"Judging by His Majesty's expression, he was quite pleased with my proposal. But then Chu Ruoyan arrived, and he never gave me an answer. I'll just have to arrange a few more chance encounters."
Liu Hao did not dare claim that Li Chen had a taste for this sort of thing, but he believed Li Chen was a normal man.
When Liu Hao mentioned his clash with nobles from the two courts on the Imperial Capital's shopping street, a powerful aura erupted from his father.
It was the first time in Liu Hao's life that he had witnessed such murderous intent.
"Damn it! Those court dogs were beaten into hiding in the snowy mountains centuries ago, and now they dare come swaggering into our Heavenly Strategy Dynasty? They dared hit my son? Let me go deal with them!"
Seeing his father so furious, Liu Hao felt certain there was more to this.
But when he heard that Li Chen had intervened, Liu Hao's father was utterly shocked.
"What? His Majesty broke that Six Harmonies Realm court dog's hand with a one-handed squeeze, without even channeling power through his meridians?"
"Exactly! That court dog unleashed all his strength to hit Wu Qi, and His Majesty blocked him without the slightest effort."
"I've heard for some time that His Majesty might be in the Saint Realm. From the sound of it, those rumors are probably true."
As a former high-ranking noble, he still had sources of information, even if he was no longer qualified to attend the Imperial Court.
The mere mention of the courts filled Liu Hao's father with fury, for the Northern Court had made a powerful resurgence over the past century.
Beset by troubles at home and threats abroad, the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty had continually made concessions under the late emperor to stabilize the situation.
Liu Hao's father had once been stationed in the north, but those concessions had forced him to withdraw to the Imperial Capital and retire.
Without military authority, the Liu Family's standing had steadily declined.
Still, this was national policy, and he knew the late emperor had been left with little choice.
Now, Liu Hao's father stared toward the northern sky, his gaze burning.
How he longed to return to the place where he had once fought.
After a long while, Liu Hao's father came back to himself. Looking solemnly at Liu Hao, he said, "Remember this: our Liu Family can cower anywhere else, but on the battlefield, we must never retreat, even if it means death!"
At that moment, the power of Liu Hao's bloodline seemed to boil within him!
Elsewhere, when Wu Qi returned to his residence, he discovered an unexpected, mysterious visitor.
"Aunt, what brings you here?"
The mysterious figure before him wore a black cloak over her voluptuous figure.
Beneath the hood lay a face of breathtaking beauty.
She was none other than the aunt Wu Qi had just mentioned, Wu Nanzhi.
She was the daughter of a Heavenly Abyss Realm expert from Tiger-Crouching City, and the younger sister of Wu Qi's father.
Naturally, Wu Qi treated her with the utmost respect.
Wu Nanzhi pulled off her cloak, revealing a troubled expression on her exquisite face.
She sighed. "Who else but your grandfather and father? They keep pushing me to find someone to marry. I've been on over forty matchmaking dates in a month! I was sick to death of it, so I came here to hide for a while."
With her looks, she drove not only the powerful men of Tiger-Crouching City wild, but those in the surrounding cities as well.
What was more, the Wu family patriarch was a top expert in the Heavenly Abyss Realm, and he was said to have a chance of breaking through to the Saint Realm.
If the Wu family patriarch truly broke through, the family's local influence would grow even stronger.
What young scion of a local family would not want to marry into the Wu family and cling to its patriarch's mighty leg?
Add Wu Nanzhi's stunning face and figure, and it would be an absolute windfall!
Hearing this, Wu Qi immediately said, "You don't need to worry about that, Aunt. I've settled your marriage for you."
The words had barely left his mouth before she gave him a sharp rap on the head.
His already battered head swelled a little more.
Wu Nanzhi's full bosom heaved with anger. Had Wu Qi not already been injured, she would not have held back.
After calming herself, Wu Nanzhi snapped, "You little bastard! Since when do you get to decide your aunt's affairs? You're begging for a beating!"
