surge
This was Chen Yun's house. He sat in the middle hall, sipped tea in anger. Chen Lu and Huang Youbing, each holding their child, listened to Chen Yun's complaints with gloomy faces.
"That guy Li Lin, I won't even mention all the problems with his concubines. Now I don't know which woman he's hooked up with, and he smells different every day. I don't want to be ridiculed for having a husband with a strong taste. Madam, I can't handle that! Plus, he wants you to infiltrate Gao Mi'er's team as spies. Ugh!"
"besides..."
Chen Yun's eldest brother, Chen Feng, sat nearby, tugging at his ears until oil was about to drip out. He said impatiently, "Alright, alright, Xiao Yun, you've already made the Crown Prince sound worthless. Royals are naturally fickle, it's your choice!"
Huang Youbing patted Chen Feng's shoulder gently and gave him a look, signaling him not to exaggerate. Chen Feng was also given a look by Chen Siyu, Chen Yun's third sister.
Huang Youbing said softly, "Yun'er, the Crown Prince is the future monarch after all, so it's inevitable that he has many concerns and misunderstandings. You and your spouse should communicate more and don't let misunderstandings accumulate."
Chen Yun was silent for a moment, a complex expression flashing across her eyes. She understood all this, but whenever she thought of the unfamiliar scent on Li Lin's body, her heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. She didn't know why.
"By the way, what kind of work did you do after leaving the Imperial Merchants?"
Chen Lu said, "Now your father and I help others with some repairs, and your mother does sewing. Recently, your mother's relatives learned that you became the Crown Princess and have recommended a lot of jobs to us. They are eager to curry favor with us! And Xiaoyu also works with your mother."
Chen Feng said, "I'm now working as a hired help agent, mainly responsible for bringing in people from Japan. We've already got over a thousand people coming in, and I get a commission from their wages. The number will increase in the future, and I plan to save some money so I can start my own business."
"Second sister, let me tell you, big brother has two romantic interests recently. One is the second daughter of the Zhongzhou governor Shi. I haven't met her parents yet, so I'm not sure. The other is the princess of Tufan country, who should be considered the crown princess here, right? She wants to take big brother as her male concubine."
Hearing Chen Siyu's ridicule, Chen Yun's first concern was not her attitude, but the content of her words. She fell silent. "Tufan Country seems to allow polygamy for both men and women. But Gao Mier's male concubine... could it be that he relied on acquaintances to invade other countries to do things? If he entered Qiankun Country without a permit, that would make sense. But I don't want my family to be used without knowing it."
At this moment, someone knocked at the door, and Chen Feng immediately went out. A moment later, Chen Feng shouted, "Dad, Mom! Something bad has happened, come out and greet the guests!"
At this moment, the Chen family hurried to the courtyard and saw a large crowd of people. In addition to the current Emperor Li Lie'ao and Empress Xue Lian, there was also Crown Prince Li Lin and his two concubines, Wei Ningshuang and Yan Ruoxi. Also with them were Shi Lu and Cheng Yifeng.
The Chen family hurried forward to pay their respects.
Li Lie'ao said, "Please stand up. I came here to visit the Crown Princess's family and take her back to the palace."
Li Lin walked up to Chen Yun and said, "Crown Princess, now that you have enough freedom, please follow me back to the palace."
"Um... you didn't come here just to invite me back to the palace, did you?"
Chen Lu walked over with a welcoming smile and guided them into the hall. "Ladies and gentlemen, instead of standing in the yard, why don't you come in and talk?"
Everyone walked into the central hall, Li Lieo and Xue Lian took the host seats, and the others stood on both sides of the seats.
