The Male Lead's Harem Belongs to Me (GL) - Chapter 28

The autumn wind rustled, and the group in the woods fell silent. Everyone anxiously watched the clueless Jiang Han, wanting to give her a hint, but Qi Ze directly waved them off, his face dark, wanting to see what else this woman would do.

Qi Ze watched Jiang Han’s hand feel his arm, then said uncertainly, “Did I touch a tree? Or has Gu Gu gotten fatter again recently?”

Gu Hanyun: “…Again?”

Qi Ze’s mouth twitched, and he looked towards Gu Hanyun, following Jiang Han’s words. Hmm… she did seem to have gained weight. He looked at the other three, and his expression became subtle; they all seemed to have put on a little weight.

At this moment, Jiang Han finally realized something was wrong. It was too quiet, as if they had been kidnapped. Jiang Han had a bad feeling. She ripped off the blindfold and widened her eyes, “Holy… crap…”

Before Qi Ze could question her, he saw the woman’s pupils tremble with a strange excitement. The next second, she reached out and touched his chest, praising, “Your Highness, nice pecs.”

Qi Ze: “?”

The praise in her eyes was too genuine, so much so that Qi Ze felt a moment of absurdity. What had he come here for?

Jiang Han didn’t linger. After praising Qi Ze, she quickly retreated to what she considered a safe distance and bowed, “Your Highness, why are you here again?”

There was a hint of dislike hidden in her words.

Qi Ze finally reacted, looking at Jiang Han, who was ten meters away, and the dislike in her words. His face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, “If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known my princess was so playful.”

Jiang Han only panicked for a moment, then calmed down. Her skin was thick, and her mentality was good. She asked sincerely, “Your subject was just playing hide-and-seek with my sisters. It’s not really being playful, is it?”

Qi Ze was full of anger, but Jiang Han’s sincere question made him pause. It was just hide-and-seek, wasn’t it?

Then what was making him so angry? Qi Ze thought about it, his eyes fixed on Jiang Han’s face. Yes, it was his princess’s lewd expression that made him think they were playing some inappropriate game.

Thinking this, Qi Ze’s face darkened again. How had this princess become like this recently…

Jiang Han watched Qi Ze’s face turn from black to green, then white, and finally, he glared at her with anger and resentment, saying, “I came to see how your reflection was going.”

Jiang Han looked guilty and said sincerely, “We have realized our mistakes and have undergone deep reflection and self-examination. We have concluded that Your Highness is right, and we were wrong.”

“So, the result of your reflection is…” Qi Ze said expressionlessly, his voice rising in exasperation, “You’ve all gained so much weight?!”

Everyone: “!!!”

Jiang Han widened her eyes, looking at the male lead’s distorted and furious face. She felt her life was in danger. What should she do? She had made the prince break character. Could she survive?

Jiang Han felt pitiful, weak, and helpless. She stood silently with the other concubines, her eyes lowered.

Qi Ze looked at the pitiful group and felt a surge of anger, but he couldn’t vent it. He would seem unreasonable if he did. They were just eating, drinking, and having fun normally. Why should he be angry?

Qi Ze calmed down and looked for a reason to be angry. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. What bothered him was that none of them had tried to coax him since he had confined them. It was as if they could live happily without him.

He felt dispensable to them. But it hadn’t been like this before. Didn’t they all want his favor? Shouldn’t they be acting like harmonious sisters?

Qi Ze felt like he was going crazy. Others would want a peaceful harem, but he actually wanted them to fight over him. But given the current situation, fighting over him was impossible. Qi Ze attributed it all to being too busy to spend time with them, causing them to become distant.

After calming down for a moment, he said, “The case is over, and the emperor has granted me some time off. In a few days, I’ll take you all horseback riding and hunting in the countryside.”

Jiang Han was still thinking about her life being in danger. She almost thought she was hallucinating when she heard the male lead’s words. She looked up and saw the male lead’s pale face, raising an eyebrow, “Thank you for Your Highness’s grace.”

