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

Chapter 274 When will I be able to return to my hometown...?

The Great Wu Dynasty.

Qingyun Palace.

Dressed in a red palace gown, Wu Yunwan reclined on the couch. As she grew older, her demeanor became increasingly elegant and graceful.

At this moment, Wu Yunwan looked at the red phoenix dress she was wearing, and the image of the phoenix robe worn by Emperor Yue came to mind. Just thinking about how that phoenix robe would look on her made her feel incredibly comfortable.

Unfortunately, she cannot wear such a phoenix robe yet.

She wouldn't have the chance to wear such a phoenix robe for at least fifty years.

At this moment, a maid entered the main hall, "Your Highness, Lord Chai requests an audience!"

Wu Junwan didn't get up from the bed. She said lazily, "Let him in."

A short while later, the maid led Chai Jiliang into the Qingyun Palace.

Upon entering Qingyun Palace, Chai Jiliang immediately sensed that it was quite different from before. Red curtains had been added to the palace, allowing him to vaguely see the figures inside.

Previously, Qingyun Palace did not have curtains, so he could see Wu Junwan directly whenever he came to Qingyun Palace.

Chai Jiliang was somewhat confused as to why Wu Yunwan had made such a mess of Qingyun Palace, and what the point of doing so was.

Chai Jiliang naturally didn't understand why Wu Yunwan did this, but if there were officials from the Dayue Dynasty in Qingyun Palace at this time, they would definitely be able to see that the layout of Qingyun Palace was now modeled after the Yue Emperor's bedroom.

At this moment, Wu Yunwan's languid voice came from behind the curtain, "Lord Chai, it's been a long time. I'm curious, why are you in such a hurry for me to return to the capital?"

"I do not believe that Lord Chai cannot see that my father intends to balance the court."

Chai Jiliang said, "Your Highness, I naturally understand His Majesty's thoughts, but the Northern Kingdom is the key to the division of Great Xia, so even if this will cause His Majesty's displeasure, I believe that this achievement should not be given to others."

"His Majesty has always been thinking about external expansion. Once the Great Xia is in turmoil, it will be an opportunity for the Great Wu to expand. His Majesty will not let this opportunity pass, and the territory of the Great Wu will increase again."

"The eldest princess should know very well that in the Great Wu, any prince who makes great contributions to territorial expansion eventually becomes a strong contender for the throne."

"Your Highness is a woman, and the Great Wu has never had a tradition of a woman ascending to the throne. If Your Highness desires that position, you should have far more merit than the average prince. If you were to give such important credit to someone else, do you think Your Highness still has a chance to ascend to that position?"

"In addition, Zhuge Chongguang has broken through to the Celestial Realm. Although the news has not been confirmed, judging from various intelligence sources, this news is very likely to be true."

"Given the Northern King's ambition, he likely doesn't want to stay in that impoverished corner of the Northern Kingdom any longer. The Northern Kingdom could go to war with the Great Xia Dynasty at any time. In other words, whoever can persuade the Northern Kingdom to attack the Great Xia Dynasty will gain the credit for splitting Great Xia. This is a reward that can be obtained very quickly. Doesn't Your Highness intend to seize this opportunity?"

Upon hearing Chai Jiliang's words, Wu Yunwan was taken aback, and her eyebrows furrowed.

She suddenly felt that what Chai Jiliang said made a lot of sense. Indeed, although it has not yet been confirmed whether Zhuge Chongguang has really broken through to the Celestial Realm, it can be seen from the fact that the Northern Kingdom sent 100,000 troops to provoke the Qi Kingdom on its border that the Northern Kingdom seems to be ready for a war with the Great Xia Dynasty.

The fact that the Northern Kingdom has such confidence suggests that it may indeed have a powerful expert at the Celestial Realm, which is why the Northern King dared to do this.

Judging from the actions of the Northern King, it's clear that he's become restless and wants the throne of the Xia Emperor, which is why he's trying every means to provoke a war.

If, at this time, the envoy of Da Wu were to travel to the Northern Kingdom and manage to provoke the Xia Emperor or persuade the Northern Kingdom to send troops to directly attack Da Xia, then the division of Da Xia would be imminent.

