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

Chapter 247 The Truth Exposed

The northern lands, the Chu state.

As dusk fell, the red sunset shone upon the world, its crimson light like blood spilled across the earth.

Chu Xiong sat in the courtyard, sipping the strong liquor brewed by the Northern Prince's Mansion while reviewing the intelligence he had recently gathered about the Chu family in Jiangnan.

Although he had already led some of the Chu family members to seek refuge with his grandson, he still couldn't let go of the Chu family in Jiangnan, after all, his unfilial son was still in Jiangnan.

Upon seeing the intelligence report mentioning the rebels' repeated defeats against the imperial army, Chu Xiong couldn't help but sigh. He had guessed this would be the outcome from the beginning.

Although the Jiangnan aristocratic families possessed powerful weapons like the Cloud-Piercing Bow and Cloud-Piercing Arrow, the imperial court was far more powerful. Moreover, it was Emperor Xia who forced the Jiangnan aristocratic families to rebel. Since he dared to force them to rebel, it proved that Emperor Xia was already prepared to deal with the Jiangnan aristocratic families. Lu Shuyun's desire to seize the throne was not going to be so easy.

Just as Chu Xiong was sighing, a servant entered the courtyard and said, "Master, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is looking for you."

Hearing this, Chu Xiong was stunned for a moment.

Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Why did the Imperial Guards want to see me?

Could it be that Lu Chen wants to talk to me about something?

Having been in the Northern Kingdom for so long, Chu Xiong has basically figured out the political structure of the Northern Kingdom and has a general idea of ​​who the Northern King's people are.

Chu Xiong knew very well that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the most important organization around Lu Chen, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers coming to find him were most likely carrying Lu Chen's orders.

Chu Xiong then said to his servants, "Quickly, invite that man in!"

A short while later, a servant led Qin Yushan into the Chu family courtyard. After entering the courtyard, Qin Yushan smiled and said, "Greetings, Patriarch Chu."

Upon seeing that the visitor was Qin Yushan, Chu Xiong was taken aback. Qin Yushan was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As far as he knew, apart from the Northern King, the highest-ranking officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the Commander.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is always very busy, so why would he personally come to the Chu family? There must be something important going on. Chu Xiong immediately had a bad feeling and asked directly, "Commander Qin, what brings you, the prince's favorite, here?"

Qin Yushan laughed and said, "What big shot? I'm just a loyal dog kept by the prince."

At this point, Qin Yushan glanced at the servants in the courtyard and said, "His Highness asked me to tell you something, but this is not the place to talk."

Chu Xiong instantly understood Qin Yushan's meaning and immediately said, "Commander Qin, please follow me."

Immediately afterwards, Chu Xiong led Qin Yushan to the study. After entering the study, Chu Xiong closed the door and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Qin Yushan took out a piece of intelligence they had recently gathered from his sleeve and said, "There are no specific instructions, but His Highness asked me to show you this intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiong curiously took the paper intelligence from Qin Yushan's hand and began to read it carefully. As soon as he read it, Chu Xiong's brows furrowed instantly, and his face turned extremely gloomy.

He never expected that there would actually be a traitor among the Chu family members who had followed him to the Northern Kingdom. This was what he had always been most worried about.

They came to the Northern Kingdom to pledge allegiance to the Northern King. If there were traitors among these Chu family members, it might cause the Northern King to distrust them, or even think that they were not genuinely joining the Northern Kingdom, but had ulterior motives.

However, Chu Xiong also realized that Lu Chen had Qin Yushan personally deliver this intelligence without making a fuss, which was most likely because he wanted Chu Xiong to deal with the traitor problem. Lu Chen was not going to suspect them just because of a few traitors.

Chu Xiong then said, "Please ask Commander Qin to convey a message to the Prince: I will definitely deal with those who spread rumors and find out who is behind it all."

Qin Yushan said, "Okay."

I won't bother you any longer.

At this point, Qin Yushan turned and left the study. Chu Xiong quickly said, "Commander Qin, please take care."

After Qin Yushan left the Chu family, Chu Xiong immediately investigated who was spreading the rumors based on the information Qin Yushan had shown him earlier.

In just one hour, Chu Xiong had found the people who had spread the rumors.

Looking at the servants kneeling in the courtyard, Chu Xiong's face turned ashen. He then asked, "Speak, who ordered you to do this?"

