Chapter 604 - 355: The Great Wu Delegation Arrives in North Country_1

As Dongfang Longyue’s words fell, the eyes of all the women in the courtyard fell upon Lu Chen.

All the women were eager to know whether the hostage Lu Chen mentioned was the one they were thinking of.

Seeing his wives and concubines staring at him, Lu Chen suddenly felt a little guilty. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked.

At this moment, Wang Qingci said with a smile, "Prince, the hostage you have in mind couldn’t possibly be the Princess of Great Wu, could it?"

Uh...

Lu Chen then said, "I originally thought of the Prince Lu Yi as the hostage, but now that Qingci mentions it, I’ve come to realize that if anyone has more capability and ambition in Great Wu, it is the Princess of Great Wu. She’s more important to Great Wu, so I’ve decided to make her the hostage."

"Qingci, thank you for reminding me."

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, the women chuckled inwardly, how could they not know what he was really thinking.

In his heart, Lu Chen had probably thought of the Princess of Great Wu from the start.

Just then, Wang Qingci spoke with a smile, "However, as far as I know, Wu Junwan is no longer the Princess of Great Wu. Her title has been revoked, and many officials from her faction have already pledged allegiance to other princes. She shouldn’t be that important to Great Wu anymore, should she?" Stay connected with мѵʟ

Lu Chen said indifferently, "Even though her title has been removed now, with her abilities, she will rise again sooner or later. She remains the most important person to Great Wu."

At that moment, Xiao Wenyao asked innocently and curiously, "If the Princess of Great Wu becomes a hostage in the North Country, does that mean North Country is entering into a marriage alliance with Great Wu?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen gave Xiao Wenyao a speechless look; seeing through Lu Chen’s ruse, the women couldn’t help but cover their mouths and laugh.

Soon, the courtyard was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

At this time, Chu Yuqin offered an explanation for Lu Chen, saying, "Yaoyao, a hostage is a hostage, and a marriage alliance is a marriage alliance; the two are different."

Xiao Wenyao, puzzled, asked, "After the Princess of Great Wu comes to North Country, will she live in the North Prince Mansion?"

This...

Hearing Xiao Wenyao’s question, Chu Yuqin paused and turned to look at Lu Chen.

Knowing Lu Chen as she did, Chu Yuqin suspected that the day Wu Junwan arrived in North Country, Lu Chen would have her in his bed.

Seeing Chu Yuqin did not answer, Xiao Wenyao’s gaze fell back on Lu Chen. Lu Chen coughed and then said, "In order to better monitor the hostage’s every move, when Wu Junwan comes to North Country, she naturally has to live under my watchful eye to prevent her from doing anything detrimental to North Country."

Xiao Wenyao said, "But if that Princess moves into the Prince’s Mansion, won’t she become the Prince’s woman? If the Princess of Great Wu marries the Prince, doesn’t that become a marriage alliance?"

Uh... this...

The women fell into silence.

Upon reflection, it indeed sounded like a marriage alliance.

"Cough cough, Yaoyao, you’re overthinking it. A hostage is about sending an important person to another country as a bargaining chip, and that person is expected to return home. A marriage alliance involves sending an important woman to marry into the other side, and that woman will ultimately become part of the other side and not return," Lu Chen explained.

At that moment, Zhou Youyou asked curiously, "Then why did the Prince choose the Princess of Great Wu to be a hostage rather than directly enter into a marriage alliance? After all, once she enters the Prince’s Mansion, she will become the Prince’s woman and won’t return to Great Wu, wouldn’t a direct marriage alliance be better?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen chuckled, then raised his hand and used his spiritual power to sweep Zhou Youyou, who was sitting on a stone bench, into his arms. "You daring Youyou, daring to slander me. Do you think in your eyes, any woman who enters the Prince’s Mansion will be seized by me!"

As his words fell, Lu Chen placed Zhou Youyou on his lap and lifted his hand to deliver a "smack" on her bottom. After Zhou Youyou let out a "yelp," she quickly pleaded, "Prince, your concubine shouldn’t have spoken out of turn, your concubine realizes her mistake, wailing."

Seeing Zhou Youyou being spanked, Xiao Wenyao trembled slightly. She had also wanted to ask this question because in her eyes, any beautiful woman entering the Prince’s Mansion, except for maids and servants, could hardly escape Lu Chen’s grasp.

Xiao Wenyao felt a small sense of relief inwardly, thankful she hadn’t asked that question, or she would probably be the one getting spanked now.

Being spanked in front of so many people, how embarrassing would that be.

After admonishing Zhou Youyou, Lu Chen did not let her go, but instead held her in his embrace, letting her sit on his lap while his arms encircled Zhou Youyou’s slender waist.

"Remember what Madam Chu just said, a hostage is a hostage, and a marriage alliance is a marriage alliance; one cannot conflate the two," Lu Chen reminded everyone.

As Lu Chen finished speaking, Yelv Nanyan said, "The reason the Prince didn’t choose a marriage alliance is probably to prepare for the future. If we were to enter into a marriage alliance with Great Wu, the Martial Emperor would become the Prince’s father-in-law. Should North Country decide to wage war against Great Wu in the future, we would not hold the moral high ground."

Hearing Yelv Nanyan’s explanation, Xiao Wenyao had an epiphany and said, "I see, now I understand."

Wang Qingci then asked with a smile, "Yaoyao, what do you understand?"

Xiao Wenyao answered, "If it was a marriage alliance, the Princess of Great Wu would never be able to return to Great Wu. The Princess is so important to Great Wu, they surely wouldn’t agree to that."

"But by using the term ’hostage,’ the Prince could first trick the Princess of Great Wu into coming here, then once that’s done, turn ’raw rice into cooked rice’ by making her his own. This way, he doesn’t have to be related to Great Wu through marriage, and he can still possess the body of the Princess of Great Wu."