Chapter 28 - Irreplaceable

ff his outer robe.Yun Qianyue turned away, feeling extremely regretful. She wished she had insisted on kicking this bastard out or slept in the next room instead. If either of those happened, such an...Chapter 28: No One But Me

Yun Qianyue was startled, watching him sulk as he lowered his head. She should have dodged but was instead stunned by what he had said.

Five years ago she had made him drink so many women's blood. How could he say something like that

A sharp pain shot through her hand, making her jump and try to pull back. But Gu Shaoqing grabbed onto it tightly. She looked down and saw a head intent on doing one thing—biting her. She frowned as something flashed in her mind. She was initially stunned but now she was confused.

Five years ago...

It seemed like there was something she had forgotten about five years ago...

Because the matter was so trivial it didn't stir a speck of dust in her memory...

The pain from her hand kept jolting her brain. Yun Qianyue watched Gu Shaoqing's lowered head. The young man in front of her wore brocade robes and jade belts, looking fair and handsome, with an aura hinting at a military background. Though he was thin, his strength was not lacking even a bit, and the difference between him now and the emaciated boy she had saved from death five years ago in a marshland was as vast as heaven and earth. She couldn't find any trace of familiarity.

Gu Shaoqing suddenly raised his head.

Yun Qianyue stared at him. His fair face was now marred by fresh blood, giving him an extra touch of charm. She didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Yun Qianyue, don’t tell me you don’t recognize me or have forgotten me!" Gu Shaoqing’s expression instantly turned cold.

Yun Qianyue tugged at the corner of her mouth. "So that little boy in the marshland was you."

The color on Gu Shaoqing's face lightened slightly as he stared into her eyes, his gaze intense. "You recognized me"

"Men really do change a lot!" Yun Qianyue exclaimed.

"It’s good you remember me. If I hadn’t used this method to remind you, would you have forgotten me completely" Gu Shaoqing released her hand and wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, saying resentfully, "I thought your blood was special. It turns out it's just as unpleasant."

Yun Qianyue was instantly furious upon hearing this. She looked down at her hand, seeing a clear tooth mark on her backhand, bloody and deep. She fumed, "Back then I didn’t ask for your name; you didn't tell me yours either. How could I know who you are Back then you were a dirty little mud boy. Look in the mirror now—what do you look like now There's nothing strange about not recognizing you!"

Gu Shaoqing’s expression turned stiff.

Yun Qianyue continued, "Back then you almost died; I saved you out of kindness. Now you blame me instead! Back then I should have left you..."

"Left me where Left you to die and ignore me" Gu Shaoqing interrupted.

Yun Qianyue was speechless for a moment.

Five years ago, it was winter. She had gone to Heavenly Snow Mountain to see Rong Feng and discussed cold poison with the elder there. The elder told her that a red pangolin could be used as medicine against the poison. Such a pangolin only existed in the wetlands of Border Cliff Ridge at the border between Southern Liang and Northern Jiqi, so she had gone there. At the time, the border was troubled by an uprising led by one of Southern Liang's feudal lords; troops were sent to quell it. The chaos was great, with corpses everywhere. She had managed to cross through the battlefield thanks to her small size, but while avoiding and dodging around, she ended up in a marshland where there too were dead bodies. Looking down at the ground, she saw a hand move slightly. It turned out that the hand belonged to a boy roughly her age, though he was covered in blood and dirt, making it hard to tell his features. She wondered why his hand would still be moving if he were already dead. Could he still be alive So she squatted down beside him to check his pulse; thanks to what she had learned from the elder's medical skills, she found that he was indeed still breathing and thus not yet dead. Since there was no hope for a cure with her medical knowledge but failing to help would mean death in a few days, she gave him the antidote manual she had accidentally obtained after reviving him. The武功manual described exercises that went against nature's laws and could be considered evil arts, but using poison against poison might save his life. At the time she was in a hurry because she needed to get back for her birthday before the emperor found out; otherwise, it would cause trouble. So naturally she couldn't take him with her, so after seeing that he had no immediate danger of death, she secretly sent him back to South Frontier's military camp and left hurriedly.

She knew Gu Shaoqing became a general at ten years old but never imagined it was this boy she saved

"Nothing more to say" asked Gu Shaoqing.

"Who said I abandoned you You were wearing Southern Liang soldiers' clothes, so didn't I send you back to the military camp of Southern Liang" Yun Qianyue glared at him. "If I hadn’t saved you then, where would you be now to bite me Really heartless!"

