Nangong Zeyue shook his head in denial, saying it was simply a fantasy; how could he possibly be a prince from a story?
That must be a story made up by a heartless person, just to fool him into giving up on Yue Niang.
Seeing that Nangong Zeyue didn't believe him, Xiao Jingzhao said seriously, "It's true."
"No, impossible. Don't think you can make me give up on Yue Niang. Even if you kill me, my soul will stay by her side."
Every time Nangong Zeyue woke up from a nightmare, she regretted not holding Yue Niang's hand tightly.
At this point, he had already disregarded life and death and would not let go no matter what.
"My word is law, I have no reason to lie to you. The Liang Kingdom's envoys are still waiting at the post station to take you back to your country to reunite with your family. You can go to the post station in person to verify this."
"Hehe, that was all conspired by you to get me out of Wanling and put me under house arrest in a foreign country. Your wishful thinking is really brilliant."
Nangong Zeyue almost laughed out of anger. To break him and Yue Niang up, the emperor was going to great lengths. He was even resorting to such despicable means.
Xiao Jingzhao's eyes darkened. "You may not believe me, but that jade pendant isn't something you can find just anywhere. I'm sure you've used it yourself to search for your relatives before."
Nangong Zeyue was stunned. He was right. It was rare to find a jade pendant made of the same material, let alone the same shape.
Few people have seen his jade pendant, and even fewer know its origin. How did he know?
No, it was Sui Sui. He must have gotten information out of Sui Sui.
Nangong Zeyue sneered and said, "What kind of skill is it for a dignified emperor to trick a child into revealing information? If you want to steal someone else's bride, you can ask her if she is willing to enter the palace with you and enjoy a life of wealth and luxury."
Nangong Zeyue was certain that Yue Niang would choose him. With so many beautiful women in the Emperor's harem in the future, Yue Niang had no interest in that miserable wealth and glory.
"I don't need to ask her. She may not be able to see her own heart clearly now. I haven't lied to you a single word, Mo Zixuan. I will make you give up."
"Even the names have been chosen; Your Majesty has gone to great lengths."
Nangong Zeyue felt like a scholar encountering a soldier—there was no way to reason with him.
The other party was the emperor; one couldn't fight city hall. A sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.
Thinking that Yue Niang was still sitting in Xingyue Courtyard waiting for him, Nangong Zeyue was extremely anxious.
Xiao Jingzhao saw Nangong Zeyue's anxious expression. He knew that persuading Nangong Zeyue would not be easy, so he decided to cut to the chase.
"Regardless of whether you believe me or not, this is a struggle between two men, and we'll settle it like men."
Nangong Zeyue met Xiao Jingzhao's icy gaze, and a chill ran down her spine.
He shrank back warily. "What are you going to do?"
Realizing he had lost in terms of momentum, he immediately puffed out his chest and said, "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you. Even as a ghost, I'll be waiting for Yue Niang at the Bridge of Helplessness."
For a moment, Xiao Jingzhao thought Nangong Zeyue's cowardly appearance was actually quite cute, but this feeling was fleeting.
Thinking about how the person in front of him had taken advantage of his absence to fawn over Yue Niang, and even pretended to be weak while actually being strong, almost succeeding in his plan, Xiao Jingzhao suddenly had an urge to strangle the other person.
"Mo Zixuan, before you acknowledge your ancestors and return to your clan, it would be as easy for me to kill you."
Xiao Jingzhao pointed outside and said, "Let's go outside and have a showdown to see who is more qualified to stand beside Yue Niang."
"A martial arts contest!"
Nangong Zeyue shuddered, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, that black-hearted bastard! Everyone knows the Emperor is skilled in martial arts; this is blatant bullying!"
Nangong Zeyue glanced subconsciously at the sword on the wall.
Xiao Jingzhao's voice rang out, "Swords have no eyes, I will not really hurt the Crown Prince. Our Wanling still needs to form a friendly alliance with Liang."
Xiao Jingzhao paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. "If I were to accidentally hurt you, I would feel ashamed of failing the trust placed in me by the Emperor of Liang."
Nangong Zeyue dismissed his words as self-deception; how could a prince of a nation be so easily lost?
The thought had just popped into my head when I suddenly remembered a rumor I'd heard in the martial arts world: the eldest prince of the Liang Kingdom had disappeared years ago, and people had been sent to the border to search for him.
Nangong Zeyue pondered to herself, if Xiao Jingzhao hadn't lied to her.
A foreign prince marries the mother of another prince—what are the consequences...?
Nangong Zeyue felt increasingly distressed. If that were the case, it would concern the bloodlines and reputations of the royal families of both countries, and would no longer be a matter of love between two people.
Seeing that Nangong Zeyue remained motionless, Xiao Jingzhao lost his patience and reached out to pull her up.
Nangong Zeyue isn't stupid; how could she sit idly by and wait to die, like an egg hitting a rock?
He sprang from the soft couch and quickly darted behind it. “To use one’s own strengths to compare with the other’s weaknesses is not the behavior of a gentleman, Your Majesty. Even if I, Nangong Zeyue, lose, I will not give up on Yueniang.”
"You scoundrel!"
"Everyone knows who's a scoundrel. If you're so capable, let's have a contest of lightness skills."
Nangong Zeyue originally wanted to suggest a contest to see who could take things faster, but considering that having the Emperor compete in stealing was a rather unseemly skill, she had no choice but to suppress the idea.
Without a second thought, Xiao Jingzhao said, "Alright, I'll grant your request. We'll both go out through this gate at the same time and head towards the East Gate. Whoever reaches the East Gate wall first wins. If you lose, you'd better go and explain the situation to Yue Niang, and then immediately take your people back to Liang."
The bridal chamber was decorated in red everywhere, especially the large bed, with red gauze curtains draped on both sides.
There was only a large, scarlet wedding quilt on the bed, embroidered with lively mandarin ducks.
Inside the room were a pair of large red wedding candles, one with a phoenix spreading its wings and the other with a dragon coiling upwards. The patterns on the two red candles were so lifelike that they were as thick as a wrist. Judging from their appearance, they would burn all night without going out.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingzhao couldn't help but let his mind wander, thinking about their wedding night.
The scene of Yue Niang and him bathing in the river of love, tender and affectionate, with red candles flickering and red waves surging, made Xiao Jingzhao feel his blood surging. Everything in the bridal chamber was an eyesore, and he couldn't stay there for a moment longer.
Before Nangong Zeyue could agree, Xiao Jingzhao flashed forward, grabbed Nangong Zeyue's arm, and leaped toward the door.
Seeing that he was fast and his lightness skill was no less than her own, Nangong Zeyue wanted to break free from his grasp.
However, the opponent's strength was astonishing; those large hands were like iron claws, tightly binding his arms.
The door was suddenly pulled open from the inside, and two people rolled in.
"you……"
"Your Majesty, I did not mean to eavesdrop. I was just worried that the rebellious son would upset you."
Lin Miaoshou hurriedly got up from the ground and adjusted the imperial physician's hat on her head.
Hu Qing was pinned down by Lin Miaoshou, his knees on the ground. After Lin Miaoshou got up, he grimaced and crawled to his feet.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, I..."
Hu Qing looked up and met the Emperor's murderous gaze, so frightened that he couldn't even continue his lie.
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