Having children earns benefit, start competing for dominance in the world by marrying a wife

A week flew by in the blink of an eye.

Murong Xue'er still hadn't left her bed since that incident with Lu Chen; she spent every day recuperating in bed.

Initially, Murong Xue'er thought that encountering such a strong man wasn't entirely a loss. But then, the thought struck her—if every time she got close to Lu Chen, she had to spend seven or eight days in bed afterward, wouldn't that be a colossal waste of time?

At this moment, Murong Xue'er slowly rose from the bed. Seeing her get up, the maid in the room hurried over to help her before assisting her with dressing and grooming.

Murong Xue'er still felt a faint soreness and clenched her teeth thinking: it had been seven days since that man had taken her, and he hadn't come to see her even once, nor had he sent anyone to express his concern. Truly, a man who doesn't recognize you once his pants are back on.

She wondered whether she had managed to seduce him at all.

If the North Prince was just after a new thrill, then she was in trouble. In that case, she would not only have lost her innocence, but also failed in her mission.

Worried, Murong Xue'er's mind raced with these thoughts.

Just then, a maid at the doorway spoke, "Lord Murong, the North Prince has sent over a jar of tea leaves, claiming it's beneficial for martial arts training."

Upon hearing this, Murong Xue'er was momentarily stunned. She had just been fretting over whether the North Prince was the kind to forget her after the act, and suddenly, there was a gift from him.

What did sending tea signify, though?

She responded, "Bring it in."

The maid then pushed open the door to enter, placing a white porcelain jar before Murong Xue'er, who glanced at the jar and then personally removed the lid.

The moment the lid was opened, Murong Xue'er was enveloped by a strong tea aroma that invigorated her spirits.

Murong Xue'er was astonished; she hadn't even tasted it yet, but just the scent of the tea had revitalized her so significantly—this tea was no ordinary tea!

She then instructed the maid, "Take some tea leaves and brew them immediately."

Hearing her command, the maid who had just brought in the tea quickly said, "The servant from the Prince's Mansion mentioned that the tea leaves do not need boiling, just steeping in hot water will do."

Following that, Murong Xue'er said, "Then fetch a kettle of hot water."

Upon this instruction, the maid turned and swiftly left the room.

Murong Xue'er scooped up some tea leaves from the jar and sniffed them again, finding the aroma increasingly enchanting. She slowly realized that this tea offered more than mere alertness and clarity of mind.

After smelling the tea, the skill coursing through her body also flowed more smoothly, as if the scent of the tea accelerated her cultivation rate.

Murong Xue'er grew increasingly excited, not only astonished by the effects of the tea but also delighted that the North Prince had sent her something so precious.

For the North Prince to gift her such a valuable item implied he had taken a liking to her; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have sent her anything.

Now that the North Prince seemed to fancy her, she didn't have to worry about failing her mission. The next time she shared a room with the North Prince, she planned to extract the secrets of the North Prince Mansion from him.

At that thought, the corners of Murong Xue'er's mouth curved upward in a slight smile.

Not long after, the maid returned with a hot kettle, and Murong Xue'er personally prepared the tea.

Once the tea was ready, she took a slow sip. The very next moment, her internal power surged noticeably. Murong Xue'er was once again thrilled; the tea was indeed extraordinary, capable of directly enhancing a person's skill.

If the North Prince had sent her such a treasure, did that not mean he was quite satisfied with her body?

Murong Xue'er proceeded to drink the entire kettle of brewed tea, not once considering that the tea could be problematic in any way.

The reason Murong Xue'er experienced such a notable effect after drinking the Dragon and Phoenix Tea was mainly because she harbored favorable feelings for Lu Chen.

The Dragon and Phoenix Tea was designed for women who have a fondness for Lu Chen. When these women drink the Dragon and Phoenix Tea, not only does it enhance their affection for Lu Chen, but it also significantly increases their skill. The higher the favorability, the more pronounced the effects.

Although Lu Chen is the ruler of an enemy state to Murong Xue'er, he meets all her criteria for a man, so her fondness for him is not low. Moreover, her body was taken by Lu Chen at the Hundred Flowers Tower, where she felt his strength firsthand, which further increased her favorability towards him.

Of course, the current Murong Xue'er only knows that the tea from the Prince's Mansion can increase her skill, and is completely unaware of the tea's other effect.

Meanwhile.

North Prince Mansion, study room.

Lu Chen sat in front of the desk, earnestly reading the intelligence in his hands. After finishing, he spoke up and asked, "Are you certain that Zhao King has truly mobilized his troops and is not attacking any other feudal states?"

Liang Zong, seated opposite Lu Chen, replied, "Your Highness, it is true. He has indeed led his troops and is heading straight for the Capital."

Lu Chen said, "Strange, my memorial should have also reached the royal court by now. How dare they make a move? Aren't they afraid that I will also lead my troops southward?"

At that moment, Lu Chen suddenly recalled what Zhuge Zhongguang had told him—that Zhao King seemed to be his father emperor's secret collaborator. Therefore, his mobilization of troops was likely not genuine, but rather a means to provoke other Seigniors into rebellion.

As long as other Seigniors led their armies to the Capital, his father emperor would have a reason, an excuse, to directly deal with all of the Seigniors at once.

However, by now, each Seignior had expanded their military to some extent, and with the continuous power struggles within the court, it was questionable whether the royal army still maintained its combat effectiveness.

Was his father emperor truly confident he could take down all the Seigniors at once?

If his father emperor failed, what might await Great Sum could very well be the disaster of national extinction.

After pondering the situation, Lu Chen turned to Liang Zong and instructed, "Continue to monitor the situation. Inform me immediately if there is any news."

"Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate takes his leave."

Liang Zong, having spoken, turned and left the study.

After Liang Zong's departure, Lu Chen muttered to himself, "I hope my stance can temporarily stabilize the situation in Great Sum. It's not yet the right time."

At that moment, Lu Chen quickly realized that if he only submitted his memorial, once his father emperor became aware of it, his own stance would surely be suppressed.

His father emperor would prefer to see Seigniors rise in rebellion; how could he allow anyone to disrupt his plans? Merely submitting a memorial was likely pointless.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen immediately called out to the maid at the doorway of the study, "Go to the Eastern Newspaper Agency, ask Ms. Dongfang to come here, and tell her that I need to see her about an important matter."

"Yes, Your Highness."

…

A few days later, the official gazette of the North Country released an article titled "North Prince's Announcement to the People of Great Sum." The content was quite simple and easy to understand. In it, Lu Chen reminded all the commoners of Great Sum that the current situation was chaotic and that if war broke out in Great Sum, they could immediately head to North Country to avoid the turmoil.

Moreover, Lu Chen clarified his position, firmly supporting Prince Lu Yi as the Crown Prince, and directly mentioned in the announcement that should anyone with ulterior motives dare to take advantage of the chaos, he would lead his troops southward to quell the rebels.

After the "North Prince's Announcement to the People of Great Sum" was published by the North Country official gazette, the Eastern Times quickly released a series of analyses concerning the current situation. In these articles, it was repeatedly mentioned that North Country was suspected to have a military force of six hundred thousand.

The release of Lu Chen's "North Prince's Announcement to the People of Great Sum" swiftly deterred those Seigniors who were restless. With the North Country's military strength being so formidable, it was clear that the North Prince was not making empty threats. He said he would mobilize troops, and indeed it was a real possibility.

Some Seigniors, after evaluating their own strength, decided to stand down and let Zhao Country clash with North Country first.