Chapter 44
Ling Huanchen knew very well about the cousins who came to visit from Xiancheng. Neither of them was easy to deal with.
In the previous life, Xiancheng's visit actually took place several years later. It not only brought a series of disasters, but also indirectly laid the foundation for the estrangement between Xiancheng and Youcheng. When Mingcheng attacked Youcheng, Xiancheng took advantage of the situation and secretly joined forces with it, making Youcheng attacked from all sides.
Before being sent to the Youcheng Palace, Xiancheng had sent people to the mermaid tribe and brought a lot of tributes, but failed to get a mermaid. The reason was that at that time, there was no mermaid of the right age in the mermaid royal family, or even in the clan.
He had heard from his attendants that a visitor from Xiancheng had seen his portrait and specifically requested him as tribute. However, the Mermaid King, determined to curry favor with Youcheng, refused Xiancheng's request. He only managed to appease the visitor's discontent by paying him several times more coral and pearls.
Later, when an envoy from Xiancheng arrived at Youcheng, Ling Huanchen personally confirmed this from the prince himself. It turned out that it was this prince from Xiancheng who had originally chosen the portrait. In other words, he had nearly been sent to Xiancheng. His fate was entirely beyond his control, determined solely by the whim of his father, the king.
Ling Huanchen put on his inner clothes and casually grabbed a cloak and draped it over his shoulders. "Xiao Qi, let's pack everything up."
After hearing the order, Xiao Qi walked in. At this time, Ling Huanchen was already sitting beside the bed, with a distant look in his eyes, as if he was in a trance.
"Master, why don't you bathe a little longer? There's plenty of hot water."
Ling Huanchen really didn't want to move any more, so he leaned against the headboard. He had been tossing and turning for half the night before, and although he knew it would be a bit tiring, he hadn't expected to be so exhausted that he didn't want to move.
Seeing this, Xiao Qi hurried forward to cover him with the quilt. "Winter is coming soon, master, be careful not to catch a cold. Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to ask the imperial physician to come and see you?"
"No problem, don't bother the doctor. Just get me a collection of poems."
Since there are envoys here today, Yu Xi will probably not come back too early. Maybe there will be a banquet in the palace. It would be considered early if she can come back at night.
"Master, please drink the ginseng soup." Xiao Qi stood by the bed, holding a porcelain bowl in his hand, stretching his neck and waiting.
Ling Huanchen turned a page of the poetry collection and said, "Put it down. I'll drink it later."
"I've put it aside for you. Remember to drink it while it's hot." Xiao Qi looked back every few steps, afraid that Ling Huanchen had forgotten, and repeated it in a low voice.
I don’t know if it’s because I consumed too much energy last night, but Ling Huanchen never feels sleepy when reading during the day. But at this moment, he can’t open his eyes anymore, and he doesn’t know which book he is reading.
Suddenly, the poetry collection slipped from his hands. Ling Huanchen woke up suddenly. When he opened his eyes, he saw Yu Xi sitting beside the bed, catching the fallen poetry collection and putting it back beside the pillow.
"The King has returned."
He struggled to get up, but was held down by Yu Xi.
"If you're tired, take a nap." Yu Xi touched Ling Huanchen's forehead, "The ginseng soup is hot, don't get up, I'll feed you."
Ling Huanchen hadn't eaten since he woke up. He didn't notice it just now, but now the aroma of the ginseng soup aroused his appetite, and he obediently let Yu Xi feed him.
"Blame me for being so reckless last night."
Ling Huanchen had just swallowed the last mouthful of ginseng soup when he heard these words and started choking and coughing.
Yu Xi hurriedly calmed him down, "Why did you choke? Was I feeding you too hastily?"
Ling Huanchen finally stopped coughing and glanced at him, "Your Majesty also knows the name Meng Lang."
I don’t know how many times this person said it was the last time last night, it doesn’t count.
Speaking of last night, Yu Xi pursed her lips, savoring the memory for a moment, then quickly said seriously, "I promise Huanchen that from now on, if I say it's the last time, it will definitely be the last time."
Ling Huanchen really wanted to cover this man's mouth so that he could not say such inappropriate words anymore. However, as soon as he raised his arm, it moved somewhere else, so he had to support his waist instead.
"Huanchen, is your back hurting?"
Ling Huanchen pursed his lips in silence, the answer already obvious. Yu Xi's large hands suddenly covered him, gently massaging him.
Yu Xilai pressed with much more force than he did himself.
Ling Huanchen felt a little better and changed the subject, "I heard that Xiancheng sent the princess here to marry Zhao'er."
"Xiancheng has this intention, and Zhao'er has indeed reached the age of marriage. It is common sense for him to marry a princess."
Ling Huanchen raised his eyes and jokingly said, "Your Majesty's harem has been empty for seven years. Why is it that when it comes to Zhao'er, it becomes a matter of marriage?"
Hearing her little mermaid teasing her, Yu Xi stopped massaging and climbed onto the couch, lying next to her. "I left the harem vacant for seven years, so that one day I could welcome my beloved into the palace and stay by your side. Someone once said, 'I wish to always be by your side,' and I remember it clearly."
Ling Huanchen was caught off guard and couldn't help but laugh, "So, Your Majesty is really going to agree to this marriage?"