Li Lie'ao said, "I came here today to discuss matters concerning the Eastern Ocean nations, Tufan, and my country. A few days ago, General Niu Zhao, one of the Twelve Cavalry, reported that the Eastern Ocean nations, under the pretext of famine, have joined forces with Tufan to attack several of my country's granaries and fields, seizing food and resources. Yesterday, an envoy from the Eastern Ocean came and asked me to trade metal materials for an unequal treaty. I want to deal with this, but I can't find a target, so I hope the Crown Princess can offer some advice. If that doesn't work, I can only find someone from the public to act as bait to attract the attention of Tufan's spies."
Cheng Yifeng handed Chen Yun a drawing signed by the Crown Prince. "Recently, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry have been working together on a large-scale development of weapons. This is a drawing the Ministry of Industry recently found. It's forged with the Crown Prince's signature, but it's nominally based on your conception, Crown Princess. Does Crown Princess have any impression of it?"
Chen Yun took the paper and saw it was a detailed drawing of a repeating crossbow. This weapon was unheard of in Qiankun Country, so it was natural for him to be suspicious. However, it was clearly not his handwriting. "Such a finely crafted design, without significant adjustments, is considered a modified weapon, contrary to the Yuantian School's philosophy. This is an offensive falsehood."
Shi Lu said, "Recently, our caravan has received intelligence that many workshops producing iron, gold, and copper have been bought out, leading to a wave of workshop closures. I heard that the Crown Princess dealt with the issue of misappropriation of metal mines a while ago, but it's now resurfacing."
Chen Yun understood the emperor's purpose in coming, which was to persuade the Chen family to serve as bait. At the same time, Chen Yun understood one thing—Tufan was attempting to wage a war of attrition by colluding with internal forces, ultimately achieving victory without a fight.
Xue Lian continued, "The Crown Prince has brought both of his concubines here, mainly to determine their respective titles. The Crown Prince has expressed his love and respect for you, so he is willing to leave the decision on this title to you. Yun'er, you can do whatever you want! If you want to scold them, you can do so now. If you need them to apologize, that's fine too."
Chen Yun didn't really care about the two concubines. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Just give them the title of Zhao Xun. I, your son, have no grudge against them, so there's no need to blame them."
Chen Yun thought for a moment, then bowed slightly and said, "I did have an unexpected gain during my trip home. If I'm not mistaken, the Imperial Concubine is accusing Mi'er and Prince Afan of playing both sides. The woman seduces men from her country as her concubines, deceiving the common people, who then lure the enemy into the country and steal its resources."
Chen Yun paused for a moment and looked at Li Lin and Li Lieo. He saw Li Lieo and Li Lin's faces changed. He didn't expect that the enemy would secretly win over unsuspecting people to do things for them.
Chen Yun continued, "The man is using the Japanese to wage a price war over the cost of hired labor and metal raw materials to control metal production, weaken our nation's military capabilities, and achieve victory without fighting. Regarding this, I still need to spend time investigating and clarifying the ins and outs. So...is it time for someone here to share some clues about the Imperial Concubine?"
Chen Feng saw Chen Yun's cold eyes looking at him and hurriedly explained to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I was unaware of this situation. I only know that we always met in a small boat by the Liuxi River. We usually communicated through letters."
Li Lin knew that Chen Feng was one of the people who fell into the trap. Considering Chen Feng's current desire to protect his family, he was still willing to reconcile with Chen Feng. So he said to Li Lie'ao: "Father, please allow me to obtain information on this matter."
"I agree."
Chen Yun was stunned by Li Lin's words, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. She couldn't believe that Li Lin would speak in her favor, and this sudden support left her at a loss for words. Only when Li Lin met her gaze did she shyly look away, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Empress Xue Lian's gaze flickered between Chen Yun and Li Lin. She knew now was not the time to continue arguing. So, she gently persuaded them, "Yun'er, Lin'er, you are both intelligent people. You should understand what's most important right now. Don't let a momentary dispute over your own emotions cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture."
Chen Yun sat down and said, "Then the prince must reflect on his actions."
Li Lin, also sitting across from Chen Yun, said, "Was it you who did this, or was it me? You're flirting with other men, and none of you have any chastity left in you."
