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

Chapter 159 Hibernation, Submission, and Marriage Alliance

The Northern Shuo Imperial Palace.

The old emperor lay on his dragon bed, his face ashen and his breath faint.

Three princes knelt before the bed, all with sorrowful expressions, but each harboring their own ulterior motives.

"Father... Marshal Wanyan and Grand Preceptor Tuoba... both died in battle..." the eldest prince choked out.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand elite troops... gone..."

The old emperor struggled to open his eyes and hissed, "Lin Chen... Lin Chen... This grudge... will be avenged..."

"But Father, we are now..." The second prince hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"Endure..." the old emperor gasped, "Endure humiliation and bear the burden... Gather strength... Contact the Central Plains... One day... Lin Chen will pay for his blood debt..."

After saying that, he coughed violently, spat out a mouthful of black blood, and fainted.

"The imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

Chaos reigned inside the bedchamber.

The three princes exchanged glances, each seeing the flames of ambition in the other's eyes.

Northern Shuo is about to descend into chaos.

……

The Imperial Palace of Dongli Kingdom.

Lord Yagyu Hagen looked at the intelligence report in his hand with a solemn expression.

"A peak-level terrestrial immortal... Lin Chen actually has such a powerful expert by his side..." he murmured.

"The Great Evolution... is about to descend into chaos!"

Below, the prime minister bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, Dayan has won a great victory in this battle, and Beishuo has suffered a great loss of strength."

Next, the Great Expansion will likely turn its attention eastward, and we need to make plans as soon as possible.

"I have already submitted a formal letter to Empress Dayan," said Liu Shengba Ye.

"Let Xue'er marry him off to the family for a political alliance."

Lin Chen is a womanizer, and Xue'er is exceptionally beautiful and talented; he probably won't refuse her.

"But Your Majesty, the Third Princess..."

"For the sake of Dongli, she must marry." Liu Sheng Baye waved his hand. "Prepare the dowry and send an envoy to Dayan."

In addition... send the Sword Saint to Zhongzhou to inquire about the Netherworld Sect.

Lin Chen has offended the Netherworld Sect; perhaps we can profit from it.

"Yes."

……

The Hundred Tribes of Southern Yue, the Sacred Mountain.

The leaders of all departments gathered to discuss countermeasures.

"Da Yan is too strong... even Bei Shuo was crippled..."

"Let's just submit and pay tribute every year; it's better than being wiped out."

"But what about Zhongzhou..."

"The water from the Central Plains is too far to quench our immediate thirst; let's get through this crisis first."

Ultimately, the various tribes reached a consensus—to submit to Dayan and pay tribute, while secretly contacting the forces in Zhongzhou to plan for the future.

……

Zhongzhou, Youming Sect.

The atmosphere inside the Ghost King's Palace was so oppressive it was suffocating.

The Ghost King looked at the broken soul tablet in his hand—it was the life soul tablet of the Ghost Elder, Blood Shadow, and Bone Elder.

Now both pieces are broken, and one is covered in cracks.

"Two mid-stage Land Immortals, one late-stage Land Immortal... two dead and one crippled..." The Ghost King's voice was hoarse.

"What a Lin Chen! What a Dayan!"

Below, the elders remained silent, trembling with fear.

"Sect Master, this grudge must be avenged!" an elder gritted his teeth and said.

"Please give the order, Sect Master! I am willing to personally lead the sect's elite forces to annihilate the Eastern Region!"

"Crush them?" the Ghost King sneered. "You want to? Can you even defeat a peak-level terrestrial immortal?"

The elder paused, speechless.

"This matter requires careful consideration," the Ghost King said slowly.

"Lin Chen is unfathomable, surrounded by many experts. A direct confrontation is not the best strategy."

Order the secret agents to gather intelligence on Lin Chen and those around him.

Furthermore… contact several other demonic sects and tell them that an ancient secret realm has emerged in the Eastern Region, containing opportunities to become an immortal.

"The sect leader intends to..."

"Using someone else to do the dirty work." A cold glint flashed in the Ghost King's eyes.

