Chapter 58: The Emperor and Empress
The moment Nan Yu thought of that possibility, he immediately denied it himself.
How could that be possible? What kind of joke was that? He was someone with a marriage engagement.
Members of the royal family had to at least maintain a flawless image on the surface. They would never allow anyone to seize any weakness, so his guess had to be wrong.
He wanted to eavesdrop, but then remembered that the person in the neighboring lounge was the Empress. She must have brought many hidden guards with her. There was no way he could successfully sneak over and listen.
Since that was impossible, he might as well forget it.
He could just ask his father after they got home.
But before long, someone came knocking on the door.
Nan Yun walked over and opened it, only to find a strange man standing outside.
The man first greeted him politely.
"Hello, Young Master Nan. My master would like to invite Young Master Nan over for a chat. I wonder if that would be convenient?"
Nan Yun didn't react immediately.
"Your master is..."
Halfway through speaking, he suddenly remembered that there was only one "master" next door.
So the person who wanted to see his little brother was actually the Empress?
The visitor seemed to notice Nan Yun's hesitation and smiled.
"Major General Nan is over there as well, so there won't be any problems. Please rest assured."
He had already noticed Nan Yu sitting on the sofa inside.
Nan Yu stood up.
"Big Brother, don't worry. It's just next door. Nothing will happen. Dad's over there too."
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen both felt inexplicably worried, but they couldn't explain why.
One was their father, and the other was the Empress.
Surely they wouldn't harm their little brother?
"I know. Of course there won't be any problems. Go ahead."
The two brothers stood at the door and watched Nan Yu walk to the neighboring lounge.
The door opened, and he stepped inside.
Nan Yu had actually met the Empress before.
Especially in his previous life, he had seen her quite a few times, though only after Bai Zhouyun gradually rose to prominence.
There had never been much interaction between them.
As for this life, there had been even less.
He had run into her once while Yu Lanfeng had taken him to the Huang family's library, but...
In any case, there was no reason for him and the Empress to meet.
He couldn't understand why she wanted to see him now.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The Empress smiled warmly.
"Alright, sit down. We're just chatting casually. No need to be nervous."
Nan Yu naturally sat beside Nan Ming and gave him a questioning look.
However, Nan Ming sat there calmly, seemingly lost in thought, not noticing his gaze at all.
Left with no choice, Nan Yu withdrew his eyes.
"Thank you."
The Empress secretly observed him.
The more she looked, the more satisfied she became.
Good-looking.
Well-behaved.
Talented.
Outstanding potential.
Most importantly—
He was young!
Still very young!
A Mental Power User like this paired with her younger brother would simply be perfect.
Then again, once Nan Yu became a High-Tier Mental Power User, who knew whether her brother would still be worthy of him?
"I truly like this child, Xiao Yu. He's too outstanding. Forget Capital Star—even the entire Empire probably can't produce another young man comparable to him."
Nan Ming felt delighted hearing his youngest son being praised. He thought so himself.
Still, he had to be modest.
"Your Majesty overpraises him. Xiao Yu is still young and understands many things poorly. There is still much he has to learn. Praising him too much now will make him arrogant."
The Empress waved dismissively.
"It's fine. Geniuses ought to be proud. Xiao Yu, don't you agree?"
Nan Yu blinked.
He wasn't sure whether he should answer.
But since the Empress had spoken to him directly, he had to respond out of courtesy.
"I'm only a Mid-Tier Mental Power User right now. It's still far too early to become proud."
Seeing that the Empress didn't look displeased, he continued.
"Of course, when I accomplish things I couldn't do before, I do feel very happy."
The Empress beamed.
"Exactly! You should be more confident. That's good."
Nan Yu inwardly thought that powerful people truly enjoyed hearing others flatter them.
Even if what they said wasn't necessarily correct, they still hoped others would agree.
Unexpectedly, even the Empress...
Hm?
Thinking carefully, ever since he entered, the Empress's attention had been entirely focused on him.
Had he really been too high-profile recently?
Had the royal family already noticed him?
But sooner or later he would join Yu Lanfeng's legion.
In other words, he would effectively belong to the royal faction anyway.
So why was the Empress so eager to build goodwill with him?
What exactly had gone wrong?
Fortunately, the conversation didn't last too long.
At last, the Empress looked at him.
"Xiao Yu, what do you think of Yu Lanfeng?"
Nan Yu blinked and looked at the smiling Empress.
Although he found it strange, he answered honestly.
"Marshal Yu is naturally the greatest. He's also the most respected person. I think there isn't anyone in the entire Empire who dislikes him."
In other words—
He liked him!
The Empress nodded with satisfaction and slowly stood up.
"That's good."
"Alright, it's getting late, so I'll be leaving."
"If you meet him in the future, talk with him more."
"He may seem aloof and cold from the outside, but once you become familiar with him, you'll discover he's actually quite a chatterbox."
Marshal Yu was a chatterbox?!
This contrast...
It was really... unfairly adorable.
