Chapter 23: The Advantage is Mine!
At this moment, inside the royal palace.
As noon arrived, Yao Ye's coming-of-age ceremony was officially announced.
As the grand princess of the Jia Ma royal family, her coming-of-age ceremony was no small matter. The prominent families of the Holy City, including representatives like Mittel Tengshan and Nalan Su, were all present.
Some rapidly developing family forces within the empire also attended. For example, the Northwest Mo Family, which had just established ties with the Yunlan Sect, sent their great elder, Mo Cheng, to participate.
However, Mo Cheng seemed uninterested in the ceremony, his attention mostly on the people from Yunlan Sect nearby.
Clearly, in his mind, the royal family's status was no longer as important as the sect's.
Ironically, while he looked down on the royal family, his master, Yunlan Sect, valued the royal family greatly. Not only did the great elder Yun Leng attend, but even Yun Yun personally made an appearance, giving the royal family a significant amount of respect.
Apart from those within the empire, two guests in the VIP section stood out, frequently drawing cold stares from others.
They were the Ninth Prince of the Chu Yun Empire and his three-star Dou Spirit bodyguard.
Yun Yun's personal attendance today was partly because she had received advance notice of their presence.
Although relations between the royal family and Yunlan Sect had become tense, that was an internal matter. When it came to dealing with external threats like the Chu Yun Empire, both sides were united.
At least, for now.
As a long-winded opening speech came to an end, the presence-less emperor of the Jia Ma Empire finally made his appearance, personally bestowing the ceremonial gifts upon Yao Ye.
Today, Yao Ye set aside her valiant military attire, wearing a luxurious gown that perfectly showcased her graceful figure, outshining everyone.
Today, in this moment, she was the undisputed star of the event!
Looking at the queen-like Yao Ye, even Jia Xingtian, Yao Yue, and the usually unnoticed emperor felt a moment of daze.
"This is how she should have been all along!"
But because of...
Many people instinctively glanced at the emperor without saying anything, but their expressions said it all, making the emperor feel his face burning with shame.
With the gift ceremony complete, the formalities of the event were over, and the rest of the day was filled with entertainment—what one might call the "boasting and performing" part of the event.
However, during this, an unexpected event occurred.
The Ninth Prince of the Chu Yun Empire stood up with a wine cup in hand and walked toward the Jia Ma Emperor, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Even though there were several Dou Kings present and even two Dou Emperors watching over the situation in secret, the Ninth Prince showed no signs of nervousness. In fact, this was precisely the attention he sought.
"Your Majesty, this time I have come uninvited on behalf of the Chu Yun Empire. Part of my visit is to present a gift to the Grand Princess. However, I also have another request to make of Your Majesty."
Though he used the word "request," there was no sign of humility on his face, and even his bow was perfunctory.
The Jia Ma Emperor's expression darkened as he responded coldly, "Speak."
If he could, the emperor would have had this insolent fellow dragged out and executed. But the Ninth Prince's special status made this impossible. Acting rashly could lead to unimaginable consequences, possibly even war.
The royal family's pillars of support, Jia Xingtian, had aged, and unless he broke through to Dou Ancestor, his years were numbered. The royal guardian beast, the Ghost Sea Jiao Beast, was also in poor condition.
Beside them, the Yunlan Sect remained an ever-watchful tiger.
Of the empire's three major families, only the Mu Family remained truly loyal. The Nalan Family played both sides, and the Mittel Family cared more for profit than loyalty. If war broke out, expecting them not to profit from it would be unrealistic.
Taking all of this into account, the emperor realized just how precarious the royal family's position had become. They could not withstand the devastation of war.
The Ninth Prince clearly understood this, which was why he dared to come so boldly without informing his emperor. He planned to claim credit when he returned.
As long as he had the moral high ground, the Jia Ma royal family wouldn't dare touch him.
And indeed, that was the truth.
"Your Majesty, to be frank, I have long admired Princess Yao Ye. However, due to the age difference, I did not make my feelings known sooner. Now that she has come of age, I can no longer delay. Today, I come to propose marriage, hoping Your Majesty will grant me this favor, in the interest of strengthening ties between our two nations. I also present one million gold coins and ten five-tier medicinal pills."
At first, the request seemed reasonable. Marriage proposals between major empires were not uncommon, though they often ended in failure.
But when the Ninth Prince announced his list of gifts, the entire hall fell into silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
A million gold coins might sound impressive, but considering that even a low-grade storage ring cost at least a hundred thousand, the gesture suddenly felt paltry.
Compared to Princess Yao Ye's status, the gift was nothing short of an insult!
The atmosphere grew tense, and those loyal to the royal family looked as if they could kill the Ninth Prince with their glares.
The Jia Ma Emperor's chest heaved in anger. He might be weak—too weak even to deserve a name, too weak to have fathered a strong heir, and too weak in power—but he still had pride.
Just as the emperor was about to teach the Ninth Prince a lesson, risking an international conflict, today's main character, Yao Ye, stood up and stopped him.
As the person directly insulted, Yao Ye should have been furious. But strangely, she appeared unbothered, even faintly pleased.
Don't misunderstand—she didn't enjoy being humiliated. Instead, she had received a surprise that gave her a simpler way to deal with the situation.
She walked over to the Ninth Prince, towering over the shorter, frog-like man.
"You want to marry me?"
"Isn't that obvious? I've admired the Grand Princess for a long time," the Ninth Prince replied, his eyes roving over her. Originally, he only wanted to shame the Jia Ma royal family and gain credit for it, but seeing Yao Ye in her gown today had truly stirred his desires.
In other words, lust had taken hold.
Yao Ye suppressed her disgust. "Fine. But surely you know my nature. Impress me with your strength."
"Oh? And what do you suggest?"
"This is the Jia Ma royal palace. I won't make things too difficult for you. I'll find a sixteen-year-old opponent for you. If you can defeat him, I'll agree to this marriage. If not, then crawl back to where you came from. The Jia Ma Empire has no tolerance for paper tigers." Yao Ye deliberately added a few years to the opponent's age.
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince hesitated.
Though he wasn't favored in his own empire, he was still considered a talented royal, reaching the strength of a six-star Dou Master by the age of twenty-four, thanks to royal resources.
He had confidence in his abilities, but Yao Ye's suggestion made him wary. She wouldn't propose a match unless the opponent was also a genius.
However, a sixteen-year-old genius would at best be a Dou Master, he reasoned.
With two pills in his possession—a fourth-tier Beast Strength Pill and a third-tier Wind Walk Pill—the Ninth Prince thickened his face and made a demand.
"Then I'll add a condition of my own: I'm allowed to use any medicinal pills I have on me."
All for the sake of safety. No shame in that—he only had one life to lose.
His principle was simple: one could play risky, but only when success was certain. Otherwise, it was just courting death.
Yao Ye glanced at the young boy who had just stepped onto the plaza's edge. When he nodded, she agreed.
Upon seeing the youth's face, the Ninth Prince's confidence soared.
"Life and death? Or just a simple match? I don't like sparring; it restricts my abilities."
"As you wish. We'll make it official with a written agreement."
"Hahaha, good, then let's begin."
The Ninth Prince couldn't understand where Yao Ye's confidence came from. The boy looked sixteen or seventeen years old, but he knew how quickly people grew on the Dou Qi continent, especially in their youth. The boy certainly wasn't sixteen.
This fight—advantage is mine, I'm sure to win!
(End of Chapter)