"The world is about to undergo a great change, and there are quite a few people eyeing that lucrative prize in the Eastern Region."

"We just need to muddy the waters, and someone will naturally deal with Lin Chen for us."

"Our sect leader is wise!"

……

Three days later.

The Empress received messages and official letters from various factions.

"The old emperor of Beishuo vomited blood and fell into a coma, the court was in chaos, and several princes were fighting for the throne, leaving the country unable to invade the south in the short term."

"The King of Dongli sent a letter of state and dispatched an envoy to the court to express his congratulations."

At the same time, they requested a marriage alliance with Dayan, wanting to marry their third princess, Liu Shengxue, to Lin Chen.

"The hundred tribes of Nanyue sent envoys to present tribute and signify their submission."

"The feudal lords of the Western Regions are also making moves, seemingly observing the situation."

The Empress tapped her fingers lightly on the table: "It seems this battle has shaken more than just Northern Shuo."

A glint of light flashed in her eyes: "Order the Ministry of Rites to prepare a victory celebration banquet."

"When Lin Chen returns to the capital, I will personally celebrate his victory. Also... summon my elder sister to the palace."

The Imperial Advisor was taken aback: "Your Majesty intends to..."

"A marriage alliance," the Empress said calmly.

"If Dongli wants to marry a princess, then I will marry my elder sister."

Princess Zhao Mingyue, in terms of status, appearance, and talent, is inferior to the Third Princess of Dongli in any way.

Moreover… my elder sister already had feelings for Lin Chen.”

The Imperial Advisor bowed: "Your Majesty is wise."

……

Dingbei City.

Lin Chen received the Empress's decree of bestowal and rewards, as well as intelligence on the reactions of various forces.

After reading it, he casually tossed it on the table and smiled at Zhuge Liang:

"Sir, look, after this battle, it's quite a spectacle for all sides."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan: "It is a good thing that the lord's power is awe-inspiring in all directions."

However... the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow; there will likely be more open and covert attacks coming.

"Come on, come on." Lin Chen said nonchalantly.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. By the way, Dongli wants to marry off the princess, Nanyue wants to become a vassal state, and the Empress wants to marry my elder sister... What do you think?"

Zhuge Liang pondered and said, "Marriage alliances have both advantages and disadvantages."

The advantage is that it can stabilize the surrounding area and buy time for development; the disadvantage is that it involves too many things and makes one vulnerable to being controlled by others.

If my lord does not wish to marry her, he may find a reason to decline.

"Make excuses?" Lin Chen laughed. "Why would you make excuses?"

Princess Liu Shengxue of Dongli, ranked ninth on the Rouge List, is both talented and beautiful.

The Empress's elder sister, Zhao Mingyue, ranked third on the Rouge Ranking, is gentle and dignified.

They're all beauties; marrying one wouldn't be a bad deal.

Zhuge Liang was taken aback: "Does my lord really intend to marry them all?"

"Why not?" Lin Chen asked matter-of-factly.

"I'm a lecher, isn't that common knowledge?"

Besides, the more wives and children the Lin family has, the more descendants they can have.

He paused, then grinned mischievously:

"And haven't you noticed? Ever since I married a few of my sisters-in-law, I've had exceptionally good luck."

What does this show? It shows that a beautiful woman can bring good fortune to her husband!

Zhuge Liang was both amused and exasperated: "My lord... what kind of twisted logic is this..."

"Even a fallacy has its logic." Lin Chen stood up. "Send the order to prepare to return to the capital. I trust Zilong and you to handle things in the north."

"I'm going back to the capital... to enjoy a life of luxury."

He looked towards the backyard, his eyes filled with tenderness.

Qin Shuyan and Xiao Yulou are pregnant and need to rest and recuperate.

The Duke's Mansion in the capital has a better environment and is more suitable for them to recuperate.

And... he really did miss home.

I miss my grandmother, I miss my mother, I miss my other sisters-in-law and Su Xiaoxiao, and I miss my little niece Nian'er.

"We've been out for so long, it's time to go back."

Lin Chen stretched.

"And while I'm at it... I'll bring home all the beauties I should marry."