Hua Linglong didn't seem to have heard a word Ning Chen said. Her expression was extremely odd!

She'd noticed something off between Ning Chen and Young Master Music. They were far too intimate.

Ning Chen, the exalted Prince Regent of the Great Xuan, was carefully picking the bones out of fish for Xiao Yanxi.

What???

She shuddered hard. They were both men.

Could the Prince Regent... No way. He was the current Emperor's husband.

Ning Chen looked up at her. "Heroine Hua, did you hear what this prince said?"

Hua Linglong snapped back to herself.

She was about to speak when she saw Ning Chen serve Young Master Music another bite, and the young master lowered his head and nibbled at it.

"No... My lord prince is the god of war of Great Xuan and the husband of Her Majesty. Doing this will give people something to say against you. It'll make you a laughingstock."

Ning Chen: "..."

"Heroine Hua, this prince has no intention of forcing anything. This prince knows feelings can't be forced."

Hua Linglong said loudly, "Even without forcing, it won't do! My lord prince is the white jade pillar that holds up the sky and the purple-gold beam that spans the sea for the Great Xuan. We may just be rough men of the jianghu, but we revere my lord prince deeply. You absolutely can't do something that ruins your own good name. I beg my lord prince to think it over." (TL Note: 擎天白玉柱，架海紫金梁 — a stock pair of epithets from the old novels and operas for the one man a whole realm rests on.)

Ning Chen's head filled with question marks.

"Heroine Hua, this prince is only proposing a marriage. It can't be as serious as you're making it out to be, can it?"

Hua Linglong was stunned. "My lord prince has already proposed?"

Ning Chen looked at her oddly. Why was the woman crying out at every little thing? Then again, had she misunderstood something? He had a feeling they weren't talking about the same thing.

Hua Linglong turned to Xiao Yanxi and…