"I..." Yu Qingwu lowered her head, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

Accompanying the ruler is like accompanying a tiger, and the Crown Prince is no exception.

Xie Jin Yan, as the Crown Prince, had experienced countless assassinations, born in the scheming royal family, and grown up in the thorns of troubled times.

If it was said that her youthful experiences had given her an extremely ruthless and vigilant heart.

Then Xie Jin Yan was a hundred times more ruthless than her, and his paranoia was also extremely severe.

Therefore, Yu Qingwu knew very well in her heart that the best way for her was to abide by the rules. Perhaps she would not enjoy lasting favor and hold great power, but at least as time went on, and now with her elder brother, and by properly maneuvering with the Empress, gaining favor in her eyes, then Xie Jin Yan would still have some respect for her as his wife.

Rather than a loving husband, just being a docile Crown Princess respected by the Crown Prince would be a more stable path in the future. She wouldn't be saddened by him taking concubines one day, nor would she endlessly argue over differing opinions.

That was what she thought was the best way for the two of them to get along.

But clearly, Xie Jin Yan wasn't satisfied with her like this.

At that moment, his hand slid from her back and, without her noticing, reached her eyebrows.

His fingertips were slightly cool as he gently caressed her amorous peach blossom eyes, and he said in a low voice, "A Wu, can't we talk properly? Why do you always treat me coldly like this whenever there's a conflict?"

The man lowered his eyes to look at her, a hint of pain tinged the corners of his reddened eyes, and he smiled bitterly, "Every time, I'm the one coaxing you. I'm really afraid that one day I'll get tired of coaxing you and won't want to do it anymore."

His hoarse voice carried a trace of pleading, completely devoid of the noble arrogance of the Crown Prince.

Instead, he seemed more like the Seventh Junior Brother who used to follow her around all day when they were young...

At that time, although he was well-behaved, he was still a ten-year-old child after all, and he would inevitably be mischievous.

Occasionally, he would make Yu Qingwu angry, and she would ignore him.

And he would tug on her sleeve, begging her over and over again, saying to her repeatedly, "Second Senior Sister, please don't ignore me, okay?"

In the end, her heart would soften.

Looking at Xie Jin Yan's expression now, Yu Qingwu's feelings were extremely complicated.

For a moment, she didn't know whether to treat him as the ruthless, paranoid Crown Prince Xie Jin Yan.

Or, her Seventh Junior Brother, Jin Yan...

Yu Qingwu raised her eyes, gazing at those red phoenix eyes. Finally, her voice softened, and she gently withdrew her hand, sitting down beside him, saying, "Jin Yan, I'll say it again. I'm not deliberately giving you a cold shoulder, nor do I want you to coax me or compromise with me. I once thought that we could be casual and open with each other."

"Even with the estrangement of the past few years, at least, it would be different from others."

"But now, I suddenly realize that's not the case. You and I are no longer just fellow disciples, nor are we simply husband and wife. More than that... we are the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. In other words, we are ruler and subject. Ruler and subject are, after all, ruler and subject. Once a subject oversteps, the ruler will become suspicious."

"Dare Your Highness say that you didn't become suspicious of me that day? Or even harbor murderous intent?"

Her tone was extremely gentle, but the last sentence still sharply stung Xie Jin Yan.

His gaze froze, and the expression on his face became stiff.

In her heart, was he really that terrible?

He admitted that he was somewhat paranoid, but no matter how suspicious he was, he would never harbor murderous intent towards her.

Xie Jin Yan didn't speak. He frowned, and a layer of cold frost floated in his eyes. That exquisite face revealed a trace of deep chill.

After a long while, he looked at her and asked mockingly, "A Wu, in your heart, am I that heartless? Even... even if I did become suspicious, I would never take your life..."

"That's just now. What about the future? As you said, what if one day you fall in love with someone else?" Yu Qingwu closed her eyes, her tone still calm and gentle.

But her words were sharp. She hooked her lips, a bitter smile appearing at the corners, and replied to him, "Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. Which Emperor doesn't have a harem of three palaces and six courtyards? Moreover, even if we don't talk about the future, even if you didn't harbor murderous intent towards me, haven't you ever harbored murderous intent towards my brother?"

"Although my brother is now just a eunuch, there have been times when eunuchs held power. The Wei Dynasty fell into war because of the powerful maternal relatives. I don't believe that you don't have any misgivings in your heart? Especially since my brother defied you that day to avenge me. Dare you say that you didn't harbor murderous intent towards him?"

Yu Qingwu asked question after question, each sentence like a sharp knife, completely tearing open the fig leaf and exposing the unspoken contradictions between them.

Xie Jin Yan had originally wanted to act pitiful, hoping that she would compromise out of the kindness of her heart, as she had when they were young.

Yu Qingwu's sudden counter-question caught him somewhat off guard and left him at a loss for words.

Looking at the woman with a complicated expression, Xie Jin Yan wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say a word.

After a long while, he replied to her gently.

"A Wu, Yu Qi is your brother. Since I have married you as my wife, he is my brother. As long as he doesn't do anything excessively overstepping, I will naturally not do anything to him."

"I guarantee you, even if one day he were to commit treason, I would never harm his life. If I break this oath, may I die a terrible death..."

As Xie Jin Yan spoke, he raised his fingers to make an oath.

Seeing him like this, Yu Qingwu quickly held his hand.

She never expected that he would suddenly make an oath. Looking at his sincere gaze, her heart softened again, but she was also a little helpless, and said softly, "Forget it, Your Highness, don't make such senseless oaths. I only hope that Your Highness will not be so suspicious in the future, and that you will not drag others down so easily."

"As for my brother, if he really commits treason, there's no need for Your Highness to spare his life. I will kill him myself."

After saying that, Yu Qingwu smiled at Xie Jin Yan again, adding, "Of course, if Your Highness the Crown Prince were to collude with enemy countries, I would not hesitate to chop off your head either."

Seeing her smile, Xie Jin Yan knew that she had compromised.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, humming, "I am the Crown Prince. How could I betray my country?"

"That's hard to say. Have you forgotten about Prince Jin, who died in the Southern Border?" Yu Qingwu replied with a smile.

While speaking, she took his hand and stood up, saying, "Alright, Your Highness, stop talking about useless things here. I see that it's getting late, and the banquet should be starting soon. Let's hurry to the garden. Being late would be disrespectful to Father Emperor and Mother Empress."

"Father Emperor and Mother Empress?" Xie Jin Yan raised an eyebrow, suddenly leaning closer to her, asking with a hint of teasing, "Why aren't you calling them 'Your Majesty' and 'Empress' today? So, Second Senior Sister, you've acknowledged my father and mother? Does that mean you've acknowledged that you and I are husband and wife?"