Chapter 455: Rescinding the Engagement?
Jian Chen stood up from his chair and looked at You Yue with tranquil eyes and a smile, “I pay my respects to the grand princess!”
The princess was wearing a white changpao and stood quietly behind the king. Her long, beautiful, black hair that usually cascaded down to her waist was tied up to her head in a delicate fashion. Combined with her beautiful looks, which were capable of felling a country, her appearance had the ability to steal a man’s soul.
The princess didn’t speak a word or return a bow and instead looked at Jian Chen curiously. Her eyes twinkled in the light, giving her the appearance of a wise person.
Laughing, the king spoke, “My dear son-in-law, this must be the first time you have come to my imperial palace. Allow my Yue’er to show you around the place.” Not even waiting for Jian Chen to respond, the king gave a look to the princess behind him.
Understanding the meaning in his stare, the princess spoke gently, “Lord Changyang Xiangtian, if you would please follow me.” Her voice was so soft and gentle that everyone who heard her felt themselves at peace.
“Then I will trouble the princess.” Jian Chen smiled as he walked forward. There were still some things he wished to speak with the princess about.
Seeing him leisurely walk out with the princess, Changyang Ba and Bi Yuntian let faint smiles appear on their faces. Having the princess as a daughter was something they were both extremely satisfied with. Within the Gesun Kingdom, aside from the princess, they hadn’t been able to find any other woman capable of fitting with their son.
Even the king had a joyous smile on his face as he sat down next to Ye Ming and faced Changyang Ba and Bi Yuntian.
“My dear family, nephew Xiangtian and my daughter Yue’er aren’t young anymore. It seems to me that it is best to take care of the matters of marriage straight away.” The king laughed hoping that they could continue the marriage as quickly as possible.
Changyang Ba and Bi Yuntian looked at each other for a brief moment before Bi Yuntian answered, “Your Majesty, we wholly agree to the marriage of Xiang’er to the princess. However, Xiang’er has grown old as well to become old enough to handle his own responsibilities. There are some matters we dare not meddle in, so I propose that we wait for Xiang’er to see what his opinion is.”
Hearing this, there was a glint of disappointment in the king’s eyes, but he agreed with Bi Yuntian’s thoughts.
In the imperial palace, a single guard could be seen walking into the quarters of the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom’s envoys. Cupping his hands, he spoke, “A report for the second prince and the prime minister, the king of the Gesun Kingdom has brought the princess out. She and another male around the age of twenty were seen walking toward the imperial garden.”
“You may leave!” The prime minister waved his hand for the guard to leave before furrowing his eyebrows together.
There was a cold glint in the second prince’s eyes as his face grew dark, “That youth must be Changyang Xiangtian. That king has refused our toast, and now, he’ll drink to his defeat. I personally came all the way here just to be treated in such an absurd way? Ridiculous!”
Even the prime minister let out a short snort, “It would appear that the king of the Gesun Kingdom is determined to marry the princess to the Changyang clan. Hmph, it is time to find the king himself for an answer.” With that, the prime minister flicked his sleeves with a furious expression.
After the prime minister left, the second prince thought for a moment before snorting, “Changyang Xiangtian, let this prince see just what right you have. I am a man you cannot even touch.” With that, the second prince left the place to walk toward the imperial garden with several other people from the Heavenly Eagle Kingdom.
Jian Chen walked alongside the princess as they strolled around the palace before quickly coming into a sea of flowers. This was a world full of fresh flowers of all kinds and all sorts of colors arranged in a beautiful pattern. A sweet fragrance wafted into the air allowing everyone to feel comforted with each breath.
On the way, the two hadn’t spoken a single word, but it was evident that the princess truly loved this area. As she walked alongside the flowers with at a leisurely pace, her face revealed a gentle smile as she looked at the many beautiful flowers.
“This is the biggest flower garden within the entire Gesun Kingdom. I enjoy this place, and if I am within the palace, I will always find myself looking at these beautiful flowers. I planted these flowers myself when I was young.” The princess smiled as she spoke with a voice similar to a skylark in melody. Her snow white changpao combined with her beautiful looks, made her resemble a fairy as she stood in the middle of the flowers.
Jian Chen looked at the beautiful face of the princess for a moment before speaking, “Princess, have we met before?” He had been waiting to ask this question for a very long time.
