55: I'm pleased that you think this way, but I'm not satisfied with the way you scheme.
“Satisfied, of course I'm satisfied.”
Jiang Yuan stood up from the throne.
The smile on his face was as radiant as sunlight.
While applauding, he slowly walked up to Princess Ji Yue, not sparing his praise:
“Your Highness Princess's ability to achieve Divine Comprehension Through Painting the Dao truly broadened This Imperial Son's horizons.”
“Using the body as the brush, the Dao as the ink, opening the heavens within the painting, and evolving the state—such spirit and such skill are likely unmatched among the current generation of youths.”
Hearing Jiang Yuan's praise, Princess Ji Yue's heart rejoiced.
A trace of smugness flashed in her pair of lively, large eyes.
She knew it.
No man could refuse the temptation of wielding absolute power,
possessing the nation,
and reigning over an Empress.
The Jiang Family Imperial Son was no exception!
“Your Highness Imperial Son, you flatter me.”
She lowered her head slightly and said with feigned humility,
“This humble woman's minor tricks are merely showing off before an expert like Your Highness.”
“Ah, Your Highness Princess, that is incorrect.”
Jiang Yuan waved his hand and said with a serious expression,
“Your painting is good, very good.”
He paused, then changed the subject, saying in a tempting tone:
“So good... that This Imperial Son can't help but wonder what a magnificent sight it would be if the world within this painting could be turned into reality.”
Hearing this, Princess Ji Yue was ecstatic!
It worked!
He took the bait!
Suppressing her inner excitement, she raised her head,
her watery eyes full of anticipation as she looked at Jiang Yuan:
“Then, what does Your Highness mean...”
“What I mean is...”
The smile on Jiang Yuan's face suddenly became playful,
“You passed.”
“Really?!”
Princess Ji Yue was overjoyed.
“Of course it's real.”
Jiang Yuan nodded,
“You are qualified to stand behind me.”
“Thank you, Your Highness Imperial Son!”
Princess Ji Yue quickly bowed, then, filled with excitement, turned and was about to walk toward the empty space behind Jiang Yuan.
However, just as she took two steps, Jiang Yuan's voice leisurely drifted from behind her.
“However...”
Princess Ji Yue's steps suddenly halted, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
She turned back, looking at Jiang Yuan with some unease:
“Your Highness... do you have any other instructions?”
Jiang Yuan looked at her, the smile on his face gradually receding, replaced by a profound depth that made him inscrutable.
“Your Highness Princess's painting is very good, and your ambition is also great.”
“However, there is one thing you seem to have painted incorrectly.”
“Painted incorrectly?”
Princess Ji Yue was startled. “What is wrong?”
“The world and the Divine Dynasty in your painting are indeed grand and powerful,”
Jiang Yuan slowly said,
“But, in that highest Imperial Palace, on that supreme Dragon Throne...”
He walked step by step toward Princess Ji Yue, reached out,
and gently lifted her smooth chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
His voice,
carrying an undeniable dominance and majesty,
sounded in her ear, word by word.
“The one sitting there should be me.”
“And you...”
“Can only kneel at my feet.”
Boom!
Jiang Yuan's words were like a bolt from the blue,
instantly smashing Princess Ji Yue out of her fantasy and back into reality!
She widened her eyes, staring incredulously at the man before her, the color draining completely from her delicate face, leaving it utterly pale.
How dare he speak such treasonous words?!
In the distance, Imperial Uncle Yan of the Great Yan Divine Dynasty suddenly stood up from his seat,
a terrifying burst of Quasi-Emperor Might uncontrollably erupting as he glared furiously at Jiang Yuan.
“Impudent!”
“How dare you insult my Divine...”
However, before he could finish speaking, an even more terrifying and vast Emperors Might instantly emanated from the depths of the Jiang Family, directly crushing his Quasi-Emperor Might to dust!
“Pfft!”
Imperial Uncle Yan was struck as if by a heavy blow, violently spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale.
An aged yet cold voice resonated in everyone's minds.
“On my Jiang Family's territory, disrespecting my Jiang Family's Imperial Son—do you wish to die?”
It was the First Ancestor's voice!
Imperial Uncle Yan's body trembled violently, his eyes filled with boundless terror.
He had been impulsive!
This was the Jiang Family!
A terrifying existence that possessed seven Great Emperors!
Here, let alone a Quasi-Emperor like him, even if the Divine Lord of Great Evolution came personally, he would have to behave obediently!
“F-First Ancestor, please calm your anger! Junior... Junior knows his mistake!”
Imperial Uncle Yan quickly knelt on the ground, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy.
At this moment, his heart was filled with endless regret and fear.
The Divine Lord had sent him here, intending to use this Dao Discussion Assembly,
to probe the Jiang Family's limits and, incidentally, build momentum for Ji Yue,
seeing if the Great Yan Divine Dynasty could secure a more advantageous position in the upcoming Gluttonous Feast.
But he never dreamed that the Jiang Family's reaction would be so intense and domineering!
