Su Lan, married to Qin Hu?
There was no small amount of information bound up in this matter.
"If I remember rightly, Senior Su Lan's standing is only that of the Su family's illegitimate daughter, isn't it?" Zhao Wan'er asked from the side.
"But Qin Hu is the Third Prince — Qin Ming's own younger brother. Were Qin Ming truly to inherit the throne of the Starlight Emperor in future, then Qin Hu's standing would be of no common sort. By rights, it ought not to be possible for him to make a marriage-match with Senior Su Lan, surely?"
There was indeed a great gulf between the two parties' stations.
"I've heard that Qin Hu once met Senior Su Lan some time ago, and it was love at first sight; so in this marriage-match with the Su family, Qin Hu named Su Lan by name. I'd originally been a guest at the Su family's, and I watched with my own eyes as Senior Su Lan was placed under house arrest by the Su family's people, shut up in a courtyard. Had it not been for my own special standing, they'd likely have driven me straight out. Senior Su Lan has resigned herself to her fate now — but I… I saw a suicide note!" Xue Xiaoxiao said, aghast.
"A suicide note! Then how could you have dared to set your mind at ease and leave Senior Su Lan there alone and come running out!" Zhao Wan'er said, worried.
Xue Xiaoxiao reassured her, "There's no need to worry over that. Senior Su Lan holds the Su family paramount in her heart, so even were she to seek death, it wouldn't be upon Su family ground. My guess is it'll likely be on the day she's wed, when she's leaving the Purple Perilla Star Region! For Senior Su Lan to die at that time would then have nothing to do with the Su family. How could I possibly stand by and watch, wide-eyed, as Senior Su Lan fell into that fire-pit? So I ran out to find some way — and I thought of you, Wan'er, and of Zhao Chen; I thought you'd surely have a way! And so I came to find you. You must, without fail, save Senior Su Lan."
Xue Xiaoxiao looked at Zhao Chen imploringly.
Zhao Wan'er looked toward her elder brother, an urgency in her gaze — but the words that had come to her lips faltered there.
She cared deeply for Senior Su Lan; Senior Su Lan could be called the person closest to her apart from her own kin.
Back in her days at the Northstar Academy, it had been thanks as well to Senior Su Lan's care that she'd been able to graduate smoothly.
She looked upon Senior Su Lan as her own elder sister.
But…
The present situation was a delicate one; the one who meant to wed Senior Su Lan was, of all people, the Third Prince Qin Hu.
The two sides' forces were, respectively, the Prince Faction and the Purple Perilla Star Region — both of them, at this moment, colossi of the Starlight Empire.
Set against them, a mere Owl Dragon lord might well be a fair bit the smaller.
Were she to take part in this matter, then a slight misstep might implicate the Owl Dragon Star System and the whole of the Zhao family.
And so, at this moment, Zhao Wan'er was much torn within.
She wanted to seek Zhao Chen's help, and yet she worried, too, that her speaking up would add to Zhao Chen's burdens.
"Has the date the Third Prince Qin Hu is to wed Senior Su Lan been fixed?" Zhao Chen asked.
"The middle of May! It's a marriage-alliance of two great forces, after all, so the preparations must be complete down to the last thing. I've heard that, when the time comes, the Third Prince Qin Hu will personally lead a royal legion fleet to fetch the bride," Xue Xiaoxiao answered.
Zhao Chen's expression eased somewhat; there was time enough.
System task triggered: "Save Senior Su Lan."
Content: Before the very face of the Third Prince Qin Hu, snatch away his betrothed, Su Lan.
Reward: 500,000 system points; 50 task points.
Every time he was about to stir up some trouble, the system would, without fail, come popping out — as though things weren't lively enough for its liking.
Before the very face of the Third Prince Qin Hu?
That was to say, snatch the bride right before the royal legion fleet.
That would be, quite simply, slapping the Prince Faction across the face.
