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

Chapter 356 The Eldest Princess's Body is Delicate

Upon seeing the word "proton," Wu Ming's expression turned even more unpleasant.

In Wu Ming's view, if the Great Wu were to send a hostage to the Northern Kingdom, it would most likely choose him.

For any dynasty, a hostage is no different from a discarded pawn, so they would certainly not choose their most important prince.

His father valued the eldest prince so much that he didn't send him on this mission to the Northern Kingdom, so his father would definitely not send the eldest prince to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage.

His father, the emperor, naturally had several other sons, but compared to the eldest prince and him, those princes were basically useless. The most outstanding ones were the eldest prince and him, the second prince.

If his father were to send another prince to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage, the Northern Kingdom would most likely not agree. The Northern King is not stupid; how could he possibly allow the Great Wu to send an insignificant prince to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage?

Just as Wu Ming was feeling extremely anxious, he suddenly saw in the newspaper that the Northern King's choice for a hostage was the eldest princess of Da Wu.

Wu Ming was first stunned, then overjoyed.

The Northern King actually wants that woman to come to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage!

This is fantastic!

Although Wu Yunwan has lost power, no one can guarantee that she will make a comeback one day.

If Wu Junwan were to return to the court one day, she could still gain immense power, overwhelming the princes.

However, if Wu Yunwan comes to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage, it will be different. A hostage is a pawn to be discarded. If Wu Yunwan comes to the Northern Kingdom, it will be difficult for her to reconnect with the circle in the capital. It will be even more difficult for Wu Yunwan to return to the center of power.

Once Wu Yunwan is driven out of the Great Wu Imperial City, she will be completely out of the game.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming felt a sense of relief. The princes of Da Wu had been suppressed by their elder sister for too long. They would be very happy as long as she could leave the center of power.

However, Wu Ming soon thought of a problem: if they sent their elder sister as a hostage to the Northern Kingdom, would their father agree?

As everyone knows, the reason why their elder sister has so much power and can become the eldest princess is entirely because of their father, the emperor. If their father did not want their elder sister to interfere in politics, she would not have been able to be named the eldest princess.

If we could get his father to agree to the Northern King's conditions, that would be even better.

But how can I get my father's approval?

Should we have all the court officials submit a memorial, like last time?

Wu Ming believed that as long as his faction of ministers petitioned for Wu Yunwan to come to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage, the ministers of the First Prince's faction would definitely petition as well.

Although they were not from the same faction, all the officials from the princes' faction were able to form a united front when facing Wu Yunwan.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming immediately said to the guard beside him, "Prepare paper and pen."

The guards hurriedly brought paper and pen to Wu Ming, who immediately began writing a memorial in the pavilion, recounting some things he had heard upon arriving in the Northern Kingdom.

After finishing writing the memorial, he handed it to the guard beside him and said, "Send this memorial back to the Great Wu Dynasty immediately."

Negotiation is a long process and cannot be completed in just a few days. If we hurry up and send this memorial back to the Great Wu Dynasty, the negotiations will most likely not be over by the time the Emperor's decree arrives. At that time, Wu Ming will know what kind of attitude his father has towards the conditions proposed by the Northern Kingdom.

Of course, the most important purpose of his memorial was to let the ministers in the court know that the Northern King planned to send Wu Yunwan as a hostage. Once those ministers knew about this, many of them would surely follow suit and submit their own memorials.

Just as the guards beside Wu Ming were about to turn and leave the pavilion, Wu Ming suddenly reminded them, "By the way, after the memorial is sent back to the capital, have someone spread the word that the Northern King plans to send the eldest princess as a hostage. Make sure all the ministers in the court know about this."

The guard immediately cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Alright, go ahead."

"This subordinate takes his leave." With that, the guard turned and left the courtyard.

night.

As night fell, the lanterns in the courtyard were lit up, and the entire manor was brightly lit. After dinner, Lu Chen stayed in Fengyun Courtyard for a while, playing with the two children Mu Zixuan had given him. Then, feeling that it was about time, he went directly to Zhou Youyou's room.

Just as Lu Chen was about to enter the North Courtyard, a female soldier's voice rang out behind him, "Your Highness, Wu Ming has seen the newspaper published by the Eastern Daily this afternoon, and he has written a memorial to send back to the Great Wu Dynasty. Should we intercept this memorial?"

Lu Chen said calmly, "No need. Have them send the memorial back to Da Wu."

Even without intercepting Wu Ming's memorial, Lu Chen could roughly guess what it contained. Clearly, Wu Ming intended to transmit some information released by the Northern Kingdom back to the Great Wu, so that the Emperor and the ministers of the Great Wu would know.

Upon hearing the reply, the female soldier said, "Yes, Your Highness, I will take my leave."

The female soldier then turned and left the inner courtyard. At this moment, Lu Chen stepped into the north courtyard and went directly to Zhou Youyou's room.

After entering Zhou Youyou's room, Lu Chen found that she was alone. He smiled and asked, "Where are the two little rascals? Why aren't they here?"

Hearing this, Zhou Youyou, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, blushed. "Your Highness, I have already taken them both to my sister's room."

Zhou Youyou had heard during the day that Lu Chen had invited Xiao Wenyao to her room, so she knew that Lu Chen would definitely come to favor her that night. Therefore, she sent the child to the next room in advance and sat on the bed alone, ready to go.

Hearing this, Lu Chen smiled slightly, then sat down by the bed and held Zhou Youyou's delicate hand.

