Chapter 1083: Emperor Xia's Explicit Declaration

Emperor Xia and Consort Xiao, without lingering, finished the wine Ye Liuyun offered and handed the banquet to the young people.

The moment Emperor Xia left, Xia Tianqiong immediately ran to Ye Liuyun's seat.

"Thank you so much today!"

She even poured a cup of wine for Ye Liuyun herself, wanting to drink a toast together.

Ye Liuyun replied dismissively, "Thank what? It's what I should do! How could I let you marry someone else!"

Nevertheless, he drank the wine with Xia Tianqiong.

Today is their engagement day, so having a drink is appropriate.

But Ye Liuyun also had a question: "Why wait a year before formally taking you as a wife?"

Xia Tianqiong explained, "The Imperial Family has its own rules; marrying a princess requires preparations. Some people need advance notice, some matters need prior arrangement, and it's always set for a year later. It's not like ordinary families where you can just take the daughter away immediately!"

"Oh!" Ye Liuyun, hearing that the Imperial Family's rules are indeed so, said nothing more.

Then the Fourth Prince came over to congratulate Ye Liuyun, toasted him, and introduced many talents from the imperial city.

These talents had never approached him before because they were proud of their stature and looked down on Ye Liuyun.

But now, without the Fourth Prince's introduction, they wouldn't dare come.

Just now, Ye Liuyun's sweeping gaze across the room was terrifying—like a Killer God, a single glance made them' hearts tremble.

They now see that Ye Liuyun not only has strong allies but also personal power, and his methods are ruthless; he's definitely a ruthless person.

Ye Liuyun also realized their perception had changed, so he relaxed his stern expression, returned to his usual calm demeanor, and greeted and chatted with them without arrogance or servility.

From then on, Ye Liuyun's reputation in the imperial city spread.

Before the banquet ended, everyone received Emperor Xia's official proclamation to the world, appointing Ye Liuyun as Prince Consort.

"Great!" Xia Tianqiong and Ling Shuang both laughed.

"What's the matter?" Ye Liuyun asked, puzzled.

The two explained, "You just killed so many people and offended many powerful nobles. Now Father Emperor's proclamation is like a protective umbrella; they won't dare retaliate against you!"

"Oh!" Ye Liuyun replied, though he hadn't cared.

He only felt that the Imperial Family's rules were too many, and he found them hard to adapt to.

"Brother Ye, don't underestimate this. After all, you've offended many big figures this time! Though openly they won't retaliate, you still need to be cautious in secret."

The Fourth Prince warned Ye Liuyun, "Especially now that they know you possess a Sixth Layer Monster Beast, they may send even stronger people against you."

Ye Liuyun nodded solemnly.

Earlier, if he hadn't tried to capture those ferocious beasts alive, he wouldn't have exposed Huo Hu, allowing her to use illusion magic.

He didn't expect his momentary greed to reveal his power. If someone sent an Earth Sovereign of Seventh Layer or higher to kill him, he would truly struggle to deal with it.

"Thanks for the warning!"

Ye Liuyun hurriedly thanked the Fourth Prince. Without his reminder, he truly hadn't considered all this.

After Ye Liuyun, Xia Tianqiong, and Xia Lingshuang dealt with the well-wishers, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Xia Tianqiong and Xia Lingshuang returned to their residence to change clothes, preparing to leave the palace with Ye Liuyun immediately; the Fourth Prince stayed with Ye Liuyun awaiting their return.

At that moment, several Imperial Guard guards approached: "Emperor Xia commands, Prince Consort, please come to the imperial study for a discussion."

Ye Liuyun stood up puzzled, casting a glance at the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince immediately understood and said, "You go, I'll wait here for them."

"Much obliged!" Ye Liuyun replied courteously, then followed the guards.

Emperor Xia summoned him; whether he wanted to go or not, he had to.

He still couldn't read Emperor Xia's attitude, so he kept wildly speculating, not knowing why Emperor Xia wanted to see him.

Ye Liuyun followed the guards for a long stretch before arriving at Emperor Xia's study.

Along the way, many powerful Souls swept back and forth, and he didn't dare to look around casually.

Upon arrival, the guard ushered Ye Liuyun into the study and then stepped back.

Emperor Xia had changed into casual clothes; the study was simply decorated, resembling an ordinary household study. He appeared more approachable, no longer wearing a stern visage.

After the formalities, Emperor Xia invited Ye Liuyun to sit and began an open, frank conversation.

"Do you know why I publicly held a martial contest to find a son-in-law today, yet deliberately didn't tell you?"

"I don't know; please clarify, Emperor Xia!" Ye Liuyun said directly.

Emperor Xia nodded, speaking slowly, "You aren't accustomed to dealing with powerful nobles, so I won't beat around the bush. My purpose is to test you!"

"Test?" Ye Liuyun asked, confused, "Testing my strength?"

Emperor Xia smiled and shook his head, "Your strength is indeed far greater than others of the same rank, but it still doesn't catch my eye; what is there to test? Moreover, I'm just choosing a Prince Consort— even if you lacked cultivation, if I chose you, who would dare move against you? There's nothing to test!"

Ye Liuyun thought that made sense; Emperor Xia must have already investigated his overall abilities.

"What exactly are you testing? Whether I'd risk my life for Tianqiong? Then you should put me in a dangerous situation!" Ye Liuyun couldn't figure out what Emperor Xia intended to test.

Seeing his confused expression, Emperor Xia laughed outright, "It seems you're truly unsuited for power struggles!"

Ye Liuyun immediately bowed and said, "Please clarify, Emperor Xia!"

He indeed had little experience in this area, so he accepted Emperor Xia's assessment.

"Alright! Then I'll be straightforward. What I'm testing is your character and loyalty!"

"Character and loyalty?" Ye Liuyun thought to himself, "I wonder what result he'll draw. He won't see that I had strong opinions about him at the time, will he?"

Emperor Xia continued, "Your character determines how I will treat you later. Though you now command a great army and campaign everywhere, which hasn't yet affected anything, I still must consider your loyalty."

Ye Liuyun nodded; he could understand these points.

Emperor Xia went on, "Your character is overly rigid, lacking flexibility; you're unsuited for navigating official circles. As for loyalty... I see discontent and anger in your eyes, which disappoints me!"

"I thought Emperor Xia was deliberately making things difficult for me!" Ye Liuyun immediately explained.