His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

Zhu Xu's face was contorted with rage, but Mu Yuan showed no fear whatsoever.

To some extent, Mu Yuan could understand Zhu Xu.

After all, he was made crown prince very early on, regarded by the emperor as the successor to the dynasty, and served as regent, handling court affairs on behalf of the emperor. Over time, as his power increased, he became more and more eager for the throne.

However, the emperor remained alive.

Zhu Xu, who had long yearned to sit on the dragon throne, could hardly bear to remain the crown prince.

Moreover, he has already entered middle age. If he delays for a few more years, even if he sits on the throne, how many more years will he have to strive for?

Therefore, he began to gather power, intending to strengthen himself, and when he needed enough power, he would further force the emperor to abdicate.

Unfortunately, the emperor knew about his every move.

This went on for a while.

The emperor and the crown prince had no familial affection for each other; instead, they became mortal enemies.

The only difference is.

The two sides haven't reached the point of turning against each other yet.

Just as the atmosphere inside the room suddenly turned sour, Zhu Xu felt a surge of murderous intent and wanted to get rid of Mu Yuan again.

"Big brother!"

Zhu Qi appeared outside the door.

He had a gentle expression, and when he saw Zhu Xu, he showed a respectful demeanor.

"Fourth brother, what brings you here?" Zhu Xu squinted, somewhat surprised.

He had just called Mu Yuan over when Zhu Qi ran over right after.

This intelligence gathering capability.

He is in no way inferior to him.

"I just missed you, Big Brother." Zhu Qi swaggered in, glancing casually at Mu Yuan before continuing, "Big Brother, you wouldn't be so unwelcoming to your little brother, would you?"

"How could that be!" Zhu Xu said with a forced smile, "You are my brother, how could I not welcome you?"

Both men spoke of brotherly affection, but their expressions were extremely cold.

in short.

The two were merely putting on an act.

"Brother, what are you and Prince Mu talking about?" After exchanging pleasantries with Zhu Xu, Zhu Qi steered the conversation toward Mu Yuan. This way, he wouldn't give anyone a reason to think that he had come specifically for Mu Yuan.

Seeing Zhu Qi feigning ignorance in front of him, Zhu Xu sneered inwardly, but did not expose him.

"Just chatting," Zhu Xu casually offered as an excuse, then countered with a question to Zhu Qi: "But fourth brother, are you really here to visit your eldest brother?"

"certainly!"

Zhu Qi nodded seriously, then changed the subject and said, "Of course, besides visiting my elder brother, there is another matter."

As he spoke, he pulled a roll of bright yellow paper with sealed edges from his sleeve, gently twirled it while pinching the corner with his fingertips, his smile undiminished:

"Your Majesty, I have come to deliver this urgent report on the canal transport in Jiangnan to you. Your Majesty said that you have been overseeing the country for many years and are familiar with the old affairs of canal transport. He asked you to take a look first and then discuss it at the morning court tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the cold glint in Zhu Xu's eyes instantly diminished.

The bright yellow border was a mark of the emperor's personal approval, and the scent of ambergris lingering on the folds could be faintly smelled from several steps away.

Zhu Xu instantly understood that Zhu Qi had gone to great lengths to rescue Mu Yuan.

This is hardly a casual visit.

They're clearly using the emperor's name to block his door.

"So it was the Emperor's decree."

Zhu Xu's tone softened a bit as he reached out to take the folded paper. Just as his fingertips touched the paper, Zhu Qi seemingly unintentionally brushed it aside.

Zhu Qi smiled and placed the folding book on the table beside him, his gaze sweeping over Mu Yuan before returning to Zhu Xu's face:

"Brother, look at my memory. Father Emperor specifically instructed me to keep an eye on you and not to stay up too late for the sake of the canal transport. He said that you were reviewing memorials until the early hours of the morning a few days ago when you were overseeing the country, and Father Emperor was particularly worried about you."

These words, ostensibly expressing the emperor's concern, were in reality a warning shot.

"Fourth brother, you're something else! You even went to see Father Emperor just to come here!" Zhu Xu said through gritted teeth.

Outsiders all thought Zhu Qi was respectful and courteous to scholars, but only Zhu Xu knew that his younger brother was just as cunning as he was.

Take this seemingly casual visit as an example.

His true intentions.

It was clearly to help Mu Yuan out of a predicament.

But before that, Zhu Qi had made thorough preparations.

First, go to the palace to see the emperor, and then retrieve the memorial from him. On the surface, it is to deliver the memorial on behalf of the emperor, but in reality, it is to use the emperor's name to help Mu Yuan out of a predicament.

With such a convoluted and circuitous route, only a person with a keen and meticulous mind would be able to see through the intricacies of it all.

Zhu Xu's lips curled into a cold smile. He glanced at the memorial concerning the Grand Canal, his expression changed slightly, and his gaze shifted to Mu Yuan.

Upon noticing the change in Zhu Xu's expression, Mu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

The term "漕运" refers to the transportation of goods by water.

The goods transported by the imperial court via waterways were nothing more than important items such as grain, salt, copper, and iron.

The canal transport had nothing to do with Mu Yuan, but when Crown Prince Zhu Xu looked up at Mu Yuan just now, it reminded Mu Yuan of the agreement he had made with his third sister-in-law, Fang Yuyan.

Due to the suppression by the imperial court, the deficit in the military pay of the Western Army grew larger and larger.

Mu Yuan had no choice but to take a risk and find Fang Yuyan, the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan, who was also his third sister-in-law, and ask her to secretly lead people to sell smuggled salt.

Solve the problem of military pay for the Western Army.

Just now, Mu Yuan instinctively sensed a hint of danger from Zhu Xu's glance.

"Fourth brother, you go out first. I have important matters to discuss with Mu Yuan," Zhu Xu said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qi was stunned.

He originally intended to use the pretext of delivering a memorial to help Mu Yuan out of his predicament.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xu asked him to step back, saying he wanted to talk to Mu Yuan behind closed doors.

"Big brother, I'm your younger brother. Is there anything I can't hear?" Zhu Qi shamelessly tried to stay so that Mu Yuan wouldn't get hurt.

From the moment Gao Sheng entered the Xu residence, Zhu Qi received intelligence and made thorough preparations to prevent Mu Yuan from being used by Zhu Xu.

"I have serious business to discuss with him, so there's no need for you to stay here. You can come in after we're done talking," Zhu Xu said gently, but his expression was firm.

Zhu Qi hesitated for a while, and finally had no choice but to obediently retreat.

Before leaving.

He didn't forget to glance at Mu Yuan.

That look seemed to say, "Good luck to you."

After Zhu Qi left, Zhu Xu picked up the memorial on the table, walked to Mu Yuan's side, and asked with a meaningful smile:

Do you know what's written in this urgent memorial?

The more Zhu Xu acted this way, the more Mu Yuan felt that it might be related to his third sister-in-law's smuggling of salt.

But in order to avoid Zhu Xu seeing through him, Mu Yuan calmly said:

"As the Fourth Prince just said, this is an urgent report concerning the Grand Canal transport. As for what is written in it, I truly do not know."

"It is indeed the Grand Canal." Zhu Xu nodded, then his tone suddenly changed: "However, it's a case about a group of salt smugglers who bribed officials in charge of the Grand Canal!"

When the words "selling smuggled salt" reached Mu Yuan's ears, he instantly became alert.

Could it really be about Third Sister-in-law selling smuggled salt?

She was caught?