On the Ark.

Ah, my occupational hazard is acting up again; I almost forgot what I came here to do.

Chen Wei rubbed her forehead, then mentally reminded herself that she wasn't attending the engagement ceremony as a police officer from the Longmen Guard Bureau, but rather as a close friend of the princess. Long ago, Chen had lived in Chang'an, the capital of Yan Kingdom, for a period of time, where she formed a deep friendship with the then-young Princess Ying Li. Even after Chen arrived in Longmen, they frequently kept in touch by phone until Chen joined the Guard Bureau, and Ying Li, in her capacity as princess, began to perform duties, at which point their contact gradually faded.

Even so, Chen still had to come to attend such an important event as the engagement ceremony.

So she asked Jingzhe about the engagement ceremony process.

Jingzhe's answer was also very concise: "Tomorrow at three o'clock in the afternoon, Her Highness the Princess and the Crown Prince of the Eastern Kingdom, Haoguang Zhuqing, will exchange rings in front of the statue of the First Emperor, as well as the Second Prince Yingjie and a group of officials, gentry and commoners of Luocheng, and then sign the marriage contract."

"Isn't exchanging rings done at the wedding?" Chen asked.

"The wedding will be held in the Eastern Kingdom, where the Emperor will bestow his blessing upon them," Jingzhe said. "In Luo City, it will simply be an exchange of rings and the signing of the marriage contract."

Chen understood a little.

After all, Ying Li was marrying into the Eastern Kingdom, so the wedding absolutely couldn't be held in the Yan Kingdom. However, as a legitimate princess of the Yan Kingdom, it would be too undignified for her to marry quietly, hence the engagement ceremony. Since the engagement ceremony wasn't a formal wedding, neither the current emperor nor even the eldest prince attended. It was instead hosted by the second prince, taking place beneath the statue of the First Emperor, symbolizing the supreme power of the Yan Kingdom, thus ensuring that all aspects were considered.

However, thinking this way, Chen felt a little wronged for Ying Li. After all, it was her engagement ceremony, and not even her father and eldest brother showed up. Her mother had passed away early, and her only direct relative was her second brother. Thinking about it this way, the Yan royal family had indeed taken care of their own face, but had completely failed to consider Ying Li's feelings.

Chen then asked, "Where is Her Highness? May I see her?"

If an ordinary person had said that, Jingzhe would have thought she was sick. How could the princess be someone one could just see whenever one wanted? However, before coming, the Inspector General had already told Jingzhe about the relationship between Chen and the princess, so Jingzhe did not refuse directly. She simply said, "Her Highness doesn't want to see anyone these days, but if it's you, I'm willing to ask for you."

Chen nodded and said, "Thank you for your help."

Jingzhe shook her head, indicating that she was alright.

Then Chen thought about marrying the crown prince of the Eastern Kingdom, wondering if Ying Li would be willing.

However, based on Chen's understanding of Ying Li, she felt that Ying Li was most likely unwilling. Although she was a member of the royal family, in Chen's view, Ying Li had always been a very opinionated person. Such a person would not be willing to so hastily hand over the rest of her life to someone else, especially to marry into the Eastern Kingdom and become the first legitimate princess in Yan Kingdom's history to marry into another country. Just thinking about it, one could feel the resentment in Ying Li's heart.

But what could she do even if she was unwilling? As a princess, there was very little she could do.

Chen wondered to himself, if he put her in Ying Li's position and made her a princess of high status, the price of which was marrying into the Eastern Kingdom, would she be willing?

The answer came almost instantly.

She would rather work overtime in the Guard Bureau for the rest of her life than be a decorative figurehead sacrificed for politics.

Thinking this way, Chen felt even more sorry for Ying Li. Considering that Ying Li didn't want to see outsiders, her guess was probably true, so she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Jingzhe heard her sigh and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen shook his head, then noticed that Jingzhe's gaze was fixed on the Chixiao sword at his waist.

"Is that Chixiao?" Jingzhe asked.

Chen nodded: "Yes, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Jingzhe shook her head as well. She wasn't very interested in Chixiao, but when she saw Chixiao, she couldn't help but think of a certain unlucky prince who was banished to the cold palace for pulling out a sword he shouldn't have.

Tomorrow is the princess's engagement ceremony; I wonder what he will do.

……

Snapped.

Lin Ye slammed his hand on the table: "What kind of ridiculous plans are these?"

