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

Chapter 241 really put me in a lot of trouble.

Upon hearing Lin Wanyun's words, Lu Chen pushed the door open and entered the room. After entering, Lu Chen casually closed the door and locked it.

After doing all this, Lu Chen turned to look at the beautiful woman not far away. At this moment, Lin Wanyun's pretty face was slightly red, and she looked nervous, as if she was afraid of being discovered.

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "Aunt Lin, I just saw Miss Chen leave the Prince's residence. What was she doing out tonight?"

Lin Wanyun blushed and said, "The Imperial Guards are all over Yancheng. How could you not know where she's going?"

Lu Chen walked up to Lin Wanyun, placed his large hand naturally on her buttocks, and then put his arm around her slender waist.

When Lu Chen touched her like that, Lin Wanyun's delicate body trembled again. Although she had done those kinds of filthy things with Lu Chen many times, she still couldn't help but feel particularly nervous every time she came into contact with him.

On the one hand, she felt extremely ashamed, and on the other hand, she was very afraid that Chen Wanrong would find out about her affair, and she felt a deep sense of guilt.

At this moment, Lin Wanyun asked, "How long does it usually take for the poison in the Palace Master's body to take effect?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's not that easy for it to flare up. Without the antidote, it should last for ten days to half a month without any problems."

Hearing this, Lin Wanyun breathed a slight sigh of relief. If there were no problems in ten days or half a month, then Chen Wanrong had only gone out for one night, so it probably wouldn't have much of an impact on her.

Just then, Lu Chen said with a smile, "Aunt Lin, I've noticed that you seem to have gained a lot of weight recently, and you're getting more and more fleshy."

At this point, Lu Chen gently scratched Lin Wanyun's waist with his hand.

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanyun gave a cold snort and remained silent.

Lu Chen continued, "What were you doing in the room just now? Why did you seem so flustered when I came in?"

Lin Wanyun quickly replied, "I didn't do anything."

She didn't want Lu Chen to know that she had prepared clothes for the child. If that little rascal found out, he might think that she had completely submitted to him and had fallen in love with him, and then he would become even more unscrupulous.

Seeing the panicked look on Lin Wanyun's face again, Lu Chen knew that Lin Wanyun was definitely hiding something from him. He then put his arm around Lin Wanyun's slender waist, picked her up, and carried her to the bed.

Lin Wanyun did not struggle; she knew what was going to happen next.

After placing Lin Wanyun on the bed, Lu Chen pressed her down beneath him, raised his upper body, and looked down at her shy, jade-like cheeks.

"Do you remember what I told you before? Why don't you and Miss Chen both marry me? That way you won't have to worry about me harming Miss Chen."

Lin Wanyun stared into Lu Chen's deep eyes, her heart pounding wildly, her mind filled with images of her having an affair with Lu Chen, but she remained clear-headed at this moment.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Lin Wanyun replied without hesitation, "Impossible, I will absolutely not agree."

"You want to possess Rongrong's body? You'll have to kill me first."

Lin Wanyun didn't trust Lu Chen at all. Although she knew she couldn't live without Lu Chen and might spend the rest of her life in the Northern Prince's Mansion, she absolutely wouldn't allow Chen Wanrong to end up like her.

Chen Wanrong has her own affairs and her own future; how could she stay in the Northern Prince's Mansion to have children with Lu Chen?

Even if Lu Chen becomes emperor in the future, it won't matter. Chen Wanrong is the palace master of Xuan Yue Palace. Cultivation is what she should be doing. These worldly affairs are just life experiences for Chen Wanrong.

Lu Chen, that little rascal, already has so many women and he's still not satisfied. He even wants Chen Wanrong to have his child.

Seeing Lin Wanyun's strong reaction, Lu Chen said with a smile, "Killing you is easy enough."

Lin Wanyun was taken aback when she heard Lu Chen's words.

She thought Lu Chen had gotten tired of her, so in order to prevent her from stopping him from being with Chen Wanrong, she planned to kill herself.

After all, they were on opposite sides from the beginning, and it's normal for Lu Chen to break his word and want to kill her.

Lin Wanyun then checked her internal energy and found that it had disappeared, just like when she had been in contact with Lu Chen before. It was clear that Lu Chen had blocked it.

She was only a half-step Grandmaster, and had no chance of winning against a Grandmaster.

