"Your Highness, in truth, it was Prime Minister Chu who truly saved you. Even without my boat, Prime Minister Chu would have surely ensured your safety."
Li Xinyue snorted, "Who knows what he was planning? I was almost killed by him."
With that, Li Xinyue huffily walked to the side of the boat, ignoring the two of them.
Chu Chen didn't say much more. The old God of War quietly rowed the boat. After circling the lake a few times, they landed on a rather secluded shore.
"Prime Minister Chu, Your Highness, your commotion just now was too great. It might have attracted some unnecessary trouble."
"So, I'll leave you here. You can walk back yourselves."
Chu Chen nodded, "And what about you, old God of War?"
Huo Qing smiled, "Prime Minister Chu, I need to return the boat. Otherwise, that boatman from before will cry himself to death. One boat was burned, and another was taken by someone else."
Chu Chen chuckled. Huo Qing then turned the boat and rowed back.
Chu Chen and Li Xinyue walked back along the lake.
There wasn't much light by the lake, but both of them were quite skilled. Even in this environment, they could see clearly.
From a considerable distance, Chu Chen spotted a group of people hiding in the dark, seemingly with ulterior motives.
"Your Highness, about sixty to seventy zhang ahead, there's a group of people. I suspect they have ill intentions."
Upon hearing this, Li Xinyue's spirits immediately lifted, and she prepared to charge towards them.
Chu Chen quickly grabbed her, "Your Highness, what are you doing?"
Li Xinyue sneered, "What? You're Prime Minister Chu, the Grand Marshal. Are you so cautious even when facing a few petty thieves?"
Saying this, Li Xinyue bypassed Chu Chen and continued forward. However, the closer she got, the stranger things sounded.
"What exactly are those people doing? Why are they acting so strangely?"
Li Xinyue couldn't help but curse a few times and looked at Chu Chen.
Chu Chen also focused his attention on the group of people, and his expression became peculiar.
"Your Highness, let's not go over there. Those fellows seem to be engaged in illicit activities."
Li Xinyue was stunned for a moment, then became even more indignant, "In our Yunyue Kingdom, in Shuangyue City's territory, people are engaging in illicit activities, and we're just going to stand by?"
With that, Li Xinyue reached the gathering spot of those people at her fastest speed and kicked out.
A young man cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
Li Xinyue sneered and then attacked the others.
In just a few breaths, Li Xinyue had subdued everyone, seemingly without any effort.
Li Xinyue's swift action truly intimidated these people. They knelt down in submission, not daring to utter a word.
It was then that Li Xinyue had the chance to survey the scene. She found a woman curled up in a corner, her clothes torn beyond recognition.
Moreover, this woman seemed to have been violated by these people, leaving her in a dazed state.
Li Xinyue took off her outer garment and gave it to the woman, comforting her, "Don't worry, these wicked people have been apprehended. You're safe now."
Hearing this, the woman seemed to relax and directly threw herself onto Li Xinyue's shoulder, weeping loudly.
About half an hour later, the old God of War, who had rushed over, met Chu Chen and the other two who were escorting the group of people back. He was stunned.
"Prime Minister Chu, where did you get this group of people?"
The old God of War held back his unspoken thoughts; these people didn't look like good sorts.
Chu Chen smiled and explained the situation to the old God of War, who then breathed a sigh of relief.
"Prime Minister Chu, this matter was too dangerous. If you can avoid doing it yourself in the future, it's best to steer clear."
Chu Chen nodded with a smile, "I know this is dangerous. The key issue is Your Highness."
The old God of War couldn't help but look at Li Xinyue. If the princess insisted on such actions, he truly didn't know how to dissuade her.
"Alright, alright, it's come to this. What else can I say?"
"At worst, I'll mind my own business from now on, okay?"
Hearing this, both Chu Chen and the old God of War could only offer wry smiles.
After handing over the scoundrels to the authorities, the three of them returned to the Prime Minister's mansion by carriage.
The old God of War immediately ran to the backyard upon his return. Chu Chen didn't bother him, as the old God of War had indeed made a significant contribution this time.
However, Li Xinyue's mood was far from pleasant.
"Chu Chen, why did you hide so many beauties in your courtyard before, and deliberately not tell me? Are you trying to avoid me?"
Li Xinyue was quite annoyed.
Although she had heard before that these beauties were specifically kept to serve the old God of War.
But who could be sure about such things?
What if Chu Chen decided to try them out on a whim one day?
The best course of action was to drive them all away, thus eliminating any future trouble.
Chu Chen sighed. What was bound to happen would happen.
"Your Highness, these people are related to the old God of War. If we were to simply drive them away, I fear the old God of War would be displeased."
Li Xinyue immediately blurted out, "At worst, we can buy him a house next door."
"If there are any emergencies, he can appear in time."
"When there are no emergencies, his many confidantes won't be able to seduce you."
Hearing this, Chu Chen could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
"Your Highness, you're overthinking it. How could I possibly lay a hand on the old God of War's confidantes? My heart has always been only for you."
"That's good then. I'm not leaving tonight. Didn't Mother Emperor say that I must stay by your side for these three days without leaving?"
"Otherwise, there's a high chance of leaks. What do you say?"
Chu Chen pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "Your Highness's reasoning is quite sound. However, doing so might put Your Highness at a disadvantage."
Li Xinyue gave him a sidelong glance, "You'll be mine sooner or later anyway. What's there to lose or gain?"
"It's settled then. I'll sleep on the bed tonight, and you'll sleep on the floor."
Chu Chen smiled, "Your Highness, I can't sleep on the floor. My back will hurt."
Li Xinyue's face flushed, "If you don't sleep on the floor, then what?"
Chu Chen smiled. Seeing Li Xinyue looking quite nervous, he couldn't resist teasing her.
"Your Highness, how about this? What do you think?"
"We'll both be on the bed, standing on opposite sides. The middle is the boundary. Neither of us crosses it. What do you say?"
Li Xinyue hesitated upon hearing this.