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

Chapter 263 He was already a Grandmaster

Although the court officials have recently focused their attention on the war in the south, they still know some news about the north.

In particular, the news of the military parade in the North, with its 200,000-strong army, made the court officials realize that the North had grown to an uncontrollable level.

However, the rebels in Jiangnan were not eliminated, and they had no energy to pay attention to what was happening in the north.

Before the rebels in Jiangnan are eliminated, if they go to cause trouble for the Northern Kingdom, they are likely to fall into a predicament of being attacked from both sides. Therefore, the attitude of the court officials towards the Northern Kingdom is very clear: ignore the Northern Kingdom and just pretend that the Northern Kingdom does not exist.

Moreover, after hearing that the Tianqi King's 400,000-strong army was advancing eastward, they also believed that the Northern Kingdom and the Tianqi King's army were bound to fight. With the Tianqi King as a powerful enemy, the strength of the Northern Kingdom would inevitably be weakened.

However, while they wanted King Tianqi to further weaken the Northern Kingdom's strength, they were also unwilling to see the Northern Kingdom defeated by King Tianqi.

The court's focus is currently on the south. If the northern kingdom is destroyed by King Tianqi, it will be another disaster for the Great Xia. King Tianqi is a Grandmaster, and his tribe is a large tribe that split off from the former barbarian royal court. The barbarian soldiers under King Tianqi are all very strong, which is a very powerful enemy for the Great Xia.

Once the Northern Kingdom is destroyed by the Tianqi King's army, it will be like a sharp sword hanging over the head of the Great Xia, which is extremely disadvantageous for the Great Xia.

Just as all the officials and soldiers in the hall were wondering what had happened in the Northern Kingdom, the messenger in red silk shouted, "A great victory in the Northern Kingdom!!! The Northern King led an army of 200,000 and killed 320,000 barbarians at Ningbei City, capturing 80,000 barbarian soldiers. The barbarian King Tianqi was also killed by our general!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell even more silent, and some officials couldn't help but gasp.

They had just thought that the Northern Kingdom had been destroyed by the Heavenly King, but they never expected that the Northern Kingdom had defeated the Heavenly King's 400,000-strong army and even killed the Heavenly King, a grandmaster.

This……

How is that possible...?

How did the Northern Kingdom manage to do that?

As far as they knew, Zhuge Chongguang, the Grandmaster of the Northern Kingdom, had always been in Yancheng and had not gone to Ningbei City at all.

To kill a Grandmaster, the Northern Kingdom must have a Grandmaster. If Zhuge Chongguang did not go to the battlefield, wouldn't that mean that the Northern Kingdom has a hidden Grandmaster?

A small fiefdom with two Grandmasters?

Is this still considered a state annexation?

The Great Xia royal family only has Grandmaster Situ Ce as its Grand Preceptor, but the Northern Kingdom has two Grandmasters. If the Northern Kingdom doesn't have any rebellious intentions, probably no one would believe it.

This made those who previously thought that the Northern King was a pawn of the Xia Emperor wonder if the Northern King was really a pawn of the Xia Emperor. Why would a pawn need two Grandmasters by its side?

When a piece has the ability to jump off the board, is it still a piece?

The court was unusually tense at this moment. People seemed to feel the imperial pressure emanating from the Xia Emperor, and the officials did not dare to breathe loudly.

After a long while, the eunuch beside Emperor Xia finally came to his senses. He immediately went to the Red Silk Messenger, took the battle report from the messenger's hand, and then tremblingly returned to Emperor Xia, handing the report to him with both hands.

Emperor Xia then took the battle report, glanced at its contents, and remained silent for a long time.

When he first heard that the Tianqi King was advancing eastward, he also thought that the Northern Kingdom would inevitably face a great crisis. Even if the Northern Kingdom managed to stop the Tianqi King's attack, its strength would be greatly weakened.

Now the battle report tells him that the Northern Kingdom not only defeated the Tianqi King's 400,000-strong army, but also killed the Tianqi King, the Grandmaster.

Has the Northern Kingdom become so powerful in such a short time?

The key point is that, according to the intelligence sent back by the Shadow Guard, Zhuge Chongguang did not go to the battlefield. The Northern Kingdom still has at least one Grandmaster. At first, he thought that Zhuge Chongguang was the person behind Lu Chen, but now it seems that Zhuge Chongguang may not actually be the person behind the changes in the Northern Kingdom.

