Chapter 341 - Chapter 341: Chapter 237 Discovered_2

Chapter 341: Chapter 237 Discovered_2

She had never once thought that Lin Wanyun would betray her.

But now…

Chen Wanrong suddenly felt her heart twitch, her body became unstable, she quickly braced herself on the stone table, then sat calmly in the pavilion and began to regulate her inner strength.

After a while, the turmoil inside Chen Wanrong had calmed, and so had she.

She had been blinded by the anger of betrayal, so she could not think rationally for a moment.

But now it was different, after calming down, her mind began to analyze why Lin Wanyun would do such a thing, why she would debase herself with Lu Chen.

She still did not believe that Lin Wanyun would betray her, after all, they were as close as mother and daughter, she did not believe that all the feelings Lin Wanyun had for her in the past were false.

If Lin Wanyun had not betrayed her, and instead had chosen to do that sort of thing with Lu Chen, it was very likely that it was to poison Lu Chen, and she had no choice but to sacrifice her beauty to get close to him.

Thinking this, Chen Wanrong had a sudden realization.

Thinking about it, all that Lin Wanyun had done was for her, and she had even doubted her?

At this realization, a deep sense of guilt arose in Chen Wanrong’s heart.

To take care of her, Lin Wanyun had remained without a partner until now, and Lin Wanyun was already in her thirties, she was a woman, and she had needs too.

Chen Wanrong was very clear in her heart that women in the inner court of the Prince’s Mansion, once they had even a little to do with Lu Chen, could easily succumb; she had long overhear the maids and servants in the Prince’s Mansion talk about the miraculous aspects of Lu Chen.

Lin Wanyun, who had suppressed herself for decades, suddenly came into contact with such a handsome man, and moreover, a man very skilled at dealing with women, it was not strange that she would become the way she did earlier.

Although Chen Wanrong had never experienced the matters of men and women, she was, after all, the Palace Master of the Mysterious Moon Palace; she was also knowledgeable about these things.

The Mysterious Moon Palace did not prohibit disciples from finding partners, they simply forbade disciples from having children, and in order not to let the disciples become pregnant due to the matters of men and women, the library of the Mysterious Moon Palace contained books that taught about these matters, especially contraception, which Chen Wanrong had also learned about.

At this moment, the air in the courtyard seemed to grow colder, and Chen Wanrong’s face became colder as well, her body seemed to release a chill to the surroundings.

Her dignified and virtuous Madam Lin, had just now been handled like livestock by that man. Even though she understood that everything Lin Wanyun did might have been for her, she still felt somewhat unable to forgive Lu Chen in her heart.

She had stood outside the study door for a while and eavesdropped on their conversation; judging from their dialogue, this was not the first or second time they had acted inappropriately.

Moreover, Lu Chen’s intentions were far from pure. Lu Chen did not just want to possess Lin Wanyun’s body; his real aim was to impregnate her, and having children in the Mysterious Moon Palace was a taboo.

Moreover, Lin Wanyun was already in her thirties this year, and Lu Chen still wanted her to have his child. What was on this man’s mind, only breeding?

With such a desire to breed, once she successfully restored her country in the future, she would confine him in the Imperial Palace and find him a few hundred palace maids to let him breed day after day.

At this thought, Chen Wanrong clenched her delicate fist.

An unusual emotion stirred within her, she herself did not know what kind of emotion it was, but it made her feel restless. Even though she had calmed down a moment ago, her heart was soon again occupied by that restlessness.

Chen Wanrong adjusted her inner strength once more, trying to stabilize her emotions again.

And so, Chen Wanrong sat in the pavilion for an entire night while Lin Wanyun was also being pressed for an entire night in Lu Chen’s study.

When the first rays of the morning sun touched the earth, a weary Lin Wanyun returned to the courtyard, and as soon as she entered, she saw Chen Wanrong in the pavilion.

After having just done the deed, Lin Wanyun felt guilty at the sight of Chen Wanrong, and tried to act as if nothing had happened, heading towards her own room.

But at that moment, Chen Wanrong asked, “Madam Lin, where were you last night?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanyun stopped in her tracks, her mind went blank.

