The three-year-old host decides to raise an emperor father for himself.

Not to mention that the little girl started calling herself Lili at some point, although Chen Li wasn't sure whether this "Lili" meant "Lili" or "Lili"...

But it's easy to guess that before knowing who the other person was calling, the first person that came to mind was "Lili"!

However, that's not the focus right now.

The point is...

Xuanyuan Jing: "Xingxing, why would you say that? Have you heard any rumors?"

The little girl clung to Chen Li's leg, sobbing and whimpering, "Lili, if I don't sleep, I'll die."

Xiao Lanxing: "Lili, okay, no, you can't die."

"Waaaah... Lili..."

Chen Li: "Wait, Miss, I won't die. I haven't stopped sleeping, I've just been sleeping less..."

He panicked and tried to crouch down to comfort her, but the way his legs were being held made it difficult for him to move. He could only bend over and try to comfort her in a rather strenuous way: "Miss, don't worry. I still want to follow the Prince for many more years. I won't die."

Xiao Lanxing: "But, but, the system says that if people don't sleep enough, they'll die suddenly, waaaaah..."

Chen Li: "..."

Chen Li really wanted to ask who this person was, but that was clearly not the point right now.

Moreover, Xuanyuan Jing spoke up: "Xingxing, since that's the case, shouldn't we hurry up and get Chen Li to sleep?"

Xiao Lanxing looked up at Chen Li with teary eyes: "Lili, go to sleep?"

Chen Li: "...Hmm."

What could he do? He had originally planned to deal with Pei Qingzhu's matter later, but now that the prince and the young lady had this attitude, Chen Li dared not say anything more.

Although he felt helpless, Chen Li also felt a warm current flowing through his heart.

Even though it was somewhat amusing, the girl's genuine concern and worry truly touched his heart. Who could dislike such sincerity?

Xuanyuan Jing lifted his eyelids slightly: "In that case, Xingxing, come to your father and let Chen Li go back to sleep."

Then, he said to Chen Li, "I will have someone keep an eye on you and make sure you get at least three hours of sleep every day."

Changing his self-reference implies that Xuan Yuanjing's words of concern are spoken privately: "I don't want to hear you collapse from exhaustion at your desk one day. If you don't change it, then I'll have to consider finding someone else."

The words may have sounded harsh, but the underlying concern was clear.

Xiao Lanxing hesitated, glancing at Chen Li and then turning to look at Xuan Yuanjing.

Then, she slowly let go of his hand, but before leaving, she raised her small hand and patted Chen Li's thigh: "Lili, go to sleep."

Chen Li: "...I understand, Miss. Don't worry, I will definitely get some rest from now on."

Then, Chen Li looked at Xuan Yuanjing and asked, "Your Highness, what about Pei Qingzhu...?"

Xuanyuan Jing said calmly, "I am still here."

Even if things don't go perfectly, he's been awake for a while now. Besides Chen Li, who else can he trust and who can't? Although he can't be absolutely certain, Xuan Yuanjing has a general idea in mind.

The initial suspicion upon waking was somewhat alleviated by the existence of mind-reading ability.

At least now, when doubting whether someone is as trustworthy as they were back then, Xuan Yuanjing has a more direct way to verify, instead of constantly doubting, testing, and continuing to doubt.

If it weren't for the existence of mind-reading abilities, Xuan Yuanjing probably still wouldn't be able to completely trust anyone around him.

Including Chen Li.

This is not hard to understand. Anyone who suddenly realizes that a family member they thought they could trust actually wants their life, and that the person is the most powerful person in the world, would find it hard not to be suspicious.

Even so, this ability to read minds forced Xuan Yuanjing to confront the malice that came crashing down on his once-trusted elder brother.

That was not a pleasant experience. In fact, when he heard the person's unrestrained insults directed at him, Xuan Yuanjing felt as if his heart was aching so badly that he could hardly breathe.

But he maintained a calm demeanor, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

painful.

Because he had genuinely regarded the other party as a trustworthy and reliable elder brother, and as a monarch to whom he could realize his ambitions and sincerely assist him.

Xuanyuan Jing: "Besides, Pei Qingzhu is not a reckless person. If there were really any urgent matters to deal with, he wouldn't be able to rest so easily. You don't need to worry about it."

"Now... nothing fatal will happen. Even if someone is plotting against us in the dark, the worst outcome will be nothing more than a falling out. I've already died once, so what am I afraid of?"

Chen Li seemed somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but still said, "I understand."

He wasn't a stubborn person, but he was too concerned about what was happening around Xuan Yuanjing. He always wanted his prince to rest and recuperate undisturbed before discussing future matters.

But since the prince himself had said so, Chen Li didn't want to overwork himself. Besides, he had already dealt with the tricky matters before, and he figured that even if he handed over the rest to someone else, there wouldn't be any major problems.

So Chen Li was sent to bed.

As Chen Li walked out of the courtyard, he realized that he had slept for three hours the day before.

But... if we go back and tell the prince this, the most important thing is that the young lady is still there. What if she thinks he's not sleeping and starts crying again?

Although the little girl looks beautiful when she cries, with tears falling like little pearls one by one, she doesn't look disheveled at all. Yet, to onlookers, she still evokes pity.

Furthermore, it was fine the first time, but if it happened again, Chen Li felt he would be glared at by the prince.

Fine, fine, since the prince is giving him a leave of absence, he can take it.

"Oh right, and pearl powder too." Chen Li muttered to himself as he walked, "If Miss wants to play with pearls, one box of pearls might not be enough. It's best to have someone prepare more in advance, so that if any are spilled or damaged, they can be replaced in time."

"It's a bit tricky to find pearls of the same quality as that box of pearls. We'll have to contact people along the coast to take a look..."

After Chen Li left, Xuan Yuanjing held Xiao Lanxing and gently coaxed her, "Xingxing was very good just now. She didn't mention Chen Li's existence in front of him. That's great."

Xiao Lanxing almost said "Tongtong" just now, but she changed her mind at the last minute. Although Chen Li must have noticed it, since he didn't ask, let's just pretend he didn't notice.

Xuanyuan Jing naturally didn't miss this detail either. He first praised the little girl before saying, "But next time if you don't know how to say it, you can say that your father said it."

Xiao Lanxing had just cried, her big eyes were still moist, "You can't lie."

Xuanyuan Jing: "Hmm... then next time you should tell your father first. If your father tells you once, it won't be a lie."

Xiao Lanxing was stunned: "Huh?"

Xuanyuan Jing smiled: "So this is what Father meant, right?"

The little girl thought for a moment and nodded firmly: "Yes!"