The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Meanwhile, Li Ji was facing a difficult problem: a forced marriage.

The Emperor was preparing to choose a wife for him and wanted to know if he had any requirements.

Li Ji stated that he did not wish to marry yet.

The Emperor said, "They say a man should start a family and build a career. You now hold the title of a prince, so your career is established. The next step is to start a family. It’s unseemly for the great Prince Zhao Mansion to be without a mistress."

Li Ji said nonchalantly,

"I think things are just fine as they are. There’s no need for me to marry."

Seeing how strongly he resisted the idea, the Emperor, contrary to expectations, became even more determined to have him marry as soon as possible.

"Nonsense. Who ever heard of a man never marrying?

You can tell me what kind of woman you like. If you have no particular requirements, then I will make the decision myself."

Li Ji knew the Emperor was dead set on finding him a wife, so he said,

"I happen to like Lady Hua. If Your Majesty insists on me taking a principal wife, then I shall marry her."

The Emperor frowned and rebuked him, displeased. "With her background, how could she possibly be worthy of being your principal wife? Stop this nonsense."

Li Ji chuckled and asked lazily,

"Is there a problem with her background?

She’s the legitimate daughter of Elder Zhong’an. Her family background is perfectly respectable.

So what if her family’s status is a little low? I’ve never cared about such things.

Besides, even if I did marry a high-born lady, would that guarantee a good life?

With my temperament, could any of those pampered young ladies possibly tolerate me?"

The Emperor said earnestly, "Since you know your temperament is poor, you should try to rein it in."

Li Ji just laughed again, drawling indolently,

"I am who I am. I won’t change, not even on my deathbed."

The Emperor couldn’t stand seeing him like this, so utterly resigned to his own faults and devoid of any ambition.

The Emperor admonished him in a stern voice,

"You’re still so young. Stop talking about death so casually.

Besides, what does it matter if they’re high-born ladies?

No matter how pampered they were at home, once they marry you, they must serve you obediently.

If they dare to throw tantrums, you can just send them back to their families to reflect on their behavior."

Li Ji laughed self-deprecatingly.

"I appreciate Your Majesty’s kind intentions, but I truly am not worthy of those high-born ladies."

The Emperor stared at him. "You really like Lady Hua that much?"

Li Ji replied without hesitation,

"Yes."

The Emperor couldn’t understand. "From what I’ve seen, that Lady Hua has no notable qualities besides her decent looks. What is it that you like about her?"

Li Ji smiled. "You misunderstand her. She has her qualities."

The Emperor asked, "What qualities?"

"Oh, she’s terrible at everything, but second to none when it comes to eating."

The Emperor: "..."

’What kind of quality is that?!’

Li Ji continued, "As for what I like about her? I suppose I like that she’s greedy and lazy, two-faced, and a glib talker."

The Emperor gave him a look that said, ’Are you kidding me?’

Li Ji said with a helpless air, "Everyone has different tastes. I just happen to like her type."

The Emperor rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted.

He had several sons and daughters, but all of them combined didn’t worry him as much as Li Ji did.

The Emperor said in a deep voice,

"No matter how much you like her, you should not have taken her to Chongwen Hall. If the officials find out, they will surely impeach you again, and harshly."

Li Ji replied nonchalantly,

"Let them. The number of times they’ve impeached me is already countless. What’s one or two more?"

Seeing that he was completely impervious to persuasion, the Emperor was at his wit’s end and could only say,

"Go back for now. I will have someone select a few suitable young women and send their portraits to you.

See if there are any you find pleasing. If not, I’ll find more.

Don’t take my words lightly.

If you continue this foolishness, my only choice will be to issue an edict and have Lady Hua sent away."

The Emperor didn’t want to come into conflict with Li Ji over a mere Lady Hua.

But if Li Ji remained obstinate, he would have no choice but to take action against Lady Hua.

This time, Li Ji did not refuse.

He stood up. "I take my leave."

He found Hua Manman near Hanzhang Hall.

Li Ji was on horseback, as usual. He asked Hua Manman if she wanted to ride with him.

Hua Manman waved her hand, refusing.

Sneaking into the Imperial Palace disguised as a man was already a grave offense. To then parade through the palace on horseback with Prince Zhao would be practically suicidal.

But before she knew it, Li Ji suddenly reached out while she was off guard and pulled her up onto the horse’s back!

Hua Manman let out a startled cry.

"Ah! What are you doing?"

One of Li Ji’s arms wrapped tightly around her waist while his other hand flicked the reins.

The horse beneath them immediately broke into a wild gallop.

Li Ji laughed into the wind. "What’s there to be afraid of? When life is good, one must enjoy it to the fullest!"

The two of them, sharing a horse and galloping madly through the palace, immediately drew the attention of the patrolling guards.

But when they saw the rider was Prince Zhao, they could only pretend they hadn’t seen a thing and quietly move on.

Hua Manman had never imagined she would one day be galloping through the Imperial Palace on horseback. Amid her nervousness, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of novelty.

She even found it a bit amusing, especially when she saw the dumbfounded expressions of the people they passed.

’It was all Prince Zhao’s fault. He was a bad influence.’

Only after they had passed through the palace gates did Li Ji pull on the reins and let Hua Manman dismount.

Hua Manman retrieved her horse from a guard.

The two of them rode their horses home.

The city was different from the palace. Inside the palace, the grounds were vast and sparsely populated, so it was fine to gallop about.

The city, however, was full of pedestrians. Riding too fast could easily cause an accident.

So the two of them rode back at a leisurely pace.

Li Ji asked her,

"How did it feel, galloping through the palace? Thrilling, wasn’t it?"

Hua Manman had to admit that it was, indeed, thrilling.

But she still admonished him.

"You should try not to do things like that in the future."

The Emperor had granted Prince Zhao the special privilege of riding his horse and bearing his sword within the palace as a sign of trust. If he exploited that trust to do as he pleased, he would quickly wear it away.

Li Ji wasn’t very concerned about this.

Chen Wangbei came to report that Lin Qingzhi had recently been in contact with the Fourth Prince.

Ever since the Crown Prince’s case was settled, Lin Qingzhi had been released and sent back to the Crown Prince Mansion.

Li Ji had someone keeping a secret watch on her, curious to see what the woman would do next.

Chen Wangbei added,

"It seems the Fourth Prince is also investigating Lin Qingzhi."

Li Ji’s interest was piqued. "What is he trying to find?"

Chen Wangbei shook his head. "I don’t know. They’re being very discreet. If I hadn’t kept men tailing Lin Qingzhi, we wouldn’t even know the Fourth Prince was investigating her."

Li Ji said, "Keep watching them."

"Understood."

Chen Wangbei accepted the order and departed.

Hua Manman saw Prince Zhao’s thoughtful look and couldn’t help but ask,

"Are you worried Lin Qingzhi is colluding with the Fourth Prince?"

But Li Ji just smiled and said languidly,

"What do I have to worry about?

I wish they’d all stir up trouble. It would only get interesting if they turned all of Shangjing City on its head."