"No... I wouldn't dare!"
The guard broke into a cold sweat and immediately bowed low.
But inside, he was wailing — Why must we, the messengers, be made the scapegoats?
"If that's the case, then why are you barking like a dog?"
'Xue Qinghe' snorted coldly, continuing to lead Li Yu toward the sleeping quarters of the Emperor Xue Ye.
———
Inside the imperial residence, the Emperor Xue Ye sat behind his desk, already changed out of his imperial robes into simpler, more casual garments.
"Greetings, Royal Father!"
'Xue Qinghe' pulled Li Yu along to bow in respect.
The Emperor Xue Ye didn't immediately respond.
Even so, neither 'Xue Qinghe' nor Li Yu kept their heads lowered for long. In fact, the former simply pulled Li Yu down to sit on the two cushions laid out opposite the Emperor's desk — with zero concern for formalities.
How impolite.
"Heh."
Li Yu had assumed the Emperor Xue Ye would be furious. After all, 'Xue Qinghe' was blatantly ignoring royal decorum.
A ruler's majesty isn't something to be casually violated.
But the Emperor Xue Ye only chuckled, giving 'Xue Qinghe' a chiding glare.
Then he said, "Just earlier, I was wondering if you'd still go through the act of formalities when visiting me here. I thought perhaps you no longer saw me as your father."
He paused, then smiled again. "Turns out I was overthinking it. You're just going through the motions, as usual!"
The Emperor shook his head, clearly exasperated.
Li Yu, meanwhile, was puzzled.
This... didn't look like a strained, suspicious father-son relationship at all.
Not only did the Emperor Xue Ye let 'Xue Qinghe' refer to himself informally as I, but he wasn't showing any anger toward such blatant informality either.
It was truly odd.
But he understood — This must be a facade.
A chill ran through Li Yu heart.
In imperial families, everyone's a master actor. You can never judge by appearances.
"If Royal Father has something to say, feel free to speak. Your son will certainly help resolve any worries you have."
Rather than responding to the previous statement, 'Xue Qinghe' adopted the role of a devoted son, eager to ease the emperor's burdens.
The Emperor Xue Ye fell silent.
Then his tone cooled, "You're truly determined?"
"Heh. Royal Father is mistaken — it's not that your son insists on this path, but that you insist I walk it."
'Xue Qinghe' remained calm.
The Emperor was silent again.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "If this succeeds, what then?"
'Xue Qinghe' took a moment to ponder before answering:
"Your son is no longer young — it's time to start a family, and to build a career!"
As the words fell, a trace of warmth seemed to settle over the chilly chamber, but silence still lingered.
Li Yu remained quiet the entire time.
When it came to imperial schemes, he admitted he wasn't on the same level as the Emperor Xue Ye or 'Xue Qinghe', so he didn't bother trying to analyze it.
Still...
Their conversation felt like two people talking on completely different frequencies.
"Heh, very well!"
At that moment, the Emperor Xue Ye laughed. Finally, his gaze turned toward Li Yu, his expression filled with admiration:
"The Crown Princess's talent truly exceeded my expectations."
"And only such talent is worthy of Qinghe."
"Since Qinghe has made up his mind, no matter what happens — after the Soul Master Tournament ends, you two will get married!"
He paused, his tone growing more solemn:
"However, I still must ask Miss Li Yu one thing..."
"Are you willing to become Qinghe's wife?"
As the words landed, 'Xue Qinghe' also turned his gaze to Li Yu.
Li Yu was momentarily stunned, caught off guard by how the situation had developed.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, 'Xue Qinghe' reached over and gently held his hand.
Li Yu returned to his senses and, without hesitation, replied:
"Of course I am."
The Emperor Xue Ye stared at their interlocked fingers, his eyes seeming to mist over for a brief instant.
"Good, good, good!"
Three consecutive declarations of joy followed.
Then he said, "In that case, I offer my early congratulations to Miss Li Yu. May you lead Qianyu Academy to a brilliant result — and once the tournament concludes, I shall personally host the grandest wedding in all of Heaven Dou Empire!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
'Xue Qinghe' and Li Yu exchanged a glance — the former's eyes filled with joy, the latter's with some lingering confusion.
Still, Li Yu didn't dwell on it.
Since 'Xue Qinghe' had everything under control, he would simply go along with her plan. After all, with his current strength, no one could force him to do anything.
And even if things truly turned bad, he had more than enough means to escape.
As for the wedding...
That was something both he and 'Xue Qinghe' — Qian Renxue — had long looked forward to.
After some additional pleasantries, 'Xue Qinghe' took Li Yu hand and stood.
"Royal Father, in that case, your son will now escort Yu'er back to rest."
"Go."
"Take care, Father. I take my leave!"
With that, 'Xue Qinghe' led Li Yu away.
The Emperor Xue Ye didn't speak again.
It wasn't until the palace doors were almost fully shut that Li Yu vaguely heard the emperor mutter:
"...The national treasure, in the end, must still..."
The national treasure?
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud?
Must still what...?
Li Yu was puzzled, but of course couldn't just barge back in, grab the emperor by his collar and demand: "Old man, what did you just say?"
So he let it go, and followed 'Xue Qinghe' back to the Eastern Palace.
———
At Qianyu Academy.
"No wonder they're the Crown Prince and Crown Princess — so generous!"
In the office, Cai Xu was smiling from ear to ear.
The rewards for advancing in the tournament had just been delivered:
Ten thousand gold soul coins!
Normally, other academies would split rewards like this — 50% to the academy, 10% to substitutes, and 40% to the main team members.
But this reward had been handed directly to Li Yu.
He could have kept all of it if he wanted.
Yet...
Li Yu not only handed over the reward, but took none for himself.
He even had the guard delivering the bonus and tournament token relay a message:
"Distribute it however you see fit."
It wasn't stated outright, but the meaning was clear:
I, Li Yu, don't want or need this money. Spend it however you like.
Naturally, this gave Cai Xu a deep sense of having finally found a wise and worthy patron.
Still, he had no intention of embezzling — he sincerely wanted to use the money to improve Qianyu Academy's infrastructure and student development.
But then again...
He was merely the acting principal.
Back then, because they couldn't reveal anything, they hadn't done much in terms of improving the academy.
But now that everything was out in the open, would he even need to worry about academy construction anymore?
With the Crown Prince backing them, things like gold soul coins were hardly a concern!
"Headmaster, someone's making trouble at the academy gate!"
Just then, a student rushed in with a report.
"Hmm?"
Cai Xu raised an eyebrow, surprised.
By now, everyone knew the Crown Prince stood behind Qianyu Academy — who would still dare stir up trouble?
Did they have a death wish?
"Who is it? How many?"
Cai Xu decided to get the details before dealing with it — after all, he had to protect the Crown Prince's interests.
"Just one."
"How brave!"
Cai Xu slammed the table and stood.
He paused, then asked:
"What's his name and strength?"
"...Tang San."