Chapter 1 The Empire Announces

Not many days later, the empire announced Bill's upcoming marriage to the princess, setting the wedding date two months later, when a royal city celebration would be held for the citizens to enjoy.

At Becky's behest, this news spread throughout the streets and alleys of the royal city, sparking excited discussions among the residents.

Rumors of a marriage alliance had been circulating for some time, but the candidates were widely debated. Some thought it would be a woman from a collateral line of the royal family, while others thought it would be the old woman Irene, the "Blade of the Royal Family." Only now did they learn that the marriage partner was the princess, which many had not expected.

Although King Becky had many offspring, a total of nine, most of them were male, with only three daughters, most of whom had tortuous fates.

The eldest daughter married and died in childbirth. The second daughter was strong and powerful and was trained as a warrior, but unfortunately, she died violently after taking a foreign blood potion. Only the youngest daughter, Sunni, was still alive, accompanying Becky and was much loved.

In an era lacking entertainment, the power class was the top traffic. Countless people had a natural curiosity and voyeuristic desire for the mysterious private lives of the court. The discussion was heated, especially among the residents of the royal city closest to the court. Whether they were wealthy craftsmen or poor people wandering the streets, they could all chat about it.

Many royal city residents had always thought that Princess Sunni would marry into another tribe, but they did not expect that she would be betrothed to Master Bill by the king.

Although Bill was not a tribal blood relative, his pharmaceutical achievements would make the lives of the people of the empire safer. Although most people were surprised, they thought it was a suitable marriage, and Bill was worthy of it.

Wasn't the princess noble and Master Bill gifted? A match made in heaven!

And considering Master Bill's skills, their married life would be quite harmonious.

Bill now had a very high reputation, and the residents of the royal city couldn't help but be happy for the marriage of the two and looked forward to the citywide celebration on the wedding day.

Inside the Golden Fortress, court ministers learned of the news, and an endless stream of people came to Bill to congratulate him.

Zhou Jing received the visitors one by one. As long as someone congratulated him, he would show his expectation and longing for the marriage, displaying a harmless attitude. He was an old actor.

...

Two months later, the day before the wedding, in the afternoon.

Everywhere in the Golden Fortress, servants were running around busily, and the venue for the royal wedding banquet had been arranged in advance.

In the garden, Zhou Jing and Becky walked side by side, talking and laughing.

"Master Bill, tomorrow is your wedding. Don't study potions tonight. Get a good rest and recharge your energy."

Becky was in a good mood, smiling.

"I listen to His Majesty the King." Zhou Jing smiled on the surface, "Speaking of which, I don't seem to have seen the princess recently?"

"Haha, she's deliberately hiding, embarrassed to see you. You'll see her tomorrow."

Becky waved his hand.

Zhou Jing casually said an expected polite remark, then turned to look at the two guard teams closely following behind him, thought for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, Harder and Lex have been protecting me these days, and they've worked hard. But I'm very safe in the Golden Fortress. I feel awkward having them follow me all the time. Can you stop them from following me all the time?"

Since the showdown that night, Zhou Jing had been secretly planning to run away. After discussing with Roman, he finally decided to use a switch to fool the guards and sneak away, so as to buy more time to escape.

After all, escaping from the Golden Fortress was just the beginning. Once his disappearance was discovered by the king, the entire city would be under martial law, making it difficult to leave the royal city.

However, the guards were usually conscientious and responsible, taking shifts, although they weren't inseparable, they were always guarding the key entrances and exits, making it difficult to find an opportunity. Even after taking a dump, when he opened the door, he could see Brainless and Cranky squatting there, making Zhou Jing a little depressed.

"You're not satisfied with them?" Becky raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Jing deliberately said loudly, "Harder and Lex are very responsible, but they are three-time strengthened foreign blood warriors. It's a waste to simply protect me in the Golden Fortress. Let them do something serious."

Becky pondered for a few seconds and nodded slowly, "You're right. It's not good for them to follow you all the time. After the wedding banquet, I'll change a guard team for you."

Nominally protecting, but actually monitoring. The Golden Fortress was so safe. It was estimated that Bill had come to his senses after a few months and was a little dissatisfied. Becky felt it was time to adjust.

