*

After leaving Zui Jiangyue, it was already dusk. After saying goodbye to Lu Ye and the other two, Nan Qing prepared to send Pei Linmo back to the post station.

She called out to Pei Linmo, who was about to board another carriage.

"Pei Linmo, come up here."

After saying that, Nan Qing turned around and got into the carriage without even looking at his expression.

Outside the carriage, Pei Linmo, who had just stepped onto the footstool, paused, hesitated for a moment, then withdrew his foot and turned to walk towards the carriage painted with gold patterns.

Inside the carriage, Nan Qing leaned against the cushions, toying with a jade fan in her hand. Hearing the sound of the curtain being lifted, she said without looking up:

"sit."

Pei Linmo had just sat down when he heard her say, "Sit closer."

Upon hearing this, Pei Linmo immediately stood up and sat down next to Nan Qing.

Although the carriage was spacious, Nan Qing was already leaning back, and Pei Linmo was tall with broad shoulders and long legs, so the space suddenly became cramped when they sat down.

Their clothes overlapped, her crimson sleeves piled on top of his dark jade pendant, creating a unique harmony.

Nan Qing looked up at him, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes. How could this person be so reserved? Doesn't he get tired of always having such a serious face?

"Pei Linmo, have you always been this quiet?"

"I don't know what to say."

"So the Regent means he has nothing to say to me?"

Pei Linmo frowned, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "You should know that's not what I meant."

"oh?"

Nan Qing kicked his shin and continued:

"Has anyone ever told you that you won't be able to marry the princess if you act like this?"

The kick caused Pei Linmo's body to stiffen slightly, his muscles beneath his robes tensing instantly. His fingers, resting on his knee, clenched briefly before slowly relaxing. Looking at their toes touching, he whispered:

"Is Your Highness teaching me how to get married?"

Hearing his words, Nan Qing's smile grew even more blatant: "I'm teaching the Regent how to please me~~"

Pei Linmo looked up at her, their eyes met, and a dark undercurrent swirled in his gaze. He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Has Your Highness said this to anyone else?"

"What? Are you jealous?"

Nan Qing deliberately moved closer to him, placing her right hand on his shoulder, almost completely encircling him on the soft couch.

Pei Linmo didn't flinch, but simply looked quietly into her eyes: "Is there anything?"

Seeing his reaction, Nanqing felt a surge of teasing intent and deliberately asked him in return:

What if I say yes?

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Pei Linmo's eyes darken instantly, with a hint of ferocity in them, but it vanished in an instant.

Pei Linmo closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she had regained her composure. She remained staring intently at the person so close she could see the fine downy hairs on her face, and moved her lips slightly:

"From now on... don't say such things to other men again."

Looking into those eyes, Nan Qing suddenly leaned back and rested on the soft pillow, raising her eyebrows and a half-smile playing on her lips.

"Pei Linmo, have you forgotten...?"

“I am destined to become the Queen of Wei, and since you refuse to be my royal consort, I will naturally marry another man.”

Hearing Nan Qing's nonchalant words, he pursed his lips, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the voice of the attendant outside the carriage.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at the post station."

Nan Qing stopped looking at him and said in a distant voice, "Go down. I will send someone to pick you up at the palace banquet tomorrow."

Pei Linmo's lips moved slightly, but he ultimately remained silent as he got up and got out of the car.

Before the carriage curtain was lowered, he looked back, but only saw Nan Qing's profile as she lowered her eyes and played with the jade fan in her hand. From beginning to end, she did not look at him again.

The carriage curtain fell, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance.

Pei Linmo stood on the stone steps of the post station, gazing in the direction where the carriage was long out of sight, his eyes darker than the night.

Su Jing, standing behind him, was even more speechless. The carriage wasn't soundproof, and he had overheard the entire conversation between the two of them.

To be honest, it was indeed his master who was incompetent.

Since he didn't agree to marry her, why is he now standing here like a widow waiting for her?

A quarter of an hour later, Su Jing couldn't hold back any longer: "Your Highness, if you really can't bear to part with it..."

"Shut up."

Pei Linmo's voice was as cold as if it had been tempered with ice, and his face was unusually dark. Then he turned around and strode into the post station.

Su Jing stood there, watching his prince's lonely figure, his eyes darting around, and a good idea suddenly came to mind.

So, just as Hai Shi (9-11 PM) arrived, Su Jing knocked on Pei Linmo's door.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

As soon as Pei Linmo opened the door, he saw Su Jing carrying a bulging blue cloth bundle, with a fawning smile on her face.

"What is it?"

Su Jing looked around and lowered his voice:

"Your Highness, I have found some good things."

Without waiting for a reply, he nimbly squeezed into the room, placed the bundle on the table, and untied it to reveal neatly stacked piles of beautifully bound books inside.

He then proudly opened one of the picture books, enthusiastically recommending it:

"Your Highness, look, this novel, 'The Cold-Faced General and the Charming Female Physician,' is extremely popular in the capital. It tells the story of how a stern-faced general wins the heart of a charming female physician..."

Pei Linmo glanced coldly at the embracing figures drawn on the title page, his brows furrowing slightly.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Su Jing quickly pulled out another book with a gold-embossed cover, "The Prince's Beloved".

"And this one too!"

"This prince was initially cold-hearted and indifferent, but later..."

"Splash—"

A sword, its blade drawn three inches from its sheath, lay across the table. Su Jing swallowed hard and quickly replaced it with a simpler book, "Discussing My Husband While Drinking Plum Wine."

For the sake of his lord's future happiness, he endured the cold gaze and steeled himself, pointing to one of the pages:

"Your Highness, look at this passage. The man here, for the sake of his beloved, specially learned needlework and embroidered a crookedly shaped sachet. The bookstore manager said that the women love this kind of scene the most..."

Pei Linmo stared at the messy mandarin duck pattern on the sketchbook and suddenly remembered the jade fan that Nan Qing had been playing with all day. It was said to be a gift from her cousin on her birthday.

Su Jing was completely oblivious to his master's increasingly gloomy expression, and continued to enthusiastically recommend one book after another.

"I've read 'Love at the Hunting Ground,' it's very interesting. 'The Top Scholar's Pampered Wife's Daily Life' is also very well written. Oh, and especially 'Giving Flowers to My Cousin,' that's the best; it's about a cousin's feelings for his cousin..."

Upon hearing the words "cousin" and "cousin sister," Pei Linmo's temples throbbed, his knuckles cracked as he gritted his teeth and roared angrily:

"Get out."

"Okay!"

Su Jing quickly arranged the sketchbooks neatly, and even placed a copy of "How to Make Your Crush Only Have Eyes on You" on top. Then, she tiptoed and ran out quickly.