embassy.

"Your Highness, Miss Nan has asked to meet you at the restaurant."

"Oh?" Quite a few people have wanted to see him lately, but I am quite interested in meeting my future queen.

A restaurant.

"I wonder what Yue'er wants to do by inviting me here? Hmm?" The last "hmm" was full of ambiguity, making Nan Xiangyue feel that this man was seducing her.

Nan Xiangyue frowned. "I urge Prince Ye to show some self-respect."

"You are my betrothed princess, is there anything inappropriate about me calling you that?"

Nan Xiangyue didn't want to argue with him about the form of address. "Please do as you please, Prince Ye. I came to ask why you insisted on choosing me?"

"Didn't I already say it in the main hall? I fell in love with you at first sight!" King Ye said with a smile.

"If King Ruoye really doesn't want to talk to me sincerely, then I'll take my leave." Rather than wasting time here, I'd rather go back and be with my brother and mother.

"I find you very interesting." After saying that, he stared intently at Nan Xiangyue, as if wanting to see her reaction.

"Interesting?" Nan Xiangyue sneered. "Just because I'm interesting, you're going to marry me?"

"Why not?" Nan Lin retorted.

Nan Xiangyue suddenly felt unable to communicate with him. This person was too self-centered and did not care about the feelings of others at all.

“I didn’t know about this marriage at first. They brought it up suddenly in the main hall, their purpose being to make it impossible for me to refuse. You know, if I agree, I will fall into their trap and be destined to have no children in this life. I am unwilling to fulfill their wishes,” Prince Ye suddenly said.

Nan Xiangyue noticed that this person had changed his form of address to "I" and was willing to explain himself to her, so it seemed that he wasn't completely hopeless.

But what surprised her even more was his statement: "You know?"

"Yes, I know."

"So, you chose me for marriage because of your desire for offspring?" Logically, knowing his purpose would give her more control over the situation, but she felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

"No, if I wanted to, my Southern Dynasty would have countless women. I am indeed very interested in you, isn't that enough?"

As if seeing through Nan Xiangyue's thoughts, he said, "I really don't care about other people's opinions when I do things. After all, given my status, who would dare to question me? But you are different. I'm willing to explain to you."

Undeniably, Nan Xiangyue's heart was indeed somewhat stirred upon hearing this.

But that wasn't enough to make her willingly marry him.

Her mother told her to live a good life with him, but she also wanted to see if he was worth it.

The Sixth Princess's Residence.

"Wuchen, Prince Ye is probably leaving soon. Would you like to meet with him?" Wei Wangqing said, looking at Wuchen who had calmed down.

"No need."

"So what are your plans? Or rather, do you want to return to the Southern Dynasty? To seek revenge, or..." to ascend to that position?

"I will not seek revenge. They are all gone; when people die, it's like a lamp going out."

"The past is gone."

Although Wei Wangqing didn't think Wuchen would do that, she still asked a few more questions. After all, people's hearts are the hardest to fathom, not to mention the love, hate, and grudges involved.

After a pause, Wuchen said, "I want to leave here."

Wei Wangqing was taken aback. "Where are you going?"

"I want to travel the world, to see these beautiful rivers and mountains, and to experience the myriad aspects of life, the warmth and coldness of human relationships. I also want to save people and help all living beings. Especially... especially people like me, I want to tell them not to give up, that there are still many beautiful things in the world waiting for them, that there will be people who love them, and that this world is ultimately worthwhile."

Wei Wangqing was deeply shocked upon hearing this, never expecting Wuchen to have such thoughts. But it was undoubtedly admirable.

Even she herself felt a little tempted to go with him, but it was something she couldn't do right now.

But she will give him her full support.

Wu Chen felt a little embarrassed seeing Wei Wangqing looking at him with such admiration, but he also breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid she wouldn't agree, even though he himself was very reluctant and had a few faint feelings for her. But what he wanted more was to step out and experience his own and others' lives, and to gain profound enlightenment.

Besides, he had read a lot of books during this time, not just scriptures. He also realized that their situation was fundamentally unequal, and he could no longer stay in her residence.

"I... I am very grateful for Your Highness's care these past few days. I have no way to repay you."

"Then why not repay him with your body?" Wei Wangqing joked.

Wuchen blushed instantly, "This, this..."

Wei Wangqing stopped teasing him. For some reason, she always wanted to tease him and see him blush.

When are you leaving?

Upon hearing the mention of serious business, Wuchen immediately replied, "Tomorrow."

"So soon?" Wei Wangqing was surprised. After spending so much time together, she was indeed a little reluctant to part ways.

"Hmm." He came alone and left without taking anything with him, but she was a little worried about him.

Wei Wangqing suddenly got up and walked out, while Wuchen, not knowing why, waited for her in the room.

A moment later, Wei Wangqing came in with a cloth bag. "Here, this is your travel money."

Wuchen quickly declined, saying, "No, I can't take it. I've already been eating and drinking for free here with Your Highness all this time." He sounded somewhat ashamed as he spoke.

"You still know that? Well, you've already taken so much from me for nothing, a little more won't hurt. You're not afraid of getting too much debt!" Wei Wangqing joked.

"This, how can this be?" Wuchen still refused to accept it.

Seeing this, Wei Wangqing simply said, "You have no money. What will you eat, drink, and stay in? You won't rely entirely on begging for alms, will you? If you are begging for alms, what's the difference between getting them from others and getting them from me?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!