Gu Shaoqing frowned. "What kind of book did you give me that has me going berserk every full moon night"

Yun Qianyue's氣勢dwindled before she glared again, "Back then the poison had entered your body and was killing you; I could only treat the symptoms but not cure the root cause. The skills in that book were just right to let you resist the poison using it. If you didn’t die from the poison, at least you wouldn't have died. As for any consequences it might bring, how would I know Besides, going berserk is better than dying, isn’t it

When Gu Shaoqing heard this, he fell silent.

Yun Qianyue was infuriated. She waved the bleeding hand that had been bitten before him, "Look at what you did! I got injured trying to save your life but now that you've become a general, you're repaying me for my kindness with bites."

Gu Shaoqing's body stiffened and he turned his face away awkwardly.

Humphing in disdain, Yun Qianyue looked at her bleeding hand. What kind of karma was this People always say that good deeds bring good rewards, but why wasn't she getting any She had pulled Feng Jin out from a pile of dead bodies back then, yet the guy would scowl and glare whenever he was displeased with her now. This fellow in front of her could be considered to have been saved by her from a pile of corpses as well; upon seeing her, he bit her without even saying hello. Who had she offended Seeing Gu Shaoqing standing before her like a wooden stake and looking away from her, she didn't feel like arguing anymore and walked past him.

Gu Shaoqing suddenly reached out to grab her.

"What now Aren't you done biting" Yun Qianyue asked with a frown.

Gu Shaoqing was embarrassed and awkward. He avoided looking at her and lowered his eyelashes, speaking softly, "I'll treat your wound."

"Thanks General Gu, but I don't dare to accept it," Yun Qianyue said as she forcefully shook off his hand and walked away. "If you suddenly remember that you owe me a debt of gratitude and bite again, my hand will be ruined."

Gu Shaoqing's face turned pale as he watched her walk away. After a moment, he followed after her.

"You'd better not follow me or I'll throw you into the lake," Yun Qianyue warned him.

"If that can help vent your anger, feel free to do it," Gu Shaoqing said quietly. "I know that if not for you, I would have died back then. But when His Majesty woke up and asked which one was Yun Qianyue, something inside me snapped and I just couldn't stop myself from biting."

So the reason he had exposed her identity was because of Southern Liang Prince!

Back then, she had used every method to wake up Southern Liang Prince but it didn’t work. She remembered what her mother had said about how Uncle wanted to meet her and tried to use mental manipulation as a last resort. It worked, but unexpectedly, his uncle called out her name while there was also Gu Shaoqing present in the room. As a general who commanded 300,000 troops, he certainly wasn't an ordinary person and could be quite meticulous at times. There had been no one else in the inner palace back then; it wouldn’t have been surprising that her disguise would have failed to fool him.

Yun Qianyue turned around to look at Gu Shaoqing, who was bowing his head and looked nothing like the confident young man she had seen with Southern Lingrui earlier. He looked like a child who felt wronged by life. She was fuming but all her anger was blocked up inside her chest. She waved her hand dismissively, "Forget it. As long as you've learned your lesson, I won't hold this against you in the future, just don’t bite me anymore."

She didn't mention that he probably wouldn't be able to bite her again anyway since she was returning to Heavenly Capital in a few days.

Thinking of returning to Heavenly Capital made her think about Rong Jing and his teeth marks on the back of her hand. How was she going to explain this to him She immediately started to worry. Why had she been so stupid and let her guard down just because he said something

She rubbed at her temples, wondering if Southern Liang might have some excellent medicine for injuries.

"It won't happen again," Gu Shaoqing said in a low voice.

"Alright, you can stop following me then. Just looking at you makes my head hurt," Yun Qianyue waved her hand again and blood dripped down the back of it.

Gu Shaoqing stopped walking and softly said, "I'll bandage your wound for you. I have some high-grade medicine on me."

"Just give me the medicine; I’ll bandage it myself," Yun Qianyue turned her head to look at him behind.

Gu Shaoqing shook his head, "I'll bandage it for you."

"What's wrong with you Are you out of your mind I said that I’ll do it myself. Stay away from me," Yun Qianyue glared at Gu Shaoqing.

Gu Shaoqing pursed his lips, looking somewhat stubborn.

"Hand over the medicine and be quick about it! Otherwise I might get angry with you!" Yun Qianyue deliberately held out her bleeding hand.