"How is this a rip-off?" the Iron-Eating Beast said somewhat unhappily. "I clearly adapted these from the most popular action movies of recent years, and I guarantee they'll get high ratings."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly: "Are we chasing ratings right now? What ratings do we need? Besides, reality and movies are very different! In movies, the male lead can take on ten people at once, but in reality, if I went to fight ten Imperial Guards, I'd be dead on the spot! And there are more than ten Imperial Guards here!"

The Iron-Eating Beast was also helpless: "If that's how you put it, then I have no other choice. This is the best solution I can come up with."

"Then why... sigh, never mind." Lin Ye slumped onto the sofa, feeling a headache coming on.

He originally wanted to say to the Iron-Eating Beast, "If you don't have a good plan, why are you encouraging him?" But then he thought, even if the Iron-Eating Beast said nothing, he would probably... no, he definitely would go anyway, regardless of what the Iron-Eating Beast said. Unfortunately, no matter how he thought about it, the probability of them successfully kidnapping Ying Li at the engagement ceremony was infinitesimally close to zero.

Of course, this doesn't include the "natural disaster" Skadi mentioned. It's just that the "natural disaster" sounded really far-fetched.

"We can only try to sneak in and see if there's a chance." Lin Ye sat up straight and said to the Iron-Eating Beast, "You can stay at the hotel tomorrow, or just leave Luo City. Just don't get involved with us."

"why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Aren't you afraid of losing your life?" Lin Ye said irritably. "Do you think it's worth risking your life with people you've only known for less than half a month?"

“It’s definitely not worth dying with you guys.” The Iron-Eating Beast’s eyes gleamed. “But then again, what chance do ordinary people have to kidnap Her Highness the Princess? This is something even more exciting than making a movie. If I miss it, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.”

"You...you're such a weirdo." Lin Ye couldn't help but shake his head, then stood up. "Whatever, I'm going back to sleep."

Without waiting for the Iron-Eating Beast's response, Lin Ye, feeling irritated, left the living room and went from the balcony to another suite.

Just as he was getting ready to take a shower and go to bed, a voice sounded behind him: "Have you made up your mind yet?"

Lin Ye was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to look at the woman standing not far away.

"Messiah?!"

……

……

The author's comment: I feel like the setup isn't enough, but then I feel like if I go on and on, it'll be a bit too much.

It's like, without realizing it, this book has been written for almost a year, 150 million words. It feels like I've written a lot, but at the same time, it feels like I haven't written much. It's hard to believe.

Chapter 575 It's Raining

Los Angeles, the Prince's Palace.

“This afternoon, my father called to inquire about the preparations for the ceremony.” Ying Jie stood on the open-air balcony, gazing at the starry night sky, and said slowly, “He attaches great importance to this ceremony, and this is the first time he has entrusted me, rather than my elder brother, to host such a large-scale event.”

Standing behind Ying Jie, Hao Guangzhuqing smiled and said, "It seems that His Majesty also prefers you to inherit the throne of Yan Kingdom."

Ying Jie gave a soft hum: "It's too early to say that, but it does prove that Father is indeed shifting his focus towards me, my restless elder brother, and the shift is becoming increasingly significant."

"So all we have to do is wait for the day when the throne completely shifts to you, is that right?" Haoguang Zhuqing said with a smile. "No wonder Your Highness is in such a good mood today."

Ying Jie turned and glanced at Hao Guangzhuqing: "How do you know I'm in a good mood?"

"It's just a feeling," Haoguang Zhuqing said. "If my feeling is wrong, I hope Your Highness will not blame me."

“Heh, although I don’t like people guessing my thoughts, you’re right,” Ying Jie said. “I am indeed in a good mood, but not because of my father’s phone call. I’m not someone who’s easily satisfied… I’m just happy because I’ve gotten rid of a troublesome guy.”

"Troublesome people?" Haoguang Zhuqing asked. "There are people who can cause you trouble? May I ask what kind of people they are?"

“This kind of person is very common.” Ying Jie turned around and faced the bright candlelight, and said slowly, “There are many families like this. Because he is the youngest child in the family, he can get the love and respect of everyone in the family, the attention of friends and relatives, and even make many people forget that there are two older children in this family… Oh, the eldest son is the eldest son after all, and he will not be forgotten, but if he is the second son, not the second son of the youngest son, then he will become like a transparent person. No matter what happens, he will never get a chance to do anything.”

