Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

After Zhuang Weirang cleared the way, the Prince of Zhennan walked directly toward the Wanshou Hall.

Looking at the Prince of Zhennan's back, the faces of everyone present and those secretly watching were extremely ugly. At this moment, those who were paying attention to the Prince of Zhennan's every move were basically the Empress Dowager's faction. Naturally, these people did not want to see the Prince of Zhennan and the Emperor of Zhou join forces.

However, considering that this was the Empress Dowager's order, they could only watch helplessly, believing that the Empress Dowager had her own reasons for doing so.

At this moment, inside the Hall of Longevity.

Emperor Zhou, dressed in a dragon robe, sat upright on a futon. Upon sensing the aura emanating from the palace gate, he couldn't help but furrow his brow.

What's happening here?
Someone made a move in the palace?
Judging from their auras, both parties involved in the attack were at least at the Earth Realm.

Are the two territorial states fighting inside the palace?
Emperor Zhou then said to the eunuchs in the main hall, "Go and see what happened."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch then left the hall.

In just a moment, the eunuch returned to the main hall, a look of joy on his face. He excitedly said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhennan requests an audience!"

Upon hearing this, both Emperor Zhou and Mu Yunxi, who was secretly in the Wanshou Palace, were stunned.

Prince Zhennan?
Wasn't he a dying man? Why did he enter the palace at this time?

Considering the commotion outside just now, could it be that the Prince of Zhennan and some royal retainer had made a move?
Emperor Zhou immediately dismissed the idea. The Prince of Zhennan was already bedridden and unable to get up, so how could he possibly have the strength to fight against a powerful Earth Realm expert from the royal family? It was highly likely that one of the Earth Realm experts from the Prince of Zhennan's mansion wanted to escort the Prince of Zhennan to the palace, but the royal family experts refused, which led to a conflict and the fight.

Regardless of who was behind the attack, Emperor Zhou was still very surprised that the Prince of Zhennan would personally come to the palace.

After regaining his senses, Emperor Zhou said, "Let him in."

Emperor Zhou was very curious about why the Prince of Zhennan had come to the palace to see him at this time. Could it be because he had lifted Ji Yunmeng's confinement order, making the Prince of Zhennan feel that he was on the side of the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion, so he came to the palace to form an alliance with him?
Just as Emperor Zhou was lost in thought, the figure of the Prince of Zhennan, exuding an aura of death, appeared in the Hall of Longevity. Seeing that the Prince of Zhennan had actually walked in, Emperor Zhou, who was sitting upright on the futon, immediately frowned.

Is this the behavior of a dying person?

Didn't the imperial physician say that the Prince of Zhennan's backlash was very severe, and that he was not far from death or becoming an evil spirit? How come he can still get out of bed and walk now?
He had thought that the Prince of Zhennan would be carried in by the people of the Prince of Zhennan's mansion. Even in the best circumstances, someone should be helping the Prince of Zhennan. However, not only was the Prince of Zhennan not helped, but he also walked very steadily.

Upon seeing Emperor Zhou seated on the prayer mat, the Prince of Zhennan still offered a token bow, saying, "This old minister greets Your Majesty!"

Emperor Zhou immediately stood up, walked to the Prince of Zhennan in person, put his hand on the Prince's shoulder and said, "Prince of Zhennan, please rise and rise."

After Zhou Huang approached the Prince of Zhennan, he sensed the spiritual energy emanating from his body. The black energy gave off a very bad feeling. From the black energy, it was clear that the Prince of Zhennan had indeed suffered a severe backlash from the spiritual energy and was not far from death.

Emperor Zhou asked directly, "I heard that Prince Zhennan has recently suffered from the backlash of the evil spirits and is now unable to get out of bed or walk. Why has he come to my Longevity Hall in person today? Has Prince Zhennan perhaps burned away the life force within him?"

The Prince of Zhennan knew that Lu Chen's ability to refine the Black Fiend must not be known to anyone, so he took the initiative to admit, "Yes, Your Majesty, I had no choice but to do this in order to see Your Majesty."

