Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 391 Fellow Travelers

At noon, Liu Shengxiong hosted a banquet for Lin Chen alone.

The temple doors and windows were closed. There were only two people in the room, and the occasional crackling sound of burning candles could be heard.

The atmosphere was a bit strange, as if some shady deal was about to be discussed.

Liu Shengxiong sat opposite Lin Chen, dressed in a black brocade robe, his hair neatly combed.

But the fatigue on his face was undeniable; he had heavy eye bags and some bluish discoloration under his eyes.

He held his wine glass, his fingers gently tracing the rim. His lips moved several times, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words back.

Lin Chen didn't urge him, but slowly drank his wine while watching Liu Shengxiong perform.

After a few rounds of drinks, Liu Shengxiong put down his glass, took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision.

He looked up at Lin Chen, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

She became famous overnight, even faster than an actor.

"Your Highness," his voice was hoarse and trembling, as if he were about to cry at any moment.

"Xiao Wang has a favor to ask."

Lin Chen picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said calmly, "Speak."

Liu Shengxiong took another deep breath, considered his words carefully, and said:

"The prince's concubines all admire him greatly. They have often heard about his deeds and have long wanted to meet him."

If Your Highness doesn't mind, let them serve you for a few days.

Although they are older, they are well-maintained and still look decent, and their service skills are top-notch...

Lin Chen paused for a moment, his hand holding the wine glass still.

Unaware of this, Yagyu continued, getting more and more excited as he spoke:

"There are also Xiao Wang's daughters. Besides Xue'er and Piaopiao, there are three unmarried women who are all good-looking and skilled in various arts and crafts."

"If Your Highness likes any of them, I can summon them and let Your Highness choose. Whichever one Your Highness takes a fancy to will be Your Highness's woman."

He said this in a calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather today, as if he were talking about something ordinary.

Lin Chen put down his wine glass, looked at Liu Shengxiong, his gaze as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Your Majesty, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Yagyu Yu paused for a moment.

Then he stood up, walked around the table, and went to Lin Chen.

With a "thump," he knelt down.

The sound of his knee hitting the wooden floor was dull, like a stone being thrown into water.

Lin Chen was stunned.

Although he knew that Yagyu would beg for mercy, he did not expect him to kneel down so readily.

This is the ruler of a country! Is his knee so weak?

Lin Chen felt extremely disdainful.

Yagyu Yu knelt on the ground, head bowed, his voice trembling:

"Your Highness, I know I was wrong. I did know about the Yin Yang Hehuan Sect."

But Xiao Wang was forced into it; they were too strong, and Xiao Wang couldn't beat them, so he had no choice but to cooperate with them.

Xiao Wang knew that the prince hated them, but he begged the prince to spare his life for the sake of his two daughters.

By the end, his voice was trembling with sobs, and his shoulders were shaking slightly.

He curled up into a ball, like a dog whose tail had been stepped on.

Lin Chen looked at Liu Shengxiong kneeling on the ground and remained silent for a long time.

A phrase I heard in a past life came to mind: the best actors are all here...

"Get up," Lin Chen said calmly, his tone leaving no room for refusal.

Only then did Liu Shengxiong stand up, step aside, lower his head, and hang his hands at his sides, showing no regal bearing whatsoever.

"I can let your matter go..." Lin Chen continued.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shengxiong relaxed abruptly, feeling a sense of relief.

"But from today onwards," Lin Chen continued:

"I don't want to see anyone from the Yin-Yang Harmony Sect in Dongli, not a single one."

Liu Shengxiong nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely do as you say, I will definitely do as you say."

Xiao Wang immediately ordered someone to investigate and expel them all, leaving no one alive.

Lin Chen paused for a moment, then said:

"Also, don't do that 'highest level of courtesy' thing anymore, I'm not used to it."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Liu Shengxiong's face, and he quickly nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes, I remember, I will never dare to do it again."

Lin Chen picked up his wine glass and said calmly, "Let's drink."

Liu Shengxiong quickly picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine dripped down his chin and onto his clothes, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

Lin Chen put down his wine glass, picked up a piece of food, and chewed it slowly, as if he was thinking about something.

