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

Chapter 249 This humble woman will certainly seek more advice from Your Highness.

After Chu Yuqin left the study, Lu Chen yawned again.

After two busy days, Lu Chen clearly felt that his body was a little tired.

No, I need to sleep for a while.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen walked out of the study and said to the maid at the door, "Tell the Imperial Guards on duty to have Dongfang Longyue come to my study after noon."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After instructing the maid, Lu Chen headed straight for Chun Sheng Courtyard.

When he arrived at Chunsheng Courtyard, Yelü Nanyan was about to go to the main hall. When she saw Lu Chen enter the room, Yelü Nanyan was stunned for a moment.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "My wife got up so early?"

Yelü Nanyan glanced at Lu Chen with a lingering look. Lu Chen had come to see her so early in the morning; it probably wasn't for anything good.

This little man will most likely do bad things to her if he comes to Chun Sheng Courtyard.

"This humble servant greets Your Highness."

Lu Chen came to Yelü Nanyan's side and directly embraced her soft and warm body, which was like cotton.

Then, as he walked towards the bed with Yelü Nanyan in his arms, he said, "I haven't been sleeping well these past two days, so I'll trouble you to give me a Dangdang pillow."

Yelü Nanyan said, "Serving Your Highness is my honor."

Lu didn't say anything more. After getting into bed, Yelü Nanyan began to undress Lu Chen. Although it was just for sleeping, Yelü Nanyan knew Lu Chen's habits. Lu Chen liked to sleep without restraint, and without the cover of clothes, their bodies were close together, and Lu Chen could feel her warmth more directly.

After they were both in bed, Lu Chen held Yelü Nanyan tightly around the waist, nestled in her soft, fragrant body, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Seeing that Lu Chen had fallen asleep, Yelü Nanyan lowered her head slightly to look at him, raised her jade hand and gently stroked Lu Chen's black hair. When she saw Lu Chen's handsome profile, Yelü Nanyan couldn't help but smile.

When she first came to the Northern Prince's mansion, she was worried about this and that, fearing that the Northern Prince would treat her roughly. But now it seems that all her past worries were unnecessary.

Lu Chen did treat her roughly, but since Lu Chen himself possessed immortal arts, her body never felt any discomfort.

Although she no longer had the power she had in the Sirius King's tribe, she gained much more in the Northern King's Palace, such as the life she wanted and the happiness she longed for—things she could never have obtained on the grasslands.

At this moment, sunlight streamed through the window and into the room, falling on Lu Chen's face. Lu Chen's eyelids twitched unconsciously. Seeing this, Yelü Nanyan immediately raised her hand to shield Lu Chen from the beam of sunlight shining directly into his eyes.

Seeing Lu Chen sleeping so soundly, Yelü Nanyan couldn't help but think that she wished these days could continue forever.

Yelü Nanyan knew very well that Lu Chen's ambition was definitely not just to be a vassal king; he would surely become emperor in the future.

If one day Lu Chen becomes emperor, she will have even more wives and concubines. Whether Lu Chen will still dote on her like this at that time is hard to say.

Moreover, people change. Since ancient times, emperors have been known for their ruthlessness. When Lu Chen becomes emperor, his temperament may change drastically. Whether he will still treat his concubines the way he does now is hard to say.

Thinking about this, Yelü Nanyan felt a little more anxious.

Lu Chen slept for the entire morning, hugging Yelü Nanyan, his soft pillow. At that moment, Dongfang Longyue had already arrived at Lu Chen's study, waiting for his arrival.

Dongfang Longyue was a little curious; what important matter did the Northern King want to discuss with her at this time?

However, she waited for half an hour, but Lu Chen did not appear.

at the same time.

Chunshengyuan.

Although he had only slept for a few hours, Lu Chen's fatigue had basically disappeared. Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes and found Yelü Nanyan gazing at his face with affection.

Lu Chen asked, "What time is it now?"

Yelü Nanyan replied, "Noon, according to the timekeeping method invented by Your Highness, it should be one o'clock in the afternoon now."

Upon hearing Yelü Nanyan's reply, Lu Chen realized that Dongfang Longyue was probably already waiting for him in the study. He then got up from Yelü Nanyan's delicate body.