Looking at her hand, Gu Shaoqing's gaze tightened. After a moment, he reached into his bosom to take out some medicine and handed it to her. Just as she was about to receive it from him, he pulled back and looked at her seriously, "I'll see you to Lingxiao Palace; otherwise you won't be able to find your way."

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes and said, "I can find it!"

"I deliberately led you here. Take a look around; all the palace halls are identical. Are you sure you can find Lingxiu Palace" Gu Shaqing spoke softly.

Yun Qianyue glanced at her surroundings and her face darkened slightly as she ground her teeth, "Guide me!"

Gu Shaqing seemed to smile a little before turning around and walking back the way they came.

Yun Qianyue followed behind him, feeling a headache coming on.

The two of them no longer spoke. Gu Shaqing led Yun Qianyue through twists and turns until after about half an incense stick’s worth of time, they arrived at one palace hall.

There was a young female attendant waiting anxiously outside the entrance. Upon seeing Gu Shaqing arrive, she hurried over to pay her respects. "Servant greets General Gu! A moment ago, someone from His Majesty's entourage came with a message that you would be bringing a lady here to stay at Lingxiu Palace. I've been waiting for a while now and was about to go look for you. You finally arrived."

Gu Shaqing nodded his head and glanced back at Yun Qianyue before walking in.

Yun Qianyue no longer had the heart to take in this palace hall. She followed him inside.

The young attendant sized up Yun Qianyue, then hurriedly said, "Servant has already instructed someone to tidy up the place for you, General. You need not come in; we will take care of everything here. As His Majesty’s message specified, I will certainly provide good care for this lady and won’t be negligent."

"Her hand… is injured. Go fetch a basin of water. After I have treated her wound with my medicine, I’ll leave," Gu Shaqing instructed.

This time when the attendant saw Yun Qianyue’s wounded hand, she was startled and looked at Gu Shaqing in understanding before hurriedly answering, "Servant will go right away."

Yun Qianyue thought that this young attendant must think that General Gu had gone berserk.

"Greetings to General Gu!" There were around ten people lined up outside the entrance, each bowing in unison to Gu Shaqing.

Gu Shaqing waved his hand and strode into the house. Yun Qianyue felt too lazy to shoo them away; she reckoned they wouldn’t leave anyway so she followed him inside.

The room was extremely exquisite and elegant, with pearl curtains and jade screens. There was a familiar aura about it.

Yun Qianyue carefully looked around and found the furnishings somewhat familiar as well; evidently, this room belonged to her mother.

The moment they entered the room, that young attendant had already fetched water for them. Everyone outside followed in a rush, intending to attend to their needs. Gu Shaqing waved his hand, and those outside stopped short. He rolled up his sleeves and looked at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue gave him a sideways glance, "Just how good is your medicine Can you guarantee that I won’t have any scars after several days"

The hand of Gu Shaqing paused for a moment. "About ten to fifteen days."

"There isn’t better medicine" Yun Qianyue asked.

Gu Shaqing shook his head, "This is the best medicine. Your wound… is quite deep; it won't be easy…"

"Alright then, tend to my injury," Yun Qianyue interrupted him, leaning sideways on a soft couch and placing her hand in the basin of water. She thought that since he had bitten her, letting him bandage her up made sense.

Gu Shaqing hurriedly squatted down.

The young attendant who had greeted them earlier opened her eyes wide in disbelief. She had obviously never seen General Gu attend to anyone this way and had certainly never seen a Gentleman Gu with his sharpness dissipated, looking like just any pretty youth instead.

Everyone attending within the Lingxiu Palace looked at each other strangely; their expressions were all quite new and unusual.

Yun Qianyue didn't bother to look at others' expressions and lazily nestled on the soft couch, closing her eyes. She felt her hand being washed clean, disinfected with alcohol, coated with cooling ointment, then wrapped up in gauze bandages. Thinking that it was already like this anyway, worrying about a headache wouldn't help either. If she hadn’t gone to the border of South Liang and North Qi’s Danyaling Cliff back then for Rong Jing's sake to find an antlered pangolin resistant to cold poison, she would never have encountered Gu Shaoxing there, nor saved him in the first place; now that she had been bitten by him, it all came down to him… Overcome with drowsiness, she fell asleep.

Gu Shaoxing’s body was still crouching when he stood up. Seeing Yun Qianyue already sleeping, he paused for a moment and then softly called out to her, "Hey, you… go sleep in your bed…"

The breathing of Yun Qianyue was even; she didn’t hear him.

