So the real priority now was the imperial edict issued by Emperor Luo.
Since the edict had already reached the Crown Prince's residence, that meant its contents were already public.
An emperor never issued decrees in secret—wherever the edict went, there the imperial authority descended.
From the moment the edict left the private chamber, word had already begun spreading outward.
The great clans of the divine capital, the civil and military officials of the court, the various factions within the military, even the peddlers and common folk in the streets and alleys.
Soon, everyone would learn of the betrothal between Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan.
Even the entire Great Luo would hear of it.
Because the meaning behind it was no small matter.
Luo Zhao's eyes rested on the edict, but her thoughts had already drifted further afield.
She was rapidly calculating in her mind the chain reaction this edict might trigger.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt her father had played this move with remarkable brilliance.
So brilliant that she almost wanted to applaud.
Under the circumstances where the Shangguan family had severed ties with the Crown Prince's faction, the Heavenly Master Residence's Jingzhe figure had instead been betrothed to the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.
The Shangguan family had originally been one of the strongest pillars of the Crown Prince's faction.
Although under Gu Chengyin's deliberate maneuvering, they had intentionally chosen to break away.
Yet the momentum of the Crown Prince's faction had ultimately suffered, and Luo Zhao's prestige had accordingly diminished.
The fence-sitters in the court had begun stirring, secretly watching which way the wind blew.
Some had even started quietly courting favor with the princes' faction.
But with this edict, the situation immediately changed.
The Heavenly Master Residence's Jingzhe—that was an existence transcendent and detached from the mortal world.
The offerings of the Heavenly Master Residence never participated in court struggles, never took sides, never made statements—this was an ironclad rule maintained for a thousand years.
But this time, the strongest combatant of this generation from the Heavenly Master Residence, Lin Qingyan, had been betrothed to the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Gu Chengyin.
What did that mean?
It meant the Heavenly Master Residence had stepped into the arena.
Previously, even if Lin Qingyan wanted to help Luo Zhao, at most she would act in private, but she would never publicly lend her support under the name of the Heavenly Master Residence's Jingzhe.
But this time was different—this time, the edict explicitly named it out.
It was the Heavenly Master Residence's Jingzhe, Lin Qingyan, and the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Gu Chengyin.
Not simply Lin Qingyan and Gu Chengyin.
The old hands in the court would not fail to see this point.
So the momentum of the Crown Prince's faction had not weakened because of the Shangguan family's severance—instead, it had become even more formidable.
This even touched upon an even more terrifying speculation.
Did Emperor Luo intend to prematurely grant the position of Heavenly Master Residence's Taihe to Luo Zhao?
If Luo Zhao could become the Taihe of the Heavenly Master Residence ahead of time, then her position as Crown Prince would truly be as solid as iron.
Of course, this was only speculation.
Whether Emperor Luo actually had such intentions—no one could say for certain.
But merely the possibility was enough to make all those watching the wind reevaluate their choices.
From Lin Qingyan's perspective, however, she clearly hadn't thought that far.
When she first saw the edict, her mind was filled with only one thing: betrothal.
Of course, that was before the battlefield of jealousy.
At that time, Lin Qingyan had felt nothing but joy, completely immersed in the delight of being betrothed.
She hadn't spared a single thought for whether some scheme might be hidden behind the edict.
Like a child who had received a long-coveted piece of candy, she was simply happy—why would she wonder whether the candy was poisoned?
But now, Lin Qingyan had sobered up considerably, no longer blinded by the betrothal.
Though she was still looking at the edict, her expression was subtly different from when she had been in the courtyard earlier.
The joy was still there, but it was no longer pure and unadulterated joy—instead, it carried a heavier layer of something weighty.
Lin Qingyan knew that Emperor Luo, that bastard, wouldn't be so kind-hearted.
She had dealt with Emperor Luo more than once or twice; she knew very well what kind of man this emperor was.
Emperor Luo never bestowed favors without reason—every reward he gave had a corresponding price tag attached.
Today's betrothal of her and Gu Chengyin might appear to be an immense grace.
But behind that grace, there had to be some scheme she didn't yet know of.
Perhaps Emperor Luo was even using her to deal with Gu Chengyin.
The moment this thought surfaced, it lodged in Lin Qingyan's heart like a thorn.
She instinctively tightened her fingers where they held Gu Chengyin's arm, applying subtle pressure, as if confirming that this person was still by her side.
Emperor Luo knew full well of her feelings for Gu Chengyin, yet he chose precisely this moment to issue the betrothal edict.
The timing was so exact, so precise, that Lin Qingyan couldn't help but suspect his motives.
Was he trying to use this marriage to restrain Gu Chengyin?
Was he trying to use her to rein Gu Chengyin in?
Was he trying to make her Gu Chengyin's Achilles' heel?
Though Lin Qingyan desperately wanted to marry Gu Chengyin—desperately, desperately.
She liked Gu Chengyin, liked him enough to set aside the aloofness of the Golden Core Immortal.
Liked him enough to squabble with that cat-girl Gu Xiaoli over jealousy.
Liked him enough that the moment she heard the edict of betrothal, she felt she was the luckiest person in the world.
But Lin Qingyan absolutely would not accept—would never allow—Emperor Luo to use this matter to harm Gu Chengyin.
This was her unassailable boundary.
She liked Gu Chengyin because she wanted what was best for him, not because she wanted her feelings to drag him into trouble.
If this betrothal was Emperor Luo's scheme against Gu Chengyin, then she would rather not have it.
Even if the edict had already been issued, even if it was all legitimate and aboveboard, even if her heart was filled with a thousand reluctant farewells—she would never let Emperor Luo succeed.
Lin Qingyan looked at the edict a few more times, then turned her gaze away.
There was not a trace of lingering reluctance or unwillingness.
In her eyes now, this edict was not a road to happiness.
It was a dagger aimed at Gu Chengyin.
Lin Qingyan's gaze shifted from the bright yellow silk brocade and landed directly on Gu Chengyin's face.
Her eyes reflected the light streaming through the window lattice, shining with startling brightness—like two flames burning quietly.
The flames didn't scorch, yet they burned with an intensity that could not be ignored.
"Chengcheng, even if you reject the betrothal, I won't mind."
Lin Qingyan's tone was resolute, resolute like steel tempered through a thousand strikes—without a hint of hesitation or wavering.
As she spoke, her gaze held steadily on Gu Chengyin without blinking, her lips pressed into a slight line, her chin lifted gently.
Her bearing didn't resemble someone discussing a matter that concerned her lifelong marriage—it was more like she was talking about something trivial and inconsequential.
Of course, Gu Chengyin understood Lin Qingyan's good intentions.
He turned his head, and his gaze collided with hers.
There was no testing in her eyes, no affectation—only stubborn sincerity.
Lin Qingyan truly meant it, and truly intended to follow through.
As long as Gu Chengyin said the word, she would stand by his side without hesitation.
Even if it meant defying the imperial edict, even if it meant going against Emperor Luo, even if it meant giving up the marriage she had so longed for.
Gu Chengyin thought for a moment, then said softly:
"Little aunt, defying an imperial edict means losing your head."
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
