Chapter 2249: Chapter 1939: Ji Yunmeng Must Never Marry Lu Chen

Hearing Prince Zhen Nan say it was a good thing, Lu Chen asked in confusion, "What good thing?"

Lu Chen was still unaware of Prince Zhen Nan entering the palace to request a royal marriage for him.

Prince Zhen Nan did not answer, directly tossing the Holy Decree in his hand to Lu Chen, who quickly caught it and opened it to take a look.

Upon seeing the contents of the decree, Lu Chen’s heart shook.

A royal marriage?

Emperor Zhou actually wants to marry Ji Yunmeng to him?

He was still pondering how he could win Ji Yunmeng over, and now Emperor Zhou had proactively decreed the marriage.

After a moment, Lu Chen came to his senses. He closed the decree and looked at Prince Zhen Nan, asking, "Did Father personally go to the Imperial Palace?"

Lu Chen understood that under normal circumstances, such a decree would not be issued. The Empress Dowager’s faction was currently very afraid that Emperor Zhou might find an ally, so it would be impossible for her to allow Princess Yunmeng to marry him, the Heir of Prince Zhen Nan.

Since the decree was in Prince Zhen Nan’s hands, it proved that he likely went to the Imperial Palace in person and received it directly from Emperor Zhou.

Prince Zhen Nan said, "Yes, if I had not gone to the palace myself, this decree probably wouldn’t have been issued."

Lu Chen immediately thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Father, for risking danger to request this marriage for me."

Prince Zhen Nan said, "It’s not really dangerous; the Empress Dowager dares not provoke someone like me who’s nearing the end."

"Let’s not dwell on this. Since Emperor Zhou has already issued the decree, let’s spread the news quickly; the more people know, the better. Additionally, Zhen Nan Prince Manor should start preparing for your marriage to Princess Yun’an."

Saying this, Prince Zhen Nan’s gaze fell on the Mansion Steward, Wei Heng, and he began instructing Wei Heng to prepare for Lu Chen and Ji Yunmeng’s wedding.

...

A day later, Prince Zhen Nan entered the palace to meet Emperor Zhou, and the news that he received the royal marriage decree from Emperor Zhou spread throughout the Capital City.

When various factions heard that Emperor Zhou intended to marry Ji Yunmeng to Lu Chen, they were incredulous. Emperor Zhou was actually going to marry his most cherished daughter to the rival that the Royal Family had long wanted to eliminate.

But soon someone realized that Prince Zhen Nan was suffering a backlash from the spiritual evil and was nearing death. And his ability to enter the palace indicated he had likely burned his vitality, leaving him with even less time. Once Prince Zhen Nan died, Lu Chen would become the new Prince Zhen Nan.

And Lu Chen was merely a profligate son. Although he could now practice cultivation, he certainly could not compare to Ji Yunmeng.

If Ji Yunmeng were to marry into Zhen Nan Prince Manor, the whole manor would probably be under her command, equivalent to being controlled by the Royal Family—in particular, Emperor Zhou.

After the news of Emperor Zhou’s decree for marriage spread throughout the Capital City, some rejoiced while others worried. Those who rejoiced were naturally the Imperial Faction that supported Emperor Zhou in regaining power, as having Ji Yunmeng control Zhen Nan Prince Manor would provide Emperor Zhou with a force capable of countering the Pei Family, making it much easier for him to return to court.

Those who worried were from the Empress’s faction, who believed that if Emperor Zhou gained the support of Zhen Nan Prince Manor, his return to court would only be a matter of time, and the first thing he would do upon returning would definitely be to settle accounts with the Empress’s faction.

...

Imperial Study Room. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Pei Shuhua sat in a chair made of Golden Silk Nanmu, her jade hands tightly gripping the armrests, her fingertips slightly pale. Hearing the report from the eunuch before her, Pei Shuhua’s expression completely sank.

She never expected that the decree Emperor Zhou handed to Prince Zhen Nan would order Ji Yunmeng to marry Lu Chen.

If Ji Yunmeng went to Zhen Nan Prince Manor, once Prince Zhen Nan died, wouldn’t the manor be under Ji Yunmeng’s control? If Ji Yunmeng controlled Zhen Nan Prince Manor, it would be the same as Emperor Zhou controlling the entire manor. If Emperor Zhou had the power of Zhen Nan Prince Manor, he would have the strength to contend with her.

This cannot happen!

Ji Yunmeng must not be allowed to marry Lu Chen!

The political marriage must either be sabotaged, or Lu Chen must be eliminated soon so that Zhen Nan Prince Manor vanishes quickly.

Pei Shuhua pondered for a moment and coldly instructed the maid in the Imperial Study Room, "Have He Dongqi enter the palace; I have something to discuss with him."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

A maid responded and quickly left the Imperial Study Room.

Deceit Suppression Bureau.

In the council hall, directors of various departments and commanders gathered with troubled expressions, silent, seemingly faced with a significant event.

After a long pause, Wu Feng, Director of the Investigation Bureau, finally spoke, "We didn’t expect that the wolf demon hasn’t been caught yet, and now something like this is happening in the Capital City. If we can’t deal with the village-massacring threat quickly, the Empress Dowager might be angered."

They had gathered not because of the wolf demon in the Capital City, but due to the village-massacring incidents that had been occurring recently.

In Dazhou, such village-massacring events involving spirit evil occur occasionally, but because of the Deceit Suppression Bureau, these threats are quickly addressed.

However, the village-massacring threats recently all point to the same evil entity, which seems particularly fond of cutting out human hearts, as nearly every victim’s heart was missing.

Initially, the threat only targeted villagers in remote areas, likely fearing discovery by the Deceit Suppression Bureau. Yet later, the threat grew bolder and started attacking increasingly populated areas, now even reaching the Capital City.

Previously, Ji Yunmeng had been tracking this threat, and Lu Chen had been encountered by her while she was on this mission and brought back.

However, Ji Yunmeng’s investigation yielded little; the threat was well-hidden, even untraceable by the Deceit Suppression Bureau’s Pursuing Evil Disc.

Hearing Wu Feng’s words, He Dongqi felt overwhelmed. He had hoped to distinguish himself through the wolf demon incident to establish his authority.

But soon after assuming office, he found himself facing one problem after another.

At this, He Dongqi, with a gloomy expression and a cold tone, asked, "Director Wu, does the Investigation Bureau still have no information on this threat?"

Upon He Dongqi’s question, Wu Feng sighed and said, "Sir, the entire Investigation Bureau has done its utmost. We’ve used nearly all available methods. Apart from knowing that the threat enjoys cutting out hearts, we’ve found no other clues."

Each time a village-massacring incident occurred, Deceit Suppressing Guards from the Investigation Bureau would immediately search for residual Spirit Evil Qi at the scene, but no matter how hard they looked, they found nothing left by the threat.

It appeared as though it wasn’t the work of a spirit evil at all.

However, judging by the scene’s devastation and the traces left behind, it could only have been the work of a spirit evil.

After hearing Wu Feng’s response, He Dongqi’s expression turned even grimmer.

If it were only the wolf demon matter, it would be manageable—he could dispatch all the Deceit Suppression Bureau’s forces to hunt the wolf demon, which was hiding in the Capital City, and such a large number of Bureau members would eventually find some trace.

But with the added threat of the village-massacring evil, he had to divert some efforts to locate this new menace.