Demon Lord Gets Married

Chapter 162 - You must be out of Your Mind

As soon as Teng Yu entered the emperor's chamber, he sensed numerous unfamiliar auras around.

He was acquainted with many of the Dark Guards in the palace and recognized those who stayed by the emperor's side all year round. Their auras were familiar to him, but now he noticed there were twice as many Dark Guards around the Bedroom Hall.

It seemed his Royal Father was well-prepared, and this palace might even be setting up a grand trap.

Teng Yu passed through layers of guards and saw Emperor Dechang in the study of the Bedroom Hall. He spoke softly, causing Emperor Dechang to put down the Advice Letter in his hands and look up at him. The gaze was so complex that Teng Yu couldn't decipher his thoughts.

However, this complexity only lasted a moment. When Teng Yu walked closer, Emperor Dechang had already smiled, picked up the brush on the table, and threw it at him. “You unfilial son, you still know to come back?”

Teng Yu bowed slightly and leaned over to pat the emperor's back. “I heard you weren't feeling well, what's wrong?”

The emperor waved his hand dismissively. “It's nothing serious. A few days ago, I caught a cold. Now that I'm old, my body is slow to recover.”

Teng Yu thought: If it was just a minor cold, why would it warrant drafting Advice Letters in the Bedroom Hall every day?

However, he knew it was unlikely the emperor would confide in him about it.

“You must be overworked. Political affairs never end. You need to take care of your health.”

“You've changed a lot. In the past, you would never say such concerned words to your Royal Father. You've grown up and indeed changed.” The emperor sighed heavily.

Teng Yu understood the meaning behind his words but pretended not to. He smiled and said, “Your son is nearly a family man now, of course, he wouldn't be as heartless as before.”

“Hmm?” The emperor looked at him in surprise, an indescribable wariness in his expression. “You're planning to get married? Which girl have you taken a fancy to?”

The emperor considered all the important subjects in the imperial court, especially those with daughters of similar age, wondering whom Teng Yu might have chosen.

Teng Yu chuckled and rubbed his nose, then said a little shyly, “I thought you knew.”

“…” The emperor sat up straight and looked at him intently. His brows knitted even tighter. “Don't tell me…”

Teng Yu nodded resolutely, “If it's him, then it must be!” He lifted the hem of his clothes and knelt heavily. “This son humbly requests Royal Father to issue a decree to bestow the marriage; this son wishes to marry Huo Tian.”

“Ridiculous! Do you know what you're saying?”

“Of course!” Teng Yu looked at him frankly, “This son will marry no one but him!”

“That's a man, and a man from the Huo Family at that. We thought you had matured and become sensible, but we didn't expect you to still be so naive!” The emperor panted heavily as he leaned against the table, his face ashen.

“This has nothing to do with naivety. This son and Huo Tian are simply in love.”

“What a great ‘mutual love.' Do you think you can live your entire life on those four words? What do you think of the royal family? What do you think of the Land of Rivers and Mountains? What do you think of our ancestors' teachings?”

“Nothing will obstruct this son from marrying Huo Tian. All rules are false; this son does not plan to comply.”

“Impudent! As a prince, you dare speak such contemptuous words about your ancestors. Do you think I can agree? Do you think the civil and military officials will agree? Do you think the people of the world will agree?”

“Royal Father need not deceive this son. This son marrying Huo Tian has nothing to do with the people of the world, the civil and military affairs of the imperial court. As for you, your son is kneeling in front of you, begging you to grant him this marriage.”

The emperor took a deep breath. “There's no need to discuss this further. I only have three words: It is impossible!”

“What if I insist?”

The emperor sneered, “Then you can either renounce your title as prince and become a commoner, or have Huo Tian change his surname, severing ties with the Huo Family. But if that happens, he won't even qualify to be your male companion!”

“His qualifications are for me to decide. However, if you grant me the marriage decree, I am willing to give up my status and become a commoner.”

“…” “You're mad!” The emperor exclaimed.

He looked at Teng Yu, dumbfounded. This son of his was becoming more and more confusing. Did he know what he was saying?

To give up his status as a prince, the chance to inherit the throne, such a great opportunity, he must be insane!

