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

Chapter 136 Imperial Preceptor, what brings you to Beijun?

Situ Ce arrived in Beijun half a month ago, but he did not go directly to the Northern King's Mansion to find Lu Chen. He stayed in Yancheng for half a month, looked around, and inquired about the opinions of the people of Beijun on Lu Chen.

Just as he had expected, the reputation of the Northern King had been completely reversed, and now the people of the Northern Prefecture greatly supported him.

This was something Situ Ce had anticipated, and he wasn't particularly surprised.

During this time, Situ Ce heard an interesting statement from the people of Beijun. Many people in Beijun said that the Northern King was the chosen one of Heaven and was a person protected by the gods.

After some investigation, and with the intelligence gathered by the Shadow Guards, Situ Ce quickly understood why the common people believed that the Northern King was the chosen one.

Legend has it that on the day the barbarians attacked Beijun, countless bolts of lightning fell from the sky, striking the barbarian army so hard they fled in disarray.

Although ordinary people did not go to the battlefield, they heard a lot about what was happening there.

Situ Ce naturally didn't believe that the rumors the common people heard were true, but since the common people were spreading them, it meant that something related to heavenly lightning did indeed happen that day.

At this moment, Situ Ce turned and left the notice board at the city gate, heading directly to the camp of the imperial army.

The imperial army is about to return to the capital. Before Lin Xiuming leads the imperial army back to the capital, Situ Ce plans to find out from Lin Xiuming what they saw after arriving in Beijun.

At this moment, Lin Xiuming was in his tent preparing the memorial about Beijun that he would need to submit after returning to the capital. Just then, a soldier entered the tent and reported, "General, there is an old man with white hair outside the camp who is looking for you with a jade pendant. He says he has something important to discuss."

If it were an ordinary elderly person, the soldiers would generally ignore them and would most likely just drive them away.

However, the other party immediately produced a jade pendant bestowed by the emperor. The soldiers did not know whether it was real or fake, so they had no choice but to show the jade pendant to Lin Xiuming.

As soon as the soldier finished speaking, he placed the jade pendant on the desk.

Lin Xiuming was initially curious about who would come looking for him with a jade pendant, but when he saw the pendant, he was stunned.

Ordinary people are not qualified to meet the Imperial Preceptor, and very few people have ever met him. Even some ministers in the court have never met Situ Ce.

But Lin Xiuming was different. He was the son of the Left Prime Minister and had met the Imperial Advisor Situ Ce several times.

Moreover, he happened to know the jade pendant on Situ Ce's waist. Upon seeing the jade pendant, Lin Xiuming knew that Situ Ce had come to find him.

However, he was quite surprised. That was the Imperial Preceptor, the pillar of the Great Xia Dynasty. He usually did not leave the capital. Why did he come to Beijun in person?

After regaining his senses, Lin Xiuming immediately said, "Quickly, please invite that old man in!"

Lin Xiuming did not reveal Situ Ce's identity to the soldiers. Since Situ Ce had come to Beijun, he must have a very important mission, and Lin Xiuming did not intend to expose Situ Ce's identity.

Seeing Lin Xiuming's expression change drastically upon seeing the jade pendant, the soldier knew the old man's identity was definitely not simple, so he immediately said, "This subordinate will invite the old man in immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier turned and left the tent. Not long after, Situ Ce appeared in Lin Xiuming's tent.

Lin Xiuming immediately told the soldier, "You retreat first, and also tell the soldiers outside to stay twenty paces away from the tent!"

"Yes, General."

After the soldiers left the tent, Lin Xiuming immediately saluted and said, "Greetings, Imperial Preceptor!"

After performing the formalities, Lin Xiuming stepped forward, took the jade pendant, and presented it to Situ Ce with both hands. He then asked:

"Imperial Preceptor, what brings you to Beijun?"

Situ Ce stroked his beard and said with a smile, "I have come to Beijun on important business, so there's no need for General Lin to ask any further questions."

Upon hearing Situ Ce's words, Lin Xiuming immediately realized that the Imperial Preceptor's visit to Beijun was most likely aimed at the Northern King. It was highly probable that the Xia Emperor had given the Imperial Preceptor some kind of mission, which was indeed beyond the scope of a general's knowledge.

Lin Xiuming then changed the subject, asking, "I have overstepped my bounds. May I ask why you have come to see me?"

Situ Ce said, "I would like to know what you saw after you arrived in Beijun."

Upon hearing this question, Lin Xiuming instantly recalled the bloody scene outside Yancheng. Lin Xiuming had led the imperial army to stay in Beijun for nearly two months, but he dared not let his soldiers investigate, for fear of offending the Northern King.

