Shen Yun spoke reasonably, and his metaphor was very vivid.
The current Su Xiaoqi was, of course, perfect in every way.
But who knew that in the past, she was just a beggar at the City God Temple.
It was he who had cherished and doted on her.
Only now could she bloom into such a beautiful flower.
"If it were me, I would also be her protector, understand her, cherish her, love her, and care for her..."
Liang Jingchen's voice was somewhat choked, but he had to let Shen Yun know his feelings.
Shen Yun frowned slightly, staring unhappily at Liang Jingchen.
Forgive him, but he couldn't speak to Liang Jingchen calmly at the moment.
After all, who could remain calm when their wife was being coveted, and the other person was so self-righteous?
But you can rest assured, since she already has a protector, and I am destined to be a latecomer.
I understand the principle of first come, first served.
I will only be a qualified admirer."
Not a thief, trying to make her his own.
Liang Jingchen wasn't finished.
He continued, "I know that saying this will displease you, and I hope it won't affect your relationship with Xiaoqi."
Of course, it would be even better if it did.
But for some reason, Liang Jingchen knew that no matter what earth-shattering things he said,
Shen Yun would probably not tell Xiaoqi.
Nor would he take his anger out on Xiaoqi.
He would only deal with himself.
And he was not afraid of him!
It was time for a confrontation between men.
But Shen Yun didn't pay him any mind.
He just glanced at him lightly and said in a soft tone:
"Even if Xiaoqi and I had any conflicts, you wouldn't be the successor."
In case Liang Jingchen was unconvinced, he continued, "Do you think love is a transaction? Buying saddlehorses in the east market, buying horse saddles in the west market, if this shop isn't suitable, you just switch to another.
The shop owner doesn't care who the customer is, and the customer doesn't care who the shop owner is."
Love is love because it possesses uniqueness.
When love runs deep, there is no one else but you.
"Do you know how long it took me to make Xiaoqi truly fall in love with me?" Shen Yun decided to face this issue squarely today.
Instead of pretending ignorance like others and deceiving himself.
Sometimes, thinking about the outcome would make him feel sad.
From now on, they would truly be on the same boat.
If there were any lingering reservations, it would be difficult for him to help wholeheartedly.
He was a rational person.
And he would not give up helping him because of these personal emotional matters.
He had seen Liang Jingchen's performance over the past year.
Although he did not yet possess all the qualities of a wise ruler,
He was better than Prince Zhou, and that was enough.
Since he had decided to help him, he could no longer have designs on his wife as he did before.
Although he was confident that neither he nor his wife could fulfill his wishes,
There was still someone watching his woman from behind, and he couldn't help but feel unhappy.
This was a common male trait.
"I know, no matter how good Xiaoqi is to me, I can't replace you.
I'm just acting on impulse!
After all, she's so, so good!" Liang Jingchen saw that Shen Yun wasn't here to argue about whether he should have those thoughts.
He was simply laying the matter bare and speaking face-to-face.
He knew what this meant, so he no longer hid it as he had in the past.
"Don't worry, if Xiaoqi is not interested, I will absolutely not bother her.
But if you fail Xiaoqi, I will be the first one not to let you off!"
Liang Jingchen gritted his teeth and uttered a threat.
Shen Yun smiled, "Don't worry, it will never be your turn. Xiaoqi is so good, how could I bear to let her go!"
As their words fell, the two men reached out simultaneously, their hands meeting with a crisp sound, and then clasped tightly.
Besides agreeing on matters concerning Su Xiaoqi, they also agreed on some other things.
Hearing the sound of their clasped hands, Su Xiaoqi outside the door breathed a sigh of relief.
She was truly afraid that Liang Jingchen, being hot-headed, and Shen Yun, being protective, would quarrel because of her.
Wouldn't that just increase internal strife?
So she had asked Zhang Yu to send Zhang Feng away and quietly crept along the wall to eavesdrop.
She was afraid that the two of them would have any unpleasantness.
Fortunately, both of them were rational.
And their values were sound, without any twisted or malicious thoughts.
When Liang Jingchen came out, he saw Su Xiaoqi, who hadn't had time to evade.
