“‘Approved?’ The Dragon Prince is still a man of few words, huh!?” Xuan Ji looked at the single word on the falling paper and sighed. She arched her brows, her face a mix of surprise and pleasure.
When Ye Zichen saw that “Approved,” his heart shook.
Lady Providence had really done it. That was the Eastern Divine Mountain’s Bi’ian, yet he’d actually agreed to this wedding. Although he hadn’t come in person, that single word represented his intentions.
However, the single character on that falling sheet of paper was a little too ‘standard.’ It was hard to imagine that the Great Emperor Bi’an, who looked down on all of creation, had such neat, elegant handwriting.
At the same time, Ye Zichen glanced at Liu Qing, his expression complex.
She sensed his gaze, but in a show of obvious direction, she didn’t so much as look at him. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the golden paper in Xuan Ji’s hands.
“Is there any need to hate me this much?” If she were a stranger, Ye Zichen wouldn’t have anything to say. But they’d been so close to each other before. He knew she’d lost her memories, including all her memories of him.
But the amnesiac Liu Qing seemed like an entirely different person from the girl he’d once known.
If he said she was once as warm and fiery as the sun, she was now as cold as an icy wind.
“Take a look for yourself, my dear niece-in-law.” Xuan Ji chuckled and used her divine power to send the paper directly towards Liu Qing. “Your Majesty agreed to this arranged marriage.”
Liu Qing knit her brows and accepted the paper. When she saw the giant “Approved” character up close, the concern in her brows grew even more intense.
Was Bi’an intimidated by Xuan Ji’s position? Did he have no choice but to agree?
As soon as the thought popped into Liu Qing’s head, she rejected it!
Xuan Ji was indeed powerful and influential, but her position meant nothing to Bi’an.
Bi’an paid even the God Emperor himself little heed, nevermind his subordinate, the head of the Profound Pavillion. There was no way he’d agreed to this arranged marriage for fear of Xuan Ji’s rank.
Also, as his Seventeenth Highness, Bi’an adored and doted on her.
There were countless scions of wealthy and influential family clans interested in marriage alliances with her. Even the prince of the Great Void Palace and the palace head had come in person to request marriage, but Bi’an had rejected them all.
Clearly, Bi’an disdained the thought of an arranged marriage for her.
As a HIghness of the Four Directions Palace, and moreover, as the one Bi’an doted upon the most, Liu Qing naturally recognized his handwriting.
He wrote like dragons and phoenixes danced. In his writing, you could see that he stood eye to eye with heaven, and wasn’t bound by the laws of heaven and earth.
Yet this particular character was too rigid, that is, too standard. Although that golden paper truly did originate from the Four Directions Palace, and the seal in its corner really was from His Majesty Bi’an, the character itself didn’t look like his work.
“His Majesty has yet to make an appearance. Who knows if that character is real or just a forgery.” Liu Qing knit her brows.
“You dare accuse a ruler of forging documents? Little girl, you’ve sure got guts.” Xuan Ji smiled, it didn’t reach her eyes. “But that’s fine too. Who forced me to take a fancy to you? Also, my nephew truly is fond of you….”
“Lady Providence!” Ye Zichen shouted frantically.
“Pipe down. I’m arranging a marriage for you, so why are you making trouble?” Xuan Ji’s transmission exploded in Ye Zichen’s sea of consciousness, but outwardly, her expression didn’t change in the slightest.
She turned to Liu Qing and said, “I’ll let your poor manners slide. As for whether the document is real or not, go back and ask His Majesty. Then everything will become clear.”
“That’s only natural. Once this junior returns, I’ll request an audience with His Majesty and get to the bottom of this,” said Liu Qing, not backing down in the slightest. She bowed deeply to Xuan Ji and said, “If Senior has nothing else to discuss with me, I’ll take my leave. The Battle of Geniuses starts in just a few days, and I still have a lot to prepare.”
“Girl, before you leave, give my nephew your contact information. Nevermind whether that character was real or fake; either way, leaving your contact information won’t hurt you. Furthermore, if it is real, then by refusing to leave your contact information, you’ll be disobeying His Majesty’s orders.”
Liu Qing bit her lips, her face wracked with hesitation.
Xuan Ji used her divine power to push Ye Zichen right up to her. After a moment’s hesitation, Liu Qing did as she was told and gave Ye Zichen her contact information.
“Silly boy. You always need your auntie to take care of things for you! I, the head of the Profound Pavillion, am just too pitiful. I run myself ragged trying to divine the movements of the yao and demons, and now I even have to take care of my juniors’ wedding arrangements!”
When she saw that Liu Qing and Ye Zichen had already exchanged contact information, Xuan Ji couldn’t help but sigh, but if you looked closely, it was clear she was pleased with herself. “I helped my best friend find herself a good daughter-in-law. She’d better thank me properly! The only thing that still gets to me is my Xia Liuli. What to do about her?”
Now that they’d exchanged info, Liu Qing led her people away.
Although outwardly, Ye Zichen still objected to Xuan Ji’s interference, his body was honest; after getting Liu Qing’s contact information, his face blossomed into a smile.
“What are you smiling like a moron for?” Xuan Ji walked right up to him, interrupting his reverie.
Ye Zichen hurriedly greeted her. “Lady Providence, I know I troubled you.
Wham!
She smacked him upside the head and said exasperatedly, “So, you do understand how much trouble you caused. Mustache here said he brought you right to my door, so why didn’t you go inside? You forced me to go looking for you. I even gathered up all my subordinates in the capital just in case.”
In the face of Xuan Ji’s rebuke, Ye Zichen lowered his head. He didn’t know what to say for himself.
Xuan Ji’s anger faded, and she smiled broadly. “You got her contact information?”
Ye Zichen nodded.
“Glad to hear it. You must have heard it too, right? That girl is participating in the Battle of Geniuses, so you’d best participate too. That way, you’ll have lots of chances to see her. I’ve already done all I can to help you. As for the final result, well, how things go is all up to you.” She patted Ye Zichen on the shoulder and encouraged him. In truth, Xuan Ji hadn’t done this on impulse. Rather, just now, she’d divined their fates, and saw that their futures were tangled up and intertwined.
She’d gone with the flow and pushed them closer together. The way she thought it, this would save Ye Zichen and Liu Qing a lot of aggravation in the long run.
But Ye Zichen could tell that something was amiss. Why had Xuan Ji deliberately emphasized the word “how things go is up to you?”
If Great Emperor Bi’an agreed to this marriage alliance, then his relationship with Liu Qing was essentially settled.
So why say “How things go is up to you?”
Ye Zichen suddenly recalled the standard, elegant character on the golden paper. Even he’d wondered if it was authentic or not.
“Did you actually forge that ‘Approved’ character just now?” asked Ye Zichen in alarm.
“Kid, what on earth are you thinking? I’m a glorious and distinguished ruler, the head of the Profound Pavillion. I stand at the pinnacle of the nine Divine Mountains. How could I possibly resort to forgery? Wouldn’t that just be throwing my reputation away? Besides, you saw the seal on that golden paper too. If it didn’t come from Bi’an, how could that seal have appeared?”
“But Bi’an really didn’t write that character himself.” Xuan Ji laughed and looked up into the sky. Farsighted wisdom flashed through her eyes. “Most likely, he’s just like me; he couldn’t divine everything. He must not be sure of quite what to do either.”