The emperor waved his hand wearily. “Go back and think it over. I don't have the time or energy for such nonsense.”

“Then, how many days should this son wait?”

The emperor shouted angrily, “Leave! As long as you harbor such thoughts, don't even think about setting foot in the palace again!”

Teng Yu sighed inwardly, cursing: It seems the Emperor has made up his mind with these conditions.

“Royal Father, your son will only love this one person in his lifetime and will not marry another woman. Do you intend to leave your son alone forever?”

“If I allow you to break the ancestors' rules and marry someone from the Huo Family, if I let you defy the clan's laws and face the scorn of the world, I might as well live alone forever!”

The emperor turned and commanded loudly, “Guards, escort the Third Prince out of the palace!”

Teng Yu was reluctant to leave. He remained dejected all the way home, only returning to normal once he arrived.

The emperor sat on the Dragon Throne, staring blankly for a long time. He recalled his interactions with Teng Yu but couldn't fathom the reason for his change, no matter how hard he tried.

He still remembered when Teng Yu was young. To kill him, he had granted him many favors and privileges.

But now, it didn't align with what he hoped to see. What a headache.

After hearing the spy's report, Emperor Dechang remained silent for a while before ordering the retrieval of the name list that Imperial Consort Yun had sent.

At that time, Imperial Consort Yun had tried everything to find a match for Teng Yu. Although she hadn't succeeded, she kept all the records.

Emperor Dechang flipped through the pages until he settled on the Qin Duke's niece, also selecting the Inferior Prime Minister's granddaughter as Yin Xu's first wife.

The imperial edict was a personal letter, and it only took a little over an hour from start to finish. When the edict arrived, Teng Yu was just sitting at home drinking tea after bathing while the eunuch brought the separate imperial edicts to the Third Prince Mansion and Marshal Huo Palace.

Upon hearing that the emperor had issued a marriage decree, Teng Yu was not surprised at all. This was exactly what he expected the emperor to do.

“Attack!” Teng Yu waved his hand, ordering his men to kick the eunuchs out of the palace, showing utter disrespect for the decree.

Yin Xu, slightly more interested, had Ding Yi quietly steal the imperial edict. After reading it carefully twice, he sneered: “The Duke of Qin's niece? What is that? Is she worthy of being a prince's wife?”

Teng Yu took the edict and burned it in the brazier, then asked mischievously: “Then who do you think is worthy?”

Yin Xu rolled his eyes at him, “Anyway, last time it was Duke Xian's daughter, now it's some niece. What kind of match is that?”

“Haha! The Duke of Qin isn't comparable to Duke Xian. He's of royal lineage and an official prince. To be his niece means her family background is certainly not bad. The Emperor refers to the daughter of the Minister of Political Affairs.”

“You know it well.” Yin Xu snorted and threw a fruit at Teng Yu.

Teng Yu caught the fruit, peeled it, and handed it to Yin Xu. “I know because I want to understand who I'm dealing with.”

Yin Xu didn't care about the titles. He only knew that any woman wanting to marry Teng Yu wouldn't have a good ending.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do we do?”

“The imperial edict!” Yin Xu glared at him.

“Where is the decree? This prince didn't receive it!” Teng Yu fiddled with the brazier, letting Han Qing take out the burnt remains of the edict.

“Then you'll have to face the charge of disrespecting the decree.”

Teng Yu laughed. This wasn't the first time he had resisted a decree, but he was curious about how the Emperor would punish him this time.

“Don't worry, we'll just block our way here and now …” Before he could finish, Han Qing rushed in hastily.

“What is it?”

Han Qing glanced at Yin Xu and said expressionlessly: “Master, I just received news that the emperor has bestowed a marriage upon the Seventh Young Master. He is to marry the Inferior Prime Minister's granddaughter, and Marshal Huo has already accepted the decree.”

Yin Xu was not pleased this time, “Inferior Prime Minister's granddaughter? It seems she's of even higher rank than before.”

Teng Yu's face darkened, his brows knitted tightly, “Is this the time to be concerned about such things?”

Yin Xu stuffed a fruit into his mouth and mumbled, “So what? It's not like I accepted the order. Whoever accepted it can marry her.”