Lin Xiuming wasn't stupid; he could tell at a glance that the huge craters and the horrific state of the barbarian corpses must have been caused by some kind of weapon.

However, this was clearly not something he could get involved in. They were still in Beijun, under the surveillance of the Northern King. If the Northern King discovered any of their small actions, it was hard to say whether he would be able to return to the capital.

Lin Xiuming then ordered the soldiers in the camp to refrain from discussing the scene they had witnessed in Beijun.

At this moment, Lin Xiuming's face was somewhat pale. Then he replied seriously, "When we arrived in Yancheng that day, we saw that there were large pits everywhere outside the city, and the ground was covered with the remains of barbarians. Those pits were at least six or seven steps wide."

Upon hearing this, Situ Ce continued, "According to General Lin's assessment, what caused those large craters?"

Lin Xiuming replied, "I can't imagine what could have caused such a large crater, but it must have been caused by a special weapon."

"Judging from the distribution of the barbarian corpses at that time, although the 50,000 heavy cavalry of the Northern Commandery played a significant role, without that mysterious weapon to defeat the 300,000-strong barbarian army, it would have been difficult to defeat the 300,000-strong barbarian army by relying solely on those 50,000 heavy cavalry."

Lin Xiuming was a general and a veteran of the battlefield. He only glanced at the distribution of the barbarian corpses on the battlefield, and his mind was basically able to reconstruct what happened when the barbarian army attacked Beijun.

The only thing he couldn't figure out was what that mysterious weapon actually was, which was what kept him worried.

At this moment, Lin Xiuming suddenly thought of something and continued, "By the way, I heard that on the day the barbarians attacked Yancheng, the people of Yancheng heard thunder, and it was continuous thunder. So I guess those big pits are closely related to the sounds that the people of Yancheng heard."

Upon hearing Lin Xiuming's words, Situ Ce pondered for a moment.

To create a pit six or seven steps wide, even a grandmaster couldn't do it; at the very least, it would require the personal intervention of a great grandmaster to achieve such destructive power.

Thinking of this, Situ Ce asked, "Is it possible that a Grandmaster appeared in Beijun that day, and those pits were caused by that Grandmaster?"

Lin Xiuming said, "At first I thought so too, but after carefully examining those large pits, I found that they did not seem to be caused by a Grandmaster. The width of those pits was very uniform, and most importantly, there were many of them. They were distributed from Yancheng to Wanning River Valley."

"If you were to intervene, I believe you could create a crater like that, but to create hundreds of such craters, I'm afraid..."

Lin Xiuming didn't continue. He only knew that Situ Ce was a Grandmaster, but he didn't know his specific strength. Situ Ce rarely made a move in front of people and had always been very mysterious.

But Lin Xiuming still didn't believe that Situ Ce could create hundreds of large pits like those in the Wanning River Valley by manpower alone.

Situ Ce then said, "The power within my body is indeed insufficient to create so many large craters."

"If these craters weren't man-made, then things are getting complicated. If the Northern County really has a terrifying weapon with destructive power comparable to a Grandmaster's, and this gets out, then it won't be long before the major dynasties join forces to deal with the Great Xia."

Nowadays, Grandmasters are the pillars of every dynasty in name only. No matter how many wars break out between countries, they will never send a Grandmaster or higher to participate in the war.

However, once a weapon with destructive power comparable to that of a Grandmaster appears, the Grandmaster's status will be completely diminished, and the balance between the major dynasties will be broken.

Once other dynasties learn of this, they will undoubtedly unite to deal with the country that possesses this mysterious weapon; this is inevitable.

Upon hearing Situ Ce's words, Lin Xiuming's expression instantly became even more serious, as he naturally understood the reasoning behind them.

Lin Xiuming then asked, "I have been struggling with how to report the battle of Yancheng to the court. Please teach me, Imperial Advisor."

At this point, Lin Xiuming bowed to Situ Ce.

Although the imperial army led by Lin Xiuming did not arrive in time for the great battle between Beijun and the barbarians, they did come to Beijun after all.

As the commander-in-chief who led the imperial army northward, Lin Xiuming would certainly need to report to the court what he had seen and heard in Beijun after returning, which put Lin Xiuming in a difficult position.

The heavy cavalry was fine; the imperial court should have known long ago that the Northern King possessed heavy cavalry. However, the mysterious weapon in the Northern King's possession left Lin Xiuming unsure whether to report it.

A weapon with destructive power comparable to that of a grandmaster. If the court were to find out, not only would the entire court be in uproar, but all the major dynasties would likely be plunged into turmoil immediately.

