A red apricot is about to cheat on you

In another corner of the capital, Yi Duoer in Lilanju also made her own choice. She refused to let Zhu Qingxue in when she came to visit her, and even refused to meet her.

Zhu Qingxue first yelled angrily outside the door, and the sharp voice broke the tranquility of Lilanju, but Yi Duoer was unmoved, as if the yelling was just an insignificant gust of wind.

Seeing that no one responded, Zhu Qingxue could only return the same way with a gloomy face and a feeling of resentment. She kept muttering to herself along the way, with a vicious glint in her eyes, as if she was planning her next move.

As night fell and the lights came on, Yi Duoer did not go to the Regent's Palace as usual, nor did she return to the Yi Mansion. Instead, she chose to stay in Lilanju.

These days, she has been busy as soon as she came back, like a spinning top. She falls asleep almost every night in her Lilanju with a single lamp.

And on this special night, when she dragged her exhausted and heavy body back to the room, she opened the door and was surprised to see Chu Jingchen sitting on the bed, with his head down, concentrating on the official business in his hands.

The flickering candlelight illuminated his stern yet handsome profile, casting a faint shadow.

Yi Duoer couldn't help but exclaimed:

"Why are you here?" Chu Jingchen heard her voice and slowly raised his head, a hint of surprise and tenderness flashing in his eyes. He put down his official business and stretched out his hand towards Yi Duoer, gently bending his slender and powerful fingers, beckoning her to come over.

When Yi Duoer saw his actions, the corners of her mouth rose slightly and she chuckled softly. The laughter was as clear and pleasant as a silver bell, gently echoing in the room.

She slowly came to the bed and sat down, with a hint of teasing in her eyes, she said jokingly:

"So the dignified Regent King also likes to sneak into women's boudoirs in the middle of the night. If this gets out, aren't you afraid that it will damage your reputation?" Chu Jingchen looked at her playful appearance, his heart full of love. Without saying a word, he directly carried Yi Duoer to the bed, held her tightly in his arms, and said gently:

"Guaiduoer, if my reputation is ruined, you will be responsible."

Yi Duoer leaned in his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat, raised her head, and asked with concern in her eyes:

"Seventeen, these past few days, you've been busy in the palace, on the road inspecting the military camp, or toiling in the study. Aren't you very tired?

Did you eat lunch well? " Her tone was full of heartache, and she looked at his slightly tired face with worry. That look seemed to sweep away the fatigue in Chu Jingchen's heart.

Chu Jingchen felt her concern and felt warm in his heart. He placed a kiss on her forehead, as soft as a feather. He whispered that with the two women he loved most by his side, he was full of energy to work every day.

Moreover, he also thought that after a while, he would take Yi Duoer to live in the border area and experience the different customs and practices there. If they got bored of staying in the border area, they would return to the capital and continue to enjoy the bustling and noisy city.

Yi Duoer listened to him planning their future with great joy. At that moment, she felt as if she was the happiest person in the world. She couldn't help but reach out and hug him, snuggling tightly in his arms, breathing deeply in his unique scent, as if she wanted to remember this moment forever in her heart.

"Guaiduoer, shall we get married? As long as you agree, I will go to the Yi Mansion to propose marriage tomorrow."

Chu Jingchen's tone was sincere and firm, his voice was low and magnetic, and it sounded particularly affectionate in this silent room.

After hearing what he said, Yi Duoer frowned slightly and pondered for a while. Then she sat up, looked at him seriously, and replied in a serious tone:

"Have you thought it through? I yearn for monogamy. As a prince, it would be against the rules if you don't have concubines in your harem. Isn't the way we are now good enough? If one day we suddenly get tired of each other, we can separate cleanly without going through so much trouble."

When Chu Jingchen heard her words, his expression suddenly darkened. He raised his hand and tapped Yi Duoer's forehead twice, then said in a dissatisfied tone:

"Why do you always think about these messy things in your head?" His eyes were full of pampering and helplessness. He warned Yi Duoer that in this life, or even in the next life, he would never let go, and would not allow her to leave him.

Moreover, he made it clear that he would not take a concubine. As for whether it was in accordance with the rules, that was up to him to decide. Not even the emperor had the right to judge his private life.

Yi Duoer touched the forehead that was hit and scolded him: "You are so annoying. You hit my head again." But she knew in her heart that Chu Jingchen's love for her was so firm and persistent.

She also knew very well that her feelings towards Chu Jingchen were the same. Apart from him, she would not even look at any other man, no matter how good or outstanding he was, let alone fall in love with anyone else.

She paused for a moment, then added, "Okay, as long as you don't leave me, I won't abandon you. I was planning to expand my new workshop and the ice and snow shop I developed recently. Since you want to marry me so much, I will put aside the affairs of the workshop tomorrow and wait for you at Yi Mansion."

