After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The moonlight was bright and clear, and the night breeze was cool.

Lu Zhiyuan shivered involuntarily as she followed behind the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince stopped and turned to look at Lu Zhiyuan. Lu Zhiyuan was lost in thought with her head down when she suddenly bumped into the Crown Prince's arms, muttering, "It hurts so much! Why is there a wall here all of a sudden?"

Looking up, her aggrieved expression was reflected in the Crown Prince's deep, slightly smiling eyes, and she couldn't help but say, "I thought it was a wall, but it turns out to be Crown Prince."

It was clearly a complaint, yet it warmed one's heart. He raised his hand, gently rubbed her temple, and said softly, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have stopped so suddenly."

Lu Zhiyuan reached out, stood on tiptoe, and tapped the prince on the forehead, saying with a grin, "I'll forgive you since you admitted your mistake so well."

The Crown Prince was startled, touching the spot where he had just been tapped. It didn't hurt; it was just a light tap, yet it made the faces of those attending him change. The Crown Prince, the heir apparent—who, besides the Emperor and Empress, would dare touch him?

The guard was about to speak when the Crown Prince glared at him, silencing him.

"May I call you A-Yuan?" The Crown Prince looked into Lu Zhiyuan's eyes. "You and Ping Le are good friends. Ping Le calls me Crown Prince Brother, and you also call me Crown Prince Brother. If I still call you Miss Lu, it seems a bit distant."

“That’s true. If Her Majesty the Empress really betroths me to you, you will be my future husband. As a husband, we should have an affectionate name for each other. Since you like to call me A Yuan, then you can call me A Yuan.”

The prince's ears suddenly turned red.

"Ah Yuan, do you want to be the Crown Princess?"

"Does Your Highness want A-Yuan to be your Crown Princess?" Lu Zhiyuan's eyes shone brightly, filled with the unique innocence of a young girl: "Whether I want to or not is neither up to me nor to Your Highness. Your Highness will consider many factors when choosing a consort, and the person you choose will definitely be of benefit to you. Whether A-Yuan can be chosen is also not up to me; it depends on the Emperor and Empress's considerations."

As she finished speaking, she put her arm around his shoulder, her beautiful eyes full of laughter: "In my opinion, I will definitely become the Crown Prince's wife."

The crown prince was mesmerized by her eyes and subconsciously asked, "Why?"

Lu Zhiyuan let go of his hand and walked past the Crown Prince. Her voice was not loud, but the Crown Prince could hear her clearly: "Looking at the entire Northern Liang, A Yuan is the most suitable in every way except for her young age. From the Empress's point of view, her young age is not a problem. Let's get engaged first, and then get married when A Yuan comes of age."

She really is a clever girl.

"To be honest, Mother Empress does indeed have this intention." The Crown Prince pursed his lips. "If A-Yuan is unwilling, I can speak with Mother Empress."

"Your Highness is such a good person, why is A-Yuan unwilling?" Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "There are many benefits to marrying Your Highness."

On the flagstone-paved ground, two shadows walked one after the other. The Crown Prince took a large step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lu Zhiyuan, and turned his head to ask her, "What are the benefits?"

Lu Zhiyuan counted on her fingers: "First, it sounds nice and looks nice. Second, the Eastern Palace is independent, so marrying the Crown Prince will basically eliminate any mother-in-law/daughter-in-law troubles. Third, the Empress is on good terms with my mother, so even if she becomes my mother-in-law, she won't deliberately make things difficult for me. Fourth, I will enjoy wealth and luxury, and have no worries about food and clothing."

The Crown Prince shook his head: "You can have all of this even if you don't become the Crown Princess."

Lu Zhiyuan's eyes shone even brighter: "As expected of the Crown Prince, your insight is so profound. I'm so beautiful, so smart, and so capable, I won't be at a disadvantage no matter who I marry. Therefore, there are conditions for A-Yuan to marry the Crown Prince."

“Ah Yuan, please speak freely. I will agree to anything that I can do.”

Now that we've said this much, there's no point in hiding it anymore; it would just be pointless.

Lu Zhiyuan turned around and walked backwards, asking as she went, "Before you make any demands, I want you to understand, Your Highness. If you were to marry me, what kind of Crown Princess would you want me to be?"

“Brother Crown Prince is somewhat foolish. Could you please explain things more clearly, A-Yuan?”

“Ah Yuan can be a qualified Crown Princess, just like in the storybooks, managing the household affairs for her Crown Prince brother, and getting along peacefully with his concubines.” Lu Zhiyuan stopped and said, “For one to three years, we will be husband and wife in name only, without any real marriage. When the term is up, Ah Yuan will fake her death and escape, and we will be separated forever, never to meet again.”

"How old are you? Stop reading those nonsense novels." The Crown Prince reached out and flicked her head. "Your brother already knows what a qualified Crown Princess is like. What about an unqualified Crown Princess? Tell your brother about it, A-Yuan."

"Those who are not qualified will naturally not help the Crown Prince manage the household affairs or the inner quarters, but they can get along peacefully with the Crown Prince's concubines. The term is still one to three years, starting from the day we get married. We will still only be husband and wife in name only, without any real marriage. When the term is up, the Crown Prince may either divorce A-Yuan or send A-Yuan to the Cold Palace. The Crown Prince can do whatever he wants. Anyway, A-Yuan is going to leave, and the Crown Prince can't keep her."

He's still a child at heart; his words and actions are childish.

Those who are qualified will leave, and those who are not will also leave. He only wants to be the Crown Princess, not a Crown Princess in name only. Is he really that disliked by A-Yuan?

"Is there any intervention between the qualified and unqualified categories?"

Lu Zhiyuan nodded obediently: "Yes, it's quite difficult."

The Crown Prince smiled: "Tell me about it, and let's see if you, my brother, can do it?"

Lu Zhiyuan took a deep breath and looked at the moon in the sky: "A-Yuan is still young. Crown Prince Brother has plenty of opportunities to win A-Yuan's heart and strive to be in love with A-Yuan before A-Yuan comes of age. A-Yuan has Crown Prince Brother in her heart, and naturally she will become a true husband and wife with Crown Prince Brother. However, A-Yuan is narrow-minded and cannot tolerate other women by the side of her beloved. Crown Prince Brother knows about A-Yuan's methods, and she will inevitably add a few new graves to the Crown Prince's mansion."

The Crown Prince gasped: "What A-Yuan wants is a lifelong, monogamous relationship?"

Lu Zhiyuan nodded: "Those whom I truly love must treat me with sincerity. I know that my brother, the Crown Prince, cannot do that, so I do not want to make things difficult for him, but I also do not want to wrong myself."

The Crown Prince nodded: "Your elder brother can promise you a lifetime, but not a single person. As the Crown Prince, you have the responsibility to ensure the continuation of the royal family. The three palaces and six courtyards all need to be filled. Each concubine and imperial consort has their own place. If one person is favored exclusively, it would be unfair to the others. If the favor is distributed equally, it would be impossible to be devoted to one person wholeheartedly. What A-Yuan wants, your elder brother does not have and cannot give."

“Brother Crown Prince is honest enough, A-Yuan likes it.”

Lu Zhiyuan turned around and skipped forward. The Crown Prince stood still, watching the two shadows grow farther and farther apart until Lu Zhiyuan's shadow was swallowed up by the palace wall, and the little girl's voice came from the shadows.

“Your Highness need not worry. Perhaps A-Yuan will not live to adulthood.” There was not a trace of sadness in that voice: “A Crown Princess engraved on a memorial tablet is not a trouble for Your Highness. Let’s wait and see.”

The crown prince clenched his fist.