The Goddess of Magnanimity smiled at the two of them. It wasn’t like their feelings for each other and the likely relationship that grew from them had been a mystery to anyone but the Heavenly Emperor so after the initial surprise that they were actually about to witness a wedding they hadn’t been told about, nobody thought it odd. Yu Lin especially wasn’t surprised because she was one of the few people Bai Fen had talked to about this so they’d have someone in their corner to help out.

During these weeks, the two of them had met up several times whether it was because Bai Fen didn’t want to look at her husband’s grumpy face any longer, to discuss the best way to prepare, or just have an excuse to go out and a place to communicate with Jinde where nobody would notice. In a way, this might make her one of the people outside their families who was the most involved, with only Li Yin as Qiang Yan’s best friend and the one in charge of setting up the square for the big day having handled more matters.

Jing He didn’t know too much about what had happened during the weeks he was away. While Qiu Ling had written down a lot and he had read all those letters slowly, indeed talking some of them over with Qiu Ling in the past few days, it couldn’t compare to seeing everything play out as it happened. Thus, while he was aware of her involvement, he couldn’t have given any examples. He felt grateful though.

Even his own father wasn’t on his side but this woman who wasn’t related to him at all and actually hadn’t spent much time with him in the past, simply agreed to help them out without receiving anything in return. This was even more astounding if he considered that there would have been a chance that his father arranged for him to marry Duan Ming. This would have meant that her son could rule at his side in the future. For many people, this would have been tempting but the Goddess of Magnanimity didn’t seem to care. Just this instance alone made it clear why she had gained this position. She really was the perfect fit.

“Goddess of Magnanimity.” He inclined his head toward her, smiling faintly.

Qiu Ling also nodded in greeting. He was even more aware of how much she had helped but even if there had been less, he’d still be incredibly grateful. Everyone who had had a hand in letting him finally marry Jing He should be counted as his lifelong benefactor! Naturally, he would be more enthusiastic about people like that.

Yu Lin looked from one person to the other and only felt that a newly wedded couple ought to look like this: Each of them happy from the bottom of their heart and so close together that you’d have trouble even fitting a sheet of paper between them. Obviously, while this union could be counted as unprecedented and the political power that could come with it was not to be trifled with, that had had nothing to do with their decision to enter this union. No, they obviously just loved each other. Maybe it wouldn’t even be wrong to say that they did so despite their identities that had made everything much more complicated than it had to be.

“I am glad to see the two of you finally getting married. While we haven’t spent much time together in the past, it was still always obvious to me how much you loved each other. For a couple this committed to each other, it would be a shame not to make it official someday.”

She herself had married later in life when she was much older than the crown prince was right now. She had made that choice because she wanted to be sure that she didn’t go wrong and indeed, her first few relationships hadn’t worked out in the end. Still, when she met her current husband, it hadn’t taken long to take the next step and get married. It was as if she had simply known by some touch of fate or maybe it was the sum of her previous experiences that allowed her to see that he was the one for her.

If she compared her story with that of the couple in front of her, then while she and her husband hadn’t been each other’s first relationship, they had been quite quick to get married in the end. Still, no matter how differently they had made their choices, as long as there were love, trust, and understanding, a marriage was sure to flourish. She believed firmly in that. And she didn’t doubt that the dragon king and their crown prince would have a great life together going forward.

“As our way of congratulating you, my family and I have chosen this jade carving.” She carefully took it out of her spatial bracelet and handed it to Qiu Ling since she was slightly more familiar with him. “It is meant to invite good luck which I hope you will have a lot of in your life as a married couple.”

“Thank you very much, Goddess of Magnanimity. We will treasure it.” It was ornamental in nature so this would likely be put somewhere to be looked at. In the past, Qiu Ling wouldn’t have cared about such a thing but now, he actually felt excited about the prospect.

Just imagine: After going to the dragon realm together today, celebrating with everyone in his realm for a while, and then finishing up with his people’s ceremony … they’d get up together tomorrow morning, talk about the gifts they had received, and choose suitable spots for each of them, decorating the suite of rooms that would from now on be inhabited by the two of them. If that wasn’t the bliss of marital life, then he didn’t know what was!