Seeing Nan Yu's stunned expression, the Empress secretly laughed before turning and leaving.
Nan Ming stood up to escort her outside.
Meanwhile, Nan Yu still hadn't recovered from the shock.
Nan Ming wanted to call him, but the Empress stopped him.
She gave Nan Ming a knowing smile that both of them understood and then departed.
When Nan Ming returned and sat beside him, Nan Yu finally regained his senses.
Only then did he realize that he hadn't stood up to see the Empress off.
"I..."
Nan Ming hurriedly pulled him back into his seat.
"It's alright. The Empress has already left, and she wasn't angry."
Nan Yu sighed in relief.
"The Empress is quite nice."
Nan Ming's heart twitched.
Quite nice indeed.
Nice enough that she had already started coveting his little son—a child barely sixteen years old who hadn't even dissolved his engagement yet.
If the Empress had come to arrange a match with Crown Prince Yuan Qiyang, he actually would have found it acceptable.
Their age difference wasn't large.
But the person she had mentioned was her younger brother.
It wasn't that Nan Ming had any dissatisfaction toward his superior.
He just felt that having his son end up with his own superior felt strange.
Especially...
Forget it.
It was too early to think about that.
After all, this was merely the Empress's wishful thinking.
Whether Yu Lanfeng himself was willing was another matter entirely.
There was no need to think so much yet.
Nan Yu took a deep breath and turned toward his father.
"Dad, what were you talking about with the Empress just now? Was it about me?"
Nan Ming naturally couldn't tell the truth.
"We just chatted casually. You've been a bit high-profile recently, but I've already informed the Empress that you'll be joining Marshal Yu's legion in the future, so you don't need to worry."
Nan Yu nodded.
"If that's the case, then it's fine."
"Dad, let's head home. No matter what, this is still a hospital, not our own house."
Nan Ming agreed.
"Let's go."
"Oh right, there will be people secretly guarding the Nan residence and protecting you whenever you go out in the future, so don't worry."
They were from the strongest legion.
Nobody would dare make trouble in front of them.
Nan Yu finally relaxed.
"Dad, why is the Bai family so quiet? Logically, they should be unable to sit still by now."
Nan Ming frowned slightly.
He had been too busy recently to pay much attention to the Bai family.
"We'll investigate after we get home. I don't know either."
"Maybe something happened to the Bai family."
Nan Yu blinked.
"The Bai family could have problems?"
As far as he knew, the Bai family would remain stable during this period and for a long time afterward.
That possibility was unlikely.
Perhaps his current high profile still wasn't enough to make them anxious to repair the rift between him and Bai Zhouyun.
How impressive.
He wondered how long they intended to endure.
Meanwhile, at the Bai family residence—
Unable to contact Nan Yu, Bai Zhouyun grew increasingly irritated.
He could still contact Yun Feiyu, but that was useless.
Earlier, Yun Feiyu had tearfully complained to him.
Nan Yu hadn't even allowed him through the door and had directly ordered people to drive him away.
As he cried, he recounted his miserable experience.
Bai Zhouyun's heart ached at the sight, but he couldn't leave, and Yun Feiyu couldn't come over either.
Thus, they spent all their time video chatting.
Each conversation lasted several hours.
Aside from chatting, sleeping, and eating, Bai Zhouyun didn't waste his remaining time.
He constantly used alternate accounts on StarNet to argue with people insulting him on the forums.
Every spare moment was devoted to online fights.
Yet he discovered that arguing had no effect.
Instead, people became even more excited.
Their insults grew harsher and more vicious with every passing day.
While fighting with them, Bai Zhouyun learned countless filthy and disgusting curse words.
At first, using them felt awkward.
But eventually, he became accustomed to it.
On the surface, he looked the same as before.
But inside, he had already begun to change.
Nan Yu knew nothing about this, though he still paid attention to the Bai family's situation from time to time.
After returning home, he checked the time in his room.
It wasn't too late.
So he contacted someone.
The call was answered almost instantly.
The person on the screen was none other than Fu Yu'ang, whom Nan Yun and Nan Yu had previously visited.
"Xiao Yu?"
Nan Yu clasped his hands together.
"Brother Fu, can you help me with something?"
Fu Yu'ang had always placed himself in the same position as Nan Yun and Nan Zhen.
Naturally, he could never refuse Nan Yu.
"Of course. Just say it. I'll definitely help."
Nan Yu smiled.
"Thank you, Brother Fu. I knew you'd help me."
After joking around for a while, he continued.
"By the way, you've heard about the things that made me high-profile recently, right?"
Fu Yu'ang nodded proudly.
"Of course. I pay attention to everything related to you."
"What happened? Is there a problem?"
"Did some uninformed family come asking for commissions again? I'll investigate."
Nan Yu shook his head.
"It's not that."
"I just think the Bai family has been acting strangely recently."
"After all... Bai Zhouyun and my engagement..."
He trailed off.
But Fu Yu'ang immediately understood.
