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

Chapter 194 Let's see what this little man he's interested in is up to.

Upon seeing Lin Xiuming, Lu Chen said with a smile, "General Lin, why aren't you hurrying back to the capital with the imperial soldiers? What are you doing meeting me in private? Doesn't General Lin know that I've offended quite a few people?"

"If people find out that General Lin has had contact with me, I'm afraid General Lin won't have an easy time after returning to the capital."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Lin Xiuming quickly replied, "Your Highness is joking. As long as Your Highness doesn't tell anyone, no one will know that I have met Your Highness."

Lu Chen said directly, "I won't beat around the bush. Speak, General Lin, what business do you have with me?"

Lin Xiuming said, "The reason I want to see Your Highness is mainly because it was my father's idea."

"My father wants to know what the prince's plans are for the future."

Hearing this, Lu Chen smiled slightly and then said, "Prime Minister Lin really doesn't treat me like an outsider, actually sending you to ask me what my future plans are?"

"Does Prime Minister Lin and the Lin family intend to support my participation in the struggle for the throne?"

Lin Xiuming didn't hold back. The restaurant had been cleared out today, and there were no outsiders, so he could speak freely.

"Your Highness, my father does indeed intend to support your participation in the struggle for the throne. My father believes that Your Highness is good at enduring hardship and will surely achieve great things in the future."

Lu Chen then said, "I have a question for General Lin."

Lin Xiuming said respectfully, "Please speak, Your Highness."

Lu Chen asked, "Did Prime Minister Lin have you tell me these things before you set off for the Northern Kingdom, or did he send you a letter later asking you to meet me privately when you left the Northern Kingdom?"

There is a big difference between the two.

If Lin Gaoyuan arranged for Lin Xiuming to meet with him privately before Lin Xiuming set off and said these things, it only proves that Lin Gaoyuan only had the idea of ​​supporting the Northern Prince's Mansion, but it does not mean that he was very determined.

However, if Lin Gaoyuan later sent a letter to Lin Xiuming, asking him to leave the Northern Kingdom, and then privately told the Northern King that the Lin family was willing to support him, then it would prove that Lin Gaoyuan was really planning to bet on him.

After all, he had offended all the powerful families in the Great Xia Dynasty, and even the scholar-official class. If Lin Gaoyuan was still willing to support him under such circumstances, it proved that Lin Gaoyuan valued him very much.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's question, Lin Xiuming instantly understood what he meant. Lin Xiuming immediately replied, "Your Highness, I only received my father's letter after the reforms in the Northern Kingdom. He firmly stands by your side, and no matter how difficult things are for you now, he will still support you."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Oh? Prime Minister Lin really believes that I will ascend to that position in the future?"

Lin Xiuming said, "My father has always been very good at judging people. He believes that Your Highness is a hidden dragon in the abyss, and one day you will soar to the sky."

Hearing Lin Xiuming's words, Lu Chen smiled. Prime Minister Lin Gaoyuan had never taken a stand in the court, nor had he ever stood up to support any of the princes. He never expected that Lin would actually support him. He really had good judgment.

At this moment, Lin Xiuming tentatively said, "Your Highness, my father also asked me to pass on a message to you. He heard that my sworn sister works in the Northern Prince's Mansion. He wonders what Your Highness thinks of my sworn sister. If Your Highness is pleased, the Lin family is willing to form a marriage alliance with the Northern Prince's Mansion and marry my sworn sister to you."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Sister-in-law? You mean Lin Wanyun?"

Lin Xiuming said, "Yes."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "As far as I know, Lin Wanyun is now a member of the Xuan Yue Palace, and it seems she has nothing to do with your Lin family anymore, right?"

Lin Xiuming said, "Your Highness is joking. She was adopted by my father as her godfather with the witness of Your Highness's mother when she was a child, and she grew up in the Lin family. Even though she has left the Lin family now, she is still a member of the Lin family."