Anyway, the goal had been achieved. During this period, he cut off Bill's channels of contact with the outside world. As long as tomorrow passed, everything would be settled... Bill's marriage to the princess was a choice to stand on the side of the royal family's interests, and there was no need for such a troublesome and unpleasant surveillance in the future. Otherwise, it would only make Bill feel that he was always an "outsider."

Harder and Lex looked at each other, their eyes revealing a look of relief.

They hadn't been feeling well with the personal monitoring for the past few months. They had no time to exercise and were quite bored, and the long-term following had already made Bill unhappy. They had been worried that this kind of life would last for several years or even half a lifetime.

At this moment, Bill's suggestion was exactly what they wanted, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of impending liberation.

Becky chatted with Zhou Jing for a while, mainly instructing him on the precautions for tomorrow's wedding, and chatting about family matters by the way. After finishing, he let them leave.

Watching Zhou Jing's back, Becky nodded in satisfaction.

Finding a wife to tie down Bill and having a child would basically ensure that Bill firmly supported the royal family's position.

There were also different blood relatives of the royal family. Since Sunni was his daughter, Bill would only support the king's lineage and be completely used by him.

"After the wedding banquet tomorrow, Bill will be completely mine."

Becky was pleased, stroking his beard and smiling.

...

In the princess's bedroom, a group of tailors and servants were busy, serving Sunni to change clothes, trying on sets of gorgeous wedding dresses, and choosing clothes for tomorrow.

Sunni looked at herself in the mirror, dressed in gorgeous clothes, and asked shyly, "How is this one?"

"Beautiful!"

"Princess, you look beautiful in anything."

The servants hurriedly complimented.

"...You always say that."

Sunni was helpless.

She turned to look aside, showing the clothes to a few girlfriends who were also members of the royal family, and asked curiously, "What do you think?"

"This one is too thick and looks too conservative."

"I think you can wear something more revealing. At the wedding banquet, use your chest to attract Master Bill's attention throughout the whole time. That would be so fulfilling."

"Trust me, men like big breasts the most. Every man is the same."

The girlfriends joked and gave their opinions.

"Don't be silly!" Sunni was shy and annoyed, and then said uncertainly, "I, I don't know what style Master Bill likes."

"Then why not just ask him?" a girlfriend teased.

"How can I ask such a question!"

Sunni blushed and quickly waved her hand.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and the queen walked in.

The servants and royal women present hurriedly saluted.

"No need to be polite, you can go out first, I want to talk to my daughter." The queen smiled.

Everyone immediately filed out, and soon only the queen and Sunni were left in the room.

The queen came to Sunni, smiling as she straightened her clothes, and said softly, "Tomorrow is your big day, you must be prepared."

Sunni nodded obediently.

The queen pulled her to sit on the bed, looked at the bright and moving Sunni, and suddenly said, "What do you think of Master Bill? Do you like him?"

Sunni was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said, "Master Bill is a meritorious official of the empire, a master of potions who will be remembered in history. He is so talented, of course I like him."

"Silly child, I'm asking about the kind of liking between men and women." The queen winked, pressed Sunni's chest with her hand, and teasingly said, "When you talk to him, does your heart beat faster, your throat dry, and you want to hug him and rub yourself against him? Do you miss him when you have nothing to do? Do you have trouble falling asleep at night, and when you think of him, do you unconsciously tighten your legs..."

"Mom! Why are you saying these things!" Sunni blushed and hurriedly reached out to cover the queen's mouth.

The mother and daughter joked and played for a while before sitting down again.

"You haven't answered me yet." The queen asked with a smile.

Sunni endured her shyness, held her lips and thought for a few seconds before saying uncertainly, "I don't think I have these thoughts about Master Bill, I don't have the liking between men and women, I just don't dislike him... Is this bad? Will it make Master Bill unhappy?"

The queen took Sunni's hand and said seriously, "No, I'm very pleased that you don't like him, because only in this way will you not be controlled by emotions and can you guarantee a calm judgment."

Sunni was stunned.

At this moment, the queen said earnestly:

"Bill is of great significance to the empire and the royal family. Your marriage to him is not pure. The king betrothed you to Bill because he wants you to tie him down firmly.

