"Qingling, you must be careful," Zhu Zhuqing warned.
Chen Qingling nodded slightly. Facing the five Soul Hunters surrounding them, her expression remained calm and composed, showing no fear at all.
A mere Soul Hunter wouldn't dare cross her and harm Zhu Zhuqing!
"Father!"
"This… isn't appropriate. Isn't this a bit too much…"
"Besides, her status is extraordinary. Our Xingluo Empire must not offend her."
At this moment, Davis, standing next to the Xingluo Emperor, spoke.
His words immediately made the Xingluo Emperor hesitate, and the five Soul Hunters surrounding Chen Qingling exchanged glances.
The eldest prince's point was indeed correct. However, they were only following orders. Without the emperor's command, they dared not disobey.
The Xingluo Emperor's expression was unsettled, but in the end, he compromised because of Davis's words.
There was no choice—the Xingluo Empire didn't have a single titled Douluo.
Had they possessed even one, they wouldn't have hesitated to take the initiative and declare war against the Tiandou Empire.
"Sigh, you may withdraw."
For a moment, the emperor's face looked even more burdened.
The five Soul Hunters exchanged glances and immediately stepped aside.
Chen Qingling, who had been prepared to fight, had no choice but to hold back temporarily.
It seemed Davis intended to negotiate peace!
Looking at this, the Xingluo royal family wasn't entirely filled with mindless people—there was at least one with sense.
The Xingluo Emperor stroked the beard on his chin and looked at Zhu Zhuqing, speaking slowly: "Putting aside the matter of the engagement, do you truly want to withdraw from the royal power struggle?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded heavily. "Yes. I sincerely request the Xingluo Emperor's approval. I have no intention of provoking trouble; I simply do not wish to continue fighting. I am tired of this life."
"I want to live an ordinary life, not a life of endless generational conflict."
These words immediately silenced the Xingluo Emperor.
At one point, he had similar thoughts to Zhu Zhuqing.
However… being in the royal family always meant being constrained, wanting to change but powerless to do so.
This was the sorrow of being born into royalty.
If heaven granted the Xingluo Emperor another chance, he would let go. But recalling the bloodshed among his brothers brought unbearable pain.
Once, true familial affection had been before him, but he had failed to cherish it. Only after losing it did he regret it endlessly.
This was a reflection of the Xingluo Emperor's heart.
Seeing the emperor remain silent, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes brightened—his silence was clearly a tacit agreement.
She quickly cupped her hands: "Many thanks to the Xingluo Emperor for granting my wish!"
"Xingluo Emperor… this… isn't right. This breaks the rules of our empire," Zhu Zhuyun panicked. She had only wanted the best for her sister.
Now that her sister was withdrawing from the royal power struggle, how could she create a sense of threat? How could she motivate her to cultivate diligently?
In Zhu Zhuyun's eyes, her foolish little sister was the most talented of the Zhu family in this generation and had the greatest chance to become a titled Douluo!
She could not be wasted!
Little did she know, from the moment Zhu Qingling met Chen Qingling, the wheels of fate for the two of them had quietly begun to turn.
The Xingluo Emperor cast a glance at Zhu Zhuyun: "No need for many words. Shouldn't you be happy? One less person competing with you, isn't that a relief?"
"More mouths than meat—one less to eat is a blessing, isn't it?"
As a veteran, the Xingluo Emperor could easily read Zhu Zhuyun's little scheming thoughts, though he didn't point it out.
"Yes, yes, yes, Zhu Yun, don't say more. From now on, Zhu Zhuqing has no qualification to compete for the throne!" Davis quickly intervened to smooth things over.
At this moment, Chen Qingling crossed one leg and folded her arms: "Rules are rigid, but people are living, aren't they?"
"Bound by rules, don't you feel exhausted?"
These words nearly choked the Xingluo Emperor, Davis, and Zhu Zhuyun—they almost broke their composure.
Speaking was an art, clearly Chen Qingling didn't care for it. Her straightforward nature led her to speak bluntly without subtlety.
The Xingluo Emperor cleared his throat: "You continue. I will take my leave first."
Davis and Zhu Zhuyun exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
Seeing the emperor about to leave, Chen Qingling didn't forget her purpose:
First, to help Zhu Qingling withdraw from the royal power struggle.Second, to help her break free from the binding engagement.
Both were important, and neither could be neglected.
Therefore, Chen Qingling didn't mind offending them once more.
Having offended them once before, one more wouldn't matter.
"Xingluo Emperor, wait…"
Hearing the voice behind him, the emperor furrowed his brow and turned.
"What is it, Chen Qingling? Do you have something else?"
Honestly, the Xingluo Emperor, as the supreme ruler, had already lowered himself to chat with a junior and had agreed to something outrageous.
He had already given Chen Qingling ample face.
"Annul the marriage between Zhu Qingling and Dai Mubai!"
At these words, the room fell silent. Only the sound of rapid breathing and the cracking of the emperor's clenched fist could be heard.
"Fine, fine, fine!"
"I can tolerate it once, yield once, but it does not mean I can always tolerate and yield."
The Xingluo Emperor was clearly furious.
With eyes like bronze bells, he looked at Zhu Zhuqing coldly: "Zhu Zhuqing, is this also your intention?"
Facing the emperor's questioning gaze, Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath, lifted her head, and met his piercing eyes.
"Yes!"
"This is one of the reasons I returned. I sincerely request the Xingluo Emperor to grant my wish!"
The Xingluo Emperor's chest heaved with anger, his index finger pointing at Zhu Zhuqing: "I have been benevolent to you, and yet you want to annul the marriage!"
"How audacious!"
"Do you still have any regard for me, the Xingluo Emperor? Or your family? Do you wish to destroy the bond between the two families?"
"I…" Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head. "Everything I have comes from my family. I should follow their arrangements, but I want to be truly myself!"
"And Dai Mubai is unworthy; he is a heartless man."
"You… you…" The Xingluo Emperor was furious. To have his son insulted like this—who could bear it?
If Chen Qingling were not present, the emperor might have had Zhu Zhuqing placed under house arrest to teach her what could or could not be said.
"What? Is it not allowed?" Chen Qingling stepped forward again to back Zhu Zhuqing.
"You don't think a marriage is merely a paper contract, do you? Don't you care about true affection?"
"Perhaps to you royals, emotions are irrelevant. As long as the benefit is great enough, you won't hesitate to do things even against morality."
"A marriage without affection is a failure, it is unhappy." Saying this, Chen Qingling felt a great relief in her heart.
For she was the one who had suffered from this situation.
Her mother had gone missing and had disappeared since the moment she was born.
....
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(End of Chapter)