When Chu Jingchen heard her promise, he was immediately excited. He hugged Yi Duoer tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his body. At that moment, his heart was filled with joy and happiness that could not be described in words, as if he owned the whole world.

The next day, Chu Jingchen and Yi Duoer's engagement ceremony went very smoothly. The entire Regent's Palace was decorated with lights and there was a festive and harmonious atmosphere.

However, some are happy while others are sad. That night, Chu Junye sat alone in the yard. It was pitch black around him, with only the moonlight shining on him, outlining his lonely and desolate figure.

He didn't know how much wine he had drunk. His eyes were empty and confused. He kept raising and lowering the wine glass in his hand. The wine flowed down the corners of his mouth and soaked his clothes.

Chu Junheng came over and saw how dejected he was. He angrily snatched the wine from Chu Junye's hand and said loudly:

"Look at what you look like now? You didn't know how to cherish me before, and now you drink so much. Who are you pretending to be affectionate to?" His voice was particularly loud in the silent yard, as if he wanted to wake Chu Junye from the abyss of depravity.

Chu Junye had his wine snatched away by him, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes. He reached out to take the wine back, mumbling incoherently, "Give it to me!"

Chu Junheng looked at his stubborn delusion and became even more angry. He threw the wine on the ground, splashing it everywhere. Then he grabbed Chu Junye's shoulders with both hands and shook him excitedly:

"Third brother, wake up. You will only make yourself more sad. What we should do is to wish Duoer the best."

Chu Junye pushed him away with force, staggered to his feet, with a look of despair on his face. He pointed his finger at Chu Junheng and said in a drunken and unwilling tone:

"What do you know? She's obviously my wife, how come she's about to become someone else's wife? Chu Junheng, don't think I don't know that you like Duo'er too. I don't know what you're thinking. You're not much better than Chu Jingchen. You're both coveting someone else's wife. You're really something!"

His voice was filled with sadness and powerlessness, as if it was a cry from the depths of his soul. His heart was filled with regret, regretting that he had not properly looked for her in Jiangzhou. If that had been the case, perhaps he would still have a chance.

"That's enough!" Chu Junheng felt a surge of anger and grievance in his heart when he heard his words.

"I do like her, but when I found out that the person she loves is not me, I buried this love deep in my heart and just silently blessed her behind her back. As long as she is happy, that's all that matters.

And what about you? When she was still your wife, not only did you not give her the slightest respect, even the servants in your house could step on her at will. How many things did you do to hurt Zhu Qingxue for her?

Who are you putting on this sadomasochistic love scene for? You are the one who has no right to say you like her. Your love is too horrible. You should treat your sweetheart, Zhu Qingxue, well now instead of bothering Duoer all the time.

Chu Junye was originally burning with anger, but his brother's words were like a basin of cold water, instantly dousing his anger and replacing it with deep regret.

He knew that it was too late to say anything now and everything was irreversible.

Chu Junheng looked at him, wanting to cry but unable to, and although he was angry, he was still his brother after all. A trace of heartache flashed in his eyes, and he put his hand on Chu Junye's left shoulder and comforted him:

"The most important thing is that Duo'er is happy. That's the most important thing. Let's keep our love in our hearts. Treat the person in front of us well."

Chu Junye took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes, trying hard to suppress the painful emotions in his heart. After a long time, his mood gradually calmed down. He turned around and looked at his concerned brother. He also raised his hand and patted his shoulder, indicating that he was fine and let him go back.

After Chu Junheng finished all this, he ignored Chu Junye and turned to walk into the room. Chu Junye stood there, looking at his back, with a trace of heartache and guilt in his eyes. He knew that what he had done these days had indeed hurt many people, especially Yi Duoer and Chu Junheng.

He secretly vowed to treat the people around him well in the future and never let such tragedies happen again.

Across the capital, Shen Mingzhu was having a rough day. She'd been at home all day, like a frantic animal without reason. She cried and screamed, trying to cause trouble for Yi Duoer and stop her engagement to Chu Jingchen.

If her father hadn't locked her up in time, she would have caused a big disturbance in the Yi Mansion. Her father knew that if Chu Jingchen was angered, their family would not be able to stay in the capital.

The governor would never let Shen Mingzhu ruin the future of their entire family. He knew that if the matter got out of hand, it would be almost impossible for their family to enter the officialdom again.

Shen Mingzhu was now close to madness. If the governor hadn't considered her his daughter, he would have ordered her death long ago. After all, if Shen Mingzhu had truly done anything detrimental to the family, given her current madness, she would no longer be able to bring honor to the family, but would only be a burden to it.

Therefore, in order to protect his family, he would kill Shen Mingzhu without mercy.