Having come to her senses, Lin Wanyun immediately lied, “It was my turn to be on duty last night.”

Chen Wanrong glanced at Lin Wanyun’s slightly disheveled hair and her somewhat torn dress. In the end, she held back and didn’t continue to question her.

From their childhood to the present, Lin Wanyun had almost never lied to her. Yet, because of that man, she had lied to herself, which made Chen Wanrong feel somewhat sad inside.

Seeing Chen Wanrong’s frosty face, Lin Wanyun started to panic inside. She couldn’t help but wonder, could it be that Chen Wanrong had noticed something?

While Lin Wanyun was thinking this, Chen Wanrong said indifferently, “Madam Lin, you may go rest.”

Afterward, Chen Wanrong closed her eyes and continued meditating.

Seeing that Chen Wanrong didn’t say anything, Lin Wanyun breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought that Chen Wanrong had discovered something, which had given her quite a scare.

Then, Lin Wanyun returned to her room, had a maid bring water, took a bath, and went straight to sleep.

Meanwhile.

Elsewhere, a refreshed Lu Chen left the study and saw the maid Xiao Huan leaning against the courtyard wall.

Lin Wanyun was the first to leave the study just before, and she had also seen Xiao Huan. She thought Xiao Huan had fallen asleep against the wall, a common occurrence among maids. Coupled with her urgency to take a bath so as not to be caught in that kind of relationship with Lu Chen, she didn’t pay attention to Xiao Huan.

Lu Chen approached Xiao Huan and then used the Rejuvenating Skill to wake her up.

Upon awakening, Xiao Huan looked at Lu Chen with heavy, sleepy eyes. The next moment, her eyes flew open, and she jumped up from the ground.

“Prince… this servant… this servant…”

Xiao Huan was somewhat unsure of how to explain herself, fearful that Lu Chen would suspect her of dozing off and falling asleep the previous night.

“Prince, someone knocked me out last night, this servant…”

Xiao Huan was close to tears. She had no idea who wanted to harm her by knocking her out and leaving her there, and now she was at a loss for how to explain.

Lu Chen smiled and said, “This prince knows who knocked you out. You don’t need to overexplain. Don’t tell anyone about this.”

Hearing this from Lu Chen, Xiao Huan was stunned for a moment. She hadn’t expected that Lu Chen would actually know who was behind it. But since Lu Chen had said so, she figured she wouldn’t be punished. With that thought, Xiao Huan breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Chen then turned and walked towards the main courtyard, planning to take a bath first, then have breakfast before heading to the Hall of Political Affairs. There were many tasks to handle today, including finalizing the delineation of counties in North Country.

As for Chen Wanrong’s visit outside the study last night, Lu Chen wasn’t worried it would lead to any adverse consequences. Chen Wanrong’s favorability towards him had long since maxed out at a hundred. Even if she saw him with Lin Wanyun, she wouldn’t harbor any hatred towards him.

The matter between Chen Wanrong and Lin Wanyun was left for the two women to resolve on their own.

By the time Lu Chen had taken his bath, eaten breakfast, and arrived at the Hall of Political Affairs, the officials of North Country had mostly assembled.

Without wasting time, Lu Chen brought out the map drawn by the Brocade Guard and hung it on the pillars of the great hall, then allowed the officials to speak their minds. He wanted to hear their thoughts on delineation first, before making his own decisions on the matter.

After a morning of discussion, the new map of North Country was finally determined, dividing it into six jurisdictions and eighteen counties, with all the grasslands from Tianguang City to Great Yu City included within the borders of North Country.

Once the map was confirmed, Lu Chen estimated the area and realized that, excluding the original North Country, the current territory of North Country had now surpassed the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

Of course, North Country was nominally also a part of the Great Xia Dynasty, so this was considered a territorial expansion of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Now that the map of North Country was set, Lu Chen had no intention of keeping it a secret. The North Land was originally ownerless, and if it were to be claimed, sovereignty must be declared.

In the following days, the North Prince Mansion issued an announcement to inform the citizens of North Country about the incorporation of the North Land into North Country. Furthermore, Lu Chen personally wrote a memorial to be submitted to the Great Xia Imperial Court.