The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

Wang Defu understood instantly.

Your Majesty... has admitted it.

They accepted that shocking relationship and that unconventional marriage.

"This servant... obeys the decree." Wang Defu bowed, secretly wiping away his sweat.

The Chu Emperor stared at the rolled-up, bright yellow imperial edict and remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he murmured to himself, as if speaking to himself, yet also to that long-gone white-haired figure:

"Of my twelve sons, those who survived were either mediocre, stupid, or crippled."

"In the end, the only one capable of taking over this country and shouldering the responsibility for this nation..."

He chuckled, his laughter filled with self-mockery and desolation:

"It was that most insane, most outrageous, most outrageous, yet also most like me—that wretched child."

He closed his eyes.

What came to mind was Chu Qingyue lying on the bamboo couch, pale and fragile as glass; the unquenchable flame in her eyes when she looked up; and the eerie yet resolute curve of her lips when she whispered "to be buried alive with the dead".

It's just like him when he was young—before the dragon throne had worn down his edges, and he still believed he could carve out a peaceful world with swords and spears.

"Literary and military prowess, decisive in killing, ruthless... in every way, he is no less than me." The Chu Emperor murmured, his smile becoming complex, containing bitterness, pride, and a hint of expectation that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

"It's just a pity she's a girl."

He paused, then suddenly opened his eyes, the last trace of hesitation in them burned away by the raging fire.

The imperial seal was raised and pressed heavily onto the end of the imperial edict.

"Thump—"

The muffled sound echoed in the hall, like the hammer of fate, sealing some irreversible destiny.

"Chu Qingyue, if you really have the ability to destroy Nan Yue..."

He laughed, a laugh that carried the arrogance of an emperor, the stubbornness of a father, and a hint of tragic indulgence:

"This vast land is yours to explore—"

"So what?"

------------

When Si Chen returned to the princess's residence, Ze Sheng was standing on tiptoe outside the vermilion gate, peering out.

The moment that figure in red swept across the long cobblestone street, the blue-haired boy's eyes lit up, like moonlight suddenly bursting forth from the deep sea. He practically leaped over, shouting, "Brother Chen! So fast? Are you thirsty? Hungry? I'll have the kitchen keep some snow frog soup warm—"

Si Chen handed over the sandalwood box, his fingertips as cold as the box itself: "Take it. Let it recognize its master, and I will protect you."

Zesheng's hands were trembling when he took the box.

The moment the box lid was lifted—

Golden light exploded like a boiling sea!

A perfectly round, flawless golden pearl, the size of a pigeon's egg, lay quietly on the dark velvet, its radiance shimmering within, with liquid golden flames seemingly flowing slowly across its surface. A palpable pressure, like a tangible ocean tide, swept over them, carrying the chilling aura unique to royalty.

It was more than three times larger than Ze Sheng's own.

"By the Goddess of the Sea..." The young man gasped, then suddenly grabbed Si Chen's arm, shaking it violently. His voice trembled with excitement. "Brother Chen! You're my own brother! Closer than blood! From now on, you can eat as much as you want at Zuixianlou! Put the bill on my tab! I'll take care of all the children you and your sister-in-law have! I'll take them all over the world to find pearls!"

Si Chen frowned slightly as he was shaken, and as he withdrew his arm, the corner of his sleeve brushed against Ze Sheng's hand, carrying a cool plum blossom scent: "Enough nonsense. Quickly merge."

"Okay, okay!" Zesheng replied repeatedly, but his eyes were still glued to the golden pearl, so infatuated that he couldn't look away. "We have to go to the lotus pond... we have to get wet in it."

He suddenly looked up, his azure eyes blinking, a hint of hesitation in them: "Brother Chen, this mermaid pearl... how did you get it? A mermaid royal pearl, unless the person willingly gives it away, or it's taken by the royal family themselves, will explode upon contact. Even with your high spiritual power, it would be difficult to take it by force, wouldn't it? Unless…"

The boy paused, then lowered his voice: "Unless your sister-in-law knew you back then and used the secret techniques of the Nine Li Witchcraft Palace to help you."