Hearing this, the princess’ eyes turned away from the flowers and back toward Jian Chen before smiling. “My name is You Yue, Changyang Xiangtian, do you remember it?”
An image suddenly flashed in Jian Chen’s mind as he realized just who she was, “So it’s you? We met many years ago at Kargath Academy, no wonder I felt that the princess looked familiar to me.”
The princess couldn’t help but think back to when she had met Changyang Xiangtian for the very first time, several years ago in the library of Kargath Academy. His thirst and enthrallment for knowledge had left a deep impression on her. And now, after several years, the tiny Saint had suddenly transformed to become one of the strongest individuals on the Tian Yuan Continent. The entire Gesun Kingdom which was on the verge of destruction had in fact been saved by this one individual, causing the princess to feel astounded. Yet, at the same time she was left in disbelief.
Looking at the handsome face of Changyang Xiangtian, the princess hesitated for a moment before speaking, “ Changyang Xiangtian, I heard from my father that you are a Heaven Saint Master. Would it be possible for you to allow me to experience what it is like to fly?”
Jian Chen hesitated briefly before ultimately nodding his head with a smile, “Princess, prepare yourself then.” With that, Jian Chen’s right hand gently grasped the princess’ arm. Despite her clothes serving as a barrier between his hand and her arm, Jian Chen could feel her gentle yet flexible skin underneath. Her arm was very minute and soft. Jian Chen’s hand could fully wrap around it despite his hands not being too big.
The very moment Jian Chen touched her arm, the princess revealed a frantic expression on her face. Ever since she was young, no other male had touched her besides her father. Without even waiting for her to react, a layer of the wind element enveloped her entire body and levitated her body from the ground. She began to slowly float into the air.
Jian Chen’s expression was very calm and his eyes were as tranquil as water. He slowly brought the princess into the air and up toward the sky.
Soon enough, the princess calmed herself as the fresh feeling of flight captured her heart. Her face grew curious and happy as she looked down at the slowly shrinking palace below her.
“Is this what it’s like to fly? This is like a bird flying through the air freely, how envious I am of their experience.” The princess’ face could not hide the admiration she felt.
“The princess has talent as long as you continue to work hard, you will one day step into the realm of the Heaven Saint Masters.” Jian Chen laughed. The princess truly did have such talent, at her current age, she was already at the Saint Master realm.
The two quickly descended back to the ground in the center of the flower garden. The look the princess gave to Jian Chen now was completely different than the one from before.
Seeing the beautiful face of the princess, Jian Chen hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Princess…”
“Changyang Xiangtian, call me Yue’er. That is what my father and uncle Ye Ming call me.” As Jian Chen opened his mouth, it was closed shut by Yue’er. Shortly after she spoke, her face grew a little red.
“Then I shall do that.” Jian Chen didn’t argue. “Princess You Yue, there is still a matter I wish to discuss with you.”
The princess remained quiet as her bright eyes continued to stare straight at Jian Chen.
Continuing, Jian Chen spoke, “Princess You Yue, the marriage between the two of us has never been agreed to by either of us. Our parents may have agreed, but the way this marriage was proposed is something I am actually against. In the past, I hadn’t the power to do anything about it, and so I accepted it in silence. But it is different now. I have the power now.” With that, Jian Chen stopped speaking for a moment. Although he hadn’t been completely straightforward, the intelligent You Yue could understand where Jian Chen was going with this.
The princess went silent for a moment as her eyes stared at the Go board on a nearby table. After a while, she spoke, “Changyang Xiangtian, do you wish to rescind our engagement?”
“Princess You Yue, I believe that even you are against how this marriage was carried out. If you agree, I will immediately ask the king to annul the marriage. I know why your father did such a thing, but you needn’t worry. I am a citizen of the Gesun Kingdom; this is my home, and I will definitely protect my home.” Jian Chen spoke calmly. In the past, he had been completely against this marriage. However, at the time he didn’t have any power: he couldn’t do anything about it. Now, the situation was different from the past.
The princess was silent for a moment, but her heart was anything but calm. Hearing Jian Chen’s wish to rescind the engagement caused her heart to feel a stinging pain of disappointment. It was if she had lost something extremely important.