"There's no rush. I'll still listen to Zhao'er's opinion on this matter. If he's willing, I'll agree. If not, we can discuss it later." Yu Xi leaned over, hugged him, and touched their foreheads. His gaze gradually turned distant. "In fact, in my eyes, Zhao'er is still the same as before. He was a young boy who only knew how to follow me around, calling me brother, and was naughty on weekdays. When he was caught, he would droop his head and say a lot of nice things to beg for my forgiveness. I never thought that in the blink of an eye, we'd already reached the age of marriage. Maybe soon, Xian'er will grow up this much too."
It was the first time that Ling Huanchen felt Yu Xi's fatherly attitude.
"By then, you and I will both be elderly people."
Yu Xi took his hand and intertwined their fingers. "Then I will abdicate and let the wise take over, and we will go out together to explore the mountains and rivers."
Inspired by Yu Xi's imagination, Ling Huanchen couldn't help but imagine their lives when they were old.
If you want to live a carefree life in the future, you must solve the current troubles one by one.
As soon as the news of the marriage was released, Yu Zhao rushed into the palace within a few days. His first target was not Yu Xi, but Ling Huanchen.
Xiao Qi was serving in the pavilion and had already poured Yu Zhao the third cup of tea, but Yu Zhao still couldn't stop crying.
"Sister-in-law, you must help me. I don't want to marry someone else. Who wants to marry the Princess of Xiancheng? Whoever wants to marry her can marry her. Anyway, I won't marry her."
Seeing the person opposite him crying, Ling Huanchen had never realized that Yu Zhao could cry so much.
"Your brother has always loved you. As long as you explain it to him clearly, he won't force you."
Yu Zhao snorted softly, "You don't know, Wang's wife, but today my brother specifically asked me to discuss the marriage and asked me to think it over carefully. His expression was exactly the same as when he tested me on my homework, very serious."
Ling Huanchen knew that no matter how much Yu Xi doted on Yu Zhao, he still had the airs of a prince, so it was no wonder that Yu Zhao felt uneasy.
"Even though they said they were considering it, it's not certain," Ling Huanchen consoled him. "Your Majesty has already told me that if you don't want to, I won't force you."
Yu Zhao wiped away his tears upon hearing this. "Really? Did my brother really say that?"
Ling Huanchen looked at him with a smile, "When have I ever lied to you?"
Tears came quickly and disappeared quickly. Yu Zhao immediately wiped away the tears and put on a smile, "Wang's wife, you are so kind. This is what I have been waiting for!"
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the distance. Ling Huanchen looked up and saw the guards stopping a beautiful woman. That woman was none other than Lin Ran, the Princess of Xiancheng.
"Please let me in. I have something to see your Highness."
The guards stood firm and refused to let them in. "The king has ordered that no one is allowed to enter without the permission of the king and His Highness."
Lin Ran lifted her skirt and walked back and forth three times in front of the guards. "Do you know who I am? I am the princess from Xiancheng! I am not an outsider!"
"Not even the princess, not anyone else."
Lin Ran stamped her feet in frustration, "You guys!"
"Let her in."
Seeing Ling Huanchen instructing Xiao Qi, Yu Zhao hurried to stop him, "Sister Wang, why did you let her in?"
Ling Huanchen smiled and said, "Be patient, we will meet sooner or later."
After Lin Ran was let in, she first saluted the two of them very politely, completely different from the way she had been during the noise just now.
"Your Highness, please judge for me. What is the prince dissatisfied with me that he avoids me as soon as he sees me once?" As she spoke, Lin Ran raised her hand and gently wiped away her tears. Her eyes were full of pity.
One by one, they came to him to cry and complain.
Ling Huanchen didn't ask anyone to take a seat, but simply said, "The princess is outstandingly beautiful and comes from a wealthy family, so naturally it's a good thing. However, this forced marriage is not sweet. There are many young men of both virtue and talent in Youcheng. The princess may wish to choose another good husband."
Lin Ran sighed softly, "Since His Highness has said so, I can't bother the Prince any more. However, the matter of choosing another good son-in-law still needs to be considered in the long run."
"The princess is so sensible. It's Zhao'er who doesn't have this blessing."
The conversation was just for show, but Ling Huanchen knew in her heart that she had other intentions, so of course she agreed readily.
"What blessing?"
Hearing the voice, everyone turned around and bowed in greeting.
Yu Xi had a snow-forged cloak draped over his arm. He walked past the crowd and approached Ling Huanchen, raising his arms to put them around him. "The weather is getting colder and colder. Why are you still wearing such thin clothes when going out?" As he spoke, he tightened Ling Huanchen's collar.
Ling Huanchen lowered his head and smiled faintly, "I was careless and forgot the time."
In the past, when he was in the mermaid tribe, the palace was cold all year round. Now here, there are four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, with alternating cold and hot, and the seasons alone are much richer.
"Lin Ran pays respect to His Majesty."
Yu Xi then noticed that Princess Xiancheng was also there, "Princess, regarding the marriage..."
Lin Ran said hurriedly, "Your Highness has already told me about the marriage. I understand that a forced marriage is not a happy one, and I agree to find another good husband."
Yu Xi brushed the fallen leaves off Ling Huanchen's hair and said casually, "It's great that the princess can understand."
Ever since Yu Xi showed up, Lin Ran's eyes have never left him, and Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious.
The appearance of King Youcheng was completely different from the rumors she had heard. This King Youcheng looked handsome, gentle and kind to others, and was nothing like the King of Hell as rumored.
It would be even better if this tenderness was directed towards her.
The author has something to say:
Thank you "Jiuzixuli" and "Dawujianhunhun" for the nutrient solution encouragement!
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