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

Chapter 295 As expected, the Northern King is different from ordinary men.

At dinner time at the Northern Prince's Mansion, Lu Chen's family was very lively. During dinner, Chu Yuqin and the others chatted and laughed, sometimes talking about the children, sometimes about the Northern Prince's Mansion's businesses. However, Dongfang Longyue remained quiet throughout. She would not have spoken unless Chu Yuqin and the others had deliberately steered the conversation towards her.

Dongfang Longyue felt very strange. As far as she knew, only ordinary families would eat at the same table.

In a slightly larger family, a concubine like her wouldn't be qualified to sit at the table. Yet, the entire Northern Prince's Mansion, such a large family, was sitting at the same table for dinner, with even Lu Chen's concubines included.

It was one thing for them to sit down at the table, but Lu Chen's wives and concubines seemed to pay no attention to him as a prince during the meal. She noticed that several women were drinking, pouring their own drinks, and Lu Chen seemed to have no intention of caring about them at all.

Judging from the behavior of these women, it seems that this is how they are on a daily basis.

Dongfang Longyue couldn't help but feel extremely confused. Was the Northern King really so indulgent towards his wives and concubines?

It seems that the Northern Prince's Mansion is indeed not quite what she imagined.

After dinner, Dongfang Longyue returned to her courtyard. Just as she was about to ask a maid to fetch her some hot water, a maid came out of the room next to her and said, "Miss Dongfang, the hot water is ready. You may take a bath now."

Dongfang Longyue then took out her clothes and went to the room next to the bedroom. She found that the room was divided into two parts. One part contained a huge bathtub, and the other part contained a chamber pot that looked like a toilet, except that the chamber pot was connected to the ground.

Dongfang Longyue was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the architecture of the Northern Prince's Mansion to be so unique, with even bathing requiring a separate room. Moreover, this room was so large that it could easily accommodate several people for bathing, especially the white ceramic bathtub, which looked incredibly luxurious.

Without hesitation, Dongfang Longyue removed her light veil and lay down in the bathtub filled with hot water.

In an instant, her body was enveloped in hot water, and she relaxed completely. She had been quite tense since arriving at the Northern Prince's Mansion today, as it was her first time there and she wasn't very familiar with the women there. She had no idea how to get along with them.

After soaking in the hot water, all her worries disappeared, and all she wanted to do was quietly soak in the hot water for a while.

After an unknown amount of time, Dongfang Longyue suddenly opened her eyes. The hot water was now only lukewarm. Dongfang Longyue then realized that she had actually fallen asleep while soaking in the bath. She quickly got out of the bathtub, dried herself off, put on her white undergarments, and went into the bedroom.

As soon as she entered the bedroom, she saw someone sitting on the edge of her bed, and Dongfang Longyue was stunned.

The man sitting on her bed was none other than the Northern King.

At this moment, Lu Chen's gaze swept over her body without restraint. Dongfang Longyue had just finished bathing, and although she had not yet come over, the floral fragrance on Dongfang Longyue's body had already wafted into Lu Chen's nostrils.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Longyue, are you done washing?"

Dongfang Longyue realized that she was only wearing an undergarment and was completely exposed in front of Lu Chen, and her cheeks immediately felt hot. She hadn't expected Lu Chen to come to her room so quickly.

Dongfang Longyue said, "Your Highness, why didn't you wake me up just now?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "I saw you were asleep and didn't want to disturb you."

Dongfang Longyue slowly walked towards the bed. With each step she took, her heart pounded harder. Just as she was about to get close to Lu Chen, Dongfang Longyue felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

Seeing Dongfang Longyue's face flush red, Lu Chen smiled slightly, then raised his hand and pulled Dongfang Longyue's delicate body directly into his arms.

As she pressed herself against Lu Chen's body, Dongfang Longyue instantly felt a scorching heat rush towards her, followed by a peculiar scent that entered her nose. It was a smell she had never encountered before; it wasn't a fragrance, but it was incredibly pleasant, and after smelling it, her body became even hotter.

Lu Chen placed one of his hands on Dongfang Longyue's slender, jade-like legs, stroking it as he said, "Longyue, your father must have told you, right? I won't give you a title for now. If you want a title, you'll have to leave the Dongfang Newspaper and give up your position as editor-in-chief."

Dongfang Longyue gave a soft "Mmm," and said, "I understand."

Holding Lu Chen like this, Dongfang Longyue felt her body getting stranger and stranger. She had almost never been in such close contact with a man before. This was the first time she had been so close to a man who was not a relative.

Lu Chen said, "I know what you're worried about. You're worried that after marrying into the royal family, you'll lose your freedom and will only be able to stay in the royal family to be a wife and mother."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Dongfang Longyue fell silent; she truly believed it.