Lu Chen still looked a little sleepy, so Yelü Nanyan asked gently, "Your Highness, would you like to sleep a little longer?"

Lu Chen said, "I have an appointment to discuss something with someone in the study, so I won't go to sleep yet."

At this point, Lu Chen suddenly remembered something, and then smiled and said to Yelü Nanyan, "I will come to Chunsheng Courtyard again tonight."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Nanyan blushed and said, "This concubine will wait for Your Highness."

Lu Chen didn't say anything more and got out of bed. Yelü Nanyan immediately dressed Lu Chen.

A short while later, a refreshed and energetic Lu Chen appeared in the study.

Upon seeing Lu Chen arrive, Dongfang Longyue immediately bowed and said, "This humble woman greets Your Highness!"

Lu Chen said with a smile, "Longyue, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Dongfang Longyue said, "I have only just arrived."

Lu Chen sat down at the desk and said, "I've called you here today to entrust you with an important task."

Dongfang Longyue said, "Your Highness, please speak. I will certainly find a way to fulfill Your Highness's important mission."

Lu Chen said, "I plan to have your Dongfang family establish a newspaper."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Longyue was slightly taken aback, and she murmured, "The newspaper..."

"Your Highness, please forgive my limited knowledge, but could you please explain what a newspaper is?"

Dongfang Longyue was a native of this world, so naturally she had never heard of a newspaper.

Lu Chen then explained, "Let me put it this way: whatever happens in this world in the future, whatever interesting news there is, you should compile it down, write it down on a whole sheet of paper, have the printing press of the Northern Prince's Mansion print it, and then sell it at a reasonable price to those who can read, so that more people can know the news you have compiled. This kind of paper with various news is called a newspaper, and the shop where you publish the newspaper is called a newspaper office."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Longyue instantly understood what Lu Chen meant by the business newspaper.

It's something like a royal palace announcement, but of course, royal palace announcements only talk about matters concerning the royal palace or some reforms in the Northern Kingdom, and they're not for sale.

Moreover, this so-called newspaper already has a rudimentary form in this world. Some special intelligence-gathering forces collect intelligence and sell it to specific people, which is similar to a newspaper.

However, the newspaper that Lu Chen mentioned is for everyone, including ordinary people, which allows literate people to understand what is happening in the world more quickly.

Once the newspaper is published, it will be very popular with literate people, provided the price is right.

but……

Newspapers also present another problem.

Dongfang Longyue immediately saw a drawback of newspapers: if someone spread false information in newspapers, it would definitely cause public unrest.

Thinking of this, Dongfang Longyue immediately said, "Your Highness, you must not! Newspapers should be managed by the Northern Prince's Mansion. If they become rampant, some people with ulterior motives will definitely publish false information in them, which could cause unrest among the people."

Seeing that Dongfang Longyue could see the drawbacks of newspapers at a glance, Lu Chen smiled faintly, "Longyue, I'm glad that you can see the drawbacks of newspapers at a glance, but don't worry, not just anyone can open a newspaper."

"I plan to create two types of newspapers: one for the people and one for the government."

"The official gazette will naturally be created by the Northern Prince's Mansion, but the people's gazette cannot be created by the Northern Prince's Mansion anymore. The people's gazette should record what is happening in this world from the perspective of ordinary people."

"Whether it's an official newspaper or a private newspaper, it ultimately needs to be reviewed and approved by the Northern Prince's Mansion before a newspaper can be established. Moreover, currently, apart from the Northern Prince's Mansion, no one else in the Northern Kingdom controls the technology for large-scale printing."

After acquiring the skills of papermaking and printing, Lu Chen immediately had the Northern Prince's Mansion build several papermaking and printing workshops.

Before papermaking and printing techniques spread to the general public, it was not an easy task for people to print newspapers on a large scale unless they cooperated with the Northern Prince's Mansion.

After hearing what Lu Chen said, Dongfang Longyue thought about it and realized that, at present, only the Northern Prince's Mansion could publish newspapers on a large scale, not even the ancient families of the major dynasties.

Moreover, if the Northern Prince's Mansion could control the newspaper well, it wouldn't be so easy for them to spread false information through the newspaper.

At this moment, Dongfang Longyue also realized why Lu Chen wanted to separate the official newspaper from the civilian newspaper, instead of issuing a unified official newspaper.

