Chapter 577 - 281: Princess Consort, You Wouldn’t Want...

Chapter 577: Chapter 281: Princess Consort, You Wouldn’t Want...

She knew that to resolve this, she would indeed have to pay a price.

And it was a price she found difficult to accept.

Before she arrived, Yu Nanzhi had learned of Chen Sheng’s reputation from the White Tiger Hall. She had been conflicted, even resistant, but she had come anyway.

First, because she had no choice but to come and negotiate.

Second, she had believed Chen Sheng wouldn’t be so blatant during their first meeting.

It now seemed she had been too naive.

This Chen Sheng made no effort to conceal his intentions.

Yu Nanzhi clenched her fists, unable to make a decision.

’Am I really going to let this man coerce and tempt me?’

At that moment, Yu Nanzhi recalled the dream she’d had the night before. In it, she had even vaguely foreseen some of what would happen after they met.

Given the way things were going,

she suspected that any moment now, Chen Sheng might say something like:

"Princess Consort, you wouldn’t want this matter to get out, would you?"

’What would she do then?!’

"Madam," Master Liu continued, "Lord Chen said that if you are unwilling to go to the Golden Spring Spirit Pool, you may return home for now. It will not be too late to meet again once he emerges from his seclusion."

’Meet in the future?’

’If I leave now, will there even be a future meeting?’

Yu Nanzhi now saw Chen Sheng’s malicious intentions clearly.

He knew the affair in Chen County could not be delayed, yet he was using that very fact as leverage against her.

’This man is truly detestable!’

In the end, for the sake of her clan and Prince Xiang’s Mansion, Yu Nanzhi took a deep breath and stood up, her expression calm.

"Very well. Master Liu, please lead the way."

No matter what, she could not leave just like that.

The lives of hundreds, even thousands, were at stake.

The futures of the Yu Clan and Prince Xiang’s Mansion hung in the balance.

But Yu Nanzhi had also made a silent resolve.

If Chen Sheng only intended to take some small liberties, she could bear it. But if he dared to push his luck, she would never yield. Worse come to worst, she would find a way to fix things later.

Master Liu gave Yu Nanzhi a surprised glance, not quite understanding why her expression had suddenly darkened.

’Was going to the Golden Spring Spirit Pool a bad thing?’

’The disciples of the Initial Saint Sect like them dreamed of going there.’

’Many of the female disciples had been eagerly anticipating it for a long time.’

’But apart from Sun Zhenfu and that young lady from the Nie Family, Lord Chen had always appeared entirely uninterested in women.’

’This madam may be a peerless beauty...’

’...but Master Liu felt it wasn’t a given that Lord Chen would even be interested in her.’

’After all, there were long-standing rumors in the sect that Sect Leader Bai of the Danxia Sect was interested in Lord Chen, but he had never reciprocated those feelings.’

However, Master Liu didn’t offer any explanation.

’It was possible he was just overthinking things, after all.’

’If an outsider misinterpreted his words as slander against Lord Chen, he would be in deep trouble.’

It was no exaggeration to say that although Chu Zhengnan was the Sect Leader of the Initial Saint Sect...

...everyone from top to bottom knew...

...who was the true master of the Initial Saint Sect!

"This way, Madam."

Master Liu nodded slightly and began to lead the way.

As Yu Nanzhi followed him, she hesitated for a moment before raising a hand. Using her True Essence, she left a mark on her neck—the imprint of a subtle name.

Prince Xiang, Zhao Zhen.

She figured that if Chen Sheng had any improper ideas, she could casually reveal the small characters hidden on the side of her neck. Perhaps that would make him back down.

Perhaps it would even make him lose interest in her.

"Madam, Lord Chen is inside. Please, feel free. I will take my leave now."

Master Liu made the introduction from outside the door, then waved his hand, dismissing himself and the nearby guards.

Yu Nanzhi took a deep breath and adjusted her collar. She had dressed conservatively for this visit, precisely to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Unfortunately, it seemed she hadn’t managed to escape it.

"Lord Chen, I have arrived."

Yu Nanzhi said, her voice steady.

"Come in."

A calm voice drifted out from the secret chamber.

Yu Nanzhi hesitated for a few breaths. After the Restriction on the door shut down, she pushed it open and entered. The moment she stepped into the secret chamber, her vision was filled with a misty steam that permeated the entire room.

It was like stepping into a celestial realm.

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was so dense it was almost unbelievable, nearly on par with the ancestral lands of the Yu Clan.

Taking a few graceful steps forward, Yu Nanzhi peered through the rising steam, her gaze locking onto a figure within the Spirit Pool.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the Spirit Pool, his long hair tied up and fastened with a jade crown. From a distance, he looked like the scion of a Noble Family, exuding an extraordinarily powerful aura.

