The Medallion novel Chapter 1066

Meanwhile, the four of them successfully ruined Alston's plan to take possession of the spiritual treasure. After that, they returned to Evian City with a great deal of satisfaction. There, they spent a couple of days in peace.

Finally, Rocky had the time to attend to Isis and their son. He could now fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and a father.

However, their happiness was short-lived. Three days after their return, their joyful family reunion was spoiled by an unexpected turn of events. Rocky and the others were shocked by the news that came from the Ji Clan regarding Sabina. After hearing about it, her delicate expression became cold as ice. Even the area ten meters from her was frozen.

Apparently, Alston issued an imperial edict. Sabina would be married off to Daniel, the fourth prince of the emperor.

The news quickly traveled far and wide. Soon enough, the entire Holy Dragon Empire knew about it. Naturally, it caused an uproar in everywhere. Everyone knew that if the Ji Clan agreed to Sabina and Daniel's marriage, then the clan's fate would be closely tied to the royal family. It also meant that Alston could easily meddle with the Ji Clan's affairs because he was the current representative of the royal family. Moreover, he was the acting emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire.

Any simple-minded person would think that Alston made a wonderful move. He might be able to put the Ji Clan in the awkward position since they didn't allow Jason to take the empress back to the Palace City. This even backed the Ji Clan into a corner.

They were the second largest clan in the entire Holy Dragon Empire. The mere rustling of leaves within their mansion might cause turmoil in the empire. Furthermore, it could also affect the empire's fate as a whole. As soon as Sabina had successfully married into the royal family, Alston would definitely benefit from it. Being the one who issued the imperial edict that dictated their marriage, he would be able to secure his position with the support of the Ji Clan.

"It seems like Alston sees you and your clan as a thorn in his side because we ruined his grand plans, one after another. So now, he wants to force you and the Ji Clan into a tight situation. If you refuse to honor his edict, there will only be two options left. And that will be either going against the royal family or sending your elder sister back to the palace. Neither of those choices will do your clan good. Alston presents you and your clan such a tough riddle to solve!" Rocky's brows were furrowed. He could see through Alston's plan. If Sabina agreed to marry into the royal family just like he planned, it would mean that he had successfully taken the Ji Clan under his command. If they turned him down a second time, Alston would certainly take this opportunity to make trouble. This time, he might not just send a master of the Divine Stage to negotiate with the Ji Clan. He might do something more violent.

"If he keeps putting pressure on us like this, I will just give up my title as the heir and completely sever my relationship with the Ji Clan. I refuse to be manipulated by anyone. Alston can go to hell! This whole marriage thing is plain rubbish!" Sabina was fuming with anger. In the past, she also ran away from home once because the emperor during that time wanted to put pressure on her marriage. Worse came to worst, she would completely disengage from the Ji Clan. This time, it would be permanent. In any case, she didn't have much connection with her clan. She only came back to the Ji Clan after Rocky had supposedly died because it changed a part of her. But now that he was actually alive, she didn't see the need to stay with her clan.

"So, what do you think, Allen? Care to give a different solution?" Rocky slightly shook his head upon hearing Sabina's childish conclusion. So, he turned to Allen and asked for his opinion.

"Alston really puts our clan in such a difficult situation!" Allen paced back and forth. "Obviously, the Ji Clan must do something about it. Whether we agree or not, the outcome will still be in favor of Alston. It's really troublesome," he continued. "We are not afraid of confronting the royal family. However, the pros and cons are not as simple as it seems. Unless we take the initiative, the situation will only get worse in time." Allen began to analyze the situation calmly.

"You're absolutely right. It won't be easy for the Ji Clan to get through this! What it needs is a perfect plan." Lance nodded as he raised his thick eyebrows.

"Excuse me, can I just say something?" Lucilla, who was silent the entire time, suddenly chimed in.

Almost simultaneously, Rocky and others turned their heads toward her.

"Even though Alston has issued an imperial edict for the marriage, it's still one-sided. As long as the Ji Clan doesn't refuse it outright, Alston has no reason to make a move against the Ji Clan in public," Lucilla pointed out. It was an important piece of information they almost missed.

"Well, yes. But even if the Ji Clan can stay silent for the time being, we can't just keep quiet forever. Sooner or later, we'll have to face it," Allen cut in. The Ji Clan couldn't stay neutral for long.

"We can actually deal with it right now. We don't have to delay it at all. And because Alston uses the marriage edict as an excuse to deal with the Ji Clan, the Ji Clan can retaliate in the same manner." Lucilla smiled confidently. It was apparent that she had some sort of plan figured out already.

"Well, what's your suggestion, Lucilla? Let's hear it. Anything's better than nothing." Lucilla had been the chief of the Cao Clan for ten years. Therefore, Rocky figured that she might have some trick up her sleeve in getting out of tight spots.

"Please go ahead, Lucilla! Any kind of plan is greatly appreciated!" Sabina prompted her. She was so anxious that she was becoming a little impatient.

"The Ji Clan must announce to the public that they want a competition for Sabina's hand in marriage. They will select a son-in-law among all the eligible men in the empire. All of the other clans are welcome to participate in the competition. Of course, this includes the royal family," Lucilla explained. She paused for a while to let that sink in. Then, she continued, "With the power and reputation of the Ji Clan in the Holy Dragon Empire, this competition for Sabina's future husband will certainly cause a huge commotion. Surely, there'll be a lot of forces that will support this for the sake of fairness. In this way, Alston won't be able to go against the customs of the martial world. Therefore, he has to agree even if he already issued an edict. The public will challenge his reputation if he ever dares to go against their will. And that is something that he will never risk. I believe that Alston wouldn't want to be the target of public criticism as of now. Hence, he has no choice but to allow the competition to proceed," Lucilla surmised. After she spoke, it was apparent that her suggestion was well-received.

Everyone looked at each other delightedly. Lucilla's idea was enough to deal with the current situation. At the very least, this might give them a chance to turn the tides and gain the upper hand.

"Miss Lucilla, that is such a great idea! In any case, it's much better than plainly accepting Alston's marriage edict. Maybe it can even buy us some time and give us a fighting chance!" Allen nodded in agreement. He was pleasantly surprised by Lucilla's idea.

"Miss Lucilla absolutely deserves the title "chief of the first clan of the Timber Deity Empire". That's a clever and fantastic suggestion!" Lance couldn't help but praise Lucilla.

"Oh, that's too flattering! I just thought of it now," Lucilla replied modestly.

"That really is an amazing plan. But how can we ensure that Alston's plan won't work out? If we call for a competition, he will definitely send over some of his most powerful royal members. They will be extremely difficult to deal with," Sabina asked with a frown.

"We can set a limit. For instance, we can define the acceptable age and strength of contenders. If you think about it, it's quite reasonable. Sabina is young, beautiful, and powerful. It's only natural that the Ji Clan wouldn't want her to marry a spirit manipulator who can pass as her grandfather, right?" Allen cleverly suggested. Everyone agreed that this was a reasonable condition.

Afterward, they discussed it more in detail. To ensure that the competition would have enough impact, they finally agreed upon the criteria. They decided that the contenders' strength must be above the Heavenly Stage and below the Divine Stage. In this way, they could count on the support of all the forces in the Holy Dragon Empire. It would also prevent Alston from finding any excuse not to allow the competition. In other words, any spirit manipulator at the Heavenly Stage and the Supernal Stage could participate in it. Thus, it would surely appeal to all the other clans in the empire!