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

Chapter 339 However, you must also pay a price.

The Northern Kingdom has essentially entered a state of total war. Now, there are fewer and fewer caravans in the Northern Kingdom, and those merchants have also realized that the Great Wu is about to launch a military campaign against the Northern Kingdom.

Merchants are always the most sensitive to war. Although some merchants thought of making a fortune from the war in the Northern Kingdom, most merchants believed that the Northern Kingdom was no match for the Great Wu Dynasty in terms of military strength. Therefore, they hurriedly left the Northern Kingdom to avoid being affected by the war between the two countries.

Yancheng is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. Although there are still many carriages on the main streets, the number of caravans has decreased by at least two-thirds compared to before.

Most of the caravans that are still willing to come to the Northern Kingdom are merchants from within the Great Xia Dynasty, and some are merchants from within the Northern Kingdom itself.

The Northern Kingdom has basically completed its deployment. In addition to 50,000 heavy cavalry in Yong'an County, Lu Chen has also transferred 200,000 Northern Kingdom troops under Mu Changtian's command to Yong'an County.

Of course, Lu Chen did not believe that the army of Da Wu had to fight a decisive battle with the army of the Northern Kingdom in Yong'an County. Therefore, Lu Chen ordered 200,000 troops from the far north to guard the border area between Da Yue and the Northern Kingdom.

The 200,000-strong army from the far north was not yet familiar with the use of firearms, so it was perfect for them to defend the northern homeland.

As for the 200,000-strong army led by Mu Changtian, they will likely launch a counterattack against Dawu.

"An army is trained for a thousand days to be used for one day." After firearms were equipped to the northern army, they trained almost every day, and it was time for them to put their skills to use.

In the afternoon, Lu Chen was in his study reviewing the latest intelligence on the Great Wu Dynasty sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard when a Embroidered Uniform Guard soldier suddenly said at the door, "Your Highness, a merchant caravan from the Black Dragon Kingdom says they wish to see you."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned. They've arrived so quickly?

He then said, "Bring their leader directly to the study."

"Yes, Your Highness."

It's highly likely that Dayue won't get involved in the war between Dawu and Beiguo. However, it's possible that after Beiguo defeats Dawu's army, Dayue will intervene and launch a counterattack against Dawu. Therefore, Lu Chen needs Heilongguo to restrain Dayue.

At that time, the Black Dragon Kingdom will not need to do much. It only needs to send its troops to the border area with Dayue for a stroll. With the Black Dragon Kingdom as a restraint, Dayue will not be able to directly send troops to stop the Northern Kingdom from counterattacking Dawu.

Not long after, the Jinyiwei soldiers brought the people sent by the Black Dragon Kingdom to the study to report on their duties.

The newcomer was dressed in a long blue robe, tall and thin, and looked quite frail.

Lu Chen glanced at the information of the person in front of him.

Name: Liu Yun

[Identity: Son of Liu Zhengchu, King of the Black Dragon Kingdom; subject of the Northern King.]

[Strength: Rank 9]

Loyalty: 100

Upon seeing Lu Chen, Liu Yun immediately bowed and said, "Your subject Liu Yun greets Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Get up. Besides, I am only a vassal king of the Great Xia Dynasty, so don't use the word 'ten thousand' in front of outsiders in the future."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Liu Yun immediately realized his mistake and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong and beg for your punishment."

Lu Chen said calmly, "This is a minor matter since it's your first time in the Northern Kingdom. You should tell me about the current situation in the Black Dragon Kingdom."

Liu Yun immediately replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Then Liu Yun stood up and placed the map he had prepared earlier on Lu Chen's desk. "Your Majesty, this is the land currently controlled by the Black Dragon Kingdom."

After Lu Chen took the map, he studied it carefully. Then Liu Yun reported to Lu Chen on the current situation in the Black Dragon Kingdom.

After learning about the situation in Heilongjiang, Lu Chen immediately wrote a letter and gave it to Liu Yun, asking Liu Yun to deliver it to Liu Zhengchu.

After Liu Yun left the Northern Prince's residence, he had someone take out the carrier pigeons they had brought and immediately sent a message by carrier pigeon, instructing his father to prepare to mobilize troops to advance eastward.

