19: Weird Empress Sister! Only Master can make the decision!

Empress Mu Qingning, Imperial Sister, and he all possessed communication treasures bestowed by their Immortal Master.

Within the Great Gan territory, no matter where they were, they could send messages to each other!

In the past, after breaking through during his secluded cultivation, Li Shengyuan would also go to the imperial palace to report his cultivation progress to Imperial Sister.

But it was his first time seeing Empress Mu Qingning so eager to meet him.

What could it be for?

Li Shengyuan felt a bit confused, then said to his younger brother and sister:

"You two go play for a bit, I need to go into the palace to see Imperial Sister."

His younger brother, Li Xinghe, as expected, slipped away.

On the other hand, Little Fatty, Li Ruotang, bit her finger, her eyes full of anticipation as she asked:

"Big Brother, does Imperial Sister still have good food if we go now?"

"Yes, whenever you go, there'll be good food waiting for you!" Li Shengyuan said with a smile, picking up Li Ruotang.

Li Ruotang then wrapped her arms around Li Shengyuan's neck, swallowing and saying:

"Then I want to go with Big Brother to see Imperial Sister."

"Little glutton." Li Shengyuan laughed, flicking Li Ruotang's small nose.

Li Shengyuan carried Li Ruotang all the way to the Weiyang Palace, where Empress Mu Qingning resided.

Besides the familiar Princess Pingyang, Li Shengyuan also saw the elegant and still charming Empress Dowager.

Although his relationship with Empress Mu Qingning and Princess Pingyang was extraordinary, it was rare to see the Empress Dowager, who lived deep within the imperial harem.

Seeing her in Empress Mu Qingning's palace, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

The main thing was, why did the Empress Dowager and Imperial Sister seem to have strange expressions today?

"Li Shengyuan greets Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, and Princess Pingyang."

Li Shengyuan pulled Li Ruotang to bow.

Empress Mu Qingning nodded indifferently, "Junior Brother and Ruotang, please be seated."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As Li Shengyuan took his seat, he secretly glanced at Princess Pingyang, who was looking down. Why did her mood seem off?

The Empress Dowager and Imperial Sister also seemed a bit distant…

This made Li Shengyuan feel as if only ten days of seclusion had passed, yet it felt like an eternity.

What exactly happened?

After Li Shengyuan was seated, Empress Mu Qingning's cold and stunningly beautiful face showed a faint, satisfied smile as she noticed the lingering, somewhat restless aura on him from his breakthrough.

"It seems Junior Brother's cultivation has advanced again after ten days of seclusion! Your Dao cultivation should have broken through to the Fourth Grade Nascent Soul Realm, right?"

"And your body is still imbued with the lingering charm of the Conception, flowing endlessly, so your Conception must have reached perfection, right?!"

"Imperial Sister has sharp eyes. I had a small breakthrough after gaining some insights." Li Shengyuan responded with a humble smile.

He was also very satisfied with the results of these short ten days of cultivation.

Moreover, after his Conception breakthrough, he took the opportunity to absorb Liu Xiu's purple trait: [Overwhelming Luck], and blue trait: [Extraordinary Comprehension].

However, he hadn't felt much change yet.

Mysterious things like comprehension and luck couldn't be observed overnight.

If one's comprehension was strong, one could attain enlightenment just by looking at a stone.

And when luck reached a certain level, it wouldn't be as simple as picking up money on the street; perhaps a casual cultivation could lead directly to a breakthrough to the Third Grade…

But at this moment, the Empress Dowager, who was seated at the side, frowned slightly and said with a hint of displeasure:

"Gold Robe Li, this is the imperial palace, not your master's place. There is a distinction between ruler and subject; you must address her as Your Majesty!"

Li Shengyuan was stunned. When the three of them were together before, he had also called her Imperial Sister, and the Empress Dowager hadn't said anything then, had she?

She even said that the Imperial Sister and Junior Brother had a good relationship…

Why was there suddenly a distinction between ruler and subject now?

However, Li Shengyuan still cupped his hands respectfully and said, "The Empress Dowager is right to admonish me; Shengyuan is ignorant of etiquette."

Li Ruotang, sitting beside Li Shengyuan, also noticed the strange atmosphere. She didn't sit next to Imperial Sister and vie for her attention as usual.

