I'm competing with the male lead for a woman (GL) - Chapter 7

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince requested an audience, Emperor Qi’s anger slightly subsided, and he did not further vent his wrath on the young eunuch.

He touched the longan seed beads on his wrist, then waved his hand and said in a deep voice, “Please let the Crown Prince in.”

The young eunuch, as if granted a great pardon, quickly knocked his head loudly and said, “Yes.”

Actually, Xiao Jin was somewhat curious about what the male lead wanted to do in the Imperial Study.

After all, given the male lead’s perfect persona, apart from politely declining the Emperor of Qi’s marriage proposal at the beginning, he has always been impeccable in his dealings with others.

On one hand, the male lead is so accustomed to being praised by the people that even someone with such a peculiar temperament as the original owner is willing to become his wing.

On the other hand, they are secretly suppressing the Fourth Prince’s influence, discreetly removing the troublesome obstacles.

It’s just that there’s one unfortunate thing.

Due to the cliché melodramatic nature of this story, the author later let loose, causing the male lead’s character to collapse. His pursuit of his wife became very dog-like, with all sorts of scenes of forceful taking and grand theft being staged.

Ignoring this point, the male lead’s IQ is always on point.

The furnace exudes a fragrance.

Xiao Jin leaned on the wheelchair, her face not showing much expression, just quietly listening to the footsteps.

In fact, she used her peripheral vision to glance at Chu Shao, observing her reaction.

Since last night when Chu Shao pushed herself back into the original owner’s room, Xiao Jin has been suspecting whether Chu Shao knows something.

Based on her many years of experience reading web novels, she didn’t find it strange to be transmigrated into a book world and encounter a reborn female lead.

However, strangely, from the moment the male lead stepped into the imperial study to when he bowed and greeted the Emperor of Qi, Chu Shao’s expression showed no change, still wearing a faint smile on her face.

By observing facial expressions, one can discern a person’s subconscious reactions. These reactions are often instinctive and difficult to conceal.

It seems that Chu Shao really doesn’t care.

So Xiao Jin found it even stranger.

If the female lead didn’t reborn, how could her character have fallen apart like this? But if she really did reborn, she would at least have some reaction upon seeing the male lead and the second male lead, right?

Just as Xiao Jin was carefully observing Chu Shao, Crown Prince Xiao Yu had already completed his greeting to the Emperor of Qi.

Then, he turned around in surprise and looked at everyone present: “What a coincidence, I came today to handle the disaster relief in Xunzhou, but I didn’t expect my third and fourth brothers to be here as well.”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, cares deeply for the common people. I, as your humble servant, am truly ashamed.”

The Fourth Prince spoke of his shame, but in his heart, he scoffed.

Why come now, of all times? If you weren’t here early or late, why pretend to be so coincidental? Acting all smug and self-satisfied, who are you trying to impress?

The Crown Prince, dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a jade belt, exuded an air of gentle elegance.

In response to the Fourth Prince’s insincere flattery, he merely smiled and said, “Fourth Brother, you’re joking. I’m just doing my duty as a subject.”

“You are still young, and although you have not yet entered the court to serve as an official, frequently visiting the palace to pay respects to the Emperor and fulfill your filial duties is indeed a good thing.”

Hearing this, Xiao Jin almost burst out laughing.

Still so young? Please be filial? The male lead must be joking.

A dignified seven-foot-tall man, bringing two pipa players to the imperial study to show filial piety, is truly moving, a testament to the bond between father and son.

The Fourth Prince looked at the pipa player trembling on the ground, his face pale, and replied with a forced smile, “Your Highness, you flatter me.”

The Emperor of Qi’s expression wasn’t very good either.

After all, the Crown Prince’s words are not just aimed at the Fourth Prince.

However, the Crown Prince remained calm and composed, turned around to look at Xiao Jin sitting in the wheelchair, and even gave a slight smile.

It was only when he saw Chu Shao that his gaze seemed to pause for a moment.

Chu Shao, however, showed no reaction, calmly meeting the crown prince’s gaze, her smile unwavering: “I have seen His Highness the Crown Prince.”

After the prince came to his senses, he smiled and said, “The Princess is being courteous.”

Seeing this scene, Xiao Jin almost wanted to roll her eyes.

Here it comes, the famous scene of love at first sight.

You were the one who initially rejected the marriage proposal, and now you’re the one who’s lost and confused. Male lead, you’re really a dog.

