He petitioned his father for a transfer to the south, and by his actual actions made those who were on their guard understand that he had no designs on the throne.

  However, Father King unexpectedly did not react at all.

  Yuan De Fei, who had been avoiding him for a long time, unexpectedly did not make any moves, and since the Emperor did not give his consent, the request fell through.

  Half a month later, just as he was about to write another letter of request, his father fainted.

  This was the first time his father had fainted, and it scared him badly, but that night he kept watch by his father's bedside, and when he heard his father whisper "Hua Jin" in a low voice, he smiled.

  Hua Jin was the name of Yuan De's consort.

  When his father was in a coma, he kept thinking of her name, which shows how deeply infatuated he was with her, and no one could surpass that.

  He smiled, and in that instant, he was certain that the crown prince his father would eventually appoint would definitely be his second brother. The engagement between the Peng family and himself would also never come to fruition with Empress Yuan De around.

  He felt at ease all of a sudden and waited for Yuan De Fei to come and break off this engagement.

  Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye, and not only has the engagement not been called off, but Father Emperor has summoned Mother Empress twice to ask when Concubine Chen thinks it would be best to settle the matter.

  The empress felt heartache for her son, and secondly, she was even more afraid that there might be deceit in this - if she was too eager to expect, she feared being misunderstood as having ulterior motives, so she said it wasn't urgent.

  It was after Empress Dowager told him that Emperor Taizong mentioned this matter for the second time that he decided to leave Changsha Mansion.

  You won't let me go to Zhen Nan, will you? Then I'll go somewhere else! I want to travel the mountains and rivers, I want to be a man far away from royal power. As for the engagement... why force poor people together?!

  The next day, he sent another letter and had it delivered into Peng Lan's hands personally.

  There are only three sentences above.

  "I am not a blank sheet of paper."

  "I won't marry you."

  "Wishing you and me no regrets in this life."

  This time there was a reply, but he didn't expect one, so as soon as the letter arrived, he burned it without even opening it.

  The next day, he left Changsha and began to travel and enjoy himself, using his actions to show his disdain for the throne.

  A month later, he received the imperial edict and letter from his father, the emperor. The edict appointed him as a Surveillance Commissioner, ordering him to patrol the borders. As for the letter, it rebuked him for leaving without permission, criticizing him for being too impulsive.

  An unexpected situation left him stunned, but seeing the two words "arbitrary" made him feel relieved.

  Soon, he traveled and privately inspected, anyway, a year passed, he was traveling outside, without the idea of returning to Changsha Mansion.

  During this time, he also received letters from his mother and documents from the Ministry of Rites, all asking him to return home to prepare for his wedding, but he ignored them completely.

  He made it clear through his actions that he would never go back, including the marriage which was also doomed to fail.

  Two months later, the king's secret order arrived, asking him to return to Changsha Prefecture "to report on his duties" and also to complete his marriage.

  He wrote a long letter, using words to complete his statement, as for the marriage, he wrote clearly and explicitly:

  "My heart is intoxicated with the mountains and fields, I only wish to paint the mountains and rivers with my brush, and do not want to ask about politics or business; The Peng family is a pillar in the midst of the current, if they were to get married, it would indeed stabilize their hearts, but I fear that one day it will be difficult for them to store up wealth, so please, Your Majesty, love and cherish me, allow me to be carefree from now on, and let me chase my dreams like my elder brother."

  Three months after the letter was sent, he received a reply. However, there were no words from his father in the envelope. Instead, there were elegant handwriting of women and only one sentence.

  "Rise and fall with merchants, never leave nor abandon."

  He lost his letter and then rushed to the wine shop, he wanted to drink, but the wine was unexpectedly sold out.

  That day, he drank from a mountain spring, its icy water like wine that made his throat ache faintly.

  Going back seems to be fair to a woman, but actually unfair to many people. Not going back seems unfair to a woman, but is truly letting go.

  But his father, until the end, kept the promise of this marriage and still couldn't get rid of it.

  ……

  In the elegant room of the wine building, Peng Lan's face was gloomy and obscure.

  "Miss, you... have something to eat..."

  She spoke with a timid and cautious tone, having followed the young lady for all these years, what she feared most was the sinister glint in her eyes when she fell silent.

  "Get me paper and pen."

  After a few moments, Peng Lan responded, and Rouzhi hastily replied, preparing her writing materials.

  As soon as the ink was ground, Peng Lan wrote hastily, and when Yan Zhi saw the extra words on the letter paper, her face changed from unease to terror.

  Finally, Peng Lan put down her pen and gently blew on the ink.

  "Miss, this is going to get Zhao Yi killed......" Rouged lips trembled with voice, she didn't expect Miss's countermeasure would be this move.

  Peng Lan was not uneasy at the moment, still with a light and calm demeanor, only the gloom in his eyes had not faded: "Fourth brother is a filial son, only when his mother dies will he leave the world!"

  "But if Your Highness finds out later on, how can you still..."

  "You won't say, my mother won't say, and he will never know." Peng Lan said, looking at her sideways. Zhu Er was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and raised her hands to swear: "Zhu Er swears to be forever loyal to Miss."

  Peng Lan folded the letter paper and handed it to Yan Zhi: "Alright, get up, hurry up and pass on the message!"

  Yan Zhi immediately took the letter and left, while Peng Lan stretched out her hand to play with her own braid.

  Si Lang, don't blame me for being ruthless! This is what you've forced me into.

  Peng Lan stood up and walked to the window, she raised her eyes to look at the distant riverbank where the sailboat was swaying, her sharp facial features were filled with anger and ambition.

  She was the eldest daughter of the Peng family. From the day she and Qi Wang made a marriage contract, she knew that she would become the queen.

  There are many princes in the Chu palace, but only this one has a title, and the two words "Ying Ce" as well as his unparalleled talent make other princes lose their luster.

  Her father placed great emphasis on her, and she excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, etiquette, and classics. She was elegant and refined, yet forever reserved and aloof, with a calm and composed demeanor that avoided conflict with the world.

  "People who look down on others will not notice you, only when we make them take a second glance do we have a chance. Remember, in front of him, you must be extremely proud and you must also be of the same kind as him, only then will he think that you are the most suitable person."

  Her father's teachings, she remembered in her heart.

  She has created opportunities more than once, hoping to let him see her uniqueness, but always missed each other by a hair's breadth, and always had no fate to meet.

  Until that Qixi Festival, she actually saw him appear at the waterside pavilion and was pulled behind the flower screen. She immediately stirred up the people around her to take a stroll and chat, taking the opportunity to show off.

  She thought she would win his favor and affection, but who would have thought that the first letter from Qi Wang three days later was actually saying he wanted to dissolve their engagement.

  Failure, re-creation, lifting a stone to hit her own foot, made her angry, made her embarrassed, made her unprepared, but she still couldn't tell her father, because she was the eldest daughter of the Peng family, and she couldn't afford to lose.

  She maneuvered, she schemed, she carefully grasped the measure, thinking she could reverse everything. However, time and again, the results all went out of control. Until today, he actually insisted on canceling their engagement with her.

  "Do you think I'm easy to bully?" Peng Lan sneered, her sharp eyes and piercing facial features exuding a strong murderous intent: "Fourth Brother, I must have him, the Queen's position, I must also have it!"