If the Great Xia were to split, such great credit would immediately fall to the envoy from the Great Wu to the Northern Kingdom. This credit could be gained in a short period of time, and it really shouldn't be given to her brothers so easily.

Thinking of this, Wu Yunwan said, "Lord Chai makes it sound so easy. I don't believe my father would entrust me with the mission to the Northern Kingdom."

Chai Jiliang said calmly, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will find a way to persuade His Majesty to allow Your Highness to be sent as an envoy to the Northern Kingdom."

Wu Yunwan had just led troops to quell the rebellion in the southeast of Da Wu. Anyone with eyes could see that although she was a woman, she was highly valued by the Wu Emperor. Therefore, Chai Jiliang could use this as an excuse.

When sending an envoy to the northern country, it is important to demonstrate sincerity, so it is necessary to send a relatively important person.

The Emperor's sons are all incompetent and useless. They can't even quell the rebellion in the southeast with the court's elite troops. If such people are sent as envoys to the northern kingdoms, wouldn't that be looking down on the northern kingdoms?

Wu Yunwan was different. She led a large army and easily resolved the chaos in the southeast. In addition, she was the eldest princess appointed by Emperor Wu in her early years, which shows how much Emperor Wu valued her.

Since she is so highly regarded and such an important figure in Da Wu, the important mission of being sent as an envoy to the Northern Kingdom should naturally be entrusted to her. Only in this way can we tell the Northern Kingdom that Da Wu attaches great importance to establishing friendly relations with the Northern Kingdom.

Of course, this was just Chai Jiliang's prepared response to Empress Wu. Chai Jiliang had actually guessed how Empress Wu would ultimately decide. Empress Wu would most likely agree to send Wu Yunwan as an envoy to the Northern Kingdom, but she would also send a prince she valued to accompany Wu Yunwan to the Northern Kingdom, in an attempt to share some of Wu Yunwan's achievements and suppress her.

After all, Wu Yunwan had just quelled the rebellion in the southeast and was riding high. If she were to cause chaos in the Great Xia again, such a great achievement would fall on her head, and she would be furious.

Seeing Chai Jiliang's confidence, Wu Yunwan said lazily, "Then it's up to Lord Chai."

Chai Jiliang then said, "If Your Highness has nothing else to say, I will take my leave."

Wu Yunwan said, "Alright, Lord Chai, please go about your business."

……

The Northwest.

Ancient ruins of a barbarian royal court.

A woman dressed in a light gauze, her whole body shimmering with gold, stood on the ancient city wall, gazing into the distance. The woman had a seductive figure, her slender jade legs were faintly visible under the gauze, and her slender, white waist was also revealed. It was a pity that her face was covered by a red veil, so her peerless beauty could not be seen. If Lu Chen were here, he would definitely feel that this woman exuded exotic charm from head to toe.

At this moment, a burly man dressed in animal fur clothing approached the woman and handed her a fur scroll. "Goddess, this is the information we just obtained!"

The woman took the fur roll from the burly man, opened it, glanced at its contents, and her eyebrows furrowed instantly.

"Foolish thing, how dare you disobey my orders and act on your own."

The woman's voice was cool and clear, yet it carried a hint of gentle charm. Although her tone sounded angry, her voice was surprisingly pleasant to listen to.

At this moment, the burly man said, "The other tribes have also received news of the death of King Tianqi. They mean that King Tianqi was an important partner of ours, and we must avenge him. If we don't, wouldn't those two-legged sheep look down on us?"

The woman said coldly, "They don't even know how the Heavenly King was defeated, and they're already rushing up to their deaths again. With brains like that, the barbarians will be wiped out sooner or later."

Hearing this, the burly man scratched the back of his head and said, "Goddess, actually I also felt that we should take revenge. After all, King Tianqi was also a branch of the main lineage of the royal court. His killing by the Great Xia people is a disgrace to our barbarian royal court."

The woman said calmly, "You still remember the royal court? The royal court has long been fragmented. Which tribe doesn't have a royal court now?"

Upon hearing the woman's words, the burly barbarian man said nothing more.

The woman continued, "First, send someone to infiltrate Dayue, and then use Dayue to go to the Northern Kingdom to gather intelligence and see how King Tianqi was defeated."