However, although the Crown Prince loves the beauty, he obviously loves the kingdom even more.

Soon, he became immune to Chu Shao’s beauty attack, shifted his gaze to Xiao Jin, and asked with concern, “Has your cough improved, Third Brother?”

The real Xiao Jin has obviously already died, but the crown prince’s words are clearly just a formality.

After all, the original owner was once a supporter of the crown prince. As the heir apparent, it is necessary to show some false concern for a loyal follower who is seriously ill.

Xiao Jin understands all these principles.

So she coughed twice and replied faintly, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am much better now.”

She didn’t know if it’s just Xiao Jin’s illusion, but when she said this, she always felt that the Crown Prince seemed to slightly frown, almost imperceptibly.

Xiao Jin immediately became alert. He had only said one sentence; it couldn’t have been a slip-up, could it?

It turned out to be impossible, as the Crown Prince then withdrew his gaze and nodded with satisfaction, saying, “Very well.”

As for where exactly it got better, Xiao Jin didn’t know either.

She just sat in her wheelchair, watching the male lead seemingly casually dismiss the pipa player in the room and start discussing state affairs with the Emperor of Qi.

This discussion went on for a long time.

After a long time, Chu Shao was so bored that she started examining Xiao Jin’s fingers.

The more she observed closely, the more interesting Chu Shao found it.

Xiao Jin’s hands were not small, pale and slender with distinct knuckles, but compared to a man’s, her fingers were a bit too delicate.

Chu Shao smiled and pondered, wondering what she hadn’t thought of.

But every time she think of the key point, she find it hard to remember what she was just thinking about.

Strange, indeed very strange.

Xiao Jin didn’t find it strange at all, because the system had already revealed the truth to her:

“In order to maintain the normal development of the world within the book, the system will, according to the author’s logic, impose a dumbing-down effect on all characters regarding the issue of the original owner’s gender.”

“……”

Dude, seriously impressive.

In order to cover up the logical inconsistencies of the cliché melodramatic author, the system is also going to great lengths.

After discussing state affairs, the Crown Prince discreetly picked up the memorial that had fallen to the ground, handed it to the Emperor of Qi, and asked with a smile, “May I ask what troubles Father Emperor just now?”

It’s better not to mention it, but once this matter is brought up, even the Emperor of Qi paused in his action of receiving the memorial.

He slammed the document onto the table and said in a deep voice, “Isn’t it all because of your Third Brother? His usual eccentric behavior is one thing, but yesterday he actually did something so embarrassing.”

“Publicly snatching your Fourth Brother’s princess, bringing disgrace to the royal family in front of the common people!”

Xiao Jin felt that someone like the Emperor of Qi was truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Although you are portrayed as a tyrant, even as a tyrant, listening to pipa music with your son in the imperial study seems quite embarrassing, doesn’t it?

Xiao Jin couldn’t be bothered to deal with the Emperor of Qi, but Chu Shao spoke up.

“Your Majesty, I feel that this is not quite right.”

Listening to Chu Shao’s gentle voice, Xiao Jin suddenly had a bad feeling.

The Emperor of Qi was puzzled. How dare a mere deposed princess openly challenge him and say he was wrong?

However, since the princes were still here, he merely frowned and asked, “Where is the problem?”

Chu Shao smiled and said, “Although I was sitting in the bridal sedan yesterday, I could still hear the sound of weapons clashing outside. The common people didn’t react at all; instead, they were clapping and cheering, placing bets and applauding.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the Imperial Study fell into silence for the third time.

Xiao Jin maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but inside, she had already begun to doubt whether Chu Shao was an undercover agent sent by the other side.

As expected, the Emperor of Qi was furious, his rage reaching unprecedented heights.

At first, he thought Xiao Jin had merely taken away Xiao Yi’s princess, but he never expected that right in front of everyone, his two good sons would actually start fighting!

As for who wins and who loses, the outcome is obvious.

A joke, an absolute joke. Xiao Jin has almost brought shame to the Xiao family.

It’s just infuriating. Now that Xiao Jin has crippled his legs and contracted a serious illness, he can’t drag this ungrateful child out and give him a good beating.

In a fit of rage, the Emperor of Qi could only point at Xiao Jin and scold, “Xiao Jin, if you don’t return the Princess of Yao to your Fourth Brother’s palace today, I will treat you as if you were never my son!”

Xiao Jin was amused.

The original owner was a daughter; originally, the Emperor of Qi didn’t have a son like her.

