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

Just as the ministers were discussing the matter, Right Chancellor Zhao Wenhan stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, even if the Northern King truly harbors ambitions to unify several dynasties, I believe we can still have a temporary cooperation with him."

Originally, a figure of Zhao Wenhan's stature should not have appeared in the Eastern Palace. After all, he was the prime minister, and for a prime minister to openly side with the crown prince was tantamount to completely undermining the Xia emperor's authority.

However, in their view, Emperor Xia was already on his deathbed, and even the two patriarchs of Dingfeng Mountain and Sifang Mountain were powerless to stop him. The throne of Emperor Xia would belong to Lu Yi sooner or later, so Zhao Wenhan was not afraid of Emperor Xia punishing him.

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, Lu Yi asked curiously, "What do you mean by that, Lord Zhao?"

Zhao Wenhan spoke up, "Has Your Highness ever considered why the Northern Kingdom, despite easily defeating the Great Wu and possessing the strength to destroy it, ultimately signed an alliance with the Great Wu?"

"The Northern Kingdom could have taken advantage of this opportunity to press their advantage and wipe out the entire Great Wu Dynasty, but they did not do so."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, the ministers in the hall fell into deep thought. Soon, one minister said, "Perhaps it's because the Northern Kingdom isn't ready yet?"

Zhao Wenhan immediately said, "You're right, the Northern Kingdom is indeed unprepared."

"It's easy to conquer a country, but difficult to rule it. With the strength of the Northern Kingdom and its mysterious weapons, destroying the Great Wu Dynasty might not be too difficult."

"But what happens after the Great Wu Dynasty is destroyed? Is the Northern King truly capable of managing the entire Great Wu Dynasty? Not necessarily."

"Moreover, given the current overall strength of the Northern Kingdom, it would be difficult for it to destroy the major dynasties. The Martial Emperor and the Northern King are very similar; they both have great ambitions."

"Since Emperor Wu ascended the throne, he has led the Great Wu in constant warfare, fighting in the south and north for many years. It seems that the territory of the Great Wu has become larger and larger, but the internal contradictions of the Great Wu have become more and more numerous. The uprising that broke out in the southeast of the Great Wu is the best example."

"If the Northern Kingdom neglects its own governance capabilities, even if it occupies the entire Great Wu Dynasty, the remnants of Great Wu will try every means to create chaos in the Northern Kingdom."

"The most crucial point is, if the Northern Kingdom truly conquers the Great Wu Dynasty, will the Northern Kingdom need to conscript soldiers from the areas previously controlled by the Great Wu?"

"If the Northern Kingdom were to conscript soldiers in the areas it controlled before the Great Wu, then there is a very high chance that the Northern Kingdom's mysterious weapons would fall into the hands of the remnants of the Great Wu."

"Once the governance of the Northern Kingdom falls into disarray, the remnants of the Great Wu will use the weapons invented by the Northern Kingdom to attack it, and the collapse of the Northern Kingdom will become inevitable."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's analysis, all the officials in the hall fell silent. Lu Yi also remained silent, mentally processing Zhao Wenhan's analysis.

After a while, Lu Yi finally spoke and asked, "In Lord Zhao's opinion, what are the Northern Kingdom's next plans?"

Zhao Wenhan said, "If the Northern King wants to unify the major dynasties, what he needs most is time. This time is not the time to destroy the major dynasties, but the time to transform the other dynasties into the people of the Northern Kingdom."

"Now that the Northern Kingdom has occupied two prefectures of Da Wu, governing these two prefectures will take a lot of time, so I believe that the Northern Kingdom will not take any major actions for the time being."

"We can send an envoy to negotiate with the Northern King at this time. On the one hand, we can cede the land north of Qi to the Northern Kingdom to increase the Northern Kingdom's governance time. On the other hand, we can tell the Northern Kingdom that Great Xia will fully support the Northern Kingdom in the future, and provide whatever the Northern Kingdom needs."

This……

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, the ministers were somewhat bewildered. If the Great Xia would provide whatever the Northern Kingdom needed, wouldn't that turn the Great Xia into a vassal state of the Northern Kingdom? How could that be allowed?

