His steps indeed first led Jing He to his mother’s palace. This was a matter of course. For one, he should tell her that his departure for his trial had been decided. And two, right now, he needed her advice.

Just earlier, he had promised Qiu Ling to get married and to bring this topic up to his father. But then, when he truly sat in front of his father, such a misunderstanding had happened. And now, not to mention that the wedding hadn’t been brought up as promised and he would have to confess this much to Qiu Ling tomorrow when they saw each other again, there was even the added issue of his upcoming trial.

Even though he felt embarrassed to put all of this out in the open, the circumstances were like that and he didn’t know how to deal with it. This naturally couldn’t be brought up to his father so he could only go and talk to his mother. She should know what to do. Maybe she could even help him on his father’s front by having a talk about his wedding with him.

Jing He tried to reassure himself that everything would be alright in this way. When he finally arrived at the gate of his mother’s palace, he felt a little calmer. At the very least, he didn’t feel like he was doomed any longer. Yes, there were still ways to deal with the mess he had managed to maneuver himself into.

When the servants saw him, one hurriedly ran to inform the Heavenly Empress of his arrival while another led him inside more slowly. Their crown prince was a frequent guest and his mother naturally always wanted to see him if possible so they were familiar enough with him. Still, even though this was the case, Jing He usually wore the same expression so none of them could tell that something was up.

When Jing He finally arrived at the courtyard where his mother was tending to the flowers, she raised her brows at him and waved the servants away. “Did something happen?” The servants might not have said anything but as his mother, she could read his mood better than others. Right now, it was obvious even at a glance that something was up. It also seemed to be something major so she didn’t even dare to joke around.

Inwardly, she couldn’t help but wonder if the plan she had come up with had backfired. It couldn’t be that he was this distraught over Qiu Ling’s extended failure to visit, right? Well, it sure was possible but why would his worry change for the worse this suddenly? Also, his state seemed somewhat different from what it had been before so … she really wasn’t sure what to make of this.

Jing He quietly walked over to his mother and greeted her first. Even though his thoughts were somewhere else, he couldn’t just forget his upbringing.

Bai Fen simply waved though. “Yes, yes, yes, your mother is well. You’d better speak about yourself first! Just what is going on?”

Jing He lowered his head, his cheeks flushing. What was going on? Apart from the trial, the matter he should start with was certainly Qiu Ling’s proposal. It was just … he had agreed to it without his parents’ input. Earlier, he had still thought this was something to simply prepare his father for so Qiu Ling could ask officially but … that was also because of how hard-headed his father was. His mother was very different and would likely accept this marriage.

So shouldn’t he have brought it up to her in a more official manner? In fact, maybe it would have been best to have Qiu Ling come forward and propose marriage in front of her. Surely, this wouldn’t have gone over that horribly and then he wouldn’t have to tell her in this way now. Ah, he felt as if he had committed a grave mistake but now, it was also too late to remedy. He could only force himself to explain the situation.

Bai Fen watched her son’s tangled expression. Well, whatever had happened, this certainly concerned the dragon king. Otherwise, her son wouldn’t make such a face. She sighed and turned back to her flowers, simply giving Jing He more time to make up his mind. Heaven knew he was a little slow when it came to this.

Jing He finally lowered his head even further and started with the part that seemed the least outrageous. “Longjun came to see me today again.”

Bai Fen raised her brows. Well, there it was. Although she had to say she was a bit disappointed that Qiu Ling had only made it a week before he ran back here. Still, with how distraught Jing He had been before, maybe a week was all it needed. In fact, looking at him now, this visit seemed to have changed something. She pondered for a moment and then figured to just ask about it as open-ended as possible. “That’s great! What did you talk about?” Because clearly, Qiu Ling had brought something up that had Jing He’s mind occupied now.

“He …” Jing He rubbed the hem of his sleeve, afraid to bring it up. Unfortunately, there really was no other way. He couldn’t even phrase it vaguely or this might turn out like the talk with his father. “He asked me to marry him … again.”

Bai Fen’s brows shot up. Qiu Ling asking her son to marry him really wasn’t anything new. To be honest, it was kind of expected by now. Her son bringing up that he had brought the topic up was new though. Usually, he would just pretend it hadn’t happened so he could go on living his life without having to navigate this issue. So saying this now, it was obvious that Qiu Ling’s absence had changed things more than just a little.

She took a faint breath, trying not to startle Jing He. It was great that he had finally gotten this far. She absolutely couldn’t cause him to pull back now. “So what did you say in response?”

Jing He’s face only flushed further. “I … I would be willing. It is just … I doubt father would agree.”

Bai Fen turned her head to look at him, her brows still raised faintly. “And you told him that?”

Jing He hesitated but finally nodded. “Mn. I felt that I should explain.” After all, if not, would he even have seen this man ever again? He couldn’t live without him so he had to be open about this worry. “I tried to talk to father about it as well but … he seems to have misunderstood. He told me to go on my first trial.”

Bai Fen stared at Jing He, completely dumbfounded. Please excuse her but … what had her son just said? “You … brought up your willingness to marry the dragon king in front of your father?” She hadn’t understood this wrong, had she?

Jing He raised his head, his expression uncomfortable. “I know I should have asked your opinion first. Yours and father’s both. It is just …” He hadn’t thought he still had enough time. He had figured Qiu Ling would turn around and never look back if he didn’t promise him at that very moment. Not to mention the kiss they shared … he would be too morally corrupt if he let that happen and then still refused to even admit to wanting to get married, wouldn’t he?

Bai Fen hastily shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I am in favor of you and Longjun marrying. I am simply surprised you dared to bring it up to your father. His reaction shouldn’t be good.” She blinked her eyes and then focused on the other matter her son had mentioned. “You said he wants you to go on your first trial? It’s indeed about time for that if we don’t want to provoke Tian’s wrath but this wasn’t his way of trying to sabotage the relationship between you and the dragon king, was it?”

Jing He hesitated but then shook his head. “It shouldn’t be. I believe father … simply didn’t understand I was talking about marriage. Now, I don’t know how to explain to Qiu Ling. I promised I would bring it up.”

Bai Fen sighed. She could imagine how things had played out: Her son had probably talked in circles because he was afraid and her husband — who would never accept him and Qiu Ling being together to the point where he completely ignored how close those two had gotten and still thought of his son as this inexperienced lamb some outrageous beast was eying — had finally misunderstood. The exact process mattered little. The important part was that now, her son would have to go on a trial while Qiu Ling expected a wedding. She could see why Jing He’s mood was tangled.

In the end, she could only comfort him first. “Qiu Ling will understand. Just tell him the truth. Anyway, how long is a trial? With the difference in time, it should be three months at most. He can just use that time to prepare the ceremony … or win over your father first. I don’t see him agreeing that quickly if I am being honest. Also, there will likely be a few days at least or even a few weeks before you truly leave. That’s enough time for Qiu Ling to get used to the idea. Just be honest with him. When has he not let you take the lead in your relationship?” Yes, as long as her son said that this was important, Qiu Ling would certainly understand. She didn’t doubt that at all.