Liu Shengxiong stood to the side, not daring to sit or eat, just standing there like a little follower.

Lin Chen finished chewing the food, put down his chopsticks, and glanced at Liu Shengxiong.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Liu Shengxiong's nerves immediately tensed, and he straightened his back ramrod straight:

"Please speak, Your Highness."

Lin Chen picked up his wine glass, took another sip, and said slowly:

"Shan Ling Kong Ya, I want to take her back to Dayan."

Liu Shengxiong was stunned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Lin Chen calmly added:

"Xue'er meant that her mother was unhappy in Dongli and wanted to take her away."

Liu Shengxiong stood there, stunned for several seconds.

Then his eyes lit up, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he seemed to suddenly come alive.

"Your Highness," his voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"You mean... you're going to take Kong Yazi back to Dayan?"

Lin Chen nodded.

Yagyu almost burst out laughing, but he held it in.

He cleared his throat, trying to appear normal.

But his shifty eyes and slightly trembling lips betrayed him.

"It is her good fortune that Your Highness thinks highly of her, and it is also my good fortune." Liu Shengxiong's voice trembled.

"Xiao Wang will have someone make arrangements right away, to prepare her wedding—no, her luggage—"

"No need," Lin Chen interrupted him, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Just take the person with you, nothing else is needed."

Liu Shengxiong nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, yes, I'll listen to Your Highness, I'll listen to Your Highness."

He was thinking to himself: Shan Ling Kongya went to Dayan with Lin Chen, so he and Lin Chen would have a relationship of "father-in-law" and "comrade".

With these two relationships intertwined, Lin Chen wouldn't be able to turn against them if anything happened in the future, right?

Liu Shengxiong's lips curled up, and he couldn't suppress it.

Lin Chen looked at him without saying anything.

He certainly knew what Yagyu was happy about.

He took Shan Lingkongya away, and had absolutely no connection with Liu Shengxiong.

It wasn't because she was "the Emperor's concubine," but because she was Yagyu Yuki's mother.

She is a woman who has been locked in a cage for over thirty years, and she deserves to be rescued.

As for the rest—that's a matter for later.

"Alright," Lin Chen stood up, "I have something to do, I'm leaving."

Liu Shengxiong quickly bowed: "This humble prince sees Your Highness off."

Lin Chen waved his hand and strode out of the palace gate.

Standing at the entrance of the hall, watching Lin Chen's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Liu Shengxiong's smile finally blossomed.

He turned around, walked into the hall, picked up his wine cup, drank it all in one gulp, and then laughed heartily.

"Heaven hasn't forsaken me, Yagyu Osamu!" he said with a smile, his voice echoing in the empty side hall.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Chen's lips curled into a slight smile as he walked out of the palace.

This old man has no idea who Lin Chen is.

……

Over the next three days, Lin Chen traveled around Dongli and bought a lot of local specialties for his family.

Meanwhile, Jing Ke, along with the Yan Da and the Great Snow Dragon Riders, wiped out all seven strongholds of the Yin Yang He Huan Sect.

When the news reached the palace, Yagyu Yu's face turned very ugly.

Lin Chen's actions completely severed any possibility of cooperation between him and the Yin Yang Hehuan Sect.

Although I have my wife and daughter to talk to me, relying on others is not as reliable as being strong myself!

But he dared not say anything; for the sake of his life, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it.

As the emperor of a nation, he was not so naive as to think that offering his wife and daughter would grant him a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Miyamoto Takeshi's face was also very pale. He stood in the corner of the Imperial Study, head down, his face as white as paper.

Because he was the one who contacted the people of the Yin-Yang Union Sect.

Now that everyone is dead, he has no way to explain himself.

His fingers trembled inside his sleeves, and he was already thinking about how to escape.

Yagyu Genpei's expression was the most unpleasant.

Because the female disciples he had affairs with in the Yin-Yang Union Sect also died.

He didn't feel sorry for those women; he felt sorry for himself.

Without those women, he probably won't last more than a few years.