"No?" Prince Yu sneered coldly: "This prince will not allow you to refuse repeatedly, come with me."

He raised his hand and in one motion swept Jiang Yuchao up, carrying her over his shoulder as he headed for his own tent. But before he could take two steps, he suddenly let out a groan, and dropped Jiang Yuchao from his shoulder.

Jiang Yuchao held a blood-stained dagger in her hand. She had just used this dagger tied to her arm to stab her assailant in the butt.

The big dogs, realizing what had happened, bared their fangs menacingly and quickly moved to stand protectively in front of Jiang Yuchao. The roars and howls shook the heavens and earth, attracting a group of garrison soldiers. The soldiers ran over nervously, only to see Prince Yu's butt stained red.

This matter quickly became a laughingstock, with rumors spreading that Prince Yu wanted to force himself on someone, and not only failed, but ended up injured instead.

...

"What's the point of this, since he's going to pester her like this, why did he abandon her in the first place?" The Empress was very puzzled.

The Emperor also had an unpleasant expression. What kind of mess was his son stirring up, making him lose face completely. He originally didn't want to intervene, but seeing this matter blowing up like a storm, with Prince Yu pestering relentlessly on one side, and Princess Chunxi causing all sorts of issues on the other, he had no choice but to step in and manage it.

"So be it, this matter must be dealt with, otherwise letting them continue making a scene like this is unacceptable!"

The Emperor summoned Prince Yu, Prince Yuling, and Jiang Yuchao. Even Prime Minister Xiao came along; since it concerned his daughter, it was best for him to listen in.

"I ask you three, what exactly are your intentions?" The Emperor asked sternly, getting straight to the point.

Xi Zhuoyu, Jiang Yuchao: "...?" What intentions?

These two had no idea why the Emperor summoned them. Xi Zhuoyu thought the Emperor called him regarding the matter he previously mentioned about punishing Princess Chunxi. Jiang Yuchao thought the Emperor summoned her because of her stabbing Prince Yu's butt with a dagger earlier.

Only Prince Yu was aware of the situation, directly saying: "This is a matter between Prince Yuling and me. I'm willing to compete with him. Whoever wins will marry Xiao Jinyue."

Xi Zhuoyu: "!?" What, why marry my fan?

Jiang Yuchao: "?!" What, who's marrying who? My idol isn't marrying anyone, get that straight!

Xi Zhuoyu: "Wait a minute, this isn't right."

Prince Yu: "You're afraid?"

Even Xi Zhuoyu felt like cursing now. Afraid my ass? First of all, why suddenly bring up marriage, and have you considered how the other person feels being randomly used as a wager?

Prince Yu: "If you don't dare, then in the future don't interfere between Xiao Jinyue and me. She was originally my princess consort, it's only natural for her to return to my side."

Jiang Yuchao: "Prince Yu, I will never enter your Prince Yu Manor again in this life." If it weren't for the Emperor, Empress and Prime Minister Xiao still watching, she would have cursed out this idiot until he was crawling on the ground. Who does he think he is, treating a person like an object he can discard and pick up whenever he pleases?

The Emperor rubbed his temples, waving his hand: "Alright, since the young lady of the Xiao family has already said this, Prince Yuling, are you willing to marry her?"

Prince Yu stepped forward: "Your Majesty!"

The Emperor reprimanded him: "Enough! Pestering a woman who has no interest in you is disgraceful. Shut up."

Xi Zhuoyu glanced at Jiang Yuchao who was also frowning, took a deep breath, and said, "May I have a few words in private with Lady Xiao?"

The two walked outside. Xi Zhuoyu said: "At this point, I can only marry you first..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Yuchao started crying, "No, I can't, how could I do such a thing. My idol is getting married, I don't agree!"

Xi Zhuoyu: "..." Get a grip my friend, isn't the one I'm marrying you?

Jiang Yuchao: "I can't be with you, immortals and mortals are different, gods and humans being together never ends well."

Xi Zhuoyu didn't know why he actually laughed at this moment, "There's not much time, don't make me laugh for now, calm down and listen to me."

Jiang Yuchao: "Give me ten more seconds to calm down."

Xi Zhuoyu: "Alright, I'll start counting then. Ten, nine... one. Okay, time's up, I'm starting now."

"I'm a believer in staying single. In my previous life I never thought about marriage, and the same goes for this life. The situations in both lives were quite unique, and I never met anyone I liked, so I originally didn't plan to take a wife either. It's just that His Majesty cares about me too much, so I might have to marry sooner or later. Your situation is actually very similar to mine. I assume you also don't want to marry Prince Yu. If I marry you, both our problems can be solved."

Xi Zhuoyu analyzed rationally: "If you don't marry me, first of all, Prince Yu won't let the matter rest. There's also Princess Chunxi who might cause you more trouble. This world isn't that friendly to you. In the future, you might be married off by the Xiao family. I think you probably wouldn't like that either."

Jiang Yuchao nodded solemnly: "What you said makes a lot of sense. But when I think about marrying you, I feel like I'm suffocating, and there's a sense of guilt."

Xi Zhuoyu smiled, "You can think of it this way. Nominally you're marrying me, but in reality, you're just coming to the Prince Yuling Manor to be my assistant, and I'll even pay you a salary. In my manor, you'll have a lot of freedom, and I'll gain a friend with common interests. I just want to give you some help and care."

Jiang Yuchao understood his meaning, "Brother is so good! But I'm very capable of taking care of myself!"

Xi Zhuoyu: "I know Jiang Old Wine is amazing, but even the most amazing people will have times when they need help."

Jiang Yuchao was so touched by the immortal brother's words that her heart felt warm. She said emotionally: "I want to marry Brother! I want to give Brother baby monkeys!"

Xi Zhuoyu smiled and waved his hand: "Hey, that last part won't be necessary."

Author's Note:

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prince Yu.