Subsequently, the Black Dragon Kingdom also established a residence in the northern country, which of course was not open to the public.

Moreover, the Black Dragon Kingdom belongs to Lu Chen, and sooner or later it will be incorporated into the territory of the Northern Kingdom. The Black Dragon Kingdom does not need to set up a mansion. The mansion is set up now only to cover up the truth and avoid being noticed.

After Liu Yun left, Lu Chen had basically finished dealing with his official duties.

Now everything is ready, and we are just waiting for Da Wu to send out his troops.

At this moment, Lu Chen got up from his chair, stretched, and then twisted his neck.

Even a Grandmaster can feel mentally exhausted after sitting for too long. The Northern Kingdom already has so many political affairs to handle; Lu Chen can't believe how many more things will happen in the future.

Just as Lu Chen was about to return to the inner courtyard, a maid's voice came from the doorway, "Your Highness, General Xuanyuan requests an audience."

Lu Chen said, "Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Yuan Chen entered the study. "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Lu Chen nodded. "Yes, what is it?"

Xuan Yuan Chen has rarely come to see me lately. He is currently leading 50,000 heavy cavalry to guard Yan City, and there is nothing important to discuss.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's question, Xuan Yuan Chen hesitated for a moment, seemingly having something he was hesitant to say.

Lu Chen asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Xuan Yuan Chen, a grown man, had never been so hesitant before.

Xuan Yuan Chen then said, "Your Highness... Your Highness, am I not going to the front lines?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen seemed to understand something. Now, the generals of the Northern Kingdom all had one task or another, leaving only Xuan Yuan Chen to lead the heavy cavalry to guard Yan City, which made him somewhat restless.

Lu Chen asked with a smile, "General Xuanyuan, do you perhaps wish to go to the front lines?"

Xuan Yuan Chen quickly replied, "I was just asking."

Lu Chen said, "General Xuanyuan, you wouldn't be doing nothing just because I ordered you to stay in Yancheng with 50,000 heavy cavalry, would you?"

"Your mission is very important. When Da Wu sends troops to attack the Northern Kingdom, it is highly likely that they will not place their main force in Yong'an County. Their main force will likely enter the Northern Kingdom through Dayue."

"If, by some accident, the Great Wu army bypasses our defenses and attacks Yan City directly, you will be a vital force protecting me."

"Or are you saying you don't want to protect me?"

Xuan Yuan Chen quickly said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I had no such intention. It is my honor to protect Your Highness."

"The reason I want to go to the front line is mainly because of my younger sister. She said there is no chance of fighting in Yancheng and she wants to go to the front line. So I thought I would come and inquire to see if I have any opportunities to go to the front line."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

After he brought Xuan Yuan Yunqi to Yancheng, he assigned her to the Black Cavalry led by Xuan Yuan Chen, and then had her learn firearms and various combat tactics.

Lu Chen's original intention was to win over Xuan Yuan Yunqi. He was quite fond of Xuan Yuan Yunqi, a woman who was both heroic and beautiful.

However, the Prince's mansion already had many women, and Lu Chen had no intention of deliberately increasing his harem. So he simply let Xuan Yuan Yunqi study in Xuan Yuan Chen's army and never let Xuan Yuan Yunqi come to his side.

Unexpectedly, Xuan Yuan Yunqi couldn't hold back so quickly.

Lu Chen fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, Lu Chen finally spoke, asking, "General Xuanyuan, what do you think of General Yunqi's studies in the army?"

Xuan Yuan Chen replied, "I've learned everything I need to learn, but I lack opportunities for real combat."

Lu Chen said, "Go back and tell her that if she really wants to go to the front lines, she should come to the Prince's residence to see me tomorrow. I want to see how determined she is."

Xuan Yuan Chen was taken aback, then asked, "Your Highness, do you really intend to send her to the front lines?"

Xuan Yuan Chen could easily see through their king's intentions. Their king clearly lusted after his sister's body and had been coveting her for a long time. Otherwise, their king wouldn't have lured his sister to Yan City.

If they coveted her body, how could they possibly send her to such a dangerous place?

