My parents are both dead, I rely on fishing and farming to support my younger siblings

After the palace banquet ended, Gu Lili was taken out of the palace by the eunuch.

Unexpectedly, he was stopped by Yin Jiuchen not long after he left.

"Lili, I have something to tell you."

Gu Lili turned around, and at that moment, time seemed to stand still.

Yin Jiuchen looked at Gu Lili with guilt on his face, his eyes flashing with complex light.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.

Gu Lili slowly turned her head, and when her clear eyes met Yin Jiuchen's guilty eyes, an inexplicable emotion surged in her heart.

I don’t know whether it is sadness or sorrow.

Gu Lili bowed respectfully to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and then slowly said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

After saying this, she knelt down without hesitation, her posture showing respect and humility.

Seeing this, Yin Jiuchen's heart tightened and he hurriedly got up to help.

However, just as he was about to stretch out his hand, a flash of inspiration seemed to come to his mind, as if he remembered something important. His movements suddenly paused, and then he quickly retracted his hand, as if he was afraid of touching some taboo.

Then, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible emotion flashed in his eyes, and he quickly and subtly signaled Chunju and Xiahua behind Gu Lili to come forward and help Gu Lili up.

Looking at Gu Lili who was helped up, Yin Jiuchen sighed and said, "Lili, didn't I tell you before? You don't need to be so polite when you see me in the future. There is no need for us to be so formal. There is no need for you and me to care about these red tapes."

Gu Lili heard this and shook her head gently, with a firm light in her eyes. She said solemnly: "Your Highness, etiquette cannot be abolished. You are the crown prince of a country, and it is my duty to pay respect to you. Although you and I know each other, the distinction between monarch and subject still exists, and personal matters cannot be sacrificed for public affairs."

Yin Jiuchen looked at her respectful yet distant appearance, and his heart seemed to be gently touched by an invisible hand. A feeling of sadness quietly surged up like a tide, filling his chest.

In the past, Gu Lili would never speak to me in such serious words. She must have gotten angry after seeing Liu Qionghua today.

"Lili..." Yin Jiuchen called her name softly, his voice full of guilt and helplessness.

"I'm sorry, I...I really have to break my promise."

Thinking back to when he had promised Gu Lili so solemnly that he would marry her, but now he had to break that promise, his heart seemed to be stabbed hard, and the pain spread to every corner.

He slowly stretched out his hand, wanting to touch her cheek, but stopped in mid-air, as if afraid of disturbing her current mood.

The two of them used to be able to talk about anything, but now it seems as if there are thousands of mountains and rivers between them, and they can never be the same as before.

Originally, Yin Jiuchen had already secretly planned in his heart that after returning from Fusang, he would immediately go to the palace and solemnly mention to the emperor and the queen the important matter of marrying Gu Lili as his principal wife.

He was looking forward to marrying his beloved and starting a new chapter in his life.

However, fate always seemed to like playing jokes on people. Before he could express his feelings, General Liu, Liu Qionghua's father, encountered the sinister plot of the Fuso people and unfortunately died on the battlefield.

At the last moment of his life, he left a dying will, asking Yin Jiuchen to marry Liu Qionghua and treat her well.

Faced with this situation, Yin Jiuchen's heart was filled with entanglement and helplessness. He knew very well the importance of General Liu's family to the court, and he could not bear to reject the dying man's last wish, so he could only nod slowly in agreement.

When he finally returned to Shangjing, he informed the emperor and the empress of the matter without any delay.

With a serious and firm expression, he expressed his true inner thoughts, that he absolutely did not want to marry Liu Qionghua as his concubine.

He earnestly requested the emperor to agree to his request and confer the title of princess on Liu Qionghua to ensure that she would live a worry-free life for the rest of her life.

But who would have thought that after hearing this, the emperor's face turned pale and he almost vomited blood out of anger.

Yin Jiuchen naturally understood the reason. He knew clearly that behind Liu Qionghua were the 300,000 brave and fearless Liu family soldiers.

At the same time, he was also keenly aware that his father's physical condition was like a powerful crossbow that was about to run out of power, and his time was running out.

He fell into deep thought, not knowing how to properly deal with this complicated and difficult situation.

Perhaps, he was destined to pay Gu Lili.

All the people in this world seem particularly insignificant in the face of love.

He had been supported by the people of the world since he was a child, so it was impossible for him to leave his seriously ill father and just walk away.

If my father really passes away, the burden of shouldering the responsibility of Nanyue Kingdom will fall on me alone.

When Gu Lili heard Yin Jiuchen say this, it felt as if a sharp needle suddenly pierced into her heart, causing her heart to be severely hurt instantly.

In fact, Gu Lili already knew the result, but when Yin Jiuchen said it, Gu Lili was a little shocked for a moment.

In order to prevent the faint smile on his face from being broken by the turmoil in his heart, the hands hidden in his sleeves were involuntarily clenched together, as if only in this way could he give himself a little strength.

She tried hard to put on a happy smile, which she thought was enough to hide the pain in her heart.

Said to Yin Jiuchen, "Nothing, I just hope that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be well in the future."

Gu Lili thought of many things in her heart, but in the end, after some struggle, she could only squeeze out such a simple blessing.

Yin Jiuchen nodded and said, "You have to be well too."

This sentence echoed in the air, as if carrying the complex and subtle emotions between the two people, and that faint tone contained endless care and concern.

Gu Lili felt an inexplicable sadness in her heart again. She lowered her eyes silently and buried all her emotions deep in her heart...

Gu Lili bowed slowly and left slowly with Chunju and Xiahua.

Yin Jiuchen just stood there quietly, his eyes like a blazing beam of light, fixed on Gu Lili's receding figure.

There were complex emotions flickering in his eyes, including reluctance, attachment, and a hint of helplessness.

The figure gradually blurred in his sight, but it seemed to be deeply imprinted in his heart, and no matter how time passed, it would not be easily erased.

He knew very well that Gu Lili's soul should be as free and unrestrained as a bird soaring in the sky, without any constraints or shackles.