Lu Chen continued, "However, she seems to be in her thirties this year. General Lin, don't you think there's quite a big age difference between your sworn sister and me?"

Lin Xiuming said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Highness, age is not a problem, as long as Your Highness is happy."

Lu Chen thought to himself, it seems that Lin Gaoyuan really intends to support him, and actually wants to marry Lin Wanyun to him.

In this way, Lin Wanyun will be his woman sooner or later.

Even without the Lin family's support, Lin Wanyun would eventually become his woman. However, with her family's support, her marriage to him would be more legitimate.

At this moment, Lu Chen said, "General Lin, go back and tell Prime Minister Lin that I am very grateful to him for standing up for me at this time. However, I will not participate in the struggle for the throne. That position is too small and cannot accommodate me."

Lin Xiuming was stunned when he heard Lu Chen's words.

What does the Northern King mean by this?

Is that position too small? He means the position of Crown Prince is too insignificant? Could it be that the Northern King intends to skip the position of Crown Prince and become Emperor directly?

In other words, he wants to rebel outright?

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuming couldn't help but break out in a few beads of sweat on his forehead.

Is this something he can listen to?

Now that he knows the Northern King's plans, he'll be silenced by the Northern King in the future, won't he?

Lu Chen continued, "General Lin, if you have nothing else to say, I will return now. It's easy for you to be discovered if you stay away from the camp for too long."

Lin Xiuming bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Lu Chen then turned and left. When he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Lin Xiuming, saying, "By the way, General Lin, please tell Prime Minister Lin when you get back that I like Wan Yun very much and that I will marry her once the Northern Kingdom is settled."

Lin Xiuming was slightly stunned. If the Northern King said he wanted to marry Lin Wanyun, then it meant that he had already accepted the Lin family's allegiance.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will tell my father when I get back."

Lu Chen didn't say anything more, then he turned around again and left the room.

Lin Xiuming said from behind him, "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness!"

After Lu Chen left the room, Lin Xiuming also returned to the military camp. He stayed in Yancheng for one night, and the next day he led the imperial army of 20,000 back to the capital.

……

The Great Wu Dynasty, Qingyun Palace.

Wearing a red dress, Wu Yunwan stood in the main hall. The dress was parted, and a gentle breeze blew, revealing her long, snow-white legs. She looked graceful and elegant.

Wu Yunwan held a piece of intelligence in her hand, her expression constantly changing, as if she were deep in thought.

At this moment, she murmured to herself, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are the king's subjects..."

"This small man has such great courage; isn't he afraid of death at all?"

Clearly, the intelligence document in Wu Junwan's hand contained information about events in Beijun, especially the reforms there.

Wu Junwan could hardly believe that a mere vassal king would utter such words that challenged the aristocratic families and the scholar-official class.

At this moment, the female guard beside Wu Yunwan asked, "Your Highness, do we still need to send someone to the Northern Kingdom?"

Wu Yunwan turned to the female guard beside her and asked, "Why not send one?"

The female guard replied, "The Northern King's actions have clearly angered the powerful families and scholar-official class of the Great Xia. Now that the war between the Great Wu and the Great Xia is almost over, I'm afraid those powerful families will try to kill the Northern King once the war is over."

Hearing the guard's words, Wu Yunwan smiled slightly and then said, "I didn't expect that even you guessed that the war was about to end."

Now, both the Great Wu and the Great Xia have assembled large armies in Xiwu County, looking like they are about to go to war. The common people now think that the two dynasties are going to fight to the death.

However, the leaders of both dynasties understood that the war in Xiwu County was the last war, and that the war would end once Dawu occupied Xiwu County.

Upon hearing Wu Yunwan's words, the guard immediately knelt down and said, "This subordinate should not have spoken ill of state affairs. Please punish me, Your Highness."

Wu Yunwan said calmly, "It's alright, it's a small matter. Besides, you're right, the war is indeed coming to an end. In the past few days, the carriages of the Chu family of Great Xia have been entering the capital one after another, which means they are obviously preparing for the end of the war."