Upon reading the contents of the battle report, Emperor Xia's face darkened, becoming quite unpleasant.

Originally, the Northern Kingdom was a vassal state of the Great Xia Dynasty. The Great Xia Emperor should have been happy that the Northern Kingdom had won the war. However, the vassal state had become too powerful and had seriously threatened the court and his position as emperor.

The Northern Kingdom is teetering on the brink of spiraling out of control. The Great Xia Dynasty has clearly lost control of the Northern Kingdom and must find a way to deal with the situation there.

After an unknown amount of time, Emperor Xia finally spoke coldly: "My beloved ministers, the Northern King is brave and skilled in battle, and has achieved such great feats. What do you suggest I do to reward him?"

Hearing the Emperor's icy tone, not a single official in the hall dared to speak.

It was clear that the Xia Emperor was very unhappy with this outcome. A vassal king possessing such strong military power posed a huge threat to the court.

Just then, Right Chancellor Zhao Wenhan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, although the Northern King has made great contributions, he violated the military order by expanding his army to 200,000 without authorization. Expanding the army without authorization is a very serious crime. However, considering that these 200,000 troops went north to defend the Great Xia against the invasion of foreign enemies, I believe that the merits and demerits cancel each other out, so there is no need to reward the Northern King with anything else."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, Emperor Xia sneered and said, "Not giving any reward is not a good idea. If we don't give anything at all, wouldn't that chill the heart of the Northern King?"

Zhao Wenhan then cupped his hands and continued, "It all depends on Your Majesty's will."

After speaking, Zhao Wenhan returned to his original position.

Zhao Wenhan was merely speaking on behalf of Emperor Xia. He could also tell that Emperor Xia had no intention of rewarding the Northern King at all. In fact, Emperor Xia probably wished for the Northern King to die suddenly.

With the Northern Kingdom suddenly possessing such strong military power, once they finish suppressing the rebellion in the south, the imperial court will likely start to weaken the power of the vassal states again. If the Northern King still wants to reward him, it would be more appropriate to give him a cup of poisoned wine.

At this moment, Emperor Xia's gaze fell upon Lin Gaoyuan. "Minister Lin, what do you think I should reward the Prince of the North with?"

Upon hearing the Emperor's question, Lin Gaoyuan slowly stepped out of the ranks, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, my thoughts are the same as Prime Minister Zhao's."

Although Lin Gaoyuan was on Lu Chen's side, it was not a good time for him to speak up for Lu Chen. Anyone with eyes could see that Emperor Xia's attitude towards Lu Chen had changed significantly.

Nowadays, most officials in the court no longer consider the Northern King to be a pawn of the Xia Emperor.

The development of the Northern Kingdom has clearly slipped out of the control of the Xia Emperor. The Xia Emperor is a traditional emperor, and he would never allow those people from the Universal Academy to come to the Great Xia and cause trouble.

Perhaps the former Northern King was a pawn of the Xia Emperor, but the current Northern King is definitely not.

Emperor Xia glanced at the crowd in the court, then asked, "Does anyone else have any other ideas?"

After he finished speaking, the court fell silent again. No one spoke. Then Emperor Xia said, "It seems that's what you all think."

"Since none of you want me to bestow a reward upon the Northern King, then I will not bestow one upon him."

"However, the King of the North has made such a great contribution. Even if there is no material reward, a verbal reward is still necessary. Minister Zhao, I would like to trouble you to go to the Northern Kingdom for me and convey a few words."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenhan was taken aback. He had no desire to go to the Northern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was now no different from a dragon's den or a tiger's lair. Everyone could see that the Northern Kingdom could rebel at any time. If he happened to go there and the Northern Kingdom started a rebellion, wouldn't he be unable to even find his body?

However, this was Emperor Xia's will after all, and Zhao Wenhan dared not disobey. He could only say, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Emperor Xia continued, "Besides the war in Jiangnan, do any of you ministers have anything else to attend to? If not, this morning court session is over. I am tired."

No one in the hall spoke. It was clear to everyone that the Emperor was in a very bad mood, and no one dared to provoke him at this time.

Seeing that no ministers spoke, Emperor Xia rose from his dragon throne, flicked his sleeve, and said, "Since there's nothing else, let's leave it at that."

After saying this, Emperor Xia left.