Seeing Zhou Youyou's face flushed red, Lu Chen raised his hand and gently stroked her delicate cheek. "Little Youyou, you're a mother of two now, why are you still so shy?"

Zhou Youyou didn't know what to say, "This concubine...this concubine..."

Seeing that Zhou Youyou was too embarrassed to speak, Lu Chen started to touch her, then laid her down on the bed and kissed her cherry lips.

Lu Chen had forgotten that he had also called Xiao Wenyao. He immediately began to cultivate a relationship with Zhou Youyou. Although Zhou Youyou still remembered that there was one person who had not yet arrived, she did not dare to say anything.

Fifteen minutes later.

After bathing, Xiao Wenyao headed towards the north courtyard. Upon arriving, she whispered to a maid in the courtyard, "The Prince shouldn't have arrived yet, right?"

The maid replied, "Madam Xiao, the Prince has been here for a while now."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wenyao was taken aback. Was she late?

Will Your Highness be angry with me later?

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Xiao Wenyao headed towards Zhou Youyou's room. Only after entering did she hear a faint sound.

Xiao Wenyao felt even more worried; she was indeed late.

This is troublesome! Being late will be punished.

There's something going on inside right now, so it's not appropriate for me to just push the door open and go in.

We can't knock on the door either, because if we do, wouldn't we be disturbing the prince?

Just as Xiao Wenyao was wondering what to do, Lu Chen's voice came from inside, "Yaoyao, what are you doing standing at the door? Come in."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's voice, Xiao Wenyao hesitated for a moment before gently pushing open the door.

Just as she was about to say something, a force pulled her inside, dragging her directly onto the bed, and then the door slammed shut.

Xiao Wenyao lay on the bed, somewhat dazed. Lu Chen and Zhou Youyou weren't on the couch; they were at the table...

Seeing what was happening, Xiao Wenyao didn't dare to speak at all. She quietly took off her shoes and then lay down on the bed alone.

She thought to herself that as long as she didn't speak, the prince's attention wouldn't be on her later.

However, the next moment, Lu Chen appeared in front of her, smiling as he said, "Yao Yao, you slandered me in the yard during the day, see how I punish you tonight!"

Xiao Wenyao's delicate body trembled, and she said weakly, "Your Highness, I know I was wrong..."

Before Xiao Wenyao could finish speaking, Lu Chen kissed her red lips, and then Xiao Wenyao was severely punished.

Seeing that Xiao Wenyao had been dealt with, Zhou Youyou, who was resting to the side, didn't dare to breathe loudly. Zhou Youyou thought to herself, "I must never make the prince angry again. The prince is really scary when he gets angry."

……

half a month later.

The Great Wu Imperial Court.

In the past few days, there have been rumors in the capital that the Northern Kingdom has proposed that the Great Wu send a hostage to the Northern Kingdom.

When the ministers of Da Wu first heard the news, they all submitted memorials expressing their opposition.

Although they were defeated, the Great Wu Dynasty was still a dynasty. How could a dynasty send hostages to a vassal state under its rule? Wouldn't the Great Wu Dynasty become a laughing stock among the other dynasties in the future?

Just as the ministers were filled with righteous indignation, rumors soon spread that the hostage chosen by the Northern Kingdom was the eldest princess. This delighted the ministers in the court, and they once again submitted memorials to Emperor Wu, saying that Emperor Wu should agree to the Northern Kingdom's conditions.

On Emperor Wu's desk now, there are many memorials from the same minister, each containing two different proposals. One memorial opposes sending a hostage to the Northern Kingdom, while the other supports sending the eldest princess to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage. This makes the ministers seem as if they have split personalities.

Emperor Wu sat on the dragon throne, looking down at the ministers with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to kill them.

Inside the main hall, the officials lowered their heads, not daring to utter a single word.

After a long pause, the Empress spoke, "Have all my beloved ministers recently developed a kind of 'soul-disappearance'?"

"First they sent me a memorial, urging me not to agree to send a hostage to the Northern Kingdom. Then, these past two days, they've sent me another memorial, asking me to send my eldest princess to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage!"

"Can anyone explain to me why your attitude changed so quickly?"

After the Empress finished speaking, the ministers dared not speak, but at this moment Chai Jiliang immediately stood up. Although he had been demoted, he was still able to enter the court and had not left the core of power.

Chai Jiliang was a pragmatist. Even if Emperor Wu demoted him, she couldn't just banish him from the capital. If she did banish this pragmatist, no one would be able to handle the ensuing mess.

Seeing Chai Jiliang step forward, before Chai could even speak, the Empress Wu directly asked, "What does Minister Chai have to say?"

Chai Jiliang immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the eldest princess is of delicate health; she must not be sent to the harsh northern lands as a hostage!"

Upon hearing Chai Jiliang's words, the ministers who were affiliated with the princes were displeased. What did he mean by "delicate body"?

The eldest princess is the only one among Emperor Wu's children to break through to the Grandmaster realm. The other princes, let alone the Grandmaster realm, haven't even reached the eighth rank. If we're talking about being pampered, those princes are the ones who are truly pampered. She, a Grandmaster, is in excellent health.

The officials and civil servants all understood why Chai Jiliang didn't want Wu Yunwan to go to the Northern Kingdom. This guy liked the eldest princess, and since he was originally on Wu Yunwan's side, he naturally didn't want Wu Yunwan to go to the Northern Kingdom as a hostage.

(End of this chapter)