If Heaven hadn't given birth to me, I would be arrogant.

"Uh..." To be honest, this was Zongze's first blind date in both his lives, and the other party was an incredibly beautiful girl! Although he and Princess Hanli were often together in this life, Zongze knew that he always regarded Princess Hanli as a younger sister and classmate!

Therefore, when facing Princess Hanli, Zongze did not notice anything amiss. He continued to say what he wanted to say and play games with her as usual. Even when gambling, Hanli accompanied him!

But when the two old men left, leaving only the two of them, Zongze suddenly found himself at a loss for words!

"What...what's your name?" Zong Ze asked, then mentally slapped himself. "You, aren't you usually so eloquent? How come you're speechless when it comes to a crucial moment with a beautiful woman? You can't even address her properly, you just ask her name!"

"Yuxi!"

The little girl smiled and said her name, seemingly not angry at all because of Zongze's rudeness!

Upon hearing Yu Xi's voice, Zong Ze felt a surge of comfort once again. To be honest, having lived two lives, Zong Ze had heard many women's voices, but the one that resonated with him the most was Han Li's. Han Li's voice was crisp and cool, like eating ice cream on a sweltering summer day!

Zong Ze has always believed that Han Li's voice is the most beautiful female voice in the world!

However, the moment Yu Xi opened her mouth today, she completely overturned Zong Ze's expectations. Yu Xi's voice, like Han Li's, was crisp and cool, but it possessed a new flavor—sweet and delicate. For a moment, the phrase "round and smooth" suddenly came to Zong Ze's mind!

"Yuxi! What a beautiful name!" Zong Ze savored the name, actually still enjoying the comfort Yuxi's voice brought him: "Like jade without flaws, reflecting the heart as clear as a stream! Truly, the person is just as their name suggests!"

Suddenly, Zong Ze seemed to realize something, and his eyes widened: "Your name is Yu Xi? Yu Xi from the Duchy of Yu? The princess Yu Xi who is known as the smartest on the continent?"

“It’s true that I’m called Yuxi!” Yuxi maintained her smile. “It’s also true that I’m Yuxi from the Duchy of Yu. But as for being the smartest, that’s just others flattering me. As for being a princess? The Duchy of Yu is just a small duchy. In front of the three great empires, I wouldn’t dare to call myself a princess. Besides, if I hadn’t been born into the Yu family out of necessity, I wouldn’t actually want to be a princess!”

"Oh? Why?" Upon hearing Yu Xi's words, Zong Ze's favorability towards her instantly increased by 90 percentage points. Wasn't this also his wish? How wonderful it would be to be born into a commoner's family! It would save him from the intrigues and backstabbing of the royal family!

"Why?" Hearing Zongze ask her why she didn't want to be a princess, Yu Xi's voice turned a little cold: "What's so good about being a princess? It seems glamorous, and everyone listens to you, but in reality, everyone controls you. This is no good, that is dangerous! Even if you want to ride a horse alone to relax, you have to be surrounded by a group of people!"

Upon hearing this, Zongze realized that he had misunderstood. It turned out that the girl didn't want to be a princess because she was being controlled too strictly by him, which was different from his own thoughts. However, Yuxi's next words made Zongze change his mind.

"The most important thing is!" Yu Xi had no idea that Zong Ze had so many thoughts and ideas. She actually didn't like talking to strangers, especially men, but for some reason, after hearing Zong Ze's description of her, and with the classic quotes that often reached her ears, Yu Xi felt like she had found someone to confide in. She had a feeling that this boy, who was known as the second Teng Yun, would definitely understand what she meant!

"Being born into a royal family is really no different from being born into an imperial family! Every day you have to face all kinds of intrigue and backstabbing. Whether it's your own brothers or sisters, no one will open their heart to you. Everyone will keep things from you. If you make any mistakes, the next day your sister, who was lying in the same bed with you just an hour ago, will report you to the king!"

"So, I'd rather be an ordinary little girl, with loving older brothers and sisters, and younger brothers and sisters I can protect, living together as a family. Maybe we'd be poor, but at least we'd be happy!"

At this point, Yu Xi suddenly remembered something, and her face turned slightly red: "I'm sorry, I've said so much all at once. I don't know if you can understand. I don't know why, but when I see you, I suddenly have a desire to confide in you. I always feel that you can understand me!"

"But!" Yu Xi sighed softly, "Who in this world can truly understand me?"

"Ah!" Yu Xi's words suddenly gave Zong Ze an urge to hold her in his arms and cherish her, to let her cry freely on his shoulder. This pure and intelligent little girl was so similar to his own feelings back then: "Tears wet my handkerchief, dreams are broken, in the deep of night, the sound of singing echoes in the palace. Beauty has not faded, but favor has already passed away, the imperial family is the most heartless!"

When Yu Xi heard Zong Ze's last line, "The most ruthless are those of the imperial family," a dark, bright light, like lightning, suddenly flashed in her eyes. But before she could speak, Zong Ze continued:

"Being born into an imperial family is the most helpless thing. Even if you want to live a secluded life, you can't. Even if you don't seek favors, you can't stop people from plotting and scheming. All kinds of power struggles, deceit and intrigue will come at you, making you feel like you have thorns in your back. To put it bluntly, it seems glamorous, but only those who are truly in an imperial family know that once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea!"

"You really do understand me!" Yu Xi's eyes shone even brighter: "My father asked me to come and meet you, and I was a little reluctant at first, but now it seems that my trip was worthwhile. At least I've met someone who truly understands me!"

"That's right!" Zongze seemed to have thought of something: "You are the princess of the Jade Kingdom, and that uncle was your father, so doesn't that mean he is His Majesty the King of the Jade Kingdom!"

"Hehe!" Yu Xi suddenly smiled with her eyes crinkling: "I heard that you are legendary as the second Soaring Cloud Saint of the Holy Word Continent, and that you are incredibly intelligent. How come you seem to know so little about the affairs of our Jade Kingdom?"

"Uh..." Zong Ze awkwardly rubbed his nose: "To be honest, you could tell from what I said earlier that I don't really like the imperial family. So when I'm reading the general history of the continent, I usually don't pay much attention to the parts about the imperial family!"

“But!” Yu Xi asked, puzzled, “Even if you don’t read books, your grandparents and parents should have told you about our Jade Kingdom! After all, Grandma was almost the eldest princess who inherited the throne, and Aunt Yu Rou was the successor to the Grand Elder of the Kingdom!”

"What?" Now it was Zong Ze's turn to be dumbfounded: "You're saying that my grandmother and my mother were respectively the queen and the successor of the Grand Elder of the Jade Kingdom?"