"Tianlin."

Song Tianlin stopped walking and turned to his big brother. "What’s wrong, Big Brother?"

"I want you to stop bothering Huang Meizhen." Song Tianlin raised an eyebrow, confused as to why Song Tianzun would ask him that. "She is your future sister-in-law."

Song Tianlin froze, his eyes widened. He was truly surprised by his big brother’s request, as no one had ever known about Song Tianzun and Huang Meizhen’s relationship. "Do you really have that kind of relationship with that woman, big brother?"

"Yes," Song Tianzun answered firmly. "I’ve been in a relationship with Huang Meizhen for the past few decades, and you should already know the reason I haven’t made our relationship public."

"Song Tiankun and Liao Yexue."

"Even though I haven’t found any evidence, I know that Song Tiankun and Liao Yexue have long been involved with Shenwu Huxiao, and they have long intended to usurp our father’s authority. Therefore, I deliberately kept our relationship under wraps because I didn’t want the Huang Clan to be dragged into the royal family’s troubles, and I will marry her after our affairs are settled." Song Tianlin could understand Song Tianzun’s decision regarding Huang Meizhen and the Huang Clan, but he still didn’t expect them to have such a relationship. "Besides, I want you to stay away from Mu Qingge, brother. She is a married woman, and she already has an adult daughter, so you shouldn’t interfere with their relationship because it will tarnish the name of our Song Clan."

Song Tianlin. "Why—"

"Brother." Song Tianzun embraced his brother. "I don’t care if you want to enjoy your life and have fun with lots of women, but I want you to stay away from Mu Qingge. Her husband isn’t as simple as you think, and I don’t want you to have any enmity with him, so I hope you’ll listen to me on this one. Her husband is currently at the border, and I’ll meet him after he returns. I hope we can win him over to our side because he will be a valuable asset for us, so I hope you don’t mess up my plans."

Song Tianlin fell silent as he looked at Song Tianzun. His brother never asked him for anything since they were little, and he always supported him in many things. Even though his brother once expressed his dislike for his lifestyle, he never said anything to stop him. "What exactly is so special about Mu Qingge’s husband?"

"I can’t say anything for now, and I hope you will listen to my request regarding this matter." Song Tianlin was curious about it, but Song Tianzun had no intention of explaining anything to him. "I won’t interfere too deeply in your personal affairs, and you can have any woman you like, but you must stay away from Mu Qingge. Do you understand, brother?"

Song Tianlin took a deep breath, seeing the seriousness on his brother’s expression. "Alright, I will listen to you, and I will not disturb Mu Qingge."

"Good!" Then, Song Tianzun asked him. "Are you interested in Zhan Yiran? That woman has liked you for a long time, and she dreams of being your wife. If—"

"Stop!" Song Tianlin screamed, and Song Tianzun could feel that his body was shaking. "Please don’t mention that brute woman’s name in front of me, big brother! Even if there were no other women in this realm, I would never approach her, let alone take her as my wife."

"Haha," Song Tianzun laughed. "I didn’t expect you to be afraid of a woman, brother."

Song Tianlin shuddered, thinking back to Zhan Yiran. "Tch! That woman is too possessive, her character is too explosive, and she’s too clingy towards me. I know she’s beautiful, but she’s not my type, and I will never consider taking her to be my wife."

"Hahaha," Song Tianzun laughed out loud.

"What made you fall in love with Huang Meizhen, brother?"

"Hmm? I can’t tell you, but I fell in love with Huang Meizhen years ago, and she fell in love with me too."

"Do our parents know about your relationship with her?"

Song Tianzun shook his head. "If they already knew about our relationship, our mother wouldn’t have bothered finding me a wife, right? She even wanted to set me up with Emperor Xuanyuan’s niece, Xuanyuan Yueyao. That woman was beautiful, her cultivation was high, and she was talented in many things, but I had no interest in her. Her demeanor was too calm, far different from Huangfu Meizhen’s."

"I think you are wrong about Xuanyuan Yueyao, brother."

"Hmm? Do you know Xuanyuan Yueyao, brother?"

"Yes." Song Tianlin nodded. "In fact, I once tried to approach Xuanyuan Yueyao during Emperor Xuanyuan’s birthday event several years ago, but she was not as calm as she appeared on the surface, and she was no less fierce than Zhan Yiran."

"Oh? What did she do to you?"

"She beat me viciously!" Song Tianzun was stunned upon hearing that. "Do you remember when my face was swollen a few years ago?"

Song Tianzun nodded. "Was it Xuanyuan Yueyao who did that to you?"

"Yes!" Song Tianlin’s expression turned grim. "Unfortunately, she is Emperor Xuanyuan’s niece, so I can’t retaliate against her.

