Jiangshan Dream - Chapter 66
Lei Ran is twenty-two years old this year, in the prime of his life. He started having concubines when he was sixteen. Consort Rong was one of the first concubines, so Consort Rong's children are not young either. The eldest prince, Lei Zhen, is already five years old. The second prince, Lei Fei, is the son of Consort Li and is only three years old. The third prince, Lei Chang, is only one year old. He was born to a palace maid after Lin Feng left Changpan Palace. That palace maid also gave birth to a child and was then conferred the title of Zhaoyi.
Of course, this wasn't a case of drunken indiscretion. Lei Ran's self-control was almost no less than Bei Chen Tian's, and he rarely showed any genuine affection for beautiful women. He had almost no real feelings for any of the imperial concubines, including the empress, and their having children was all part of his plan. Only after this palace maid gave birth to a prince did he formally appoint Zhao Feier as empress, both as a warning to the Zhao family relatives not to interfere in politics and to balance the relationships among the women in the harem.
Empress Zhao Feier still has no children, which is why Lei Ran felt comfortable letting her sit on the throne. However, as long as she remains Empress, she will never have any offspring. This pitiful woman fights for power and plots against Lan Feng, but she will never conceive Lei Ran's child. In Lei Ran's eyes, she is nothing more than a tool.
At this critical juncture when Consort Rong was demoted and Zhao Feier had no children, Li Shi came to curry favor with Lei Ran, and the effect was naturally very good. Moreover, the idea of starting with her was quite bold, and she did not make the mistake of being jealous like those foolish women in the harem. She knew how to assess the situation. It seems that the most powerful person in Lei Ran's harem is not that Empress Zhao Feier, but this Consort Li!
Unfortunately, this poor fellow had terrible luck. He turned a good deed into a huge disaster. He accidentally slapped the horse's leg and didn't even know what he had done wrong. Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Lei Ran's almost furious expression.
Li Shi hesitated for a long time, feeling like crying but having no tears. Seeing Lei Ran's expression getting worse, he could only grit his teeth and force a smile, saying, "Actually, it's like this, King Lei. Since you have bestowed the title of 'Equal-Rank King' upon the Dark King, there can't be no royal palace for her, can there? My Li family may not have much else, but we do have some meager assets. In recent years, the national treasury has been empty, and it is not appropriate to draw such a large sum of money from it. So, why don't my Li family take the lead in supervising the construction of the royal palace? Consider it a small token of our appreciation to the Dark King."
Bribery! This is absolutely bribery! And it's bribery in the open!
Upon hearing this, several high-ranking officials below trembled violently and spilled their wine cups; most of them were members of the imperial family or relatives of the emperor.
Lin Feng glanced at Lei Ran, who had a deep expression, with considerable amazement. The Minister of Revenue was in charge of finances, and it was said that the Li family did indeed have a considerable fortune. Back then, Lei Ran was attracted to Consort Li, but he was more interested in the Li family's wealth, which was enough to help him ascend the throne.
But now that Lei Ran has ascended the throne, what is no longer his own wealth could easily become a tool for a coup. Lei Ran may have wanted to find an excuse to put pressure on the Li family for a long time, but unfortunately he didn't have the opportunity. Now, however, he has seized the opportunity without anyone noticing. This man is truly cunning!
"Oh? My royal palace?" Lin Feng smiled slightly, feigning excitement and innocent anticipation. "I wonder how big my royal palace is? Is it as big as the imperial palace?"
Li Shi nearly fainted on the spot. "Young master, is the palace really that big? How much money did it take to build? Are you trying to empty the Li family's coffers?"
Lei Ran's expression shifted, and he looked at Lin Feng gently, smiling with a doting expression: "Of course there is. Don't forget, you are my peerless king. How can your palace be smaller than my imperial palace? I think it doesn't matter if it's built bigger. Let's choose a mountain. Anyway, I will visit it often after it's built."
With a single, high-sounding sentence, a huge label was attached: the emperor himself was here! This shows how much the Thunder King "favors" this Dark King, and he has to visit him frequently. The palace can't be built shoddy. What if the Thunder King is not satisfied with something when he walks around and cuts it off? Who will take responsibility for that?
One...a mountain!
Li Shi was foaming at the mouth and could barely utter a single word...
Lin Feng rolled his eyes at Lei Ran with disdain. He was deliberately trying to empty the Li family's coffers! And he was using her as an excuse. He should be careful she didn't come back and charge him interest!
Lei Ran regained his deep and composed demeanor, showing no trace of his previous loss of composure. He had "accidentally" resolved a problem involving a maternal relative, and he gradually felt happy. At the same time, he became even more convinced that Lin Feng seemed to be a lucky star. As soon as she returned, several problems involving maternal relatives that had been bothering him in the harem surfaced one after another. How delightful!
"Aren't you going down yet? Do you still want to offer a toast?" Lei Ran asked Li Shi, who was standing there dumbfounded.
