The young prince

A spare tire? What kind of tire was that?

Was Siqing talking about him?

Chu Yuheng blinked and accepted the letter, but instead of opening it, he looked at the Imperial Preceptor in bewilderment.

Tu Qingchen coughed.

Feasting on gossip right in front of the person concerned really put a man to the test.

Chu Siqing remained oblivious, still chatting away enthusiastically with the system.

[So the Second Prince originally promised Ning Qingyan he would divorce his consort and marry her, but once Xiao Wenshu was chosen as Crown Princess, he wanted nothing more to do with her?]

Chu Yuheng's eyes widened.

His second sister-in-law had done nothing wrong, and she came from the Duke of Zhenguo's Estate. How could his brother divorce her on a whim?

Even the imperial family had no right to do that.

[What breed of world-class scumbag is this? Oh, the Second Prince only approached Ning Qingyan to steal the woman my Crown Prince cousin liked?]

[Tsk, what a messy circle you lot move in.]

Chu Yuheng's gaze darkened slightly.

His second brother could indeed be overly competitive at times, but he had never imagined his brother would treat him like this...

Tu Qingchen savored the gossip from the sidelines, excited and barely able to contain himself. Was he really allowed to hear this?!

[And this Ning Qingyan, too. It's bad enough that she was blind enough to fall for a scumbag, but even though she doesn't like my Crown Prince cousin, she's turning back to him just to get revenge on that jerk.]

[Don't be a fool, Crown Prince cousin! If this woman sheds a few tears in front of you and you agree to marry her, beware-you'll be bringing endless turmoil into your home!]

Chu Yuheng thought, Don't worry. I won't marry my cousin.

While Empress Ning was alive, Ning Qingyan often entered the palace to visit her aunt. Her bond with the Crown Prince had also begun in childhood.

But with Empress Ning gone, Ning Qingyan no longer had a way to enter the palace, so she could only write a letter asking the Crown Prince to meet her outside.

In a private room at a teahouse, Chu Yuheng and Ning Qingyan sat across from each other at a table.

Chu Yuheng took a sip of tea and broke the silence first. "Cousin, what did you wish to see me about today?"

Ning Qingyan said mournfully, "Cousin, have you forgotten all the affection we once shared?"

Chu Yuheng nearly choked. "What makes you say that?"

Ning Qingyan looked at him accusingly. "We grew up together, childhood sweethearts without a care between us. Why have you had a change of heart and decided to marry someone else?"

Chu Yuheng said, "I've always regarded you as my cousin, and I believe you feel the same. Besides, marriage follows the parents' command and the matchmaker's word. My imperial father naturally decides whom I marry."

A tear slipped from the corner of Ning Qingyan's eye. "I don't believe you," she said sorrowfully. "Cousin, you clearly said you would marry me when we were little!"

Chu Yuheng sighed and said solemnly, "Cousin, I know your heart belongs to someone else, so I won't marry you."

Ning Qingyan began to panic.

Could her Crown Prince cousin know about her and the Second Prince?

No, no. Chu Yutao had already made a fool of her. She absolutely could not fail with the Crown Prince as well!

With that thought, Ning Qingyan adopted a vulnerable tone. "Cousin, I know you would treat me well. All I ask is to be your secondary consort. Is even that too much?"

Chu Yuheng answered decisively, "No."

His cousin only wanted to use him to get revenge on his second brother. If he softened for a moment and agreed, it would do neither of them any good.

Ning Qingyan could not believe it.

Her cousin, who had always indulged her every wish, now refused even this tiny request. Who could she marry in the future?

And who could possibly be better than the Crown Prince?

Whoever she married, Xiao Wenshu would stand above her. She, Ning Qingyan, would never accept that!

In her desperation, Ning Qingyan actually cast aside the decorum of a well-bred young lady and tried to take the Crown Prince's hand to show him her feelings.

Startled, Chu Yuheng hurriedly dodged.

Just as both of them were feeling awkward, a guard came to report, "Your Highness, the son of Prince Shun requests an audience."