Gu Shaoxing reached out as if wanting to wake her up, but before his hand touched her, he dropped it and frowned. Turning around, he instructed the palace maid, "You take her to rest in bed."

The palace maid hurriedly brought two people over with her, struggling to lift Yun Qianyue from the couch and carry her towards the bed.

"Be careful not to bump into her hand," Gu Shaoxing instructed.

The three of them carefully moved Yun Qianyue onto the bed and laid her down. The palace maid was about to help her take off her outer clothes, but seeing that Gu Shaohqing had no intention of leaving, she stopped her hands and turned around to look at him.

Gu Shaoxing seemed to realize that staying there wasn’t appropriate either; he instructed them again, "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her touch her hand."

"Yes!" The palace maid immediately responded.

Gu Shaohqing took a step and walked out of the palace gate.

The moment Gu Shaohqing left Lingxiu Palace, the maids, wet nurses, and young eunuchs inside began to gather together, speculating about Yun Qianyue’s identity. They also talked about how good Captain Gu had been to this woman, never having seen him speak so gently to anyone before. For a while they didn’t sleep, instead gathering in the corner to whisper amongst themselves.

An hour later, Nan Lingrui entered the Lingxiu Palace and saw the group of people gathered in the corner. His brows arched as he asked, "What are you all talking about"

"Prince Regent!" The group startled awake and simultaneously knelt on the ground.

Nan Lingrui seemed to be in a good mood; he walked over slowly without any hurry. He asked, “Did the lady just now fall asleep”

The group glanced at each other before an earlier palace maid responded, "Prince Regent, she’s sleeping."

Nan Lingrui nodded and inquired with interest, "What are you talking about so excitedly I heard someone say that this time Cuiwei Princess will be heartbroken. How is she heartbroken Tell me as the Prince."

The group fell silent collectively; no one dared to speak.

"Is her name Zhiru Speak up!" Nan Lingrui pointed at the palace maid and commanded, "Don’t deceive me. If there’s any deception, I will punish you."

Zhiru lifted her head to look at Nan Lingrui and reported softly, “Prince Regent, we saw Captain Gu escorting that lady back here and being very kind to her… speaking gently…”

Nan Lingrui raised his eyebrows.

Continuing, Zhiru said, "We’ve never seen Captain Gu treat any woman like this. So we guess he must have some feelings for her, you know that Princess Cuiwei likes Captain Gu but has always received a cold shoulder from him..."

Nan Lingrui made an impatient snort.

Zhiru immediately stopped talking.

"Why does there seem to be the smell of blood" Nan Lingrui suddenly frowned.

Zhiru hurriedly explained, "When that lady returned… Her hand was injured; Captain Gu bandaged it for her…"

Hearing this, Nan Lingrui’s face turned cold and he took a step towards the inside while asking, “How did she get an injury on her hand”

"Slave doesn't know..." Zhiyu whispered.

Nan Lingrui seemed to recall something and pushed open the door, striding into the room. The lamp in the room was still lit; he walked a few steps towards the bed and saw Yun Qianmo's hand hitting the bed frame, wrapped in cloth. He reached out and tore off the cloth, revealing clear bite marks on her skin. His anger flared up instantly as he shouted, "Gu Shaoqing!"

This shout was especially loud, making Zhiyu and others outside shudder involuntarily. Prince Taizi had always appeared suave and smiling; even when he wasn't smiling, there would still be a hint of a smile on his face. They had never seen him this furious before.

"Dead girl, get up!" Nan Lingrui grabbed Yun Qianmo and pulled her up with one hand.

Yun Qianmo was jolted awake by his roar; she squinted an eye, groggily asking, "What are you doing"

"I asked you, what's wrong with your hand" Nan Lingrui stared at Yun Qianmo. "Just now, there were no wounds on your hand! Where did this wound come from then"

Yun Qianmo was too sleepy to open her eyes; she mumbled sleepily, "What are you shouting about I'm so tired, can't we talk tomorrow"

"Wake up!" Nan Lingrui grabbed Yun Qianmo's ear and shouted angrily, "I asked you, is it Gu Shaoqing who bit you"

Yun Qianmo winced in pain as she became somewhat more alert, and said irritably, "If not him, then who Who else in Nan Liang would dare bite me"

"Sure enough, it's him!" Nan Lingrui slapped Yun Qianmo on the head with his large hand. "Though he is skilled at martial arts, he still bit you! Has he gone berserk Do you want to be bitten by him"

"I'd have to be crazy to want that!" Yun Qianmo's hand hurt, her head hurt, and now her ear was in pain too. She pushed Nan Lingrui away from her angrily, shouting, "I owe him a life; I paid back this debt with my hand today. Consider me unlucky." With those words, she didn't wait for Nan Lingrui to respond but pushed him aside instead. "After fighting a battle in the Southern Frontier, I came straight here. For three days now, I haven't slept at all. Are you sure I only feel pain in my hand and not deathly tired"

"How did you come to owe him a life Explain clearly before going back to sleep." Nan Lingrui glared at Yun Qianmo.