"This matter you leave to me to handle; you needn't worry. Senior Su Lan is, when all's said, a companion who's fought shoulder to shoulder with us; I can't stand by and watch her fall into a fire-pit," Zhao Chen said, his look turning serious.
"Truly!" Zhao Wan'er looked at Zhao Chen in her excitement.
"When have I ever eaten my own words?" Zhao Chen said teasingly.
Only now did Zhao Wan'er let out a breath of relief.
Xue Xiaoxiao, for her part, was rather worried.
"This… have you no plan at all, then? You must bear in mind that what you'll be facing is the Prince Faction! An existence at the very zenith of its power in the Starlight Empire right now!"
"Rest easy — there's nothing my brother can't bring off." Zhao Wan'er now had the utmost faith in this elder brother of hers.
For, after all, were outsiders to learn of the things their Owl Dragon Legion had done, they'd likely never believe them.
Bringing the Reef Star Region under control; the ambush of Warhammer fleets; the expedition against a great tribe's home star!
"So what's your next arrangement, then?" Zhao Chen looked toward this lass Xue Xiaoxiao.
Xue Xiaoxiao's eyes gave a roll; she took hold of Zhao Wan'er's wrist and said, "Since you've decided to save Senior Su Lan, then I have nowhere good to go besides. Until that's done, let me stay here with you first. As it happens, Wan'er and I haven't seen each other in ever so long."
Zhao Wan'er's gaze went to Zhao Chen, inquiring his meaning.
Zhao Chen nodded.
"Staying's no trouble; you just follow along with Wan'er."
"Thank you, Lord Commander! Should there be anything you need my help with, I can go and do it too! I'm an outstanding graduate of the Northstar Starship Military Academy, I'll have you know!" Xue Xiaoxiao said with pride.
"You've been long on the road and must be tired; go join the banquet and have yourself a good meal." Zhao Chen pointed toward the banquet grounds.
Catching sight of these delectable dishes, Xue Xiaoxiao stood on no ceremony either, and at once set to eating.
Zhao Wan'er stood at Zhao Chen's side and did not move — for she'd taken notice that her brother had something he wished to say to her.
"Xiaoxiao can stay; just have her follow you. The T3 Phantom Assassin isn't any secret interstellar warship these days anyhow. So long as you don't let her come into contact with certain core technologies, or with our Owl Dragon Legion's confidential information, it's fine. With her staying by you on the bridge, she can assist you, too." Zhao Chen instructed.
"All right." Zhao Wan'er nodded; she knew well enough how to weigh the light against the heavy.
"Come to think of it, Xue Xiaoxiao's always been a bit of a mystery. Where is it she comes from?" Zhao Chen inquired.
Zhao Wan'er thought it over.
"If I remember rightly, she seems to have said she's from a neutral force within the Galactic Alliance — one apart from the three great empires."
"A neutral force?" Zhao Chen was somewhat curious; he could look into it a bit later on.
"You go keep Xue Xiaoxiao company," Zhao Chen said.
"All right."
Zhao Wan'er took her leave.
Zhao Chen lay back down upon his recliner.
The Prince Faction's having the Third Prince Qin Hu wed the Su family's Su Lan of Purple Perilla — the aim in it was plain enough.
It was to strengthen the ties between the two by way of a marriage-alliance.
For, after all, the Starlight Empire's situation now was a tangled one — for all the world like a planetary continent that might split apart at any moment, held together entirely by the Starlight Emperor, sunk in grave illness and clinging to his last breath.
Once the Starlight Emperor passed, and the Second Prince Qin Ming succeeded to the throne, then, were he unable to bring the whole of the Starlight Empire's forces directly under his control, at that point the various forces beyond the Empire would move at the first breath of the wind, and the Starlight Empire would be in danger.
Seen thus, then — as the Prince Faction's enemy, Zhao Chen would, come what may, never let Qin Hu wed Su Lan smoothly.
"And as it happens, I'd been pondering not long ago whether there'd be a chance to beat the grass and startle the snake[1] — well, and here it's come delivered right to my door," Zhao Chen said with a cold smile.