Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 13 Reclaiming Military Power in North County

Yancheng.

Prefectural Governor's Office.

Upon seeing Li Rui return, the officials of Beijun swarmed around him.

One of the officials asked, "Prefect Li, has the Prince said what he's going to do next?"

Officials in Beijun are now very concerned about what big moves the Northern King will make after arriving in the North, and whether it will affect their jobs and interests.

Li Rui smiled slightly, raised his hand to stroke his beard, and then calmly replied, "The Prince told me not to visit him unless it's important. Everything in Beijun remains the same!"

Upon hearing this, the officials of Beijun became incredibly excited.

If that's the case, neither their power nor their interests will be harmed.

Although they didn't say it aloud, their thoughts were basically, "Fortunately, the court sent a useless prince to Beijun."

However, at that moment, a soldier from the prefectural governor's office rushed in in a panic. He came up to Li Rui and whispered something.

After hearing what the soldier said, Li Rui frowned, and his face instantly darkened.

Seeing Li Rui's grim expression, an official quickly asked, "Sir, what happened?"

As soon as the official finished speaking, Li Feng walked into the prefectural governor's mansion.

Seeing Li Rui and a group of officials present, Li Feng said with a smile, "Lord Li, your residence is certainly bustling today!"

Li Rui snapped out of his daze and quickly went over, saying, "Not at all, not at all."

"I wonder what message General Li has come to my residence to convey?"

Li Feng took out the Northern King's token and said, "His Highness has ordered that from today onwards, I will take over all military affairs in the Northern Commandery."

Upon hearing this, the officials in the courtyard panicked instantly.

The main reason they dared to act so recklessly and disregard the King of the North was that the army of the Northern Commandery was under the control of the Prefect.

The Northern King has just arrived in Beijun and is about to take over the military affairs of Beijun. What is he planning to do?

The military is a sensitive matter; if a vassal king controls the military, he will inevitably do certain things.

Could it be that the Northern King is planning to take action against them?

Li Rui then said, "General Li, the Prince has only just arrived in Beijun and is not yet familiar with it. I wonder why he has put you in charge of military affairs?"

Li Rui did not believe that the Northern King intended to take action against the forces in the Northern Commandery, at least not in the short term, since he had only just arrived in the Northern Commandery and had not yet established a firm foothold there.

Besides, the Northern King needs these officials and the major powers in the Northern Commandery to maintain his rule. Even if the Northern King is foolish, he shouldn't do something that would destroy his own foundation.

Li Feng sensed the worry in Li Rui and the others' hearts, so he said directly, "Lord Li, I believe you must have heard the news that the Prince was assassinated by the Blood Moon Tower on his way to his fiefdom, right?"

Li Rui said, "That's natural."

Li Feng continued, "If that's the case, then you should understand why the Prince wants to control the military. The Prince doesn't want his personal safety to be in the hands of others."

Upon hearing Li Feng's words, Li Rui and the others immediately realized what he meant.

Yes, the Northern King was assassinated on his way here. He was quite young and must have been terrified.

Perhaps it was because he was afraid of death and the threat that the army of the Northern Commandery would pose to him that he seized military power.

Li Feng continued, "Lord Li, you wouldn't be unwilling to relinquish military power, would you?"

"The Prince has entrusted you with all affairs of the Northern Commandery. If military power remains in your hands, then who is the Prince, and who is the Prince of the North?"

Upon hearing Li Feng's words, cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Rui's forehead.

Indeed, if all the power in the Northern Commandery were in his hands and no one could restrain him, it probably wouldn't be long before the imperial court sent people to cause him trouble.

Li Rui thought for a moment, and since there weren't many soldiers in Beijun anyway, he might as well just hand them over to avoid causing trouble for himself.

Thinking of this, Li Rui immediately took out the tiger tally from his bosom. "General Li, this is the tiger tally that commands all the troops in Beijun."

Then Li Rui said to one of the armored soldiers beside him, "Captain Wang, take General Li to the barracks for a look."

"Yes, sir."

Li Feng then followed the soldier to the military camp in Yancheng.

After Li Feng left, the officials behind Li Rui all gathered around him.

"My lord, why did you hand over the tiger tally to him!"

"Yes, sir, what if the prince gets military power and acts recklessly?"

"Sir, what should we do now?"

……

Hearing the officials' murmurs, Li Rui said, "Don't worry, military power should have been in the hands of the prince. It's perfectly normal for the prince to take back military power."

"Moreover, you just heard what Li Feng said. The Prince has entrusted me with the affairs of Beijun. If I still control the military, I'm afraid the Prince might tolerate me, but the court will not."

Upon hearing Li Rui's words, some quick-thinking officials immediately understood what he meant.

After all, there was a case in the Great Xia Dynasty where a chief secretary of a royal palace monopolized power and imprisoned a prince.

However, they still had some concerns.

Once the Northern King had military power, it was as if he had weapons in his hands, making it easy for him to deal with them. They would no longer dare to act recklessly as before.

Li Rui continued, "Alright, you may all return to your respective jurisdictions."

"If the Northern King has any orders, I will inform you immediately."

Upon hearing Li Rui's words, the officials had no choice but to leave the prefectural governor's mansion one after another.

……

a few days later.

North Palace.

Lu Chen was in the courtyard, watching the servants make soap according to the soap-making diagram. He picked up a bar and tried it on a dirty piece of clothing.

Soon, the stains on the dirty clothes were washed clean.

Upon seeing this, everyone in the courtyard gasped in disbelief.

Chu Yuqin asked curiously, "Chen'er, where did you find this recipe? This soap is so good!"

While washing his hands, Lu Chen replied with a smile, "Aunt Chu, would you believe me if I said this was my own idea?"

Chu Yuqin raised her beautiful eyes and said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Chen'er has indeed grown up, and he has more and more secrets, keeping everything from his aunt."

Seeing that the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward, Mu Zixuan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Aunt Chu, this was indeed a solution the Prince came up with."

In reality, Chu Yuqin's tone was only slightly sarcastic; she wasn't angry at all. Chu Yuqin had long since given up on exploring Lu Chen's inner secrets.

However, when Chu Yuqin thought about how Lu Chen used to tell her everything, but after they got married he kept everything from her, it made her feel a little sour.

At this moment, Zhou Xiaoxiao changed the subject, saying, "Your Highness, how much do you plan to sell this soap for?"

Lu Chen made it clear before making the soap that he intended to sell it, so Zhou Xiaoxiao was very curious about how the prince planned to price the soap with such a strong cleaning effect.

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "I'll sell them for three to ten coins each."

Zhou Youyou, standing next to Zhou Xiaoxiao, exclaimed in surprise, "So cheap?"

Lu Chen said, "We operate on a low-profit, high-volume basis. This product is meant to replace bath powder, so it can't be too expensive. If it's too expensive, no one will buy it."

At this point, Lu Chen's gaze fell on Mu Zixuan.

"My beloved consort, the soap business is now in your hands."

Mu Zixuan said excitedly, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely manage the soap business well and fill the palace's treasury as soon as possible."

As soon as Mu Zixuan finished speaking, her face suddenly turned pale, and she began to gag.

Seeing this, Zhou Youyou and Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly came to her side to support her. "Sister, what happened to you?"

"Quick... quick, call a doctor!"

(End of this chapter)