Eat Your Soft Rice with a Hard Hand

His father and mother had also been joined in a political marriage.

According to the old man in his family:

Back then, the Church had been in an extremely dangerous position and desperately needed powerful allies to stand behind it.

To win the support of a powerful, reclusive sect and establish a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership between the Church and the sect,

the old man had offered the future Pope—him, Qian Yuhan, who had not yet been born—as proof of his sincerity: the child would carry the blood of the reclusive sect. And so, the two sides had arranged a marriage.

History... had always been a circle.

"Your Majesty, may I understand this as a political exchange? You offer me a princess, along with your protection and support, in the hope of investing in a future Guardian Douluo who will safeguard the Sun Moon Empire."

After a long silence, Qian Yuhan slowly raised his head and looked at the old emperor with his deep golden eyes as he spoke.

"As expected, you're a clever child. You understand what I mean."

The old emperor's eyes gleamed just as deeply. But now, his tone held not only an emperor's resolve, but also a kind of... unmistakable helplessness:

"That's how the world works. All sorts of exchanges take place. Even I must 'make deals' with my ministers to secure their support and ensure they carry out my orders."

"So now, as emperor, I am investing in the future of the Sun Moon Empire, in exchange for your promise and assurance that you will protect it!"

Old Qian, accept! Sure, you'll have to sell your good looks and work like an ox, but this deal is a bargain for us.

The Rakshasa Phantom had done the math quite simply. With Qian Yuhan's talent, and a little help from it, he wouldn't have to suffer through decades of grueling trials like Bibi Dong, whose stingy divine trial had given her nothing but the Ninth Trial.

Even if Qian Yuhan became a god late, it would still be somewhere between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five.

How many years would he have to work like an ox for the Sun Moon Empire, anyway?

A few years of hard labor in exchange for a life of luxurious comfort—it was a huge profit.

And as for the time needed to repair the Angel Godhood... Please. By the time they got around to repairing it, Qian Yuhan would already have inherited at least one First-Level Godhood. Even if he did nothing but stroll back and forth outside Bright Capital, he'd be a top-level strategic deterrent.

"..."

Qian Yuhan didn't hurry to answer the old emperor. He lowered his eyes and pretended to consider the offer, while telling the Rakshasa Phantom:

I know this political deal is a bargain for us. I also know that if I refuse, there's a good chance they won't let us leave. But... I... don't like one-sided deals proposed by other people. If I have to make a deal, it'll be one I propose, one I lead, and one where I hold the initiative.

Ohoho! ﾟДﾟ I get it! You're going to eat the soft rice with a hard hand! That's just like you, Old Qian! Impressive, Old Qian!

The Rakshasa Divine Sense suddenly understood (･д･).

The Rakshasa Divine Sense was greatly shocked (O∆O).

The Rakshasa Divine Sense was filled with respect (꒪⌓꒪).

And in truth, that was exactly the case.

The person in the hall more anxious than Qian Yuhan wasn't anyone else. It was the seemingly all-powerful old emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Kun.

He watched Qian Yuhan lower his eyes in thought, feeling utterly miserable:

Come on, what are you hesitating about? Aren't my terms good enough? I'm offering resources to cultivate you, people to protect you, and even a precious princess to marry you, giving you a place among the imperial family.

How could these terms not be good?

Please, just accept!

Even if you ask for a few extra conditions, I can still agree.

At last, under the old emperor's anxious gaze, Qian Yuhan looked up and nodded. In a deep voice, he said, "I can swear on my Martial Soul that I'm willing to accept the Sun Moon Empire's protection and Your Majesty's 'support and cultivation.' I'm also willing to take on the responsibilities that come with accepting this gift."

"But affection can't be forced. I understand the courage it takes for Your Majesty, as an emperor, to sacrifice anything for your empire, and I can sympathize with how difficult it is for you as a father. So, as for becoming your son-in-law, I think we should talk about that another time."

At that moment, Qian Yuhan's presence not only stood firm against Xu Kun's imposing imperial aura, but even seemed ready to press back against it.

Xu Kun had no time to care about such a small matter. All he knew was that he had waited here until the middle of the night and finally secured a peerless young talent for the Sun Moon Empire.

But the boy's words sounded as though there was no problem, yet somehow they felt a little off.

What did he mean by affection couldn't be forced and they could talk about becoming his son-in-law another time?

Did he see the princess of the Sun Moon Empire as an optional extra that could be discarded?

How outrageous! His Tianzhen might be a little spoiled, a little hot-tempered, a little lazy in her cultivation, a little too free with money, and a little stubborn. Sometimes she could even be a little... naive... but she...

The more Xu Kun thought about it, the less confident he felt. The corner of his eye twitched as he thought:

Damn, if I set aside her status as a princess, my Tianzhen really might not be good enough for this boy... But without tying him to the imperial family through marriage, I just can't feel secure!

At the thought, Xu Kun's bronze-colored old face twitched. Then, with an almost conciliatory air, he started making light of it:

"Hahaha, if you ask me, affection... can be cultivated over time. I hear most young people have their first romance while they're still students. As it happens, my Tianzhen is nearly old enough to start school. Why don't the two of you go to an academy together and cultivate some affection?"

"An academy?"

The unfamiliar word caught Qian Yuhan's interest. He had been taught one-on-one by his elders his whole life, and a faint light briefly sparked in his golden eyes.

Oh, there's a chance!

Xu Kun's keen old eyes naturally caught Qian Yuhan's subtle change in expression. If he was willing to go to an academy, they'd already cleared the first, near-impossible hurdle.

My dear daughter, Father has done everything he can to help you. The rest is up to you.

"May I ask which is the foremost academy in the Sun Moon Empire?" Qian Yuhan asked.

"It is naturally the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. I graduated from the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy as a 'straight-A student' myself," Xu Kun replied guiltily.

"All right. I understand."

"Yawn~ I really am getting old. I can't stay up until the middle of the night like you young people anymore. If I keep this up, I'll be nodding off at tomorrow's court."

"You and Xu Yan must be tired after traveling all day. Go and get some rest. As for a small matter like enrolling, just ask Xu Yan to help you!"

With that, the old emperor yawned lazily, picked up his teacup, and made a show of sending them off.