The person who had walked up this time was someone who wasn’t as close to the couple as Yu Lin and Li Yin: Jin Hui of the East Sea, the trueborn goddess in charge of the Eastern Heaven. Contrary to Yu Lin who walked up to the table alone, Jin Hui was followed by her husband who carried a wooden box in his hands.

“Your Highness, Longjun, may you have an eternity of happiness.”

“Queen Jin Hui.” Jing He almost wanted to get up from his seat. Jin Hui gave him an odd feeling every time he saw her. She had the regal bearing of a queen but she also reminded him of his mother a little with how kind she was. He hadn’t been in contact with her much and had only seen her a few times when he was younger but he had heard that no matter the situation, she always stayed calm and collected, focusing on the issue at hand and how to solve it. She didn’t get angry at people, even though there would be consequences for mistakes. To him, she had always been a good example of what a leader should look like.

Qiu Ling wasn’t familiar with her at all. In fact, for once, he truly couldn’t remember having seen this person before. Still, with Jing He’s greeting, he had a rough idea of her status at least. He simply copied her husband’s actions though and inclined his head while letting his spouse do the talking.

Jin Hui smiled and motioned to the box her husband was carrying. “Joined happiness only comes with individual health and happiness. You’ve just had an ordeal behind you so we brought a few nourishing ingredients from the Eastern Heaven. I hope — and I am sure that your husband shares this sentiment — that you will take care of yourself well so that you will have a long and happy future ahead of you.”

Qiu Ling immediately gave a hum. He indeed shared that sentiment. And even though Jing He hadn’t been physically injured, calling his experience an ordeal was certainly right as well. For one, his soul had shattered which was incredibly painful. He himself had felt some of that because his own soul was affected but that likely couldn’t compare to what Jing He himself had lived through.

Now, it seemed that he was a trueborn god again since he had made his decision but whether his soul was completely healed … frankly, he didn’t know. He’d have to bring that up in the following days and check. But whatever the outcome of that, it couldn’t hurt to let Jing He take some nourishing supplements to ensure his health. Of course, it’d be best to let Jinde have a look as well. He certainly knew more about this topic so he should be able to provide some guidance.

Jin Hui smiled even more brightly when she saw Qiu Ling nod. Even though they weren’t close, Jing He was their crown prince. He might be marrying the dragon king now but chances still were that he’d lead the Nine Heavens one day in the future. With how polite and thoughtful this child was, she hoped for that.

Of course, this also meant that she hoped he’d be well and have somebody at his side to help him navigate everything that was to come. To her, having her husband was a daily reassurance. No matter how bad things got, she’d always have somebody to rely on. Knowing this gave her strength and the ability to focus on what had to be done. He would also be there to listen to her woes, sometimes giving advice if he could think of something and at other times simply holding her and comforting her.

She hoped that everyone could have such a person in their life, whether it was a spouse or simply a friend. Life felt a lot easier to handle when you had someone at your side. It seemed that for their crown prince, his husband was also such a person. It made her happy to see.

Jin Hui wasn’t close to Jing He so after saying what she had to, she bid her farewell, taking her husband to return to their seats, letting others take their turn to congratulate the wedding couple.

Most of the people who came first were from the Nine Heavens since the dragons were still stunned by Jinde’s casual reveal and the possible implications it had. Since Jin Hui had already stepped forward, the rulers of the other seven Heavens naturally didn’t want to lag behind. They hastily adjusted their mentality and presented whatever gifts they had brought along, trying to find a few words of explanation for why they had chosen this.

Thankfully, everyone had at least known that something bad had happened to the crown prince but that he had safely returned in the end. As a result, many gifts were related to health or happiness. With a little bit of thought, everyone could string together a few words to make it sound as if they had been prepared or at least make it seem as if they hadn’t been totally unprepared.

While everyone was busy congratulating the couple and wishing them well, Jing He’s father only got angrier by the minute. Why did it look as if everyone but him had known about this darned wedding?! He himself had written the invitations to today’s celebration and while all the right people appeared, he had definitely never mentioned a wedding! If he had known that Jing He wanted to marry that bastard today, he wouldn’t have allowed it either! No, he’d have made sure that there were guards at all entrances and exits of the city so that dandy couldn’t get in. Now, it was too late, and he couldn’t even say anything about it because he still couldn’t speak. It was maddening!

Next to him, Bai Fen had already switched the pot of tea for a flask of wine and happily poured herself another cup. She didn’t even bother looking at her husband who was obviously seething and instead started to look around. Today was a joyous occasion so she shouldn’t let anyone rain on her parade. So, instead of sitting here … how about going to have a chat with Jin Hui? Anyway, they had always gotten along in the past.

Thus, Bai Fen finally ditched her husband and started to mingle with the other guests, making Rong Su feel as if he would pass out from anger. In the end, he huffed, got up himself, and left. Anyway, since he couldn’t speak, then he’d just communicate his rejection of this event by refusing to attend! Surely, Jing He would come to his senses sooner or later. By then, it wouldn’t be too late to get a divorce, even though he’d have loved to spare him the embarrassment by not allowing this farce in the first place.