After nearly two months of grueling travel, Lu Chen's convoy finally arrived in Beijun.
Throughout the journey, officials from various counties welcomed them warmly whenever they passed through.
Although Lu Chen had spent some time interacting with his wives and concubines along the way, the constant travel left little room for deeper connections. As a result, he had barely made any progress in cultivating Qi Refining Technique and Rejuvenation Hand.
But the moment he saw the boundary marking Beijun's territory, all his exhaustion vanished.
This world didn't have paved roads, and riding in a carriage for so long was pure torture.
Now that he had finally arrived, he could finally put his child-rearing plan into action!
With this in mind, Lu Chen urged the convoy to pick up speed and head directly to his new residence.
Before long, they reached Yan City, the largest and most prosperous city in Beijun.
Beijun had thirteen cities, and Yan City would serve as Lu Chen's capital moving forward.
As soon as his convoy entered Yan City, local officials came out to greet him, while countless commoners lined the streets to watch.
Among the crowd, hushed conversations spread.
"We finally have a feudal prince in the north!"
"What's the point? The Northern Prince is only sixteen—he's still just a child."
"I heard he's an ignorant good-for-nothing, which is why he was exiled to Beijun in the first place."
"I just hope he doesn't raise taxes. If they keep increasing, we won't be able to survive."
"As long as he stays in his palace and doesn't interfere with us, it'll be fine. I heard in some places, life got even worse after a prince arrived."
As Lu Chen rode through the streets, he observed the people of Beijun.
Their clothes were clearly more tattered than those of people in other regions.
Compared to the rest of the empire, they looked like beggars.
And this was Yan City, the wealthiest city in Beijun.
If even the people here were dressed in rags, the situation in the other cities must be even worse.
His father truly was ruthless, sending him to such a desolate place.
Lu Chen suddenly had another thought—
Would Beijun even have enough women scoring over 90 points? Would this affect his ability to take concubines?
He quickly scanned the crowd using his system, searching for high-score women.
After a long search, he didn't find a single one.
Among the women in the streets, the highest score barely reached 80.
How disappointing…
When the convoy reached the city gates, the local officials bowed and greeted him.
"We greet Your Highness!"
Lu Chen stepped down from his carriage.
The moment he appeared, the crowd erupted in murmurs.
"The Northern Prince is so handsome!"
"They say he's only sixteen, but he looks as mature as a man in his twenties!"
"Judging by his appearance, he doesn't seem like an uneducated fool."
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a blue robe stepped forward.
"Minister Li Rui greets Your Highness."
Lu Chen studied him briefly.
[Name: Li Rui]
[Title: Acting Governor of Beijun]
[Strength: Fifth Rank]
[Loyalty: 30 (Considers you an ignorant and incompetent prince)]
Seeing Li Rui's low loyalty, Lu Chen quickly checked the other officials.
Most of them had similar loyalty scores.
That was expected.
They had likely already heard about his "reputation" in the capital—as an idle, foolish prince.
Lu Chen didn't waste time on formalities.
"Governor Li, how is my residence? Is it ready?"
Li Rui replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, your palace has been fully constructed and is ready for you to move in."
Lu Chen smiled. "Good. Lead the way."
"Of course, Your Highness."
The Northern Prince's Palace
Upon entering the palace, Li Rui immediately asked, "Your Highness, when would you like to receive my report on Beijun's current state?"
Despite looking down on Lu Chen, he had to show proper respect.
After all, Lu Chen was now the highest authority in Beijun.
In this era, feudal princes held immense power in their territories—governing officials, issuing decrees, even having military and currency control.
As an imperial appointee, Li Rui's position was temporary.
Now that the prince had arrived, he could be reassigned at any moment.
Thus, he wanted to make himself valuable—to ensure the prince saw him as a capable official.
Hearing this, Lu Chen patted his shoulder with a smile.
"Leave professional matters to professionals. Governor Li, you've been managing Beijun well before I arrived. Continue handling things for me."
The moment those words left his mouth, Li Rui dropped to one knee, overwhelmed with excitement.
"Thank you for Your Highness's trust! I swear to serve you with all my strength until my dying breath!"
Lu Chen sighed inwardly.
I just wanted someone to handle the work for me. Why is he acting like this?
Just then, he noticed Li Rui's loyalty jumped to 50.
"Alright, Governor Li, carry on with your work. If there's nothing urgent, don't disturb me. I need to familiarize myself with my palace."
With that, Lu Chen strode away.
Watching his retreating figure, Li Rui felt conflicted.
The prince clearly intended to be a hands-off ruler.
For Li Rui, this was great—more power for him.
But... if he took too much control, the imperial court might see it as a coup.
It had happened before—an official managing all affairs of a feudal territory was eventually charged with usurping power and executed along with his entire family.
Li Rui knew he had to tread carefully.
In the Palace Courtyard
After settling into his living quarters, Lu Chen retrieved a Dragon-Phoenix Tree seed from his system inventory.
He bit his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the seed before burying it in the soil.
He instructed the servants to take special care of it.
Once grown, the leaves of this tree could be brewed into tea, which would increase a woman's dependence on him.
A useful tool for his plans.
At that moment, Mu Zixuan, dressed in a red silk gown, happened to pass by.
She saw Lu Chen squeezing blood from his finger into the soil and hurried over.
"Your Highness, are you injured?"
Mu Zixuan thought he had been bitten by a venomous snake and was trying to squeeze out the poison.
Lu Chen glanced at the alluring Mu Zixuan and smiled.
"I'm fine. I'm just using my blood to cultivate the Dragon-Phoenix Tree."
Mu Zixuan frowned in confusion.
"The Dragon-Phoenix Tree? What's that?"
Lu Chen pulled her close by the waist and whispered,
"You'll find out soon enough."
Then, his hands began exploring her curves.
"Beloved consort, how about we test the beds in the palace?"
Mu Zixuan's cheeks turned crimson.
Before she could reply, Lu Chen scooped her into his arms and carried her toward the bedchamber.
[You have deepened your bond with a wife/concubine. Qi Refining Technique experience +10. You have successfully initiated Qi absorption.]
[Congratulations! Mu Zixuan is pregnant. You have received: Soap-Making Recipe.]
[Pregnancy rewards are minor encouragement bonuses. Greater rewards will be granted upon the child's birth.]