Si Chen stood quietly in the wind, his red robes fluttering like a blood-red flag.

After a long pause, he finally uttered a few words, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about someone else's business:

"That person gave it to me himself."

Ze Sheng's eyes widened: "Give it to yourself? A mermaid pearl is half a life..." He suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice, "My mother said that there was a princess in the mermaid royal family who was incredibly beautiful but bloodthirsty. She would kill even ordinary mermaids on sight. Later, she fell in love with a mortal man and wanted to kidnap him and bring him back to the sea palace to marry him. However, the mortal man stole her mermaid pearl instead. After losing the pearl, the princess went even crazier, hunting down her own kind for the pearl. In the end, she was locked in the abyss sea prison and has not come out to this day."

He stared at Si Chen's stunningly handsome profile—his eyebrows resembled distant mountains, his eyes were like stars reflected in a cold pool, and his thin lips were pressed into a detached arc.

"Brother Chen is so handsome..." Ze Sheng's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice so soft it was as if he were afraid of startling something, "That mortal who drove the princess mad, could it be...?"

Si Chen remained silent.

The wind swept through the corridor, lifting a few strands of his silver hair and brushing against his pale, paper-white cheeks. In the depths of those always indifferent eyes, it seemed as if magma was surging, only to be quickly frozen again.

"To the lotus pond." He turned around, his red robes drawing a solitary arc in the sunlight.

Ze Sheng clicked his tongue and dared not ask any more questions.

-----------

The lotus pond is filled with emerald leaves reaching to the sky, and red lotus blossoms stand tall and graceful. The water reflects the flowing clouds, and it is so quiet that you can hear the soft sound of fish tails splashing in the water.

Zesheng jumped into the water.

His clothes were instantly soaked, clinging to the boy's thin body. He floated on the water, solemnly took out the golden bead, and drew a line across his heart with his fingertip—three drops of crimson heart's blood fell and landed on the bead.

The golden beads hummed and vibrated!

Like a proud dragon enraged, the pearl exploded with golden light, unleashing a violent pressure that churned the pool water and made the lotus leaves tremble violently. Ze Sheng groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He tried to press the golden pearl down into his dantian by forming hand seals, but the pearl darted left and right, its golden light like knives, cutting his palms and tearing his skin.

Si Chen pointed to one point.

Silver spiritual energy poured down like moonlight, transforming into countless strands that coiled upwards, attempting to suppress him. But his face quickly turned pale, and the spiritual energy at his fingertips flickered erratically—his old wounds had not yet healed, and forcibly using his primordial power had backfired like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart.

At a stalemate.

A clear, crisp voice pierced the air, carrying the ancient rhythm unique to the Nine Li Witches' Palace, each word seemingly striking the soul:

"The Nine Li awaken the sorcerer, the mermaid pearl returns to its body; the pulse draws across the azure seas, the cinnabar platform is established!" Advance—!!!

Chu Qingyue had already stood by the pool at some point.

She was still wearing that light blue blood-stained dress, her white hair unbound, fluttering lightly in the wind. With one hand, she formed a dazzlingly complex hand seal, a faint light flashing at her fingertips, as if she had invoked some invisible law of heaven and earth.

The frenzied Jinzhu suddenly paused.

As if gently caressed by an invisible hand, or forcibly suppressed by a supreme authority, it hummed unwillingly a few times before finally obediently sinking into Zesheng's dantian.

The warm current exploded out with a roar!

Ze Sheng's body shone with a brilliant blue light, and his legs in the water transformed into a mermaid tail—no longer the original sea blue, but a dazzling golden color! His blue hair became even more lustrous, like deep-sea silk, and his eyes turned into an extreme azure. The majesty of the mermaid royal family rippled outwards like the tide.