a pang of sympathy.

"Tell me, you've braved mountains of knives and seas of fire, how could you stumble so many times over a woman?"

Emperor Xiao finally tried to persuade Xiao Chengci, saying, "She is already married, and she certainly doesn't have you in her heart. Why go to such lengths for a woman who doesn't have you in her heart?"

"Besides, you are the crown prince, what kind of woman can't you have?"

Emperor Xiao recalled Pei Zhi, whom he had seen earlier that day, and snorted, "In my opinion, that girl is nothing special."

“Father, if I could truly abandon her, I wouldn’t have been unable to sleep at night after she left.”

Xiao Chengci bowed and kowtowed, "Your Majesty taught and raised me from childhood, so you should know what kind of person I am."

Emperor Xiao was puzzled. "It is precisely because you were raised by me from childhood that I cannot understand why you are so deeply entangled in a woman's life?"

If that woman still has feelings for him, that's fine.

The effort wasn't in vain, so what does the present matter?

"Father, everything between me and her was done willingly by me. I beg you, Father, please stop interfering."

Xiao Chengci pleaded, "If anything really happens to her in the future, I truly cannot go on living."

Emperor Xiao was furious. "Are you threatening me?"

Xiao Chengci quickly shook his head, "Your Majesty, I am begging you to tolerate my shameful actions."

Emperor Xiao paced back and forth twice, utterly bewildered, and asked, "You know she's worthless, so why do you still insist on having her?"

Xiao Chengci looked at Emperor Xiao in disbelief, "Father, how could she be so despicable?"

“She is the best girl in the world.” Xiao Chengci said in a low voice, “The one who is despicable is me. I knew she was already married, yet I still went and bothered her.”

Emperor Xiao rubbed his forehead; he was so angry that his head was throbbing.

Emperor Xiao angrily pointed at Xiao Chengci, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

"Fine, I'll take it as a sign of my kindness. I won't interfere in your affairs with her."

"So, are you going to marry the Crown Princess? The whole court is watching you."

Emperor Xiao could disregard the fact that Xiao Chengci had degraded himself for a woman.

But Xiao Chengci is the crown prince and needs to shoulder the responsibilities of the crown prince.

"If you don't marry the Crown Princess, who will inherit the throne?"

These were things that Xiao Chengci had not considered.

Xiao Chengci thought that when Pei Zhi died, he was thinking of marrying a few women in a few years to complete the task of continuing the family line.

Xiao Chengci knew his identity; he was the Crown Prince, and his family truly had a claim to the throne.

This is his responsibility; there's nothing he can do about it.

But now that Pei Zhi is back, there's no way Xiao Chengci can get married and have children.

Unless, of course, he marries Pei Zhi.

"Please give me some more time, Father. I will give you a satisfactory answer."

"Alright." Emperor Xiao was also willing to give Xiao Chengci some time.

"At most three months. If you cannot give me a satisfactory answer, I will immediately choose a crown princess for you."

Emperor Xiao warned Xiao Chengci, "If you cause any more trouble, I will do anything for the sake of the next generation of the dynasty."

Emperor Xiao did not mention Pei Zhi's name, but this was also a reminder to Xiao Chengci.

Xiao Chengci now has a weakness. When he crosses Emperor Xiao's bottom line, Emperor Xiao can no longer act as a loving father.

Xiao Chengci nodded in agreement, but he was pondering in his heart.

How could he get Pei Zhi to agree to have a child with him within three months?

This is no less difficult than asking him to reach for the moon in the sky.

Perhaps trying to reach for the moon is even simpler than the former.

After seeing Emperor Xiao off, Pei Zhi had the servants clean the hall, intending to continue planting the land she hadn't finished.

As soon as I entered the front hall, I heard Shang Huai's loud voice.

Pei Zhi remembered that she hadn't seen Shang Huai for several days. "What brings you here today?"

"I just returned to Beijing a few days ago and I'm going to visit various families."

Shang Huai took the hoe from Pei Zhi and began digging the ground in a very professional manner.

The men from Shanghuai, being military generals, dug much faster than Pei Zhi.

Pei Zhi then scattered some seeds nearby.

What are you planning to plant?

"Plant some vegetables here, plant some flowers over here, and decorate the yard."

This isn't a rented yard; it will be her home from now on.

Pei Zhi had some free time, so naturally she wanted to make it look nice.

Shang Huai rolled up his sleeves and buried himself in digging.

Pei Zhi couldn't help but exclaim, "Weren't you in the army before? You look quite professional working here."

Shang Huai said with a hint of pride, "Our army also goes to farm in the spring."

“The army has its own fertile land, and the grain grown in a year can feed the army for several years. In this way, the silver issued by the court can be distributed to the soldiers more often.”

Pei Zhi had been to the north and had met some of the Zhenbei Army.

Judging from their clothes and complexions, the food in the army shouldn't be too bad.

"Also, my grandmother usually farms at home, and I help her with it."

"You're really amazing."

Shang Huai quickly helped Pei Zhi finish her work, and Pei Zhi hurriedly handed her a handkerchief and offered her tea.

In front of Pei Zhi, Shang Huai lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his body.

Shang Huai was used to being rough around the edges, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with this action.

Pei Zhi was stunned; it was the first time she had ever realized that Shang Huai had such a great physique.