Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 358 The Prince Wants to Tear Out the Servant's Heart

A-Yue's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip, remaining silent.

Lin Chen reached out and ruffled her hair, like petting a kitten:

"Alright, stop crying. If you have someone you like, I'll help you."

A-Yue raised her head, her eyes red, looked at Lin Chen, and whispered:

"I...I don't have anyone I like."

Lin Chen smiled, adopting the demeanor of a virtuous gentleman:

"Then you can sleep here tonight. I won't touch you, so you won't be punished when we get back."

Lin Chen paused, then said:

"Besides, it's dangerous for a young girl like you to be wandering around the palace in the middle of the night. What if you run into bad guys?"

Ah Yue whispered, "There are no bad people in the palace."

"I am a bad person."

A-Yue paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, tears still on her face, her smile radiant.

Lin Chen looked at her and smiled, and he smiled too:

"Look how beautiful you are when you smile. Don't cry all the time. If you cry too much, your eyes will swell up and you won't look good."

A-Yue wiped away her tears, nodded, and smiled.

Lin Chen took off his outer robe, casually draped it over a chair, lay down on the bed, and patted the spot next to him:

Come here.

A-Yue hesitated for a moment, then moved over and lay down next to Lin Chen, her body tense, like a fully drawn string.

Lin Chen turned to look at her: "Nervous?"

A-Yue shook her head, then nodded, her face turning red again.

Lin Chen smiled and reached out to pull her into his arms.

A-Yue's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly softened, like a piece of ice being slowly melted.

Her face was buried in Lin Chen's chest, and she could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong, "thump, thump, thump," like a war drum.

"Your Highness..." her voice was muffled.

"Um?"

"Don't you...don't you think I'm too casual?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Whatever? You came under orders, how can you call it casual? Besides—"

He looked down at her and smiled.

"You didn't do it willingly; my cheap father-in-law forced you into it. If anyone's to blame, it's him, not you."

Ah Yue raised her head, her eyes shining: "This servant...this servant did this voluntarily."

Lin Chen was taken aback: "Voluntary?"

A-Yue nodded, her face flushing again, her voice barely audible:

"This servant...this servant saw Your Highness at the banquet and thought...I thought Your Highness was very handsome..."

Lin Chen fell silent.

What's so special about this?

Is beauty everything?

He reached out and pinched A-Yue's cheek:

"The way you're talking is like you've never seen a man before."

Ah Yue panicked: "This servant has seen them before! There are many guards in the palace! But... but they are different from the Prince..."

"What's different?"

Ah Yue thought for a moment and said seriously:

"They look at me with the intention of stripping me naked, and the prince looks at me with the intention of tearing my heart out."

Lin Chen was stunned.

This girl speaks quite eloquently. Could I be being manipulated?

"Hehe..." Lin Chen suddenly laughed, a loud laugh that shook the entire side hall.

A-Yue was baffled by Lin Chen's laughter, and her face turned even redder: "What is Your Highness laughing at?"

"It's nothing," Lin Chen said, ruffling her hair.

"I just think you're quite interesting. Okay, it's getting late, go to sleep."

A-Yue blinked: "He...he just fell asleep?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise what? What else do you want to do?"

A-Yue's face flushed red instantly, so red it looked like it could bleed. She buried her face in Lin Chen's chest, not daring to look up.

Lin Chen smiled and hugged her a little tighter:

Just kidding. Get a good night's sleep tonight, we'll talk about tomorrow later.

A-Yue hummed in response, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of disappointment mixed with a sense of relief.

After a while, her breathing gradually became even, and her body completely relaxed, like a kitten curled up in its owner's arms, sleeping soundly.

Lin Chen stared at the ceiling, his mind preoccupied with thoughts.

I'm not thinking about A-Yue.

It's about Lingbo.

The way she looked just now—her ears were red, her eyes were bright, she was clearly flustered, but she still tried to act cold.

It's quite fun.

I'll tease her again next time.

As he pondered, he slowly closed his eyes.

Half asleep and half awake, I heard the door being gently pushed open.

Lin Chen opened his eyes and, by the moonlight, saw that Lan Fenghuang had returned.

Lan Fenghuang stood at the door, watching the scene on the bed:

Lin Chen lay on the bed, holding A Yue in his arms. A Yue's face was buried in his chest, and she was sleeping soundly. The blanket had slipped down to her waist, revealing a section of her fair back.

Blue Phoenix blinked.

Lin Chen blinked as well.

Eyes facing each other.

The air froze for three seconds.

"My lord," Lan Fenghuang chuckled softly, "didn't you say you didn't need it?"

"I did tell him," Lin Chen said innocently, "but the old man wouldn't listen. He brought it over himself, so there was nothing I could do."