Lu Chen is not just a prince; he may become the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, or even the ruler of the world. At that time, his women will most likely be confined to the palace for their entire lives and unable to leave.

Seeing that Dongfang Longyue did not speak, Lu Chen's claws continued to roam freely. While stroking Dongfang Longyue's body, he said, "I am different from ordinary princes. I trust my women very much. Even if you marry into the royal palace, you can come and go as you please, and you can even have your own careers."

"You've been in the Northern Kingdom for a while now, so you probably know that the Northern King's Mansion's businesses are mostly managed by the Queen Consort, while the Northern Kingdom's treasury is managed by my concubine, Yelü Nanyan. Apart from those two, the women in the manor who know martial arts basically all have their own things to do."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Dongfang Longyue was taken aback. Although she didn't know much about the women in the Prince's mansion, she had been in Yancheng for quite some time and had spent a long time with Lu Chen. She had also heard some things about Lu Chen's wives and concubines.

She was well aware of the fact that the princess was in charge of the royal family's businesses and that Yelü Nanyan was in charge of the national treasury. In addition to the two of them, Dongfang Longyue also knew that Lu Chen had a woman managing Tingyu Tower.

Although she didn't see the woman today, she once witnessed the woman and Lu Chen making love in Lu Chen's study when she came to the Prince's Mansion.

Thinking about it this way, Lu Chen does indeed allow his women to show their faces in public. This can be seen from the dinner just now. Lu Chen's women are not particularly reserved in front of him. They drink when they are supposed to. The woman next to Lu Chen even said that she wanted to ask Lu Chen to ride horses tonight after getting drunk. She seemed very unrestrained.

In any other royal residence or the home of a prominent family, such a scene would never have occurred tonight.

However, even if Lu Chen indulges his wives and concubines so much now, when Lu Chen becomes the Xia Emperor and the ruler of the world one day, even if he doesn't care about his women, someone will always take care of them.

From now on, countless eyes will be watching Lu Chen and the women around him, especially their every move.

If Lu Chen had continued to allow his women to go out of the palace to do business or something, ministers would have stood up and said that they were neglecting their duties and that as the emperor's women, they were showing their faces everywhere.

Perhaps Lu Chen won't be able to silence the ministers, so he'll have to send all his women back to the palace to stay there for the rest of their lives.

Thinking of this, Dongfang Longyue asked, "Your Highness, if one day you become the ruler of the world, will you still allow your wives and concubines to show their faces in public?"

No sooner had Dongfang Longyue uttered her question than Lu Chen's hand suddenly slipped inside her inner garment, touching places he wouldn't normally touch. Lu Chen then smiled and said, "Of course, as long as their safety is guaranteed, they can go wherever they want without any problem."

Dongfang Longyue continued, "What if a minister said that your wives and concubines shouldn't show their faces in public?"

Lu Chen said calmly, "It's their business if they say so. Some things always have a beginning. With the development of the Northern Kingdom, there will be more and more jobs suitable for women in the future. Women who used to stay at home will also come out to work."

"If we want to encourage women to engage in labor, then the women of the royal palace must set an example. If the women of the royal palace stay in the palace all day to be good wives and mothers, how can we encourage women in the common people to take the initiative to come out of their homes and participate in labor?"

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Dongfang Longyue was slightly stunned. She did not expect that the Northern King would have such an idea, to let women go out to work. No emperor in history would have such a thought.

As expected, the Northern King is different from most men. He truly deserves to be called the Chosen One, and his thoughts are far ahead of the rest of the world.

The chosen one is the one who guides the development of this world. Since Lu Chen has such thoughts, perhaps in the future we will really see women boldly stepping out of their homes and participating in labor and production.

In reality, ordinary women in this world also have to show their faces in public to make a living, but such women are always pointed at and gossiped about.

If Lu Chen can lead the way and encourage women in this world to boldly step out and participate in various forms of labor, then even with a small population, the Northern Kingdom will have enough labor force.

Just as Dongfang Longyue was feeling excited by Lu Chen's words, she suddenly realized that her inner garment had slipped off her shoulders. A gentle breeze blew by, and Dongfang Longyue felt a chill.

Dongfang Longyue then came to her senses; now was not the time for her to think about other things.

At this moment, Lu Chen whispered in Dongfang Longyue's ear, "Longyue, you smell so good."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Longyue froze instantly, and her body became even hotter.

Lu Chen continued, "It's late, we should go to sleep."

Dongfang Longyue blushed and said, "Please have mercy, Your Highness."

As soon as Dongfang Longyue finished speaking, Lu Chen laid her down on the bed and began their business.

……

(End of this chapter)