A short distance away.
Dai Yue, who had been sitting there with a haughty, icy expression, putting on airs, also looked stunned. She asked instinctively, "Y-you, what do you mean?"
"I came to Star Luo City to propose, but I wasn't proposing to you, Your Highness."
"Then you..."
Chen Fan paused, rose to his feet, and pointed to a corner of the hall. "I'm going to propose to them!"
Almost everyone's gaze shifted in the direction he pointed, and they froze.
In that corner, several palace maids were carrying wine pots and fruit platters, carefully weaving between the tables.
Among them were two young women who looked alike, with slender figures. They kept their heads down and moved somewhat awkwardly. At a glance, it was clear they'd been called in at the last minute to help.
They wore palace-maid uniforms, but there was something about their bearing that set them apart from ordinary maids.
"Th-those two from the Xu Family, the dukes?"
"The Xu Family? You mean the fallen ducal family?"
"Wait, how did they get involved with the Seven Kill Sect?"
The ministers whispered among themselves, their eyes full of shock and confusion.
The Xu Family?
The Xu Family had apparently been a ducal house a hundred years ago, but the family had lacked capable successors, and by now they'd fallen to the level of a humble family.
Even the Xu Family head was just a minor official who'd barely made it through the gates of the court, with a Soul Power Level of only a little over sixty—an Emperor Soul Master.
The Seven Kill Sect was turning down the good match of the eldest princess, only to seek the Xu Family's daughters instead. Wasn't this just a slap in Dai Li's face?
Sure enough!
Once the ministers realized this, they turned to look at Dai Li.
The smile on Dai Li's face had frozen completely. "Sect Master Chen, you... you're joking, right?"
"What do you think?"
The smile on Dai Li's face slowly faded.
He'd thought Chen Fan was joking, but after hearing that question, his heart sank.
Empress Zhu's expression had also turned rather grim, though she said nothing. Perhaps she'd never seen a scene like this before.
"You..."
Dai Yue was young and hot-blooded. The stunned look on her face turned to disbelief, then to shame and fury. "What do you mean?!"
This pretty boy actually dared to reject her?!
What sort of status did he have?!
And he thought he could reject her?
"Chen Fan, explain yourself! W-what do you mean?"
Dai Yue gritted her teeth, her voice trembling.
Chen Fan lowered his hand and replied coolly, "I mean exactly what I said."
"I did come to Star Luo City to propose."
"But I never said I was proposing to the imperial family."
The moment he said this, a wave of sharp gasps swept through the hall.
That was right!
From beginning to end, the Seven Kill Sect's sect master had never said outright that he'd come to seek the eldest princess's hand!
The rumor had always been that "the new sect master of the Seven Kill Sect is coming to Star Luo City to propose," but it had never said "to the imperial family," had it?
They were the ones who'd jumped to conclusions and assumed the Seven Kill Sect's sect master had come to Star Luo City for the eldest princess!
Empress Zhu's face turned red, then white. She opened her mouth to argue, but realized she had nothing to say.
Because Chen Fan was telling the truth.
"You all assumed I'd come to seek the eldest princess's hand, then took it upon yourselves to offer me all sorts of conditions."
At that, Chen Fan paused and flashed a teasing smile. "Unfortunately, I'm not fortunate enough to enjoy those conditions."
"Looks like the Clear Sky Sect will have to enjoy all that good fortune instead."
Tang Xiao had been sitting to the side, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. But when Chen Fan suddenly brought the conversation around to him, his expression darkened. He was about to speak, but Tang Wei held him down.
Because...
Dai Li's expression had turned utterly grim!
As the mighty Star Luo Emperor, how could he swallow the humiliation of being slapped in the face in public?
"Sect Master Chen, do you know what you're saying?"
"My Dai family's dignity isn't there to be toyed with!"