The officials immediately bowed and said, "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty!"

After Emperor Xia left the Xuanzheng Hall and returned to his study, his expression turned grim. However, this time he did not use his internal energy to attack his surroundings. Instead, he addressed the shadow of the bookshelf in his study, asking, "Have those two old fellows from Sifang Mountain and Dingfeng Mountain agreed yet?"

From the shadows of the bookshelf, someone spoke up: "Your Majesty, they are still hesitating."

The Xia Emperor said coldly, "A bunch of cowardly wretches."

For the current Xia Emperor, it doesn't matter how the Northern Kingdom develops, but Zhuge Chongguang absolutely cannot break through to the Celestial Realm.

No matter how the Northern Kingdom develops, it will always remain a secular power. However, if a Celestial Realm expert were to emerge in the Northern Kingdom, it would be beyond the capabilities of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Celestial Realm is the highest realm of martial arts known to people. Before people discovered immortals, the Celestial Realm was roughly equivalent to an immortal. No other country or dynasty had immortals. If an immortal appeared in the Northern Kingdom, would the Northern Kingdom still be considered a secular power?

The disciples of Xuan Yue Palace do as they please in various dynasties, but few forces dare to target Xuan Yue Palace. This is because Xuan Yue Palace has a Celestial Realm expert who has killed many Grandmasters, which makes the various dynasties fear Xuan Yue Palace.

Only those stubborn forces dare to target Xuan Yue Palace, such as the Chu family of Jiangnan. Back then, the Chu family went to provoke the disciples of Xuan Yue Palace for a divine artifact. If it weren't for Chu Yue being the goddess of Xuan Yue Palace, the Chu family would probably have disappeared long ago.

At this point, Emperor Xia continued, "What did they say from Peach Blossom Valley?"

The shadow behind the bookshelf replied, "The Valley Master of Peach Blossom Valley has agreed that if His Majesty wishes to take action against Zhuge Chongguang, he can send someone to inform her at any time."

Hearing this, Emperor Xia breathed a slight sigh of relief; as long as someone agreed, that was fine.

Zhuge Chongguang was no ordinary grandmaster. Killing him would not be easy; several grandmasters would be needed to put his mind at ease.

Thinking of this, a glint of light flashed in the Xia Emperor's eyes. He asked in a deep voice, "How's the investigation into the matter I asked you to investigate going?"

"Your Majesty, I still haven't found any evidence that Consort Yue has had an affair with another man. I've investigated everyone in the palace, and I've also been to the Chu family. The only place I haven't investigated is Xuan Yue Palace. If Your Majesty believes that Consort Yue has had an affair with another man, then it's highly likely that the man is only in Xuan Yue Palace."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia fell into deep thought, and then he said, "Back then, Chu Yue had a maidservant by her side. She must have known many things that others did not."

The shadow behind the bookshelf said, "Chu Yuqin is currently in the Northern Prince's residence, and I am temporarily unable to contact her."

Emperor Xia frowned, then said, "Continue the investigation."

Although all the evidence showed that Chu Yue had not been in contact with any other men for more than a year before she became pregnant, Emperor Xia still did not believe that Lu Chen was his child. He was never sober after going to Chu Yue's room, so how could he believe that something had happened between him and Chu Yue?

If it weren't for the need to consolidate his throne and avoid offending the Chu family, he probably would have broken ties with them long ago.

Moreover, such a scandal would not be good for an emperor like him. It would be a great disgrace to him. Even if he knew that Lu Chen could not be his child, he could not say it.

The reason he continued to have people investigate this matter even after more than ten years was mainly because he couldn't get over it in his heart. Because of this matter, the Shadow Guards had already killed many men related to Chu Yue, but he was still unwilling to give up until he found Lu Chen's biological father.

……

at the same time.

Inside a military camp in the Great Wu Dynasty.

Wearing silver-white armor, Wu Yunwan was talking with the leader of a rebel army. This was the fourth rebel leader to choose to surrender to Wu Yunwan.

The reason why Wu Yunwan quelled the rebellion so smoothly was mainly because she adopted a strategy of encirclement without attack. On the one hand, she used force to deter, and on the other hand, she sent people to persuade them to surrender. She also used various methods to win over people around the rebels.