Delighted, Chu Yuheng quickly told Ning Qingyan, "Cousin, unfortunately, I have something to discuss with the young prince today. I'll take my leave."

Ning Qingyan's expression stiffened. She was about to say something more when her Crown Prince cousin spoke again. "Someone escort my cousin home."

Left with no choice, Ning Qingyan could only leave.

Before departing, she turned to Chu Yuheng. "Cousin, I truly do love you..."

Chu Yuheng felt his head swell to the size of a bushel and hurriedly said, "Cousin, please go home."

Knowing that she had been casting alluring glances at a blind man, Ning Qingyan left bitterly.

After sending his cousin away, Chu Yuheng remembered that another cousin was still waiting for him and told the guard, "Show the young prince in."

A young gentleman in blue robes strolled into the private room, waving a fan.

On someone else, especially someone a little plain, blue robes might have made him look like a servant.

But dressed in blue, he possessed a distinctive elegance of his own, truly a gentleman as exquisite as an immortal.

Yet this immortal-looking gentleman was an incorrigible rogue. The moment he opened his mouth, he shattered his handsome image.

Waving his fan, Chu Yuxi said, "Crown Prince cousin, what good fortune you have! You've only just had your Crown Princess chosen, and already another beauty is confessing her love!"

Chu Yuheng did not want to indulge his frivolous cousin. He merely said, "Bring fresh tea."

A maid soon brought a fresh pot of tea.

Chu Yuxi persisted. "I want to marry a virtuous young lady too, but Father and Mother simply won't agree."

Chu Yuheng said, "You're still young."

His uncle, Prince Shun, had spent his life as a drifting cloud and a wild crane, devoted to mountains and rivers, with only his princess consort by his side.

As the manor's only son, Chu Yuxi would certainly inherit the title one day, so his marriage would naturally require careful consideration.

Chu Yuxi muttered, "I'm already fourteen. You're only a year older than me."

Something suddenly occurred to Chu Yuheng, and he could not help saying, "Why don't you go home and ask Uncle whether he ever arranged a childhood betrothal for you?"

From what he had heard in his younger cousin's thoughts before, the daughter of Marquis Yongding seemed to have been betrothed to this cousin in childhood.

Chu Yuxi's eyes lit up. "A childhood betrothal? Why didn't Father tell me about something so wonderful?"

Chu Yuheng thought, Perhaps Uncle himself had almost forgotten.

Chu Yuxi was already imagining how he and his future wife would live in harmony, like a zither and its strings.

He said gleefully, "I wonder whether my future wife is clever and beautiful, gentle and considerate?"

Chu Yuheng recalled that, according to his younger cousin's thoughts, Marquis Yongding was firmly under his wife's thumb and often made to kneel on a washboard, while Miss Wen was quite skilled with a whip herself.

At that thought, Chu Yuheng's gaze immediately filled with pity as he looked at his cousin.

Suppressing a laugh, he said, "Why don't you go home and ask Uncle?"

Bored at home, Chu Siqing turned to the system for gossip.

[A-Tong, what's the latest news in the Capital?]

The system replied, [Host, I've detected a juicy piece of gossip from Prince Shun's Manor.]

Chu Siqing perked up. [Tell me.]

The system replied, [Prince Shun and the old Marquis Yongding were friends despite their age difference. Years ago, they verbally arranged a childhood betrothal after drinking together. Unexpectedly, both had poor memories and only just remembered it.]

Realization dawned on Chu Siqing. [No wonder it sounded so familiar. The daughter of Marquis Yongding's household was one of the candidates for Crown Princess. Fortunately, my imperial uncle didn't choose her.]

[Once the two families remembered, they wanted the young prince to marry Miss Wen.]

[Unexpectedly, the young prince heard from somewhere that his fiancée could wield a whip and flatly refused. After taking a beating, he ran away from home!]

Chu Siqing's spirits lifted. [He ran away from home? This juicy?]