Thinking this through, Lin Wanyun closed her beautiful eyes, then adopted a resigned expression, "Let's do it!"

Seeing this, Lu Chen's lips curled up slightly. How could he possibly kill Lin Wanyun? Lin Wanyun was obviously overthinking it.

Then Lu Chen leaned down and whispered in Lin Wanyun's ear, "There are many ways to make you die, such as making you die of beauty..."

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Lin Wanyun was a little puzzled. "Die beautifully?" What kind of death was that?

Before Lin Wanyun could understand what Lu Chen meant, she felt her red lips being covered by something warm, and she made a soft "mmm..." sound.

After kissing Lin Wanyun, Lu Chen started to grope her. Since Lin Wanyun wanted to experience the feeling of death, he would grant her wish.

……

at the same time.

Yancheng, a restaurant opened by Xuan Yue Palace in the southern part of the city.

Chen Wanrong, dressed in white, sat on a bed on the second floor, while some of the former officials of the Chen Kingdom were downstairs.

They were overjoyed when they heard that their princess was still alive, and some of them rushed to the northern kingdom overnight and came to Yancheng.

At this moment, a former official of the Chen Kingdom said, "Your Highness, you are now the Palace Master of the Xuan Yue Palace. With the help of the Xuan Yue Palace, our restoration of our kingdom is just around the corner."

Another person spoke up, saying, "The Great Xia is currently in turmoil. Even if the Great Xia army defeats the rebels in Jiangnan, the strength of the Great Xia will be greatly weakened. In addition, there is also a rebellion within the Great Wu Dynasty, and their army has already withdrawn from the former site of the Chen Kingdom. At this time, as long as Your Highness returns to the capital of the Chen Kingdom and reveals your identity, the people of the Chen Kingdom will surely support you in restoring the country."

The two counties next to Xiwu County of Daxia were the former sites of the Chen Kingdom. After the war broke out between Daxia and Dawu, those two counties were occupied by Dawu, which also stationed troops in those counties.

However, due to the internal strife in the Great Wu Dynasty, Emperor Wu withdrew the elite troops from those two prefectures in order to quickly eliminate the southwestern rebels, leaving only some ordinary soldiers.

For Xuan Yue Palace, dealing with these ordinary soldiers was not too difficult.

In the eyes of the former officials of Chen, as long as these ordinary soldiers are dealt with, and Chen Wanrong reveals her identity, she will surely be able to rally a large following. At that time, they will rebuild Chen's own army, and by the time Da Wu and Da Xia react, Chen will have already been restored.

Furthermore, the internal strife within the two dynasties had weakened their strength, so even if the Chen state were to be restored, the two dynasties would most likely not send troops to attack it.

At this moment, the former officials of Chen on the first floor were all very excited, thinking that Chen Wanrong should return to the old site of Chen and restore the country. However, at this time, an old man with white hair spoke up and said: "Your Highness, this old minister believes that it is not safe to restore the country on the old site of Chen. The main territory of Chen has now been occupied by Da Wu. Da Wu advocates force, especially the Wu Emperor, who likes to use force to solve problems."

"If we go back to restore our country now, once Da Wu has dealt with the rebels in the southwest, they will likely send troops to attack us."

Upon hearing this, another former official of the Chen Kingdom said, "What is there to worry about? General Wei will be back from Fengyun Island soon. The Wei family has been managing Fengyun Island for many years and has trained 100,000 elite soldiers there. With these 100,000 elite soldiers, I don't believe that Da Wu would dare to attack us when they are weak."

Just as the white-haired old man was about to say something, Chen Wanrong, who had been silent upstairs, spoke up: "The matter of restoring the kingdom is of great importance. We will not discuss it today. We will wait until General Wei arrives in the Northern Kingdom before discussing it further."

Seeing that Chen Wanrong had said this, the former officials of Chen Kingdom did not say anything more. Although they were former officials of Chen Kingdom, they did not have much power behind them. Although they all wanted to restore the country, they could only talk about it and could not play a significant role in the restoration.

Only someone like Wei Siyuan, who has troops at his disposal, can play a significant role in restoring the nation. Without troops, no matter how loudly one shouts for restoration, it's useless.

After that, they stopped discussing the restoration of the kingdom and instead discussed what preparations they should make next.

About two hours later, Chen Wanrong returned to the Prince's Mansion from the restaurant. She had originally planned not to come back tonight, but for some reason, she felt uneasy after leaving the mansion.

