Chapter Nine: Negotiating Terms

"What!" Xiao Jinghuai was momentarily caught between shock at her outrageous statement and a flare of anger that she would compare their engagement to mere money.

He scowled, his hands clenching into fists. "Are you trying to humiliate me? Or is this your way of trying to get my attention? I might as well tell you now—that trick won't work! I’m not falling for it!"

He knew that five million gold coins was an astronomical sum. Even if he had it, he would never pay it all at once; she was clearly calculating that, which was why she dared to demand it.

"Oh, well," she said, pausing mid-thought as if reconsidering. "If I didn't need the money to feed my spirit beast, I truly wouldn't want to break off this engagement. After all, given your talent, Your Highness, you might have a chance to enter a major sect in the future... No! I’ve changed my mind. It’s better to keep this betrothal!" She tapped her chin, acting as though she had just had a sudden epiphany.

Xiao Jinghuai, who hadn't considered that possibility, felt his eyelid twitch. The thought of entering a major sect and perhaps meeting even more exceptional women made this nominal fiancée of his seem like an eyesore.

However, he couldn't touch her while they were at the Fengqi Academy, and after the news of Zhu Shishi’s assassination had spread throughout the city, he suspected she might be more vigilant now. That would only make it harder to strike.

Thinking that he truly might enter a major sect and find a better match, he decided the engagement had to end. "I have already agreed to your previous demand. It is impossible for you to go back on it now!"

"After the holidays, I will come to your manor to finalize the annulment! Do you understand?" If he didn't still need to study at the academy, he would have rushed over to end the engagement right this second.

Su Yunqing glanced at him dismissively and waved her hand. "It's too late. I don’t want to annul it anymore. Come to think of it, if I marry you, I can still keep my spirit beast, and by then, it won't just be five million—it might be even more."

Disgust flickered in Xiao Jinghuai’s eyes. He had previously thought her clingy and nauseating, but he hadn't realized she was this greedy as well.

"I do not like you. Even if you manage to marry me, I will never let you touch a single cent of my household’s wealth. Of course, if you are willing to annul the engagement, I promise to give you five point five million gold coins! Think about it carefully." His heart bled as he spoke, but he was desperate to be rid of this burden.

Su Yunqing feigned deep contemplation, letting him stew in anxiety for a long while before finally relenting. "Fine. But we must have a written agreement, and you must pay me three million gold coins upfront. The rest will be paid once the engagement is officially dissolved."

She found the man before her detestable, but the money was undeniably useful; it would be enough to feed her two spirit beasts and cover all her living expenses.

"Absolutely not! Who knows if you'll actually follow through once you have the money?" Xiao Jinghuai frowned, rejecting the idea without a second thought.

"There will be a written contract. Of course, if you don't trust it, then forget it. Being a Princess Consort is actually quite nice—in any case, it’s better than my current situation in the Su family." She smiled deliberately, infuriating him.

"Fine!" he gritted out. He had weighed the risks: if she breached the contract, he could simply present the document to the Emperor to annul the engagement legitimately. With that in mind, he couldn't wait to force her hand to write it.

Just then, a graceful figure approached. Upon seeing them, her expression flickered with slight discomfort before she replaced it with a gentle smile. "It seems I have arrived at an inconvenient time, interrupting a conversation between Your Highness and Sister Yunqing."

Xiao Jinghuai’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her beautiful face. He shot a warning glare at Su Yunqing before turning his attention to the newcomer. "Sister Yunqi, we have finished talking. Would you have time to walk around the academy with me?"

Beside them, Su Yuyue grabbed Su Yunqi’s hand and whispered, "Sister, say yes! Don't let that bitch Su Yunqing keep pestering His Highness!"

"Yuyue, don't talk nonsense. His Highness is engaged to Sister Yunqing; it is only natural for them to speak." Her voice was soft, but loud enough to be heard nearby.

Xiao Jinghuai frowned, about to offer an explanation, when Su Yunqi said gently, "Your Highness, Sister Yunqing will misunderstand. You should let her accompany you. I have matters to attend to; I shall take my leave."

"Wait!" He hurried after her, but not before throwing a warning glance at Su Yunqing: "Don't forget what you promised me."

Su Yuyue did not follow immediately. Instead, she stepped forward, raised her hand, and swung it toward Su Yunqing. "Su Yunqing, how dare you bully my sister!"

Her shout was loud enough that those nearby, who hadn't yet dispersed, all turned to look. They expected the slap to land on Su Yunqing’s face, but before it could, a thin, pale hand caught her wrist.

Su Yuyue frowned and looked up, meeting a pair of cold, star-like eyes. The owner of those eyes let out a cold snort and tightened her grip, causing Su Yuyue to wince. "Ah! It hurts! Su Yunqing, let go of me!"

Suddenly, the other woman smiled and released her without warning. Caught off guard and off-balance from her own struggling, Su Yuyue’s momentum carried her backward.

"Thud!" She fell to the ground. Her veil slipped off, revealing the scar on her left cheek to the crowd. Her skin was delicate, and the fall caused scrapes on her arms and shoulders against the rough, uneven stones.

"Hiss!" She gasped in pain. Feeling the eyes of the crowd on her, she instinctively reached for her face, hurriedly readjusting her veil before shrieking in rage, "Su Yunqing! You pushed me!"

"Su Yuyue, that’s truly laughable. You fell all by yourself!" Su Yunqing looked at her with utter contempt, speechless at her shamelessness.

"If you hadn't let go, I wouldn't have fallen! This is all your fault!" In her mind, she was blameless, and everything was someone else's doing.

Many onlookers sympathized with Su Yunqing, as they had seen clearly that Su Yuyue was being unreasonable. However, no one dared to offend the Su family—and certainly not for the sake of a "trash" like Su Yunqing—so they chose to watch in silence.

Su Yunqing noticed their hesitation but didn't care. Instead, she smiled at the struggling Su Yuyue and kicked her back down to the ground. "Since you said it yourself, wouldn't it be a shame if I didn't make the accusation true after you went through so much trouble to frame me?"