Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 258 You're Still Far From It

A secluded courtyard.

The lights in the courtyard were still on, their dim yellow light filtering through the window paper and spreading thinly on the ground.

When Lin Chen pushed the door open, Yao Yao was sitting under the lamp reading a book.

Hearing the noise, she almost dropped the book in her hand and hurriedly stood up to bow:

"Your Highness."

The voice was soft, with a hint of timidity.

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Don't be so polite, have a seat."

As he spoke, he sat down on the chair next to him and casually asked,

"What are you looking at so intently?"

Yao Yao closed the book and handed it over with both hands.

It's a collection of poems; the cover is so worn that the edges are frayed.

Lin Chen took it, flipped through a couple of pages without looking at it closely, and handed it back to her: "You like poetry?"

Yao Yao nodded, her eyes brightening: "Yes, Master taught me."

"Your master has quite the taste." Lin Chen smiled, leaning back in his chair and sizing her up.

Yao Yao was still as reserved as ever, sitting upright with her hands on her knees, like a primary school student meeting her homeroom teacher.

Lin Chen suddenly asked, "Are you able to sleep tonight?"

Yao Yao was taken aback, not expecting Lin Chen to ask this.

She pursed her lips and nodded gently: "It should... be possible."

"Should be?" Lin Chen laughed. "That means you can't sleep."

Yao Yao stopped talking, lowered her head, and her ears turned a little red.

Lin Chen stopped teasing her, stood up, walked to the door, then turned back and said:

"By the way, if you want to go out for a walk, you can do so anytime without having to ask anyone."

The garden has a nice view, and there's a small lake in the backyard. Don't just stay cooped up in the yard all the time.

Yao Yao looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes, then nodded:

"it is good."

Lin Chen waved his hand, pushed open the door, and went out.

Don't rush to accept it; there's plenty of time!

……

In Zhao Mingyue's courtyard.

The light is still on.

When Lin Chen pushed the door open, Zhao Mingyue was leaning against the headboard reading a book.

Seeing him come in, she put the book aside and asked with a smile:

"You're here?"

"Hmm." Lin Chen took off his coat, hung it up, lay down on the bed, and sighed comfortably.

Zhao Mingyue naturally leaned closer, nestled into his arms, and asked:

"Did you go see those girls?"

Lin Chen hugged her, playing with her hair with his fingers:

"Hmm, I checked on Yao Yao."

"How is it?"

"She's alright, just a little shy, and her voice is barely audible."

Zhao Mingyue chuckled softly:

"Everyone's like this when they first arrive. It'll get better after a while. With your skills, you can handle it all with ease."

"That's the truth." Lin Chen laughed smugly.

"You're getting cocky just because I said you're fat." Zhao Mingyue rolled her eyes at her, annoyed.

Lin Chen chuckled, then suddenly sighed.

Zhao Mingyue was somewhat surprised. "What's wrong?"

Lin Chen looked at the top of the tent and said softly, "Mingyue, tell me, am I too lustful?"

Zhao Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

Why are you suddenly asking this?

Lin Chen continued to sigh: "I just feel like there are too many women around me, eleven of them, plus Yao Yao and a few others. We could easily fill four mahjong tables and still have some left over."

Zhao Mingyue thought about it carefully: "Is that a lot? Only seventeen."

Lin Chen: "???"

Zhao Mingyue solemnly counted on her fingers:

"You are the Prince of Zhenbei, and you will have many descendants in the future."

Aside from Ruyan and a few others who need to continue the bloodline of the Seventh Branch, you actually don't amount to much.

"The Prince of Qi next door has three principal wives, five secondary wives, and more than a dozen concubines, almost thirty in total. You're nothing compared to him."

Lin Chen choked.

Zhao Mingyue continued to deliver the finishing blow:

"Moreover, you are already at the Celestial Realm level, not to mention in the future. Your lifespan will definitely be much longer than that of ordinary people. Even if it is several times longer, it doesn't matter."

"Do the math. If you live for several hundred years and collect one a year, you'll collect several hundred..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Lin Chen quickly interrupted her, "What do you make me look like now that you've said that?"

Zhao Mingyue blinked, looking completely innocent: "What do you mean, what do you mean?"

