“What’s the matter, Sister Yang’er?”
Hearing the call from behind and seeing the petite figure fluttering toward him like a butterfly, Leng Mingye stopped and glanced at the noblewomen’s circle behind her, where she had been calmly accepting their congratulations and toasts. He turned back with a faint smile and asked her.
“You all…” Leng Mingye halted, and those around him—Wang Wenting, the others, even Prince Ning—looked at them in surprise. Seeing their presence, Wu Qingyang’s delicate face darkened slightly, but she still turned to them with hesitation.
“It seems the princess wishes to speak with you properly. Then we, the unnecessary ones, shall take our leave. Let’s go, everyone.” Prince Ning, noticing her hesitation, gave a gentle smile and gestured for Wang Wenting and the others to follow him. Soon, only Leng Mingye and Wu Qingyang remained by the lakeside in the garden.
“What is it? Speak.”
Seeing Wu Qingyang’s tearful, resentful gaze, though she had maintained composure at the banquet and even toasted with him publicly, Leng Mingye could still discern the pain and despair in her eyes. He lifted his lips slightly and asked.
“I… I know that if I keep chasing you, clinging to you, you’ll grow tired of me. But I… I just want to know who the woman in your heart is. Can you tell me?”
The man before her, as handsome as a god and rarely showing her such a gentle smile, felt unbearably dazzling to Wu Qingyang. Was it truly only as siblings that he could smile at her so freely, so pleasingly? Yet his public rejection was an undeniable reality. Despite her sorrow, she pressed on.
“Is there a need to ask this?”
Thinking she had something important to say, her question made Leng Mingye sigh softly. He had already told her they were like siblings—why did she still ask?
“It’s absolutely necessary. If you tell me who she is, and if she’s truly better than me, then I’ll give up. I won’t pester you anymore. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to let go. I…”
Her stubborn reply came with eyes full of expectation and unspoken curiosity.
“Ah… Actually, you know her. She’s the one you suspect.”
Her persistence made Leng Mingye sigh again. Despite his earlier clarity, she remained obstinate. Relenting, he looked at her and spoke.
“Princess Qingya? It’s her?”
His words stunned Wu Qingyang, recalling her earlier misunderstanding. She stared at him in disbelief.
“Yes, it’s her. She’s always been the one I admired. I didn’t realize it before, but now I understand.”
Speaking of that willful, ruthless yet warm-hearted woman, Leng Mingye didn’t hide his emotions. After days of reflection, he had come to terms with it—his feelings for her were not only different but also something he couldn’t fully articulate.
He nodded firmly in response.
“No, you can’t! It was fine when she was from the Mu Marquis’ household, but now she’s the Emperor’s daughter, Prince Ning’s sister! You’re cousins! How could you—”
Wu Qingyang was aghast at his answer. Though he seemed serious, and their past interactions had indeed been unusual, his bold, illogical confession shocked her. She immediately brought up their blood relation.
“I know. But I can’t control my feelings for her.” Leng Mingye’s bitter smile accompanied his reply.
“Even if you love her and she loves you, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager—no one will allow it! It’s incest! If you insist, you’ll face the scorn of thousands!”
His resigned smile only deepened her panic. Coldly, she laid out the impossibility of their union.
“I know.”
His answer was another helpless smile.
“You know, yet you still feel this way? You—”
Seeing his stubbornness despite the impossibility, Wu Qingyang felt a surge of resentment. Why was fate so unfair? That woman not only outranked her but had also won his heart—yet their love was doomed.
“That’s why it pains me. I’ll take it one step at a time. For now, I can’t forget her, nor can I let her go. Unless she marries someone else, I’ll keep protecting her. Isn’t that what you’d do too?”
Leng Mingye’s bitter words softened Wu Qingyang’s resentment, replacing it with deep sympathy. He smiled faintly at her.
“You’re even more foolish than I am. Sigh.”
His insight left her speechless. Unable to console him, she could only murmur those words before turning away.
“Foolish? Perhaps I am. But such is fate. Who’s there? Show yourself!”
As Wu Qingyang left, Leng Mingye’s smile faded. Just as he was about to walk away, he sensed someone behind the nearby trees. His voice turned cold as he demanded their presence.
“It’s me, Elder Brother. I never imagined the one you love would be Princess Qingya. But by lineage, she’s our cousin. How could you—”
Emerging from behind the tree was Leng Minghao. Having overheard their conversation, he wore a concerned expression, though his eyes gleamed with hidden satisfaction.
“This is none of your concern. Keep what you heard to yourself. If word gets out, I won’t let you off.”
His brother’s smile unsettled him. Though they shared blood, Leng Minghao had always been their mother’s favorite, and his flaws were numerous. With a cold warning, Leng Mingye turned to leave.
“Acting all high and mighty, just because you’ve fallen for someone you can never have. Father’s hopes for a grandson are dashed now. I’ll have to step up—if I marry and have a child first, Father’s attitude toward me might change.”
Watching his brother’s proud retreat, Leng Minghao sneered. He recalled his father’s words to their mother—how he longed for Leng Mingye to marry and give them a grandson. With his brother trapped in an impossible love, his own opportunity had arrived.
After all, his father had once said that whoever married and had a child first would see their offspring become the future heir. The thought of such glory—something he could never achieve himself—falling to his child filled him with excitement.
Abandoning his plan to join the men for drinks, he turned toward the noblewomen’s circle. It was time to scout for a suitable wife—one who was both docile and entertaining—to secure his future.
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