As soon as Lu Chen departed, Mu Changtian and the other two exhaled in unison, as though a mountain had finally been lifted from their shoulders.
Even now, they found it hard to believe.
That was the King of the North!
The same King of the North who was ridiculed across the capital as ignorant and indulgent!
Who would have thought he was the mysterious prince who had come to save the Mu Mansion?
Mu Changtian chuckled at himself, the sound dry and slightly bitter. "Haha… I never thought I'd be capable of making such a grave misjudgment."
Mu Jingwu, still unable to process the shock, turned toward his father. "Father, I still don't understand. Why would the Northern King suppress his capabilities in the capital? With the power he holds, and the backing of the Chu family, shouldn't the position of Crown Prince be within easy reach?"
True, the King of the North had once said, 'A tree that stands out in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind', but even that statement didn't fully explain his reasoning for hiding his true strength.
Mu Changtian remained quiet for a moment, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "How can mere mortals like us hope to grasp the mind of someone like the Northern King?"
"But judging by his actions," he continued, "he's never seemed interested in leveraging the strength of the aristocratic families. If he had, he would've sought the Chu family's help in governing Beijun the moment he arrived. Yet, from what I know, the Chu family hasn't had any contact with the Northern King's Palace for quite some time."
"That's why I suspect his views toward the noble clans align more closely with Emperor Xia's."
Mu Jingwu and Mu Xingping stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded.
Mu Xingping, quick to recover, frowned as if something suddenly clicked. "Could it be... that the Northern King intentionally distanced himself from the capital? Perhaps his goal is to let His Majesty destroy the aristocratic factions himself. Then, when the struggle for succession has drained all sides, he could return and claim the throne, unchallenged?"
Mu Changtian nodded solemnly. "That's the most plausible explanation. The rot within the noble houses has festered for generations. The Northern King is clearly someone with patience and ambition far beyond the ordinary. He isn't just aiming for the position of crown prince."
"I suspect his gaze is already fixed far beyond that. He's preparing for what lies after the throne is in his grasp."
"If Emperor Xia succeeds in eliminating the aristocratic families, then once the Northern King ascends, there will be no one left to contest his authority. At that point, all of Great Xia would fall entirely under his rule."
"There's another advantage to his approach," he added. "In the future, if people criticize the royal family for being too ruthless, the blame will fall squarely on Emperor Xia. The King of the North? He'll have kept his hands clean."
As Mu Changtian's analysis settled in, both Mu brothers fell into stunned silence.
Who could've imagined that the Northern King, once dismissed as a good-for-nothing playboy, actually harbored such grand ambition and vision?
If—when—he ascends to the throne, his goals likely won't end with merely consolidating Da Xia's power.
Judging from the calculated patience he had shown, once he takes the throne, Da Xia's internal power structure would have already been purged and streamlined by Emperor Xia's efforts. By then, the King of the North wouldn't just be a ruler—he'd be a sovereign with absolute control.
With a mind like that... it would be a tragedy if he didn't aim for something even greater.
The brothers could no longer imagine where the King of the North might steer the ship of Da Xia in the years to come.
Would he attempt to topple all the dynasties and unify the continent under one rule?
Was this merely the prologue to his true ambitions?
That terrifying thought sent a chill down their spines.
So this… was the true face of the Northern King!
---
Meanwhile, in a carriage rumbling its way back to Prince Northern Palace, Lu Chen kept sneezing uncontrollably.
"Did I catch a cold?" he muttered, puzzled. "I'm a ninth-rank warrior… shouldn't my body be immune to something like that?"
By the time he returned to the palace, the strange sneezing fit had finally stopped.
As soon as he stepped inside, Lu Chen went straight to find Mu Zixuan.
She was inside, gently attending to their child. The moment she saw Lu Chen enter, she set Lu Changfeng down and respectfully greeted him.
"Your Highness."
Lu Chen walked over, wrapped an arm around her waist, and playfully scratched the tip of her nose. "I've told you so many times—you're my wife. You don't need to bow to me every time."
Mu Zixuan smiled faintly. "Your Highness is Your Highness. As your wife, it is only proper for me to show respect."
Lu Chen shook his head with a chuckle but didn't push the matter further. Instead, he leaned in and whispered mysteriously, "My beloved, I've prepared a surprise for you. Interested?"
Mu Zixuan blinked. "A surprise? What kind of surprise?"
"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore," Lu Chen replied with a grin. "I've arranged for someone to take you there. You'll find out soon enough."
"But Feng'er hasn't gone to bed yet," she said, glancing toward the baby.
Lu Chen followed her gaze, then waved it off. "Let Xiaorou and the wet nurse take care of him for now. You'll only be gone for a short while."
Mu Zixuan's curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
In all her time in the palace, the King of the North had never prepared anything like a surprise for her. Then again, he himself had been a surprise from the very beginning.
Back when she first entered the Northern Prince's Mansion, she had expected nothing but a life of suffering. But to her shock, the Northern Prince had turned out to be far from the man of ill repute the capital gossiped about. Besides his obvious fondness for women, he had shown her nothing but affection and trust.
He'd even entrusted the palace's property management to her—a responsibility that few women in her situation could ever dream of.
A woman from a disgraced family marrying such a man… Mu Zixuan knew she had no right to expect more.
And yet here he was, promising her a surprise.
"Alright," she finally said, a soft smile on her lips. "I'll go see what kind of surprise the Prince has prepared for me."
Lu Chen grinned, took her hand, and personally escorted her out of the room.
He then summoned the Jinyiwei and instructed them to take her to the location he had prepared—the newly established Mu Mansion.
As the carriage rolled along, Mu Zixuan couldn't help but peek through the curtains. She turned to the guard beside her. "What kind of surprise did His Highness prepare for me? Do you know?"
The Jinyiwei immediately bowed his head. "Princess, the Prince specifically instructed us not to reveal anything. You'll see once we arrive."
Mu Zixuan pouted slightly. Why all the secrecy? Just what kind of surprise is this?
Not long after, the carriage stopped before a large estate.
There was no name plaque on the gate—only an austere entrance.
Given how sensitive the surname Mu had become in recent times, Lu Chen had deliberately omitted the nameplate.
A brocade-clad guard turned toward her and respectfully said, "Princess, we've arrived."
Mu Zixuan stepped out of the carriage and took in the grand but nameless structure before her, her brows furrowed in confusion. What could His Highness possibly want me to see here?
Just then, another brocade guard walked up to the gate and spoke to the servant standing there. "Go inform your master. Tell him the Princess has arrived."
The servant immediately rushed inside.
Moments later, as Mu Zixuan approached the threshold, the servants within the mansion spotted her and quickly bowed.
"Greetings, Princess."
Mu Zixuan nodded faintly. "Rise."
Her thoughts were spinning. She still had no idea what Lu Chen was planning.
And then, from within the mansion, a familiar voice rang out.
"Zi… Zixuan!!"
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