Chapter 586: Chapter 341, The Parting Flute and Xiao
Gu Hang’s previous statement, though a sign of great respect for Yelisia by leaving the choice to her, felt somewhat perfunctory due to their differing statuses.
But the following one truly struck a chord with what Yelisia yearned for in her heart.
Was she someone contented with the status quo? Was she someone satisfied with just being a representative of her family, becoming Gu Hang’s wife, a symbol of the union between two families?
No, she wasn’t.
Although Fufana hadn’t explicitly stated it, his previous comment about ‘placing oneself amidst the starry ocean to establish Fufana’s prestige’ had clearly laid out the old man’s perspective.
And then, Gu Hang precisely articulated her thoughts—it was indeed her heart’s desire.
The man she trusted most in her past life, and theoretically, the man she should trust the most in her future, had both said the same.
What more was there to hesitate about?
Yelisia smiled at Gu Hang and asked, “So, I’m to leave right after our engagement, without knowing how long it’ll be until the war ends. Will you wait for me all this time?”
“Of course, my lady, I will await the news of your victorious return.”
“After the war is over, we will get married.”
Gu Hang felt there was something odd about this statement, but he didn’t dwell on whether it was auspicious or not.
He tentatively stretched out his hand and embraced Yelisia.
The female general’s body stiffened, unaccustomed and almost instinctively wanting to pull away.
But she didn’t.
Following that, neither of them spoke.
Feeling each other’s body warmth, they both relaxed significantly.
In fact, they both understood a truth: they had little emotional foundation to speak of, and precisely for that reason, they should make the most of the little time they had to foster such emotions.
It was a thought born of rationality.
But soon enough, all that rationality turned into sentiment.
…
The engagement ceremony uniting the Gu Clan and Fufana, even on the flourishing planet of Flying Wing Star, was a rare grand occasion.
The grand, luxurious setup was secondary; more important were the attendees and the political implications of the event.
There were two groups of people to mention.
The foremost group included many of a neutral stance. In addition to representatives from the Empire Commerce Guild and the Imperial Navy, there were also members of the national religion, the Psychic Cultivator’s Association, and various other major merchants and capitalists… These people attended this engagement ceremony.
They all shared two characteristics:
First, each had their own political or tangible strength but was not too powerful within the Star Sector.
Second, they all wished to avoid getting involved in the ongoing struggle between the Fatches Family and the Star Sector Government dominating the Tianma Star Sector.
Now, the union between the Gu Clan and Fufana suddenly stood as a banner, rallying these neutral forces together.
Thus, the neutral parties, originally not weak but quite scattered, formed an alliance that was not very tight-knit but at least shared a common goal, uniting around the Gu Clan and Fufana.
This, in turn, brought about the second wave of attendees.
The Fatches Family sent representatives, and especially Korolya Governor Ivan Fatches, a rising star of the Fatches Family, flew in personally from Korolya.
Meanwhile, Star Sector head Ivan Martinelli, as well as Flying Wing Star Governor Pei Desi, were also in attendance.
These core figures from both opposing sides were all present.
For outsiders, this demonstrated great respect to both families and to the engaged couple, Gu Hang and Yelisia. Even those with dire conflicts could temporarily set aside their differences and share a room for the engagement ceremony.
In reality, however, they felt somewhat compelled.
The previously overlooked neutral forces, now gathered together by the engagement ceremony, could no longer be ignored. They could not afford such a significant group leaning toward the other side, which would directly upset the balance of opposition.
The neutral groups had a clear demand: You may continue your power struggle, as we cannot interfere anyway. But even so, there must be rules, fight within the limits, and do not go overboard. The chaotic and limit-free political strife that Tianma Star Sector had experienced over the past two years must end. The situation in Korolya, not showing any improvement and progressively worsening, had to be reversed.
Without a doubt, Ms. Nell Raouise, the Chief Tax Officer attending Gu Hang and Yelisia’s engagement ceremony as the representative of the Star Domain Government, also stood with the neutral parties, posing the same demands to both sides of the political conflict.
This forced both reluctant parties to sit at the same table and seriously discuss the matter.
This was essentially an arrangement made by Wang Qi and Fufana, who deeply cared for the larger picture of the Star Sector, leveraging the engagement of two young people.
And as the main characters of the engagement ceremony, the two of them had little interest in participating in the underlying matters.
Not that they lacked the capacity to influence. Both had significant standing within their respective groups. It could even be said that the next generation of Fufana was to be managed by Yelisia, and the same went for the Gu Commercial Firm. They didn’t need to wait for later; their words already carried immense weight now, especially for Gu Hang.