Lu Chen's so-called "people's newspaper" is essentially an official newspaper, since the Dongfang family is a vassal family of the Northern Prince's Mansion, and the Dongfang family will definitely stand on Lu Chen's side.

When the people distrust the official gazette, the Dongfang family's public gazette can still play a guiding role, allowing public opinion to develop in the way the Northern Prince's Mansion hopes.

After understanding Lu Chen's intentions, Dongfang Longyue said, "I understand Your Highness's meaning. Once I return, I will immediately start a newspaper."

"However, this is my first time dealing with such matters. If there is anything I don't understand, I would like to ask Your Highness at the Northern Prince's residence at any time. Is that alright?"

Lu Chen said, "Of course. I will teach you everything, from what to write in the newspaper, what headlines to use, and how to format it. If you have any questions, you can come to the Northern Prince's Mansion to find me."

At this point, Lu Chen emphasized, "The newspaper is very important to me, to the Northern Prince's Mansion, and to the Northern Kingdom, so if there's anything you don't understand, please don't hesitate to ask me.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen glanced at the stunningly beautiful woman in front of him.

Dongfang Longyue said, "This humble woman will certainly learn more from Your Highness."

Lu Chen then said, "You should go back and prepare today."

"This humble woman takes her leave."

Then Dongfang Longyue turned and left the study.

Not long after Dongfang Longyue left, Lu Chen also got up from his seat. He was about to leave the study when he suddenly heard the maid's voice at the door of the study, "Your Highness, Commander Bai is looking for you."

Lu Chen said, "Come in."

Bai Qingqing then entered the study. Lu Chen looked at Bai Qingqing's stunningly beautiful face, which was as cold as ice, and asked curiously, "Xiao Bai, is there something you need?"

Bai Qingqing rarely takes the initiative to contact him. She usually only does so when she has information about the capital. However, recently, the shadow guards in the capital have completely cut off contact with Bai Qingqing. Obviously, her father, the emperor, has learned about Bai Qingqing's betrayal and no longer trusts her. It is also difficult for Bai Qingqing to obtain information about the capital through the shadow guards.

Bai Qingqing replied expressionlessly, "Most of the Shadow Guards in the Northern Kingdom have been dealt with. This servant suspects that His Majesty sent people to the Northern Kingdom to eliminate traitors."

The Shadow Guards are the most important force around Emperor Xia, and he certainly cannot tolerate any traitors among them. Although it was Bai Qingqing who betrayed him, and it had nothing to do with the Shadow Guards responsible for delivering messages, those Shadow Guards were also in the Northern Kingdom, and Emperor Xia could no longer trust them.

Hearing Bai Qingqing's words, Lu Chen was slightly stunned.

He slowly walked to Bai Qingqing's side, then embraced her delicate body. "You mean someone will make a move against you soon?"

Bai Qingqing gave a soft "hmm" and didn't say anything more.

Last night, she was actually wondering whether or not to tell Lu Chen about this, since the Shadow Guards would definitely eliminate themselves when they eliminated the traitors, and wouldn't target Lu Chen.

Bai Qingqing thought about it all night and finally decided to tell Lu Chen. She had a feeling that the people who came this time were very powerful and that she was probably no match for them.

In the past, she would not ask for help even if she faced a powerful enemy, but now it's different. Now she has a man, and her man is so powerful that she doesn't need to face it alone.

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then continued, "Have the Shadow Guards of Yancheng been eliminated?"

Bai Qingqing replied, "No."

Lu Chen thought for a moment. If the Shadow Guards of Yancheng had not been dealt with, it was probably because the other party did not want to alert them. This did not mean that the people his father sent had not yet arrived in Yancheng.

However, if Bai Qingqing had stayed at the Northern Prince's residence, the people sent by her father probably wouldn't have dared to come to the Northern Prince's residence to cause trouble for her.

Lu Chen then said, "From today onwards, you will stay by my side. You will go wherever I go, even when I'm sleeping, until I find the people my father sent."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Bai Qingqing's cheeks flushed slightly, feeling a little hot.

Bai Qingqing then said, "This servant understands."

Lu Chen wasn't sure if the other party would come to the Northern Prince's Mansion to cause trouble for Bai Qingqing, but as a Grandmaster, he knew that if the other party dared to come, they would be walking into a trap.

