Su Chen nodded and smiled. "All right!"
Afterward, he looked as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Qin An noticed and smiled. "You must have something to discuss with me, since you came looking for me this time, right?"
Su Chen nodded awkwardly.
Qin An smiled. "Go on."
Su Chen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mother, did you arrange a marriage for me?"
Qin An froze, then instantly understood something. She smiled. "Do you want to break off the engagement?"
Su Chen nodded without speaking.
Qin An sighed helplessly. "You really aren't young anymore. It's time you got married."
"But I don't want to get married yet," Su Chen said.
Qin An shook her head and said helplessly, "Have it your way."
Su Chen was delighted. "Mother, you agree to let me break off the engagement?"
Qin An rolled her eyes. "What else? If you don't want to get married, could I possibly force you?"
Su Chen laughed. "Mother, you're the best!"
Qin An shook her head. "I'm not. All I want now is to hold a grandson."
Su Chen's expression stiffened. After a moment of silence, he said, "I promise you, Mother, if I meet a woman who makes my heart flutter, I'll marry her immediately!"
At that, a smile finally appeared on Qin An's face. "I'm glad you can think that way."
Then she continued, "You're the one who wants to break off the engagement, so go tell the emperor of the Great Xia Empire yourself."
Su Chen smiled faintly. "As long as you agree, Mother, the emperor of the Great Xia Empire will surely agree too!"
Qin An shook her head with a smile. "All right, all right. Stay here with me for a few days first. We can talk about the rest later!"
Su Chen nodded. "All right!"
Time passed quickly, and six days went by in the blink of an eye. On this day, Su Chen said goodbye to Qin An and set off for the Great Xia Empire. After four days on the road, he finally arrived at the imperial capital of the Great Xia Empire.
The bustling splendor of the Great Xia Empire's capital was a feast for the eyes. The streets and alleys hummed with voices, the cries of vendors rose and fell, and scholars in the restaurants composed poems and traded verses, enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Su Chen sat on the second floor of a restaurant, savoring fine wine and gazing at the scenery outside. No one knew what he was thinking.
Not far from him, several young women stared at Su Chen without blinking, their cheeks flushed.
Tap, tap, tap...
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the stairs, and a faint, elusive fragrance drifted through the air. Looking toward the sound, one could see a woman slowly walking up to the second floor.
The woman's skin was lustrous as jade, smooth and delicate, and her long, slender legs stirred the hearts of those who saw them.
Everyone on the second floor stared, their eyes fixed on her. Even so, not one of them dared approach her, for they knew she was certainly no ordinary person and not someone they could afford to provoke.
The woman walked toward Su Chen, a smile gradually appearing on her face. Soon, she reached him and sat down opposite him as naturally as could be.
She smiled. "What? Did you miss me after just a few days apart?"
Then, in a slightly aggrieved tone, she said, "You came without even telling me? Do you still think of me as your fiancée?"
Su Chen gave Ji Ningbing an indifferent glance. "Guess what I came here for."
Ji Ningbing blinked. "Wasn't it to see me?"
The corners of Su Chen's mouth rose slightly. "To see you? You're thinking too much. I came to break off the engagement!"
Ji Ningbing's smile froze. After a long while, she said softly, "Did your mother agree?"
Su Chen took a sip of wine and nodded without speaking.
Ji Ningbing fell silent. She had thought Su Chen had come especially to see her.
For some reason, a trace of bitterness welled up in her heart.
She stared at Su Chen. "Am I not worthy of being your wife?"
Su Chen shook his head, set down his wine cup, and said, "That's not it."
"Then why?" Ji Ningbing asked.
"What other reason could there be?" Su Chen said. "Obviously, I haven't had enough fun yet!"
His words were so direct that even Ji Ningbing was stunned.
Su Chen continued, "Besides, you and I have only met a few times. I don't have feelings for you. Looking at you like this... you haven't fallen for me, have you?"
Ji Ningbing was silent for a moment, then said, "My imperial father already knows what you did at Yingtian Academy. As for the Xia Clan, he has ordered the extermination of its nine generations of kin!"
She did not answer Su Chen's question.
Su Chen remained calm. "What does that have to do with me?"
Ji Ningbing stared at him. "They've taken an interest in your talent and background. Do you know what that means?"
Su Chen took a sip of wine from his cup without speaking.
Ji Ningbing continued, "It means they can't possibly agree to let you break off the engagement. Your talent and background are too terrifying. They're wary of you, and at the same time, they're very glad they arranged this marriage between us back then. Now that you want to break it off, they absolutely won't agree!"
Su Chen smiled faintly and looked at Ji Ningbing. "Do you know why I made a special trip here to break off the engagement with you?"
Ji Ningbing frowned. "What do you mean?"
Su Chen said, "I came to break off the engagement only to give my mother face. Did you think I was giving your Great Xia Empire face? If I tell your imperial father I'm breaking it off, would he dare disagree? If he dares, I don't mind giving your empire a new emperor!"
After hearing Su Chen's words, Ji Ningbing fell silent.
That was right. How could the Great Xia Empire dare refuse to let him break off the engagement?
Su Chen's words were arrogant, but he had the capital to be arrogant!
The Su Clan, Yingtian Academy, and the Qin Clan-with such a heaven-reaching background behind him, what grounds did the Great Xia Empire have to dare disagree?
If they truly made Su Chen unhappy, she didn't even dare imagine how terrifying the consequences would be!
At that thought, Ji Ningbing looked at Su Chen and pleaded, "If my imperial father and the others disagree, could you just suppress them without killing them?"
She knew her imperial father would never agree to Su Chen breaking off the engagement, so she was afraid-afraid that they would provoke Su Chen and doom all of Great Xia beyond redemption!
Su Chen said nothing and began eating pastries instead.
Seeing this, Ji Ningbing looked uneasy. Her heart pounded, and her entire body tensed.
Suddenly, Su Chen smiled. He looked at Ji Ningbing. "Why are you so nervous?"
Ji Ningbing: "..."
Why do you think I'm nervous?
She was speechless.
Su Chen said, "Don't worry. I won't destroy your Great Xia Empire. If your imperial father doesn't know what's good for him, then I'll make you the emperor of Great Xia!"
The first half of Su Chen's words made Ji Ningbing breathe a sigh of relief, but when she heard the second half, her heart was suspended once more. She hesitated, then said, "My imperial father..."
Before she could finish, Su Chen suddenly said, "If you keep this up, I won't give you face anymore."
His tone was somewhat cold.
Feeling the chill around her, Ji Ningbing sighed inwardly and said nothing more.
She also realized that she had indeed taken an inch and asked for a mile.
She sighed inwardly once again.
Imperial Father, I did my best!
If you go courting death after this, I can only take the throne with tears in my eyes!