Ye Tian Yun came to the main courtyard to meet with Madam Xin.
The reason was pretty simple: he had to discuss the edict and the things related to his new plan.
First, he had to confirm if Princess Xin still had a choice to reject the winner of the competitiation, and secondly, he had to convert the Thunder Valley into an even more important asset.
...
It wasn't hard to find Madam Xin. She was on the second floor of the main courtyard, discussing something with her sister-in-law, Madam Fang Bai.
And on her lap was her daughter Fang Ning, sitting quietly, listening to them chatting.
Suddenly she noticed something and a huge smile appeared on her face.
"Brother is here! Brother is here!"
She shouted as she jumped from her mother's lap and ran towards Ye Tian Yun, hugging the latter's legs.
Ye Tian Yun smiled at her and patted her head. He asked, "Did you get the burger I sent yesterday?"
"Yes, yes!" Fang Ning nodded, "Big Brother Jun Xie gave me not one, but two!!"
She said while making a hand signature of 'V' with her index and middle finger.
Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Did you like them? I will bring more for you if you do."
"Yes! Yes!" Fang Nine nodded, "They were so tasty! Muuah!!!"
Ye Tian Yun smiled, "Oh? Alright, I will get more burgers for you today."
"Yay!! You're my best brother!!!"
"...I am your only brother."
"Hahahaha!" Fang Ning laughed, "Still, you're the best!"
Ye Tian Yun patted her head once again and stood up.
Madam Xin and Madam Fang were smiling at them, and upon noticing him standing up, Madam Xin asked, "Son, what happened? What brought you here?"
Ye Tian Yun pursed his lips and replied, "You heard the Royal Edict, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what the King meant by the last part?" Ye Tian Yun asked, "Will Princess have the choice to reject the winner?"
Madam Xin nodded, "Of Course. That is not something a Royal Edict can change. It was a rule made by our ancestors. Also, if she didn't have a choice, wouldn't that mean she's just a sacrificial pawn for the family? Well, she's not."
"Hmm," Ye Tian Yun nodded.
One of his doubts was resolved.
In his previous life, the Princess had fallen in love with Wang Yao by the time the Grand Spirit Hunt started.
But Wang Yao was not powerful enough to win the Grand Spirit hunt.
Still, Princess Xin chose Wang Yao, over the real winner Fang Yunru, because of her love.
Wang Yao was then given a year's time to prepare for the challenge, and with Xin Royal Clan's secret help, he was able to increase his cultivation and reach the peak easily.
In the end, Fang Yunru was defeated by Wang Yao, and the latter went on to marry the Princess and take part in the Royal Bloodline Trial.
'Looks like I will still have to focus on seducing the princess.''
Ye Tian Yun sighed to himself.
Because of the chances of the Princess rejecting the winner, Ye Tian Yun didn't wish to take a risk and create trouble for himself lest the princess rejects him at the very end.
Now all that remained was the Thunder Valley. Even though his original plan was now scrapped, there were still more options that came in his vision when all other paths were closed.
"What happened, Son?" Seeing a worried expression over his face, Madam Xin couldn't help but ask, "Is there something troubling you?"
Ye Tian Yun shook his head, "Nothing, just wanted to know, when will… the meeting in the Royal Courtroom ends?"
"Hmm, I can't say for sure," Madam Xin frowned, "But it should be over by now. It's already been three hours since the Royal Edict. I think your father will be back soon."
Ye Tian Yun nodded, "I will wait for him in the study then."
"Hmm," Madam Xin nodded as Ye Tian Yun turned around and left.
"Big Brother, don't forget the burgers!" Fang Ning shouted from behind.
"I won't." Ye Tian Yun smiled at her before leaving.
"Yay!!"
…
In the study room of Prime Minister Fang, Ye Tian Yun took a seat and quietly waited for the latter's arrival.
About twenty or so minutes later, the gates of the study were pushed open, and Prime Minister Fang stepped inside.
"Oh, you were here?" He was surprised to notice Ye Tian Yun.
Ye Tian Yun frowned, "You're too tense. You didn't even notice me, unlike the usual."
"Hmm," Prime Minister Fang let out a long sigh and leaned back on his chair at the other side of the table.
"This Royal Edict… gave me an unwanted headache."
Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Well, all headaches are unwanted."
"Hm, hm," Prime Minister Fang asked, "What are you here for? I already have too much to handle. If it's not an emergency, we can discuss it later."
"How much did Gao Clan lose in this?" Ye Tian Yun asked.
"Hm?" Prime Minister Fang frowned, "Why are you interested in that?"
"Just asking," Ye Tian Yun shrugged, "Aren't they allies?"
"Hm, well, Gao Kang lost the most because of this Royal Edict. He has a weapon business, and he had invested a lot in the business because of the War."
"What about you?" Ye Tian Yun asked.
"I… have also invested."
"How much?"
"A… lot."
"Oh…" Ye Tian Yun sighed, "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the situation?"
"Ten." Prime Minister Fang didn't hesitate in his reply.
"So you invested too much."
"Yes."
Ye Tian Yun sighed, "Well, I have a solution for this, but tell me first, will the marriage agreement still go on? Even the Thunder Valley?"
"Of course," Prime Minister Fang leaned forward, "King Xin has shown his disapproval and made us suffer a huge loss."
"Actually, everything is because of the Crown Prince, and I was aware of what he was planning to do. But King Xin has told me that he wouldn't agree to this plan because it would increase the significance of the Sect in the Kingdom, which is against what he wants."
"But yesterday, with the announcement of the marriage, King Xin felt betrayed and thus chose to agree to the plan, even though he knew that if the Royal Edict were passed, it would lead to huge losses for not only the Gao Clan but also the Fang Clan."
"In a way, this is King Xin trying to punish our clan for allying with the Gao Clan."
Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "So, are you regretting your decision now?"
"Hell no," Prime Minister Fang sneered, "I am just disappointed in King Xin. Even though I had seen this coming from far away, I still can't believe he would be so narrow-minded."
"But even though I don't regret this, the Fang Clan is going to face a huge financial crisis."
Ye Tian Yun leaned back on his seat upon hearing Prime Minister Fang's words.
And after a long moment of silence, he said, "What if I give you a way to recover the losses? Will you help me with my one request?"