As Chu Yuqin's graceful figure faded into the distance, Mu Zixuan couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle, her eyes full of mischief.
Lu Chen looked at her in confusion.
"My beloved, what's making you laugh like that?"
Mu Zixuan turned her head and smiled.
"Your Highness, did you not see Aunt Chu's expression just now? When she left the courtyard, her face was flushed as red as a rose and she looked absolutely miserable—she was trying so hard to keep her composure!"
Lu Chen chuckled inwardly. No doubt, it was the lingering effects of the Dragon and Phoenix Tea—a potion designed to stir the heart and cloud the mind with desire.
Mu Zixuan then asked softly, her tone laced with curiosity,
"My Lord, has Miss Wang truly submitted to you now?"
Lu Chen paused to think. Just before Wang Qingci left the palace, he'd casually glanced at her favorability value. Surprisingly, it hadn't dropped despite his forceful approach. On the contrary, the Dragon and Phoenix Tea had worked wonders—her favorability had actually risen by ten points, reaching a steady seventy.
But even so, that didn't mean she had fully surrendered to him yet. There was still a trace of resistance beneath that demure surface.
"Not yet," Lu Chen admitted with a faint smile. "But if she comes to the palace a few more times, I'm confident she won't want to leave."
Mu Zixuan giggled again. "Then I wish the prince swift success in conquering her heart."
Lu Chen merely smiled, saying no more.
---
Meanwhile, back at Baihua Tower, Wang Qingci was pacing limpingly within her room, her brows furrowed in deep thought.
Her mind replayed every moment spent inside the palace. She was a ninth-rank expert, someone whose cultivation was already at the peak of mortal realms—yet somehow, she had been drugged without even realizing it.
That alone chilled her to the bone.
If the King of the North had wanted to kill me today… I would've died without even knowing how I lost my power.
Even now, she wasn't entirely sure whether he knew of her true identity or not. Judging from his behavior, he seemed to treat her as just another beauty. But that made it worse—if she couldn't even guard herself against him, then what did her strength amount to? What's the meaning of cultivating for years? If it can't even defend against a kid?
Unforgivable…
She sat down at the table, her expression cold. Her fingers moved deftly as she opened a carved wooden box and took out a series of elegant glass bottles. Inside them were the various perfumes she had brought back from the palace.
Could it be… the scent?
Her instincts screamed that something had happened after she applied the palace perfume. She uncorked one bottle and took a cautious sniff.
Nothing.
Her internal strength remained intact.
Unwilling to give up, she opened each bottle in turn, carefully sampling the fragrance of each one.
Still nothing.
Her qi continued to flow smoothly, her meridians unaffected.
And yet…
I regained my strength the moment I left his side…
Could the issue not lie within the perfume itself?
Her brows knitted tighter.
Could it be… that man?
The possibility was absurd. Lu Chen was an ordinary prince, a man who barely knew how to wield a blade, let alone concoct methods that could suppress the strength of a ninth-rank expert.
And yet, the facts refused to align with logic.
The more she thought, the more frustrated she became. Originally, she had planned to enchant and manipulate the Northern King using her charm and cultivation, slowly leading him into her palm.
But not only had her scheme failed, she had ended up… submitting herself to him in a manner she could hardly accept.
That man tormented her so thoroughly she even began to worry—
What if she actually became pregnant with his child?
Just the thought caused her blood to boil.
"That bastard! That lecherous dog of a prince!" she cursed, slamming her hand against the table. Her teeth gnashed in fury as she growled,
"One day, I'll make sure he regrets this—I'll castrate him myself!"
---
At that very moment, within the Northern Palace…
Lu Chen had not gone to see Zhou Youyou today, allowing her a rare moment of peace and solitude. Meanwhile, Chu Yuqin, after taking a stroll through the inner courtyard to calm her emotions, returned to the main courtyard.
But by then, Lu Chen had already departed. Only Mu Zixuan remained, seated leisurely in the pavilion with a pot of tea at her side.
Chu Yuqin walked over and sat beside her, her voice gentle but serious.
"Zixuan… Chen'er told me that his lustful ways were not as they seemed—that he had his own reasons. Can you tell me what those reasons are?"
Mu Zixuan blinked, briefly caught off guard.
She had assumed everyone saw through that excuse. To her, it was obvious Lu Chen had just said it to pacify Chu Yuqin—but she hadn't expected the lady to take it to heart.
Still, as the princess consort, Mu Zixuan would never speak ill of her husband, no matter how much truth there was in jest.
After a brief pause, she replied thoughtfully,
"Aunt Chu, haven't you noticed how much the prince has changed recently? Though he still enjoys pleasure, he's nothing like the idle, incompetent man the rumors once painted him to be."
Chu Yuqin's expression shifted slightly as she considered this.
Now that it was mentioned, Lu Chen had indeed changed.
Not only did he suddenly possess two mysterious weapons, he also had a miraculous tree that could boost cultivation. His temperament, too, had shifted. Where once he left all matters to her, indifferent and idle, he had now begun involving himself in palace affairs.
Soap, perfume—he introduced them to increase palace income. And there was the military… He had even entrusted Li Feng to train the troops with renewed discipline.
Then there was the matter of his internal energy. He was now a warrior. Though she couldn't comprehend how he'd gained strength so suddenly, the presence of power in his body was undeniable.
Yet… how did any of this relate to his supposed "lustful difficulties"?
"I understand he's changed…" Chu Yuqin said slowly, "but how does that explain his promiscuity?"
Mu Zixuan sighed, her eyes growing misty.
"In my opinion, the prince never truly indulged in lust for its own sake. He did it… to defile his own image, to protect himself. To survive."
Her voice grew soft but firm.
"Think about it, Aunt Chu—if the prince had shown his talents openly back in the capital, would he have made it out alive?"
Chu Yuqin froze.
Her mind reeled as if lightning had struck her thoughts.
She had always believed that Lu Chen, spoiled and wayward, was simply enjoying the privileges of royal life, unworthy of his title. But what if… what if that had all been a carefully crafted mask?
The moment she considered the possibility, everything began to click into place.
The assassination at Blood Moon Tower, his banishment to the north, the strange silence from the emperor… all of it began to make a new kind of sense.
He was branded as useless—purposely, perhaps to lull enemies into ignoring him. But even then, he had nearly been killed.
Had he revealed even a sliver of intelligence or power, wouldn't his brothers and political rivals have tried even harder to eliminate him?
A surge of guilt twisted in Chu Yuqin's chest.
She had misunderstood him.
It wasn't that he hadn't matured—it was that she had never truly seen him.
He had borne the pressure alone, enduring the scorn of the court, the whispers of the capital, the lewd rumors—just to stay alive.
Her heart ached.
"I've been so blind…" she murmured.
"I've always thought Chen'er was still a child, immature and ignorant. I promised my sister I would protect him, care for him—yet I didn't even try to understand the burdens he carried."
Mu Zixuan looked at her with empathy and reached out to hold her hand.
"Aunt Chu, don't blame yourself. You've done so much for him, far more than anyone else could. And in the prince's heart, you are irreplaceable."
Chu Yuqin shook her head with a bitter smile.
"I don't deserve that title… I couldn't even recognize the pain in his heart. I've been with him for more than ten years, yet you've seen more in just a few months of marriage."
Mu Zixuan gently squeezed her hand.
"You're wrong. In his heart, no one is more important than you."
Chu Yuqin sighed again, a deep weariness weighing down her shoulders. Though she said nothing more, her eyes betrayed the flood of emotions she could no longer hold back.
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