Chapter 56 My Affair Revealed: My Only Wish in This Life is to Marry His Highness
Yuan Yan raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance: "As the elder sister, it is my duty to teach my ignorant younger sister a lesson. What is there to say about whether it's acceptable or not? I don't quite understand what you mean by that, Third Sister."
"Yuan Yan!"
Seeing that Yuan Xiao was so angry that he almost lost his temper and took action, the Crown Prince, who was a step behind, finally arrived.
"Yi'er, what happened?"
When the eldest prince saw Yuan Xiao in front and Yuan Yan protecting Yang Lingyi, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
"Father, the Third Prince insisted on inviting me out of the manor, but I refused, and he kept pestering me. It was Prince Qin who protected me..."
As soon as Yang Lingyi saw the eldest prince arrive, she immediately complained to her father, revealing all the things Yuan Xiao had done, and also made sure to say some good things about Yuan Yan.
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince immediately understood what was going on. Seeing the tense standoff between Yuan Yan and Yuan Xiao, he stepped forward.
“Your Highness, my son has been helping me with household affairs these days and is probably quite busy. I thank you for your kindness on my behalf.”
Although the eldest prince was displeased, he showed no sign of it on his face and first calmed down the agitated Yuan Xiao.
"Hmph, Yuan Yan, you wait... If it weren't for your uncle's sake, this matter wouldn't have passed so easily today."
Yuan Xiao, having lost face, couldn't stay any longer. He angrily snorted and turned to leave.
After she left, the Crown Prince's expression softened, and he thanked Yuan Yan, "Your Highness Prince Qin, thank you for your help earlier. I am very grateful."
“Uncle, you flatter me. I only stepped in to stop my third sister from treating my cousin like that. I hope you won’t blame me for meddling,” Yuan Yan said.
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince's impression of Yuan Yan improved even more. After exchanging a few more words with Yuan Yan, he personally invited him to a banquet at his residence the day after tomorrow.
"Since my imperial uncle has invited me, how could I refuse?"
As Yuan Yan spoke, his eyes met those of Yang Lingyi, who was standing beside the eldest prince, and her expression immediately softened.
See you another day.
As the eldest prince turned around, Yuan Yan mouthed a silent farewell to Yang Lingyi.
"Mmm." Yang Lingyi's eyes blinked, both happy and afraid of being seen by her father. She gave a soft "Mmm," her heart filled with sweetness, as if it had been filled with honey.
After returning home, Yang Lingyi told Jinshu about what had happened at the banquet that day.
"What?" Jinshu's reaction was even more extreme than Yang Lingyi's.
"Young master, are you saying that Lady Lin is His Highness Prince Qin? This, how is this possible..." He simply couldn't believe it.
The news that the wild woman the young master had met was actually the current King of Qin left Jinshu in a daze for a long time.
However, on second thought, this might be a good thing. After all, the King of Qin is of higher status than a merchant, and perhaps the eldest prince wouldn't object too much to him being with the prince?
I wonder if you, young master, will have the luck to marry the one you love. Jinshu was filled with anxiety.
...
After Yuan Yan returned, the system asked her.
[Host, when do you plan to propose to Yang Lingyi?]
Yuan Yan naturally wanted to marry his beloved as soon as possible. However, Yang Lingyi's current status made things somewhat difficult. She couldn't make the decision alone; she had to first appease the eldest prince and the Empress Dowager.
"It'll be soon. I won't keep Yi'er waiting for me for too long." Yuan Yan had a faint smile on her face. She, who used to argue with the system after only a few words, was much more talkative today.
The pungent smell of romance emanating from him was impossible to mask; it practically suffocated the system.
【Eek~~】The system cuts her off.
...
On the day the eldest prince held his banquet, Yuan Yan deliberately arrived well in advance to visit him.
"Second Prince." The eldest prince was surprised that Yuan Yan had arrived so early, but after hearing the servant's report, he still personally greeted her in front of the mansion.
"Uncle, please go ahead with your business. There's no need to rush to entertain me. I'll just sit here for a while," Yuan Yan said.
Of course, there was a reason why she arrived early on purpose.
Sure enough, when the young master of the Changhuang Manor learned that Yuan Yan was here, he, who was originally feeding the fish out of boredom, immediately dropped the bait and walked outside.
They were moving so fast that even the male servants chasing after them couldn't catch up.
"Sister Yan!" Yang Lingyi, like a bird returning to its nest, saw Yuan Yan from afar and ran straight towards her.
Yuan Yan reached out and caught him, embracing the warm, soft body in his arms.
Amidst the surprised expressions of Xue Lang and the others, Yuan Yan raised his head without changing his expression and said, "You may all leave now."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Upon hearing the sound, Yang Lingyi belatedly realized that there were Yuan Yan's subordinates nearby, and that her actions had been seen by others. She immediately blushed with embarrassment.
She wanted to bury her head in Yuan Yan's arms and not come out, but Yuan Yan gently pinched the soft flesh on her face.
"Yi'er, someone's coming from behind."
Upon hearing this, Yang Lingyi had no choice but to stand up. Before the male servants arrived, she distanced herself from Yuan Yan and resumed the proper demeanor of a well-bred young lady.
"What has Yi'er been doing in the manor these past two days?" Yuan Yan asked him.
"Reading books, feeding fish, practicing calligraphy..."
Yang Lingyi hesitated towards the end of her sentence.
Yesterday around noon.
He started writing Zhang Da's works on the unfolded paper, but as he wrote, his pen slowed down, his thoughts wandered, and his mind was filled with images of his time with Yuan Yan.
