Chapter 454: The Grand Princess
“Xiang’er, you don’t need to decide on what to do for our Bi clan just yet, let that wait for later.” Bi Yuntian spoke with concern. Despite her son being the Imperial Protector for the Qinhuang Kingdom, the enemies of the Bi clan were far from weak, and their identities today were still unclear. If the patriarch of the Bi clan was a Saint Ruler and still couldn’t resolve the matter, how would her own son be able to? At least for right now, it was impossible.
“Xiangtian, listen to your mother. You only need to remember our enemies, revenge can wait for later. We haven’t any idea on who the enemies are, perhaps our ancestors only knew a little about them as well.” Bi Dao spoke in a low whisper, but as he spoke of the past, there was a pained look on his face.
Bi Dao calmed himself down and continued, “Even though our Bi clan had four Heaven Saint Masters, they all fell. Even our Saint Ruler patriarch’s current status is unknown. Finding out whether he is alive or not is our highest priority.”
“But we still do not know where the patriarch is located if he is still alive.” Bi Yuntian spoke with concern.
“A Saint Ruler would not die easily. With Xiangtian’s talent, I believe that he will sooner or later cross over into the same realm. That will make looking for the patriarch easier.” Bi Dao looked to Jian Chen, “Xiangtian, I hope that you will be mindful and listen for news about our Bi clan’s patriarch.”
“En, I will!” Jian Chen nodded.
Jian Chen, his mother, and his uncle began to chat in the hall afterward before much time had passed. The three people there split paths and returned to their rooms to rest.
The night quickly went by. The next morning Jian Chen walked out with the tiger cub in his hands. After eating breakfast with everyone, he left the Changyang clan with Changyang Ba, Bi Yuntian, the king and his Black Armors. The five Imperial Advisors remained behind within the Changyang clan and were provided for with warm hospitality.
The reason Jian Chen had them stay within the clan compound was a selfish one. He wanted his clan to gain some prestige for having the Imperial Advisors with them.
After several hours of traveling, everyone finally arrived back at the imperial palace by night. The king brought Jian Chen and his parents to their own personal palace rooms where they rested in. While there, several maids attended to them before leaving in a hurry.
Not long after the king left, a young person over the age of twenty and an elder could be seen having a discussion with each other in a grand receiving room.
At this moment, a middle-aged man came rushing in before kneeling before the youth and elder, “A report for the second prince and prime minister Che. The king of the Gesun Kingdom has returned to the palace and brought with him three people of unusual status.”
Hearing this, the prime minister narrowed his eyes and asked, “Were you able to hear who these three people are?”
“Prime minister, this humble servant was able to hear it clearly. All three of them are from the Changyang clan. Within the Gesun Kingdom, they hold a decisive amount of power.” The man spoke.
A spark of light could be seen in the prime minister’s eyes as he spoke, “You may leave. Be sure to take note of every action they take.”
“Yes, prime minister!” The man quickly left the room.
The prime minister immersed himself in thought as he muttered, “The Changyang clan, so they are from that clan? I heard a few years back, the king of the Gesun Kingdom engaged his daughter to a person named Changyang Xiangtian, the fourth master of the Changyang clan. Yesterday, the king refused a marriage between our two kingdoms, and today, he brings the Changyang clan to the imperial palace. Haha, the meaning of this doesn’t even need to be said.”
The second prince had a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he slowly drank his cup of tea. With a neither calm or angry voice, he spoke, “This king doesn’t know how to tell bad from good. Our Heavenly Eagle Kingdom has already offered a union between our two kingdoms, but instead of cherishing such an opportunity, he has slighted us in public! Hmph!”
The prime minister spoke with a laugh, “Calm your anger, second prince. The marriage was something that his Majesty ordered me to complete. This old servant will surely arrange for it to happen. The relation between the Qinhuang and the Gesun Kingdom is definitely not as intimate as we initially thought, there is no need to worry!”
Hearing this, the second prince revealed a smile on his face, “Then I’ll be troubling the prime minister for your help!”
The prime minister’s hand stroked his beard as he looked at the second prince with a smile, “Has the second prince been tempted by the princess?”
The second prince nodded his head, “Her reputation precedes her. The princess truly is an excellent individual, not only is her talent at cultivation as strong as mine, she is also exceedingly beautiful. The air she carries about her is quite different than other women. Like a needle in the haystack, she is beautiful and elegant like a fairy released into the human world.”
The prime minister smirked. His elderly eyes watched how moved the second prince had become, because of the princess.
At the same time within a red silk laced room in the palace, a single black haired young lady could be seen sitting at her dressing table. Both of her arms were machine-like as she combed her own long hair. Her slender white fingers held the wooden comb and made the combing motions gracefully and naturally.