It was somewhat similar to the aura of Prince Xiang, who had long been in a position of power.

If that was all, it would have been one thing.

The problem was that the figure in the Spirit Pool was bare-chested. His powerful muscles were sharply defined, and his pale golden torso faintly hummed with a sound like rolling thunder.

Up close, he looked like a perfect statue, radiating the potent vitality of a young man from every angle.

As the Princess Consort Xiangyang was sizing up Chen Sheng,

Chen Sheng was examining the beautiful woman before him in turn.

She wore a simple yet elegant court dress, its fabric appearing to be the finest Shu State Cloud Brocade. The tailoring was impeccable, perfectly tracing the voluptuous and graceful contours of her figure.

The peaks of her chest, in particular, were rendered breathtaking by the close-fitting fabric.

She moved with an unhurried gait, carrying the dignified grace of someone accustomed to a high station. With every step, the hem of her skirt swayed, creating a charm all its own.

But what most captivated Chen Sheng was her face.

It possessed the seductive charm of a mature woman, yet her skin was as fair and delicate as a sixteen-year-old’s.

Gazing at this exceptionally stunning woman, even Chen Sheng, who had high standards, found his eyes brightening with appreciation.

Her beauty was indeed exceptional.

While she might have been a fraction less exquisitely featured than Lan Yufei, she was still an absolute national treasure. The crucial thing was her aura; it was entirely different from any of the women Chen Sheng knew.

But that was as far as it went.

Chen Sheng had no other designs on her.

After his brief appraisal, he met Yu Nanzhi’s gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Yu Nanzhi felt a flicker of resistance under his gaze. His brazen, appraising look, in particular, provoked an instinctual displeasure in the Princess Consort Xiangyang, who was accustomed to being in a position of authority.

In her eyes, Chen Sheng’s unabashedly direct gaze was a potent assertion of dominance.

But when she remembered the leverage Chen Sheng held, Yu Nanzhi suppressed her discomfort. She took a few steps forward, gave a slight curtsy, and pointedly said:

"I, Mrs. Yu of the Zhao Clan, greet you, Lord Chen."

"There is no need for such pleasantries, Princess Consort. I am unable to leave this place due to my cultivation. I hope you do not mind," Chen Sheng explained with a smile.

Yu Nanzhi’s heart sank.

In her eyes, Chen Sheng was doing this entirely on purpose.

’Unable to leave? It was all just an excuse.’

But even though she knew this, she dared not call him out on it. Instead, she summoned a graceful smile.

"I have long heard that Lord Chen is the foremost prodigy of Yunzhou. I had thought it was purely a matter of innate talent, but now I see it is also due to your diligent daily cultivation. I am truly impressed."

"Hahaha, you flatter me, Princess Consort."

Chen Sheng laughed heartily and gestured for her to sit. He then resumed his cultivation while making small talk, pointedly avoiding the actual purpose of her visit.

He held all the cards, after all.

He was in no hurry whatsoever.

But Yu Nanzhi was anxious. The location and atmosphere made her want to flee. Seeing that Chen Sheng was still not broaching the subject, she finally could not bear it any longer and broke the stalemate herself.

"Lord Chen, I came here regarding the matter in Chen County."

"The matter in Chen County? What matter might that be?"

Chen Sheng asked, feigning ignorance.

"The shipment of military hardware."

Yu Nanzhi knew Chen Sheng was feigning ignorance, but she patiently explained nonetheless.

"Oh? You mean the hardware intended for the Taiping Dao rebels? Why has the Princess Consort come? Could it be that Prince Xiang’s Mansion or the Yu Clan is involved in colluding with the Taiping Dao?"

Chen Sheng’s eyes narrowed, and his tone turned cold.

"No, Lord Chen, you misunderstand. This is all a complete misunderstanding. Neither the Yu Clan nor Prince Xiang’s Mansion has ever colluded with the Taiping Dao.

As for that shipment of hardware and supplies, Xiangyang Prefecture had just recently suffered from the Taiping Dao’s uprising. The Prince wished to expand his armaments, and in doing so, accidentally fell into a trap set by the Taiping Dao."

Yu Nanzhi hastily offered an explanation she didn’t even believe herself.

"Is that so? I see."

Chen Sheng nodded as if in sudden realization. Just as Yu Nanzhi thought he was about to relent, she heard his tone shift abruptly.

"You have no need to explain all this to me, Princess Consort. Why don’t you save that story for the Yunzhou Prefecture Government Office, the Yunzhou Jingwu Bureau, the Yunzhou army... not to mention the court and His Majesty."

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