The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ling's eyes suddenly lit up, and he knew in his heart that there was hope.

He knew that mentioning Miss Shen in front of the Second Prince would be the right thing to do.

"Your Highness is certainly aware of this, but Miss Shen is not." Xiao Ling fawned over Chu Chouchi, his tone full of seduction, "Your Highness, if Miss Shen were to develop a rift with Your Highness for the sake of Gong Muze, that would be unfortunate."

Chu Chouchi remained silent for a long time, unable to come up with a better plan. He frowned in extreme frustration and said, "Then tell me, what should I do?"

Xiao Ling was about to say something when he heard the guards outside stopping him:

"General Shen! Please have your subordinates inform him! General Shen!"

Xiao Ling fell silent and strode outside. Before she could open the wooden door, Shen Chao pushed it open and rushed in, looking travel-worn.

Chu Chou's red eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Shen Chao, his anger rising within him.

When Gong Muze proposed marriage, Shen Chaoding was also involved in the matter. Previously, seeing that he treated Shen Zhizhi well, he did not hold it against him. Now that he has come to his door himself, he should not be polite.

Chu Chouchi clenched his fist, about to raise it, when Shen Chao's next words struck him like thunder.

Shen Chao gritted his teeth, slowly raised his eyes, and said each word with a firm and powerful tone: "I trouble Your Highness to go before the Emperor immediately and ask for Zhizhi's hand in marriage."

Chu Chouchi: ? ? ?

After a moment of stunned silence, Xiao Ling's eyes quickly filled with ecstatic joy.

Hahahaha, tomorrow he will definitely go to Chief Feng and show off properly. The Second Prince is General Shen’s personally acknowledged brother-in-law!

Xiao Ling was so excited that she was about to set off firecrackers to celebrate, while Chu Chouchi was still standing there, stunned, until she realized the meaning behind Shen Chao's words.

He subtly lowered his fist, which he was about to raise.

so close......

Completely unaware that he had almost been punched for no reason, Shen Chao fiercely wiped his red and burning eyes, then looked up at Chu Chouchi with resolute eyes.

"Will you treat Zhizhi well? I don't expect you to be monogamous for life, but at least make sure she's not bullied and has a safe place to live."

The thought of his third sister escaping one tiger's den only to fall into another made Shen Chao almost burst into tears. Heaven knows how much mental preparation he had done on his way to the Red King's mansion before he could say those words.

Was his poor third sister destined to suffer so much hardship after coming into this world?

Shen Chao shook off his troubled thoughts, lifted his eyelids and saw that Chu Chouchi had not spoken for a long time, which made him panic.

"Why are you silent? Are you unwilling?" He took two steps forward, frowning as he looked at Chu Chou Chi, who was standing there nodding, seemingly lost in thought. "If it's because of your third sister's status as an illegitimate daughter, then you can certainly take her as a concubine."

The most urgent task is to free Zhizhi from the fate of marrying into the Han Palace. As for the future, he will do his best to ensure that she does not suffer any more grievances.

If Chu Chouchi treats her badly after marriage, he will have him write a letter of divorce and bring Zhizhi back to the manor. Shen Chao is not afraid of gossip from outsiders; he can afford to support her.

Xiao Ling stood to the side, gazing at the blushing tips of his prince's ears, and chuckled to himself.

It's not that his second prince is unwilling; if he were to raise his head, his face would be even more beautiful than a red peony.

Xiao Ling smiled, her eyes sparkling with a glittering light. "General Shen, don't be anxious. The Second Prince will naturally not be unwilling."

Shen Chao remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on Chu Chouchi.

Feeling Shen Chao's burning gaze, Chu Chouchi pursed his lips, raised his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "This prince is unwilling."

"Wha, what?"

Shen Chao was stunned. Before the anger in his eyes could even burst forth, he saw Chu Chouchi walk to the table, pick up the poorly carved wooden dog on the corner of the table, and put it in his pocket.

Then, raising his eyes, he said resolutely, "This prince does not wish to make her a concubine."

Shen Chao's body trembled, and the anger in his eyes vanished in an instant.

Chu Chouchi lifted his eyelids, a smile playing on his lips. "So what if she's a concubine's daughter? If I'm going to marry her, I'll marry her in a grand and proper way. There will be the three letters and six rites, a ten-mile-long red bridal procession, a magnificent wedding robe, an eight-bearer sedan chair, and a formal marriage. Not a single detail can be missing."

Shen Chao looked up in surprise and disbelief, as if he could hardly believe that such words would come out of his mouth.

Chu Chouchi stood tall and elegant in front, his thin lips slightly upturned, his eyes dark and deep. "If I marry her, she will be my only wife in this life."

"..." Shen Chao began to doubt whether he was dreaming.

After a long pause, he finally said, "But the Crown Prince of Han Palace is coming to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow to marry you..."

Chu Chouchi's voice was cold, and his eyes flashed with displeasure. "Then let's see if he has the ability."

Shen Chao pursed his thin lips. He could tell that Chu Chouchi's concern for Zhizhi was not feigned.

"General Shen, please return to your residence first. I will certainly handle this matter properly," Chu Chouchi said, his gaze fixed intently on Shen Chao.

Shen Chao pondered for a moment, and after a long while, he softly hummed in agreement, "If Your Highness needs any place, please send someone to the Prime Minister's residence to deliver a message."

Chu Chouchi nodded.

Shen Chao hesitated for a moment, then turned and left.

Seeing Shen Chao leave, Xiao Ling couldn't sit still any longer. She took two steps forward and said, "Your Highness! Aren't you in love with Miss Shen? Why don't you take this opportunity to marry her? That way you won't have any worries later."

Miss Shen is now the object of many people's attention. The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is getting closer and closer to Miss Shen, and Miss Shen admires him so much, so he is a formidable rival.

The most troublesome one is Chief Feng. The moment he sees Miss Shen, he can't wait to push her to the Third Prince's side. The Third Prince hasn't even shown any interest in her yet, but he's already worrying about her like this.

This made him extremely nervous, fearing that one day the Third Prince would finally see the light of day and discover Miss Shen's treasure, which would give the Second Prince another rival.

Chu Chouchi picked up the scroll on the table, stared at the woman in the painting for a long time, and then said with a faint smile, "I have not yet figured out her feelings for me, so naturally I do not want to use this matter to marry her for no reason."

After a pause, he lowered his eyes and said, "In the past, she lingered around me for so long, but I never even gave her a proper look."

Now that I, Your Highness, know how good she is, what right do I have to marry her in such a simple and easy way?

He should be like her, silently by her side, letting her gradually see his love for her.

Xiao Ling was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped to the ground!

Could it really be the Second Prince who could say such a thing? If it weren't for the fact that the Second Prince was as cold as ice to everyone except Miss Shen, he would have suspected that his prince had been possessed.

Chu Chouchi sneered, his eyes flashing with a sinister killing intent, and strode towards the door. "Let's go! Let's meet that ignorant fool!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Ling responded, and before leaving, she didn't forget to reach out and drag Xue Liao, who was eating a meat bun next to her, away as well.