Get up.

The guard immediately stood up and said, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Princess."

Wu Junwan continued, "We still need to send more spies to the Northern Kingdom. The Northern King is not as simple as he seems."

"Since the Northern King dared to propose legislation on land ownership at this time, it proves that he was ready."

"I don't believe he could be assassinated so easily. If he died so easily, then everything he did was just a joke."

At this point, Wu Yunwan looked up at the sky outside the main hall and continued with a smile, "I am becoming more and more interested in this young man."

For a mere vassal king to dare challenge all the aristocratic families and scholar-official class of his own dynasty is something no ordinary person could do. Wu Yunwan was very curious about who gave the Northern King the courage. Was it the mysterious super power behind the Northern King?

Isn't that superpower afraid that the Northern King, their pawn, will be eliminated?

Or was it that the superpower deliberately made the Northern King do this in order to provoke the aristocratic families and scholar-official class of the Great Xia Dynasty, so as to achieve some other purpose?

Just as Wu Junwan was thinking this, a maid rushed into Qingyun Palace.

"Greetings, Princess!"

Seeing the maid's flustered appearance, Wu Yunwan asked curiously, "Xiao Die, what happened?"

The maidservant hurriedly said, "Your Highness, good news! Lord Chai has been reinstated, and His Majesty has appointed him as an envoy to the Great Xia."

Chai Jiliang and Wu Yunwan seemed to have a good relationship, and the maids in Qingyun Palace could all tell that Chai Jiliang had feelings for the Princess, which was why he had never married.

Hearing the maid's words, Wu Yunwan smiled slightly and then said, "It seems that the war is indeed coming to an end soon. I just don't know where those heavy cavalrymen from the North have gone. There is still no news of them."

Wu Yunwan had been keeping a close eye on the movements of the Northern Kingdom, especially its heavy cavalry. She had sent many scouts to investigate the situation of the heavy cavalry, but so far, the heavy cavalry had not appeared in the Northern Kingdom. This made Wu Yunwan somewhat worried that the heavy cavalry might suddenly appear on the battlefield and catch the Great Wu army off guard.

However, the war was almost over, and that heavy cavalry had not appeared on the battlefield between the two dynasties, which meant that the army most likely did not go to the front lines of the two dynasties.

As for where they went, that remains unknown.

Just then, another maid entered the hall and said, "Greetings, Princess."

Before Wu Yunwan could ask what it was about, the maidservant said, "Your Highness, Emperor Yue has sent a letter inviting you to visit the Great Yue Dynasty!"

Hearing this, Wu Junwan smiled slightly. She hadn't seen her good friend for a long time. Since Dayue was relatively close to the Northern Kingdom, if conditions allowed, she would visit the Northern Kingdom while she was in Dayue to see what this young man she was interested in was up to.

……

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the war between Da Wu and Da Xia was nearing its end.

The two sides fought in Xiwu County for a month, and both sides lost more than 100,000 soldiers.

In the battle of Xiwu County, the Eighth Prince Lu Shuyun performed exceptionally well. He led a cavalry force of 5,000 men to outflank a Da Wu army of over 100,000 men. With the cooperation of the Da Xia army, the Eighth Prince led his soldiers to defeat Da Wu's all-out attack.

Furthermore, the Eighth Prince led tens of thousands of soldiers and drove all the Da Wu soldiers who had entered Xiwu County out of Xiwu County. The battle of Xiwu County completely shattered Da Wu's ambitions, making the Da Wu Dynasty dare not attack easily again. In the end, it had no choice but to agree to Da Xia's proposal and send the Prime Minister of the Da Wu Dynasty, Chai Jiliang, to Da Xia in person...

Of course, all of the above were fabricated by the people of Daxia themselves. The actual situation is well known to the high-ranking officials of both sides.

