Chapter 2231: Chapter 1921: What Do You Think of Princess Yun’an?

Upon hearing the words of the Earth Realm tributor in the room, everyone’s gaze turned to Lu Chen, and a trace of worry appeared on their faces. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The elderly tributors with gray hair and beards had their brows tightly knit.

Lu Chen is the hope of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor. If anything happens to him, the manor would be completely doomed.

Now they felt that even sending three Earth Realm strong persons to protect Lu Chen might not be enough, and it should be more the better.

At this moment, Prince Zhen Nan’s aged, spiritless eyes focused on Lu Chen, the dim candlelight casting an accent on his wrinkled face, making it appear even more withered, "Chen’er, since Princess Yun’an is fond of you, why don’t you associate with her more?"

Seeing that even Prince Zhen Nan thought Ji Yunmeng liked him, Lu Chen sighed helplessly, "Father, do you also think Princess Yun’an truly likes me? Her sending the sword to the Zhen Nan Prince Manor clearly has another motive."

Prince Zhen Nan coughed, his thin shoulders trembling slightly with the effort, "Regardless of her intentions, for the time being, she and Emperor Zhou are on the side of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor."

Lu Chen nodded, "Okay, I understand, I’ll do as you say, Father."

Actually, even without Prince Zhen Nan’s words, Lu Chen planned to interact more with Ji Yunmeng; after all, he was still interested in her.

At this time, Lu Xun, standing on the left, spoke. Dressed in a blue robe, there was a scholarly calmness between his brows, "Do we really have to side with Emperor Zhou? He is clearly using the Zhen Nan Prince Manor."

Beside him, Fu Li, who was stroking his whiskers, interjected. He had a broad build and spoke with a low voice, "Currently, the only strategy to lighten the pressure is to side with Emperor Zhou."

Throughout the Great Zhou, not all were from the Empress Dowager Faction. Quite a few powers, or one could say court officials, secretly supported Emperor Zhou’s reclaiming of power. However, because of the Pei Family’s dominance, those powers and officials could only bury their thoughts deep within their hearts.

Now that Emperor Zhou indirectly signaled that he stands with the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, naturally, those from the Imperial Faction wouldn’t trouble the manor. On the contrary, they’d do anything to protect Lu Chen, ensuring no harm comes to him.

So this is also a good thing for the Zhen Nan Prince Manor.

Prince Zhen Nan laid back on the bed, his cloudy eyes shifting slightly, "Fu Li is right. We need the power of the Imperial Faction to protect Chen’er. Since Emperor Zhou needs the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, he won’t watch it head towards destruction."

"Even if Emperor Zhou does nothing, the Imperial Faction will secretly protect Chen’er."

The Emperor often doesn’t need to do things personally, as long as he signals slightly, others will naturally take care of the rest.

After confirming to temporarily side with Emperor Zhou, Prince Zhen Nan sent the Earth Realm tributors and strategists away, leaving Lu Chen alone in the room.

Once they left, the room turned quiet, leaving only the flickering light of the oil lamp on the table, casting the shadows of the father and son on the mottled wall.

Prince Zhen Nan slightly lifted his eyelids and said to Lu Chen, "Chen’er, you needn’t worry. With Lu Xun and others protecting you, you’ll be safe. However, remember, if possible, never leave the capital."

"Even so, be cautious in all you do. Although you have a trace of Dragon Qi in you, which prevents ordinary spiritual evils and spirit martial artists from taking your life, they can still find indirect means to do so."

Lu Chen stood with his hands down, "Yes, Father, I will be careful and try not to leave the capital."

"But if I go to the Deceit Suppression Bureau, they would likely assign me a task outside the capital immediately."

Since the royal family wants to eliminate him, they wouldn’t allow him to remain in the capital. Within a month, the Deceit Suppression Bureau would surely assign him a task to investigate outside the capital.

