71: Qianyu Empire

Inside the imperial palace of the Qianyu Empire.

Lin Yimeng's eyes were dim. The room she was in was filled with bright red, looking extremely festive.

But her sorrowful expression changed the nature of this festivity, giving it a sense of sadness and desolation.

Once the auspicious hour arrived, she would have to perform the marriage ceremony with the First Prince of the Qianyu Empire.

At the thought of this, Lin Yimeng's eyes were filled with despair and helplessness.

She didn't blame her Imperial Father, for he was also helpless.

When she left the Jinghong Empire, the person most heartbroken was likely her Imperial Father.

But there was no other way. The Jinghong Empire lacked the power to oppose the Qianyu Empire; this was their only option.

If they surrendered to the Qianyu Empire, the Jinghong Empire would Face only one end: complete assimilation, becoming a part of the Qianyu Empire.

The power known as the Jinghong Empire would cease to exist in this world.

This was why Lin Yimeng had taken the initiative to agree to the Qianyu Empire's demands.

At the thought of marrying someone she didn't love, Lin Yimeng felt immense pain. She truly wanted to die, but she couldn't, or the Qianyu Empire would surely vent its rage on the Jinghong Empire.

Suddenly, Lin Yimeng thought of the man who haunted her dreams.

Su Chen!

Ever since their parting in Jinghong City, Lin Yimeng had become completely infatuated with him. She wanted to see Su Chen again every single moment, but unfortunately, her wish was never granted.

Finally, just before she was to be married off to the Qianyu Empire, she wrote a letter expressing her desire to see Su Chen one last time, yet there was still no reply.

Thinking of this, Lin Yimeng felt incredibly sorrowful.

"Does he really not have even a shred of affection for me?"

Lin Yimeng had actually realized long ago that Su Chen might not be interested in her, but she simply couldn't restrain herself and wanted to stay in contact with him.

Eventually, Lin Yimeng let out a deep sigh and stopped dwelling on the matter.

Her feelings were one-sided to begin with. If Su Chen didn't reciprocate, that was her own problem.

Even so, the emotions in her heart surged like a mountain collapse or a tsunami, and tears continuously fell from the corners of her eyes.

Grievance, helplessness, confusion, pain—all sorts of emotions intertwined.

After a long time, a maid slowly walked in and said in a cold tone:

"Princess Consort, Your Highness has given orders. Please follow me."

After she spoke, Lin Yimeng remained where she was. Seeing this, the maid frowned slightly, walked straight up to her, hoisted her up, and led her outside.

To put it nicely, Lin Yimeng was the Princess Consort, but in reality, it was merely a bit of Face the First Prince was leaving for the Jinghong Empire.

A Return to Origin Stage expert was considered a top-tier powerhouse in the Eastern Region. The First Prince also wanted to win one over and wasn't willing to offend him to the death, which was why he went through the motions of holding a wedding.

Soon.

The two entered a lavish hall already filled with people. Each was a powerhouse from the Qianyu Empire, including four from the Return to Origin Stage. They had all come to show their support for First Prince Zhou Mengyang.

In the grand hall, there were no facilities or procedures for a marriage ceremony at all.

Zhou Mengyang wore a bright red robe and sat in the seat of honor, chatting and laughing with others as if it were a normal gathering, not his wedding day.

The Qianyu Empire had existed for a long time and possessed many powerhouses. For instance, First Prince Zhou Mengyang's strength was incredibly terrifying, being at the Returning Origin Late Stage.

And the King of the Qianyu Empire was even more terrifying; it was rumored he had already touched the Saint-Grade.

Of course, these were all rumors.

Today, Zhou Mengyang used the wedding as an excuse to gather the powerhouses who had sided with him, serving as a way to maintain their relationships.

"Your Highness, the Princess Consort has arrived."

A servant walked to Zhou Mengyang's side and whispered.

Zhou Mengyang nodded and said indifferently, "Let her in."

Soon, Lin Yimeng slowly walked in. The powerhouses in the hall all looked at her coldly, but not a single person stood up to greet her.

This was enough to show their contempt for Lin Yimeng.

