Chapter 581: Chapter 581: When You Are the Man Leng Yu Yan looked at her in astonishment and suddenly coughed violently, unable to speak. Ye Jiu hurriedly patted her back to help soothe her breath, “Just listen to me closely. Which of my brothers, including Sixth Brother, would willingly adopt out their son to others?” “If we look for someone from the Royal Family for adoption, the blood relation is somewhat distant after all. Moreover, if they were to sabotage behind the scenes, you all would be unable to guard against it.” “However, coming back to the point, Sixth Brother and I are biological siblings, and so are you and Princely Heir. When the time comes, adopting my and Princely Heir’s child to you, the bonds of blood and affection would truly be strong!” Leng Yu Yan cleared her throat, “You make a good point! Although your wedding with my elder brother is approaching, I am still surprised by your discussion about how many children to have.” As for the issue of future offspring with His Highness, both her grandfather and Father King had also considered it, typically thinking of adopting from her four elder brothers. Anyway, that wasn’t a problem. The problem was that Ye Jiu had thought of it too, which touched her deeply. Leng Yu Yan held Ye Jiu’s hands, and spoke with a gentle smile, “Ah Jiu, thank you so much!” Ye Jiu pursed her lips and smiled softly, “Call me ‘sister-in-law’.” Leng Yu Yan complied amiably, “Sister-in-law!” “I need to change how I address you.” “Just like your family calls you Yan’er, in front of mother, I’ll call you ‘sister,'” Ye Jiu said with a smile. She used to call her Ah Yan, following Ji Qingyu. But now that she was to marry Princely Heir, the form of address naturally needed to be the same as that used by the Leng Family. “Whatever pleases you.” On their way, they unconsciously arrived at the Imperial Palace and entered Xingning Palace. When the palace maids saw the Ninth Princess return, they all paid their respects in unison. Ye Jiu handed over a list, “Go to the storeroom and gather these items for this princess.” A palace maid caught the list, and all the palace maids responded in unison. Ye Jiu waved her hand and turned to Leng Yu Yan, “Let’s have dinner here before returning.” Leng Yu Yan shook her head, “It’s sufficient to see you back; no need for dinner.” “That’s fine, let’s have some tea and chat a bit more.” Ye Jiu instructed the palace maid to bring tea and snacks. The two drank tea and chatted head-to-head for a while, when suddenly a palace maid hurried over. “Princess, the Jade Cup in the storeroom has been shattered, and some items are missing. Would you like to take a look?” Upon hearing this, Ye Jiu’s face darkened, as the items listed were intended as gifts for the Leng Family. How could they be shattered and missing? She exclaimed in anger, “I’ll take a look.” Realizing Leng Yu Yan was still there, Ye Jiu moderated her expression, “Yan’er, please sit for a while longer or take a walk around the palace, I’ll be right back.” Leng Yu Yan spoke softly, “Alright, go ahead, and let me know if you need any help!” Ye Jiu nodded and departed. After a while, seeing that Ye Jiu hadn’t returned, Leng Yu Yan listlessly got up and strolled around. Suddenly, she heard the sound of bird calls from outside the hall, and curiously, she walked slowly outside. She didn’t expect to see Ji Qingyu carrying a birdcage coming her way, the source of the bird sounds. Seeing Leng Yu Yan at Xingning Palace, Ji Qingyu was also surprised. Knowing that Ye Jiu would be returning to the palace today, he had specifically come to Xingning Palace, hoping to inquire about Leng Yu Yan’s recent circumstances from Ye Jiu. Ye Jiu had stayed in Prince Zhenbei Mansion for quite some time, so he must have known about the developments between Leng Yu Yan and Ye Yiheng. Ji Qingyu glanced inside the palace but did not see Ye Yiheng’s figure, and his smile grew thicker upon his face. Upon seeing him unexpectedly, Leng Yu Yan recalled the awkward situation in the Prince Mansion that morning, and at this moment she did not know how to face him, so she stepped towards