Chapter 316: Senior brother, a wife sent from heaven
Squeak – bang…
The palace doors slowly closed. After watching Ye Anping and the others depart, Tong Zilan sighed, returned to the concubine’s bed, and leaned against it, pondering Ye Anping’s expression.
Before Ye Anping and his companions entered the room, Liang Zhu recounted some of Ye Anping’s deeds.
How Ye Anping, with the help of a few Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, rescued thousands of cultivators from Chilong Mansion from the clutches of the four Core Formation Stage Demon Cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Sect and helped Li Qianjin revive Chilong Mansion.
At the time, neither she nor the bystander Yue Xuanming took it seriously, thinking Liang Zhu was exaggerating and favoring his sixth brother. She merely found it entertaining and didn’t think much of it.
But now, after meeting Ye Anping, she realized that Liang Zhu’s words were not mere exaggerations. His deep purple eyes lacked the expected innocence of a teenager, and even she couldn’t decipher his thoughts.
Facing her, an empress, and facing the Heavenly Execution Court’s deputy commander, who was two realms above him, he showed no fear, instead maintaining a calm and logical demeanor.
Tong Zilan fell silent for a moment, then turned to Yue Xuanming beside her and asked,
“Yue Qing, as someone who has overseen the Heavenly Execution Court for over a hundred years, what’s your assessment of Young Master Ye?”
Yue Xuanming pondered for a moment before replying,
“He has a profound sense of sophistication, lacking the youthful vigor one would expect at his age. His actions are logically sound, and reaching the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment at his age makes him quite a talent. He should not be underestimated in the future.”
“Oh!” Tong Zilan showed some surprise, “It’s rare to hear such high praise from you, Yue Qing.”
“I’m just stating the facts. If he were a hundred years old, I wouldn’t need to say as much. But at only seventeen or eighteen, the master of the Hundred Lotus Sect has truly guided him well.”
Liang Zhu’s face shifted slightly as he listened to their conversation, feeling a mixture of emotions.
As the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
He had met Ye Ao before, and although it might be impolite to say so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Ye Ao was just an ordinary person, incapable of achieving anything significant. Even though Lady Kong was somewhat better, she still left much to be desired.
How did they, as a couple, manage to raise Ye Anping, the sixth child?
At the Hundred Lotus Sect, he even considered asking Ye Ao to help educate Ahting, hoping to shape Ahting into someone as clever as Ye Anping in the future, but…
Tong Zilan pondered for a moment, gently supporting her chin,
“At seventeen or eighteen, speaking of which… isn’t Yu’er about to come of age?”
?
Upon hearing this, Liang Zhu’s heart skipped a beat. Why was the Empress suddenly talking about this topic?
Yue Xuanming counted on his fingers and replied, “More than ten years ago, the second princess was taken away by Liang Zhu. I remember she was barely three months old then, so this year, she should be around fourteen.”
“Hmm… that age fits.” Tong Zilan murmured, turning to Liang Zhu, “What do you think, Liang Qing?”
Liang Zhu’s expression twitched, and he raised his hands inquiringly,
“Are you suggesting something, Your Majesty?”
“Of course, I’m considering arranging a good marriage for Yu’er. With the Xuanxing Sect backing the Hundred Lotus Sect and Young Master Ye seeming to have a good rapport with the two young masters of the Xuanxing Sect, if Yu’er marries him, she’ll likely have a bright future.”
“…”
Liang Zhu’s jaw almost dropped, and he stood there speechless for a moment before hurriedly responding,
“Queen, I believe this matter is not appropriate! This… this! Acting… after all, she is the second princess of the Emperor’s Sect. You must consider her marrying into a family of equal status, not marrying beneath her…”
“Second Princess.” Tong Zilan shook her head slightly, showing a hint of helplessness, “There are no more heirs in the Central Domain. Once he’s gone, the Emperor’s Sect will practically cease to exist. What purpose does the title of Second Princess of the Emperor’s Sect serve then?”
“…”
Yue Xuanming sighed deeply at these words,
“If I hadn’t heard it from the queen’s own lips today, I wouldn’t have believed that the king would commit such an act to destroy the sect. Once this gets out, the Emperor’s Sect will surely face retribution from the Immortal Families of the Three Realms…”
“Even so, let Immortal Danyue bring closure to the Millennium Emperor Sect when the time comes.”
Tong Zilan relaxed and gestured with her hand,
“The future of the Central Domain is beyond our control now. Yue Qing, it’s up to you to handle the reception of the Demon Emperor’s entry into the city. Remember, don’t let the old man catch on.”
“I understand.”
Then, Tong Zilan turned to Liang Zhu on the other side and called out,
“Liang Qing.”
“Yes…”
“You’ve taken care of Yu’er for many years, and I owe you my thanks. Have you ever regretted it?”
Liang Zhu was silent for a moment before nodding,
“Yes, I have regretted it. If I hadn’t agreed to what the queen asked of me back then, I might have held a high position in the Heavenly Execution Court today, and my cultivation wouldn’t have been stuck at the late stage of foundation building. But similarly, if I hadn’t agreed back then, I would now regret not saving the second princess.”
“I’ll ask you to continue caring for Yu’er from now on. Her identity as the second princess of the Emperor’s Sect should remain a secret, buried away.”
Liang Zhu pondered momentarily before continuing, “Yes, I’ll keep Ahting’s secret, but I urge the queen to think twice about the scandal involving the second princess… My younger brother is…”
Tong Zilan chuckled softly, covering her mouth,
“Let’s discuss this matter another time.”
Liang Zhu pursed his lips, reluctantly accepting,
“…Yes.”
“I am weary. You two esteemed counselors may leave on your own.”
Liang Zhu and Yue Xuanming bowed, then turned and walked out of the palace gate.
As they reached the bottom of the steps outside the palace gate, Yue Xuanming glanced at Liang Zhu and said,
“Liang Zhu, after returning to the Heavenly Execution Court, I will temporarily promote you as my assistant, and you can carry my belt. You can freely deploy the three departments of metal, wood, and earth without informing me in advance. But be cautious with the Master of the Heavenly Execution Pavilion. You know him.”
“…Understood.”
“That’s good. If anything happens with Mr. Ye, you can directly convey it to me in the pavilion.”
“Thank you, Lord Yue.”
“I’ll return to the Heavenly Execution Pavilion first.”
Yue Xuanming bowed to Liang Zhu and let the waiting-maid lead him out of the Tainan City Palace through the side door.
Liang Zhu let out a sigh of relief, looking up at the full moon at this moment, and couldn’t help but envision a scene in his mind.
On the grand hall, he and Ye Ao sat on both sides of the altar table in formal attire.
The master of ceremonies shouted, “Welcome the bride and groom!”
Then, he witnessed Lao Liu holding Ahting’s hand, stepping on the red carpet one step at a time until they stood before him. Under the urging of the master of ceremonies, “Bow to the high hall~~” Lao Liu bowed to him with a smirk.
Click—
Liang Zhu couldn’t help grind his teeth, his face showing a murderous intent, frightening the waiting maid nearby, causing her to shrink her neck.
“Master Liang!”
“Huh–” Liang Zhu closed his eyes and exhaled heavily, “Please show the way.”
“Yes… Master Liang, please follow me.”
Liang Zhu followed the maid towards the side door of the palace, murmuring, I won’t let that kind of thing happen!!
–Never!!!