The others followed suit.

Jiang Han found it strange. One moment, the prince looked like he wanted to eat them alive, and the next, he was taking them out to play? Tsk, she really couldn’t understand men.

••••

A few days later, on a clear, autumn day, Qi Ze rode a tall horse, leading the group to the countryside.

They were going to a hunting garden that was said to have been originally for the royal family. But after a new one was built, the benevolent emperor made the old one semi-open, allowing royal relatives and nobles to enjoy hunting. For a fee and a reservation, the garden would belong to you for the day.

Qi Ze had applied for it a few days ago. Of course, princes could come and go freely without reservations, but aside from the royal family, only Qi Ze’s household was allowed to enter.

For some reason, Qi Ze didn’t ride in the carriage with them. He rode his horse beside the carriage windows, and when the wind blew open the curtains, they could see Qi Ze’s legs hanging off the horse.

Although it was morning, there were many people outside. Qi Ze squinted, enjoying the admiring and respectful gazes, and the displeasure of being ignored by his wives faded.

As they walked, Qi Ze suddenly pulled open the carriage curtain, startling the people inside. Qi Ze said coldly, “It’s too stuffy in the carriage. Get some fresh air.” *Let them see how popular I am with women outside.*

The curtain opened, and sunlight poured in. Jiang Han and the others were startled, then relieved, and continued to praise each other.

Qi Ze walked outside expressionlessly, making sure the compliments reached their ears.

“Look, look, that’s Prince Qi.”

“Wow, the prince is as handsome and dashing as the rumors say!”

“So handsome, I like him so much.”

Qi Ze felt refreshed and chuckled to himself, quietly moving closer to the carriage to hear their reactions to the compliments.

“Gu Gu, your earrings are so pretty. Where did you buy them? I’ll buy some next time.”

“Hey, Weiwei, the painting you did for the princess last time was so pretty. Can you paint one for me too?”

“Wanwan, your clothes are so pretty. They really suit you.”

Qi Ze: “…”

Qi Ze kicked his horse expressionlessly, and the horse neighed and ran off. The carriage driver was confused, seeing the prince’s dark face, “What are you waiting for? Speed up.”

The driver snapped out of it and quickly whipped the horse, and the carriage sped off.

The sudden acceleration made the people inside lose their balance. Jiang Han instinctively leaned back, and before she hit her head, someone gently caught her.

“Be careful,” Liu Shuwei said softly, holding Jiang Han’s waist.

After Jiang Han steadied herself, she asked the driver outside, “What happened? Why did you suddenly speed up?”

The driver said apologetically, “Sorry, princess. The prince suddenly told me to speed up. I don’t know why.”

Jiang Han frowned and said, “Never mind. Maybe he had to go to the toilet.”

She steadied herself and realized she was still in Liu Shuwei’s arms. Liu Shuwei looked at Jiang Han and was about to let go when Jiang Han suddenly leaned on her shoulder, closing her eyes, “I’m a little sleepy. I want to sleep for a while.”

Liu Shuwei’s eyes softened, and she didn’t let go, saying softly, “Sleep. I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

The others also lowered their voices. Gu Hanyun looked at Liu Shuwei’s hand on Jiang Han’s waist, frowning and wondering if Liu Shuwei could catch and hold her, given her waist size and weight.

Soon, the carriage slowed down. Jiang Han fell asleep in the carriage’s swaying and was still sleepy when Liu Shuwei woke her up.

But when she got off the carriage, she was full of energy.

She said to the others, “Sisters, let’s get out what we prepared!”

She took a large blanket from the carriage’s trunk, and Gu Hanyun pulled out a medium-sized box, containing unknown items. The others took out snacks and food.

When Qi Ze finished the handover with the garden’s caretaker, he saw this scene.

Qi Ze had a question mark above his head. When did they pack these things? He didn’t know.

As they walked towards him with the items, before Qi Ze could ask, Jiang Han said, “Your Highness, where should we sit?”

