The study was dead silent.
Whether it was the powerful emperor, the prince, or the princess, they were all quiet, and even the servants dared not make a sound.
Nobody could perceive His Majesty the Emperor’s thoughts, not even Wu Hanfeng and his younger sister.
Wu Kangzhe slowly closed his eyes as if he was thinking about something, whereas Ou Yangming looked down but was calm. The young fellow had made his appeal, but he was not fully confident that the imperial family would understand and approve the motion.
The emperor opened his eyes after a brief moment and asked, “What are you going to do if I don’t agree to it?”
Ou Yangming answered seriously after some thought, “I can only do my best, so I’ll at least try to promote the pieces of affordable Good Grade equipment in Changlong County.”
Wu Hanfeng and his younger sister had a strange look on their faces. Being the imperial family’s disciples, they were naturally much more sensitive in this aspect, so they were alert after they heard Ou Yangming’s response.
Wu Kangzhe sighed and questioned, “Ou Yangming, you have a great idea, but did you consider the consequences of a weak master but strong subjects?”
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he replied to the emperor after a moment of hesitation, “Your Majesty. Based on the imperial family’s power, there shouldn’t be a problem for you to suppress the people, right?” “It’s obviously fine now, but when the crisis for the Humans arrives and the imperial family suffers a huge loss, everything will be unknown.” Wu Kangzhe could not help but laugh.
The young fellow’s face changed as he was immediately reminded of the powerful and fearsome elder. The elder was probably the imperial family’s greatest trump card, and he was likely the person whom Ou Yangming would like to invite to Changlong County.
If a powerhouse like that fell because of the Humans’ disaster…
Ou Yangming quickly cast aside the thought and dared not think further.
Wu Kangzhe grinned when he saw Ou Yangming changing expressions, then he noted, “Fine. Since you came up with a way to upgrade pieces of economical equipment, I’ll be ignorant toward the people if I neglect the matter. Leave the upgrade methods here, and I’ll make the necessary arrangements for production.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Ou Yangming’s eyes glowed, but he secretly found it weird. ‘Why did His Majesty suddenly change his mind?’
“But I’d like you to guarantee that the method won’t be spread to other people and once the disaster ends, the pieces of equipment will be kept in the imperial family’s depot and will be used by the garrison in the capital,” Wu Kangzhe added.
Ou Yangming looked up in shock at Wu Kangzhe’s bright eyes, but he did not argue. “Yes, as you wish, Your Majesty.”
He smiled bitterly and thought, ‘This so-called political game isn’t for me.
‘But I’ll be content as long as he promises to let the military use the pieces of equipment during the crisis.
‘As for the arrangements after the fight, it’ll be a game between the imperial family and the other aristocratic families. I’m not interested in getting involved at all.’
Wu Kangzhe nodded then waved his hand all of a sudden.
With that, Wu Hanfeng, his younger sister, and the other people stood up and bowed at the emperor, then they left.
Ou Yangming was slightly surprised. Just as he was hesitating if he should leave as well, the emperor called out to him, “Subject Ou, sit.”
The young fellow twitched his mouth and was not delighted but worried.
He was anxious because His Majesty the Emperor addressed him with a different term. Seeing as Ou Yangming was looking uneasy, Wu Kangzhe assured him with a smile. “Subject Ou, you don’t need to worry; I asked them to leave because I have something to ask you.”
“Your Majesty, please go ahead,” Ou Yangming said.
“I heard from the Elder of the Chen family that you smithed magic tools in Changlong County?” Wu Kangzhe had hollow and unpredictable eyes, which were like bottomless vortexes.
Ou Yangming said to himself, ‘Sure enough, the news couldn’t be hidden any longer.’
If he was unknown to the public and not reputable in the capital, nobody would look into his background.
Nevertheless, while an Advanced Blacksmith could not catch His Majesty’s attention, a person who could help powerhouses at the peak of Yang Grade turn into a Supreme Great Ancestor could.
It would not be difficult for the emperor to check Ou Yangming’s background in a short period.
In fact, perhaps the emperor was not the only one who knew about this given that the Myriad Treasure Meet lasted for 10 days.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath and looked up as he answered, “That’s right.”
“Magic tools…” Wu Kangzhe sighed and asked, “I heard you smithed the magic tools on your own, am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Ah.” Wu Kangzhe looked at Ou Yangming meaningfully and commented, “The Humans are truly blessed to have you, Subject Ou!”
Ou Yangming forced a laugh and became warier.
