The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 150 - 151: A Small Joke

The last person Li Cheng wanted to see right now was Prince Zhao.

Yet he couldn’t just throw the man out.

His mood soured even further.

They had already dropped all pretenses, so Li Cheng couldn’t be bothered to keep up the act. He asked in a hostile tone.

"After going to all this trouble, what is it you want from me?"

Li Ji smiled faintly. His gaze swept past the Crown Prince to land on Lin Qingzhi, who was kneeling to the side, quietly preparing tea.

The Crown Prince followed his gaze, and his expression instantly darkened.

Just then, Lin Qingzhi looked up, her eyes meeting Prince Zhao’s narrow, ink-black gaze. Her hands trembled with fright, nearly spilling the tea.

’This is bad,’ she panicked inwardly. ’Don’t tell me Prince Zhao wants to take me?’

She hastily set down the teapot and glanced anxiously at the Crown Prince, only to see that his face was as black as thunder and incredibly grim.

’It’s over,’ Lin Qingzhi thought.

’Given the Crown Prince’s suspicious nature, no matter how this ends, he’ll suspect something is going on between me and Prince Zhao.’

’Otherwise, why would Prince Zhao ignore everyone else and insist on choosing me?’

Li Cheng asked coldly.

"Don’t tell me Prince Zhao has taken a fancy to my Lin Liangyuan?"

Li Ji answered with a question. "And what if I have?"

Li Cheng sneered, turning to the anxious Lin Qingzhi. He asked snidely,

"It’s your good fortune that Prince Zhao has taken an interest in you. Are you willing to go with him?"

Lin Qingzhi shook her head vigorously.

"I am not willing!

From the day I was married to the Crown Prince, I have belonged to him.

In this life, I will never serve another man!"

With that, she gave Prince Zhao a deep bow and pleaded in a grief-stricken voice,

"I implore you, Prince Zhao, be merciful and spare me!"

Seeing this, the expression on Li Cheng’s face softened slightly.

He looked at Prince Zhao again and said mockingly,

"I’m sure Prince Zhao heard her loud and clear. It’s not that I’m unwilling to grant your wish, but that Lin Liangyuan herself is unwilling to go with you.

As the saying goes, ’a melon plucked by force is not sweet.’ I urge Prince Zhao not to force the issue."

Li Ji spun the teacup in his hand and said unhurriedly,

"I couldn’t care less if the melon is sweet. I just enjoy the act of plucking it. As long as it’s plucked, I’m happy."

Li Cheng: "..."

Lin Qingzhi: "..."

Perhaps it was her imagination, but she felt that when Prince Zhao spoke of plucking melons, his gaze lingered on her head for a moment.

A terrifying chill ran down her spine.

’Is it a melon he wants to pluck? Or is it my head?’

Li Cheng asked, his face grim.

"Are you determined to take what’s mine?"

Although Lin Qingzhi was merely a concubine, she was still his woman. How could he let another man steal her away?

If he really let Prince Zhao take Lin Liangyuan from him, how could he ever show his face again?

He would never allow anything that undermined the Crown Prince’s dignity to happen!

Li Cheng made a silent decision.

’If Prince Zhao insists on having Lin Liangyuan, I’ll use this to make a huge scene. I’ll report it to Father Emperor and let him see what a despicable lowlife Prince Zhao is—someone who even dares to covet one of the Crown Prince’s own concubines!’

Just then, however, Li Ji gave a light chuckle and casually set his teacup on the table.

"I was just having a little fun with you, Crown Prince. Why take it so seriously?"

Li Cheng watched him dubiously, still skeptical of his words.

Li Ji said languidly,

"In truth, I just wanted to ask you for a servant to help me with some work.

Could I ask you to summon all your attendants so I can choose one myself?"

Li Cheng asked in disbelief, "It’s that simple?"

Li Ji countered, "What else? As I said before, I just want a small, insignificant thing. I was telling the truth."

Li Cheng felt there was no way it was as simple as Prince Zhao made it sound.

Wary, he nevertheless ordered his men to summon all his servants.

Li Ji had an excellent memory. Even without paying special attention, he knew exactly how many people the Crown Prince had brought with him.

He scanned the group with a single glance and said, "It seems you’re short three people. What’s this? Is the Crown Prince deliberately hiding them, reluctant to let me take anyone away?"

Li Cheng frowned, displeased.

"Aren’t all these people enough for you to choose from?"

Li Ji gave him a faint, unreadable smile.

"That’s not the point. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Since I fulfilled my part of our agreement, you should fulfill yours.

Surely the great Crown Prince wouldn’t go back on his word? Wouldn’t you be a laughingstock if word of this got out?"

Li Cheng knew he was being goaded, but he had no way to argue. In the end, he could only acquiesce to Prince Zhao’s demand and had the last three servants brought over.

A large crowd knelt in the courtyard. Li Ji stood on the steps, looking out over a sea of heads.

Li Cheng stood silently to the side, his gaze locked on Prince Zhao.

’Let’s see what trick Prince Zhao is trying to pull!’

Li Ji sat down casually on the steps and spoke to the servants.

"I’m currently short-handed and plan to select one of you to take with me. However, I know nothing about any of you, so I’d like you to introduce yourselves one by one."

He paused, then pointed to the servant nearest him.

"You can start."

The chosen servant was extremely nervous, but he didn’t dare to waste any time and immediately began to speak.

"My name is Liu Zhong..."

Li Ji cut him off. "Come over here. Stand before me and look me in the eye when you speak."

The servant named Liu Zhong had no choice but to rise and walk until he stood about two feet from Prince Zhao.

He looked up into Prince Zhao’s piercing black eyes and grew even more nervous, his words starting to stammer.

Li Ji simply watched him with a calm expression.

When he finished his introduction, Li Ji gestured for the next person.

So Liu Zhong stepped back, and another servant took his place to continue the self-introductions.

The process repeated.

Finally, a short, slight servant stood before Prince Zhao.

He was so nervous his legs were trembling, and he looked as if he might drop to his knees at any moment. His words came out in a jumble.

"I-I’m Sang Zhong. I’m thirty-one... no, thirty-two this year. I usually just do manual labor... I’m clumsy and stupid, not very useful at all."

But at that moment, Li Ji clearly heard the man’s inner thoughts—

’Prince Zhao can’t possibly know it was me who cut the rope, can he?

No one noticed me then, so there’s no way he could know.

I don’t need to be scared. I can’t panic.

Anyway, it’s just a simple introduction. I just have to get through it.

Prince Zhao would never take an interest in someone as plain as me. He won’t pick me.’

A satisfied smile spread across Li Ji’s face.

"Sang Zhong, is it? I like that name. It sounds very auspicious.

You’ll come with me. From this day forward, you are my servant."

As soon as the words were spoken, Sang Zhong was so terrified that his legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.