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

Chapter 266 The Empress's Concern

The atmosphere in the courtyard became somewhat ambiguous for a moment.

Mei Jiu Niang's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

However, Lin Chen reached out and plucked a grape leaf from her shoulder.

"A leaf." Lin Chen shook the leaf. "You have a leaf on your shoulder."

Mei Jiu Niang: "..."

Lin Chen shoved the leaf into her hand, turned around and left, his steps as fast as if he were fleeing for his life.

Behind me came Mei Jiu Niang's laughter, the kind that made her unable to straighten up.

"Lin Chen!" she called out.

Lin Chen didn't turn around.

"Remember this—the Hehuan Sect's back garden will always be reserved for you!"

Lin Chen paused in his steps.

"Every flower is fresh, clean, and waiting for you to pick it!"

Lin Chen walked even faster.

As he pushed open the door, he heard Mei Jiu Niang shout from behind:

"Next time you come, don't just pick the leaves!"

Lin Chen stumbled and almost tripped over the threshold.

The door closed behind me.

In the courtyard, Mei Jiu Niang stood under the grape trellis, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

After she finished laughing, she looked down at the grape leaf in her hand.

The moonlight shone on the leaves, making their veins clearly visible.

She pinched the leaf stem and twirled it twice, then suddenly sighed softly.

"coward!"

……

As Lin Chen stepped out of the alley, he let out a long sigh of relief.

If he hadn't had some doubts about Mei Jiu Niang's words, he would have really wanted to show her how powerful he was.

Or rather, Lin Chen really wanted to challenge his weakness.

Thinking of Mei Jiu's words, Lin Chen shook his head and smiled, then strolled back.

Halfway there, a figure suddenly appeared from the side.

He instinctively dodged to the side, about to make a move, when he realized that the person who came was Qingluan.

The Empress's personal female official.

Lin Chen was taken aback: "Qingluan? What are you doing here?"

Qingluan bowed and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence in the palace."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Now?"

Qingluan nodded: "Now."

Lin Chen suddenly realized it had been a long time since he had been to the palace, and asked somewhat embarrassedly:

Did His Majesty say what it was about?

Qingluan shook her head: "This servant does not know. His Majesty only said that he would like to invite the Prince to the palace."

Lin Chen thought for a moment.

Anyway, I don't have anything else to do, so I might as well go.

"Okay, let's go."

……

The Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Study.

When Lin Chen pushed open the door, the Empress was leaning against a soft couch reading a book.

She was dressed in a white casual outfit, her hair was loose, and she looked much more feminine than usual.

Seeing Lin Chen come in, she put down her book and smiled.

"Oh, the Prince of Zhenbei has arrived?"

That tone, that manner, is just as good as Mei Jiu Niang's.

Lin Chen sat down opposite her and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"How could I dare not come when His Majesty summons me?"

The Empress looked at Lin Chen and sized him up.

"I heard you've taken on quite a few new recruits recently?"

Lin Chen coughed lightly: "That... was a gift from someone else."

"A gift?" The Empress raised an eyebrow. "Six?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Six."

The Empress smiled, a smile that held a profound meaning.

"Lin Chen, Lin Chen, your manor is practically turning into a harem."

Lin Chen said seriously, "Your Majesty is joking. My household is full of respectable wives, not some kind of harem."

The Empress rolled her eyes: "Alright, alright, proper lady, then tell me, what do you plan to do with these six 'proper ladies'?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment: "Let's keep it for now."

The Empress raised an eyebrow: "Not touching?"

Lin Chen coughed lightly: "It's not the right time!"

The Empress looked at Lin Chen with a complicated expression. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked:

"Can your body handle it?"

Lin Chen was stunned for a moment.

The Empress continued, "Eleven wives, no, seventeen. Even if you took turns visiting them every night, you wouldn't be able to complete two rounds in a month, would you?"

Lin Chen: "..."

The Empress looked at Lin Chen and smiled:

"I'm just reminding you to take care of your health, so you don't die on a woman's belly one day."

Lin Chen's lips twitched.

This woman has such a sharp tongue.

He took a deep breath and decided to fight back.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I am in excellent health. Whenever Your Majesty wishes to borrow a seed, you may come at any time, and I guarantee to complete the mission."

The empress was stunned.

Then her face flushed red.

"Lin Chen!"

"Your subject is here."

"You—you're being insolent!"

Lin Chen looked completely innocent: "How have I been presumptuous? I'm just telling the truth. Didn't we already agree on this?"

The Empress stood up in anger, pointed at Lin Chen, and was speechless for a long time.

Lin Chen felt secretly pleased as he looked at her.

Makes you speak harshly.

The Empress took a few deep breaths, suppressed her anger, and sat down again.

"Lin Chen," she said through gritted teeth.

"Aren't you afraid that I might take the opportunity to depose you?"

Lin Chen smiled nonchalantly, "If you don't have the skills, you shouldn't take on the job. My second brother is invincible!"

"Aren't you the eighth in line...?" the Empress asked in confusion.

He only realized what Lin Chen meant halfway through his sentence, and his face instantly turned red with anger, leaving him speechless.

Lin Chen wasn't ashamed at all. Instead, he puffed out his chest and stared straight at the Empress.

The Empress closed her eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and spoke:

"Lin Chen, do you know why I summoned you here?"

Lin Chen shook his head.

The Empress paused for a moment, then said, "People have arrived from Zhongzhou."

Lin Chen nodded. "I know, Mei Jiu Niang told me."

"Do you know why they're here?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment: "Scouting ahead?"

"Not only that," the Empress said.

"They want to establish a base in Dayan; in other words, they want to get a share of the pie in the Eastern Region after the great changes in the world."

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.

The Empress continued, "I sent people to contact the Qingyun Sect and the Tianjian Pavilion. On the surface, they were very polite, but their words were all testing my attitude."

She looked at Lin Chen: "Do you know what they're testing?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment: "To test the strength of Da Yan?"

The Empress nodded: "Yes, they are watching to see if Dayan is qualified to defend this central territory in the Eastern Region."

Lin Chen smiled.

"What was their reaction after they watched it?"

The Empress laughed too, but her laughter was somewhat cold.

"That Yun Zhongge from the Qingyun Sect said that Dayan is nothing special. If it weren't for you, the King of Zhenbei, they wouldn't bother talking to Dayan."

"That Jian Wusheng from the Heavenly Sword Pavilion said that the Great Yan royal family doesn't even have a single terrestrial immortal, so what qualifications do they have to represent the Eastern Region?"

Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged. "Did they really say that?"

The Empress nodded: "That's really what they said."

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"Alright, I understand. Leave this matter to me."

The Empress hesitated and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will let them know who is in charge of the Eastern Region and whether Dayan is qualified to represent the Eastern Region."

The Empress stared at Lin Chen for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Okay, I'll leave it to you."

Lin Chen cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and turned to leave.

"Lin Chen." The Empress suddenly called out, her eyes filled with a complex emotion.

"Um... my cultivation technique has reached perfection."

Lin Chen remained noncommittal, smiling as he looked at the Empress.

The Empress's cheeks flushed slightly, but she stubbornly refused to lower her head.

"I will contact you after I have consolidated my power for a while."

After saying that, she picked up the book and pretended to continue reading.

Lin Chen looked at the Empress and chuckled softly:

"Very well, Your Majesty—I'll be waiting."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out.