Xiang Yang usually just plays the role of an official, and whenever he gets tired of it, Xiao Jingying helps him by promoting him.

Three years have passed, and the eldest prince has finally returned to his position.

The moment the eldest prince stood up, the emperor was so moved that he almost burst into tears, and immediately restored his position as crown prince.

The fourth prince waited for three whole years, doing his best for three years, but in the emperor's eyes, this was nothing compared to the first prince's two legs.

He had completely lost his mind, and he had people spread rumors everywhere that Xiangyang was actually the "Minghe" from back then, and that the dignified Crown Prince had his bedmate stolen by someone else.

Once rumors start, nothing else can stop them.

Xiang Yang's real name, original address, how he met Xiao Jingying, how he followed him to the capital, and his identity as someone who stayed by his side were all revealed.

Even though Xiangyang had already risen to the rank of third-grade official, he couldn't escape being looked down upon. In private, people said he was "promiscuous."

No amount of power can silence public opinion. Xiang Yang endured it and comforted Xiao Jingying, telling him to accept it.

“This kind of thing is inexplicable. Even if you kill them all, what difference will it make?” Xiangyang comforted him. “Besides, haven’t you…slept with other women too?”

Xiao Jingying: "...All of that is in the past."

Xiangyang: "Then all of that is in the past."

Xiao Jingying: "..."

But who would have thought that the very next morning, the Crown Prince, who had no sense of propriety whatsoever, would come to Xiangyang's residence.

Not only did they arrive, but they also gestured to the servants in his residence to remain silent and went directly to his bedroom to find him.

At this moment, Xiang Yang was sleeping naked with Xiao Jingying.

The crown prince knocked on the door himself, but heard a commotion deliberately made by someone. He stood there, his face turning green.

But he refused to leave and just stood there listening, making the servants beside him feel incredibly ashamed.

When Xiangyang realized that the Crown Prince couldn't possibly have stayed, he came out of the room and was met face-to-face with the Crown Prince. His expression was extremely unpleasant.

"Your Highness, do you have any unusual fetishes?"

Xiao Jingying hugged Xiang Yang from behind, but Xiang Yang nudged him with his elbow.

From then on, the Crown Prince began to visit Xiangyang's residence from time to time, drinking tea and reciting poetry with him. Sometimes, if he stayed late, he would even stay overnight.

The rumors circulating in the capital can be easily imagined.

"We used to only know that the dignified Prince Langsi spent all his time going to Lord Xiang's residence, but now, the Crown Prince is running around almost as frequently as the Prince Langsi!"

"This isn't just a rumor! It's clearly... the truth!"

"..."

Upon hearing this rumor, the fourth prince laughed and submitted a memorial to his father, the emperor, saying that the crown prince's fondness for men made him unfit to shoulder the responsibilities of the nation.

When the Fourth Prince said this, Xiao Jingying was standing there, Xiang Yang was standing there, and the Crown Prince was also standing there.

All the civil and military officials were standing there.

He didn't utter a sound.

The fourth prince turned around, but no one responded to him.

He looked at the emperor on the dragon throne, knelt down, and shouted.

"Father Emperor—"

The emperor sighed and called out, "Guards, the Fourth Prince has gone mad. Take him away."

The court session ended, and everyone went home.

At the palace gate, the Crown Prince said to Xiang Yang in front of Xiao Jingying, "You've really wronged me. I've been there so many times, but I've never been to your bed even once."

Ignoring Xiao Jing's victory, Xiang Yang laughed and said, "You really want to go for it?"

The Crown Prince smiled: "I didn't expect that. At least this way, we can still be considered friends."

After saying that, the Crown Prince glanced at Xiao Jingying, whose face had been pale, narrowed his eyes, and teased, "I just don't know what kind of relationship you two have."

After saying this, the crown prince left, almost mockingly.

What kind of relationship do we have?

Xiang Yang glanced at Xiao Jingying, then walked forward with his hands in his sleeves.

What kind of relationship is it?

Xiao Jingying and the Crown Prince are ultimately different.

The Crown Prince was willing to be friends, but Xiao Jingying was not; he was unwilling to accept it.

Even if he couldn't win Xiangyang's love, he was still willing to love him and entangle himself with him for a lifetime in a shady relationship.

As Xiangyang boarded the carriage, she asked him, "Are you angry?"

Xiao Jingying supported him, paused for a moment, and then said, "No."

For someone who doesn't even have a proper title, being jealous is laughable.

He wasn't angry.

She deliberately did that kind of thing while the Crown Prince was still outside, just to keep him away from Xiangyang.

He didn't mean anything else.

Not angry.

However, there are often moments of jealousy that are simply uncontrollable.

“It’s impossible for me to have that kind of relationship with him again,” Xiangyang explained to him again after getting into the carriage. “I have no other feelings for him. I did those things back then only because I was his servant.”

Xiao Jingying: "The reason you did those things with me back then was because you were nothing more than my slave."

Xiangyang listened quietly to what he had to say.

"You said that kind of ambiguous relationship is the same with anyone."

After Xiao Jingying finished speaking, he couldn't help but want to ask for more.

He asked Xiangyang, "And now?"

Xiangyang asked him, "Then what can you give me? What can make me respond to you?"

The carriage creaked and groaned as it moved forward.

A man who once used indifference and selfishness to protect himself, a man who never had faith, never told anyone, not even the gods.

He devoted all his loyalty to one person.

"Would you like some braised pork knuckle?" Xiao Jingying suddenly asked him.

Xiangyang: "...I'm already so tired of it, okay? I feel like throwing up just thinking about it now."

Xiao Jingying: "So what do you want to eat now?"

Xiangyang was a little confused, but he still subconsciously thought about it and said, "Braised pork ribs are good."

Xiao Jingying: "Okay."

As he spoke, Xiao Jingying called to the driver and told him to go to the place where the meat was sold.

A prince got off the carriage, personally selected a few ribs, and then carried them back onto the carriage.

Xiangyang: "...You, you came to buy meat yourself?"

“We might not have any spare ribs at home,” Xiao Jingying said. “If we buy them now, it will save the people at home from having to go and buy them again. If we make one less trip, we can eat them as soon as we get back.”

"Hey!" Xiangyang reminded him to move the ribs further away, "Don't get them on your official robes!"

"Why don't you just go back and wash up?" Xiao Jingying didn't care at all.

"Get out!" Xiangyang shoved him. "Take it somewhere else!"

The coachman listened as he drove the carriage, feeling both helpless and amused.

This is the second time already, and Xiangyang is starting to doubt the system's reliability and has no hope for the data anymore.