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

Chapter 207 The zither is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, the council hall instantly resembled a bustling marketplace.

"Your Highness, if the imperial court doesn't provide food, we absolutely cannot take in those refugees."

"The imperial court has gone too far. There are at least nearly a million refugees in the three prefectures. If they are not given food, how can the northern kingdom possibly feed them?"

"That's right. The Northern Kingdom is already so poor, and they're sending so many refugees over. It will only make the Northern Kingdom poorer. The court is just trying to drag the Northern Kingdom down with these refugees."

……

Seeing the officials in the main hall looking indignant, Lu Chen revealed a faint smile. The officials of the Northern Kingdom had basically completed their transformation. In the past, they viewed issues from the perspective of the Great Xia, but now they all thought about issues from the perspective of the Northern Kingdom and considered the interests of the Northern Kingdom.

After the officials in the hall had discussed the matter for a while, Li Rui spoke again, "Your Highness, must the Northern Kingdom accept these refugees?"

Lu Chen said, "According to the intelligence I received, the court's intention is that accepting those refugees is an obligation that the Northern Kingdom, as a vassal state, should fulfill, so the Northern Kingdom cannot refuse."

This……

The officials in the main hall were dumbfounded. They couldn't refuse; they were treating the Northern Kingdom like a sucker.

If the imperial court doesn't provide food and throws all those refugees into the north, won't they immediately rebel when they arrive in the north and have nothing to eat?

Lu Chen then said, "I will write a memorial and send it to the capital later. If the court does not provide food, and these refugees come to the Northern Kingdom but do not want to stay there, then it is none of the Northern Kingdom's business. After all, these refugees are the people of Great Xia, and I cannot restrict their freedom."

"If the court insists on doing this, and a peasant uprising like the one in Da Wu breaks out, then the court will have to find a way to deal with it itself."

The North is very poor, a fact known to all the people of Great Xia. If those refugees are sent to the North but not given any food, it would be tantamount to starving them to death. When the people hear about this, they will inevitably be very disappointed with the court.

At this moment, Lu Chen rose from his throne, waved his sleeve, and said, "That concludes today's meeting. Commander Qin, come to my study."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lu Chen then went to his study, and Qin Yushan followed him in.

"Your Highness, do you have any tasks for me?"

Lu Chen said, "Write a letter to Commander Liang later and have him mobilize all the Imperial Guards within the Great Xia territory to spread the news that the court is not providing grain to the Northern Kingdom, especially to let those refugees know about this."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yushan immediately understood Lu Chen's meaning. "Yes, Your Highness, I will immediately send a message to Commander Liang."

As Qin Yushan finished speaking, he prepared to leave the study, but Lu Chen said, "Wait a moment, I have something else to discuss."

Qin Yushan stopped and said, "Your Highness, please speak."

Lu Chen asked, "How's the matter with the Spirit Martial Pavilion going?"

Qin Yushan said, "Recently, Lingwu Pavilion has sent many spies to Yancheng to look for their Pavilion Master, but most of those spies have already been arrested by us. We are trying to find a way to bring the craftsmen of Lingwu Pavilion to the Northern Kingdom, but they are too vigilant and no one is willing to come."

Lu Chen said, "Find a way to control people, then release that grandmaster back and train him to be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Qin Yushan said, "Your Highness, it's probably not that easy to get a grandmaster to listen to you. You'll probably have to go and meet that grandmaster yourself."

Although they can indeed use some drugs to control Grandmasters, martial artists at the Grandmaster level are generally not so easy to submit to. They may outwardly surrender, but once they are out of danger, they will try to break free from control.

To make a grandmaster submit, you must be convinced from the bottom of your heart; otherwise, once the grandmaster learns how to counteract the drugs that control him, he will surely betray you.

Generally speaking, any poison that controls people will have an antidote, and if there is an antidote, it is impossible for only one company to have it.

Even if Qin Yushan fed the Lingwu Pavilion Grandmaster poison, the Grandmaster would most likely search for an antidote after returning home. Therefore, Qin Yushan's idea was to have Lu Chen go directly to the Lingwu Pavilion Grandmaster and demonstrate Lu Chen's true strength.

