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

Chapter 216 Dongfang Longyue

In a courtyard of the Dongfang family, a woman dressed in a purple cloud-patterned dress stood in a pavilion, holding a paintbrush and drawing on paper.

The woman's hair was styled in a high bun, and her long black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. She stood tall and graceful, as beautiful as a fairy.

At this moment, Dongfang Yi, who was standing to the side, spoke up: "Yue'er, tell your father, what are you thinking?"

Dongfang Longyue did not stop painting. As she painted, she asked, "Father, you should know that he won't be the crown prince for long, right?"

Dongfang Yi said, "Although he won't be the crown prince for long, he is still the crown prince for now. I estimate that it will be at least another six months before Emperor Xia takes action against the Wang family."

The Dongfang family is a special case; they know some inside information, so they don't think highly of Lu Shuyun and believe that his success is just temporary.

Once the Wang family is wiped out, Crown Prince Lu Shuyun will definitely be deposed.

Dongfang Longyue said, "The Wang family probably doesn't want to see other aristocratic families marry their daughters to the Crown Prince, but Wang Yong took the initiative to come and act as the Crown Prince's envoy. This shows that they have vaguely realized something and want to completely bind our family with the aristocratic families of Jiangnan."

"Our family has been in business for generations and has almost controlled the economic lifeline of the Great Xia Dynasty. Once our family is completely tied to the Jiangnan aristocratic families, the Xia Emperor will definitely be more wary of them."

Dongfang Yi sighed and said, "I also think that the Crown Prince's claim of taking a liking to you is just an excuse, but even if it is an excuse, we can't refuse."

"If we refuse outright, they will easily notice something, which will be detrimental to our transactions with others. Besides, our family has its own mission, and we cannot afford any problems at this time."

At this moment, Dongfang Longyue put down her paintbrush, looked up at Dongfang Yi and said, "Father, how about this? You pretend to agree to the Crown Prince, but find an excuse to delay for a while. I will find a way to leave Sufeng City then."

Although the Dongfang family is one of the prominent families in Jiangnan, they have businesses in various dynasties. It wouldn't be a problem for Dongfang Longyue to leave Sufeng City and go to another dynasty to hide. At that time, the Dongfang family would say that Dongfang Longyue acted on her own initiative, did not want to get married, and then secretly fled to another dynasty.

Seeing that Dongfang Longyue had said so, Dongfang Yi sighed and then said, "It seems that this is the only way we can use for now."

"Moon, I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Dongfang Longyue said calmly, "This is what a daughter should do."

Dongfang Yi then said, "Father won't bother you any longer."

At this point, Dongfang Yi turned and left the courtyard, intending to send a message to Wang Yong.

……

Night falls.

North Palace.

The moonlight tonight is cool and enchanting.

The moonlight spilled onto the ground like water, and the shadows on the ground swayed in the breeze, like ripples on the water's surface.

At this moment, in Chu Yuqin's room, Chu Yuqin was kneeling on a mat, with a jar of wine and some food in front of her.

Chu Qingli and Chu Yuqin sat facing each other.

Chu Yuqin poured herself a glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp. Then she said to Chu Qingli, "Qingli, this is a new wine brewed by the Prince's Mansion. It tastes very good. I heard that the Prince's Mansion's orders are booked up for several months. I finally managed to get a jar from Zixuan. Try it."

"It's said that this wine can help detoxify and greatly aid in martial arts practice. Qingli, you've been suffering from qi deviation lately, leaving so many scars on your body. Those scars are most likely caused by toxins in your body. Why don't you try some?"

Hearing this, Chu Qingli did not suspect Chu Yuqin, after all, Chu Yuqin had also drunk some.

Moreover, she had indeed heard that the liquor recently produced by the Northern Prince's Mansion was very popular, and many guards in the mansion wanted to try it.

Chu Yuqin then poured a small cup for Chu Qingli.

Chu Qingli then picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

After taking a sip, Chu Qingli found the wine to be very strong. If it weren't for her high level of martial arts skills and strong internal energy, which gave her a certain resistance to strong liquor, she probably wouldn't have been able to handle it.

At this moment, Chu Yuqin poured herself another cup. She shifted her hips slightly, then changed from kneeling to sitting on the ground. Her plump buttocks pressed together against the mat.

Chu Yuqin then asked, "Qingli, what do you think of this wine?"

Qingli replied expressionlessly, "It's a bit strong, but the aroma is quite strong."

Hearing Chu Qingli's answer, Chu Yuqin poured Chu Qingli another glass and then said, "If you like, drink more. Maybe the smell of alcohol on you will actually help to expel impurities from your body."

Chu Yuqin's idea was simple: to get Chu Qingli drunk. To avoid Chu Qingli suspecting that she wanted to get her drunk, Chu Yuqin also drank alcohol.

She figured that Lu Chen would be coming to her room soon anyway, and since Lu Chen's magic could cure hangovers, he would definitely help her sober up once he arrived and found her drunk.

When she wakes up, her younger sister will be completely drunk and unconscious. Then she can take care of Lu Chen tonight without worry and fulfill her promise.

Even by tomorrow morning, Chu Qingli might not be able to find out.

When Chu Qingli woke up again, she and Lu Chen had already finished what they were doing.

Seeing Chu Yuqin pick up her wine glass and take another sip, Chu Qingli suddenly thought of something.

During this time, her sister had become suspicious of her, after all, Lu Chen always appeared in her room, and she was constantly going into a state of demonic possession, which didn't make sense.

She hadn't made any deals with Lu Chen in the past few days, mainly because she was worried about being discovered by Chu Yuqin.

Now that such strong liquor has suddenly appeared in the Northern Prince's mansion, wouldn't this be her chance? If she can get her sister drunk and she's unconscious, she can go and make a deal with Lu Chen without her sister finding out. She won't have to be as careful as before, afraid of being tested by her sister.

However, in order to avoid letting her sister find out that she wants to get her drunk, it's best to drink with her instead.

Thinking of this, Chu Qingli picked up the wine glass in front of her and slowly took a sip.

At this moment, the two sisters, tacitly aware of their own ulterior motives, both wanted to get the other drunk. They then chatted about random things while drinking.

At this moment, Lu Chen's study was still brightly lit.

After an unknown amount of time, a dark cloud drifted in front of the moon and blocked its light.

Lu Chen got up from his seat, stretched, and twisted his neck.

He suddenly remembered that Chu Yuqin had asked him to go to her room tonight, and at the thought of this, Lu Chen's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.

However, he soon thought of another troublesome matter.

Chu Qingli lives next door to Chu Yuqin, and recently Chu Qingli has no longer served as the deputy commander of the Prince's Palace guards; she is currently on leave.

If I go to Chu Yuqin's room now, there's a high chance that Chu Qingli will see me or notice me.

(End of this chapter)