Lu Chen smiled and said, "That depends on her determination. If she really intends to go to the front line, I will immediately arrange for her to go to Yong'an County."

Xuan Yuan Chen said, "I understand. I will go back and tell her now."

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

Lu Chen nodded and didn't say anything more.

Then Xuan Yuan Chen turned and left the palace, heading straight for Xuan Yuan Yun Qi's residence.

Lu Chen thought that everything was fine now, so he walked out from behind his desk, ready to go back to the inner courtyard for dinner. But as soon as he reached the door, he heard the maid's voice again.

"Your Highness, Miss Murong requests an audience."

Lu Chen didn't respond. He walked directly to the door and saw Murong Xue'er, dressed in a black and white outfit, standing in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Lu Chen emerge, Murong Xue'er paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "Did this official disturb Your Highness?"

Lu Chen asked with a smile, "Miss Murong, is there something important that you've come to the Prince's residence so late?"

Murong Xue'er was taken aback. Although she was there to gather information, it was indeed inappropriate to come to the Prince's residence so late. It was already dinnertime, and after dinner, it was time to go to bed.

Isn't it a case of her coming to the Northern Prince's mansion at this time to offer herself up?

It wasn't that she intentionally came so late; she had just passed by the Northern King's residence and suddenly remembered that the Great Wu general was about to send troops to the Northern Kingdom. So she came to the Northern King to get some information about the Northern Kingdom's military deployment. Without thinking twice, she went straight to find the Northern King.

Murong Xue'er felt her mind was foggy. How could she bypass the North King at this time? She hadn't even thought of an excuse to see the North King yet. If she went to see the North King now, he would immediately know why she was here.

Just then, Murong Xue'er had a sudden inspiration. She instantly came up with an excuse, and with a smile, she said calmly, "Does that mean I can't come to see Your Highness if I don't have something to say?"

Lu Chen's lips curled up slightly. He then walked directly to Murong Xue'er, put his arm around her slender waist, and acted as if the maids and servants in the courtyard didn't exist. Lu Chen whispered in Murong Xue'er's ear, "Of course you can come to me anytime."

"You've come at the right time. I'm going to have dinner. Come with me."

Upon hearing this, Murong Xue'er was taken aback.

have dinner?

Is this what she means by having dinner?

Lu Chen's so-called dinner was actually about eating her?

For some reason, ever since this guy took her virginity, filthy thoughts kept popping into her head. She was a talented woman, after all; how could she think about such things?

Just then, Lu Chen put his arm around Murong Xue'er's slender waist and walked directly towards Fengyun Courtyard.

Murong Xue'er then asked, "Isn't Your Highness afraid of being seen by your wives and concubines?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "My wives and concubines are very tolerant of me, and they have known for a long time that you are my woman. Even if they saw you, they wouldn't mind."

Murong Xue'er continued, "Isn't Your Highness curious about why I'm here?"

Lu Chen said, "Didn't I just say that you can come to the Prince's Mansion anytime? You can even treat the Prince's Mansion as your home and live there indefinitely without any problem."

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Murong Xue'er felt a little flustered. The more indifferent Lu Chen seemed, the more uneasy she felt. She said directly, "The main reason I came to the Prince's Mansion this time is that His Majesty gave me an order to find out what kind of weapons the Northern Kingdom has."

This was the excuse Murong Xue'er had just thought of. Since she didn't have a good excuse, she would just make up something that seemed reasonable. Anyway, she and Lu Chen had already crossed the line. Her body had been played with by this guy so many times. If she pretended to betray him and pretended to have feelings for him, he probably wouldn't be able to tell.

Upon hearing Murong Xue'er's lie, Lu Chen simply smiled.

When he first saw Murong Xue'er, he had already glanced at the system's updated information about her. It clearly stated that Murong Xue'er had come to investigate the Northern Kingdom's defense map and then hand it over to Da Wu to cooperate with Da Wu in attacking the Northern Kingdom.

Lu Chen didn't care much about Murong Xue'er's lies. He wanted this woman to tell him herself in bed later what her purpose was in coming to the Northern Prince's Mansion. For now, he would just believe what Murong Xue'er said.