After Chen Wanrong arrived at Yunrong Courtyard, she prepared to return to her room. However, as soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard the wild cries of animals.

Hearing these sounds, Chen Wanrong frowned slightly.

That man actually came to Yunrong Courtyard to do such a thing.

Then, Chen Wanrong used her internal energy to conceal her aura and quietly walked to the door of Lin Wanyun's room. She then poked a small hole in the paper window to see what was inside.

Upon seeing the two overlapping figures, Chen Wanrong's expression turned extremely cold. She had only been out for one night, and they had come to this courtyard to do this kind of thing.

Chen Wanrong felt a tightness in her chest. She couldn't bear to look at this ugly scene any longer, so she turned to leave. But just as she was about to leave, Lin Wanyun said weakly, "Chen'er, I... I beg you, please give the antidote to Rongrong."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanrong was slightly taken aback.

Antidote? What antidote?

Lu Chen said with a smile, "Wan Yun, this won't do. How can you think about other things at a time like this?"

Lin Wanyun continued, "Ah... Rong... Rongrong has her own mission. Martial... uh... martial artists are inherently difficult to... difficult to conceive. Yelü Nanyan has been married into the Prince's Mansion for so long, and she hasn't gotten pregnant yet."

"If I wait until I'm pregnant with... huff... your child before giving her the antidote, the civil war in Great Xia will be over... over."

As Lin Wanyun finished speaking, Chen Wanrong heard another hurried sound. After a long while, Lu Chen finally spoke, saying, "It won't be that easy for me to give her the antidote."

Lin Wanyun said, "I beg you... I'm begging you. As long as you give her the antidote and let her leave the Northern Prince's Mansion, I will stay in the Northern Prince's Mansion from now on. Whether you want me to serve you or have your children, I'm willing to do it."

Hearing Lin Wanyun say this, Chen Wanrong basically guessed what Lin Wanyun meant.

Chen Wanrong's expression grew even colder. She had always believed that Lin Wanyun and Lu Chen were having an affair for two reasons: first, to help her feed Lu Chen the powder for the Lovebird Butterflies; and second, because she herself had such needs.

But listening to their conversation now, it's not like that at all.

Based on their conversation, it can be inferred that Lu Chen poisoned both of them, which is why Lin Wanyun submitted to Lu Chen in hopes of obtaining the antidote and helping her escape the Northern Prince's Mansion.

When it comes to poison, Chen Wanrong is very puzzled, as she has never felt that she has been poisoned.

But if she hadn't been poisoned, Lin Wanyun wouldn't have been threatened by Lu Chen, and there wouldn't have been that conversation just now. What exactly happened?

Did Lu Chen deceive Aunt Lin?

Or is this poison so special that she didn't even know she was poisoned?

Lu Chen then said with a smile, "How do I know if you'll keep your word? What if I give her the antidote, she runs away, and you run away with her?"

Lin Wanyun said, "You only need to give me one dose of the antidote; you don't need to give me mine."

Lu Chen said, "If you are determined to die, and then commit suicide after she takes the antidote and leaves the Northern Prince's Mansion, wouldn't I be at a huge loss?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanyun blushed and said, "I...I won't...commit suicide..."

"I can't live without you..."

At this point, Lin Wanyun turned her head to the side, so ashamed that she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Hearing Lin Wanyun's words, Lu Chen smiled and said, "Of course I know you can't live without me, but that doesn't mean you won't want to die."

Seeing that Lu Chen still didn't believe her, Lin Wanyun simply said, "I... my heart has already been captured by you. Even if you don't coerce me, I'm willing to be your woman."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned. He didn't expect the beautiful woman who had always been so stubborn to say such a thing today. Of course, Lu Chen knew that she was telling the truth, after all, her affection for him was already 100%. However, Lin Wanyun was probably saying such a thing for Chen Wanrong's sake.

Like Chu Yuqin, Lin Wanyun was a traditional, gentle woman. She was reserved and usually couldn't bring herself to talk about love and romance.

Hearing Lin Wanyun's words, Chen Wanrong felt as if she were being stabbed with needles.

So, does that mean Lin Wanyun has really betrayed him?

No, this cannot be called betrayal. If she really likes Lu Chen, then as the child that Lin Wanyun raised since childhood, she should naturally bless her. How can this be considered betrayal?

