Returning back to his crown prince manor, Qi Zheng angrily threw his outerwear onto the floor and smashed a few cups. Upon hearing the loud noises of shattered glass, the serving housekeeper ran to the study room.

"Your Imperial crown prince! Please calm down!"

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN? How dare he belittle me like this and make me a fool in front of father! He is always showing off the favoritism that he gets from father right at my face, making me feel like I am the unwanted child!"

Qi Zheng shouted with unfairness flowing through his voice.

"Why? I don't get it. Both of us are both your true son, why do you treat one so differently? Am I not your son?"

"If it is not because you are a threat to my position, you think I will care a damn about you? Just a lowly fourth prince, a child of a low-born dancing prostitute, got neither talent nor skill and yet you still gain the favor of father? Who do you think you are!"

"You just wait." Qi Zheng swore under his breath.

*

*

*

Sitting at the shaded area under the willow tree, both of them are concentrating deeply in the tough battle of chess. Neither of them speak as they lay their black and white chess, with foresight thinking ahead of what their opponent will do next.

With the serving servants standby at the side, the private garden seems to be in a tense situation.

"Qi Yuan! Where are you? Your future wife is here!" Ai Le barge into the private garden while searching high and low for Qi Yuan.

As her voice reached his ears, he turn to look at her and saw her carry something while making her way towards him.

"Ah! There you are! Qi Yuan, I made some desserts and once it is ready, I immediately ran here to let you try them!"

Setting up the desserts at the side and put one on the plate, Ai Le then sit beside the empty space beside Qi Yuan.

Holding the dessert near his mouth, trying to make him take a mouth of it.

"Go away, take it away. I don't want to eat this." Qi Yuan said while focusing on the game.

"Come on, don't be like this! I took me hours to make them personally! Come on! Just try a bit!" Ai Le acted cutely to make him try.

"I said I don't wa.."

Seizing the opportunity, Ai Le stuffed the cake she made into his mouth while smiling happily with her mission accomplished!

"HAHAHAH! Is it nice?"

Chewing the cake unwillingly, Qi Yuan wanted to disappoint her by saying it taste bad, but in fact, it taste good as it is accordance to his liking. Yet, he doesn't want to admit.

"No, it taste like the dung of the cow, don't ever feed me such food ever."

"Really? Does it taste that bad? Hmm ... okay I shall go back and try to perfect it!" Ai Le did not see his response as a setback but a way to improve.

"You!"

Speechless with the way Ai Le thinks, he turn away and sit a little further from Ai Le.

"Go away, don't sit near me."

"No, I want to! You need to get use to me!" Ai Le went ahead to hug his arms and lean her body closer.

"YOU, GO AWAY YOU THIS INDECENT WOMAN. I WILL NEVER LIKE YOU!"

"It's okay! I like you and that's what it matter!"

"How many times must I tell you that we will never ever ever be together!! I will not marry you, so you can forget about the dream of us being husband and wife!"

"Then, how many times must I tell you that we WILL be husband and wife no matter what!! Our fate for this life is FIXED! In this world, no one can love you as much as I do! And we WILL be together in the end!"

Qi Yuan threw his hands in the air to show his unbearable frustration.

"UGH!!!!! Please, I beg you my high status princess. Please tell me what do you like about me? I will change them!"

"Then I shall tell you that you don't need to change because I love you for who you are! Whether are you going to be a beggar on the streets, a villian who will destroy the country, or a weakling coward man, I will still love you and take care of you!"

Ai Le firmly confessed her conviction with both her hands on her hips. As neither of them speak, the two continued into a staring battle, which obviously Qi Yuan lost the fight.

Scrambling off the couch that they are sitting on, Qi Yuan escape from the private garden leaving the unfinished battle.

"Same old words, we will never be together and I will never love you! You can forget about your dreams! It will never happen."

As though this hurtful sentences have immune Ai Le's heart, she remain a never dying smile of love and turn her attention to Jae-in.

"Sister Jae-in! Try this cake that I made myself! Although Qi Yuan say it taste bad, but I know that he value his face more than anything else so he will never admit that it taste good!"

Feeding on the cake made by Ai Le, Jae-in nodded with appreciation of the food.

"It taste great. You don't have to be affected by Qi Yuan's words." Jae-in assured.

"Then that's great!" Ai Le happily congratulated herself.

Staring at this youthful lady, filled with energy to pursue the love she held such strong conviction, once again reflecting a mirror of her old self.

"Ai Le sister, why do you still hold such love for Qi Yuan even though he is treating you so badly?"

Ai Le look at Jae-in and shared her inner emotions.

"Well, I can't help it. My love for him is so strong that regardless how he treated me or the number of times he hurt my fragile heart, I will never give up because deep inside I know that he is my soulmate for this life!"

"But, what if he is not the one for you? What if it is just a wishful thinking that you force upon him?"

Unlike the usual positive mindset that she alway holds, Ai Le look down to play with the sleeves of her clothing, refusing to look up as though she is trying not to let people see that vulnerable side of her.

