Men, Such Suffering

Alexander Hayes entered the palace, dark circles under his eyes. Emperor Leonard the Enlightened took one look and teased, "Prince Alexander, what's happened to you? Looks like you didn't sleep well!"

Alexander Hayes shot Emperor Leonard a glance and said, "Just some family troubles."

"Prince Alexander, didn't you just welcome a young heir? You should be happy! Why do you look so troubled?" Emperor Leonard looked nosy and gossipy.

Alexander Hayes sighed. Family matters weren't something he could explain to Emperor Leonard. He couldn't just say that Su Li was too anxious about their son, that he'd told her not to exhaust herself, and then the two of them ended up arguing.

Alexander Hayes hung his head and stayed silent. Emperor Leonard was left completely puzzled. Remembering the rumors swirling in the capital, he shook his head and mused, "Prince Alexander, don't tell me you're troubled by those rumors?"

Alexander Hayes didn't want to mention his family's issues, so he could only nod, letting Emperor Leonard think he was upset about the rumors.

Speaking of rumors, Emperor Leonard could only sigh. "Most people are ignorant, that's why these rumors spread everywhere. Sigh. Now I finally understand what 'idle gossip' means—even the power of the Prince of Qin's Manor can't stop it!"

"Guarding against gossip is harder than guarding a river. The idle talk of the people can't be blocked by those in power," Alexander Hayes sighed. So many mouths—how could you block them all? The more you try, the more people whisper behind your back, and soon the rumors spiral out of control. There's just no end to it.

Alexander Hayes had tried every way to dispel the rumors, but nothing worked. Now, all he could do was wait for time to smooth things over, hoping everyone would gradually forget about it.

Besides, at this point, rumors were the least of his worries. The real priority was handling government affairs, and capturing Gregory Gu Jr. and Princess May.