Having children earns benefit, start competing for dominance in the world by marrying a wife

Before long, members of Wu Junwan's diplomatic corps entered the great hall with ten exquisite dancers in tow.

Wu Junwan asked, "What does North Prince think of them?"

Lu Chen did not immediately reply. His gaze swept over the women, using a system to rate them. He found that their scores were mostly above eighty, but none reached ninety. The highest score was just eighty-nine, failing to meet the system's standards.

While the dancers were certainly beautiful, they were of little use to him. Lu Chen then smiled and said, "These dancers are indeed beautiful, it's just that..."

At this point, Lu Chen paused for a moment before continuing, "Only, they're not the type of women I prefer. I appreciate Princess Junwan's kind gesture."

Seeing Lu Chen's outright rejection, Wu Junwan was momentarily stunned. She had thought that even if Lu Chen did not fancy these dancers, he would still accept them since they were a gift from the Great Wu mission. She did not expect Lu Chen to refuse them.

However, this also showed that Lu Chen was different from the rumors; he wasn't a lecher. After all, if he were such a man, how could he have achieved the Grandmaster Realm at his age?

While Wu Junwan was contemplating this, Lu Chen spoke up, "I do, however, fancy a lady from Great Wu."

Upon hearing this, Wu Junwan came back to her senses, smiling as she inquired, "May I know who this lady is who caught North Prince's eye? Once I return to Great Wu, I will surely send her to the North Prince Mansion."

Lu Chen sighed, his face a portrait of sorrow, "I once met the daughter of President Qian of the Qianhai Commercial Association. I was smitten with Miss Qian at first sight. Alas, beauty is fragile, fated to fade. After making arrangements for the Qian Family to move to North Country, I was told by President Qian that his daughter had already passed away."

The moment these words were spoken, Pei Hong, who sat behind Wu Junwan, clenched the hilt of his sword, and Wu Junwan's brows subtly rose.

Although she had guessed that Lu Chen was the Tower Master of the Rain-listening Pavilion upon entering the city, she did not expect him to bring up this matter now, especially claiming to have fallen for her at first sight.

Was North Prince making a mockery of her?

Wu Junwan chuckled to herself.

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy was attempting to mock her, a woman in her thirties.

Fascinating.

Then Wu Junwan said, "Please, North Prince, accept my condolences. There are countless beautiful women in the world. With your skills, North Prince, you can have any beauty you desire. There's no need to mourn a lost love."

Lu Chen took a sip of wine and then said, "Princess Junwan is right. It seems I have been too sentimental."

"However, speaking of which, I find you bear a remarkable resemblance to Miss Qian."

Wu Junwan felt little emotion stir within her and spoke indifferently, "Perhaps, North Prince, you're simply missing Miss Qian too much, leading to an illusion."

Lu Chen smiled and then said, "Well, this is the Princess's first visit to North Country. Let's not dwell on such melancholic subjects. Rather, let's continue drinking and enjoying the delicacies."

With that, Lu Chen addressed the musicians and dancers in the great hall, "Proceed with the music, carry on the dance."

The luncheon lasted around two hours, a period which seemed unbearably long for Pei Hong, who was constantly worried that North Prince might do something detrimental to Wu Junwan.

Wu Junwan also felt Lu Chen's gaze on her from time to time, especially after he had declared his love at first sight for Miss Qian. His eyes seemed to constantly roam over her.

Wu Junwan suspected that her nerves were causing her to see things that weren't there. As the luncheon ended, she mockingly thought to herself that it was ridiculous for her to be so anxious over a few words spoken by a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy.

Clearly, Lu Chen was reminding her that he knew she owned Qianhai Commercial Association and warning her not to play any tricks. As for "falling for Miss Qian at first sight," that was obviously a ruse.

After the luncheon had ended.

The North Prince Mansion arranged for the Great Wu delegation to be accommodated in a residence in the northern part of Yan County, where they would stay for the next few days.

At that moment, Wu Junwan was seated in the pavilion of the courtyard, deep in thought when Pei Hong beside her spoke, "Your Highness, I fear we can no longer trust the Qian Family."

Hearing this, Wu Junwan pondered for a moment before replying, "Not necessarily."

"Although North Prince knew from the start that Qian Dahai was my man, he still dared to use him. It shows that North Prince is very confident in himself. Now, since Qian Dahai has moved all of the Qian Family to North Country, it seems they have completely sided with North Country. This might lead North Prince to believe he has successfully turned Qian Dahai away from me."

"Of course, whether the Qian Family can be trusted still depends on what kind of information they can provide us."

"Now, Qian Dahai's two sons are still with Qianhai Commercial Association, and Qian Dahai can only adhere to my wishes. I believe he wouldn't dare betray me proactively. We just have to see whether North Prince will allow Qian Dahai access to North Country's secrets."

In Wu Junwan's view, since she still held Qian Dahai's two sons, who had already secretly sworn their loyalty to her, Qian Dahai was unlikely to betray her lightly. What was key was seeing North Prince's attitude and whether he truly trusted Qian Dahai.