"I know that this may destroy the beauty you yearn for, but this is your mission. You can experience love and a beautiful life with Bill, but don't forget in your heart the purpose of your marriage to him.

"Only if you don't like a person will you know how to treat him rationally. What you have to do is to provoke his emotions, make him fall madly in love with you, and fall for you."

Sunni opened her small mouth, her face full of astonishment.

All along, she had lived a nearly carefree life under the protection of the royal family, occasionally looking forward to marrying a hero someday, but now the queen's straightforward words had a strong impact on her views.

The mission of being a member of the royal family fell from the sky and shattered her fantasy, and it finally came to her.

She suddenly felt that the gorgeous wedding dresses in the room were no longer as dazzling as before.

Sunni looked disappointed: "Is my marriage just my father using me?"

"No, this is the consideration that your father, as a king, has to make, but it's not entirely out of interest."

The queen put Sunni's head in her arms and explained softly:

"If you don't marry Bill, you will have to marry other tribes in the future and leave the royal city. But Bill can't easily leave the Golden Fortress. If you marry him, you can stay here and don't have to leave your hometown... Your father is also doing this for your own good by bringing you and Bill together."

"I, I understand." Sunni hugged the queen back and said in a low voice, "I will try to make Bill fall in love with me."

Only then did the queen smile and said in a low voice, "I'll teach you a few tricks. You have to learn to grasp the likes of men. The more successful a man is, the more he likes to be worshiped by women. You have to learn to look at him with worshipful eyes, pretending to be infatuated with him, but also learn to be a little bit willful and let him please you. And in bed, you have to learn to pretend and know how to give him a sense of freshness..."

The queen wholeheartedly imparted her experience, without concealing many explicit words.

In the past, Sunni would have blushed long ago and quickly covered her ears.

But at this moment, she listened quietly to the queen's teaching, trying to silently remember all these skills in her heart.

...

The sun set, and the stars hung high.

After wandering around the Golden Fortress until evening, Zhou Jing returned to his room at the urging of the guards.

Several tailors and servants had been waiting in the room for a long time. They had originally agreed to try on the wedding dress for tomorrow in the afternoon, but Zhou Jing had ditched them, so they had to wait until the evening.

At this time, seeing Zhou Jing coming back, these servants immediately got up to greet him, saluted, and took out the prepared clothes.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing stopped in front of the door, turned his head and said to Harder and Lex:

"You guys go and rest too, don't guard here, I'll stay alone after trying on the clothes."

"It's our duty." Lex remained unmoved and responded faintly.

"What duty? After tomorrow, you won't be my guards anymore. Besides, I'm getting married tomorrow, can't I even have a night alone?"

Zhou Jing pretended to be unhappy and said angrily:

"You guys follow me every day, can't you let my eyes have a night off? Get away from me, otherwise I'll get sick and won't be able to get married tomorrow, and you can deal with it."

Hearing this, Harder and Lex were helpless.

At this juncture, they really didn't dare to provoke Bill. If Bill acted up and affected tomorrow's wedding, they would be in big trouble.

After tomorrow, he would be one of the royal family, and it would be unreasonable to follow him so rigidly. Moreover, Bill had been very well-behaved for the past few months, with basically no abnormalities, so it was better to do less than more.

-- The peace of the past few months had finally relaxed the guards.

Unable to resist Zhou Jing and unwilling to offend him any further, the two simply retreated with the guards, no longer guarding the door, and obediently returned to the adjacent room... This was the room where the guards usually lived.

Seeing that no one was on guard at the door and the corridor was empty, Zhou Jing closed the door and turned to look at the several servants waiting in the room.

Several servants immediately threw away the wedding dresses in their hands and nodded in agreement -- they were all Roman's people.

"Hurry up." Zhou Jing lowered his voice.

The servants who usually lived there had already been arranged by the royal family and could not be easily replaced, making it difficult to place manpower.

Under Roman's operation, the batch of tailors and servants responsible for trying on wedding clothes for the groom were all replaced with his people, to switch with Zhou Jing.

Tonight was the agreed time to run away.