Yun Qianmo had been traveling non-stop without rest, as well as being severely taxed by the Emperor's hypnotic awakening. Added to that was Gu Shaoqing biting her hand and causing a stir, making her extremely exhausted now. Seeing Nan Lingrui's expression that he wouldn't give up until she explained clearly, Yun Qianmo softened her tone, hugging his waist pleadingly, "Brother, good brother, let me sleep now, I'm your sister after all, not an enemy..."

Nan Lingrui shivered as if goosebumps were rising on him; he glared at Yun Qianmo and said sternly, "Sleep then!"

Yun Qianmo was released immediately. She fell back onto the bed.

Nan Lingrui looked at her hand and suddenly turned around, striding out of the room angrily. At the door, he ordered Zhiyu in a voice still brimming with anger, "Wrap up her hand, keep an eye on it properly. Understand"

"Understood!" Zhiyu trembled as she hurriedly replied.

Nan Lingrui strode out of the Lingshao Palace, his brocade robe stirring a chill breeze around him.

Zhiyu and others stood up, glancing at each other. They didn't dare to gather together anymore and make noise. Zhiyu entered and wrapped Yun Qianmo's hand back in the cloth torn by Nan Lingrui; the rest quietly dispersed. Even though they still weren't sure of Yun Qianmo's identity, she had already garnered attention from the Emperor, Prince Taizi, and General Gu, making them too careful to risk anything.

Yun Qianmo slept very deeply this time. In her dream, she returned to the Heavenly Capital in Tian Sheng. Rong Jing glanced at her hand, gave her a cold look, and walked off without another word. She was extremely anxious; grabbing his sleeve tightly, she tried explaining desperately, but he didn't even turn around, just shaking her off and walking away. No matter how hard she clung to him, it felt as though his sleeve was slipping from her fingers, no matter how hard she tugged. In the end, it was useless; he walked away without a word. She thought things were over as darkness clouded her vision.

"Dead girl, you still have that much strength while sleeping You've torn my sleeves to shreds," Nan Lingrui's voice rang out.

Yun Qianmo jolted awake instantly, opening her eyes immediately. Before her was the smelly face of Nan Lingrui with his peach blossom eyes glaring at her. She was startled; lowering her head, she saw that her hand was clenched tightly into a fist while Nan Lingrui's sleeve was torn to shreds by her grip. She froze, somewhat unable to process what had happened.

"You're such a disappointment! Are you so scared of Rong Jing that you can't even face him in dreams" Nan Lingrui glared at Yun Qianmo with frustration evident on his face, "Afraid he'll be angry How come you have no backbone"

Yun Qianmo realized that the sleeves causing her torment were actually those of Nan Lingrui rather than Rong Jing; she was instantly furious. "What are you sitting here for If you're going to sit, why stretch your sleeve towards me like this" She accused him of causing her such fatigue and torture.

"Dead girl, do you think that's reasonable now I just came in to check if you were still asleep, but my sleeves got caught. These are new clothes; I only started wearing them today," Nan Lingrui raised his brows at the thought, becoming angry as well.

Yun Qianmo immediately lowered her head and loosened her grip, asking weakly, "What time is it" Without waiting for an answer from Nan Lingrui, she looked outside to see that it was midday. She muttered, "It's noon already."

"It’s the third day of noon. You’ve been sleeping for two days," Nan Lingrui reminded her with a sinister tone.

Yun Qianyue was stunned as she looked at Nan Lingrui and asked in surprise, "I actually slept for so long"

"What did you think" Nan Lingrui looked at her with a solemn expression.

Yun Qianyue rubbed her forehead and moved her stiff body. "But why do I still feel so tired!"

