Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 137 Tang Ling can afford it and can do it

"If I were just a savage, arrogant, and unruly prince, you would not look at me and love me like this."

"you are not."

"I'm not, but I've been pretending for so long that even I can't see clearly. If I pretend for the rest of my life, will there be any difference? Because of you, I don't want to pretend for the rest of my life and just be a useless person." When he first arrived in Yuanjing City, Qi Xiao had the opportunity to bide his time, hide himself, live a stable life, meet Concubine Lin, and find a way to return to Fuzhou.

Qi Xiao spoke slowly, "You were born the son of Xun'an Marquis, and could have lived a peaceful life. But despite your inherent weakness, you were forced to go to the battlefield, yet you showed no fear at all. You were taken hostage in Chen, shackled, humiliated, assassinated, sick and injured, but throughout this journey, you never showed fear or had the thought of retreating. Tang Ling, you shoulder the responsibility of your family and country, not as a matter of course, nor because you were forced to do so, but simply because you are Tang Ling, and Tang Ling can bear it and can do it. I, Qi Xiao, can bear it too, and I can do it too."

Bai Liu lives and dies for the sake of loyalty, while Lu Fangjin stands tall and strives for greatness. Qi Xiao admires Bai Liu and shares Lu Fangjin's temperament. He possesses a heroic spirit and a patriotic heart, yet finds no place to use them. Qi Xiao is the ninth son of the Emperor of Dachen, the Prince of Chu, and the heir of the Tianyu Sword. He is capable of the task and the fulfillment of it. Why retreat? Why escape? Why settle for cowardice and mediocrity?

Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao, at a loss for words. He had never imagined Qi Xiao saw him this way. He knew Qi Xiao liked him, that his beauty and talent had inspired him, that he loved and admired her. But he hadn't realized that the reason Qi Xiao fell so deeply in love with Tang Ling also reflected her status and position, which stood between them. Therefore, Qi Xiao never asked about Tang Ling's affairs. It wasn't out of consideration, but rather because he loved his unwavering resolve and his dedication to his country and family.

"Tang Ling, I won't be returning to Fuzhou. I want to go with the flow. I'm not sure if I can fight for it, and I don't know if I can win, but I want to try. After reading the case files from the Dali Temple, I have this intention." That mess should have been cleaned up long ago. If others can't do it, then Qi Xiao will do it. Since His Majesty has given him the opportunity, he doesn't need to refuse.

"Yeah." Tang Ling nodded. He knew that. Going with the flow was easy, but he didn't know how dangerous the process would be. If he couldn't win, there was only one outcome. Tang Ling gritted her teeth silently. Qi Xiao would definitely win.

Qi Xiao held Tang Ling's cheek with his hand, and gently touched the cheek that he had bitten hard with his fingers, and chuckled: "I'll be fine."

"……Um."

"As for the chaos in the Three Kingdoms, it may not be as dangerous as Mother imagines. Now that Chen and Zhou are negotiating peace, although you and I have different positions, our goals are the same. If we meet on the battlefield one day, I will stand by your side. I promised."

Tang Ling sighed slightly: "I can't talk about the peace talks, but you will hear about it soon."

Qi Xiao knew what Tang Ling was sighing about. His Majesty's ambition to unify the world was known to everyone. It was not difficult to maintain temporary peace between the Chen and Zhou countries, but it was very difficult to maintain long-term peace.

"With my current status and position, I cannot offer any advice to His Majesty," Qi Xiao smiled, gently caressing Tang Ling's lips with his fingertips, "but I won't keep you waiting too long."

Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao in a daze. What he said tonight surprised him too much. He never dared to think about it. It turned out that Qi Xiao had been thinking about it all the time. He never mentioned it because no matter how much he thought about it, he could never take it all into consideration. He said it now just to reassure Tang Ling.

***

When Chi Yue returned to Yangxizhai, it was already dusk. Yangxizhai was empty. Qi Xiao had not returned yet, and Bai Xiqiao and Zong Sheng naturally had not returned either.

Chi Yue stood in the corridor for a while, looking at Zong Sheng's room, and suddenly felt some inexplicable emotions, as if he had returned many years ago. When the door was pushed open, a familiar person would look back and look at him vigilantly. If he secretly hid a bun, he would be afraid that he would be discovered and snatched away by him.