Wu Kangzhe raised a question after some thought, “Subject Ou, what do you think of Hanning?” “Her Royal Highness?” Ou Yangming was startled and had an odd look on his face.
Whenever he heard the princess’s name, he somehow could not forget the green and flowery clothes.
“Yes, Hanning.” Wu Kangzhe smiled gently and continued, “You might not have seen her face, but I assure you that she’s in no way worse looking than Bai Shixue.”
Ou Yangming instantly thought about the lady who had the Body of Charm. It was worth noting that Bai Shixue’s twinkle and smile were naturally charming, causing everyone to be enchanted by her.
In terms of appearance only, Ni Yinghong was not inferior to Bai Shixue at all, but if the two ladies were to stand next to each other, the men would definitely be attracted to Bai Shixue first.
However, the emperor was incredibly confident when he spoke of the princess.
It seemed like he truly believed that he was right.
‘Is she really better looking than Bai Shixue?’ Ou Yangming wondered.
He pondered and answered insincerely, “Her Royal Highness is as aloof as a plum flower, and I admire her very much.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Wu Kangzhe laughed out loud and smiled with his eyes squinted. “I’ll pick an auspicious date and let you tie the knot with Hanning.”
“Ah…” Ou Yangming widened his eyes. He looked at His Majesty dumbfoundedly and almost suspected he heard the emperor wrongly.
“Why? Are you unhappy?” Wu Kangzhe asked while he narrowed his eyes.
Ou Yangming sensed an indescribable pressure being released from the emperor, and it was so powerful that the air inside the room seemed to have frozen at this moment.
The young fellow broke out in a cold sweat and had countless thoughts cross his mind in a flash.
In actual fact, Ou Yangming knew before he entered the palace that the imperial family would offer him generous conditions to rope him in while they suppressed him. Even if they did not tie him to the imperial family—a leviathan—they would reward him with great benefits.
That said, Ou Yangming did not expect the emperor to honor him with such a huge yet tricky benefit.
He had only seen Wu Hanning several times, but he could sense that the masked lady was out of the ordinary. Besides, the princess was a favored daughter in the imperial family, and she stood out among her peers whether it was in her cultivation base or her prestige.
Ou Yangming also knew that the lady’s mental power was so mighty that she was only slightly beneath him.
A great lady like her would surely be pursued by countless people in the capital. In fact, Ou Yangming was sometimes moved as well even though he had not seen her face.
It was not a matter of character but human nature. After all, a beautiful lady was a gentleman’s desire.
Despite that, Ou Yangming never wanted to have anything to do with the princess.
As the chillness around him became more intense, he finally gritted his teeth and bowed to the ground. “Your Majesty, I dare not.”
“Oh, why not?” Wu Kangzhe asked coldly.
Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation, “I’ve pledged to marry Young Lady Ni Yinghong.” Wu Kangzhe furrowed his eyebrows and questioned, “The Ni family from Changlong County?”
“That’s right. Your Majesty, please forgive me,” Ou Yangming quickly responded.
“Do you know what will happen if you reject me?” Wu Kangzhe scoffed.
“Your Majesty, you’re a brilliant man, and I’m sure you’ll understand my hardship.” Ou Yangming’s eyes wandered about, and he added after a short pause, “Once I return to Changlong County’s prefecture, I’ll certainly ask the Ni family to provide some peculiar stones, and I’ll smith magic tools for Your Majesty and… Her Royal Highness.”
Wu Kangzhe was moved. He harbored killing intent when Ou Yangming rejected him, but as the emperor, he knew the consequences if he were to kill the young fellow.
Perhaps this was the biggest reason Ou Yangming had the guts to reject him.
“Fine. I don’t want to be an evil person, so let’s put this aside for now,” Wu Kangzhe said after a long time, then he continued after a short while, “You made a huge contribution for the Humans by producing 26 great ancestors, which will be extremely helpful in the upcoming disaster. How would you like to be rewarded?”
Struck with an idea, Ou Yangming expressed, “I’d like to enter the secret realm once more.”
“Oh, why?” Wu Kangzhe narrowed his eyes again.
“Because the space there seems quite bizarre, and I’d like to explore it,” Ou Yangming answered at once.
Wu Kangzhe looked deeply at the young fellow and stood up. “Wait here.”
He flapped his sleeves and left.
Ou Yangming was struck dumb. ‘What does that mean? Did he agree or disagree?’
Nonetheless, he would not be daring enough to leave without permission.
Someone pushed the door open after half an hour, and a graceful figure entered the study. Ou Yangming’s face changed because he did not know how he should react.