Prince Zhen Nan paused in silence, the dim light dancing on his face, "What you said is indeed possible. Given that, I will impart more Dragon Qi to you. Though its effects weaken significantly outside the capital, it will sharpen your senses, making it easier to detect spiritual evils and dangers."

As he said this, Prince Zhen Nan raised a finger resembling a gnarled tree, with dry skin speckled with brown age spots, and pointed at Lu Chen. The next moment, golden gas streams spiraled from his finger, tracing dim gold trails in the dim room, drifting gently toward Lu Chen.

In no time, the Dragon Qi merged into Lu Chen’s forehead. As his body received the energy, he noticeably felt the suppression of spiritual evil within him become more evident.

This Dragon Qi had the power to suppress spiritual evil; thus, the more Dragon Qi, the less pain a spirit martial artist endured during cultivation.

With less pain in cultivation, wouldn’t it be easier to progress? Across the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, perhaps there was no one for whom cultivation was easier than Emperor Zhou, who surely possessed the densest Dragon Qi.

After transmitting half the Dragon Qi to Lu Chen, Prince Zhen Nan suddenly began coughing violently. His frail body curled into the large chair, with a mouthful of old blood spurted out, staining the front of his garment, seeping into a dark red patch. Lu Chen quickly moved to his father’s side, supporting his trembling shoulders, "Father, are you okay?"

Dragon Qi could suppress spiritual evil. Although Prince Zhen Nan suffered backlash from spiritual evil, he survived this long due to the Dragon Qi in his body. For an ordinary person facing the same level of backlash, death would be certain.

This time, Prince Zhen Nan transferred a significant portion of his Dragon Qi to Lu Chen at once. With such a drastic reduction, the spiritual evil within naturally became harder to suppress.

Prince Zhen Nan leaned on Lu Chen’s arm, breathing heavily to adjust. He raised his bloodless face, struggling to speak, "I’m fine, my child."

Lu Chen looked at his father’s aged face and hesitated before speaking, "Father, the Dragon Qi can suppress spiritual evil, right? You transferred so much to me at once; how will your body...?"

Lu Chen stopped short, realizing that when he felt the Dragon Qi’s ability to contain spiritual evil, he foresaw that Prince Zhen Nan’s health might worsen.

Prince Zhen Nan waved his frail hand, his voice weak yet stubborn, "It’s nothing. I have few days left either way. You are my only child, the only hope for the Zhen Nan Prince Manor. Even if I were to go today, you must be unharmed."

Hearing his father’s words, Lu Chen felt a mix of emotions. How tender, the heart of a parent.

Prince Zhen Nan, after catching his breath, glanced through the hazy light, recalling something, and asked, "What do you think of Princess Yun’an? If you were to engage in dual cultivation with her, could it elevate your realm?"

Lu Chen replied, "She is indeed one of the women who fulfills the conditions for dual cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhen Nan immediately said, struggling to straighten himself, a trace of determination on his aged face, "In that case, I could ask Emperor Zhou for a marriage alliance for you."

Since Emperor Zhou intends to use Zhen Nan Prince Manor as a pawn, naturally, he couldn’t think there would be no price to pay.

Prince Zhen Nan wasn’t concerned that after marrying the princess, Ji Yunmeng would control the entire Zhen Nan Prince Manor. After all, the Earth Realm tributors there only acknowledged bloodlines.

From Prince Zhen Nan’s perspective, Ji Yunmeng had exceptional talent, and it was only a matter of time before she became an Earth Realm strong person. If they were to couple up, their offsprings might inherit exceptional talent, eliminating any concerns about succession.

Upon hearing his father’s words, Lu Chen was taken aback, looking at the elderly man in front of him, slouched against the chair, his face sallow and breathing labored.

In his current state, how could he request such a thing from Emperor Zhou?

His health made it impossible for him to enter the palace. As for submitting a memorial, it would likely fall into the hands of the Empress Dowager, who would never allow the Zhen Nan Prince Manor to unite with Emperor Zhou. She would do everything in her power to prevent Ji Yunmeng from marrying into the manor.