Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

Zhongtian said coldly, "You're provoking me. What you need to do now is beg for mercy and ask me to let you go!"

"No, begging won't work, Lord Zhong. Do you know that the people who die the fastest in the palace are those cowardly people who beg for mercy all day long! If you want someone to let you go, you have to hold them by the throat. I bet you won't kill me!"

Zhongtian reluctantly let go of Master Li.

Master Li is a highly trusted advisor to His Majesty, and his death or disappearance would be a very noteworthy event.

Li Fuzi, who had been put down, coughed violently, while Zhong Tian watched her coldly from the side.

Master Li calmed down a bit and said, "Lord Zhong, in the previous dynasty, there was a merchant who gave his handsome husband to His Majesty. This humble merchant eventually rose to the position of prime minister. I think Lord Zhong could totally emulate this path to power!"

Zhongtian got angry and punched Master Li in the stomach, causing Master Li to bend over in pain.

"I will withdraw all my men! I will no longer be a threat to you! If you dare to spout nonsense again, I will kill you the moment you speak to His Majesty. I mean what I say!"

"You better be!"

After they finished talking, they each left.

The darkness swallowed Zhong Tian's shadow; he hadn't even reached Xia Muning's courtyard yet.

He was stopped by Le Xingxi, who suddenly appeared. He was dressed in pure black, revealing only his beautiful eyes.

He held a bulging bundle, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zhongtian: "Zhongniang, let's elope!"

Le Xingxi's words struck Zhong Tian like a thunderbolt, leaving him completely stunned. Zhong Tian grabbed Le Xingxi's arm and asked seriously, "Why did you have such a thought?"

Le Xingxi frowned and said with some worry, "I went to the temple to avoid His Majesty, but it seems he hasn't given up yet! Unlike my brother, I can't endure life in the palace!"

"He endured it all for love, and I left, also for love!"

“I’ve thought about it. His Majesty is the richest man in the world. We have no choice but to flee! We’ll flee to a place where no one knows us. Zhongniang, I’m not afraid to suffer with you.”

In an instant, many thoughts came to mind.

She thought of Xia Fang and Song Jinshu, and the tragic fate of their deaths.

Xia Fang's body was collected by the Xia family and placed in the ancestral grave, while Song Jinshu was tragically abandoned in the back mountain. If Zhong Tian hadn't collected his remains, Song Jinshu's body would have been eaten by wolves.

Because of his elopement, Song Jinshu's reputation was completely ruined. Even now in Yangcheng, mentioning Song Jinshu still evokes some harsh words.

Elopement in ancient times was not as romantic as depicted in folk tales. Such behavior was universally condemned and carried great risks.

So she stared straight at Le Xingxi: "Xingxi, give up your idea! Don't do such a thing!"

Le Xingxi's enthusiasm was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, leaving him pale and trembling. "Why? Why?"

Le Xingxi seemed to have thought of something and hurriedly grabbed Zhong Tian's hand: "I know you are reluctant to part with Xia Muning and his child, but we can take them with us. His Majesty is also still thinking about Xia Muning, who looks like Consort Xia!"

"Are you not running away because you want your husband to go to the palace?"

Le Xingxi appears intelligent and quick-witted, but he has never experienced hardship since childhood. His biggest setback is probably the Emperor's relentless pursuit of him, which annoys him to no end, hence his youthful naiveté.

What Nakata needs to do is shatter his naive childhood fantasies.

"Xingxi, do you want to abandon your mother?"

Le Xingxi said, "My mother doesn't need me! She loves my brother more. A man always has to get married. She just considers me as having been married off. I will come back to see her when things calm down a bit."

Le Xingxi naturally has his own powerful set of logic.

"Do you want to die for love?"

"We won't die! You have such great power, you'll drive away one enemy after another chasing us! You'll protect me!"

Sometimes, a moment of impulse can cloud judgment, making one feel like a warrior charging forward for love, the bravest person in the world! But Zhongtian is not like that!

She is a sentimental person, but sometimes quite rational. She came into this world and gradually became familiar with its rules. As an outsider, she could see the oppression of men in this era even more clearly.

Under heaven, all land belongs to the king! Within the borders of the land, all people are subjects of the king. Where can they escape to?

She knew she could drive away a group of people, but she couldn't drive away the endless stream of soldiers—the Emperor's, the General's, and possibly even Consort Yue, her brother's.

There will come a day when her power will end, and on that day, Le Xingxi's fate will be exceptionally tragic without the protection of women!

Le Xingxi looks healthy now because of the expensive medicine and the imperial physicians who take good care of her.

Traveling long distances and rushing around, if the medicine supply is cut off, can his fragile body withstand it?

In any relationship, someone has to be the bad guy, the one who is hated.

Therefore, Nakata took a step back and said coldly:

"Le Xingxi, you're just being so wishful thinking. Have you even asked me if I'm willing?"

Le Xingxi asked nervously, "You don't want to?"

"Of course I don't want to! I don't want to give up the wealth I've built up over so many years, I don't want to give up my warm and comfortable life with my child! I don't want to live a life of wandering and uncertainty about the future. Le Xingxi, give up on this idea!"

As Le Xingxi listened to Zhong Tian's words, his face grew paler and weaker, and his eyes filled with increasing disappointment as he looked at Zhong Tian!

His tears fell softly to the ground, then splashed up again. The boy's passionate blood, like these tears that splashed on the ground, was broken and stained. The scalding tears had now cooled down completely!

She rushed up to Zhongtian and slapped him hard across the face: "Zhongtian, I'm so disappointed in you!"

Zhongtian felt a burning pain on her cheek, but she ignored it and said, "Master Yue, go back quickly, it's cold! Put the things back where they were, and don't let anyone else find out."

"I know, I won't drag you down with me!"

Le Xingxi wiped away his tears, turned and left; he didn't want to see the woman's back.

Zhongtian stood there until he saw Le Xingxi's figure disappear before slowly leaving.

Le Xingxi returned to the house, lay on the bed, feeling depressed. His eyes were red and he kept crying.

Suddenly, a mocking voice came from behind him. The voice was all too familiar: "My dear brother, are you going to elope with Nakata? As your older brother, I can help you!"