Seeing that their scheme had been exposed, the servants hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Master, spare our lives! It was the second young master who ordered us to do all this!"

Hearing the servant's words, Chu Xiong was not surprised at all. He had already guessed that it must have been that unfilial son causing trouble behind the scenes.

Chu Hongfei had always been concerned about Chu Yuqin's health. He had long wanted to have someone bring Chu Yuqin back to Sufeng City, but later the strength of the Northern King suddenly increased, and the Northern Kingdom became the strongest military kingdom among all the feudal kingdoms. This forced Chu Hongfei to give up his plan to forcibly bring Chu Yuqin back to the Chu family.

However, this does not mean that Chu Hongfei has given up.

At this moment, Chu Xiong's expression was uncertain, as if he was thinking about something.

The rebels in Jiangnan are currently fighting against the imperial army. As a member of the Chu family in Jiangnan, Chu Hongfei is not focusing on assisting Lu Shuyun at this time, but instead thinking of having people spread rumors and cause trouble in the North.

Chu Xiong then asked, "Was it his idea for you to come to the Northern Kingdom with me in the first place?"

A servant kneeling on the ground hurriedly said, "Yes, the Second Young Master instructed us to write down everything that happened in the Northern Kingdom and write a letter to him."

Chu Xiong sighed. There was no need to investigate further. It was definitely the two Chu brothers who had used Chu Hongfei. On one hand, they wanted to find out information about the Northern Kingdom, and on the other hand, they wanted to use someone else to do their dirty work. No wonder the Chu family agreed to split up so easily back then.

If the traitors of the Chu family are not discovered, they can continue to provide the Chu family in Jiangnan with intelligence about the Northern Kingdom. If they are discovered, the Northern King will definitely become suspicious of the Chu family in the Northern Kingdom. Once the ruler becomes suspicious of a family, the Chu family in the Northern Kingdom will not have an easy time in the future.

The few pawns that the Chu family of Jiangnan planted in the Chu family of the Northern Kingdom have a great influence on the Chu family of the Northern Kingdom no matter what they do.

Chu Xiong thought to himself that he would have to go to the Northern Prince's Mansion in person first thing tomorrow morning to apologize to Lu Chen.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiong said to the family guards in the courtyard, "Take these people away and deal with them."

Upon hearing this, the servants were so frightened that they lost control of their bladder and bowels.

"Master, spare my life!!!"

"Master, spare me!!!"

"We were all forced into this!!!"

……

The guards ignored the wails of the traitors, dragged them away, and then disposed of them in the Chu family's backyard.

……

night.

Tonight, the stars twinkle and the moonlight is as clear as water.

After reviewing and approving some official documents in his study, Lu Chen felt vaguely tired.

He did physical labor all night without sleeping, and he didn't sleep during the day either. He just gave Lin Wanyun a beating in the study, and then dealt with government affairs for so long. Even if he is a Grandmaster, he should feel tired.

Lu Chen had planned to go back and take a shower, then go to Chun Sheng Yuan to hug that soft, big pillow and sleep. But then he suddenly remembered that he had made an appointment to meet Chu Qingli.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen got up, stretched, yawned, and muttered to himself, "Looks like I won't be able to sleep tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen left the study. He had just stepped out of the study when he ran into Chu Yuqin, who was on patrol duty that night.

Upon seeing Lu Chen, Chu Yuqin paused for a moment, then asked with concern, "Chen'er, why haven't you gone back to rest yet?"

Lu Chen said with a smile, "I'm going back to sleep now."

Now, Chu Yuqin is no longer as flustered as she was before when facing Lu Chen. Although she had long agreed to serve Lu Chen, Lu Chen has not made a move on her.

Since Lu Chen didn't take the initiative, she simply didn't care about it. She thought to herself that Lu Chen had so many women, he could easily take turns serving him every day, so it wasn't her turn to serve him.

Of course, if Lu Chen made such a request, she certainly wouldn't refuse now, as long as she could find a way to get Chu Qingli away and prevent Chu Qingli from finding out.

At this moment, Lu Chen suddenly remembered something and said to Chu Yuqin, "Aunt Chu, have you heard any rumors about me lately?"

Chu Yuqin was taken aback when she heard the question.

Of course she knew what rumors Lu Chen was talking about.

It's just that Lu Chen has taken advantage of her, a widow, and doesn't even spare his own aunt.

