Bai Fen and Jinde seemed of the same opinion in regard to the Heavenly Emperor’s plight.

Jing He couldn’t quite bring himself to see the positive side of it. Knowing that his father had incurred Tian’s wrath and made to stay silent … he wasn’t sure what to think of it. Would this truly wear off after a while like his mother seemed to think? Or was this similar to the curse on their bloodline which had apparently been ended today … for whatever reason Tian had. Truth be told, it had almost seemed as if he was doing it on a whim.

Qiu Ling noticed his worried expression and rubbed his arm. “Don’t worry. Tian didn’t say he was cursing him or anything, did he? At most, he was expressing his disappointment in him or his distrust in his reaction to our wedding. He might just have wanted to prevent another incident that could torpedo all our efforts in preparing for today.”

Jing He looked up at him and nodded but he still couldn’t help but glance over to the table where his father was stewing in silence. And, well, stewing was truly the right way to describe it. His father’s lips were tightly pursed and his brows furrowed. If he could have spoken, he probably would have been yelling again.

It was a wonder as is that he wasn’t trying to do anything else like dragging him off. Although that was likely also thanks to Tian’s appearance. Even if he hadn’t used some type of magic to make him stay away, simply appearing had probably been enough of a deterrence to make his father behave. Otherwise …

Jing He lowered his head and sighed. He had wished that his father would come around. Even though he hadn’t said it, deep down, this was what he longed for. He knew how unlikely it was but … when his father saw how happy he was on his wedding day with Qiu Ling, couldn’t he have reconsidered his stance? Even if he wasn’t suddenly in favor, simply becoming more neutral on the topic also would have been fine. Just … just accepting his decision and not acting like it was the worst thing he could have ever done was all that he’d like to ask for.

It was a pity that his father couldn’t give him that. Most likely, he’d continue to think that he had made a mistake forever and behave accordingly. Yes, if even his wedding day couldn’t make him change his mind, then nothing ever would. And if this was the case, then the negative things he had seen in his vision at the Spring of Fate were likely to come true.

Qiu Ling looked at his lover, his expression turning serious. Today should be a joyous occasion but … surely, not having his father’s approval dampened the mood for Jing He. Even though he had decided not to follow his wishes, that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel guilty for it or simply regretted how things were. Hearing his mother and Jinde talk like this … it surely wouldn’t help.

He hesitated, unsure what to do. He didn’t want Jing He to think about bad things today. He wanted him to be happy. He certainly wasn’t the right person to speak up when it came to the Heavenly Emperor though, was he? After all, he was the reason Jing He’s father was behaving like this and also the reason he was treated that way by Tian. Jing He deciding on him was also likely to cause an irreparable rift between the two of them. If he said anything, it might seem … wrong. And yet, he couldn’t keep quiet.

He pondered and then squeezed Jing He’s hand. “He’ll come around one day. It might not be soon but when he sees that you are happy with this decision — not just today but in the long run —, then he won’t always be this hard-headed.” He smiled faintly, hoping that those words could be counted as being comforting. He didn’t have all that many nice things to say about the Heavenly Emperor but he indeed hoped that he would change his stance. Not because he needed that for himself but because Jing He wanted it and because he deserved to have his father’s support.

Jing He nodded but inwardly, he felt doubtful. He hesitated but then leaned into Qiu Ling’s arms, resting his head against his chest and closing his eyes. “I don’t know if he will. He can’t even pretend to be happy for me on my wedding day. It certainly doesn’t seem like he will change his mind.”

Qiu Ling reached up and rubbed Jing He’s back. “No matter his faults, he loves you. He might still be stubborn now but when he realizes what the consequences of not accepting your choice are, he won’t be able to keep this up. Sooner or later, he’ll cave and come to seek you out to make up. At that time …”

Well, the tempting thing was to tell him to shove it but when it actually happened, Jing He would be over the moon so the smart thing to do … “At that time, just graciously accept it and tell him that as long as he understands, all is well. We don’t have to cling to the past. Even if he has hurt you, since you want him in your life, some compromises have to be made. We just have to keep in mind what we can’t compromise on.”

Jing He raised his head and looked up at him, his gaze gentle. “You are so patient with him.” Even though his father didn’t seem to deserve this much of Qiu Ling’s consideration. This just proved that he had made the right choice. How could he have ever doubted that?

Qiu Ling’s smile turned wry. “I love you. Of course, I’ll try to find a way for you to have what you want.” Even though he did have the urge to give the Heavenly Emperor a piece of his mind. But, oh well, marrying Jing He and finding happiness with him was definitely much more important than that.