Chen Yun took a deep breath and sneered, "You have no problem flirting with other women, but I do. May I ask, Yan Ruoxi's indenture has been retrieved from the Third Prince, why don't you divorce? There are so many official positions in the palace, why don't you let Wei Ningshuang serve as a female official?"
"Every day he asks about everything about me like a dog. I don't know what he's doing with his hidden skills. He's terrible at everything."
Chen Lu and Huang Youbing frowned and looked away, while Li Lieo and Xue Lian covered their heads with their hands in pain.
Li Lin crossed his legs, suddenly opened his collar to reveal his collarbone, and then said, "Concubine Wei, Concubine Yan, my two beloved concubines, please come to the front and help me relax my muscles."
Wei Ningshuang and Yan Ruoxi stepped forward, one knelt down to massage his legs, and the other knelt on a chair to massage his shoulders.
Chen Yun suddenly took out the Rubik's Cube and slammed it on the table, then said, "Shi Lu, Cheng Yifeng, make tea for me."
Shi Lu held up the teapot, and Cheng Yifeng picked up the kettle and poured the hot tea. Then, Cheng Yifeng held the teacup with both hands, blowing on it to warm it up before passing it to Chen Yun. Shi Lu brushed back Chen Yun's bangs.
Li Lin's mouth twitched, and then he pulled the two concubines from both sides into his arms, looking at Chen Yun with pride. However, Wei Ningshuang and Yan Ruoxi were shy.
Chen Yan reached out, looked at the two men tenderly, and stroked their handsome faces. Shi Lu and Cheng Yifeng unconsciously revealed smiles that only made them more obvious.
"Wait!" Li Lin suddenly pushed aside the two women beside him and jumped up to grab the teacup. "The Crown Princess is always tinkering with strange things. I'm afraid there's some aphrodisiac in this tea?"
Chen Yun snatched back the teacup and drank it all: "Your Highness, you are worrying too much. This is clearly a warming soup specially made to cure impotence and philandering!"
"Oh, by the way, Prince, if there's a woman you like... tell me and I'll introduce her to you. I'll let you enjoy new dishes every day, and indulge in wine and meat every day without ever wanting to leave."
"The Crown Princess is also like this. Since you are so perverted and like to keep male favorites, why not grant you a palace so that you can raise those male favorites fat and white?"
The two of them grew angrier and angrier, and finally, Chen Yun stood up and started yelling, "Li Lin! That's enough!"
"You're the one who keeps chattering and getting too nervous, and you're blaming me? Do I have to let you control everything I do?"
"The problem is that you act without thinking, you act crudely and without using your brain!"
"What do you mean, old boy? You have no brains."
Chen Lu and Huang Youbing pulled Chen Yan away, and Xue Lian couldn't help but come to the front and pull Li Lin away.
Chen Yun was still unconvinced and shouted, "Go back! Li Lin!"
"Let's go back! Humph!"
Li Lin turned around angrily and strode out the door. Wei Ningshuang and Yan Ruoxi looked embarrassed and hurried to catch up, but they didn't dare to say much. Shi Lu and Cheng Yifeng stood together, not daring to say much.
Chen Siyu, who had been sitting in the corner watching the show for a long time, sighed and said, "Ah, it's true that birds of a feather flock together. Their personalities are so similar."
Queen Xue Lian sighed softly, her eyes moving back and forth between the backs of Chen Yun and Li Lin, full of helplessness.
"Yun'er, why are you doing this?" Xue Lian said earnestly. He walked over to Chen Yun and gently patted her shoulder. "There's no such thing as overnight hatred between husband and wife. You're only hurting each other by being so confrontational."
Chen Yun's eyes were slightly red. He held back his tears and turned his head away stubbornly: "Mother, you don't know, he...he doesn't understand me at all!"