"Haha," Song Tianzun laughed. "Brother, I won’t stop you from having fun with women out there, but you should start thinking about finding the right woman to be your wife." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"No," Song Tianlin shook his head. "Marriage will only be a burden on my life, and I prefer to live freely as I do now. Besides, I’ve never been interested in replacing our father, so you will be the next king after he retires, and I will support you from behind."

"You—"

"First prince and second prince, the queen asked you two to meet her."

Song Tianlin and Song Tianzun exchanged glances for a moment. "Let’s go, brother. We have to meet our mother now."

"Yeah."

.

.

.

Soon, Song Tianlin and Song Tianzun arrived inside a room filled with bookshelves, where the queen of the Song Kingdom, Shangguan Qingyin, was waiting for them.

"Mother."

"Mother."

Shangguan Qingyin, who was lying on the luxurious couch, immediately put down the book in her hand and stood up.

Shangguan Qingyin is a natural beauty; she has smooth, fair skin that appears luminous under the moonlight. Her eyes are large and gentle, with a calm, almost ethereal gaze. Her eyebrows are neatly shaped. Her nose is small and straight, and her lips are soft and slightly full, giving her a quiet, composed beauty. Her golden hair is long, straight, and silky, flowing down past her shoulders. She has a slender yet curvy figure at the waist and hips. Her legs are long and elegant. Her chest is full and well-shaped, accentuated by her purple dress. Her skin is fair and flawless.

"Tianzun, Xuanyuan Yueyao will arrive in our kingdom tomorrow, and she will stay here for a month, so I want you to accompany her during her stay in our kingdom." Song Tianzun froze upon hearing that from Shangguan Qingyin. "Besides, Emperor Xuanyuan has already spoken with your father, and your father has agreed to your marriage with Xuanyuan Yueyao."

"Huh?" Song Tianzun was shocked to hear the news. "Mother, I have no feelings for Xuanyuan Yueyao, and she doesn’t have any feelings for me either. Besides, I have another woman in my heart, so I can’t possibly marry her."

Shangguan Qingyin was a little surprised. "Who is the woman in your heart?"

"Huangfu Meizhen." Shangguan Qingyin’s lips curled up into a beautiful smile. "Mother, we have been in a relationship for decades, and I have not made our relationship public because of the problems you already know."

Shangguan Qingyin nodded slightly. "I understand your feelings towards Huangfu Meizhen, and she is a woman with an excellent personality, so I will not interfere with the relationship between the two of you. However, your father’s decision regarding your marriage to Xuanyuan Yueyao is unanimous, and he cannot possibly refuse Emperor Xuanyuan’s request, so you must still marry her."

"But—"

"No buts." Shangguan Qingyin shook her head. "You are the crown prince, and you are the future king of this kingdom. As for the status of Huangfu Meizhen and Xuanyuan Yueyao, your father and I will not interfere in that, and you can decide for yourself which of them will be your future queen."

Song Tianzun sighed. "Mother, let me think about this first. I know that my father cannot refuse Emperor Xuanyuan’s request for my marriage to Xuanyuan Yueyao, but I must discuss this matter with Huangfu Meizhen first because she is the woman I love most."

"Alright." Shangguan Qingyin nodded in agreement. ’It seems I have to meet Huangfu Lingxuan to discuss the marriage of the guest’s son to his granddaughter, Huangfu Meizhen.’

"Cough." Song Tianlin coughed before asking. "Why did you call me, Mother?"

Shangguan Qingyin narrowed her eyes to her second son, giving Song Tianlin a bad feeling. "Tianlin, you will be engaged to Zhan Yiran next month, and—"

"What!?" Song Tianlin screamed. "Mother, I’ve never liked that brute woman, so I’ll never get engaged to her."

"You can’t refuse."

"But—"

Shangguan Qingyin waved her hand. "Your father and I don’t care about your lifestyle, but you must engaged to Zhan Yiran. Besides, she already knows about your character and lifestyle, and she has no problem with it, so our decision is final."

’Tch!’ Song Tianlin gritted his teeth. ’I have to meet that brute woman and force her to cancel our engagement plans.’

"Leave." After Song Tianlin and Song Tianzun left, a middle-aged woman appeared behind Shangguan Qingyin. "An Yizhu, we’ll go to the Huangfu Clan now."

"Do you want Huangfu Meizhen to become the next queen of this kingdom, my queen?"

Shangguan Qingyin nodded. "The woman who is worthy to be my eldest son’s queen is Huangfu Meizhen. Xuanyuan Yueyao has Emperor Xuanyuan as her backer, but she is not worthy to be his queen. Let’s go now; I will discuss their relationship with Huangfu Lingxuan."

"Yes, my queen."