Chapter 896 Forced Marriage_1

"Duke Zhu, what do you think? Let's have Wei Si and Zhu Yun get married soon, how about that?" Emperor Dai's tone carried an undeniable authority.

These days, the rumors and gossip outside had put the royal household on edge.

Having become royalty of the Xingluo Empire, who could tolerate someone else looming above them?

Now, Xu Ran had emerged, and the prestige of the Zhu Clan within The Empire nearly surpassed that of the Dai family.

The Xingluo Empire was unlike the Tiandou Empire, which had many powerful sects and strong individuals. There were not many great families in the Xingluo Empire, and therefore, not as many mighty individuals had emerged.

And Xu Ran was truly a leading figure in the Soul Masters of the entire Continent. The influence such a person could have in the Zhu Clan, within the Xingluo Empire, was extremely terrifying.

After all, Soul Land was a world belonging to the Soul Masters.

A leading figure among the Soul Masters would garner the worship of all young people.

Perhaps the royal household's power was vast, but the influence of the strong was something even they could hardly reach.

The Zhu Clan itself already had terrible appeal within the Xingluo Empire, with power only second to that beneath the Dai Royal Family, and now with the emergence of Xu Ran, their rallying power was almost higher than the royal household itself.

This was still under the circumstances of Xu Ran not having returned to the Xingluo Empire.

If Xu Ran were to appear and call to arms, who knows how many young men and women would go crazy for him.

Everyone is a Soul Master, and naturally, they all understand the impact of a powerful Soul Master. Moreover, Xu Ran was a young leader, becoming a mighty individual at a young age, an idol in the eyes of the youth.

Thus, the royal household naturally had some concerns.

However, they naturally did not dare to directly lay hands on the Zhu Clan; otherwise, when Xu Ran returned, they would be unable to deal with such a figure. The only way was to hasten a marriage alliance.

To have the Crown Prince and "Zhu Zhuyun" quickly marry.

With the bond of husband and wife lasting a lifetime, perhaps with the maintenance of such marital relations, the Zhu Clan might not act against the Dai family.

Zhu Zhuyun is Zhu Zhuqing's older sister, and Zhu Zhuqing is Xu Ran's woman. With this relationship, when the time comes, Xu Ran would not do anything too heartless.

"This..."

Zhu Zìháo furrowed his brow.

He had not expected the royal household to suddenly propose marrying Zhu Yun off to Davis. This was problematic.

He already knew about the affairs between Zhu Yun and Xu Ran.

If Zhu Yun was married off to Davis, Xu Ran would hate the Zhu Clan. She was the Zhu Clan's genius; they only wanted to maintain a good relationship with such a talent, not offend.

Moreover, with both daughters married to Xu Ran, the Zhu Clan's status on the Continent would rise with Xu Ran's increasing strength.

The other elders of the Zhu Clan also began to frown.

Over the past few years, the Zhu Clan's fame and power had been climbing thanks to Xu Ran, whereas the Dai family had been on a decline in this zero-sum game. Some elders even harbored the thought of toppling the Dai family.

In the past, it was only by the Zhu and Dai families uniting that they could suppress the entire Xingluo Empire. But with Xu Ran, the Zhu Clan no longer needed to rely on anyone.

The current Zhu Clan was no longer the kind that could only gain a foothold on the Continent by relying on Soul Fusion Skills with the Dai family. And now they were considering sending the eldest daughter for a marriage alliance?

"What's the matter? Does Duke Zhu intend to break the engagement?" said a general from the Xingluo Empire who held significant military power and was utterly loyal to the Dai family. The Xu family possessed the Star Crown Martial Soul and was a major family of the Xingluo Empire, second only to the Dai family and Zhu Clan.

After the rise of the Zhu Clan, the Xu family's stance began to waver. No one knows what price the Dai family paid to get the Xu family to side with them.

As soon as Xu Wu spoke, the complexion of everyone in the hall changed.

They understood what breaching the marriage contract meant.

The marriage alliance between the Dai family and the Zhu Clan had been passed down for a thousand years.

For a thousand years, the two great families maintained their relationship through intermarriage. With the Dai family overseeing the Empire and the Zhu Clan assisting, the marriage and Soul Fusion Skill had secured peace between them.

Destroying the marriage contract meant that a crack had appeared in the relationship that had lasted a millennium.

And to dissolve the marriage at this tumultuous time indicated that the Zhu Clan was no longer satisfied with their current position…

Everyone was startled by Xu Wu's words.

Even the royal household was no exception. Cold sweat broke out all over Emperor Dai, and a flicker of murderous intent passed through his eyes.

If that was truly the case, then no one could blame him for being ruthless.

To strike first and annihilate the Zhu Clan, then gather the nation's strength to deal with Xu Ran.

However strong Xu Ran was, could he really dominate the power of the Empire? Could he alone contend against the Empire's military forces?

Emperor Dai naturally did not realize just how formidable Xu Ran had become. In his eyes, even a Title Douluo of the 99th Rank could not possibly challenge the strength of a nation, otherwise, Martial Soul Hall would have long since overthrown both of the great empires.

"Minister Xu."

Emperor Dai furrowed his brows, looking towards Zhu Zihao.

"Your Majesty, selecting an auspicious date for the Crown Prince to wed the Crown Princess Consort should not be done rashly," said Zhu Zihao, steeling himself. He knew that Xu Ran was very strong, but he did not know exactly how formidable Xu Ran had become.

"There's no need. I have had someone calculate it already. Tomorrow is the best time. Zhu Yun, what do you think?" Emperor Dai turned his gaze to Zhu Zhuyun, his eyes filled with admiration.

Zhu Zhuyun was dressed in a black gown, exuding grace and poise, her long black hair flowing over her shoulders and showcasing her unique elegance. Especially her figure, which could be described as flawless.

It would be hard to find another woman on the continent with such a perfect body.

The Zhu Clan had good genes, and every woman who married into the family was extremely beautiful. But not even the unparalleled beauties of Emperor Dai's "Harem" could match Zhu Zhuyun.

A full and swelling chest, an extremely flat abdomen, and a perky rear that outlined a round and taut curve, topped off with a pair of long, straight legs... it was almost impossible to find a flaw on her.

Simply looking at such a beauty seemed to stir the desires of men.

And such a woman was about to become the Crown Princess Consort.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuyun's expression was complex. She did not expect things to develop to this point. Originally, she had intended to wait for Xu Ran to return before making any plans, but she didn't expect the royal household to suddenly push for her marriage to Davis.

She was already Xu Ran's woman, and she would never agree to marry another man.

Even though she now controlled Davis, even if she married him, he could not do anything to her.

But even a marriage in name only was something she was unwilling to accept.

Already betrothed to Davis, she felt guilty enough towards Xu Ran. She would never agree to marry Davis, not even in death. In this life, she would only be Xu Ran's woman. No one else stood a chance.

"I disagree."