But Chen Wanrong felt a strange emotion inside her that made her feel uneasy, and she couldn't explain what it was.

Immediately afterward, a series of hurried sounds came from inside the room. After a long pause, Lu Chen finally spoke, "I never imagined that my Wan Yun would say something like this. So, you really want to get pregnant with my child?"

Lin Wanyun's sense of shame had reached its peak; her entire body was flushed red, and her snow-white neck was also covered in a large blush.

She herself never imagined that one day she would say such shameless things.

Lin Wanyun thought to herself, "Let's do it for Rongrong's sake."

If she's shameless, so be it. If being shameless can get her the antidote from Lu Chen and help Chen Wanrong leave the Northern Prince's Mansion, then everything she's done will be worthwhile.

Just as Lin Wanyun was thinking this, Lu Chen said, "Wanyun, if Miss Chen knew that you had become like this because of her, would she feel sorry for you, or would she be very angry and think that you betrayed her?"

Lin Wanyun said weakly, "What...do you mean?"

Lu Chen smiled, said nothing more, and continued with his own business.

Chen Wanrong stopped eavesdropping on their conversation. She felt a pang of sadness and turned to leave through the door.

……

In the early morning, Lin Wanyun tried several times to drive Lu Chen out of Yunrong Courtyard, fearing that Chen Wanrong would return and discover their affair. However, no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't push Lu Chen away.

Fortunately, it was a small court assembly in the North today. After fussing around for half an hour, Lu Chen finally left her room and Yunrong Courtyard, satisfied.

After Lu Chen left, Lin Wanyun quickly tidied her clothes and came out. She didn't see Chen Wanrong in the yard and found it empty. Lin Wanyun breathed a sigh of relief.

What Lin Wanyun didn't know was that Chen Wanrong had returned last night and was currently meditating in her room.

Seeing the empty courtyard, Lin Wanyun sighed.

It's a sin. She was supposed to help Chen Wanrong control Lu Chen and then use him to refine the Dragon Subduing Curse, but she ended up becoming Lu Chen's woman and even becoming infatuated with him.

How come Lu Chen, that nemesis, is so good at dealing with women?

Lin Wanyun muttered to herself, "Oh, Sister Yue, how could you have given birth to such a little rascal? He's caused me so much trouble."

……

As time passed, the war between the Great Xia Dynasty and the southern rebels intensified, with both sides continuously reinforcing their troops and fighting more fiercely than ever before.

Surprisingly, even though the war had progressed to this point, none of the feudal lords made any move.

The Xia emperors of recent generations have been reducing the power of the vassal kings. Although they still retained a great deal of autonomy for the vassal kings, it is clear to everyone that reducing the power of the vassal kings is a governing direction of the Xia imperial family.

The powerful families and the princes colluded with each other, forming a single interest group. In many cases, the powerful families could use the princes' autonomy to gain more benefits for themselves, without having to be directly governed by the imperial court.

If the Xia emperor were to wipe out all the ancient aristocratic families, the next step would probably be to reduce the power of the feudal lords.

Although the imperial army is currently fighting the rebels in Jiangnan, many other powerful families are actually providing assistance to the rebels in other regions. They understand the principle of mutual dependence and shared vulnerability.

Even powerful families outside of Jiangnan were aiding the rebels in Jiangnan, yet the regional princes made no move. This inevitably makes one wonder if these princes were planning a scenario where the two sides fight and the third side benefits.

Lu Chen had been paying close attention to the civil war in the Great Xia Dynasty. This war had greatly increased the population of the Northern Kingdom and brought it many benefits.

Now that the Great Xia Dynasty is completely ignoring the Northern Kingdom, Lu Chen simply stopped pretending and began to expand his army like crazy. Due to the increase in population, Lu Chen's new round of army expansion added another 100,000 soldiers. These 100,000 soldiers were not from Fengyun Island, but were recruited locally in the Northern Kingdom.

If we include the 100,000 soldiers from Fengyun Island, the Northern Kingdom now has nearly 400,000 troops.

North Palace.

Lu Chen's Study.

Lu Chen looked at the military expansion plan on the table and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Just then, a maid's voice rang out at the door of the study, "Your Highness, Commander Wu has brought a man surnamed Wei to the manor."

Hearing this, Lu Chen's smile widened even more. "We've finally arrived."

He then said to the maid, "Have them come to the study."

(End of this chapter)