She wore a black and white cheongsam that added a sense of purity to her beauty. Her eyes gleamed with a dark look that seemed as if they were concealing an ability to captivate any man that looked at her.
“Yue’er, may your father enter?” The gentle voice of a man could be heard outside her door.
“Father, you may enter!” The seated lady spoke gently.
The door opened, revealing the king of the Gesun Kingdom who came striding into the room. When he saw his daughter combing her hair, he let a small sigh escape his lips, “Yue’er, your father understands your feelings, but your father is also the ruler of a kingdom, meaning there are situations where even I cannot move freely.”
“Father, your daughter understands. From the day I was born into royalty, your daughter lost the ability to live her own life.” The daughter’s expression had a downcast look to it.
“Yue’er, please do not be so sad, your father truly loves you. How could your father bear to let you feel anguish? Yue’er is far too oustanding, so there is only one man in your father’s mind that suits you. Yue’er, hurry and get dressed. We must go see your future husband, Changyang Xiangtian of the Changyang clan.”
“Changyang Xiangtian? Is it not the prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom?” The girl asked in confusion.
“The Heavenly Eagle Kingdom!” The king spoke with a low nagging voice and his eyes revealed a disdainful look. “How could the prince of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom suit my Yue’er? Yue’er, you may not know of this, but as things stands now, it is time to tell you.”
The king stopped speaking for a moment as he drew closer to Yue’er. He looked at the copper mirror that reflected the beauty that was his daughter. With a smile, he spoke, “Yue’er, when you were staying at Kargath Academy in the past, I believe you met Changyang Xiangtian. After a few years, Changyang Xiangtian is now a person of many achievements and has far exceeded the expectations your father had. Did you know? Changyang Xiangtian is 21 years old, but he has already become a Heaven Saint Master. Furthermore, he was able to defeat three of the Heaven Saint Masters of the Hua Yun Sect by himself.”
Yue’er’s eyes regained some semblance of vigor as her face betrayed a look of shock. She thought about how a 21 year old was a Heaven Saint Master.
Next, the king followed up on his own words, “That’s not all, Yue’er, do you know why the Imperial Advisors of the Qinhuang Kingdom came to the assistance of our Gesun Kingdom all of a sudden?”
At a loss, Yue’er shook her head.
“This was completely because of Changyang Xiangtian, for he is also the Imperial Protector of the Qinhuang Kingdom. Those five Imperial Advisors of the Qinhuang Kingdom obeyed Changyang Xiangtian’s command to help our Gesun Kingdom.” As he spoke, the king of the Gesun Kingdom couldn’t help but reveal some excitement in his voice as he himself grew excited.
This piece of information caused no small amount of shock to Yue’er. As she digested the words, Yue’er’s eyes began to widen as her cherry red lips dropped down to form an “O” shape in utter disbelief.
After a long moment, Yue’er finally regained her spirit and turned to look in shock at the king. Hiding her mouth behind her hands, she asked, “How… how is that possible? Father, are you deceiving your daughter?”
The king laughed, “Yue’er, do you think your father would play such a trick on you? Yue’er, it’s time for you to get dressed. In a moment, I will be meeting with Changyang Xiangtian. The Changyang clan right now is a clan that our Gesun Kingdom should remember to curry favor with. In the future, our kingdom will be relying on them.”
“Hahaha, I never would have thought that the Imperial Protector would unexpectedly be the fourth master of the Changyang clan, how shocking. This one is named Ye Ming, but if the Imperial Protector would be happy, please just call me by my name instead of my title.” Within the palace, a white robed figure laughed out loud and didn’t bother to hide the joyous look on his face. This elder was the Heaven Saint Master in charge of protecting the Gesun Kingdom, but he had once seen Jian Chen at the eastern stronghold during the war.
Jian Chen nodded his head with a smile on his face, but didn’t speak a word.
“Honored Imperial Protector, I’ve heard that you were once a student of Kargath Academy. The headmaster, Khafir is already on his way here after hearing the news. I believe that he’ll be here soon. Wait until he hears that the Imperial Protector was actually a past student of Kargath Academy, I wonder what expression he’ll have, hahahaha.” Ye Ming laughed.
“Haha, I predict that he will be far too stunned to say a word.”
After Ye Ming spoke, another voice came out from behind them abruptly. Turning around, the two could see the king himself and a beautifully dressed, all in white, Yue’er right behind him. Her eyes had a resplendent glow to them as she looked curiously at the three people from the Changyang clan before ultimately glancing upon Jian Chen’s face.
“My dear son-in-law, this is my daughter, the grand princess: You Yue. This name was personally picked out for her by her mother.” As they entered the room, the king introduced his daughter straight away, but when he mentioned You Yue’s mother, his face showed a glint of sadness.