Instead, she sat obediently beside Li Shengyuan, pulling on his robe, not saying a word.

The Empress Dowager, however, looked at Empress Mu Qingning, who was in the main seat, and continued:

"And Your Majesty as well, since you are meeting with a subordinate, you should address them by their official title. Although Gold Robe Li is a heaven-blessed genius and Your Majesty's junior brother, he is ultimately a subordinate."

"Mother is right."

Empress Mu Qingning's cold expression remained unchanged. Her nod in response was considered giving the Empress Dowager face.

Then she looked at Li Shengyuan and said indifferently, "Junior Brother, the reason I urgently summoned you tonight is to inform you of something."

Li Shengyuan couldn't help but smile inwardly at Imperial Sister's address.

You are an elder, I won't refute you, but I'm mainly rebellious; whether I listen or not is my business.

Li Shengyuan suddenly felt that Empress Mu Qingning was quite cute like this.

However, he couldn't be as rebellious as Imperial Sister. He still had to show some respect to the Empress Dowager, who would be his future dual mother-in-law.

"Your Majesty, please speak." Li Shengyuan said respectfully.

But Imperial Sister's next words made him widen his eyes in shock.

Imperial Sister said with a cold and indifferent expression, "Mother came to me a few days ago to discuss Princess Pingyang's marriage, saying she had found a suitable husband for her…"

"And the person Mother values is precisely you!"

Li Shengyuan immediately widened his eyes in astonishment. This was too sudden. He was only twenty this year; was he getting married so early?

Although the object was Princess Pingyang, Li Shengyuan still felt it was a bit early.

Eh, no…

Li Shengyuan detected a slight abnormality.

If it was truly as Imperial Sister said, and this marriage was proposed by the Empress Dowager herself, then her attitude towards him seemed a bit off, didn't it?

They say a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law and likes him more and more, but this Empress Dowager seemed very displeased with him!

And Princess Pingyang too, since she arrived, he saw her looking down, sullen and wronged. If it weren't for others being present, she would probably have been nestled in his arms seeking comfort by now.

Could it be…

Li Shengyuan's eyes twitched, and he thought of a possibility.

"But I refused this marriage."

Imperial Sister's indifferent words just confirmed Li Shengyuan's conjecture.

But why did Imperial Sister sound like she was gritting her teeth… Li Shengyuan thought to himself.

The Empress Dowager's expression was cold, and she said nothing.

And Princess Pingyang lowered her head even further, tears even faintly appearing in her eyes.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew even heavier. Although Little Fatty, Li Ruotang, didn't know what 'marriage' meant, she could sense the strange atmosphere.

Her small face couldn't help but show a frightened expression, and she leaned closer to Big Brother.

Empress Mu Qingning explained, "Princess Pingyang is my younger sister. I naturally hope she can marry a good husband. If the person is Junior Brother, I would naturally be at ease."

"However… besides being Gold Robe Li of the Demon Suppression Division, who has achieved great merits, Junior Brother is also my junior brother, and even more, the disciple of the National Preceptor!"

"Although Master is currently traveling abroad, she had already instructed me that Junior Brother bears the mission of Great Gan and must not be burdened by love. He must only focus on the Dao and cultivate diligently!"

Li Shengyuan was left dumbfounded by Imperial Sister's words.

Why didn't I know Master said I bear a mission? What mission could I, a great villain, possibly have?

To kill all the Children of Destiny?

Li Shengyuan opened his mouth, but ultimately held back, planning to discuss it privately with Empress Mu Qingning later.

Imperial Sister then continued, "Therefore, I cannot interfere with Junior Brother's marriage. We can only wait for Master to return from her travels, and let her decide!"

"Before then, no matter who it is, I will not agree to any marriage proposals concerning Junior Brother!"

Finally, she looked at the Empress Dowager, who appeared calm but was secretly gritting her teeth, and said:

"If Mother chooses another young talent for Princess Pingyang, I will immediately issue an imperial decree to finalize that marriage!"

"I don't want anyone else! I don't want anyone but Li Gege!"

Princess Pingyang suddenly looked up, tears in her eyes, at Imperial Sister.

Although she appeared delicate, her resolve was stronger than ever before.