bookrandom Chapter 167 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (45)
Chapter 167 The Useless Prince's Power Seizure (45)
The two of them once again arrived at the secret chamber beneath the Gui Palace.
Of course, before this, Jingli had used the same trick again. Once you've done it before, you're used to it. Now, when Yu An sees Jingli's supernatural abilities, he is not as surprised as before.
This time, the secret room wasn't covered in dust like before; it had clearly been cleaned and was furnished with tables, chairs, and teacups.
Jingli didn't care much about these details. She pulled Yu An to sit down and said directly, "The Emperor and my mother are preparing for my wedding."
Even with the mask on, Yu An's expression still faltered for a moment.
The counterfeit system once again issued a notification about the fluctuation of the blackening value, along with an increase in favorability.
Jingli, unfazed, continued, "I don't want to get married. Don't distance yourself from me because of this."
A brief vacuum seemed to exist between the two, and Jingli could only see the disbelief in Yu An's pupils.
"Your Highness... how could Xiao An..."
Jingli didn't know how to explain it for a moment. After all, Yu An's feelings were all carefully hidden in his heart. All that Jingli knew came from the counterfeit system.
He forced himself to ask, "Won't you? If I get married, are you really sure you won't distance yourself from me?"
Yu An remained silent.
He simply couldn't answer that question.
He didn't even dare to think about it.
If one day Jingli were to marry a woman, he might actually do something irrational.
"See, I knew it, that's why I told you in advance."
Jingli held Yu An's hands in her hands, her expression very serious.
“I don’t want this to cause any rift between us, but the time isn’t right yet. All I can do is postpone it. But I want you to know that this is not what I want.”
Yu An awkwardly tried to pull his hand away, but didn't pull it back: "Your Highness doesn't need to say these things to me. I have no way of controlling what Your Highness wants to do."
Jingli raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so?"
Yu An nodded.
Jingli released his hand: "Never mind, I thought Xiao An thought the same as me, it seems I was just being presumptuous."
Yu An was taken aback: "Your Highness?"
Jingli ignored him and turned to leave: "That's all I have to say. If there's really no room for negotiation on this matter of marriage, you'd better do as you said today."
After saying that, he left without paying any attention to Yu An, leaving Yu An standing there in a daze.
What exactly is Your Highness's intention today?
Could it be that His Highness shares the same sentiment as him?
The idea was suppressed by Yu An as soon as it arose.
It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he lacks confidence.
His Highness has treated him so well; this is already the height of benevolence and righteousness.
In his current state, how could he dare to hope for more?
Such a prince is unworthy.
Although, he couldn't think of anyone who could be worthy of him.
Perhaps only someone like His Highness, a god-like being, could achieve this.
In the system, Jingli is synchronizing the situation with 6058.
[Jingli: Mother really did mention the marriage. It seems she's been planning this for a while; it shouldn't be happening so soon.]
[Jingli: Oh right, she called Jingjing in.]
6058 is clear in my mind.
He had grasped this point much earlier than Jingli and was well-prepared, so he explained to Jingli what a head palace maid was, Jingjing's identity, and Langyue's possible arrangements.
[6058: Don't worry, even if you can't avoid this, the hallucinogenic card can help you cover it up. This world doesn't see a woman's reputation clearly; you and Yu An shouldn't waste that girl's time.]
Jingli thought so too.
The inexplicable entanglement between him and Yu An shouldn't have affected Jingjing's entire life.
6058, as if struck by a thought, then said earnestly:
[Jingjing entered the palace at the age of ten, and since then, she has revolved around you in everything she does. Lady Langyue must have spoken to her about something beforehand; she was aware of her fate.]
6058 paused.
[Before, you weren't quite there yet, and things hadn't reached this point, so I didn't explain in detail. Now that things have come to this, you and Yu Anzhi are just one step away from getting to know each other. As for Jingjing, you should also reveal some things to her, so that she can stop the damage before she really falls in love.]
This layer was something Jingli hadn't expected.
Since he came into this world, his heart has been almost entirely devoted to the shadows and Yu An.
To her, Jingjing was more like an older sister than a palace maid.
He had never considered what the future would hold if Jingjing had truly fallen for him.
Jingli said seriously, "Mommy, I know."
6058 nodded with satisfaction: "Actually, from this perspective, the sooner Langyue's arrangements are implemented, the more beneficial it will be for Jingjing. At least, she can take advantage of her youth to think about what she wants for her future."
The two fell silent for a moment.
6058 then asked: [What about Yu An? What was his reaction today?]
Just thinking about this scene makes me angry.
[Jingli: Hmph, what did he actually say! "It's beyond my control! Look at his favorability rating! How could he say something like that while saying one thing and meaning another!"]
6058 laughed.
It's not entirely Yu An's fault. In this world, homosexuality does exist, but it's mostly something that can't be openly discussed.
Even if Jingli were to directly express his feelings, given Yu An's cautious nature in this world, he would likely remain suspicious for some time.
As the saying goes, the time is not right, and you can't rush it.
After that day, it is unknown how Langyue spoke to the emperor, but the matter of Jingli's marriage was temporarily put aside.
Jingli also began to pay attention to her relationship with Jingjing, and would occasionally tell her about the outside world.
Yu An didn't show any outward signs of this, but his "darkening" level fluctuated wildly.
After some time, winter came again.
On another day of heavy snow, Jingli still ordered the small kitchen to make a bowl of longevity noodles and personally delivered it to Yu An's current residence in the East Palace.
The scene is recreated, but the little round dumplings in the picture are no longer the same as before.
His baby fat has lessened, but his features are becoming more defined.
His skin was as white as snow, and he wore a rabbit fur hat, gradually merging with the white-haired boy in Yu An's dream.
As the dream and reality overlapped, Yu An felt his heartbeat gradually spiral out of control.
Aren't you going to invite me in?
Yu An's throat was dry, and he quickly ushered Jing Li inside: "Your Highness..."
Jingli felt relieved by his call and opened the food box. The noodles smelled delicious, just like they had several years ago.
Happy birthday, Xiao An.
After Jingli finished speaking, she pulled Yu An over and said, "Eat quickly, it will get cold soon."
Yu An obediently did as he was told. He did need to find something to do, and looking at His Highness, he was afraid he might offend him.
The place where the bodyguards lived in the East Palace was much better than the small huts they had stayed in before. With a charcoal brazier lit, it wasn't too cold.
Jingli also saw the hand warmer she had given Yu'an in the bedding. Although it wasn't burning, it still made Jingli happy.
Thinking of his unfulfilled wish, he said to Yu An, "Let's go horseback riding after spring."
Yu An's mouth was full of noodles. He wanted to answer Jing Li, but he swallowed them hastily and almost choked. He covered his mouth and coughed for a long time.
Jingli had no choice but to step forward and pat his back, then handed him a glass of water.
Yu An panicked even more, forcibly suppressing the itch in his throat, and wanted to kneel down again:
"Your Highness is too kind to Xiao An..."
Yu An did not kneel down. Jing Li, who was already beside him, leaned forward and supported him.