Just as Lu Yi was about to say something, Zhao Wenhan continued, "The main reason I proposed this is to appease the Northern King and prevent him from having any thoughts of heading south."

"Your Highness, think about it. If the Northern King goes south, he will inevitably clash with the major aristocratic families and the landlords. It will take him a considerable amount of time to clean up this mess."

"If Your Highness were to pretend to be the Northern King's puppet and help him manage the entire Great Xia, not only would you provide the Northern Kingdom with what it needs for development, but the Northern King would also not have to directly clash with those large landowners and aristocratic families for the time being. In that case, the Northern King would most likely agree."

"If Your Highness continues to maintain a weak attitude towards the Northern Kingdom, then in the eyes of the Northern King, the Great Xia will not pose any threat to him. He will not need to directly attack those large landowners and aristocratic families for the time being, since Your Highness is managing things for him."

Upon hearing this, someone realized the flaw in Zhao Wenhan's proposal. Lu Yi then asked, "Lord Zhao, if the Northern King truly has the ambition to unify the world, then in his eyes, the Great Xia is also his for the taking. Sooner or later, he will send troops south."

Zhao Wenhan said, "Your Majesty, I understand. What I mean is to try to make the Northern King shift his focus, to make it seem that Great Xia poses no threat to the Northern Kingdom, and can provide the Northern Kingdom with a continuous stream of benefits. Ideally, we should give the Northern King the illusion that he can take over the entire Great Xia without sending troops."

"Your Highness, think about it. If Great Xia were to be completely subservient to the Northern Kingdom, wouldn't the Northern King think that since Great Xia would provide the resources he needs to develop the Northern Kingdom, and Great Xia is so weak, wouldn't Great Xia simply surrender without a fight once the Northern Kingdom destroys the other dynasties? In that case, the Northern Kingdom wouldn't need to send troops against Great Xia at all."

Lu Yi frowned, pondered for a moment, then relaxed his brows. "I understand Lord Zhao's meaning. Lord Zhao wants me to be patient and secretly accumulate strength."

Zhao Wenhan continued, "That's exactly what I mean. If the Northern King agrees to support Your Highness, Great Xia can take advantage of the fact that the Northern Kingdom is a vassal state of Great Xia and continuously send people to infiltrate the Northern Kingdom to find the blueprints for the manufacturing of those mysterious weapons. If Great Xia has the blueprints for those weapons, Great Xia may not necessarily be weaker than the Northern Kingdom."

Lu Yi immediately felt that Zhao Wenhan's words made a lot of sense, and he said with a smile, "With Lord Zhao by my side, I can conquer the world!"

Zhao Wenhan immediately cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness!"

Lu Yi then said, "Then I will send an envoy to the Northern Kingdom to try to divert the Northern King's attention."

Everyone exclaimed in unison, "Your Highness is wise!"

Zhao Wenhan was able to become the Prime Minister of the Great Xia Dynasty not only because he was a little clever and good at flattery, but also because he had some intelligence.

He foresaw that the Northern King's first step in unifying the major dynasties would be to march south and vie for the throne, but his solution was too simplistic.

His idea was that since the Northern King's purpose in going south was for the resources of Great Xia, then he might as well make Great Xia kneel down and then take the initiative to provide the Northern Kingdom with everything it needed. In this way, the Northern King would not need to go south for the time being.

a few days later.

North.

There is a small bridge and flowing water in the courtyard, and carp swim to and fro in the pond.

Wu Junwan sat alone in the pavilion, looking somewhat lonely and desolate.

Now, there's no one by her side in the entire Northern Prince's mansion. All the maids are from the Northern Prince's mansion, so she can't even find someone to talk to.

Wu Junwan sighed softly.

Since Lu Chen and she had spent two days and two nights together a few days ago, that guy hasn't come looking for her. Wu Yunwan is starting to wonder if Lu Chen has forgotten about their bet.

At this moment, a maidservant came to Wu Yunwan and brewed her a pot of Dragon and Phoenix Tea. Wu Yunwan asked curiously, "What has your prince been doing these past few days?"

Upon hearing Wu Junwan's reply, the maid immediately responded, "Your Highness, the Prince has been handling state affairs in his study these past few days."

