Firefly Journey

Chapter 266 Chu Ting’s Grand Stage (3)

"The Left Prime Minister is right!"

Du Fufeng stepped forward from the right flank and echoed Zhao Zheng's words.

"Our Great Chu was founded on benevolence and established itself through military might. The current situation is unstable, the mainland is in turmoil, and the Crown Prince has no heir. This is not a good thing for our Great Chu."

Your Majesty, I believe that we should select consorts for Your Highness as soon as possible to fill the Eastern Palace. Only in this way can our Great Chu ensure a long and prosperous future.

The positions Zhao Zheng and Du Fufeng held destined them to be adversaries, yet they were surprisingly in agreement on the matter of choosing a crown princess.

At present, the national strength of the Chu state is recovering day by day, and it is even showing signs of surpassing itself in its heyday. This momentum of development cannot be hidden and will surely attract attention from all sides.

The Battle of Kolumbutz broke out because the State of Chu was too powerful at that time, so powerful that other states were afraid of it and therefore suppressed it.

Although the opponent in that battle was only the Debasa Empire, it was backed by the support and resources of countless countries.

The Principality of Bema is one of them.

There is even a trace of the Ancestral God Church.

In the present-day Pan-Ancient Continent, the Debasa Empire and the Bema Principality are evenly matched. Amidst the struggle between the two, this ancient and mysterious great power in the East has quietly risen again in just over a decade.

This is definitely not good news for the duchy and the empire. The seemingly peaceful continent of Pangu is already showing signs of turmoil, and a series of wars could break out at any time.

Three years ago, the State of Chu demanded the return of its crown prince with an extremely firm attitude. They would not have dared to do so if they did not have strong national power to support them.

Upon hearing the remonstrances of the two prime ministers, Emperor Zhuang smiled knowingly, for this was not the first time the matter had been brought up in court.

When Lü Jianming first returned to the country, Emperor Zhuang began to arrange his marriage, sending people everywhere to inquire which family had a gentle and virtuous woman who could become the future matriarch of the Great Chu.

There were many noble families in the State of Chu, and countless noble ladies. However, the decision on the Crown Prince's marriage did not rest with Emperor Zhuang.

In the state of Chu, there was a being who transcended imperial power.

The Green-Clad Sword Saint.

He was the guardian of the Great Chu, the elder brother-in-law of Emperor Zhuang, and the maternal uncle of two imperial heirs.

Despite his strictness towards his nephew, it's clear he loves him deeply and is very demanding. In matters of marriage for Lü Jianming, he advocates for free choice in love.

Many years ago, the Chen family were just ordinary people who made a living by farming in a small town on the outskirts of Beijing.

One day, a wealthy family moved into the town. That family had a boy who was about the same age as his sister.

Over time, the boy seemed to have fallen for his sister, and his sister seemed to like him too.

Seeing the two of them inseparable all the time, Chen Qingchen did not stop them. As far as his younger sister was concerned, that was the best thing.

But one problem lay before him.

The other family is wealthy and powerful, while the Chen family are just ordinary farmers. They are not a good match. Even if the brother-in-law doesn't care about this after the two get married, what about their relatives?

With his parents growing old and lacking any real skills, the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the family and clan fell on Chen Qingchen's shoulders.

From then on, the young people in the town who used to farm every day put down their farming tools and picked up swords. They were lucky enough to become the best in the world.

Later, Empress Jingmu died of illness, and his parents also passed away one after another. His only remaining living relatives were his two nephews.

Emperor Zhuang might count, but only half of him.

The Sword Saint's will must be obeyed by Emperor Zhuang, and so the matter has been delayed until now.

When the two old men reiterated their request for him to get married, Lü Jianming, as before, scoffed at them.

He said, “What the two prime ministers say is very true. I also feel that I should get married. Unfortunately, I still haven’t found a girl I like. Alas, it’s so difficult.”