Moreover, the original owner was the Prince of Yan. Even without the title of the Third Prince, she would still be a big shot when she returned to her fief.

So, Xiao Jin looked at the Emperor of Qi and smiled, saying, “Father, the princess has already performed the ceremonial bow with me and has also entered the bridal chamber. How could there be any reason to send her back to the Fourth Prince’s Palace?”

With the groundwork laid by the first three times, the fourth silence seems only natural.

Even the Crown Prince frowned slightly, finding Xiao Jin’s words utterly absurd.

Given Xiao Jin’s current situation of sitting in a wheelchair, how can he and the Chu Shao couple perform the mutual bowing ceremony, and how can they carry out the wedding night rites?

No one knows, not even Xiao Jin herself.

But no one dared to point at the Prince of Yan’s nose and say, “You’re a useless person, why are you still building a cave house?”

Thinking of this, Xiao Jin naturally began to babble, “Moreover, your son fell in love with the princess at first sight; I will marry no one but her in this life.”

Except for Chu Shao, who was not surprised and stood beside Xiao Jin with a smile, everyone else in the imperial study was silent.

Because once you accept Xiao Jin’s logic, it seems like you can’t find any major mistakes for the time being.

At this moment, only the Crown Prince remained sober, earnestly advising Xiao Jin, “Third Brother, don’t be reckless.”

Xiao Jin was somewhat surprised; she had thought that since the original owner was part of the Prince’s Party, the male lead’s visit this time would definitely be to support the original owner.

Now it seems that way.

The Crown Prince glanced at Chu Shao, then shifted his gaze back to Xiao Jin and sighed, “Third brother, taking another man’s wife is not the act of a gentleman.”

Coincidentally, she was never a gentleman, just a woman.

If it were the original owner, by now they would probably be completely devoted to the male lead. Unfortunately, this body has already been taken over.

The prince smiled slightly, perhaps thinking that no matter how unruly Xiao Jin might be, he would still listen to a few of his words.

Xiao Jin met the crown prince’s gaze and returned a polite smile.

“Your Highness, I have already committed the act of taking another man’s wife, so I don’t expect to be able to be a gentleman in the future.”

“Moreover, the so-called gentleman is not someone like me who can be. Now that I have become useless, I would rather be a rogue, indulge in momentary pleasures, and win the beauty. Your Highness, do you think what I said is right?”

He don’t know whether it’s because Xiao Jin dared to go against his wishes or because Xiao Jin’s words were sharp and pointed.

In short, the prince’s expression was very inscrutable, and after a long silence, he ultimately said nothing.

The Crown Prince remained silent, but the Emperor of Qi was seething with anger.

In the past, the Crown Prince could still keep Xiao Jin in check, but now this guy has completely rebelled and doesn’t even listen to the crown prince’s advice.

It’s really upside down!

Furious to the extreme, the Emperor of Qi instead became calm and said to the trembling eunuch beside him, “Go get the jade plate.”

However, before the eunuch could even receive the imperial edict, a cold voice rang out from outside the imperial study: “Stop!”

Everyone present, except for Xiao Jin and Chu Shao, was taken aback upon hearing this voice.

The newcomer, with her sleeves billowing, strode straight towards the imperial study, yet no one dared to stop her.

When the person reached the center, Xiao Jin finally saw her face clearly.

The woman was dressed in a brocade robe, looking to be only in her twenties, but her brows and eyes subtly revealed an air of unassailable authority.

Xiao Jin instantly knew who this was.

Princess Zhaohua shot a glance at the eunuch and coldly said, “You dog servants really can’t fathom the emperor’s intentions. How could the emperor brother abolish his own son?”

“Yes, Your Highness Zhaohua, the servant… the servant deserves to die!”

The eunuch was so scared that his face turned pale, thinking that no matter whose orders he followed today, he would inevitably meet his end.

The Emperor of Qi looked at Princess Zhaohua, his face ashen: “Imperial sister, it was I who sent the eunuch to fetch the jade plate.”

“Your younger sister knows.”

Princess Zhaohua smiled and first respectfully bowed to the Emperor of Qi: “Your Majesty, before Sister Zhaoyang went to Baima Temple to pray for blessings, she specifically instructed me to take good care of Jin’er, so…”

Then turned around, suppressing the smile on their face.

Princess Zhaohua looked at the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids, her words sharp and cold: “I will stand here today. If any of you dare to harm Jin’er, you will have to step over my corpse first!”