Chapter 271: An Intense Shock!

The Eldest Prince’s eyes widened, “What… truth? Isn’t the truth that you’re madly in love with me, so much so that you’d risk your soul being obliterated just to stay by my side?”

Lian’er shook her head, “I’ll tell you the truth—I’m with you not for love, but for money.”

Eldest Prince: Huh??

“In my eyes, money is more reliable than men. So, being with Your Highness is merely a way for me to have you burn more paper money for me.”

“Just for that… paper money?”

“Not just a little, but a lot. You know well how much you’ve burned, right? It’s really a lot.” Lian’er sighed. When she first approached the Eldest Prince, she never expected him to be so obedient, folding and burning paper money every day. Now, she’s genuinely become a wealthy woman.

“Then what about everything that’s happened between us these past six months? We’ve been together…”

“It was all an illusion.”

The Eldest Prince’s face turned pale.

“I’m a ghost, and you’re human. How could a human and a ghost possibly be together? So, I created an illusion. In reality, nothing happened between us.”

With a loud crash, the Eldest Prince felt as if the sky was falling.

The woman he’d been with for six months suddenly tells him that all those intimate moments were nothing but illusions, a product of self-delusion—who could possibly endure that?

What an intense shock!

The Tyrant, Taoist Baiyun, the Seventh Prince, General Lin Xuanzhi, and others all looked at the Eldest Prince with a sense of pity in their eyes.

The Eldest Prince truly had it rough.

“Lian’er, what do you mean by telling me all this today?”

“I’ve already gotten what I wanted, so I can’t continue deceiving you, Your Highness.”

“Can you stay by my side? Even if… I have to burn paper money for you every day, I’m willing.”

Ah Bao, who was munching on melon seeds, widened his eyes, “Whoa!”

“A woman chooses a man for one of two reasons: love or money. I understand that. Since I have what you want, I have a reason to keep you. I don’t want you to leave me.”

[6666, Big Brother is really giving it his all with the love-struck brain today.]

[If Big Brother were to pick wild herbs, he’d probably pick different ones every day.]

The Tyrant was so angry he almost spat blood, “Di Xuanlang, are you trying to drive me mad? There are thousands of women in this world; why do you…”

The Eldest Prince spoke each word slowly, “But there is only one Lian’er.”

“She’s a ghost!”

“I like her, so it doesn’t matter what she is.”

“You’re hopeless! If you can’t deal with this, I can do it for you.”

[Father, no!]

Ah Bao was startled and quickly stood up, grabbing the Tyrant’s sleeve, “Father, don’t be rash.”

[Big Brother has this fated calamity in love. If he overcomes it, he will be reborn; if not, he will die in this tribulation. Sister Lian’er is his fated calamity; everything is destiny.]

[Moreover, though Sister Lian’er is a ghost now, she was once a pitiful person. She was the only daughter in a merchant family. Despite her cleverness, she was betrayed by a childhood friend and his mistress, causing her family’s downfall and the tragic death of her parents. She was sold to a brothel, but being a strong-willed person, she escaped, risking her life. On the run, she encountered her so-called ‘lover,’ who betrayed her and sent her back to the brothel. Realizing it was all a trap, she disfigured herself to avoid serving clients. The brothel, seeing her as a loss, sold her off, and she was beaten to death by two thieves in a ruined temple. As a wandering ghost, she stayed in Lingnan City, adopting many abandoned baby spirits. She wants money not for herself, but for those unclaimed spirits.]

[Sister Lian’er was also naive in love when she was alive. People change because experiences force them to grow. Sister Lian’er is now clear-headed because of the heartbreak she endured from that scumbag.]

The Tyrant’s gaze dimmed a bit. Lian’er, it seems, was a strong woman who secretly did many good deeds in Lingnan City.

In that moment, the Tyrant lost his desire to deal with Lian’er.

The Eldest Prince lowered his head, wiping away tears. Looking at the girl beside him, with her bold red lips and vibrant clothes, he truly felt pity for her.

It wasn’t her fault that she encountered the wrong person!

The hardships fate brought her never weighed her down. Even as a ghost, she remained kind at heart.

So what if she wanted some money? Was that really too much?

He didn’t think so at all!

Sometimes, people’s hearts are scarier than ghosts, aren’t they?

“Father, please be lenient with Lian’er. All of this was caused by me, and I am willing to bear all the consequences.”

The Tyrant sighed, “Fine, your matters are yours to handle! There’s an epidemic raging in Lingnan City; I don’t have time to deal with you.”

The Tyrant picked up Ah Bao and kissed her, “Ah Bao, was Daddy’s outburst just now scary?”

Ah Bao tilted her head, grinning as she patted her small chest, “I’m brave!”

Lian’er watched as the Tyrant carried Ah Bao out, her eyes flickering.

That child…

Looked so familiar, like the golden doll she once found.

But that golden doll was something she found before her death and left in the ruined temple in Lingnan City.

Maybe she was just overthinking it.

The Eldest Prince, still shaken, didn’t want to leave the mountain. He personally went to find the Tyrant, asking for some time to resolve his matters with Lian’er.

That night, the Eldest Prince and Lian’er sat together, drinking with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

One drink after another.

As they drank, the Eldest Prince became drunk, “Lian’er, really, you’re the first girl to move my heart! And the only one!”

Under the night sky, Lian’er looked up and waved her hand, “Eldest Prince, I owe you an apology. I initially approached you because I thought you were rich and gullible, easy to deceive. And it turned out, you really were easy to deceive. I shouldn’t have used you. I’m a bad woman, not worthy of you. You deserve better.”

The Eldest Prince shook his head drunkenly, “But I just want you, I only like you, I don’t want anyone else.”

“If you keep saying that, I really will get mad.”

“I’m just joking, just joking. From now on, let’s treat each other as brothers, okay?”

Lian’er smiled, “Sure, if you can accept that, it couldn’t be better.”

“Brother Lian, my heart is heavy,” the Eldest Prince said, his eyes reddening. He was heartbroken; he truly felt pain.

“Eldest Prince, there’s an epidemic in Lingnan City. You shouldn’t focus on me. You should be doing great things, fulfilling your responsibilities as a prince, and not letting the Emperor down. All this talk of love and romance is nonsense! If you have time for that, you might as well focus on your career.”