Romancing the Son of Heaven

Stratagem 11: The Right Opportunity Is Indispensable! (4)

The Heavenly Emperor froze when he saw Jing He's reaction. Ah. He had frightened his poor child. And all just because of that stupid dandy! He furrowed his brows but still reached over and took Jing He's hand back, squeezing it tightly. "Jing He, child, don't be afraid. Father is just trying to protect you.

"Don't mention that alliance. It might be true that we do have to rely on the dragons to make sure we won't get into too much trouble with the demons but that is also what they owe us. After all, they were part of that race once. There's no need for you to fear anything. You don't have to give in to anything. You really shouldn't."

Jing He nodded, not daring to speak up again. He really would've liked to ask his father just why he hated Longjun that much. Was there something he didn't know? Or was this just because he was part of the dragon race?

Rong Su looked at his son's face and couldn't help but feel worried. His son still wasn't looking at him and although Jing He was normally a little reclusive, he couldn't help but fear that he had really frightened him just now. He reached out and grabbed his shoulder, rubbing it as gently as he could. "You don't have to think about it. I'll think of a way to get rid of him. He won't bother you much longer."

"Yes, father."

Seeing his son readily agree made the Heavenly Emperor nod with satisfaction. It seemed he didn't have to worry. His son understood very well what the situation was. He knew that his anger would never be directed at him. "Well, enough of that. We shouldn't talk about that person anymore. We should just enjoy the time we have together." He brushed Jing He's silky hair back behind his shoulder and looked at his face.

Mn, although he felt that they should still wait to think about his marriage, he also understood that Jing He was already of marriageable age. That Longjun was probably only the first in a long row of suitors that would try to make a move on his precious son. He should better prepare his son well to make sure he wouldn't fall for the wrong person. Not that he worried too much. His Jing He was too smart to be confused by such showy behavior.

Still, it would be best if he wasn't approached by questionable men too much. Maybe it would be a good idea to find him a fiance? They didn't need to marry anytime soon but if there was somebody whose name could be mentioned of any man with bad intentions approached, that might be helpful.

"Jing He, even though Longjun is out of the question, it is probably time for you to slowly think of marriage."

Jing He glanced up, his gaze puzzled. Was his father serious? He never would have thought that he would bring his marriage up like that. He would've thought that his father didn't want him to marry anytime soon.

Seeing his son's expression, the Heavenly Emperor felt even more gratified. Ah, look at that! He had been right. His Jing He was nothing like that Ru Zhen of Li Yin. He hadn't even thought about men up until now. The prospect of getting married actually made him this confused.

He patted his shoulder again and gave a smile. "Don't worry. Father won't marry you off suddenly. It's just that ... You do have the right age now so people are likely to approach you. You have to look at them with a discerning eye and make sure that you tell me so I can chase those that are unsuitable away."

Jing He nodded. "I'll do that, father."

"That's good, that's good. I certainly can't let my precious son fall into the hands of some scum."

Jing He hesitated but finally moved closer to his father, giving him a smile. "Father must have been deeply bothered by Longjun's continued visits. I have indeed made trouble for you."

Rong Su's heart melted when he saw his son's worried expression and he couldn't help but pat his shoulder again. "Ah, how is that your fault? It's all that guy! Just wait until father finds a way to get rid of him and then you won't have to worry about that anymore."

Jing He nodded and carefully pulled his father's hand from his shoulder. "I trust father. Then ..." He moved closer and reached up, gently starting to massage his father's shoulders. "What kind of son-in-law would father prefer? Longjun's status is very good but you aren't satisfied with him. What would be important to you?"

The Heavenly Emperor didn't know if he should be angry that this shameless bastard was mentioned in the same instance as his possible son-in-law or if he should be happy that his son was caring about his opinion so much and trying to make him happy. He pursed his lips and then smiled before pursing them again and finally patted his son's hand on his shoulder. "Well, his status is naturally important. After all, your own status is high. It wouldn't do for you to marry just anybody. He definitely should have a high-ranking title."

Jing He nodded as if he understood. "Then is there somebody father can think of?"

His father's lips pursed again. "How could that be? The God of War is your uncle and the others are so old. How could any of them be worthy of you?"

Jing He's hands stilled. "Old?" So age was actually a problem for his father? He wouldn't have thought.

Rong Su nodded though. "Naturally. My son is young and beautiful, how could I let some old cow take advantage of you?"

Jing He nodded. "So is that what father dislikes about Longjun? He should be ... quite a bit older."

Rong Su harrumphed again. "Don't even mention him! That type of person is the worst, actually pretending to be young. He might not look much older than you but he looked just the same when I was young. He definitely isn't a match for you."

Jing He didn't say anything to that. He really didn't know just how old Longjun was but he had figured that he had to be quite old. He didn't mind though. Both the gods and the dragons could live forever. What were a few thousand years?

Sure, he had only recently come of age so it might raise some eyebrows if the man he married was that much older than him but after he gained a few more years of experience, nobody would speak about it any longer.

It would raise many more eyebrows if there wasn't anything special about his husband. But with Longjun beating the king of the dragon race and apparently their strongest fighter, he had a lot going for him. With that kind of strength, if he was a god he might have been able to follow in his uncle's footsteps. If that was the case, then his father wouldn't have said anything against him. No, this was probably just something he was saying to cover up his real reason.

Seeing that his son didn't react this time, the Heavenly Emperor couldn't help but feel displeased. "What is it, Jing He? You don't believe your father?"

Jing He gave a smile. "How could that be, father? Since you said so, it certainly has to be true. I merely ... can't imagine that much time."

Rong Su wanted to nod but then he noticed that his son was also calling him old with that. He glanced at Jing He but seeing his expression, he just couldn't imagine that his son had done it on purpose. No, his little darling probably hadn't even noticed. He was just unable to imagine that much time as he had said.

Well, he was just a bit over two millennia so it wasn't strange at all that he had trouble to imagine that much time. "It's alright as long as you imagine him as an old man. You should ask him to show you his true face sometime. After you see, you won't get tempted by that pretty boy image he has cultivated."

Jing He's hands trembled. Pretty boy image? The dragon king? He thought back to the first day they had met at his father's birthday banquet when he had been unable to even look at that man and almost shivered in fear. And then he thought back to the day of the Da He Festival where the dragon king had suddenly had that mature air about him and followed this unknown ceremony without trouble.

Longjun could certainly be called a lot. A year ago, he might've even called him a fool. But he was sure that nothing about that man resembled a pretty boy. He was good-looking for sure but he was a handsome man. In fact, even now that he recalled it, Jing He couldn't help but slightly blush at the thought of how he had been trapped in those strong arms and pressed up against that broad chest. Longjun's manliness was nothing that could be called into question.