This isn't something that can't be said, after all, Lu Chen spends all day in the study and doesn't go anywhere special.

If Lu Chen went to the arsenal, or went to a very far place, it might be necessary to keep it a secret.

Upon hearing the maid's reply, Wu Junwan couldn't help but wonder if something big had happened or been done in the Northern Kingdom recently, which was why Lu Chen had been so busy these past few days, to the point that he hadn't even had time to come to her room.

Just as Wu Yunwan was thinking this, she suddenly heard a maid's voice coming from the courtyard gate, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

The next moment, a familiar voice reached Wu Junwan's ears, "No need for formalities."

Immediately afterwards, the little man appeared at the gate of the courtyard. Seeing Lu Chen enter the courtyard, Wu Junwan instantly dismissed her guess.

With so many women around, there's no need for him to come to her room every day. It's normal that he doesn't come to see her; she's just overthinking it.

After entering the courtyard, Lu Chen glanced at Wu Yunwan, who was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea, and asked with a smile, "Is the Princess finding her accommodations comfortable?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Junwan said expressionlessly, "Thanks to Your Highness, I'm getting used to the place."

Lu Chen walked directly into the pavilion, came to the stone table, plopped down on the stone bench next to Wu Junwan, and poured himself a cup of tea.

After Lu Chen took a sip of tea, Wu Junwan finally asked, "What brings Your Highness to see me?"

Lu Chen put down his teacup, turned to look into Wu Junwan's eyes, and asked, "Does that mean I can't come to see you unless I have something to say?"

Wu Yunwan said, "Your Highness is a very busy man. Why would he come to see me if there's nothing important?"

At this moment, Lu Chen reached out and grabbed Wu Junwan's slender waist. Wu Junwan was about to struggle, after all, they were in the courtyard, not in the room. She didn't want anyone to see her and this young man pulling and hugging each other, even if there were only maids from the Northern Prince's Mansion in the courtyard.

However, as soon as Wu Yunwan struggled, she discovered that her internal energy had been sealed again.

This……

Wu Junwan could hardly believe it.

The last time she came into contact with Lu Chen, it was the same; her power was sealed off in an instant. At the time, she thought there was something in the room that sealed off her power, such as the flower scent she smelled while bathing.

But this time she was in the pavilion. Surely there shouldn't be anything in the pavilion that could affect her health?

Could it be tea?

At this moment, Wu Yunwan's gaze involuntarily fell on the teacup on the stone table. Wu Yunwan thought to herself that she had been drinking this tea all along, and had been drinking it for the past few days, without it causing any adverse effects on her health.

Not only did it have no negative impact, but it also helped her practice her skills and even had the effect of refreshing her mind. How could there be any problem?

Most importantly, this wasn't the first time she had drunk this tea. She had drunk it when she was on a mission to the Northern Kingdom, and Lu Chen had given her a lot of it. After she returned, she often drank this tea, and after drinking it for so long, she didn't see any problems with her health.

So it shouldn't be a problem with the tea...

Just as Wu Yunwan was mentally trying to figure out why her powers were sealed when she came into contact with Lu Chen, Lu Chen teased her, "Is Your Majesty angry? It's my fault, it's my fault. I've been too busy these past few days and haven't been able to come see you every day, making you feel lonely."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Wu Junwan merely snorted coldly and didn't say anything more.

She had indeed felt lonely and isolated in the Northern Prince's mansion these past few days. After all, none of the people she knew were around. The courtyard was filled with unfamiliar maids, and there were also some female guards outside the courtyard. This made her feel like she was locked in a cage, which was very uncomfortable.

Lu Chen continued, "If Your Majesty finds it too boring to stay in the courtyard all the time, you can go out for a walk."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yunwan said, "Isn't Your Highness afraid that I might do something detrimental to the Northern Kingdom?"

Lu Chen said with a smile, "If you want to cause trouble, you can."

Wu Yunwan said, "Do you think I can't cause any trouble and pose no threat to you?"

Lu Chen said, "You can think that way too."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's reply, Wu Junwan frowned slightly. This little man really didn't take her seriously at all.

"One day you will pay the price for your arrogance."