Wu Yunwan controls the Qianhai Chamber of Commerce, and at the same time, she also controls the most powerful intelligence agency in Dawu. With money and connections, it is very easy for her to accurately bribe the people around the rebel leader.

After the negotiations with Wu Yunwan ended, the rebel leader left the military tent with a smile.

Watching the rebel leader's retreating figure, Wu Yunwan's smile instantly froze. She then asked the person beside her, "This should be the last rebel leader we can persuade to surrender, right?"

General Dawu, standing beside Wu Yunwan, immediately replied, "Yes, the remaining rebels are mainly supported by powerful families in the southwest region, and they are unlikely to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yunwan coldly replied, "Find a way to deal with that person in a few days."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Wu Yunwan valued the rebel army, not its leader. She bribed the people around the rebel leader to get them to help her control the rebels. As for the rebel leader, who was trying to bargain with her, he was better off dead.

Just then, a soldier entered the tent and handed an envelope to Wu Yunwan. "Your Highness, there is intelligence from the Northern Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yunwan immediately took the envelope from the soldier, opened it, and read its contents.

When Wu Yunwan saw that the Northern Kingdom had annihilated the Tianqi King's 400,000-strong army, her expression immediately turned very serious.

At this moment, Wu Yunwan asked, "Has this news been confirmed?"

The soldier replied, "This news has already been published in the official gazette of the Northern Kingdom, and our people have learned that the Northern King is already on his way back to Yan City. He will soon meet with the delegation from the Dayue Dynasty, so this news is most likely true."

Upon hearing this, Wu Junwan murmured to herself, "I thought it would be quite good if the Northern Kingdom could withstand the attack of the Tianqi King, but I didn't expect them to wipe out the Tianqi King's army. The Northern Kingdom's growth rate is even faster than I imagined."

At this moment, Wu Yunwan suddenly remembered the news mentioned in the intelligence report that the Dayue Dynasty had sent an envoy to the Northern Kingdom. She then looked down at the contents of the intelligence report again, and her expression relaxed.

She also realized why her good friend would send an envoy to the Northern Kingdom at this time. Clearly, Emperor Yue intended to use the Northern Kingdom to divide the entire Great Xia. Although the Northern Kingdom was very powerful, its strength was not a good thing for the Great Xia court or the Xia Emperor.

After Emperor Xia resolves the rebellion of the powerful families in Jiangnan, his next step will likely be to reduce the power of these vassal states. If he can instigate a war between the Northern Kingdom and the Great Xia court, the division of Great Xia will be imminent.

The military strength of the Northern Kingdom has been proven, and it is certainly not as vulnerable as the rebels in the south. If the Northern Kingdom were to rebel, it would be a disaster for the Great Xia, but a great thing for other dynasties. Without the powerful opponent of the Great Xia, they could not only take the opportunity to expand, but also face much less external pressure in the future.

Wu Yunwan thought to herself, "The Dayue Dynasty has already made its move, so Prime Minister Chai Jiliang should know what to do now."

Since Dayue wants to establish official channels of communication with the Northern Kingdom, Dawu must also get involved. This will make it easier to provoke the Daxia court. Once the Northern Kingdom has established diplomatic relations with other dynasties, it will be close to de facto independence. At that time, Daxia will definitely take action against the Northern Kingdom.

What the Great Wu Dynasty needs to do now is to fan the flames and make this fire burn even brighter.

Thinking of this, Wu Yunwan said, "I will write a letter to Lord Chai later, and you can come to my tent in an hour to pick it up."

The soldier replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

……

half a month later.

In the northern lands, there is a city called Yancheng.

Today, the north gate of Yancheng was packed with people. Today is the day the Northern King returns in triumph, and the people of Yancheng spontaneously went to the north gate to welcome him.

To verify whether the Northern King had truly defeated the Heavenly King, spies from various countries mingled among the crowd, awaiting the Northern King's return.

Meanwhile, the Dayue delegation also found a place to wait for the Northern King's convoy.

Before long, the handsome and extraordinary figure of the Northern King appeared in the distance.

As the Northern King rode his horse slowly along the main road into the city, the surrounding people of the Northern Kingdom immediately cheered.

Murong Xue'er, dressed in black and white, glanced at Lu Chen riding a horse in the crowd and muttered to herself, "He really is a handsome and extraordinary man."

"It seems we underestimated the Northern King; he has already become a Grandmaster."

……

(End of this chapter)