A blush rose on Chu Yuqin's cheeks at the thought of this so-called rumor.

The reason she was afraid Lu Chen would harm her was because she worried about rumors that would damage Lu Chen's reputation as a prince.

Lu Chen is destined to be an emperor, so he can't have too many scandals.

Chu Yuqin then said, "Qingli has already told me, I..."

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Chu Yuqin hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Aunt Chu, don't feel pressured. These rumors will disappear in a few days. They were spread by the Chu family, and my grandfather should already be dealing with them."

Hearing this, Chu Yuqin was stunned. Why would the Chu family spread such rumors?

Chu Yuqin asked, "Is it the Chu family of Jiangnan?"

Lu Chen said, "It has been found that they are from the Chu family of the Northern Kingdom. However, these people who spread rumors are probably spies that the Chu family of the Southern Kingdom planted in the Chu family of the Northern Kingdom."

Chu Yuqin sighed softly and remained silent.

Lu Chen then said, "Aunt Chu, I'll go back and rest now."

Chu Yuqin said, "Okay."

Lu Chen then headed straight for the courtyard where Chu Qingli was.

Chu Yuqin has come out on patrol, so it's a good time to go and make a deal with Chu Qingli.

A short while later, Lu Chen arrived at Chu Qingli's room. Before Chu Qingli could even react, Lu Chen swept her up in a princess carry and carried her to the bed, then pinned her down and looked down at her.

Chu Qingli looked into Lu Chen's eyes and said coldly, "What's the rush? You spent the whole night with the Palace Master of Xuan Yue Palace, and just now you were bullying Lin Wanyun in the study. What's the use of your rush? I don't believe you can do it."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled and said, "A certain vixen used to provoke me like this all the time, but lately she hasn't dared to go back to the palace."

Chu Qingli said nonchalantly, "Your words can't scare me, I... umm..."

Before Chu Qingli could finish speaking, Lu Chen leaned down and kissed her red lips.

In fact, Chu Qingli did not intend to provoke Lu Chen. She genuinely felt that Lu Chen had been busy for a whole day and night, and even a Grandmaster would be exhausted.

Chu Qingli ultimately reaped what she sowed.

The night was long. After patrolling the inner courtyard a few times, Chu Yuqin decided to go back inside and sit for a while.

Just then, she saw Bai Qingqing, dressed in white, standing on the rooftop, gazing into the distance.

Chu Yuqin was a little curious. It wasn't Bai Qingqing who was on duty tonight, so why didn't she go back to sleep? What was she doing standing on the roof?

Chu Yuqin then used her light-footed skill to leap onto the roof in a few steps, arriving in front of Bai Qingqing. "Little Bai, it's not your turn to be on duty tonight, why didn't you go back to your room to sleep?"

Upon hearing Chu Yuqin's question, Bai Qingqing replied expressionlessly, "I can't sleep."

This……

Chu Yuqin asked curiously, "Is something on your mind? Why don't you tell me? Maybe you'll feel better if you talk about it."

Chu Yuqin thought to herself, Bai Qingqing has never had any emotions since she was a child. Logically speaking, someone like her shouldn't have any worries. How come she has a day when she can't sleep? This made Chu Yuqin feel a little strange.

At this moment, Bai Qingqing said, "I have nothing on my mind, I just can't sleep."

Chu Yuqin was slightly stunned. If she had nothing on her mind, why couldn't she sleep?

However, she didn't press further. Everyone has their own secrets, and Bai Qingqing was no exception. If she didn't want to talk about it, then so be it.

At this moment, Chu Yuqin also looked in the direction Bai Qingqing was looking. She thought that since Bai Qingqing couldn't sleep, she would stay on the rooftop with her for a while.

Just as Chu Yuqin was thinking this, she suddenly heard faint animal cries.

Hearing this sound, Chu Yuqin didn't pay much attention. It was perfectly normal for such sounds to occur in the inner courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. She could hear such sounds almost every time she patrolled at night.

As for who made these sounds, it's obvious; who else could it be but that little rascal?

Chu Yuqin didn't intend to find the source of the sound; she continued to stand on the rooftop, keeping Bai Qingqing company as she enjoyed the breeze.

Gradually, half an hour passed, and the voice from the inner courtyard grew louder and louder.