At this moment, Lu Chen said with a smile, "So that's how it is. Didn't Miss Murong not want to become my woman? Why are you now actively informing me?"

Hearing Lu Chen's teasing, Murong Xue'er's face flushed slightly.

Murong Xue'er then said, "Your Highness, please don't flatter yourself. I'm just cooperating with you; I haven't agreed to actually become your woman."

"I can no longer return to Dayue. I can only obtain more intelligence in the Northern Kingdom and make some contributions. Only in this way can I have any hope of returning to Dayue and being valued by His Majesty again."

Lu Chen said, "So that's how it is."

"So, Miss Murong has absolutely no feelings for me?"

Murong Xue'er said expressionlessly, "Does Your Highness think that just because I've slept with you a few times, I'll develop feelings for you?"

"Isn't Your Highness underestimating me a bit?"

Lu Chen said, "Alright, it seems I was just being presumptuous. In that case, let's only talk about business from now on, not feelings."

"I can provide you with some intelligence to help you gain merit and return to Dayue, to the Empress's side."

"However, you will also have to pay a price."

Murong Xue'er frowned slightly. "What price?"

Lu Chen stopped, reached out, lifted Murong Xue'er's delicate chin, and looked at her beautiful face, saying, "The price is your body. If I want you to serve me in bed from now on, you must come to the Prince's mansion immediately."

Hearing this, Murong Xue'er was not angry at all; on the contrary, she was very happy.

Of course, Murong Xue'er's happiness wasn't because Lu Chen was going to play with her body. The reason she was happy was because she now had a legitimate reason to frequently contact the Northern King and visit his residence, and it was the Northern King who had taken the initiative to suggest it.

Murong Xue'er said coldly, "Aren't all the women in the Prince's mansion enough for the Prince to play with?"

Lu Chen said, "I've recently become fascinated with calligraphy, so I'd like you to come to the palace and practice with me."

Murong Xue'er said, "I understand. If Your Highness wishes to practice calligraphy in the future, you can send someone to the mansion to find me at any time."

Lu Chen said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. The food should be ready by now."

At this point, Lu Chen put his arm around Murong Xue'er's waist and continued walking towards Fengyun Courtyard.

Soon they arrived at the entrance of Fengyun Palace. When Lu Chen appeared at the entrance of Fengyun Palace with Murong Xue'er by the waist, all of Lu Chen's wives and concubines inside the palace were stunned for a moment, and Murong Xue'er herself was also stunned for a moment.

She thought that dinner meant eating in bed, but she didn't expect that when Lu Chen said dinner, he really meant dinner, and that he would eat dinner with all his wives and concubines.

This puzzled her. Could it be that the Prince's mansion always had a large family eating dinner together?

In typical royal mansions like these, people eat separately at mealtimes, rather than gathering together for a meal like this.

After a moment of surprise, Mu Zixuan quickly turned around and stepped forward with a smile, saying, "Your Highness, these are our new sisters. If I'm not mistaken, this should be Miss Murong, right?"

Lu Chen then said, "My dear consort, please don't speak nonsense. I was just discussing matters with Miss Murong in the study when it happened to be lunchtime, so I invited her to have a meal with me."

Hearing this, all the women smiled.

No one would believe Lu Chen's words.

They knew Lu Chen better than anyone. How could Lu Chen possibly let go of a talented and aloof woman like Murong Xue'er? Besides, the two of them had already done those things in the study.

However, they didn't make it clear, as a way of saving face for Murong Xue'er and avoiding making her feel embarrassed later.

No matter what, Murong Xue'er was an envoy sent by Dayue. For an envoy sent by Dayue to become the woman of the Northern King would likely damage Murong Xue'er's reputation.

Mu Zixuan then said, "So that's how it is. It was my fault. I shouldn't have spoken carelessly."

At this point, Mu Zixuan said to Murong Xue'er, "Miss Murong, I'm so sorry, I misunderstood you. I apologize."

Murong Xue'er then said, "Your Highness, there's no need for that. It's quite normal for my presence in the inner courtyard to cause misunderstandings."

Mu Zixuan then approached Murong Xue'er, took her hand, and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Dinner is ready. Please take a seat, Miss Murong."

(End of this chapter)