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

Lu Zhiyuan looked at the Crown Prince but did not respond.

It must be admitted that over the course of seven years, this crown prince increasingly resembled a true emperor. Unlike the emperor, who remained secluded in the palace and only learned about world affairs through the words of his officials, this crown prince, dressed in plain clothes, ventured deep into the lives of ordinary people. In those seven years, he traveled to almost every corner of Northern Liang, gaining a thorough understanding of the local people's lives and livelihoods.

He will humbly listen to the opinions of Lu Zhiyuan, this "young girl," and develop civil and livelihood policies according to the characteristics of each place. Now, Northern Liang is becoming more and more prosperous, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. He will become one of the most outstanding and wise rulers in the history of Northern Liang.

Admiration is one thing, liking is another, but she can never become his true queen.

She was tired of living in this palace and couldn't wait to go out and see the world.

The Crown Prince looked at Lu Zhiyuan and smiled helplessly: "A-Yuan is so stingy, she can't even bear to give you a hug."

Lu Zhiyuan moved closer to him, and the Crown Prince froze as her hands encircled his neck. Her scent was clean, not the cloying fragrance of perfume, but a sweet, youthful aroma. The scent entered his nostrils, making his head spin. He tried to look away, but his gaze fell on her lips. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he forced himself to lift his head slightly.

"Does A-Yuan hug other people like this too?"

“Only Crown Prince.” Lu Zhiyuan let go, but just as the Crown Prince was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she grabbed his arms, pulled him behind her, and wrapped her arms around his neck once again.

The prince felt his mind go completely blank.

“The Crown Prince is very good to A Yuan, and A Yuan likes the Crown Prince very much.”

Upon hearing "like," the Crown Prince snapped out of his reverie and stared intently into her eyes: "Your Highness also likes A-Yuan very much! No, it's not just liking, but Your Highness only has A-Yuan in your heart. Does A-Yuan want to marry Your Highness?"

"Does the Crown Prince want to marry A-Yuan?"

The Crown Prince grabbed Lu Zhiyuan by the waist and pulled her into his arms. "Father intends to pass the throne to me, but Mother wants to wait until after our wedding. I know that A-Yuan doesn't care about the position of Crown Princess, nor is she interested in becoming the Empress. I also remember my promise to A-Yuan. Being in the royal family, many things are beyond our control, but I promise that I will do my best to keep my promise to A-Yuan and strive to be with her for life."

“Ah Yuan can marry the Crown Prince and become his empress. However, the Crown Prince does not need to make things difficult for himself by going against the royal family and the civil and military officials for Ah Yuan’s sake.”

The Crown Prince's face lit up with joy: "A-Yuan has figured it out?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head: "It's not that I've figured it out, it's that I've always understood it. My brother, the Crown Prince, had no choice in his own life, and neither did I. My brother, the Crown Prince, married me for the sake of Beiliang, and I married him for the sake of the Xie and Lu families. It was an exchange of interests between us, and we've already discussed all the terms we needed to discuss."

The Crown Prince shook his head: "My relationship with A-Yuan is more than just an exchange of benefits."

“Ah Yuan knows.” Lu Zhiyuan covered his mouth with her index finger: “Ah Yuan can feel the Crown Prince’s sincerity towards Ah Yuan, so Ah Yuan is willing to marry the Crown Prince and become the Crown Prince’s future Empress, so that the Xie family can rightfully stand with the Crown Prince.”

"But there's a 'but'." The prince's heart sank, his eyes like a bottomless pool as he observed her reaction.

“A-Yuan can stay in that position as long as the Crown Prince needs her, or she can suddenly pass away.” Lu Zhiyuan spoke as if she were talking about someone else: “A-Yuan could be the Empress, the Deposed Empress, the Ailing Empress, or even the Empress who died of illness, but A-Yuan does not want to be trapped in the deep palace. A-Yuan only hopes that after the wedding, the Crown Prince will allow A-Yuan to leave. A-Yuan wants to see the scenery outside the capital.”

"Will A-Yuan come back?" the Crown Prince asked anxiously, his long, slender fingers clenching into a fist beside Lu Zhiyuan.

“Of course I will come back. Even if A-Yuan is sickly, she will still attend the occasions that the Crown Princess should attend. The Crown Prince cannot lose face because of A-Yuan.”

"Alright." The Crown Prince nodded and hugged her tightly. "A-Yuan always thinks of her Crown Prince brother in every way, so how could her Crown Prince brother not grant her wish? After the wedding, her Crown Prince brother will escort her out of the city. A-Yuan must promise her Crown Prince brother that she will write back no matter where she goes. Her Crown Prince brother will be here waiting for her. Whether A-Yuan is tired from playing or has been wronged, she must remember to come back."

"Okay!" Lu Zhiyuan smiled, her warm breath brushing against the Crown Prince's cheek.

The crown prince felt a slight stirring in his heart, but he managed to restrain himself.

"It's getting late, A-Yuan should get some rest."

“Crown Prince Brother.” Lu Zhiyuan grabbed his hand and suddenly moved closer until there was no gap between them.

The crown prince looked at her and nervously swallowed.

"Ah Yuan...do you have anything else to say?"

Lu Zhiyuan kissed him on the cheek: "Goodnight, Crown Prince!"

Before the Crown Prince could react, Lu Zhiyuan had already returned to her room and slammed the door shut. The Crown Prince, touching the spot where she had just kissed him, looked dizzily at the door. A curtain hung outside, swaying gently, and his face flushed crimson.

Inside the room, Liu Ying saw this scene through the window. When Lu Zhiyuan entered the room, she was so nervous that she couldn't speak: "Miss, you, you kissed His Highness the Crown Prince."

Lu Zhiyuan touched her lips: "I just lightly touched his face, it doesn't count as a kiss."

She lived for over twenty years in that world, and then for another eight years in this one as Lu Zhiyuan, so she's conservatively estimated to be in her thirties. It's normal to want to be in a relationship at that age. However, her identity in this world is somewhat special: she's a minor, confined to the palace, and has only a handful of real men she can interact with.

Your Majesty is too old.

My second maternal uncle was a close relative whom I could not disrespect.

Lu Yun, who used to be able to tease her a few years ago, now completely treats her like his master. She can continue to tease him, but she's afraid he'll take it seriously. She's still the Crown Princess, and she can't afford to cause him trouble.

After much deliberation, only her nominal future husband, His Highness the Crown Prince, remained.

She understood the look in his eyes when he looked at her just now.

She wasn't some old-fashioned, conservative person, and besides, the Crown Prince had genuinely treated her well all these years. This man, second only to the Emperor and above all others, had repeatedly restrained his lustful thoughts towards her out of respect.

Give him a kiss as a reward.

Liu Ying pursed her lips, stood on tiptoe, and looked at the Crown Prince who was still sitting on the steps and had not left: "So, Miss, you also have a little bit of affection for His Highness the Crown Prince, don't you?"

“Such a good person, it’s hard not to like him, right?” Lu Zhiyuan frowned and said disappointedly, “It’s a pity that he is the crown prince and the future emperor of Beiliang.”

"Isn't being the emperor good? The Second Master said that everyone wants to be the emperor. Not only can you possess all the wealth in the world, but you can also have countless beauties and receive the worship of all people."

Lu Zhiyuan poured cold water on the idea: "That's being the emperor. If you were just one of those countless beauties, would you still think it's a good thing?"

The fireflies shook their heads like rattles.