"No, no, no! Your Majesty, I thank King Lei and King An for your grace. Your Majesty, I have a stomachache, so I must take my leave now..." Li Shi hurriedly ran downstairs, running faster than a rabbit, truly the best light-footed person in the world.
The banquet lasted until late at night. The officials returned to their respective residences, still discussing matters concerning the Dark King and the construction of the Prince's Mansion. Some were happy, some were sad, and most were gloating.
Having drunk quite a bit of wine, even Lin Feng felt his face getting warm. He and Lei Ran walked together into Zhengyang Palace, scratched their heads, looked at the rope in their hands, and suddenly loosened the knot, untying it.
Lei Ran was about to push the door open when he saw this action and was taken aback.
"What...what are you doing?"
At this moment, Lei Ran felt a little strange. He had gone through so much hardship and exerted so much effort, even making a ridiculous mistake like having to urinate frequently. He had been longing for this woman to untie this damned rope, but when the rope was finally untied, he wasn't happy at all. Instead, a sense of loss lingered in his heart.
"What? King Lei, are you out of your mind? Do I have to explain something like this?" Lin Feng rolled his eyes and said, "Since you've already tried to win me over today, it means you have no intention of killing me. Since you have no intention of killing me, what's the point of me sticking to you every step of the way? Am I supposed to watch you take a bath every day? Do you really think your naked body is that attractive?"
"If my naked body isn't attractive, then whose is? I'm already being generous by letting you see it for free, and you're still nitpicking!" Lei Ran was almost furious, and in a moment of impulse, he even started arguing with Lin Feng at a primary school level.
Even he himself didn't know why he felt an urge to fly into a rage whenever he saw Lin Feng. He was clearly self-controlled and had strong self-control, but Lin Feng seemed to have the ability to anger a living person to death and drive a saint crazy.
Text 66 on the bed
"You really think you men are invincible? Let me tell you, I've seen hundreds, if not thousands, of men, and among them, there's one whose physique is definitely no worse than yours. I know that perfectly well." Lin Feng chuckled, feigning thought, while glancing at Lei Ran's... well, you know.
"Hundreds or thousands?" Lei Ran's face turned green. At this moment, he felt extremely uncomfortable. Although he knew Lin Feng was trying to provoke him, he still felt as if something of his had been stolen from him. Seeing Lin Feng's gaze fall on a certain part of his body without batting an eye, he wanted to jump up and ask this woman, "Are you even a woman?!"
Lin Feng didn't blush, but Lei Wang, who was known for his incredibly deep cunning, blushed slightly before turning a dark blush: "Who are you talking about?"
Lin Feng still smiled as if everything was peaceful: "King Lei knows perfectly well, why bother asking me?"
The Dark King of Beichen and the Heavenly King of Beichen have always been inseparable. Even without that rope, they can be in the same room without any reservations. Is this still a big secret to Lei Ran?
"Bei, Chen, Tian!" Lei Ran practically gritted his teeth as he uttered those three words, his desire to defeat Bei Chen Tian reaching its peak in that instant! He even had a thought: to lead an army right now and destroy him! Regardless of life or death, success or failure! He wanted to fight that man! To seize everything from him—the throne, the kingdom, and…
A sharp glint flashed in his eagle eyes, and there was Lin Feng!
Lei Ran and Bei Chentian are both heroes of their time, and they share a great advantage: they do not run away from things or go against their own conscience.
Shouldn't one not be attracted to such a heartless and utterly unfeminine guy? Before this, both men would probably say no, and believe they wouldn't.
But the truth is, I've already fallen for him, so what can I do?
Instead of obsessively denying and agonizing over their feelings, they should honestly acknowledge their emotions and then painstakingly pursue them through various means! As men, as kings, they deeply understand that what they want must be earned through their own efforts.
Of course, given Lin Feng's "terrifying" personality, the two men were already aware when they made their decision that this woman would not be easy for them; if they wanted her, they could not be afraid of setbacks and failures.
Lei Ran's gaze deepened and became more dangerous. Suddenly, a wicked smile appeared on the man's lips, and he said slowly in a deep voice, "Which one is better? Dark King, you'll only know by trying."
"Oh? You want me to try it?" Lin Feng's smile turned extremely strange: "Thunder King, do you like it?"
She saw right through him and he broke out in a cold sweat. Although Lei Ran really wanted to ask what it was, a bad feeling told him that it was better not to ask for his own safety. He coughed awkwardly and couldn't help but back down at the last minute.
"never mind……"
There's plenty of time in the future. Anyway, she'll be in Tiancheng for the time being, so let's talk about it later...
Lin Feng, unusually, didn't argue with him. He shrugged, tossed the rope in his hand, and the connection between the two was severed from then on.
Lei Ran felt a slight tremor in his heart, a pang of regret. It seemed that being tied to her wasn't so bad after all. He even had a crazy thought in his mind: it would be best to keep Lin Feng by his side forever...