“I’m afraid, afraid that one day everything I’ve said today will be a lie, and then how will I face myself?”
She spoke slowly, suddenly appearing weak and helpless, completely unlike her usual aloof, elegant, and noble demeanor. Perhaps only Ye Lingfeng could see this side of her; she never showed vulnerability in front of others, and no one could make her shed her facade.
When Ye Lingfeng saw her expression, he felt heartache and reluctance, knowing that she had a knot in her heart, and reached out to hug her.
"I won't force you, but I will definitely untie your knot and make you marry me. I will make you understand that not everyone in the royal family is selfish."
Hai Ling stopped talking and nestled quietly in Ye Lingfeng's arms, listening to his magnetic voice gently ringing out, and the pleasant fragrance in the study. All of this belonged to him, and he made her feel so cared for. But she was afraid, afraid of entering the palace.
Seeing that she remained silent, Ye Lingfeng did not want to press her further, so he changed the subject.
"Ling'er, I heard that Mu Ye has moved into the Ji residence?"
When he said this, there was a strong hint of sourness in his voice, and Hailin couldn't help but laugh.
"yes."
"Ling'er, do you know Shaoyi?"
Hai Ling shook her head, then realized something: what was she doing nestled in Ye Lingfeng's arms? So she struggled free.
Ye Lingfeng didn't force her, but the feeling of holding her just now was indeed extremely comfortable, and a smile appeared between his eyebrows and eyes.
Hai Ling quickly got up and sat down on one side of the study. She dared not stay with him too much any longer. She had just been feeling vulnerable and wanted to lean on his embrace for a while. She mustn't let him overthink things.
Ye Lingfeng was both amused and annoyed by her actions, but he didn't provoke her. He asked another question.
Do you know Shaoyi?
Hai Ling shook her head. She knew very little about Shao Yi. She only knew that their Shao Yi tribe mostly lived in mountainous areas, so most of the tribe members liked to hunt and eat meat, which was somewhat similar to Bei Lu. However, Bei Lu preferred mutton and beef, which were all domesticated poultry, while the Shao Yi tribe ate wild meat. Apart from that, they had nothing else.
"The Shaoyi people like to eat meat, and they also like to eat undercooked meat."
Ye Lingfeng appeared serious, but in reality, he was trying to damage the Shaoyi clan, since Mu Ye was living in the Ji residence.
Hailin found it hard to believe that she, born in modern times, knew about medium-rare beef, yet Chinese people still preferred well-done beef.
The mere thought of eating undercooked meat is enough to make anyone shudder at the mere mention of meat.
"No way."
"How could that not be? They not only eat undercooked tiger and lion meat, but also undercooked fish. In addition, I heard that the women of the Shaoyi tribe have a very low status, and the men like to find women. Moreover, a man marries many women and then lets the women go out to hunt to support themselves."
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
Hai Ling's expression grew increasingly grim. Although she knew Ye Lingfeng was speaking ill of Shao Yi, she couldn't believe he was making it all up. So, there was some truth to it, which was truly appalling.
"Because of their climate, women in Shaoyi age faster than in other places, are prone to developing yellow spots on their faces, and have very short lifespans."
Ye Lingfeng admired himself more and more as he spoke, for he could speak so smoothly, with a mix of truth and falsehood, that Ling'er couldn't tell the difference.
Hailin broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, then sighed, "The women of Shaoyi are really unlucky."
"yes."
The man spoke in a serious tone, then looked at Hai Ling: "It's getting late, Ling'er should go back. I'll have Xiao Luzi take you home."
"good."
Ye Lingfeng called Xiao Luzi, who was outside the door, in and sent a eunuch to escort the young lady of the Ji family back. He also instructed him to send more guards to accompany her.
Inside the study, an emperor grinned smugly, like a fox.
Muye, how dare you live in the Ji residence? So what?
Hai Ling led Shi Mei and the others back to the Ji residence in a carriage.
Mu Ye stayed at the Ji residence and did not disturb Hai Ling. Hai Ling stayed at the residence all day but did not see him. In the end, she felt really bad and finally took the initiative to visit him.
Although Hai Ling didn't quite believe Ye Lingfeng's claim that the Shaoyi people liked to eat meat and beat women, she still felt a bit uneasy. Why?
Because meat-eaters have irritable blood, it's normal for them to hit women.
Makino lived in the guest courtyard of the Ji residence, in an elegant environment where he was undisturbed by anyone.
Hai Ling knew that as the emperor of Shao Yi Kingdom, he naturally had many things to deal with, so how could he have free time to stay here? Today, she came to persuade him to return to Shao Yi. She would not marry into Shao Yi, not because of Ye Lingfeng's words, but because she had no romantic feelings for him.
In the main hall of the guest courtyard, Muye and Hailin sat down on either side. Fuyue served tea and then withdrew.
Makino and Hailin chatted while drinking tea.
"Did I not answer the test you gave me well last time?"
Makino felt a little annoyed, knowing that he hadn't handled the incident well.
Hai Ling looked up at him, thinking to herself, if Mu Ye had recognized her from the very beginning, then none of this would have happened. So, for a person to meet another person, they must meet the right person at the right time. Mu Ye was the one who passed by at the right time, so she could not erase the memories of the past from what happened later.
“Muye, go back to Shaoyi. I set three test questions not to give everyone a fair chance, but because I don’t want to marry into the palace.”
Makino looked up in surprise and saw Hailin's eyes sparkling with wisdom, her pupils filled with sincerity, without the slightest concealment. It seemed that what she said was true.
"Why?"
He thought she had feelings for Ye Lingfeng, and that the man was determined to have her.
"For no reason other than that I don't trust the royal family. They have too many concerns. Being an emperor isn't easy, Mu Ye. You should know that. Sometimes, for the sake of various forces and concerns, they have to do things they don't want to do. It's not a matter of who's right or wrong, and I don't want to get involved in this mess."
"I will not let you get into that situation."