Chapter 27: Even I Was Moved—Let Alone Women!

“The Emperor’s expression suggested he was quite pleased with my proposal, but then Chu Ruoyan arrived and he gave me no reply—still, I’ll just chance upon him again a few more times.”

Liu Hao wouldn’t dare say Li Chen had this particular taste, but he believed Li Chen was a normal man.

When Liu Hao mentioned the imperial commercial street and the clash with two Wangting nobles, his father erupted with a powerful aura.

This kind of killing intent—he had never seen anything like it in his life.

“Damn it, these Wangting dogs hid in the snow mountains centuries ago after being crushed—now they dare come to our TianCe Dynasty boasting? They dared lay hands on my son? Let me go deal with them.”

Seeing his father so furious, Liu Hao knew something must have happened.

But upon hearing that Li Chen had intervened, Liu Hao’s father’s face filled with shock.

“What? The Emperor crushed the Wangting dog’s hand with one hand—without even activating his meridians?”

“Exactly. The Wangting dog unleashed all his power to strike Wu Qi, and the Emperor blocked it effortlessly.”

“I’ve long heard the Emperor might be a Saint Realm cultivator—now it seems this rumor is mostly true.”

As a former great noble, even though he no longer had the right to attend court, his information channels still existed.

Whenever the Wangting came up, Liu Hao’s father burned with rage, for over the past century the Northern Wangting had returned with fierce momentum.

The TianCe Dynasty faced internal strife and external threats; the late Emperor had consistently made concessions to stabilize the situation.

Liu Hao’s father had once guarded the north, but due to these concessions, he was recalled to the capital to retire.

Without military power, the Liu family’s status had been steadily declining.

After all, this was state policy—he understood the late Emperor’s helplessness.

At this moment, Liu Hao’s father gazed hotly toward the northern sky.

How he longed to return—to the place where he once fought.

After a long silence, Liu Hao’s father snapped back to reality, looked his son squarely in the eye, and said: “Remember, our Liu family can be cowardly anywhere—but on the battlefield, even if we die, we never retreat!”

In that instant, the bloodline power within Liu Hao seemed to boil over!

On the other side, when Wu Qi returned to his residence, he found an unexpected mysterious figure there.

“Auntie, how did you get here?”

The mysterious figure wore a black cloak, her figure full and voluptuous.

Beneath the hood lay a face of breathtaking beauty.

This woman was none other than Wu Qi’s aunt, Wu NanZhi.

She was the daughter of a Tianyuan Realm cultivator from Huju City, and Wu Qi’s biological father’s sister.

Wu Qi naturally showed her the utmost respect.

Wu NanZhi pulled off her cloak, revealing a stunningly beautiful face now clouded with distress.

She sighed: “It’s your grandfather and your father—they keep pushing me to find someone to marry. I’ve gone on over forty blind dates this month—I’m sick of it, so I came here to hide for a bit.”

With her looks, not just Huju City, but warriors from surrounding cities were driven mad for her.

Moreover, the Wu family’s ancestral elder is among the top Tianyuan Realm cultivators—rumor says he has a chance to break through to the Saint Realm.

If the Wu ancestral elder truly breaks through, the Wu family’s influence in the region will grow even stronger.

Who among the local noble families wouldn’t want to marry into the Wu family and cling to the ancestral elder’s leg?

Add to that Wu NanZhi’s stunning beauty and figure—it’s an absolute steal!

Hearing this, Wu Qi immediately said: “Don’t worry about this, Auntie—I’ll arrange your marriage for you.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he received a sharp knock on the head.

His head, already bruised from earlier punishment, swelled further.

Wu NanZhi’s full chest heaved with anger—if Wu Qi hadn’t still been injured, she wouldn’t have held back.

Calming herself, Wu NanZhi scolded: “You little brat, whose business is it to decide your aunt’s marriage? You’re asking for a beating!”

Your grandfather and father are already annoyed with me—now you’re joining in too?

Wu Qi really wanted to say: I’m the little brat? Then what are you?

And haven’t you already hit me?

To avoid another beating, he dared not voice his thoughts. “Auntie, you misunderstand—I met our TianCe Dynasty’s new Emperor today.”

Like Liu Hao, Wu Qi recounted everything he had experienced that day.

Of course, here he exaggerated even more than Liu Hao—he portrayed himself as the one who discovered Li Chen, and made Liu Hao sound like an interloper.

After all, wasn’t it all just a matter of his own tongue?

When Wu NanZhi heard Wu Qi praise her beauty, she was somewhat pleased—at least she didn’t feel inferior to anyone.

But the problem was, this kind of joke was dangerous—what if the Emperor actually took an interest in her?

Due to information isolation and deliberate slander by hidden factions, many outside the capital believed the new Emperor was merely a puppet.

According to these people, Li Chen was a worthless, uneducated prince—fat, ugly, illiterate, a fool on the throne.

Wu NanZhi, already biased, naturally imagined Li Chen as a repulsive figure and strongly resisted the idea.

Sensing his aunt’s displeasure, Wu Qi quickly added: “I only mentioned it casually before the Emperor—it’s not even a real possibility yet. But Auntie, you can use this as an excuse; I’m sure Grandfather and Father won’t keep pressuring you.”

!

Wu NanZhi thought it made sense—after all, she’d only come out to escape blind dates; having an excuse was fine.

This little brat Wu Qi probably just got drunk and was blowing smoke—the Emperor likely didn’t take it seriously.

And this Emperor certainly had no real power—marriages were already arranged long ago; how could he possibly have anything to do with her?

“Fine, you’ve helped your aunt solve a problem. Today I’ll let you off.”

Saying this, Wu NanZhi swayed gracefully back to her room.

Wu Qi exhaled in relief once the “evil woman” had left.

He hadn’t spoken well of Li Chen to his aunt, hadn’t listed Li Chen’s virtues, because he knew she wouldn’t believe him.

He needed to find an opportunity to let his aunt meet Li Chen—then she’d understand what a shockingly handsome man truly looked like.

Even I was moved just by looking at him—how much more so a woman?

Within the imperial palace, the candlelight in the Emperor’s bedchamber flickered.

Li Chen was reviewing documents on neighboring states—many of them secret reports delivered by Grand Eunuch Cui.

The Northern Ice Bear Wangting had been crushed six hundred years ago and fled into the Snow Mountains’ Xuan Domain.

After that, the Ice Bear Wangting disintegrated.

But after centuries of recuperation, the powerful Snow Eagle Clan rose and reestablished the Snow Eagle Wangting.

They say they gained divine power from the northernmost lands, making their warriors’ bloodlines stronger and fiercer.

If it were only the Snow Eagle Wangting, the TianCe Dynasty wouldn’t fear them—but the surrounding states were also advancing aggressively.

Li Chen studied the documents for hours and gained a general understanding.

Just as he prepared to rest, a eunuch’s voice sounded outside the door.

The bedchamber door opened softly, and a graceful figure slipped in—it was the Empress Dowager.

She wore an exquisite nightgown, the neckline snug against her chest.

Even the loose gown could not conceal her curvaceous, sculpted figure.

Bathed in candlelight, her form glowed softly, accentuating her alluring silhouette.

The Empress Dowager stepped slowly into the inner chamber, her gait light and elegant, as if each step touched clouds.

Her features were exquisitely carved; candlelight cast delicate shadows across her face, making her visage even more three-dimensional and alluring.

Li Chen felt irritated—he’d been under heavy work pressure and already struggled to sleep.

Are you seriously trying to keep me awake like this?

“Empress Dowager, what brings you here so late?”

(End of Chapter)