Your grandfather and father are already driving me mad, and now you're joining in too?
Wu Qi desperately wanted to say, If I'm a little bastard, then what does that make you?
Besides, haven't you already hit me?
To avoid another beating, he did not dare voice his thoughts.
"Aunt, you've misunderstood. Today, I met our Heavenly Strategy Dynasty's new emperor."
Much like Liu Hao, Wu Qi recounted what had happened that day.
Of course, he boasted even more than Liu Hao had, making himself out to be the one who had discovered Li Chen, while painting Liu Hao as an interloper.
After all, the tale was his to tell however he pleased.
Wu Nanzhi was rather pleased to hear Wu Qi praise her beauty. At the very least, she did not think she paled beside anyone.
The problem was that this was no laughing matter. What if His Majesty really took a fancy to her?
Because information was scarce, and certain factions were deliberately spreading slander in secret, many people in cities outside the Imperial Capital believed the new emperor was merely a puppet.
According to them, Li Chen was a useless, ignorant prince-a fat, ugly, illiterate fool of an emperor.
With those preconceptions already lodged in her mind, Wu Nanzhi naturally imagined Li Chen as a repulsive figure and wanted nothing to do with such a prospect.
Seemingly noticing his aunt's displeasure, Wu Qi hurriedly said, "I only mentioned it casually in front of His Majesty. The first stroke of the character hasn't even been written yet. But you can use it as an excuse, Aunt. Surely Grandfather and Father wouldn't dare keep pressuring you."
Wu Nanzhi thought he had a point. She had only come out to escape the matchmaking dates, so having an excuse would be useful.
Wu Qi was just a brat who had probably boasted after a few drinks. His Majesty might not have taken it to heart.
Besides, this emperor surely had no real power. His marriage would have been arranged long ago, so how could it have anything to do with her?
"All right. Since you've helped your aunt out of a bind, I'll let you off today."
With that, Wu Nanzhi swayed her way back to the room where she was staying.
Only after watching that "wicked woman" leave did Wu Qi breathe a sigh of relief.
The reason he had not praised Li Chen or listed his virtues before his aunt was that he knew she would not believe him anyway.
He only needed to find a chance for his aunt to meet Li Chen. Then she would understand what it meant for a man to be outrageously handsome.
Even I was smitten, let alone a woman.
Within the palace's inner grounds, candlelight flickered in the emperor's bedchamber.
Li Chen was studying information on the surrounding nations, much of it drawn from confidential reports delivered by Eunuch Cui.
Six hundred years ago, the Ice Bear Court north of the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty had been routed and driven into hiding within the Snow Mountain Mystic Domain.
After that defeat, the Ice Bear Court had collapsed.
Yet after centuries of rest and recovery, the powerful Snow Eagle Tribe had risen, established the Snow Eagle Court, and returned in force.
It was said that they had obtained divine power bestowed by heaven in the far north, making their warriors' bloodlines stronger and fiercer.
If the Snow Eagle Court had been the only threat, the Heavenly Strategy Dynasty would have had nothing to fear. But the surrounding nations were also advancing menacingly.
After studying the reports for several hours, Li Chen had gained a general understanding.
Just as he was about to rest, a eunuch's voice sounded outside the door.
The bedchamber door was gently pushed open, and a graceful figure quietly stepped inside. It was the Empress Dowager.
She wore an exquisite sleeping robe, its front lying snug against her chest.
Even the loose robe could not conceal her exquisitely sculpted curves.
The candlelight cast a soft sheen over her, outlining the Empress Dowager's figure and making it all the more enchanting.
The Empress Dowager slowly entered the inner chamber, her steps light and elegant, as though each one landed upon a cloud.
Her features were as exquisite as a painting. The candlelight cast faint shadows across her face, lending it greater depth and allure.
Li Chen felt rather irritated at the sight. Work had been stressful lately, and he was already having trouble sleeping at night.
Showing up like this-are you going to let me sleep or not?
"Empress Dowager, what brings you to see me so late?"
Before you continue