"So that's what you're worried about."
"Then you don't need to worry. They're overwhelmed right now. They don't have the time or energy to bother you."
Nan Yu blinked.
"Hm? Did something happen to the Bai family?"
Fu Yu'ang laughed.
"Not the Bai family."
"Bai Zhouyun."
"You heard about what happened at Floating Colors, right?"
Although he found it disgusting and wished Nan Yu didn't have to know, some things still needed to be said.
Nan Yu nodded.
"I know. Is it related?"
"Yes."
"It only looks like the incident has passed. In reality, it hasn't."
"How so?"
"If Bai Zhouyun were just another spoiled young master, people would forget about him quickly."
"There are spoiled rich kids everywhere."
"But Bai Zhouyun is different."
"He's a spoiled young master with incredible luck."
"He has an outstanding family background, powerful backers, and a formidable Mental Power User fiancée whom almost every unmarried Ability User in the Empire dreams of having."
"Most Ability Users feel that having such a family is already enough luck from his ancestors."
"But having someone like you as his fiancée?"
"That's grossly unfair."
Nan Yu frowned.
"So people have been discussing this until now? I haven't seen much noise on StarNet."
Fu Yu'ang burst out laughing.
"Originally, the gossip and insults stayed within a small circle."
"But somehow Bai Zhouyun found those forum posts."
"He started using alternate accounts to argue with everyone."
"And stupidly forgot to hide his IP address."
"Two days ago, people exposed that his IP originated from Capital Star."
Nan Yu inwardly sighed.
Bai Zhouyun was unbelievably stupid.
A small-scale discussion was one thing.
But once the actual person jumped in and started arguing, people's enthusiasm changed completely.
Fu Yu'ang continued.
"So because of all this, the Bai family is still busy cleaning up Bai Zhouyun's mess."
"They simply haven't had time to trouble you."
What he didn't say was that he himself had secretly added fuel to the fire.
No.
If one action counted as one spark, then he had probably thrown nearly a hundred fires into the situation.
It felt pretty good.
Not only had he trapped Bai Zhouyun, he had also dragged the Bai family into the pit.
However, the Bai family had begun investigating those forums.
He needed to stop immediately and erase every trace he had left behind.
Not because he feared them.
But everyone knew how close he was to the Nan family.
He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for them.
"Brother Fu, thank you!"
Fu Yu'ang froze.
It seemed his little tricks had already been discovered by Nan Yu.
He smiled in satisfaction.
"It's nothing. Just a small matter."
Nan Yu gave him a bright smile.
"If you have time tomorrow, come eat at my house."
"I'll help disperse some of your mental contamination."
"I only have this little bit of ability."
Fu Yu'ang immediately protested.
"What do you mean, only this little bit of ability? You're amazing!"
"Oh right."
"I'll arrive at eight tomorrow morning."
"I hope I won't be stopped outside."
Nan Yu smiled.
"You won't. I'll notify the guards later."
Fu Yu'ang had only joked casually.
"There's really someone guarding the place all the time?"
"Oh right, Brother Fu, you don't know yet."
Nan Yu told him about his decision to join Yu Lanfeng's legion in the future.
The legion had already started protecting him as an outstanding seedling.
Naturally, guards had been arranged.
Fu Yu'ang's eyes lit up.
"That's wonderful!"
"After I graduate, I want to try too."
"Maybe I'll pass the assessment."
Nan Yu laughed.
"If it's Brother Fu, you'll definitely succeed."
"Your abilities are outstanding, especially your intelligence skills."
"I don't think anyone in the academy can compare with you."
Embarrassed, Fu Yu'ang scratched his chin.
Although it was true, hearing Nan Yu praise him so exaggeratedly felt strangely shameful.
After agreeing on tomorrow's schedule, Nan Yu finally ended the call.
At that moment, someone knocked on his door.
Puzzled, he opened it.
Standing outside was Yang Zhou.
"Yang Zhou, you're awake?"
Stretching lazily, Yang Zhou walked inside and casually sat on the edge of the bed.
Nan Yu closed the door and sat down as well.
"What? Slept enough?"
Yang Zhou nodded.
"More or less."
"I got up earlier and went downstairs to eat."
"Uncle Butler is really wonderful. He left so much food for me."
Nan Yu smiled.
"In a couple of days, I'll take you to look at houses."
"I'll make an appointment."
"Let me tell you a secret."
"Apparently, that villa district was jointly invested in by someone and Marshal Yu."
"People without sufficient status really can't buy houses there."
Yang Zhou's eyes shone.
"Wow!"
"Will I really be able to buy one?"
"There can't be many villas left, right?"
Nan Yu waved his hand.
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm taking you."
"I can still act as your recommender."
Yang Zhou narrowed his eyes happily.
"Then thank you."
What Yang Zhou needed most right now was to avoid people.
Those relatives had been forced back by the will, but they would never give up on him and his enormous inheritance so easily.
Therefore, finding a good house was extremely important.