He thought that today would pass by easily, just like usual, but he didn't expect that Emperor Zhuang's attitude would be unusually tough.

"All these years, there hasn't been a woman you fancy in Great Chu, has there?" Emperor Zhuang's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why not broaden your horizons? I refuse to believe that you can't find a woman in the whole world who can be the Crown Princess!"

Lu Jianming said confidently, "My uncle said that I can decide my own marriage!"

Emperor Zhuang said, "He also said that he would rather have a grandson than let you make the decision yourself. Hongxiu is still young, so all our hopes can be placed on you."

Lu Jianming was taken aback: "When did he say that?"

“A few days ago, I went to Yunlu Mountain for a cup of tea.”

Lu Jianming's face fell, and he wanted to retort, but Emperor Zhuang did not give him a chance at all.

"I'm sorry to trouble you both with the matter of the Crown Prince. This concerns the fate of the nation and we cannot allow him to make any mistakes. Now, court is adjourned."

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Great Chu!"

As the officials performed their final salutes, the court assembly officially came to an end, and Lin Yuanran bowed along with the others.

During the ceremony, only Lü Jianming stood still, seemingly still not quite understanding what was happening.

After the ceremony, the officials left in twos and threes.

As soon as they stepped out of the main hall, Lü Jianming teleported over and put his arm around Lin Yuanran's shoulder.

Normally, magic could not be used by anyone other than the emperor within the imperial palace, except in cases of attack. However, since Lü Jianming was the crown prince, the officials in charge of ceremonies dared not say anything. If the matter were reported to the emperor, Lü Jianming would at most be reprimanded, but the person who reported him might face retaliation.

No one will do something that's thankless and difficult.

"Your Highness, is there something you need?"

Since he hadn't left the palace yet, Lin Yuanran spoke in an official tone.

Lü Jianming cried out, "Aliot, my life is so miserable!"

Lin Yuanran said, "If you have a hard life, then there are no people in this world with good lives."

He was telling the truth. If even the crown prince of a country has such a miserable life, how can the poor people survive?

After complaining for a while, Lü Jianming sighed and said, "I really envy you, being able to be with the person you like. By the way, how far have things progressed between you and Fengling?"

Lin Yuanran took a step to the side, dodging the hand on his shoulder, and glanced at him sideways, saying, "Don't talk nonsense about what you mean by 'to what extent'."

Lu Jianming said, "Stop pretending. It's not like everyone doesn't know about your affair. Back in the academy, you two were inseparable. Everyone could tell!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanran thought to himself, "How can we be inseparable? We just see each other often. At most, we can only say we get along well. Unfortunately, you've all misunderstood."

It would be great if it were true.

"She's been at the temple for all these years, and you haven't seen her since?"

"No." A hint of regret unconsciously appeared on Lin Yuanran's face. Three years had passed, and in his memory, Feng Ling was still the image of a girl with bells hanging from her waist. So much time had passed, and he wondered what she looked like now.

"You must keep in touch regularly, right? The teacher has a little clay figurine, and I contact her about once every few months. What about you?"

Cassius's little clay figure was the rope that bound Class 29 together. The students used it to communicate frequently and also to ask questions of their teachers in the North.

Lin Yuan asked, "How long is a few months?"

Lu Jianming glanced at him: "Sometimes it's a month, sometimes it's two or three months, there's no fixed date."

Lin Yuanran suddenly smiled, patted Lü Jianming on the shoulder, and strode away with his head held high.

Lü Jianming was puzzled.

Lin Yuanran felt a sweet warmth in his heart, because he and Feng Ling had been in contact every two weeks, a routine they had maintained since graduation. And two weeks was exactly the time it took for the little mudman to travel from the academy to the Dark Temple.

It seems that the relationship between the two is closer than that of ordinary classmates, which is enough for Lin Yuanran, who dares not hope for more.

Now that we have the ancestral artifact, our contact will be more frequent in the future.

The world is so beautiful.