Aside from Wang Qingci, Lu Chen had never publicly told anyone that he had broken through to the Grandmaster realm. However, the subordinates Lu Chen summoned through the system could easily sense the changes in the pressure emanating from him, and they were well aware that Lu Chen was already a Grandmaster.

At this moment, Qin Yushan knew that Lu Chen was already a Grandmaster. Qin Yushan thought that a seventeen-year-old Grandmaster was enough to intimidate the Grandmaster of the Spirit Martial Pavilion and make him willingly follow Lu Chen.

Of course, this could also reveal Lu Chen's strength; it depends on Lu Chen's own decision.

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll go see that grandmaster later."

"Go ahead and do your thing."

Qin Yushan then bowed and said, "This subordinate takes his leave."

Immediately afterwards, Qin Yushan left the study.

After Qin Yushan left, Lu Chen sat down at his desk and began to handle government affairs. Recently, there had been an increasing number of matters in the Northern Kingdom, and many things needed to be handled by Lu Chen, which made him very busy.

Lu Chen also wanted to delegate authority, but considering that the officials in the Northern Kingdom were natives of this world and might not understand some of his policies, which could lead to unintended consequences, he had no choice but to do everything himself.

Of course, despite his busy work schedule, Lu Chen didn't forget to relax. During this time, Lu Chen often went to Chu Qingli's room to relax with her. Every time he went to Chu Qingli, Lu Chen felt particularly excited.

At this moment, Lu Chen suddenly heard a faint sound of a zither. Although it was quite far away, Lu Chen was now a Grandmaster, and his hearing was more developed than that of ordinary people, so he could hear it very clearly.

Lu Chen put down his pen and listened carefully. The music was melodious and gentle, making people feel very relaxed and comfortable.

Lu Chen was curious about who was playing the zither, so he simply got up and walked towards the direction from which the music was coming.

A short while later, Lu Chen stopped at the entrance of the courtyard where Chen Wanrong and Lin Wanyun lived.

Lu Chen was moved by the scene before him as soon as he arrived at the gate of the courtyard.

Chen Wanrong, dressed in a long white dress, sat gracefully in the pavilion. Her slender hands rested on the wooden zither, gently plucking the strings. As her delicate fingers danced across the strings, the melodious and graceful music reached Lu Chen's ears.

At this moment, Chen Wanrong seemed to have merged with the whole world. She seemed to radiate a holy light, like a fairy descended from heaven, making people feel incredibly warm.

The music is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful.

Lu Chen had seen many beautiful women; his inner courtyard was filled with them, and all kinds of beauties.

However, few women could inspire such beauty in him as Chen Wanrong, yet he could not harbor any impure thoughts towards her.

If Wang Qingci and Chu Qingli were playing the piano like this in front of him, Lu Chen might just pin them both down.

But Chen Wanrong was different. Hearing the music and admiring her beauty, Lu Chen felt incredibly peaceful.

The scene before my eyes was like a beautiful painting.

Lu Chen stood at the courtyard gate and listened for a long time until the music subsided before he came to his senses.

Just then, Lin Wanyun came in from outside. She saw Lu Chen standing at the courtyard gate, his eyes fixed on Chen Wanrong inside the pavilion. Overjoyed, she immediately asked, "Chen'er, do you enjoy listening to the Palace Master's music?"

Hearing Lin Wanyun's voice behind him, Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment. Then he turned around to look at Lin Wanyun and said with a smile, "I like it. This music can calm my mind."

"I never expected Miss Chen's zither playing to have such an effect."

At this moment, Chen Wanrong, who was in the pavilion, also noticed Lu Chen at the entrance of the courtyard. She stood up, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

At this moment, Chen Wanrong took the initiative to say, "If Your Highness likes the music I play, you are welcome to come and listen often in the future."

Hearing this, Lin Wanyun was taken aback.

Their palace master has finally come to his senses and actually took the initiative to invite the Northern King.

(End of this chapter)