He suppressed the bitterness in his heart, put on a big smile, and mouthed, "If he fails you, I will slaughter him."
After receiving a playful glare from Su Xiaoqi, he left with mixed feelings.
Just as Liang Jingchen left through the secret side door,
Zhang Lei reported that a guest had arrived at the main entrance.
"Who is it?" Shen Yun's voice echoed in the study.
"Prince Ning," Zhang Lei replied.
Shen Yun originally intended to refuse to see him.
But Su Xiaoqi said it would be too impolite.
After all, putting aside the fact that he was Shen Yun's biological father, he was also a prince officially enfeoffed by the Emperor.
If he were to refuse such a dignified prince at his door,
It was likely that the Censorate would find material for their reports tomorrow.
With a wild flight of fancy,
The morning court tomorrow would be lively.
"If you have something to say, say it inside, so as not to be laughed at by others," Su Xiaoqi advised.
Shen Yun also knew this principle.
He was simply too resentful of Prince Ning to forgive him, let alone speak with him at length.
In any case, his answer was no forgiveness, no attention, and no entry into the prince's mansion.
Prince Ning still entered.
Shen Yun had initially planned to meet him in the guest rooms of the front courtyard.
But Su Xiaoqi said that was not a place to receive guests, and it would be better to go to the flower hall.
It was their business if others were unrighteous or ungrateful.
They should still observe the proper etiquette.
Otherwise, it would just be adding fodder for gossip.
Prince Ning, Shen Zhongwen, was visiting the Zhuangyuan Mansion for the first time.
He also carefully examined the golden plaque at the entrance.
The three large characters "Zhuangyuan Mansion" shone brightly in the sun.
They shone directly into his heart.
It was as if something was breaking through the soil within his heart.
However, as soon as he thought about it, he would be overcome with a splitting headache.
But this pain was considered gentle compared to before.
This was also the effect of the acupuncture treatment Su Xiaoqi had performed on him.
He shook his head, avoiding the sunlight from his eyes, and turned to walk into the Zhuangyuan Mansion.
This place was different from any other mansion he had visited.
Everywhere were flowers and plants.
There were precious ones, and ordinary ones.
It was currently the blooming season for many flowers, and they were in full bloom.
He looked at the clusters of flowers, arranged in a refreshing courtyard, and an almost identical courtyard involuntarily appeared in his mind.
It was filled with small flowers, some large, some small, beautiful and refreshing.
Who had arranged it?
The question lingered in Prince Ning's mind.
This led him to blurt out, as soon as he met Shen Yun in the flower hall, and ask who tended the gardens and flower beds in this courtyard.
Shen Yun frowned and said nothing.
Su Xiaoqi smiled and told him, "This was tended by my mother-in-law."
Madam Zhao was a skilled and dexterous person.
Her embroidery was self-taught, and the patterns she embroidered in her youth were breathtaking.
Since Su Xiaoqi had cured her eyes, restoring her sight, she, along with Shen Yun, supervised her, forbidding her from embroidering easily.
And certainly not at night.
To prevent her from being lonely, Su Xiaoqi specially procured many flowers and plants for her to tend.
Su Xiaoqi had considered other options initially.
She had thought about hiring teachers to teach her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
But Shen Yun told her that his mother was very talented in these areas and had already learned them.
And the person who taught her was his biological father, who was nowhere to be found but suddenly appeared.
So, these matters must not be mentioned now, as they would only increase her sorrow.
Therefore, Su Xiaoqi thought of planting flowers and gardening.
These things were easy to get into, time-consuming, and once successfully grown or bloomed, they brought a great sense of accomplishment.
As expected, Su Xiaoqi's choice was excellent and suited Madam Zhao's taste.
She had loved planting flowers and grass ever since.
She was also quite talented.
Any precious or difficult-to-care-for varieties became docile in her hands.
"The flowers are planted very well," Prince Ning's voice was somewhat hoarse.
He was very annoyed. There was a figure in his mind, slender and graceful, but he just couldn't recall her face.
The more eager he felt, the more his head ached.
He really wanted to remember her!
She was so important!