Chi Yue burst out laughing, and as he laughed, a bittersweet feeling welled up in his heart. He had once thought those days were gone, even in his dreams. He had been afraid of reminiscing. Since he couldn't go back, he should have given up on the thought long ago. The longer he stayed in the dark world, the more he feared the light. Life wasn't easy, and leaving the past behind would make it easier.

Has he been living too comfortably lately? He's been having too many random thoughts.

Chi Yue lowered his head and sighed, then stood up and went to the small kitchen.

There are servants in Yangxizhai, and there are two cooks in the small kitchen, but they only cook when the master is around.

When the two chefs saw Chi Yue coming, they served him respectfully and asked him what he wanted to eat in the evening.

Chi Yue couldn't think of anything in particular he wanted to eat, so he casually asked, "Do you have buns?"

The two chefs stared at each other, and wanted to have buns for dinner?

"...His Highness hasn't returned yet, so steamed buns will be fine. If not, just make some noodles."

"Yes, yes, we have buns. Please wait a moment."

Chi Yue nodded, took a pot of wine, and sat on the roof waiting for dinner.

The night spread, covering the sunset glow, as if it happened in an instant. Smoke rose from the small kitchen, and Chi Yue looked at it lazily. He was hungry.

There were voices in Yangxi Zhai. Chi Yue looked over and saw two people walking towards the inner courtyard in the corridor. From the sound of their footsteps, he could tell it was Zong Sheng and Bai Xiqiao. Qi Xiao really had not returned.

Chi Yue shook his head slightly, secretly curious. Qi Xiao and Tang Ling were hanging out like this, and His Majesty didn't care? Was this really okay? But why would he worry about it? If His Majesty ever mentioned Tang Ling in front of him, it would be like assigning him a task.

In fact, Tang Ling had saved his life. Back then, when he was trying to assassinate Ni Jue, he was caught by Tang Ling while trying to escape. If Tang Ling hadn't let him go, he would have died in Yujin.

In reality, Chi Yue didn't feel the slightest bit of gratitude towards Tang Ling. When he first met her, he was beside Ni Jue, madly jealous of the delicate and graceful son of Xun'an. They were clearly of similar age, but Tang Ling was hailed as a prodigy, pampered and carefully waited on, while Chi Yue struggled even to perform menial tasks.

When killing Ni Jue, Chi Yue was extremely ruthless, plunging a silver chopstick straight into Ni Jue's right eye. Before Ni Jue could scream, Chi Yue followed up with a knife-like blow, shattering his throat. Ni Jue was killed instantly, and Chi Yue felt a sense of relief. When he encountered Tang Ling, Chi Yue still had a chopstick hidden in his sleeve. Tang Ling had no martial arts skills, so killing him would be much easier than killing Ni Jue. Even if he couldn't escape, Chi Yue would not be at a disadvantage. However, Tang Ling let Chi Yue go before he could kill him.

Thinking about it this way, should Tang Ling thank Chi Yue for not killing her back then?

Chi Yue shook the wine jug in the air and laughed.

Zong Sheng jumped onto the roof and snatched the wine jug from Chi Yue's hand: "Don't drink it."

Chi Yue frowned at Zong Sheng and said, "I'm not drunk."

Chi Yue said the same thing last time, that when he gets drunk he will just go crazy and cry. Zong Sheng was still frightened and didn't dare to let him drink again. He ignored Chi Yue, grabbed the wine jug and jumped off the roof.

Chi Yue chased after him, but he was no match for Zong Sheng in lightness skills. The two started fighting for half a pot of wine. Bai Xiqiao watched from the side and sighed heavily. These two were chasing and fighting like children, which was really not a decent thing at all.

Zong Sheng's martial arts were taught by Wudu Prefecture, and he later learned some from Gu Shanmo at Hanchen Sect, combining the two, drawing on their strengths to overcome their weaknesses, achieving both offensive and defensive capabilities. However, Chi Yue's style was beyond Baixiqiao's comprehension, its myriad changes seemingly devoid of any pattern. This was likely due to his diverse training, and only in this way could he maintain his identity as a member of the Tiance Camp.

In terms of martial arts, Zong Sheng still lost. After more than ten moves, Chi Yue snatched the wine pot back. He originally wanted to tease Zong Sheng for a while, but he stopped when he smelled the aroma of buns.

"I just asked the kitchen to make some buns. Would you like some?" Chi Yue walked towards the kitchen and added, "I didn't know you would come back. How about asking the kitchen to make something else?"

"It's just buns." Bai Xiqiao shrugged. He didn't care.