It appears that the Great Xia repelled the Great Wu's attack, but in reality, it was only because the high-ranking officials of the two dynasties reached some conditions that led to the Great Wu's withdrawal from Xiwu County. The Chu family was the one who prompted the two dynasties to reach peace talks, and the Chu family played a very important role in this war.

The capital city of the Great Xia Dynasty.

On his way home, Lin Xiuming often heard people discussing the matter of choosing a crown prince.

He had learned about the recent events in Xiwu County and felt somewhat surreal. He couldn't help but wonder, are all the sons of the Xia Emperor this powerful?

These princes, who had never fought in a war, were so brave on the battlefield.

Is this true of the Northern King, and also of the Qi King?

After Lin Xiuming returned to the Lin residence, the servants immediately ran to call Lin Gaoyuan, "Master, the eldest young master is back!"

Upon hearing the servant's voice, Lin Gaoyuan came out of the room.

Seeing Lin Xiuming's lifeless appearance, Lin Gaoyuan asked, "Xiuming, how are things going with what I asked you to do?"

Lin Xiuming snapped out of his daze and said, "Dad, let's go back to our room and talk."

The father and son then entered a private room and instructed the servants to keep a distance of ten meters from the room.

After entering the room, Lin Xiuming said, "Father, the Northern King said that he will marry Sister Yun after the Northern Kingdom is settled."

Upon hearing this, Lin Gaoyuan immediately smiled.

"It seems the Northern King has accepted us."

Lin Xiuming then said, "Father, when I came back, I heard people on the street discussing the matter of establishing a crown prince. Could it be that the Eighth Prince is really going to be made crown prince?"

"Wouldn't it be suicide if we sided with the Northern King at this time?"

Lin Gaoyuan snorted and said, "The officials of the court know exactly how he got his military merits. He's just fooling the common people. Even if His Majesty makes the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince, his position as Crown Prince will not be secure."

Lin Xiuming said, "By the way, Father, from what I heard from the Northern King, it seems that he has no intention of participating in the struggle for the throne. What he seems to want to do more is to directly ascend to that position, which is not a good thing for our Lin family."

Upon hearing Lin Xiuming's words, Lin Gaoyuan said calmly, "His Majesty has never liked the Prince of the North, and given that the Prince of the North has no power in the court, it was impossible for him to become the Crown Prince."

"So for the Northern King, the only option left is to raise an army."

Hearing his father's words, Lin Xiuming was taken aback. It turned out that his father actually knew that the Northern King wanted to rebel.

Lin Xiuming quickly said, "Father, isn't the risk of us siding with the Northern King too great?"

Lin Gaoyuan stroked his beard and said, "Big? I don't think so. Whether the Northern King succeeds or not, it will only benefit us and not harm us."

"If the Northern King succeeds, I will still be an important minister by the Emperor's side; if the Northern King fails, I will still be an important minister by the Emperor's side."

"Moreover, based on my understanding of His Majesty, Great Xia probably won't be stable for much longer. Otherwise, I wouldn't have allowed you to meet with the Northern King in private after he caused such a big commotion."

"The truce between the two dynasties may seem like His Majesty has compromised, but the actions of the powerful families in instigating the war have completely crossed His Majesty's bottom line."

At this point, Lin Gaoyuan couldn't help but sigh.

"In this peace talks between Da Wu and Da Xia, Da Xia will lose at least three counties. The land of Chen Kingdom has basically been given away. As an emperor who has been thinking about expanding the territory since childhood, I don't believe His Majesty can tolerate giving away all the land he has conquered in the past."

"Even the most patient and tolerant emperors have moments of anger and irrationality."

"Great Xia is about to descend into chaos!"

……

A friend's book; if you like stories about having many children and good fortune, check it out. The protagonist is reborn as a snake, gaining the blessing of many children—he becomes stronger with each offspring! Super satisfying! Face-slapping! Reversal of fortune! Beauties! Beast girls! Empresses! Saintesses—he wants them all!

(End of this chapter)