The Empress as betrothal gift
"Be gentle."
You hurt her.
Faint sounds of a man and woman flirting drifted over. The Crown Prince glanced at her furtively and, seeing Lin Yueyao's pale face, dared not make a sound.
Just as the Crown Prince was about to knock on the door and call for help, Lin Yueyao kicked the door open.
The man and woman inside stared at her in astonishment.
One was the current princess, and the other was her junior brother Rong Yan.
Rong Yan had changed out of the Misty Sect disciple's robes at some point, and into a set of tight-fitting brown-red clothes with wrist guards and a belt with a sharp winter pattern. At his waist hung a fan pendant, a jade pendant, and the spirit pouch she had given him.
At this moment, Rong Yan held a beautiful gold hairpin in his hand, and was tying up the princess's hair.
Her sudden appearance interrupted the two of them. Rong Yan was embarrassed, but the princess smiled and readily took his hand, leading him to the door.
"When did our ancestors arrive? Why didn't the guards outside announce our arrival?" The princess tilted her head slightly, glancing at the crown prince behind Lin Yueyao who was constantly giving her meaningful glances, her smile widening.
"Our ancestor probably doesn't know yet, but Ayan and I will be getting married soon. Since our ancestor is Ayan's senior sister, she is naturally my sister as well." The princess smiled and put Lin Yueyao on the spot. "Please accept my bow, sister."
As soon as he finished speaking, he knelt down.
Lin Yueyao seemed not to hear, and instead stared at Rong Yan, "And you?"
What does it mean exactly?
Rong Yan pursed his lips and remained silent for a long while before helping the princess up. "Princess, you are of noble birth, how can you kneel?"
With his help, the princess swayed as she got up, knelt down for a moment, her knees went numb, and she involuntarily fell towards him.
Rong Yan caught her steadily and gently put his arm around the princess's waist.
Lin Yueyao frowned secretly, feeling uneasy, just like Wen Qing.
Oh no, oh no, I'm crying out in my heart, I'm so angry with him, I'll never talk to him again.
"Senior sister, the princess and I are truly in love. Please don't pester me," Rong Yan said resolutely, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Looking at his timid and cowardly appearance, Lin Yueyao didn't believe him. "If you have any difficulties, you can tell me, and we'll figure something out together."
After emerging from the secret realm, he became hesitant to speak, unable to hide his thoughts.
Knowing that he had come for the fox demon, she didn't ask why, as he wouldn't say.
Everyone has secrets and painful pasts; who can guarantee they'll be completely clean their entire life?
Therefore, she understood that he was keeping something from her, but she couldn't allow someone to risk their life.
"Ah..." the princess murmured softly, seemingly feeling a little dizzy. Rong Yan was anxious and hurriedly said, "Quickly summon the imperial physician."
"Your Highness has a headache. Your Highness will take you to see the Imperial Physician right away." With that, he pulled the princess away without stopping.
As they walked, they made sure to shoo away the maids and guards in the courtyard, leaving the time for the two of them.
"Tell me the truth, is there something you can't say about marrying her?" Before the two had gone far, Lin Yueyao couldn't wait to ask, her eyes fixed on him.
Rong Yan remained silent for a long time. Lin Yueyao slightly twisted her neck. In the past, she and Rong Yan would look at each other at eye level, but now she had to look up.
"Does Senior Sister still remember what you said last night?" Rong Yan smiled bitterly, but her heart was bleeding. "You said that a demon is a demon, and a human is a human."
"What you may not know, senior sister, is that even among mortals there are different classes, so I want to become a superior person."
"Rong Yan, tell me, is this what you really think?" She stared at him intently, still unwilling to give up. If this was his true feeling, then why did he grit his teeth and endure the humiliation inflicted by his fellow disciples?
In his childhood memories, even when he was forced to eat his own kind to survive, he never lost his humanity or conscience.
Is wealth and glory so alluring that they have blinded him?
“Everything Rong Yan said is true.” He didn’t even dare to look at her, his eyes darting away, and he swayed.
“You’re lying,” Lin Yueyao exposed him. “You don’t dare look me in the eye.”
"Let me ask you, are you truly sincere towards the princess?" Lin Yueyao stared intently at him, trying to decipher his every expression.
"Of course it's true." He gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words with difficulty.
"Liar." Lin Yueyao frowned, her fiery red clothes reflecting her anxious emotions. From a distance, the two of them, dressed in red robes, looked strangely harmonious.
Then, as they approached, one person tried to escape the confrontation. The other, however, persisted, pressing for details.
"You and she are just strangers who met by chance. How dare you pledge your life to each other? Even if you truly love her, what if you marry her and that love isn't enough to sustain you for the rest of your life? How will you cope then?" Although she was not married and had never been attracted to any man, she had long since seen through the complexities of love and relationships.
"I haven't thought that much about it." Rong Yan really hadn't made any plans, after all, his marriage to the princess was for a reason.
"I can agree to anything you ask of me, except for this one thing," Lin Yueyao said coldly, finding his eye-catching clothes extremely displeasing.
"Why?" Rong Yan blurted out, and the tension between the two eased somewhat.
"There's no reason why, I'm your senior sister," Lin Yueyao said domineeringly.
Rong Yan stared at her face with a complicated and strange look in his eyes, then asked nervously, "Senior sister, are you jealous?"