Lan Fenghuang looked at him, a slow smile curving her lips: "You have no choice?"

"There's really no other way," Lin Chen said seriously.

"What can I do? Kick her out? It's the middle of the night, where can a young girl like her go?"

Lan Fenghuang glanced at Lin Chen's restless hand around A Yue's waist and said with a smile:

"Fine, you're right."

He then took off his outer robe and lay down on the other side of Lin Chen.

Lin Chen reached out and pulled her into his arms. Lan Fenghuang leaned on his shoulder, glanced at the sleeping A Yue, and whispered:

"She slept quite soundly."

"Hmm, this young lady is quite carefree."

Lan Fenghuang pinched Lin Chen's waist: "You're quite good at taking care of people."

Lin Chen smiled: "Of course, my greatest strength is that I know how to take care of people, especially women."

Lan Fenghuang rolled her eyes, leaned against Lin Chen's chest, and closed her eyes.

After a long while, she suddenly spoke:

"My lord, I have seen the high priest."

"Hmm," Lin Chen gently patted her back, "What did you say?"

Lan Fenghuang paused for a moment: "He asked me if I was doing well in Dayan."

"What did you say?"

I said it was great.

Lin Chen smiled and said, "That's all?"

Blue Phoenix shook her head: "He also said that the Temple will always be my home, and I can come back anytime I want."

Lin Chen nodded without saying anything.

Blue Phoenix paused for a moment, then said, "I told him about the teleportation array."

"What did he say?"

Lan Fenghuang hesitated for a moment: "He said he's too old and doesn't want to move anymore, and told me to decide for myself."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Decid what?"

Lan Fenghuang raised her head and looked at Lin Chen: "Have you decided whether or not to go to the Gu God Palace?"

Lin Chen looked at her without saying anything.

Blue Phoenix lowered her head and spoke very softly:

He said he would support me no matter what decision I made.

Lin Chen reached out and ruffled her hair, tucking the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear:

"And what about you? Do you still want to go?"

Blue Phoenix remained silent for a long time.

The moonlight shone in through the window and fell on her face, casting faint shadows on her face like butterfly wings from her eyelashes.

A-Yue turned over on the other side, mumbled something, and fell asleep again.

Lan Fenghuang finally spoke, her voice soft but firm:

I want to go.

Lin Chen nodded, his tone casual: "Okay, then let's go."

Lan Fenghuang raised her head and looked at Lin Chen, her eyes shining like two stars:

"You don't object?"

"Oppose what?" Lin Chen laughed.

"That's something I promised you, why would I object? The Gu God Palace isn't a den of dragons or tigers, so let's go."

Lan Fenghuang's eyes reddened, and she leaned on his shoulder without saying a word.

Lin Chen put his arm around her and gently patted her back, like he was coaxing a child.

The two lay there without saying a word.

After a long while, Lan Fenghuang suddenly spoke:

"My husband, don't you think I've changed a lot?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "What's changed? Have you become more handsome? Or have you gained weight?"

Lan Fenghuang punched him lightly: "Seriously."

Lin Chen laughed: "Alright, alright, let's get serious. What's changed?"

Lan Fenghuang thought for a moment and said seriously:

"Before... I used to think that recognizing my ancestors was my mission, but now... now I want to spend my whole life with you and have children with you."

Lan Fenghuang paused, her voice softening slightly:

"Sometimes when I think about it, the old days seem like a stagnant pool."

Lin Chen chuckled and said, "Isn't that great? It means you're alive."

It used to be stagnant water, but now it's flowing, changing, and creating waves.

Lan Fenghuang leaned against Lin Chen's chest and whispered:

"Thank you, my husband."

Lin Chen lowered his head and kissed her forehead:

"No need to thank me, it's my duty. I'm your man, if I don't support you, who will?"

Lan Fenghuang smiled, her eyes curving like two crescent moons.

She closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became even.

Lin Chen held her close and closed his eyes as well.

He was still thinking about something.

The Temple of the Gu God...

That place, according to legend, is the birthplace of Gu magic, hidden deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and ordinary people cannot enter it.

Where is Blue Phoenix going? Okay, let's go then.

Anyway, he's with me, and he also wants to see more of the world.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen opened his eyes again, looked at the blue phoenix in his arms, and then at A Yue on the other side.

One was sleeping peacefully, while the other was sleeping with a smile on its face, perhaps dreaming of something wonderful.

Lin Chen sighed.

They live like emperors.

No, even the emperor isn't as comfortable as him.

The emperor still had to attend court, but he didn't even have to go to work.

He smiled, closed his eyes, embraced the two women, and fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the window, the moon slowly sank in the west, and a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

And so the night passed.