Qi Ze: “…” *When did I say we were going to sit? Didn’t I say we were going horseback riding?*

Qi Ze looked at the five pairs of eyes on him, and his throat tightened. “Just don’t go into the woods. You can sit anywhere on the grass.”

“Okay!”

Jiang Han happily agreed and took the lead, carrying the blanket into the garden, greeting the caretaker warmly as she entered.

Qi Ze watched the other four follow Jiang Han, feeling a sudden sense of desolation. *What’s going on? Shouldn’t I be the one leading them?*

Qi Ze stood there for a moment, then followed them unhappily. He could have just called them back, but that would make him seem petty. He kept silent.

Finally, Jiang Han stopped under a big tree. She spread the blanket under the towering tree, looking out over the vast garden. The garden was divided into two areas: the outer area where they were, with only grass and a few scattered trees, and the inner area, filled with many trees, which was the hunting grounds.

Jiang Han spread the blanket and enthusiastically said to the others, “Come on, I’ve spread it out. Gu Gu, don’t forget to bring the box!”

“Okay!” Gu Hanyun replied from a distance, then joined the others under the tree, taking off their shoes and sitting on the blanket. At first, only Gu Hanyun took off her shoes, but after Jiang Han’s constant persuasion, they all took off their shoes.

After all, this was ancient times, and people here had some feudal ideas. But Jiang Han said they were all family here, so what was wrong with showing their feet? Besides, they were wearing socks.

So they agreed after her brainwashing.

The blanket was large enough for five people to sit on. When Qi Ze walked up to them, he found there was no place for him. His face darkened, and he saw the neatly arranged shoes.

Qi Ze: “?”

Jiang Han smiled awkwardly, “Your Highness, this blanket is only for girls. Do you want to sit with us?” *Damn, I forgot about the prince. Well, I’ll just bluff my way through.*

Sure enough, Qi Ze’s face wasn’t dark anymore when he heard it was for girls. He sat cross-legged to the side and said coldly, “I don’t need it.”

Jiang Han secretly breathed a sigh of relief, took the box from Gu Hanyun, and said, “Come on, sisters! Today I’ll teach you a new game.”

Gu Hanyun got excited, “What new game is it? What’s it called?”

Jiang Han smiled mysteriously, “Monopoly.”

Qi Ze watched Jiang Han’s strange behavior, both disgusted and curious, and glanced over.

He saw Jiang Han open the box, take out a large piece of cowhide paper, some cards, dice, and some strange things, and finally five small figures resembling them.

Jiang Han grinned and began to explain the game, “See these five figures? They represent us. Next, we’ll use these dice. We’ll move forward a number of spaces equal to the number we roll… In the end, we’ll see who has the most money. The one with the most money is the biggest winner, the Monopoly!”

Jiang Han explained the rules of the game in detail. Qi Ze’s expression changed from disdain to curiosity to a hint of eagerness, but he stopped himself. There were only five figures, and his princess hadn’t considered him at all.

Qi Ze was unhappy and decided to stop them from playing. But after Jiang Han finished explaining the rules, she turned to him and said, “Your Highness, would you like to play with us?”

Qi Ze said coldly, “Isn’t this only for five people?”

For some reason, Jiang Han heard a hint of grievance in his voice. Not daring to think too much, Jiang Han smiled and said, “Actually, there’s another position suitable for Your Highness. This position requires someone intelligent, brave, quick-witted, and agile, as well as kind, wise, loving, and courageous. Of course, most importantly, they must be handsome…”

Qi Ze snorted coldly, feeling slightly better, “Then I’ll reluctantly play with you.”

A moment later, Qi Ze expressionlessly held a pile of money, acting as the bank. He skillfully gave them change while secretly gritting his teeth. As expected, he shouldn’t have believed his princess.

What intelligence, bravery, agility, and handsomeness? It was all fake! Fake! They just tricked him into being their bank!!

Author’s Note:

Qi Ze: Damn woman, I’ve been tricked again.

T/N: Hahaha…