After listening to Ying Jie's words, Hao Guangzhuqing pondered for a moment, and then cautiously asked, "Are you talking about Lili?"

"No, she doesn't count. I wouldn't even consider a woman a threat... Besides, when did I ever say this was my own business?" Ying Jie's tone had turned much colder.

Haoguang Zhuqing quickly apologized.

"In short, if there are three children in a family, the second child in the middle is the least favored," Ying Jie said slowly. "But if there are only two children in a family, and the second child becomes the youngest, then things will be much better. The reason I was able to compete with my eldest brother for the throne is not only because my eldest brother's behavior displeased our father, but also because, apart from Ying Li, I was the only other child left in our family."

Hao Guangzhuqing seemed to understand Ying Jie's meaning, but he dared not ask any further questions. He simply said, "Rest assured, Your Highness. The Eastern Kingdom will fully support your succession to the throne. After completing the engagement ceremony with Lili, I will immediately go to Chang'an to meet the Emperor and explain your outstanding qualities to him. With the success of your presiding over this ceremony, I believe the Emperor will pay even more attention to you."

Ying Jie nodded slightly without saying a word.

"Oh, right." Haoguang Zhuqing placed a black box he was carrying on the table. "This is a gift for you."

Ying Jie turned his head and saw Hao Guangzhuqing open the black box, inside which was a golden sword.

"This was crafted over three years by a national treasure-level blacksmith from the Eastern Kingdom," Hao Guangzhuqing said with a smile. "I don't need to elaborate on the quality of that master's work. You know swords, and I'm sure you can feel its weight. And its name is—Yushin-kiri."

"Mikoto-kiri? What an arrogant name." Ying Jie's brows furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed. "But I like it."

He stepped forward, preparing to take the knife from the case, when suddenly a drop of water fell on the back of his hand.

Ying Jie stopped, and he slowly raised his head, seeing countless raindrops falling in the night sky.

……

Los Angeles, a country villa.

“Huijie,” Ying Li asked, “how many years has it been since we last met?”

Chen put down his teacup and said seriously, "Your Highness, it was seven years ago."

"Seven years already? It's been so long," Ying Li said. "Time flies. But Hui Jie, you don't need to call me Your Highness, just call me Ying Li. There are no outsiders here now, so there's no need to worry about formalities."

Chen wasn't the type to be pretentious, so he nodded.

“I’m so glad you came all this way to attend my engagement ceremony,” Ying Li said with a smile. “It seems you haven’t forgotten me, Hui Jie… no, you should be called Inspector Chen now? You actually did that kind of work, you really are something else.”

"Hobbies?" Ying Li said softly. "That's wonderful. Speaking of which, you can attend my engagement ceremony, but I won't be able to attend your wedding in the future."

“I have no plans to get married,” Chen said.

Ying Li blinked: "Really?"

Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "At least not for now."

Ying Li smiled and nodded: "Being able to make decisions about your own marriage is indeed a very good thing."

Looking at Ying Li in front of him, Chen couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, you..."

Ying Li raised her hand to stop Chen from speaking, and then said softly, "I've already said, you don't need to call me Your Highness here. And I know what you want to say, but there's nothing I can do about it. Who told me to be born into the imperial family?"

After they finished speaking, a "pitter-patter" sound came from the window. The two of them turned their heads together and saw raindrops hitting the window.

"It's raining." Ying Li stood up, walked to the window, looked up at the increasingly heavy rain, a hint of worry flashed in her eyes, and then said softly in a voice that Chen couldn't hear, "Please, please don't do anything foolish."

……

Los Angeles, on the coast.

A woman carrying a greatsword stood on a reef, gazing at the boundless deep sea, her long, gray hair blowing in the sea breeze.

Skadi slowly bent down and gently stroked the seawater that was lapping against the rocks.

Then listen to the low murmur echoing from the depths of the sea.

……

Los Angeles, Starlight Hotel, 30th floor, Heavenly Palace Suite.

A little girl with horns sat on the edge of the balcony, her two feet dangling in mid-air and swinging back and forth, her tail swaying back and forth.

As the rain soaked her hair, she slightly raised her head, looked at Luo City under the rain curtain, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Then Grani's voice came from inside the room: "Nian, let's go get some late-night snacks."

She immediately stopped smiling and went back to her cute and innocent look.