Although Lin Xiuming was just a military officer, as the son of the Left Prime Minister, he still had some political acumen, and he knew that this matter was of great importance.

Now that the Imperial Advisor has arrived, surely he knows how to report this?

Situ Ce thought for a moment, then said to Lin Xiuming, "General Lin, don't mention those big pits in your memorial. Just write that a Grandmaster is suspected to have made a move in Beijun."

"As for those huge pits, I will speak to His Majesty about them personally when I return to the capital."

Lin Xiuming's eyes lit up, and he bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Imperial Preceptor!"

Situ Ce nodded slightly and continued, "I wonder if General Lin discovered anything else unusual during his time in Beijun?"

Lin Xiuming replied, "No for now. I've been hesitant to let the soldiers pay too much attention to what's happening in Beijun, for fear that it might displease the Northern King."

Situ Ce said, "Yes, General Lin's approach is correct. Indeed, the imperial army cannot afford to make too many small moves at this time."

Having said that, Situ Ce turned around and said, "Alright, General Lin, that's enough for today. I'm going to the Northern Prince's residence now."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuming was taken aback. The Imperial Advisor had indeed gone to the Northern King.

"Imperial Preceptor, please take care!"

Situ Ce quickly left the military camp where the imperial army was stationed and went directly to the Northern Prince's residence.

at the same time.

North Palace.

After returning to the Northern Prince's Mansion, Lu Chen did not rush to find his woman to have a romantic relationship. Instead, he sat on the stone bench in the pavilion in the outer courtyard, carefully examining the latest map of the Northern Lands drawn by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Since he intends to incorporate the entire northern lands into his fiefdom and make them his own territory, he must first understand the size of the northern lands and their terrain.

Just then, a blushing maid entered the outer courtyard. "Your Highness, an old man with white hair has come to the gate of the manor. He says he wants to see you."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

"An elderly man with white hair? Is he alone?"

Under normal circumstances, Prince Lu Chen is not someone that just anyone can see.

It's impossible for Lu Chen to personally receive every commoner who comes to the gate of the Prince's Mansion demanding to see him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do anything but entertain the commoners all day.

After defeating the barbarian army of 300,000, some people would come to his door with gifts, wanting to see him. Of course, most of these people were from various major forces within the Great Xia territory.

For example, those aristocratic families, or the special envoys of certain vassal kings.

However, Lu Chen basically ignored them. He could accept the gifts, but he didn't need to see them. He didn't have that much time to watch them flatter him to his face.

Upon hearing that someone was looking for him, Lu Chen's first thought was that some powerful force had sent someone to flatter him again. However, his attention then shifted to the words "white-haired old man".

If it were someone sent by certain powerful forces to deliver gifts or flatter him, they wouldn't send an old man.

The maidservant then said, "Yes, it was just him."

Lu Chen continued, "He wasn't carrying any tokens?"

If an ordinary person comes to the Prince's mansion without any tokens or explanation of their identity or purpose, the servants will not inform Lu Chen that someone has come to visit; instead, they will simply drive the person away.

The maidservant replied, "No."

At this point, the maid suddenly realized what was happening and quickly added, "Your Highness, it was Commander Bai who sent me to inform you."

The new maid, whose training was inadequate, realized that ordinary people were not qualified to pay their respects to the prince, so she quickly said that Bai Qingqing had sent her in to report.

Bai Qingqing's position remains unchanged; she is still the commander of the guards, but she is no longer in charge of the inner courtyard.

Upon hearing the maid say that Bai Qingqing had sent her in to report, Lu Chen immediately realized that the person who came was definitely not an ordinary person, otherwise Bai Qingqing would not have sent the maid to report to him.

Lu Chen glanced at the maid in front of him, then said, "Bring him to see me."

The maidservant immediately replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

The maid then quickly turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Watching the maid's retreating figure, Lu Chen felt a pang of emotion. Back in the capital, his mansion only had a few maids.

Now his mansion has countless maids and servants.

When a person's status rises, it becomes easier to obtain anything.

The little maid not far away was clearly new and not from an ordinary family.

Recently, many families have been sending maids to the Northern Prince's mansion, trying to get them into their beds.

But his bed isn't so easy to get into. It seems he needs to have a serious talk with his beloved concubine and tell her not to take in just any maid in the future.

Putting aside whether those young maids had a score of 90 or not, just based on their immature appearances, he had absolutely no interest in them. He preferred mature beauties like Chu Yuqin and Yelü Nanyan.

(End of this chapter)