Having lived for so long, this was the first time Ying had ever seen a man wake up and check his clothes like a woman. The relieved look on his face just now was a bit hard for Ying to understand.
Of course, Ying still had respect for the masters.
He clasped his hands in thanks to the other party and said, "I am very grateful to Young Master Yan for saving the princess today. However, it is a pity that I do not have any antidote on me, so I can only give you a simple bandage."
Xia Yixin looked at the man sitting upright in front of Zi Linglong, protecting her. She had seen several of Zi Linglong's harem members from the original story. Putting aside their appearances, she thought this man was the most pleasing to the eye because of his clear and resolute eyes.
Ying is a very loyal man; he has been by Zi Linglong's side protecting her since she was a child.
He was also the one who loved Zi Linglong the most in the original work. He loved her so much that he never confessed his feelings or slept with her until the very end, if it weren't for the need to cure Zi Linglong's poison.
Xia Yixin also clasped her hands in a fist salute to him. "She and I are friends, so saving her was just a small favor. The poison is a minor matter. What I'm worried about is that Crown Prince Rui won't let this go. When you return to the capital, you will definitely be surrounded and intercepted by him."
Ying frowned upon hearing this. "Thank you for the reminder, but..." He still felt that returning to the palace was the safest option.
Suddenly, Zi Linglong's soft, sweet voice broke in, "I don't want to go back to the palace."
"Master!" Ying frowned with worry, wanting to offer some advice.
Xia Yixin did understand Zi Linglong's thoughts to a little extent. At this moment, a series of system notifications suddenly sounded in her mind.
"Ding! Side quest completed: rescue female lead Zi Linglong and stop her from killing Crown Prince Rui. Reward: 200 points. Total points: -410!"
"Ding! Detected that the female lead Zi Linglong's affection for the male lead, the new emperor, has dropped below 20, the male supporting character, the Ninth Prince, has dropped below 10, and the Crown Prince Rui's affection has decreased to -100. There is no possibility of forming an NP ending. The host is automatically given a side quest for a harmonious ending—help the female lead establish correct values and achieve a 1v1 ending. Upon completion, the reward is 2000 points. This quest cannot be refused; failure to complete the quest will result in immediate elimination!"
"Ding! Side quest: Increase the female lead's affection level! Female lead's affection level is now 80%! Congratulations, host! Keep up the good work!"
Xia Yixin silently rubbed her forehead. "System, is it really okay for the female lead to change the main storyline?"
"No problem~ The main god will develop the plot according to reason. The biggest problem for the host is to make sure that the female lead is in a 1v1 relationship. Apart from the female lead's final good match, the female lead's affection level for other male supporting characters must be kept below 20! There are at least six left. Good luck, host!"
"..." She felt utterly exhausted and disillusioned.
If you want Zi Linglong's favorability towards those male supporting characters to be below 20 in the later stages, the best way is to avoid her meeting them, or beat them up as soon as you see them. Xia Yixin felt like she was doing the job of raising a child.
On the other side, Zi Linglong forcefully persuaded Ying.
Zi Linglong certainly didn't want to go back to the palace. She had finally escaped with great difficulty, how could she possibly run back? She wished she could take advantage of this incident to disappear without a trace. She had had enough of being tied to the new emperor and the ninth prince, especially after seeing Crown Prince Rui's disgusting face yesterday, which made her even more afraid.
Since being reminded by Yan Jiu, she has gradually awakened her self-awareness and is no longer passively protected.
Zi Linglong persuaded Ying and looked at "Chu Jiu". When she saw "him" last night, she suddenly felt a sense of peace she had never felt before. After all, he was the only "fellow countryman" in this world. She herself did not think much about how strange this sense of peace was.
"Chu Jiu, where are you going next? Can we go together?" Zi Linglong asked expectantly.
Xia Yixin weighed the pros and cons and knew that it would be more convenient to be with the female lead in order to complete the mission of great harmony, but she was still worried about Chu Mubai.
She shook her head. "I have other things to do. You can't come with me, and you can't stay here for long. You'd better leave as soon as possible after I leave. I'll come find you after I'm done."
After Xia Yixin finished speaking, she picked up the Shangxie Man and leaped out of the cave.
"Yan Jiu!" Zi Linglong was a beat too slow, only able to see the figure disappear into the morning light. She murmured involuntarily, feeling wronged, "Why is it like this again? That bastard."
Ying had followed Zi Linglong for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen her with such an expression. He unconsciously felt a sense of crisis towards the man named Yan Jiu. He vaguely felt that Zi Linglong trusted him too much... even more than she trusted him.
His eyes darkened slightly as he scooped up Zi Linglong in his arms. "Master, please forgive me. We need to leave here immediately."
On the other side.
When Xia Yixin returned to the capital, the city was already in chaos.
The new emperor discovered that Zi Linglong had been switched and flew into a rage. Last night, he led his men into the Ninth Prince's mansion. The two men fought to a standstill. It was only after the Imperial Guards, who were searching, discovered the wreckage of a carriage dozens of kilometers outside the city and the Beiming assassin killed by Xia Yixin that they realized they had been tricked.
The new emperor and the Ninth Prince were both furious, especially since Crown Prince Rui had brazenly sent a letter stating that Princess Zi Linglong was in his hands and that the new emperor wanted to redeem her by offering ten cities in exchange.
The new emperor actually announced during the morning court session that he would exchange ten cities for it!
The streets and alleys were filled with the hushed whispers and sighs of the people.
"Has His Majesty been bewitched? He's willing to exchange ten cities for a woman!"
"That's right, Your Majesty has been doing some really stupid things lately. First, you ruined Young Master Chu's good marriage by giving him two concubines. Now look at you, you're giving up the country for a beauty!"
"Foolish, foolish!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