Chu Yuqin suddenly felt something was wrong.

Although she often heard such a voice in the inner courtyard of the Prince's Mansion, for some reason, she always felt that the voice sounded somewhat like Chu Qingli's voice.

She had always been with Lu Chen's wives and concubines, so she was very familiar with their voices. Although their voices were distorted when they called out, she could still vaguely hear some differences.

The sounds coming from the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion at this moment did not seem to be the voices of Lu Chen's wives and concubines.

Chu Yuqin turned to look at Bai Qingqing, then said, "Xiao Bai, I'm going on patrol now."

Bai Qingqing said expressionlessly, "Mm."

Chu Yuqin then jumped down from the roof and followed the direction from which the sound came.

As she walked, she eventually arrived at the entrance of the courtyard where she lived.

Chu Yuqin was stunned, and at this moment Chu Qingli's voice became even louder.

Chu Yuqin suddenly realized that Chu Qingli had recently gone into a state of demonic possession while practicing her martial arts. She must have gone into a state of demonic possession again.

Thinking of this, Chu Yuqin hurriedly ran towards Chu Qingli's room. Soon she arrived at Chu Qingli's door, at which point Chu Qingli's voice suddenly became even stranger.

"what……"

Chu Yuqin thought Chu Qingli's qi deviation was already very serious. In a moment of panic, she pushed the door open without thinking and rushed in, "Qingli, are you alright! Hold on, I'm coming right now..."

Before Chu Yuqin could finish speaking, she was stunned by what she saw. She froze on the spot, staring in shock at the two people in the room.

She had originally said, "I'll go and call Chen'er right now," but when she came in, she realized that she didn't need to call Lu Chen at all; Lu Chen was already in this room.

Chu Qingli, who was in a daze, instantly woke up and saw that Chu Yuqin had actually barged in. Her tension reached its peak, and she was completely stunned.

After regaining her senses, Chu Qingli looked extremely flustered. She hurriedly said, "Sister...please let me explain, it's not...ah...like what you saw..."

Lu Chen did not stop what he was doing because of Chu Yuqin's intrusion. When he saw Chu Qingli trying to get up, he pressed her down to prevent her from escaping.

Seeing Lu Chen commit such an evil act in front of her, Chu Yuqin blushed deeply. She then stepped back, saying, "Chen'er, you all go ahead with your work. I'll come back to find you later."

After Chu Yuqin left the room, Chu Qingli was both ashamed and angry. She turned to Lu Chen and cursed, "You... bastard!"

Lu Chen didn't care about her cursing. Let her curse all she wanted. Anyway, things had already been exposed, and this was a good opportunity to confront Chu Yuqin.

Chu Qingli continued to struggle, but the more she struggled, the more she fueled Lu Chen's anger. In the end, it was Chu Qingli herself who reaped the consequences.

After leaving the room, Chu Yuqin's mind went completely blank.

She had always thought that Chu Qingli made noises in her room because she was going into a state of demonic possession. She didn't even notice what was going on between them when Lu Chen appeared in her room last time.

As it turns out now...

It's not that he went mad; it's clearly that little rascal who took advantage of Chu Qingli.

Thinking about it this way, Lu Chen has done bad things to Chu Qingli more than once?

Thinking of this, Chu Yuqin felt a little angry. She had mentioned that she had previously asked Chu Qingli to be transferred away from the Northern Prince's Mansion, but he seemed somewhat unwilling.

She thought Lu Chen was worried that no one would treat Chu Qingli if she went into qi deviation, but she didn't expect him to have such thoughts.

Practicing martial arts can lead to qi deviation and demonic possession...

That's quite a convenient excuse!

Hearing the continued commotion inside the room, Chu Yuqin pursed her lips. She had already discovered it, but this little rascal was still doing bad things and didn't care at all.

No wonder Chu Qingli suffered from qi deviation and couldn't be cured. It's no wonder that Lu Chen's treatment of her was ineffective.

Thinking of this, Chu Yuqin sighed.

She had long suspected that Lu Chen was interested in Chu Qingli and that he would eventually make a move on her. However, she never expected that Lu Chen would secretly do something bad with Chu Qingli.

Seeing that Lu Chen didn't seem to care about being discovered, he probably planned to come clean. Chu Yuqin then went to sit in the pavilion in the courtyard and waited for them to come out and confront her.

(End of this chapter)