Nan Lingrui sneered at her and said coldly, "You were just dreaming of doing nothing worthwhile, how could you not be tired"

Yun Qianyue blushed slightly as she glanced at her hands which were still wrapped up like a zongzi. She sighed, "That hypnosis technique was too exhausting. I was so sleepy when I left the imperial bedchamber that I didn’t know he suddenly turned around and threw a sentence at me before grabbing my hand to bite..."

Nan Lingrui snorted.

Yun Qianyue sat up, stretched her body, and asked, "Where’s Mother"

"She disappeared somewhere," Nan Lingrui shook his head and said irritably, "Now tell me what happened between you and Gu Shaoqing I went to find him and beat him up, but he closed his mouth as tightly as if it was stitched shut."

"You hit him" Yun Qianyue arched an eyebrow.

Nan Lingrui snorted again.

Yun Qianyue dejectedly recounted the events of five years ago to Nan Lingrui briefly.

After hearing her story, Nan Lingrui suddenly laughed. "So that evil technique was given by you I said back then when I heard his troops were completely annihilated in the swamp but he somehow returned alive and gained an unexpected encounter."

"He lost all his men yet still got promoted to general" Yun Qianyue arched her eyebrow.

"Back then, he was just ten years old. He led five thousand troops and wiped out fifty thousand enemies with a single blow. He quashed the rebellion of Prince Jing. My father wouldn’t promote anyone else if not him—there’s no second person like him in both Southern Liang and Heavenly Saint." Nan Lingrui said.

Yun Qianyue sighed. "So it was because he encountered me that he wasn’t destined to die."

"No wonder he didn’t retaliate when I hit him; turns out I had the upper hand. Haha, this prince has long wanted to beat up that brat but never got such satisfaction before." Nan Lingrui laughed heartily.

Yun Qianyue looked at Nan Lingrui with a line of black drawn across her face—apparently he was venting his frustration by biting him. She glared at him and said, "How badly did you beat him"

"He’s bruised all over, unable to get out of bed for three days." Nan Lingrui replied.

"You’re really vicious; he has a military command of thirty thousand. I think you want to give up the position of prince because of this." Yun Qianyue looked at him and said—among all princes, who is least like one None other than Nan Lingrui. Even Western Yan Yue, just returned from Western Yan, was more impressive. "You’re his savior; I’m your brother. In the future, hold onto that trump card to see how he’ll cause trouble."

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes at him and asked, "Didn’t you want to give up being prince before having this trump card"

"Although I’m not on good terms with him, but he’s a one-track-minded person who’s loyal to Southern Liang and the current king. He won’t betray for any other side; otherwise, those people wouldn’t keep trying to assassinate him. That’s why I targeted this aspect of his," Nan Lingrui said indifferently. "In Heavenly Saint, there’s Rong Jing who can match ten thousand troops; in Southern Liang, there’s Gu Shaoqing who matches ten thousand soldiers. He fights so fiercely on the battlefield that he’s a natural-born general; I would never let him serve other people."

Yun Qianyue thought of how loyal and resolute Gu Shaoqing was—especially his overnight trip to deliver medicine to King Liang, which showed his loyalty to the king. She frowned and said to Nan Lingrui, "Why don’t you stop being this prince With so many sons, your uncle would prefer one of them over an outsider like yourself. You wouldn’t want to harm his own children either. Follow me back to Heavenly Saint or travel around freely all day long if you don’t want to return—better than living under such constraints in Southern Liang."

Nan Lingrui chuckled and patted Yun Qianyue’s head, taking on a more elder brother-like demeanor as he said with a smile, "Little girl, you’re not stupid either. But why do you have moments when your brain stops working If I could leave, I would’ve already done so. Before, I was doing the prince job for someone else; now, it’s hard to quit even if I wanted to. What kind of person is the old king Don’t think he’s a benevolent one. He saw that none of his sons are capable, and thus took me in. If any of those sons were to become king, Southern Liang would eventually have to pay tribute to Heavenly Saint again; but if I’m the king, it won’t happen."

"Don’t flatter yourself like you’re so indispensable. Without you, he still hasn’t inherited the throne," Yun Qianyue said angrily.

Nan Lingrui raised his eyebrows in satisfaction and said, "Without me, he really can’t become king!" With that, he suddenly leaned closer to Yun Qianyue mysteriously and asked her, "Little girl, do you want to know why the old king insists on having me"

Yun Qianyue looked at him.rincesses who would look beyond appearance Unfortunately, she was wrong. She waited for quite a long time but saw only the princesses hanging their heads in silence without anyone speaking up. Suddenl...