Duan Ming considered this idea for a while. He didn’t have a plan and didn’t know where to start with coming up with one either but he still felt that he should at least offer a helping hand. Anyway, being friends with Leng Jin Yu, meeting Zhong Jing Yi during his trial, and then being chosen as a prospective marriage candidate for His Highness after it ended … it could be said that there was a sliver of ate between the two of them.

Duan Ming sighed faintly. “I can imagine that your father isn’t in favor of that relationship. This … so-called chance meeting today was probably his machination.”

Jing He lowered his head but that gesture spoke for itself.

Duan Ming sighed again. “Your Highness is as beautiful as it is rumored and the fact that you can still treat me politely despite the circumstances speaks to your character. But clearly, nothing is possible between us. Your heart already belongs to somebody else and I am not one to break up a pair of mandarin ducks.”

Jing He’s expression eased slightly. He had worried when Duan Ming praised him. Once upon a time, he would have liked a spouse who had this kind of quiet admiration for him but no deeper feelings. Now, he couldn’t accept it at all so hearing that Duan Ming didn’t want to be with him filled him with relief.

Duan Ming gave him a moment to consider, his fingers turning the teacup as if admiring it. “Even if I dare to tell the Heavenly Emperor that I am uninterested, I am afraid you won’t get out of this predicament easily though. He will just find another candidate.”

Jing He nodded faintly. “That is likely to happen.” In fact, this could be considered a foregone conclusion. His father might not have said it outright but his actions spoke even louder than words: He indeed would not accept Qiu Ling and he would do anything to make sure their relationship couldn’t go further.

Thinking about it now made Jing He feel regretful that he hadn’t been more proactive the last time he was with Qiu Ling. If, at that time, they had indeed done something irreversible, then what could his father still do? But now, it was too late. Since that day, he hadn’t gotten even a single moment of alone time with Qiu Ling, always being accompanied by his father from morning till nightfall.

If it wasn’t him, then it would be one of those marriage candidates he deemed worthy of giving a try. He didn’t even trust his mother to keep an eye on him, probably thinking that she would just facilitate a meeting between him and Qiu Ling. Well, to be honest, he wasn’t wrong to take that precaution. Jing He himself was sure that his mother would do exactly that. It only made him long more for a few moments of reprieve though.

Duan Ming didn’t know the ins and outs of Jing He’s current situation. He only thought that he was probably too polite to give his father a piece of his mind and was thus doing this out of a feeling of obligation. “Have you told him that you aren’t actually interested in meeting with further spousal candidates?”

Jing He looked at Duan Ming with a lost look. Usually, he would not discuss his matters with a person who amounted to nothing more than maybe a casual acquaintance at most. In fact, it wouldn’t even be wrong to call him a stranger. But then, he didn’t have anyone else he could talk to and this person seemed to be in favor of him being with Qiu Ling so he felt some goodwill toward him. “He started to introduce them to me after I said I wanted to marry Qiu Ling.”

Duan Ming’s eyes widened slightly. That was to say, the Heavenly Emperor was very much aware of what His Highness wanted but didn’t care at all. Well, there had been rumors that he didn’t feel kindly about Longjun trying to woo his son but … he wouldn’t have thought it was that serious.

Duan Ming mused for a while but could only come to the conclusion that he simply didn’t know enough. Looking at the Son of Heaven opposite him, he didn’t know if he should ask or not. This person … he looked so lost as if he had been abandoned. That gaze wasn’t right. Maybe it felt even more wrong in a face such as this.

He cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed by his own thoughts. He couldn’t help it though. He also wasn’t immune to beauty and the Son of Heaven really was one that defied the Heavens. He should be on par with the fabled spouse of Tian himself. “It must be difficult to live with this kind of overbearing father.”

Jing He declined to comment on that. It was indeed not easy but then, he had never complained. Even now, he wasn’t sure what to think. Was it that he was indeed unreasonable? He loved Qiu Ling and couldn’t see a single bad thing about him but his father had indeed warned him against falling in love with this man over and over again.

Even if Qiu Ling was good in every aspect, just by falling in love with him, he might have hurt his father’s bottom line. In that case, were his father’s current actions really going overboard, or were they just the natural consequences that he had incurred with his behavior? Disciplining one’s child … it seemed like what a good parent should do. And if the child went against something they had been warned about so often, then the punishment should naturally be strict.

Jing He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it any longer. He just … just wanted to see Qiu Ling again. At this moment, it wouldn’t even matter to him whether they could get married. Just being able to see him would be enough. At the very least … it was better than nothing.