Upon hearing Prince An's suggestion, Ling Hua's body instantly stiffened.

If he were to recognize Yun Qing as his goddaughter, wouldn't the two of them become half-siblings?

"No, absolutely not!"

Prince An, Ling Rui, looked at his son in surprise, not understanding why he would oppose it so vehemently.

Ling Hua then realized that her reaction was a bit too agitated, and said to cover it up, "Father, when other families adopt godparents, it is usually because the child's parents are alive or both parents have passed away. Given Yun Qing's current situation, plus your relationship with Aunt Pang, it is really not appropriate to do this. It would only leave room for gossip."

After hearing his son's explanation, Ling Rui also felt that it was indeed inappropriate, so he silently gave up the idea.

However, he was still a little worried, so he instructed Ling Hua, "But as you know, Yun Qing has a pitiful background. You should take good care of her and treat her like your own sister, okay?"

“My son understands.”

Linghua verbally agreed, but inwardly she was filled with sarcasm: My own sister? "Take care of her"? The kind of "take care of her" that implies wanting to do the most intimate things with her?

It's quite a coincidence that Yun Qing has been in the capital for almost eight years, and Ling Hua has liked her for two or three years, yet Prince An is completely unaware of his son's feelings.

On the one hand, for the sake of Yun Qing's reputation, Ling Hua did not reveal her feelings. On the other hand, those who could see through her, such as Xu Qingyun, Pang Xinhui, and Princess An, all kept it a secret.

Given the friendship between Prince An and Pang Yue, if he knew about it, he would definitely do his best to facilitate the marriage.

...

After seeing his mother off, Xu Qingyun rushed off to work, leaving Yunqing alone on the street to clear her head.

As she walked, suddenly, a familiar figure blocked her way.

What are you doing here?

Yun Qing asked in surprise, "This person just said he had something to do, how come he has time to wander around here again in the blink of an eye?"

Seeing the doubt in Yun Qing's eyes, the person chuckled softly: "The matter I'm busy with concerns about you. I wonder if Sister Yun Qing would be interested in having a chat with me about it."

The two entered a restaurant and booked a private room.

Yun Qing: "Brother Ziyue, what do you want to see me about?"

“It’s nothing serious.” Ling Hua’s expression was somewhat subtle, and he seemed to have ill intentions. “I just wanted to recount to you what happened on the night of the Thousand Autumn Festival.”

Upon hearing the words "Qianqiu Festival," Yun Qing's pupils contracted slightly, and her voice trembled slightly: "What happened that day? Wasn't it completely resolved? The mastermind is already in prison, so what is there to specifically revisit?"

Ling Hua's tone was ambiguous: "Although the culprit has been punished, I still have some questions that I need you to answer personally."

Yun Qing smiled awkwardly: "What questions could I possibly have answered? Brother Ziyue, you really think too highly of me."

"No, only you can answer this question. That night, it was said that Aunt Fangcao, who served the Empress, sent someone to take you back. But why is it that I feel like I've seen His Highness the Crown Prince use that carriage in front of the Xu family's house?"

Yun Qing's smile froze for a moment, then quickly recovered: "Really? I didn't know that. Is it possible that you saw it wrong?"

"Perhaps." Ling Hua picked up the wine on the table and poured himself a glass. "However, if my nose is not mistaken, the smell in the carriage that day was ambergris, wasn't it?"

Yun Qing was taken aback; she hadn't expected Ling Hua to notice that. In such cold weather, the scent would hardly dissipate. Did he have a dog's nose? How could he smell that?

As everyone knows, only the emperor can use ambergris. However, Ling Ye is an exception. In his lineage, the royal family has been ruled by a single heir for three generations. If nothing unexpected happens, his throne is almost a certainty.

Emperor Wen had always spoiled his only son, providing him with food, clothing, and daily necessities in accordance with the emperor's standards, so it was not surprising that he used ambergris.

Therefore, this fragrance directly indicates that it was Ling Ye who saved Yun Qing, not the Aunt Fangcao they claimed.

Faced with the facts, Yun Qing lowered her head and offered no further rebuttal.

Seeing her guilty look, Ling Hua found it amusing, while at the same time a dull pain shot through her heart.

"Don't you have anything to explain to me?"

"Explanation? What right do you have to ask me for an explanation? So what if it's Ling Ye? You can tell Qingyun about this. After all, he is my rightful husband."

"Ling Ye, you're calling him so intimately! A few days ago, you spent a long time at the Treasure Pavilion; you were there having a secret rendezvous with him, weren't you?"

Looking at Ling Hua's distorted expression, Yun Qing felt a strange sense of pleasure: That's right, that's how it is. The aloof and detached God-King has finally fallen into the web of love she has woven.

Ling Hua couldn't understand why things had developed to this point. When they first returned from the disaster relief, Yun Qing seemed to be avoiding Ling Ye like the plague. But in just a few months, a conspiracy had brought the two of them into the closest relationship.

Seeing his pain, Yun Qing's eyes flashed. After all, this was her own love tribulation, and it wouldn't be good to cause too much stimulation.

So she got up from her seat, leaned closer to Linghua, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Brother Ziyue, I'm sorry. I was too emotional just now. Those words weren't my intention. I apologize to you. Please don't tell my husband about this, okay?"

To everyone's surprise, it would have been fine if she had maintained her original attitude, but these words made Ling Hua feel that she was only giving in to Xu Qingyun because she was worried about hurting him.

"You've fallen for him?"

Yun Qing was taken aback by this nonsensical question. Who did he like? Xu Qingyun or Ling Ye? Why did she suddenly not understand?

Seeing her stunned expression, Linghua assumed that he had hit the nail on the head, and her face turned even uglier.

"As expected, I was the biggest fool. I stubbornly held onto my principles, but without realizing it, they took everything away from me."

Seeing his sorrowful expression, Yun Qing was completely bewildered. Who were they? What was going on? Oh well, never mind, just keep trying to appease him.

"Brother Ziyue, don't be sad. Although we are destined to be apart, I know, um—"

Seeing those bright red lips constantly uttering words he didn't want to hear, Ling Hua finally couldn't bear it any longer and lost control, silencing them with a kiss.

Shock flashed in Yun Qing's eyes. The system lied to him. Wasn't Ling Hua supposed to be abstinent? How come it's different from what it said?

"Brother Ziyue, we can't do this, please let me go."

"No, I won't let go. Why can they all do it, but I can't?"

A hot tear fell from Ling Hua's eye and landed on Yun Qing's face.

As if infected by the sadness in Ling Hua's eyes, her own eyes reddened, and the struggling movements in her hands unconsciously slowed down.

Sensing Yun Qing's change, Ling Hua's eyes suddenly lit up, and he hugged the beautiful woman in his arms tightly.

"Qingqing, I really love you so much..."