Lin Yueyao felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, frozen in place. She wasn't good at talking, and she rarely showed any micro-expressions.
Rong Yan had only ever seen her when she was angry; she always had a cold and indifferent demeanor.
It felt like a thorn had pierced her heart; her heart skipped a beat, and she felt waves of excruciating pain.
This strange feeling lasted only a moment before it dissipated naturally.
When Lin Yueyao came to her senses, her face remained calm. "Why would I be jealous?"
Rong Yan was greatly disappointed. He would have been willing to sacrifice himself if it had earned his senior sister's pity.
After saying this, Lin Yueyao unconsciously placed her hand on her chest. Seeing her reaction, Rong Yan felt a surge of joy in his heart.
"Listen to your senior sister, don't marry her. Whatever you want to do, your senior sister will help you."
The atmosphere had finally eased, but Rong Yan insisted again and again, "I will marry the princess."
“Foolish—” Lin Yueyao cursed him directly.
She tried her best to persuade him, but she still couldn't get him to understand, wasting all her effort.
"Senior sister, feel free to scold me. It makes Rong Yan feel better." Rong Yan laughed dejectedly.
Of course, she wouldn't let him have his way, so she pressed him for an answer, "For a mere princess, you'd even abandon the Misty Sect and your master?"
Rong Yan remained silent.
She pressed on, "Don't you want even me anymore?"
No, that's not how it is. He did this to stay by her side, so that he could legitimately remain in the sect, even though his senior sister didn't understand. But he didn't regret it.
He fell silent once again, and Lin Yueyao's heart sank.
Last time, he abandoned her for his so-called sister. This time, for a princess, he pushes her away again.
She left gracefully, but halfway there, Rong Yan called her back again.
"Senior Sister—"
She stopped.
Rong Yan's eyes reddened slightly. In desperation, he pleaded, "I'm about to get married. The fox demon sister is an old acquaintance of mine. Could you please spare her for my sake?"
"Okay." She readily agreed without any hesitation.
After leaving the courtyard, the Crown Prince paced back and forth on the outer corridor.
"Where did our ancestors go?" I asked, noticing her red eyes, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
She was going back to the mountain, and her first priority was to take Benben with her, so when she was flying on her sword, she glanced at the Crown Prince.
Since we brought the person along, we might as well take them back with us.
She grabbed the prince's hand, felt the warmth of his skin, and was instantly astonished.
A faint demonic aura slowly seeped from under the skin, but the demonic power was extremely weak and could not be sensed unless one was in close contact with it.
The crown prince looked at her, bewildered, and tentatively asked, "Is there something important that our ancestor needs to instruct us on?"
His face was flawless, and the demonic aura emanating from his body was enough to prove that the prince before him was a demon in disguise.
Moreover, she was extremely familiar with this demon.
The prince felt uneasy under her gaze and tried to pull his hand away, but found he couldn't.
Fearing he might notice something, Lin Yueyao released her grip at the opportune moment and flew towards the palace with her people on their swords.
The closer they got to the palace, the weaker the demonic power emanating from the crown prince became.
The palace buildings shone with golden light, the aura of a true dragon. This kind of aura can suppress all evil spirits in the world and also conceal demonic energy.
But now, Lin Yueyao, who was in the clouds, saw that the imperial aura was getting weaker and weaker, and was just a small ball.
Li Zhuo's life hangs by a thread. The Crown Prince is the legitimate heir and the only successor, having continued the bloodline of the Li Dynasty.
So who is inside this prince's body?
Upon landing, the Crown Prince seemed relieved. Lin Yueyao coldly pressed him, "The Crown Prince seems quite afraid of me?"
The prince hurriedly protested his innocence, saying, "Ancestor, what are you saying? How could I be afraid of you? This is just my respect for you."
Lin Yueyao smiled and asked, "Has the Crown Prince taken a wife?"
The prince shook his head.
Do you have any concubines?
Whether he exists or not is uncertain. It is said that the deceased crown prince was a model of diligence and frugality, and always kept himself pure in matters of love and sex. But now he is a demon, hiding here and there, and has no time for leisurely conversations.
He shook his head uncertainly.
Lin Yueyao wasn't in a hurry. "Is it useful or not?"
Looking into her icy gaze, he immediately replied, "No."
Lin Yueyao nodded in satisfaction.
"What did our ancestors mean by asking these questions?" the crown prince asked curiously, puzzled.
"Your Highness is a man of great talent and ability. This empire will be yours sooner or later. Have you ever thought about finding a virtuous wife to help you secure your throne?"
The crown prince hurriedly made a shushing gesture, "Don't speak carelessly. Whether the throne is secure or not is not up to me."
“Your Highness is mistaken. The throne is nothing more than a piece of cake for you; it’s only a matter of time.” She reached out and patted his shoulder reassuringly.
The crown prince was bewildered by her series of actions. "What did our ancestor mean by that?"
"What do you think of me?" Lin Yueyao looked up and stared at him.
"What do you mean, how?" The prince was dumbfounded, not understanding the situation.
"I will marry you and be your queen."
Since Rong Yan wants to be the prince consort, she will be the crown prince's empress, forever superior to him.
"Ancestor, please don't make fun of me." The crown prince was even more frightened.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Lin Yueyao retorted.
"This, this..."
"I asked you if you were a virgin just now because I don't sleep with men who are already in relationships."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
