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Wu Junwan then lifted the red curtain and stepped into the inner room, only to find, just as she had thought, that the decor within was almost identical to that of the Yue Emperor\'s Palace, down to the last detail.

Even the patterns on the cotton quilts and bed sheets were the same.

Wu Junwan had a look of confusion on her face.

Just then, a maid spoke up, "Your Majesty, the hot water is ready. After your long journey, you must be exhausted. Why not take a hot bath to ease your fatigue?"

Wu Junwan snapped back to reality, and without much thought, replied, "Alright."

Subsequently, Wu Junwan made her way to the bathhouse, and as she entered, she was startled to discover that the layout of the bathing pool was strikingly similar to that of the Yue Emperor, with the only difference being that this bathhouse was much smaller compared to the Yue Emperor\'s, though the layout was almost identical.

With the attendants\' help, Wu Junwan shed her clothes and slowly stepped into the pool.

Inside the bathing pool, the steam was rising, creating an utterly dreamlike atmosphere. After entering the pool, Wu Junwan felt the fatigue of many days dissolve in an instant, and in her hazy state, she thought she saw the moonlight.

She did not know how much time had passed before she finally regained full consciousness. Only then did she realize she was alone in the bathing pool, without the Yue Emperor. It had all been an illusion.

Mainly because the scene was all too familiar, combined with the soporific effect of the hot water, she had experienced an illusion.

After coming to her senses, Wu Junwan promptly rose from the pool, and the maids hastened to bring towels to attend to her, some drying her body while others brought clothes for her to dress.

When Wu Junwan saw the clothes the maids were holding, she was stunned all over again. The clothes in their hands were identical to the Empress\'s Phoenix Robe, worn by the Yue Emperor.

Although she did indeed wish to wear the Empress\'s Phoenix Robe, she had never imagined herself wearing it under such circumstances.

Just as a maid was about to dress her in the Phoenix Robe, Wu Junwan immediately stopped them and asked, "A Phoenix Robe? Where did this come from?"

The maid serving her replied, "Your Majesty, it was specially made by orders of the Prince."

Wu Junwan was even more perplexed internally, wondering what the North Prince meant by this, having maids address her as the Empress and dressing her in a Phoenix Robe.

Despite her confusion, Wu Junwan ultimately lifted her arms, allowing the maids to drape the Phoenix Robe over her.

Somehow, the robe seemed to possess a bewitching quality that made it impossible for her to refuse.

Once robed in the Phoenix Robe, Wu Junwan returned to her bedroom, where she approached the dressing table.

In front of the dressing table was a massive full-length mirror, which was quite different from the Empress\'s chambers in the Yue Imperial Palace.

The mirrors in the North Country were glass mercury mirrors, hence very clear. Wu Junwan had long been familiar with mirrors from North Country as they were very popular and favored by noble young ladies across various kingdoms.

However, Wu Junwan had only ever encountered handheld mirrors; this was her first experience with a mirror of this kind.

After admiring her reflection in the Phoenix Robe for a while in the mirror, Wu Junwan sat down at the dressing table, and the maids began to tend to her hair.

After a short while, a maid suddenly brought over a Phoenix Crown for Wu Junwan to wear, at which Wu Junwan\'s eyebrows slightly raised, but this time she said nothing.

Since she was already dressed in the Phoenix Robe, wearing a Phoenix Crown made no difference. Although she did not understand why the North Prince would do this, she quite liked the attire.

She had long wanted to try on this ensemble but never had the opportunity. During her time in Great Jue, the Yue Emperor was the Empress, so she could not wear such attire. After returning to Great Wu, her father the Emperor was still alive, so it was even more inappropriate for her to wear it.

She had thought she would only get to wear the Phoenix Robe upon her own ascension to the throne—if ever she had not expected to don these garments so soon.

In the time that followed, Wu Junwan spent the entire evening in front of the mirror, admiring the outfit she was dressed in.

As dusk fell, the maids prepared a table full of delicacies for Wu Junwan, but she didn\'t eat much. She looked at the food on the table and then asked the maid beside her, "Is your Prince not in the Prince\'s Mansion?"

Wu Junwan felt a bit puzzled. Since she had entered Yan County, she hadn\'t caught a glimpse of Lu Chen.

Though she was a hostage, by all rights the North Prince should meet with her. Hadn\'t Lu Chen declared in her presence that Great Wu would send her to the North Country?

Now that those from the Great Wu dynasty had indeed sent her to the North Country, wasn\'t it time for him to come and humiliate her?

Upon hearing Wu Junwan\'s question, the maid answered, "Your Highness, the Prince is in the Prince\'s Mansion, but he has been busy with state affairs recently, dealing with them in his study room."

Wu Junwan didn\'t ask any further. She ate a little and then had the maids clear all the food from the table.

She then returned to the full-length mirror and fell into contemplation at her own reflection.

Once she calmed down, she began to speculate about Lu Chen\'s intentions, convinced that he didn\'t have her don the Phoenix Robe for a mere whim.

That young man must have an ulterior motive.

Could it be...

Just as Wu Junwan suddenly thought of something, a maid\'s voice suddenly came from the door, "Greeting the Prince!"

Then, a familiar voice reached Wu Junwan\'s ears, "You all may leave."

"Yes, Prince."

Immediately after, Lu Chen entered Wu Junwan\'s bedroom. He lifted the red curtain and stepped into the inner chamber.

The moment Lu Chen saw Wu Junwan, he was stunned.

The Phoenix Robe clung to Wu Junwan\'s body, accentuating every curve, from her slender waist to her ample hips, with flesh where it should be and slender where it should be slim, combined with Wu Junwan\'s dignified and beautiful aura, Lu Chen was utterly spellbound.

Seeing that Lu Chen had brazenly barged in, Wu Junwan was also taken aback. Although she had been staying in the North Prince Mansion, she was, after all, sent to the North Country as a hostage by Great Wu.

As the North Prince, how could Lu Chen simply enter her bedroom?

However, Wu Junwan didn\'t scold Lu Chen; instead, she directly asked, "What is the meaning of this, Prince?"

Coming back to his senses, Lu Chen smiled and counterquestioned, "How does Your Highness, the Empress, like the attire I have prepared for you? Do you enjoy it?"

Seeing Lu Chen address her as Empress, Wu Junwan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and then said, "Are you perhaps planning to make me the Emperor of Great Wu, using this as a pretext to interfere in the succession of Great Wu, and then take the opportunity to split Great Wu?"

"If that is the Prince\'s plan, then I must tell you that your scheme is likely to fail," Wu Junwan stated.

Wu Junwan had been pondering why Lu Chen would have her wear the Phoenix Robe, until just now when she suddenly understood.

History was not without instances where defeated nations sent hostages to their enemy states, who were then made emperors by the adversaries, often using it as a pretext to divide the nation and overtly interfere in their internal affairs, sometimes even proclaiming the hostage to be the legitimate ruler.

Although those hostages were mostly princes, Wu Junwan held a high position in Great Wu, so she could also be considered an heir, serving anyway as a pretext for the North Country to meddle in Great Wu\'s internal affairs.

Of course, these were all Wu Junwan\'s thoughts.