Wu Junwan didn't want to say anything more to Lu Chen. Since this young man said she could go out for a walk, she would go to the princess's residence that Lu Chen had arranged for her every day and stay with her attendants before returning at night.

Isn't he afraid of causing trouble in the Northern Kingdom? He'll regret it later.

Just as Wu Yunwan was thinking about what to do next after leaving the Northern Prince's Mansion, Lu Chen suddenly picked her up. Before Wu Yunwan could struggle, Lu Chen lifted her onto his lap.

Lu Chen wrapped his arms around her soft waist from behind, rested his head on her fragrant shoulder, and inhaled the scent of her hair, seemingly infatuated.

Wu Yunwan initially intended to struggle, but considering that her powers had been sealed, she simply gave up and let this lecherous man sniff her all over.

After a while, Lu Chen said, "If you feel lonely, I'll arrange for someone to stay with you in a few days. I'm sure you two will have a lot in common."

Wu Yunwan asked, "Who is it?"

Lu Chen smiled and said, "You'll find out in a few days."

Wu Yunwan said expressionlessly, "It seems that Your Highness is still worried that I might do something detrimental to the Northern Kingdom, and plans to arrange for someone to monitor me."

Lu Chen didn't offer much explanation; he simply said, "The person I arranged for you isn't from the North."

Wu Junwan was slightly taken aback.

Not from the North?

Wu Junwan fell into deep thought, wondering what Lu Chen was planning to do next.

At this moment, Lu Chen held Wu Junwan's soft body in his arms, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. With a beauty in his arms, how could a man full of vigor not have any thoughts?

Soon, Wu Yunwan also noticed Lu Chen's unusual behavior. She immediately began to twist her body, trying to get up, but Lu Chen's arms were tightly wrapped around her waist, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn't get up.

The more Wu Yunwan twisted her body, the more excited Lu Chen became. However, before Lu Chen could take any further action, a female guard entered the courtyard and said, "Your Highness, Commander Liang is looking for you."

Lu Chen felt somewhat helpless; there were just too many things to do during the day, and he couldn't even get a break.

"Tell him to wait for me in the study."

At this point, Lu Chen whispered in Wu Junwan's ear, "Your Majesty, wait for me tonight, let me serve you well."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen released Wu Yunwan and stood up.

At this moment, Wu Yunwan's cheeks flushed slightly. In just that short time, her heart had been stirred by this young man, and she had even developed feelings for him, causing her whole body to become restless.

Male beauty is indeed a poison!

No wonder their master told them not to easily get involved with men when they were in the Misty Immortal Sect, otherwise they might not be able to extricate themselves.

Wu Junwan now felt somewhat unable to extricate herself. This young man could easily make her feel uncomfortable and want to have sex with him.

No! She must control herself!

……

The study of the Northern Prince's residence.

After Lu Chen entered the study, Liang Zong handed him the intelligence report.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has secretly sent an envoy to the Northern Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen stopped opening the letter and looked up at Liang Zong. "What is he doing sending an envoy to the Northern Kingdom?"

Although the Northern Kingdom is still nominally a vassal state of the Great Xia Dynasty, it is only in name. The Great Xia court has no way to govern the Northern Kingdom anymore.

He added that the Northern Kingdom was now in a state where the imperial court couldn't even mobilize its own troops. Lu Chen didn't understand what Lu Yi could possibly do by sending an envoy to the Northern Kingdom at this time.

Liang Zong replied, "It's said to be to win over Your Highness."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then didn't ask any further questions. He opened the letter in his hand and began to read it carefully.

After reviewing the intelligence report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lu Chen instantly understood what was going on.

Currently, all the princes in the Great Xia who have the right to vie for the throne have some kind of dealings with certain vassal kings, but Lu Yi's base of support is only the scholar-officials and the conservative officials of the court. With his father, the emperor, secretly obstructing him, Lu Yi is unable to mobilize the court's army. Lu Yi feels that his position as crown prince is unstable and wants to find external assistance.

After reviewing the intelligence report, Lu Chen asked, "When will the Crown Prince's delegation arrive in the Northern Kingdom?"

Liang Zong replied, "We should arrive in Yancheng in three days. Our Imperial Guard spies and the Crown Prince's delegation left the capital together; they are quite fast." (End of Chapter)