"He was a grandmaster, after all, and he led an army of 400,000. He shouldn't have been defeated so thoroughly."

The burly barbarian said, "I understand. I'll find a way to send someone to infiltrate Dayue."

As soon as he finished speaking, the burly barbarian turned and left.

As the woman gazed at the crimson sunset and the flock of geese flying in a V-formation, she murmured, "When will I be able to return to my homeland...?"

……

After inspecting Dayu City and arranging the construction of the steam engine and train, Lu Chen returned to Yancheng with Xuan Yuan Yunqi.

Having just returned to Yancheng, Lu Chen hadn't even had a chance to take a bath when a maid came to find him. "Your Highness, Madam Wang is looking for you."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned. He had just arrived at the Prince's Mansion, and this vixen came looking for him. Did she want to be punished?

Lu Chen asked, "Where is she now?"

The maid replied, "The study."

Lu Chen said calmly, "Let her go to her room and wait for me. I need to take a bath first."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The maid then turned and left.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Chen returned to the main hall and asked Mu Zixuan to arrange for hot water to be prepared. He then went to the bathhouse and enjoyed a comfortable hot bath.

After taking a bath, Lu Chen got up to find Wang Qingci.

As soon as he pushed open the door to the room, he found Wang Qingci half-lying on the bed, looking frail. Then Wang Qingci said in a sweet voice, "Your Highness, I have been ill recently. Please help me treat my illness."

Hearing Wang Qingci's seductive tone, Lu Chen didn't indulge her. He went straight into the room, waved his hand, and then pressed her down on the bed to give her a proper treatment.

Thanks to Lu Chen's treatment, Wang Qingci quickly recovered and was completely healthy.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Chen embraced Wang Qingci's delicate body and asked, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

"I don't think you rushed back to find me just for this."

Although Lu Chen knew that Wang Qingci, that vixen, needed to be dealt with periodically to feel comfortable, he also knew that Wang Qingci usually had information to gather when she came to him; it was impossible for her to come to him without any information at all.

It seems that in Wang Qingci's view, if she didn't have any intelligence, she wouldn't be worthy of being on par with him, so she always had to bring back some intelligence.

Wang Qingci, lying weakly beneath Lu Chen, reached out her delicate hand, pulled an envelope from under her pillow, and then handed it to Lu Chen behind her.

Lu Chen took the envelope from Wang Qingci, opened it, and read its contents.

After seeing the contents, Lu Chen smiled.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's laughter, Wang Qingci teased, "Is Your Highness laughing out loud because you know that the great beauty Wu Yunwan is coming?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen chuckled and said, "You little hussy, how dare you tease your master? Looks like I haven't taught you enough lessons yet?"

Wang Qingci chuckled and then said, "I'm already used to it. No matter how Your Highness treats me, I'm not afraid."

In response to Wang Qingci's provocation, Lu Chen said, "Oh, is that so?"

"Then I will stay in my room until tomorrow evening to have a good heart-to-heart talk with Lord Wang."

At this point, Lu Chen used his spiritual energy to tear the intelligence in his hand into pieces, then bent down again to continue his heart-to-heart talk with Wang Qingci.

Inside the Prince's Mansion.

Lin Wanyun paced back and forth outside the main courtyard, seemingly preoccupied with something urgent. Just then, Chu Yuqin arrived at the main courtyard to see Mu Zixuan. Seeing Lin Wanyun pacing back and forth at the entrance, Chu Yuqin asked curiously, "Sister Lin, is there something you need to see Chen'er about?"

Hearing Chu Yuqin's voice, Lin Wanyun was taken aback for a moment, then she turned to look at Chu Yuqin and said, "Well, I don't know if I should tell him about this."

Chu Yuqin instantly realized what was going on. She basically guessed what it was. The only thing that could make Lin Wanyun so troubled was probably Chen Wanrong's matter.

It is very likely that something happened to Chen Wanrong after she returned to Xuan Yue Palace.

Thinking of this, Chu Yuqin asked, "Is it about Miss Chen?"

Lin Wanyun nodded without speaking, her expression showing deep concern.