"If that is the cause, I will not regret my decision. A human lifespan is too short for us to hesitate and not try to achieve things that we desire. Since I have already firmly believed that he is my soulmate, then I need to give my all to pursue the love of my life."

'She is too similar to the younger self of me in the past.' Jae-in look at Ai Le with such pain in her heart.

"Ai Le sister, you can take my words as an advice or a life sharing piece of information. Being someone who has been through the path of life, sometimes the value or belief that you held on so strongly can turn into an invisible double-edge sword that hurt both you and the person you love. There is a thin line between love and obsession and being a sister of yours, I do not wish to see you being hurt to the point of no return."

Jae-in softly spoke the life lesson she learnt through 2 lives.

"Sister Jae-in, I know what you are concern with, don't worry! I am someone who is able to take it up and afford to put it down. If it comes to that stage of life, I will not blame anyone. Giving my best to love him and offering every part of me, there is no regret. Hopefully I can make it in time ... "

'2 years left ...' Ai Le silently thought.

"But Sister Jae-in, you can be confident in me as this will never happen because I will definitely get his heart! You don't see that he always visit those brothels and mix with many noble ladies, actually Qi Yuan is someone who value himself highly. He also have a clean pet-peeve and strong possessiveness over things that he decide to own."

"Oh, then why do you still carry out those actions towards the ladies like what Qi Yuan said at Yuan Ding Lou?"

"I ... I can't help it because at that time I was so young and immature but ... I also make sure that those ladies will not be in grave danger ... It was just a scare." Ai Le pouted her lips to show her reflecting face.

A part of Jae-in's heart swelled with pain as if she can envision the unfruitful love that she harbor for Qi Yuan, just like how she experienced. Looking up into the clear blue sky, she just pray that this young adorable lady might have a different ending from hers.

*

*

*

Drinking on the wine that he ordered Qing Feng to serve, his throat endure the burning sensation down his throat which numb his tongue.

Sitting at his specially built outdoor pavilion that lies in the middle of the pond, only by riding a boat then can one be here. Qi Yuan sat on the extended railing along the sides of the octagon shaped pavilion.

Swirling the jug of wine with one hand, he decided to drink directly from the jug and not from the wine cup. Qing Feng observed his master and the sudden mood change within him, deducing that this is highly related to Ai Le Jun Zhu.

Although his master has been working hard to build a facade and act a character that he isn't, there are truths that not many people know. For example, though his master frequently visits brothels, but he never once touch the woman there. He is there purely for the music and dance performances, also gathering information.

Playing gambles and underground gamble house, it is a way for him to escape from the eyes of his crown prince by playing a useless prince who is obsessed with gambling and not politics. Noble ladies that he approached are intentional actions that is carried out only in front of Ai Le Jun Zhu, to make her give up the love she have for him.

"Master, why make yourself to be in such situation?" Qing Feng questioned.

"What situation?"

"It is obvious that you care for Ai Le Jun Zhu, but yet you always push her away by intentionally hurt her heart. You and Ai Le actually look.. "

"Stop right there. There is no way between the two of us. Never in this life."

"But ..."

"That's enough, don't assume things and I want you to know that I do not harbour any romantic feelings towards Ai Le. She is just a little sister that grew up with me, that's all."

"Your loyal subject oversteps his boundaries, my apologies my master."

*

*

*

[Beauty Belle Su Palace]

Feeding onto the grapes offered by Maid Xia, Beauty Belle Su lazily lie on one side of her body on the couch. It has been months since Xuan Di step into her palace chamber and she highly suspect that he might have caught the tail of hers.

Sitting upright, she need to do something about this, if this continues, she might never gain any favor from him and that will minimize her chance of getting pregnant.

"Xia Yi! Where are you!?" Beauty Belle Su shouted.

"Here your Imperial consort!" Maid Xia ran towards the living room.

"Go and check where will Xuan Di appear today."

"May I ask what is the purpose?"

"I need to find a chance to appear in front of him so to let him remember my presence!"

After sourcing out information from the palace servants that Maid Xia established a connection with, she ran back to inform her missy.

"Your Imperial consort! I have seek out the information! Apparently, his Imperial Majesty will be at his study chambers."

"Good, then prepare some night desserts and apply some of 'that'."

Maid Xia visibly stunned for a moment with fear rising with the mention of 'that'.

"What? Why are you still standing here? Is my order not heard?" Beauty Belle Su stare at her maid with irritation.

"Yes yes.. your lowly servant will prepare as ordered."

Satisfied with her plans, she head into her inner quarters to change into a simple dress that has a combination colors of white, purple and pink. Nothing extravagant like her previous outfits or anything revealing, she wants to present herself modestly as though she aims to show a different side of her to Xuan Di.

Picking up the basket of dessert, they head to the study chambers and waited patiently for the permission to enter.

______________________________________

Qi Yuan Manor

Su Yin - 司南閣漢服