When they came to their senses, they found that the entire sheet of paper was filled with Yuan Yan's name.
"Sister Yan..."
Yang Lingyi couldn't continue speaking. Looking into Yuan Yan's smiling eyes, she felt that her sister Yan had seen through her completely.
Sister Yan must have guessed what foolish thing he did...
Yang Lingyi was overcome with shyness and couldn't bear to look at her like that. Yet she couldn't bear to look away, and now even her neck was flushed a light pink.
"Anything else?" Yuan Yan asked with a smile.
"there is none left……"
Yang Lingyi shook his head, refusing to say anything more. Just then, some guests arrived, rescuing Yang Lingyi and giving him a real sense of relief.
With more people around, it became inconvenient for Yang Lingyi to speak with Yuan Yan anymore.
Finally, the banquet began. Yang Lingyi sat next to the eldest prince, while Yuan Yan sat at the head of the women's seats on the other side.
Although the two did not speak to each other at the table, the affectionate look in their eyes was unmistakable.
In particular, Yang Lingyi would often secretly glance in Yuan Yan's direction.
Although he thought he had concealed it well, how could these little tricks hide them from his own father?
When the eldest prince first saw it, he thought he was just imagining things.
Upon closer observation, it was discovered that Yang Lingyi's gaze was fixed on Yuan Yan. Even when the young master spoke to her, Yang Lingyi initially did not hear him.
As someone who had been through similar experiences, the eldest prince understood perfectly well what was going on.
After his initial surprise, he immediately suppressed his emotions, calmly summoned his servants, and ended the banquet ahead of schedule.
Yuan Yan sensed that the banquet had ended abruptly and vaguely noticed something was amiss.
She asked someone to take her to see the eldest prince, but was told by a servant that the eldest prince had ended the banquet due to illness and was currently resting and would not be receiving guests.
...
After the guests had all left, the eldest prince dismissed the servants and summoned Yang Lingyi alone.
"Yi'er, your father is asking you, what is the matter between you and the King of Qin?"
He immediately pointed out Yang Lingyi's secret, trying to catch her off guard.
"Father, you know?" Yang Lingyi was somewhat surprised, not even realizing that she had given herself away at the banquet, and thought that the eldest prince had found out from somewhere else.
Knowing that she would have to tell her father about this sooner or later, Yang Lingyi said frankly, "Your Highness and I share the same interests and have mutual affection."
Seeing his expression, the eldest prince knew that Yang Lingyi was completely infatuated, and his heart sank even further.
"When did this start?"
Yang Lingyi recounted the day they first met in the suburbs, and the eldest prince immediately recalled it.
The two had been in contact since then, which explains why Yi'er's expression was somewhat off in the palace that day.
"Yi'er, tell your father honestly, have you two done anything improper?"
"father……"
Yang Lingyi was surprised that the eldest prince would ask such a question, and her eyes showed surprise. She then solemnly replied, "Your Highness and I were only in love and kept within the bounds of propriety. We did not overstep any boundaries."
“Your Highness and I met by chance, and we did not know each other’s identities before. Only after spending time together did I realize that we share the same interests and are compatible with each other… I truly love Your Highness.”
"I've never asked anything of my father since I was a child, but I want to be willful this once in my life when it comes to my marriage. Please, father, grant my wish!" Yang Lingyi knelt down, pleading in her voice.
"Yi'er, you're confused. Does it matter if your father approves?"
"His Majesty has been delaying in choosing a Crown Princess, intending to allow the princesses to compete among themselves, in order to balance the power in the court."
"Think about it carefully. Under these circumstances, with your mother guarding Yanzhou and commanding a large army, how could the Emperor possibly want to see you marry the Prince of Qin and disrupt the situation?"
"Aren't you usually quite clever? How come you've become so muddled about such a critical matter? As long as you don't get involved in the royal succession, your father can guarantee you a life of wealth and honor. Why do you have to step into this quagmire yourself!"
"Getting involved will not only bring no benefits, but if anything goes wrong, it will also implicate my parents and bring disaster to the whole clan."
The eldest prince's tone grew increasingly stern as he questioned him, "Yi'er, is this the situation you wanted to see?"
"I..." Yang Lingyi knew that his father was right, but his heart already belonged to Sister Yan. If he were to give up marrying someone else, he would probably be trapped in pain for the rest of his life.
"Father, your unfilial daughter only wishes to marry the King of Qin in this life..."
Yang Lingyi did not answer the eldest prince's question, but only knelt down and begged, as if she had made up her mind.
The eldest prince was both anxious and angry. Seeing that Yang Lingyi wouldn't listen to anything he said, he even took a bamboo ruler and tapped Yang Lingyi's palm, hoping to bring him to his senses.
Even so, Yang Lingyi silently endured it, her forehead beaded with sweat, but she refused to give in.
Looking at his swollen palms, the Emperor felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he knew that if he didn't dissuade Yang Lingyi from her idea, it would only bring greater trouble in the future.
"Yi'er promises her father that she will never see the King of Qin again."
Yang Lingyi appeared gentle but was actually stubborn. "Father, please forgive Yi'er... There's something I really can't promise..."
Finally, having exhausted all other options, the eldest prince had no choice but to confine him in the courtyard and forbid him from leaving the mansion.
"Guards, keep a close watch on the young master... From this day forward, he is not allowed to leave the room even for a moment!"
The eldest prince removed all the male servants from Yang Lingyi's original courtyard and replaced them with his own men, keeping a close watch on her.
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