Keisa and Shila were in front of them while they were having an argument and couldn't help but wryly smile. It looked like there were oppositions on the other side of the panel. It was natural, after all, marriage was a very serious matter for their offsprings and parents itself.
In actuality, Yanlu Rou really didn't have the authority to be in control who Jin Rou would marry. It was the child's life, right? It should be taken care of by the child himself and they would just either give their approval and disapproval in the matter.
But Yanlu Rou chose to go deeper than required and even chose the partner herself, all for the sake of benefits. For Xu Rou and Fan Rou, it was crossing the line. Not to mention, their mother didn't say anything about this in the past.
"Mother, you are being a calculating person even for your grandchild?" Fan Rou's words were turning sharp and asked, "I really don't care about any other matters but you are now overstepping your boundaries."
"Overstepping my boundaries?" Yanlu Rou coldly retorted, "If I'm doing this for myself, then yes. However, I'm just thinking of the future prospects of the family. What, you think that you can hold off those old bastards for long?"
"..." Fan Rou didn't know what to say. Indeed, this marriage pact would give them an additional boost of power and authority, and Jin Rou's position would be firmly stabilized. Those old bastards Yanlu Rou was talking about were people from the Court Council.
For sure, those people would try to pull Jin Rou down when they had the chance. They always acted that way, and that would never change unless they stood on a firm land.
"I get where are you coming from, Mother." Xu Rou's calm voice sounded and said, "However, it is still up to Jin'er whether he will accept the marriage or not. He is still too young for this, and so Syni. Isn't even too early for them to get married?"
What Xu Rou wanted to say, was that they should take their time. The two children were still too young to get married and whatsoever. The two needed to get to know each other first before entering that stage. After all, Xu Rou didn't want his son to enter a world where he couldn't find happiness.
Xu Rou thought that the Su would agree with her words. However, to her surprise, it wasn't that way.
"Miss Xu, you don't have to worry about anything. Our Syni has decided to marry your son years ago. So on our side, there is no longer any problem." Keisa Su chuckled and said.
"Yes, Miss Xu. Our daughter has set her lovely eyes on Jin'er for a long time now." Shila Su supported his wife's claim.
"..." Xu Rou didn't expect that things had already escalated to this point. Thus, she was utterly speechless.
Seeing this unfold, Yanlu Rou nodded in satisfaction and said, "You don't have to worry about anything, Xu. This is for the best for Jin'er, and as well as our family. Isn't a win-win situation?"
"Win-win situation, hah." Fan Rou sighed loudly and asked, "Mother, does Jin'er know this?"
"..." Yanlu Rou didn't expect this question. Her expression already told Fan Rou the answer.
"So Jin'er doesn't know this yet. But here you are Mother, declaring what his fate will be." Fan Rou laughed coldly.
"You are overreacting. I'm not declaring his fate." Yanlu Rou immediately answered, "Fan Rou, you see, this is what we call practicality. We are living in the jungle where the strong preys the weak. You think mere emotions like love and whatnot can save your ass from predicaments? Stop daydreaming. Face the reality that even us here above the clouds still have a ton of problems to deal with!"
"We really don't mind you Mother being practical. In fact, we are very grateful that you act this way for the sake of our family." This time, Xu Rou was the one who spoke, "However, we want Jin'er to stay out of your range of being practical. We want him to live a life that is with a freedom and he can do anything he want, marriage things included."
Xu Rou paused for a moment before continuing, "If Jin'er were to like Syni, then we will gladly agree right away. However, if he doesn't, I want you Mother to accept it."
She was talking about let Jin Rou decide for himself. They should stop intervening with his life and let him choose his choices. Jin Rou was already maturing, and being independent was one of the major keys of being a good celestial king.
"Yes, that is how it should be." Fan Rou expressed his agreement. In fact, even Lan Rou was feeling the same.
They all felt that Yanlu Rou had crossed the very lines.
The Su's didn't say anything and just let them talk it out. For them, no matter what happened, they would always prioritize their daughter's happiness over something else. Thus, they could understand where Xu Rou was coming from.
At the same time, they could also understand where Yanlu Rou was coming from. They were facing a calamity that could threaten them. Thus, they needed to untie the knots here on their side so that they could unify when the enemy arrived.
It was a very important matter for a celestial king to have a firm foothold on his land. But Jin Rou was still standing on a muddy water, and Yanlu Rou wanted to solve this by marriage with another family. And that's a surefire method.
That's why Yanlu Rou couldn't back down. All for the sake of her dear family.
"If Jin'er agrees, then all is well. But in case he doesn't want to, then..." Yanlu Rou paused for a moment and finally said, "I can't help it."
'I can't help it.'
It might sound she gave up if that point happened. However, Xu Rou could feel that there's more to it than that.
And that made her worried.