The guests around us cleared our way as we passed by.

He let me settle on a pillow before a low table, and then he sat on another pillow from across me. He was the emperor. He was supposed to sit first, but he seemed to have foregone formalities and was very modest. Unlike Emperor Sun of Kan Empire who carried with him an air of authority at all times, this emperor presented himself just like any other ordinary man.

If Emperor Yin was this good, I wondered how he had managed to get along with a man like Ruan Yanjun.

I immediately set aside all those thoughts and tried to figure out how to explain to His Majesty the poor result of my experiments. Even though he had not asked about it yet, I was certain that was the reason why he had called me over at this table.

A eunuch came over and poured wine into our cups. I recognized his frame—the Chief Eunuch Zeng Jie.

“Thank you,” I told Zeng Jie after he laid the cup in front of me, and then I suddenly remembered something. “Eunuch Zeng, how is Shang Wei doing?”

Zeng Jie leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “He just survived the impossible. He’s almost completely recovered now and might be discharged tomorrow. No need to worry.”

Like a thorn had been lifted off my chest, I suddenly felt so light. “Thank you for the information. Please extend my utmost gratitude to him for saving my life.”

“Of course, Priest Luo.” Zeng Jie nodded and moved back to stand a few steps away.

“It’s true what they say,” the emperor said. “Priest Luo is indeed a very attractive young man with a wonderful personality.”

I was speechless for a moment. “His Majesty humors me. This humble priest is just ordinary in all aspects.”

He chuckled. “And so humble. I wonder how you manage to get along with Lord Ruan.”

That was exactly the same question I was asking myself earlier.

“Lord Ruan is quite an amenable person to work with as long as he gets results and I do what he says,” I explained. “I honestly have no problem getting along with him.”

He chuckled as if I had said something hilarious. “Not many people would say the same, but you’re right, as long as you do what he says, there should be no problem.”

I wondered if the words he’d said meant an admission of Ruan Yanjun’s control over his authority as the emperor, but it did not feel right to ask him about it so I preferred to speak about my work instead. “Your Majesty, I apologize that it’s taking me a long time to find a cure for the crown prince, but I assure you that we are working hard on it.”

“I’m aware of that, of course. In fact, you’re the only one who has managed to discover the particularity of the poison. That alone is a testament to your intensive knowledge that is far superior to anyone else around here, and thanks to your discovery, the imperial scholars are now looking into it. Soon, they will find out the name and origin of that poison, and they may even discover an existing antidote for it.”

“Your Majesty, the poison is refined with light energy. Alchemists referred to it as a destructive drug. There is no antidote for a destructive drug. We can only extract it out of the body and fix the damage done, but we can’t do it while the crown prince is in a coma.”

The emperor was dead silent. It had taken a while before I heard him sigh. “Let’s talk about that some other time. I invited you over because I want to discuss something with you.”

I waited for him to continue.

“Priest Luo, do you have any plans of getting married?”

I was speechless for a long moment, and then I forced out a laugh. “I don’t think this is a good time to even think about that, Your Majesty.”

“My daughter seems to have developed a liking for you ever since the day she saw you enter the palace with Lord Ruan. She just turned twenty-one today and everyone’s pushing me to have her married already. I can’t seem to find a better candidate for her husband other than you.”

Stupefied, I stared at him, my mouth agape. “Y-your Majesty,” I stuttered. My face felt hot and my fingers were numb. I had not expected that I would come here to be betrothed. “I’m flattered that you regard me in such a way, but I’m just a commoner. I’m afraid that I am not worthy of a princess.”

“Nonsense. You’re an excellent alchemist, and if you can find a cure for Prince Sheng, your name shall be known all over the empire. And the fact that you are Lord Ruan’s family makes you a noble yourself.”

I wanted to make a correction that I had no family relations with Ruan Yanjun, but the words would not come out of my mouth. And I wasn’t sure what Ruan Yanjun was up to. Why did he claim that I was a distant relative?

He might be trying to conceal my identity and I’d rather not expose him.

“This must have taken you by surprise,” the emperor said after my long silence. “I should have introduced you to my daughter first before I opened up about the matter. The fault is mine.”

He perplexed me even more. I had never heard of an emperor owning up to his mistake right in front of a commoner.

“You should meet my daughter then. I want you two to get to know each other well. If you find her to your liking, we shall immediately arrange for your marriage.”

Just moments ago, my face felt hot. Now it had gotten numb and cold. I could feel sweat forming on my forehead.

This marriage was now inevitable.

I cannot possibly tell His Majesty that I did not find his daughter to my liking, can I?

“Shi Tengfei,” a familiar deep voice said.

We both turned and found Ruan Yanjun slowly approaching from behind the emperor.

“You abducted my guest while I was away, and now you’re marrying him off without my permission?”

My chest loosened and I drew a deep breath.

For the first time, Ruan Yanjun’s presence brought me relief.