A young man in his early twenties, dressed in a blue cloth robe, stood at the top of the stairs. His black hair was tied back with a blue cloth band, falling neatly behind his head, giving him a clean and refreshing appearance.
This was none other than the current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.
"Duke Lin, I greet you!" Xue Qinghe offered a bright smile and gave Lin Rong a polite greeting.
Lin Rong looked at the person before him, quite surprised:
It's her, Qian Renxue. What is she doing at Moon Xuan? Studying court etiquette?
Thinking about it carefully, in eleven years, the royal family's only princess, Xue Ke, would also come to Moon Xuan to study court etiquette.
If that's the case, even though Qian Renxue is impersonating the Crown Prince, it's not impossible for her to come to Moon Xuan to study court etiquette.
Currently, the real Xue Qinghe should be around twenty years old, and the age matches. So, is Qian Renxue really here to study court etiquette?
"Your Highness."
Lin Rong simply returned the greeting and intended to leave.
The plan concerning Qian Renxue was scheduled for later; it wasn't her turn yet. Therefore, Lin Rong didn't want to get entangled with her too much, to avoid any unforeseen complications.
Unfortunately, fate did not go as he wished.
This imposter Xue Qinghe was very curious why a six-year-old child like Lin Rong would be looking for Tang Yuehua.
So, with great curiosity, Xue Qinghe asked indirectly:
"Duke Lin has only recently turned six, and he's still too young to study court etiquette. May I ask what brings you to Madam Yue today?"
"Could it be that Duke Lin, at such a young age, is already enamored with Madam Yue's beauty and has come to express his feelings?"
Hearing this, Lin Rong stopped descending the stairs and thought:
You good-for-nothing Qian Renxue, just because I don't want to provoke you doesn't mean I can't.
Since you're so curious, don't blame me for being hurtful with my words!
Lin Rong then leaned over the stair railing, looking down at Xue Qinghe, and said softly:
"Your Highness jokes."
"Madam Yue, as a woman, founded such a large establishment as Moon Xuan on her own. She is truly a heroine among women."
"My parents passed away, and Duke Fu has been supported by Uncle Yu all these years. In order to take over all the affairs of Duke Fu in the future, I came to Madam Yue for some guidance."
At this point, Lin Rong changed the subject:
"However, speaking of heroines, one cannot help but mention the current Pope."
"Over the years, Spirit Hall has grown stronger and stronger under the Pope's leadership, which speaks to her exceptional methods."
"She is truly the first female Pope in the history of Spirit Hall."
"The Pope, being a woman, holds a high position and manages Spirit Hall meticulously."
"Your Highness, we are both men. How could we possibly imagine the hardships that are unknown to outsiders?"
"The Pope holds a high position and is busy with affairs. Fortunately, she has no children and no worries."
"Otherwise, if the Pope had children, but was busy with her duties every day and couldn't take care of them, how pitiful would those children be to not receive maternal love!"
"Don't you agree, Your Highness?"
Lin Rong's latter words pierced Qian Renxue's heart like sharp thorns.
Xue Qinghe's expression, which she was impersonating, instantly turned extremely ugly. Her fists were clenched tightly, and she roared internally:
That woman, what's so great about that woman? She's just an usurper, stealing the position of Pope from my Qian family!
At that time, my Qian family had no one, and I was too young. That woman was only temporarily managing the position of Pope for me!
And, such a malicious woman is not fit, not fit to be a mother, not fit!
Although Lin Rong didn't have mind-reading abilities, having read the original novel, he could roughly guess what Qian Renxue was thinking at this moment.
In fact, Qian Renxue desperately craved maternal love, but she was too deeply entrenched in her own issues to see her true feelings clearly.
Seeing that his objective was achieved, Lin Rong feigned a look of belated realization and apologized to Xue Qinghe:
"I apologize, Your Highness."
"I forgot that your Queen Mother has also..."
"I spoke too carelessly just now. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Qian Renxue, who was not swayed by emotions, truly lived up to her reputation as a formidable figure. The Xue Qinghe she was impersonating quickly regained her composure and retorted:
"Not at all, Duke Lin's words were unintentional."
"Besides, although my Queen Mother has passed away, I still have my Emperor Father to give me paternal love, and I can be filial and fulfill my duties as a child."
"Compared to Duke Lin, who lost both parents, I am already very fortunate."
Both were speaking words that hit close to home, but regrettably, as a transmigrator, Lin Rong didn't have much affection for the parents he had never met in this life.
Qian Renxue's words had no effect.
But this imposter Xue Qinghe still had the spirit to fight back, indicating that she still had some fight left and was unwilling to admit defeat.
Since that's the case, Lin Rong might as well make this "Crown Prince" lose even more thoroughly.
Thus, Xue Qinghe didn't see Lin Rong display any sad or upset expressions, leaving him (or her) unable to deliver the comforting words he (or she) had prepared.
Instead, he (or she) saw Lin Rong smile and say:
"Crown Prince, you don't need to pity me."
"Although my father unfortunately passed away before I was born, and my mother died from excessive grief because of it, I don't lack familial affection."
"My butler, Grandpa Yu Yuan, is no different from my own grandfather in my heart."
"With this grandparent-grandchild bond, my childhood was very happy."
"On the other hand, Crown Prince, your grandfather, the previous Emperor, had already passed away before you were born."
"You never had the chance to interact with your grandfather, so you probably can't understand the affection between a grandparent and grandchild."
"Therefore, Crown Prince, you wouldn't know how painful it is to not be able to be by your grandfather's side."
Having said this, Lin Rong turned and spoke to the old butler behind him:
"Grandpa Yu, your grandson is tired. Can you carry me back, Grandpa?"
As he spoke, Lin Rong grabbed the old butler's hand and shook it, just like a grandson acting spoiled towards his grandfather.
Upon hearing this, the old butler squatted down, a kindly smile on his aged face, and scooped the young master into his arms.
As they walked down, Lin Rong tugged at the old butler's beard and smiled as he bid farewell to Xue Qinghe:
"Crown Prince, Grandpa and I will take our leave first. We'll meet again!"
"W-we'll meet again!" Xue Qinghe responded with a forced smile. Beneath his sleeve, his tightly clenched fist dug his nails deep into his flesh, constantly reminding himself:
Endure, endure. I'm on an undercover mission right now.
Although I miss my grandfather dearly, going back to Spirit Hall to see him would mean admitting defeat to that woman.
Absolutely not. I volunteered for this mission, and I absolutely cannot give up.
Because I must prove to that woman how outstanding I am, and how wrong her choice was to abandon me.
The streets of Heaven Dou City were bustling with traffic.
Lin Rong sat in the carriage, and through his Life Sense, he perceived emotional fluctuations so intense he'd never encountered anything like them before. He couldn't help but shake his head and think:
"So impatient. He won't be able to handle great responsibility in the future."
"Qian Renxue, I have a huge surprise prepared for you in the future. Don't get too emotionally agitated and accidentally die from it,"
"After all, some plans still require your assistance."
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