Lin Chen gritted his teeth: "You know perfectly well."

Zhao Mingyue suppressed a laugh, buried her head in Lin Chen's arms, and her shoulders trembled.

Lin Chen looked down at her: "What are you laughing at?"

"I wasn't laughing." Zhao Mingyue raised her head, her face serious.

"I just wonder, when did my husband become so self-aware?"

Lin Chen: "..."

Zhao Mingyue stretched out her slender finger and poked Lin Chen's chest.

"Why didn't you think about this when you were recruiting people? Now that you've finished, you're starting to reflect?"

Lin Chen grabbed her hand: "That wasn't... just a moment of impulse."

"Impulsive?" Zhao Mingyue raised an eyebrow. "One impulsive act and you've taken six people at once. If you keep acting impulsively like this, even a centurion wouldn't be able to stop you."

Lin Chen blushed.

Seeing Lin Chen's embarrassed state, Zhao Mingyue finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, laughing so hard she was shaking.

Enraged, Lin Chen flipped over and pinned her down.

"Well, you've learned to tease me now, huh?"

Zhao Mingyue wasn't afraid at all. She looked up at him, her eyes full of smiles.

"What, you resort to violence when you can't win an argument?"

"So what if I hit you?" Lin Chen said viciously. "I think you weren't taught a lesson enough last night, so I'm going to teach you a lesson tonight."

Zhao Mingyue giggled, put her arm around Lin Chen's neck, and gave him a provocative look:

"Come on, you think you're scared of me?"

He leaned close to Lin Chen's ear, gently blew a breath, and lowered his voice:

"My stallion husband."

Lin Chen nearly choked to death.

"Fuck you!"

Then he pounced on her.

……

the next day.

When Lin Chen woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

The room around her was empty; Zhao Mingyue didn't know when she had gotten up.

There was a note on the bedside table, with neat handwriting:

"I'm going to talk to Ruyan and the others. Eat your breakfast by yourself. There's soup simmering in the kitchen, remember to drink it. —Yue"

Lin Chen crumpled the note into a ball, sat up, and rubbed his lower back.

hiss--

acid.

So sour.

As he rubbed the soil, he cursed under his breath: "Damn it, the ancients were right. There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not fields that are ruined by plowing."

I got up, washed up, and practiced the Dragon Tiger Guiding Exercise for a while to get rid of the soreness.

Lin Chen went to the dining room for breakfast.

After finishing my meal, I headed to my study to handle some official business.

Halfway there, I saw a few girls strolling around in the garden.

They were talking as they walked, and they seemed to be having a good time.

Upon seeing Lin Chen approach, the group quickly stopped and bowed.

Lin Chen waved his hand: "You guys go about your business, don't worry about me, I'm not the dean of students."

The group looked at each other, wondering what a "dean of students" was.

But I roughly understood that it meant there was no need to stand on ceremony, so I continued walking.

After taking a few steps, Ling'er suddenly turned around:

"Your Highness!"

Lin Chen stopped: "Hmm?"

Ling'er trotted over, looked up at Lin Chen, her eyes sparkling.

"Um... Sister Yao Yao said she's having a small get-together with a few of my friends this afternoon. Will Your Highness come?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, "We'll see. I'll go when I have time."

Ling'er's eyes lit up even more: "Okay! Then I'll tell Sister Yao Yao!"

She turned and ran, but after a couple of steps she turned back and waved.

"Your Highness, you absolutely must come!"

Lin Chen was both amused and exasperated: "I understand."

The girls walked away laughing, chattering like a flock of sparrows.

Lin Chen stood there, watching their backs.

The sunlight shone on them, their skirts fluttering, and they looked quite pretty.

He suddenly remembered what Chu Yueyao had said last night:

"Either accept it, or release it."

Tsk.

That's easy for you to say.

It's easy to take in, but hard to let go.

Lin Chen shook his head and continued walking towards the study.

After taking a few steps, he looked back again.

Ling'er was talking to Qing'er, laughing so hard she was doubled over.

Lin Chen's lips curled up slightly.

Forget it, let's take a step by step.

Anyway—I can afford to raise them.

As for kidneys?

Then Hua Tuo will have to suffer.