"Alas, child, how many people in this world can truly understand another person? The way of husband and wife is to tolerate and give to each other. The husband does not exceed the bottom line of his wife. Even if he is a philanderer, the wife pretends to be ignorant. This is the way of a wife. The wife has a bad temper and is wasteful. As long as she does not exceed the bottom line of her husband, the husband must learn to give in. This is the way of a husband. Husband and wife need to get along appropriately but not cowardly, so that they can respect each other like guests. The Queen Mother and your father, your father and your mother have come through this as well." Xue Lian comforted gently, his eyes full of the wisdom and tolerance of an experienced person.
Chen Lu and Huang Youbing also gathered around. Huang Youbing whispered softly, "Qing'er, listen to your mother. The most important thing between husband and wife is communication and understanding. Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sometimes acts impulsively, he still has you in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so considerate of you in his words."
Chen Yan was silent for a moment, the anger in her heart gradually subsiding, replaced by a trace of bitterness and confusion. She understood these principles, but whenever she faced Li Lin's indifference and fickleness, she always couldn't control her emotions.
"Forget it. I'll just treat today's events as my own willfulness." Chen Yan finally spoke, his voice tinged with compromise and fatigue. "I'll find an opportunity to have a good talk with him."
Li Lie'ao nodded and smiled, approving of Chen Yun's decision. "That's right, Yun'er. As the Crown Princess, you must not only possess talent and wisdom, but also tolerance. I believe that you and your wife will be able to resolve your misunderstanding and reconcile."
At that moment, a message came from outside the gate: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had prepared his carriage and was about to return to the palace. Chen Yun felt a mixture of emotions. He wanted to catch up with Li Lin immediately and reason with him, but he was also afraid of getting drawn into another argument.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Dad, Mom, I'd like to go for a walk outside and sort out my thoughts." Chen Yun bowed to Xue Lian and Li Lieo and turned to leave.
After walking out of the door, Li Lin and Chen Ying looked at each other, then snorted and Chen Ying walked away.
Chen Yun walked along the streets of the capital, taking in the bustling business environment and the endless stream of pedestrians, and sighed inwardly. Many years ago, she had never dared to imagine that she would be in a position higher than the royal nobles, but now, she had to worry about the court.
There was a loud noise coming from a shop nearby. Out of curiosity, Chen Yan walked in to take a look, only to find that several people dressed in Tufan country clothes were fighting with the boss.
"Get down on my feet, you idiots! I have official documents, and I'm buying your materials out of respect!"
"I won't do business with you scumbag merchants! As long as I live, my workshop will live!"
Then the boss was pushed against the wall. In desperation, the boss took out a hammer from his side and swung it, forcing Tu Fanguo and the other man in front of him to step back a few steps.
Chen Yan rushed in to stop him in a panic: "Boss, calm down! You will be punished by the government if you hurt people like this!"
"We haven't been open for a long time! Without the workshop, how will my family survive? We bought our house with money borrowed from the bank! Who will pay it back for us?"
One of the Tufan merchants took out a written contract and showed it to us. "Look! This is the contract signed between the imperial court and our Tufan nation! They have agreed to use our metal raw materials in exchange for the Japanese's promise not to invade. If you don't hand over the metal, the Japanese will march into your capital!"
Chen Yun took a look at the contract. The seal was correct and the content was well organized, but if the contract was really signed, it would be impossible for the emperor to come to her in person to discuss the trade between the Eastern countries and the Tufan Kingdom.
The other party continued, "Also! Now other countries are also starting to reduce their metal supply due to a shortage of metal resources, so it's only a matter of time before your workshops go bankrupt!"
After hearing this, Chen Yun frowned, suddenly realizing something was amiss. "How could they possibly know the policies of other countries? No... They're trying to take advantage of the information gap with the store owners."
The boss grabbed the businessman by the collar and said, "Why would I care about you so much?"
Chen Yun pushed the boss away, then went to her and grabbed the businessman's collar: "Take me to your caravan. Otherwise, I'll let the boss smash you to pieces."
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