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

Early morning.

A sliver of sunlight filtered into the resting room, shining on the bed with a dazzling brightness as if bathed in a holy light.

As Murong Xue'er drifted in and out of consciousness, she felt as if she had completely become Lu Chen's wife, involuntarily calling him "darling" under her breath.

It was at that moment that Murong Xue'er suddenly awoke with a start.

The next moment, she found it somewhat difficult to breathe.

Feeling the weight of the "bad thing" atop her, Murong Xue'er's emotions became complicated.

Her purpose had been uncovered; if she reported back truthfully this time, she might never see the North Prince again. The thought of the events from the previous day caused a flicker of reluctance to arise within her.

This was her first man. Even though she had given herself to him for the sake of her mission, she still developed some strange feelings for him in her heart.

Murong Xue'er's mind blanked for a moment.

What on earth was she daydreaming about? She had actually thought of staying by this man's side forever. How could she entertain such thoughts!

With this in mind, Murong Xue'er glanced at Lu Chen's head.

At that moment, Lu Chen was sprawled on top of her, his head resting on her fragrant shoulder.

Murong Xue'er couldn't help but raise her hand, wishing she could smack the "bad thing's" pig-headedness and take the opportunity to get rid of him.

Although that's what she thought, when her hand came down, it merely stroked Lu Chen's black hair.

Murong Xue'er sighed inwardly, whispering softly, "Goodbye..."

She had decided in her heart, once back, she would tell the Yue Emperor everything that happened in the North Country and never return to the North Country again.

She was genuinely worried that if she came to the North Country again, she might truly be completely conquered by this "bad thing."

The North Prince met all her criteria for choosing a man. Most importantly, the North Prince was extraordinarily skilled at handling women. She found it overwhelming and feared that, if her heart softened one day, she might genuinely betray the Empress and become the North Prince's wife.

Lu Chen, deep in sleep, seemed to hear Murong Xue'er's voice and shifted his head slightly.

Seeing Lu Chen's movement, Murong Xue'er hurriedly moved her jade hand from his head, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Just then, Lu Chen slowly lifted his upper body, his eyes bleary as he gazed at Murong Xue'er.

Murong Xue'er looked straight at Lu Chen, who smiled and said, "Xue'er, what have you decided? Will you cooperate with me?"

Murong Xue'er replied emotionlessly, "I can cooperate with you."

Although she had already resolved to report truthfully to the Yue Emperor, she was still in Yan County, still in the North Country. She definitely couldn't outright refuse the North Prince. She would pretend to agree for now and wait until she was back in Great Yu to discuss further, to avoid the North Prince using any measures to forcibly keep her.

Something about the atmosphere in the North Country felt amiss; Murong Xue'er couldn't quite grasp what the North Country was planning next. Perhaps the North Prince would take a wild notion to become enemies with Great Yu and detain her, an emissary of significant status.

Stabilizing the North Prince first was always a no-fault approach.

Seeing Murong Xue'er's agreement, Lu Chen smiled slightly and then said, "Then I will wait for you here in the North Country for your return. I believe we will meet again soon."

Watching Lu Chen's smile, Murong Xue'er thought to herself, "Never again."

Murong Xue'er raised her hand and pushed against Lu Chen's chest, "Prince, it is time for you to get up."

Lu Chen said with a smile, "Thinking of you leaving the North Country makes it hard for me to let go. How about you stay with me for one more day?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Xue'er's complexion instantly turned pallid. Although she didn't feel any discomfort, she detested the thought of her body being under someone else's control.

Furthermore, if she continued like this, she might indeed fall from grace. Her willpower, she distinctly sensed, was faltering.

Murong Xue'er hastily said, "Prince, please show some self-respect!"

Lu Chen, however, did not heed Murong Xue'er's words. He seized her wrists and pushed them to either side of her head before leaning down to capture her lips once more.

"Mmmmm..."

Murong Xue'er cursed inwardly, calling him a bastard and a beast!

...

After what seemed like ages, Lu Chen finally let Murong Xue'er leave the North Prince Mansion.

As Murong Xue'er returned, her steps felt weightless, her mind still hadn't cleared.

After stepping out of the North Prince Mansion, Murong Xue'er turned for another look at the mansion's plaque. With myriad thoughts racing through her mind, she could not bring herself to board the carriage that awaited her.

After a while, the coachman asked, "Lord Murong, is there something else you need?"

Only then did Murong Xue'er snap back to reality, and turning, she boarded the carriage, "Nothing, let's go."

On the way back to the estate, the recent events replayed incessantly in her mind, leaving a hollow sensation in her heart. She could not pinpoint the feeling, but it suffocated her, making her breaths come hard.

Unconsciously, her hand moved to her lower abdomen, gently caressing it.

In a mutter, she said, "North Prince, I will always remember you, you bastard..."

...

A few days later, Murong Xue'er left Yan County, left North Country, and set out on her journey back to Great Jue.

Murong Xue'er was merely returning to Great Jue to report on her duties, but to some, this signaled that Great Jue might be planning some special maneuvers. Thus, they called back the envoy stationed in North Country.

Soon after Murong Xue'er's departure, Zhuge Zhongguang made a public appearance at the newly constructed academy in North Country, presiding over the opening ceremony. His appearance immediately drew the attention of spies from all the major forces.

The spies quickly realized that while Zhuge Zhongguang's aura was indeed powerful, it could not match that of a Celestial.

Even though most of the spies had never seen a Celestial, they knew that a being of such stature would possess devastating powers beyond comprehension, hence their aura would naturally be formidable, unlike Zhuge Zhongguang's.

The aura that emanated from Zhuge Zhongguang aligned more with what the Eastern Times reported—the Zenith Realm of a Grandmaster.

This led the major forces to more or less confirm that Zhuge Zhongguang was indeed not a Celestial and that North Country truly lacked a practitioner of the Heavenly Human Realm.

Soon, this news spread to every dynasty and faction.

Once the news broke out, certain powers began to stir restlessly. The threat from North Country was simply too great; if not eliminated, nobody could predict whether North Country might one day pose a threat to them.

As days went by, Lu Chen kept a close eye on the happenings within the various dynasties.

One day, as Lu Chen was in his study receiving a report from Qin Yushan, a soldier suddenly announced at the door, "Prince, troops from Great Yu City have arrived at the old city with an army of two hundred thousand."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immediately set aside the intelligence report, a smile spreading across his face, "It has finally arrived!"

Turning to Qin Yushan, he continued, "That will be all for today. The Brocade Guard must continue to closely watch the Capital city."

Qin Yushan replied, "Yes, Prince, I shall take my leave."

After Qin Yushan departed, Lu Chen too quickly headed to the old city, to see the polar regions' army of two hundred thousand.