Chu Yuqin then said, "Chen'er isn't in the main courtyard. I just heard noises coming from Wang Qingci's room. He's probably disciplining that female slave."

Lin Wanyun said, "I understand."

Lin Wanyun then turned and left the main courtyard. However, she did not head towards Wang Qingci's courtyard, but instead went in the opposite direction. It seemed that Lin Wanyun did not intend to tell Lu Chen about Chen Wanrong for the time being.

Chu Yuqin didn't think much of it. She went straight into the main courtyard to ask Mu Zixuan about methods for nurturing the fetus.

The next morning.

A jade-like hand clung to the door of the room, but was quickly pulled back by another hand. Then, Yelü Nanyan and Xiao Wenyao in the next courtyard heard Wang Qingci begging for mercy.

Xiao Wenyao was eating in Yelü Nanyan's room at this moment. She took a bite of a bun, drank some porridge, and then said, "It must be that Sister Wang angered the Prince last night."

"The prince is not usually this fierce."

This time, Xiao Wenyao went north to Dayu City with Lu Chen. She served Lu Chen every day, and Lu Chen was never this harsh on her. Although Lu Chen was harsher on her than on Mu Zixuan and the others, he was still not so harsh that she cried and screamed.

Wang Qingci was different. She had been crying and wailing since last night until this morning. Her voice could be heard in the next courtyard. In Xiao Wenyao's opinion, this was obviously because the prince was angry, which was why he was so fierce.

Hearing Xiao Wenyao's words, Yelü Nanyan smiled slightly and then said, "There's no such thing as offending or not offending. This is just how Your Highness and Your Highness get along."

"The prince interacts with each of his wives and concubines differently. He will adopt a way of interacting with each of us that corresponds to our personalities."

"Didn't he act like this the time he went to Sister Wang's room?"

Xiao Wenyao thought for a moment, then threw the bun in her hand into her mouth, chewed a few times, and said, "That's true. Every time the Prince goes to Sister Wang's room, Sister Wang has never seemed to be in a good mood."

Just then, Wang Qingci's voice suddenly became loud, startling Xiao Wenyao. Xiao Wenyao then said gloatingly, "Luckily, the prince is relatively gentle with me and has never been so fierce to me."

……

It was evening.

sunset.

The crimson rays of the sunset shone through the open window and into the room, bathing the sweaty skin of the people in a bronze hue.

At this moment, Lu Chen sat on the edge of the bed, glanced out the window, then looked at Wang Qingci, who was lying limply on the bed, and said, "I keep my word. Are you satisfied with my punishment, Lord Wang?"

"If Lord Wang is not satisfied, he can speak frankly, and I am happy to oblige."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingci quickly said, "Master, you are the most powerful. I was ignorant and dared to provoke you. Please forgive me..."

Lu Chen chuckled, then patted her bottom before getting up, dressing, and leaving the room.

As Lu Chen stepped out of his room, he glanced at the sunset on the horizon and thought to himself, "I'm already so decadent on my first day back from Dayu City. This won't do."

Unfortunately, he thought that if he had more time and Wang Qingci didn't have time to expel the impurities from her body, he could have tricked Wang Qingci like he had with Chu Yuqin last time.

Unfortunately, his plan failed this time.

It seems we'll have to wait until next time to test Yelü Nanyan, and if we drag it out a bit, we might succeed.

Lu Chen didn't think much of it. He walked towards the main hall, intending to go back for dinner. He was hungry after being busy for a day and a night.

When he arrived at the main hall, Lu Chen's wives and concubines were already seated at the dining table. Upon seeing Lu Chen, they all stared intently at him. Lu Chen smiled and said, "Why are you all staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

As Lu Chen spoke, he sat down. At this moment, Chu Yuqin said softly, "Chen'er, Sister Lin came to the main courtyard to look for you yesterday."

Hearing this, Lu Chen asked curiously, "Looking for me? What do you want with me?"

Chu Yuqin said, "Judging from her worried look, it's most likely about Miss Chen."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's smile instantly froze.

He then stood up and said, "You guys go ahead and have dinner. Don't wait for me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen went straight to Yunrong Courtyard.

(End of this chapter)