Emperor Zhou was slightly taken aback. The Prince of Zhennan's physical condition was already in such a state that he would likely not last long anyway. Now, he was still burning his life force, which would only hasten his death. The Prince of Zhennan had taken such a great risk to enter the palace; it couldn't be that he was just there to see this puppet emperor.

Emperor Zhou suspected that the Prince of Zhennan wanted him to protect the entire Prince of Zhennan's mansion, which is why he personally went to the palace.

Emperor Zhou then asked, "Does the Prince of Zhennan have something important to discuss with me?"

At this point, Emperor Zhou immediately reminded him, "Prince Zhennan should know that I am now focused on cultivation and no longer care much about what is happening in the court. If you have come for the sake of Prince Zhennan's residence, then you have probably come to the wrong person."

Now that the Empress Dowager controls the court, the emperor's decrees generally cannot leave the palace. It is simply impossible for a puppet emperor like him to protect the soon-to-be-destroyed Zhennan Prince's Mansion.

Upon hearing Emperor Zhou's reminder, a smile appeared on the wrinkled face of the Prince of Zhennan. "Your Majesty has misunderstood. I have come to the palace this time only to ask for a marriage for my son."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhou was stunned once again, and the entire hall fell into complete silence.

Emperor Zhou wondered if he had misheard.

However, Emperor Zhou quickly realized that the fact that the Prince of Zhennan had come to him, the emperor, to propose marriage meant that the person the Prince of Zhennan wanted Lu Chen to marry was definitely not an ordinary noblewoman, but a princess of the royal family.

Currently, only Princess Ji Yunmeng has any connection with the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, so it's self-evident who the Zhennan Prince wants Lu Chen to marry.

Emperor Zhou said indifferently, "The Prince of Zhennan has really played a good game. Are you trying to tie the entire Prince of Zhennan's mansion to the royal family?"

Emperor Zhou realized that Prince Zhennan wanted to solidify the alliance between the emperor and the Prince Zhennan's mansion. Once Ji Yunmeng married into the Prince Zhennan's mansion, people would definitely think that Emperor Zhou was completely bound to the Prince Zhennan's mansion. In this way, the Prince Zhennan's mansion could use his banner to gain the protection of the imperial party.

Upon hearing Emperor Zhou's words, the Prince of Zhennan calmly replied, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhennan's mansion is inherently bound to the royal family. Has Your Majesty forgotten that the first Prince of Zhennan and the founding emperor were sworn brothers?"

Upon hearing the words of the Prince of Zhennan, Emperor Zhou could only laugh. When they were conquering the world, the first Prince of Zhennan and Emperor Taizu of Zhou did have a very good relationship and were the most steadfast allies. But that was all ancient history from many years ago.

Since the death of Emperor Taizu, every emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty has regarded the Zhennan Prince's Mansion as a thorn in their side, using various means to suppress and weaken its power. It can be said that the conflict between the Zhennan Prince's Mansion and the Zhou royal family has long reached an irreconcilable point, so how could they still be bound together?

However, Emperor Zhou understood why the Prince of Zhennan mentioned the relationship between the first Prince of Zhennan and Emperor Taizu at this time; it was simply to lay the groundwork for what he was about to say.

As Zhou Huang had expected, the Prince of Zhennan continued, "The royal family and the Prince of Zhennan's mansion are inherently interdependent, sharing both prosperity and adversity. However, now that the dragon is trapped in shallow waters and the imperial star is obscured, the Prince of Zhennan's mansion has also been affected."

"As the Prince of Zhennan, I should stand up and, like the first Prince of Zhennan, clear away all obstacles for Your Majesty."

Upon hearing the Prince of Zhennan's words of loyalty, Emperor Zhou merely sneered inwardly. Such words were best left unsaid.

The Prince of Zhennan continued, "However, the reason I sought this marriage for my son is primarily because he is in love with Princess Yun'an, and it has nothing to do with anything else." (End of Chapter)