However, this also made Lu Chen feel uneasy. If he left the Northern Prince's Mansion, what would he do if someone sent people to the Northern Prince's Mansion to cause trouble for his wives, concubines and children?

In the past, those who caused them trouble were at most Grandmasters at the peak of their cultivation. The Northern King's Mansion now has several Grandmasters, which is enough to temporarily resist them. However, as the Northern Kingdom grows stronger, one day someone might send a Grandmaster to cause them trouble.

Although Chen Wanrong is already a Grandmaster, she is the Palace Master of Xuan Yue Palace, and she may very well return to Xuan Yue Palace one day. As for their agreement that Chen Wanrong would only return to Xuan Yue Palace when their child turns fifteen, Lu Chen doesn't care about it at all right now.

After listening to Lin Wanyun's words, he realized that it was unlikely he could force Chen Wanrong to stay. If Chen Wanrong really wanted to return to Xuan Yue Palace, he would definitely let her go back.

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said to the maid at the door, "Xiao Huan, have someone summon the Grand Scholar. I have something to discuss with him."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Currently, Zhuge Chongguang lives quite far from the Northern Prince's Mansion. If something happens at the Northern Prince's Mansion, it will be difficult for Zhuge Chongguang to get there immediately. Therefore, Lu Chen plans to have this Grandmaster Zhuge Chongguang move directly next to the Northern Prince's Mansion.

With Zhuge Chongguang, a grandmaster who was about to break through to the Celestial Realm, around, Lu Chen felt a little more at ease.

Half a month later.

The Northern Kingdom, the Hall of State Affairs.

Lu Chen sat on the throne and said calmly, "If you have something to say, say it; otherwise, the meeting is adjourned."

Since some students from Huanyu Academy and members of the Chu family entered officialdom, there are now not many things in the entire Northern Kingdom that require Lu Chen's personal attention.

During this period, the small court meetings were mostly about trivial matters. The reforms in the North were in full swing, and with the Grand Scholar Zhuge Chongguang in charge, there were very few issues related to the reforms that were brought up in court.

Lu Chen also felt that there were too many small court meetings. Now the small court meetings are held every three days. In three days, there won't be too many problems to accumulate. The reason he set the small court meetings every three days was mainly because the Northern Kingdom had just started reforms, and officials would encounter all sorts of problems in the process of reform.

Things are different now. The Northern Kingdom has basically stabilized. Even though there is a continuous influx of refugees into the Northern Kingdom due to the internal turmoil in the Great Xia, the lower-level officials of the Northern Kingdom can easily arrange for these refugees. Just as Lu Chen was considering whether to set the time for the small court assembly for seven days or half a month, an official from the Huanyu system stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, yesterday I saw someone selling something called a newspaper on the street. I bought a copy and found that this so-called newspaper recorded the events that have happened in the Great Xia recently."

"After making some inquiries, I discovered that these newspapers were sold by a shop called the Oriental Newspaper Company."

"This newspaper allows the people to obtain information about other places in a short time, but I believe that if it is not controlled, some people with ulterior motives will definitely use this newspaper to spread rumors, which will eventually lead to civil unrest."

"Therefore, I suggest that this so-called Eastern Newspaper be shut down!"

Upon hearing the official's words, Li Rui also stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I have also bought those newspapers a few days ago. These newspapers contain a lot of unsubstantiated news, some true and some false, which ordinary people really cannot distinguish. Therefore, I also suggest that the newspapers be banned."

As soon as Li Rui finished speaking, many officials in the hall stood up and proposed to ban the newspaper. They all believed that such a thing that could affect social stability should not be allowed to appear in the Northern Kingdom.

Seeing how much the officials disliked the newspapers, Lu Chen basically guessed some of the reasons. Some officials were indeed worried that these newspapers would guide public opinion that was unfavorable to the Northern Kingdom, but some officials certainly had their own selfish motives.

In order to attract the public's attention, Lu Chen specially asked Dongfang Longyue to record some anecdotes and interesting stories about officials in the first few issues of the newspaper.

Officials must have felt very uncomfortable after seeing this content, so it's not surprising that they wanted to shut down the newspaper.

(End of this chapter)