the interior of the palace. As if he had forgotten about the incident in the morning, Ji Qingyu caught up with her, greeting her warmly with a smile, “Ah Yan, what brings you here?” “I’m sending Ah Ju back to the palace.” While Leng Yu Yan spoke, the parrot in the cage suddenly cried out, “Beauty, beauty.” Ji Qingyu lifted the birdcage, and with a smile, he teased the bird inside with his index finger, “Do you also recognize a beauty?” The parrot called out again, “Know, know.” Seeing this, Leng Yu Yan could not help but smile, “What a clever bird.” Ji Qingyu offered the birdcage to her, “For you.” Leng Yu Yan stepped back, “No thank you.” Ji Qingyu’s smile stiffened as he blurted out, “Why?” “Not taking what others desire,” replied Leng Yu Yan with a light smile. He came to Xingning Palace carrying the birdcage, clearly intended as a gift for Ye Jiu. Moreover, she merely found the bird amusing, not endearing, and did not want to claim it as her own. “Not taking what others desire?” Ji Qingyu repeated the phrase quietly to himself. Yet Ye Yiheng, knowing well that he and Ah Yan had known each other for a long time, had still taken what he desired—was this the act of a gentleman? The atmosphere turned awkward, and Leng Yu Yan wanted to go home, so she raised her voice to call for Xiaoshan. This time, Xiaoshan was driving Ye Jiu back to the palace, and since Ye Jiu appreciated the effort of driving, he had allowed him to have tea in the side hall. At this moment, Xiaoshan, accompanied by several little eunuchs, was leisurely sipping tea, oblivious to Leng Yu Yan’s call. Ji Qingyu handed the birdcage to Leng Song standing behind him and shot him a stern look. Leng Song naturally understood his master’s intention, and carried the birdcage out of the palace. Now, only Ji Qingyu and Leng Yu Yan remained in the main hall of the vast Xingning Palace. The palace doors were wide open, the daylight outside was bright, but Leng Yu Yan distinctly felt a chill rush towards her. Seeing the unfamiliar expression on Ji Qingyu’s face, Leng Yu Yan lowered her gaze, “I think there might be some misunderstanding between us? My aunt and uncle wanted to adopt me as their goddaughter, and I have clearly refused them. We were friends before, and if Prince Qing feels we should no longer be friends, then let it be as Prince Qing wishes.” “Misunderstanding? There is no misunderstanding!” Ji Qingyu scoffed coldly, “I have always thought that Ye Yiheng is not worthy of you. Do you still not understand? Wasn’t my statement in the Prince Mansion clear this morning?” “I know that in your eyes, Crown Prince and I are not a match,” Leng Yu Yan turned her gaze away from him, then continued, “As a friend, I appreciate your consideration, but my marriage to him is already set, and he will be my husband Leng Yu Yan, and that is unchangeable!” Ji Qingyu stared intently at her, agitated, “Ah Yan, let me be clear, I never wanted to be just your friend. I have always wanted to be your man, do you understand?” Such blunt words startled Leng Yu Yan, and she recoiled in shock, “No, that’s not it. When we met in the capital, it was clearly agreed upon to be just friends.” Even when he had kidnapped her that time, despite her disliking Ye Yiheng at that point, she had still rejected him. Back then, they had also agreed to only be friends. Ji Qingyu stepped forward, his eyes piercingly staring into hers, “Ah Yan, I have been waiting, waiting for you to see how different I am from Ye Yiheng, waiting for you to see my worth, but what I have been waiting for is you setting a marriage date with him.” “I can’t wait any longer!” He reached out to grab her hand, but she quietly dodged it. Ji Qingyu’s hand grasped at air, and his slender fingers slowly clenched as his voice turned cold, “I don’t care that you spend nights in the Eastern Palace, nor do I care if you sleep beside him. Ah Yan, come to me!” Only he knew how insanely jealous he was of Ye Yiheng! In their youth, the adults in their family would always say that both of them were good-looking cousins, but they would still point out that Ye Yiheng was better-looking.