I'm competing with the male lead for a woman[GL]

Chapter 40: You're risking your life.

Prince's Mansion.

The fourth prince stood by the table, looking at the Ziwei flower on the paper.

This was the third painting he had done recently. The outlines were all drawn with meticulous brushwork, but it was only a draft and had not been completed.

He had always liked Ziwei flowers.

However, every time he saw this flower, he would think of events from many years ago.

At that time, the fourth prince had just turned twelve and was playing in the imperial garden with a eunuch accompanying him.

He saw the clusters of Ziwei flowers on the branches, blooming beautifully, and wanted to pick them while riding on the eunuch's shoulders.

Who knew that before he could pick the flowers, an extremely cold voice rebuked him, "Get down."

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince knew who the person scolding him was.

He climbed down from the eunuch's shoulders and looked at the face that was more beautiful than the Ziwei flowers, and said meekly, "Greetings, third brother."

While he greeted him with his mouth, he hated the other person in his heart, itching to get revenge.

He was naive at that time and had unintentionally offended Xiao Jin with his words. This person always sought revenge and found ways to teach him a lesson afterwards.

Prince Xiao Jin looked at the Ziwei tree and then at the Fourth Prince, "Who taught you that you should pick the flowers when they bloom?"

The Fourth Prince retorted, "If we don't pick the flowers when they're in full bloom, should we wait until they wither before we do?"

The Third Prince snorted, "Whether they bloom or wither has nothing to do with you. Everything in the palace belongs to the Emperor. If anyone else picks flowers from the Imperial Garden, it would be a grave offense."

"Even if the Emperor breaks the law, he would still be punished like a commoner. Do you think being a prince makes you superior? Your father would punish you just the same."

The Fourth Prince remembered that when he was a child playing in the Imperial Garden, he had clearly seen the Crown Prince also pick flowers from there.

So he stubbornly said, "The Crown Prince also picked flowers here. You were there too! Why don't you bring it up?"

The Third Prince was taken aback, squinted her eyes, and surprisingly laughed.

"Never mind that the Crown Prince only picked a mint plant that was meant to be cleared as a weed. Moreover, what if he did pick them? You know he is the Crown Prince and the current heir, while you... what are you?"

...

"What are you?"

Xiao Jin said this to the Fourth Prince twice.

He was clearly the son of Qi Emperor and Mu Concubine, while Xiao Jin's mother was of low birth and far less noble than the Mu clan.

However, relying on the protection of Princess Zhao Yang, she always suppressed him since childhood, always nitpicking and finding fault with him.

Although the Fourth Prince knew that Princess Zhao Yang was powerful and that Emperor Qi would never pass the throne to Xiao Jin, he still found her extremely hateful. Knowing that she had no chance at the throne, Xiao Jin had sided with the Crown Prince and found ways to obstruct him.

The rice paper was blown up by the wind.

The Fourth Prince looked at the lightly folded Ziwei flower and felt that Xiao Jin was truly despicable, extremely despicable.