A living Great Emperor,
had directly made a move just like that!
He had only spoken carelessly;
he hadn't intended,
nor dared, to fight Jiang Yuan.
Princess Ji Yue on the Dao Discussion Platform was utterly pale, her delicate body swaying precariously.
She stared blankly at the man before her whose lips held a cold sneer, her mind a complete blank.
This script was wrong.
She had thought her plan was flawless.
Using the nation and the state as the painting, and the co-ruler of the world as the bait,
no man could resist this temptation.
When Jiang Yuan was tempted,
she would naturally become the Jiang Family Imperial Son's Consort,
and afterwards, using the Jiang Family's power, become the Divine Dynasty Empress,
reigning over the world and unifying the Emperor Immortal Great World alongside Jiang Yuan and the Jiang Family!
As for what happened after that... it would be hard to say who held the true power!
But in all her calculations,
she miscalculated one point.
She treated Jiang Yuan as a chess piece to be used,
a stepping stone.
She forgot that this man was the Jiang Family's Imperial Son!
He was the number one Prodigy on the prodigy list!
He was the Qilin Child jointly protected by seven Great Emperors!
How could he possibly be willing to become someone else's tool?
...“I...”
Ji Yue opened her mouth, wanting to say something,
but found her throat terribly dry, unable to utter a single word.
What could she say?
Say she was wrong?
Say she shouldn't have such great ambition?
But she was a Divine Dynasty Princess; from the moment she was born, she had been indoctrinated to live for the glory of the Divine Dynasty!
As long as the Divine Dynasty prospered,
anything could be utilized... and likewise, discarded!
Jiang Yuan looked at her distraught, teary-eyed appearance, the cold sneer at the corner of his mouth deepening.
“What? Unconvinced?”
He released her chin and took a step back,
looking down at her, his voice indifferent.
“Do you think This Imperial Son humiliated you? Do you think my Jiang Family is bullying others by relying on power?”
“This Imperial Son will state this clearly today.”
“It's fine if your Great Yan Divine Dynasty wants to compete for the world; it's fine if you want to unify the myriad realms.”
“The prerequisite is that you must have the strength.”
“Not like now, relying on a woman, using some petty, underhanded tricks to draw a grand vision and probe my Jiang Family's limits.”
“Who do you think you can hide your little scheme from?”
Jiang Yuan's voice was not loud, but every word pierced her heart, fiercely stabbing Ji Yue's spirit.
Her face was deathly pale, and her delicate body trembled even more violently.
“I... I didn't...”
“Didn't?”
Jiang Yuan laughed, his smile full of mockery,
“Then tell me, whose nation is depicted in your *Painting of the Nation and State*? Whose state is it?”
“Do you dare to say that the emperor you envisioned standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you was not me, Jiang Yuan?”
Ji Yue was rendered speechless by his questions. She could only bite her lip fiercely, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Yuan felt a wave of satisfaction.
If you have an idea, just say it directly.
Isn't it tiring to constantly scheme?
However, scolding is one thing,
but Princess Ji Yue is, after all, a high-scoring candidate at 92 points,
and her Physique is rare.
It would be too much of a pity to just let her go back.
Jiang Yuan's current actions were also part of a plan to make this arrogant 'Future Empress',
settle down,
and stop having unnecessary thoughts.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yuan changed his tone, softening it slightly.
“However, This Imperial Son is not an unreasonable person.”
He looked at Ji Yue and slowly said:
“This Imperial Son is very happy that you possess such ambition,”
“This Imperial Son is very satisfied that you want the Great Yan Divine Dynasty to reach a higher level, but This Imperial Son is not satisfied with your attitude.”
“However, I can give you and the Great Yan Divine Dynasty a chance.”
Ji Yue suddenly raised her head, a glimmer of hope reigniting in her watery eyes.
“Your Highness... is that true?”
“Of course.”
Jiang Yuan nodded,
“As long as you willingly become my person.”
“I, Jiang Yuan, can promise that in the future, your Great Yan Divine Dynasty will become the number one Divine Dynasty under the banner of my Jiang Family!”
“How about it?”
Jiang Yuan looked at her, a playful smile curling on his lips.
He didn't say what he would do to Ji Yue;
he knew that for someone so fanatically brainwashed by the idea of sacrifice,
the glory of the Divine Dynasty served as a much better lure.
The number one Divine Dynasty under the Jiang Family's banner!
Although this differed from Ji Yue's initial vision,
in a certain sense,
it still fulfilled her desire to glorify her Divine Dynasty.
This was equally a fatal temptation for an ambitious woman.
Ji Yue's heart struggled violently.
Either accept his terms,
and fight for a future for her Divine Dynasty.
Or, return shamefully to the Great Yan Divine Dynasty,
bearing this endless humiliation, and pray for the Jiang Family's downfall... She was a smart person; she knew how to choose.
“I...”
She took a deep breath, about to speak.
“Your Highness Princess, there is no need to rush your answer.”
Jiang Yuan interrupted her,
“I will give you time to consider.”