Chapter 575: If There Is No Precedent, Then I Will Be the Precedent
Chapter 575: Chapter 575: If There Is No Precedent, Then I Will Be the Precedent
「Two or three days later.」
When Shen Ningning came down from Wolf Mountain, she discovered that a troop of elite soldiers had completely surrounded Xiangyun Village.
The Black Wolf King followed behind her with his pack. Upon seeing the scene, the wolves all bared their fangs, their expressions savage.
Shen Ningning hurried into the village. She recognized the Iron Armor worn by the elite soldiers—they were the Crown Prince’s personal guard.
The atmosphere in Xiangyun Village was tense and heavy. The old village chief was acting as a representative, speaking with a man seated under the village’s banyan tree.
Before Shen Ningning even got close, she saw the old village chief nodding and bowing, the very picture of someone trying to curry favor.
And the person he was trying to curry favor with was none other than Mo Lingwei.
He appeared to have fully recovered, though his expression was as cold and indifferent as ever.
Shen Ningning walked over. Mo Lingwei raised his eyes to look at her, his tone surprisingly gentle. "You’re here? I’ve been waiting a long time for you."
She glanced around and saw that the villagers were all trembling, their eyes filled with fear.
"If you have business with me, you can say it to me alone. Why did you bring so many men here? These are innocent people. Don’t make things difficult for them."
Mo Lingwei stood up. "In your eyes, am I that unreasonable of a person?"
The old village chief quickly explained, "Ningning! You’ve misunderstood! The Crown Prince is here to help us expand our village! His Highness plans to incorporate Xitai Village, the one behind the mountain, into our own."
With the village growing in size, he, as the chief, naturally felt a sense of pride and honor.
This was an even greater boon. A village’s taxes and labor duties could be reduced or waived based on its contributions.
Shen Ningning looked at Mo Lingwei doubtfully. His expression was placid. "It’s true. I didn’t come today to cause trouble for anyone, but on official business. There’s almost no one left in Xitai Village, while Xiangyun Village is developing so well. Merging the two is a good thing."
With further development, a larger scale, and a greater population, it could even be upgraded from a village to a town!
Shen Ningning pressed her lips together and looked at Mo Lingwei. "I see. In that case, I misunderstood you. Since you’re busy, I’ll be on my way."
She turned to leave, but Mo Lingwei followed, saying nonchalantly, "The talks are over. The men staying behind will help escort the old chief into the city to finalize the paperwork."
Noticing her pace quicken as she walked down the slope, he took a single long stride to get in front of her, blocking her path.
"Do you have a moment to talk?" Mo Lingwei asked, raising an eyebrow.
In the sunlight, his face still held a faint pallor from his recent illness, like a piece of cold jade. His tall, straight figure cast a long shadow on the ground.
Shen Ningning stared at him, silent for a moment before asking, "Official business or personal?"
Mo Lingwei let out a soft scoff. "Personal, I suppose."
Shen Ningning gave a slight nod. The two of them then walked along the long country path, gazing at the waves of green grass nearby and the rolling mountains in the distance. The sky above was perfectly clear, without a single blemish.
The Black Wolf King and his pack followed a short distance behind them, its vigilant gaze fixed on Mo Lingwei.
"After that illness, some things have become clearer to me than they were before," Mo Lingwei said, breaking the silence.
Shen Ningning sat down on a grassy slope, and Mo Lingwei sat on the ground beside her. She picked a few small flowers and began weaving them into a crown.
As she worked, she asked softly, "What kind of things?"
Mo Lingwei pressed his lips together, his eyes turning to the side to gaze at her smooth, fair cheek. His tone was earnest and sincere. "I must marry you."
Shen Ningning’s hands, weaving the flower crown, paused. "And what if you can’t?"
Mo Lingwei smiled faintly. "What could I do to you? I would just follow you. Even if you marry Lu Shaoyuan, I wouldn’t mind seeing you in private. As long as I don’t look, as long as I don’t see the two of you being affectionate, perhaps I could convince myself that I don’t care. I just want you to find some time for me every day, even if only for a moment."
He frowned and added, "And it would be best if you didn’t bring Lu Shaoyuan. Just the two of us, alone."
Shen Ningning was completely aghast. "Are you insane?"
’He means he wouldn’t mind being the third person in our marriage?!’
’This is all so messed up!’
Shen Ningning said urgently, "Even if you’re willing, I’m not! That’s an absurd suggestion. If word of this got out, what would the people think of you?"
’The great Crown Prince of the nation, becoming someone’s lover on the side?!’
But Mo Lingwei simply arched his sharp brows. His narrow eyes were deep and dark as he let out a chuckle, as if it were all a joke.
"I don’t want to debase myself like this either," he said. "But if you insist on marrying Lu Shaoyuan, I can’t bear to let you go. This is a last resort. Or perhaps... I could ask my Imperial Father to arrange a marriage for him with another woman?"
Shen Ningning threw the flower crown to the ground. "Stop being ridiculous! Don’t drag innocent people into the issues between us."
’Lu Shaoyuan has already suffered enough. He agreed to my outrageous request without a single complaint or regret. Every time I see him, I feel overwhelmed with guilt. I have to find a chance in the next few days to tell him we don’t have to get married. After that, I’ll leave the Capital City and travel for a while. I’ve never really had a chance to go out and see the world. It’ll be good for me to clear my head.’
Of course, Mo Lingwei had no idea what she was thinking. All he heard was her defending Lu Shaoyuan.
He pressed his thin lips together, his jaw tight. "Fine. In the future, when you’re with me, don’t mention him. I don’t want to hear it."
Shen Ningning looked at Mo Lingwei and asked, seemingly offhandedly, "Brother, I want to ask you something. Why are you so insistent on marrying me?"
"I’ve told you before, I love you. Isn’t that reason enough?"
"Does love mean you have to get married? What if you fall in love with someone else in the future?"
Mo Lingwei shot to his feet, pointed to the sky, and swore an oath. "If my heart ever changes, may lightning strike me down and scatter my very soul! May all future generations of the Mo Family also meet a terrible end!"
Shen Ningning forcefully tugged on his sleeve. "Don’t say that!"
’If the ancestors of the Imperial Family heard this, they’d probably be cursing him in their graves.’
He saw the flush on her cheeks and the way her dark eyes glistened.
Mo Lingwei bent down and cradled her hands in his. "If I marry you, there will never be anyone else. I know that as the Crown Prince, and later the Emperor, taking only one wife will lead to censure from the court officials. But that’s only because there’s no precedent for it among the emperors of past dynasties. It’s common enough among the people, however."
"I know of devoted couples who spend their entire lives with only each other. Why can’t that apply to the Emperor? If there’s no precedent, then I will be the precedent. That way, if our children and grandchildren wish to love only one person, they will have the courage and justification to do so."
Shen Ningning was stunned. Mo Lingwei’s determination was far greater than she had ever imagined.
She slowly pulled her hands back. "Let me... think about it."
’I should settle things with Lu Shaoyuan first, and then I can seriously consider whether or not to marry Mo Lingwei, right? If I ask myself who I truly love, the answer is undoubtedly Mo Lingwei. But can we ever go back to how close we used to be?’
When Mo Lingwei saw that she hadn’t rejected him this time, a look of pure ecstasy surged in his narrow eyes.
"I’ll wait for you," he said. "I’ll wait as long as it takes."