Lin Yimeng pursed her lips. She walked straight to Zhou Mengyang's side and sat down quietly.

Zhou Mengyang's brow immediately furrowed, and he scolded coldly, "Who told you to sit?"

"Are you not clear about your own status? You think you're worthy of sitting beside me? Get up and go stand to the side."

In his eyes, Lin Yimeng was just a low-status plaything. He had only specifically requested to marry her because he saw that the King Jinghong seemed to care a lot about this daughter.

This was also to make it easier to bring the Jinghong Empire into his pocket in the future.

If it weren't for the fact that he would need to use Lin Yimeng to blackmail the King Jinghong and win over that Return to Origin Stage expert, he wouldn't have even bothered to hold a wedding.

Hearing Zhou Mengyang's words, Lin Yimeng's eyes were full of gloom. She could already foresee what her future would be.

Perhaps her status in the future would be even lower than that of a servant.

Lin Yimeng stood up and silently walked to where the servants stood, standing together with the waiting staff.

However, her body trembled slightly, and her fists were clenched, showing that her heart was far from calm.

In the Jinghong Empire, she was at least a princess with a prestigious status.

Now, she was being made as lowly as a servant. How could anyone bear this?

Lin Yimeng felt incredibly desolate. At this moment, she could no longer Face her fate calmly.

She wanted to die!

Crystal tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Imperial Father."

"Your daughter cannot accept such a future."

Originally, Lin Yimeng felt she could sacrifice herself for the Jinghong Empire, but after actually coming to the Qianyu Empire, she realized she simply couldn't do it.

She could not accept this outcome.

Even if Zhou Mengyang hadn't humiliated her, Lin Yimeng had long harbored the thought of dying. She had only suppressed it in her heart out of fear that the Jinghong Empire would Face retaliation.

But because of this incident, that thought completely erupted.

Suddenly, Zhou Mengyang turned his head. Seeing Lin Yimeng quietly sobbing, he stood up and walked over with a dark expression.

*Slap!*

A crisp sound rang out. Lin Yimeng was slapped directly to the ground, a bright red mark appearing on her delicate Face.

Zhou Mengyang said coldly, "It's a day of great joy. What are you crying for?"

"I am the future Crown Prince of the Qianyu Empire. Being able to marry me is your immense fortune, and yet you feel aggrieved?"

He felt extremely dissatisfied with Lin Yimeng's behavior.

If Lin Yimeng were just an ordinary woman, Zhou Mengyang might not have cared much. But the key was that her beauty was exceptional, rare even within the Qianyu Empire.

She was considered a high-quality woman.

And Lin Yimeng's weeping made it clear she was unwilling to marry him.

This appearance was, to some extent, looking down on him.

He cared a lot about Face, and with so many people present, Zhou Mengyang's pride was provoked by her behavior.

Normally, if Lin Yimeng were willing to humble herself and serve him well, Zhou Mengyang might have given her some status and position. Unfortunately, he no longer had such thoughts.

She was just an ungrateful plaything.

In the grand hall, the other powerhouses looked at Lin Yimeng with eyes full of disdain.

In their view, Zhou Mengyang's status was prestigious. Being able to marry him and enjoy wealth and glory was like hitting the jackpot.

Yet she was acting aggrieved; it was truly quite disgraceful.

Lin Yimeng lay on the ground, feeling the world spinning and a splitting headache.

Zhou Mengyang's slap was not light. If she were an ordinary person, her head might have split open.

Lin Yimeng didn't know where she got the courage, but after regaining her senses, she said with a cold Face:

"Aggrieved? I don't feel aggrieved. I just feel that compared to the man of my dreams, the gap is simply too large. You aren't worthy of being my man at all."

Lin Yimeng's words were sharp to the extreme, and the expressions of many in the hall changed slightly.

To dare speak to the First Prince like that—she was seeking death!

Lin Yimeng had intended to seek death anyway. If Zhou Mengyang killed her, it would happen to fulfill her wish.

Hearing these words, Zhou Mengyang's Face became extremely dark, as if covered by dark clouds, and a cold killing intent erupted from his eyes.

...