I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Lu Yuan stared at Han Zheng's dark red face and grinned.

"Lord Han wants evidence? Sure."

He turned and bowed towards the dragon throne.

"Father, I request that the Imperial Clan Court be ordered to thoroughly investigate this matter. The daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was present that day. The teacup and teapot she was holding, as well as the origin of the medicine, will be clear once the matter is investigated."

"If Second Brother is innocent, the investigation will clear his name. If he's not innocent..."

Lu Yuan paused for a moment and glanced at Lu Cheng on the stretcher.

"Then proceed according to the law."

This move was a sure way to destroy Lu Cheng. The Imperial Clan Court was in charge of the royal family and relatives; if they really investigated, the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review would be impossible to hide.

Lu Yuan not only wanted to slap Lu Cheng's face in the court, but also wanted to make him unable to sleep after he got back.

Lu Cangqiong leaned back on the dragon throne and tapped his fingers twice on the armrest.

The Imperial Clan Court was in charge of managing the imperial family and relatives. The Ninth Prince's move clearly showed that he wanted to destroy the Second Prince.

But then again, the second son really did something unethical this time.

Using his fiancée's innocence to scheme against his brother—what would that say about the royal family's reputation?

Lu Cangqiong remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Granted."

"The Imperial Clan Court shall immediately conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and provide me with the results within three days."

Han Zheng's expression changed, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but Lu Cangqiong had already stood up.

"Dismiss the court."

Zhou Fu shouted in a high-pitched voice, and the officials bowed and left the Qian Yuan Hall one after another.

Lu Yuan walked to the stretcher, squatted down, and tilted his head to look at Lu Cheng.

"Second brother, haven't you shot yourself in the foot?"

Lu Cheng lay on the stretcher, his face under the gauze turned a purplish-red, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Lu Yuan patted the edge of the stretcher and stood up.

"Serves you right, you bastard who screwed me over like that."

He turned and walked out of the hall, but after taking two steps, he looked back again.

"By the way, Second Brother, take good care of your injuries. Don't let the Imperial Clan Court come to question you and you won't even be able to open your mouth."

After saying that, Lu Yuan swaggered away.

Lu Cheng stared at the ceiling, his chest heaving, his fingers clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms.

"Lu Yuan..."

He managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse.

"I won't let you succeed."

……

The inner courtyard of the Second Prince's residence.

Lu Cheng was carried back to the mansion and taken directly to his bedroom.

The imperial physician knelt before the bed, using silver needles to insert acupuncture points on him, while simultaneously offering words of comfort.

"Your Highness, your injury hasn't fully healed yet, you absolutely mustn't get angry. If you continue like this, it might leave lasting health problems."

Lu Cheng kept his eyes closed and didn't reply.

My mind was filled with Lu Yuan's smug face.

And then there was Father's approval.

Once the Imperial Clan Court investigates, the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review will inevitably be exposed. Following the trail, the mastermind will not escape justice.

Lu Cheng grew angrier the more he thought about it and opened his eyes.

"They're all useless! They can't even handle Lu Yuan!"

The imperial physician's hand trembled, and the silver needle went astray, causing Lu Cheng to gasp in pain.

"roll!"

The imperial physician quickly put away the needle box, kowtowed, and scrambled out of the room.

There was no sound from inside the room.

Lu Cheng stared at the bed curtains, feeling a tightness in his chest and struggling to breathe.

Not long after, footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard gate.

Han Gou limped in, a smile on his face.

"Your Highness, I heard you went to the palace today? How did that bastard Lu Yuan do? Did His Majesty reprimand him until he knelt down and begged for forgiveness?"

Lu Cheng turned his head and looked at Han Gou's face, which was swollen like a pig's head, and his anger rose.

"Shut up!"

Lu Cheng slapped the edge of the bed, pulling at his wound and causing his face to contort in pain.

"Not only was he not reprimanded, but the Emperor even granted permission for the Imperial Clan Court to conduct a thorough investigation!"

Han Gou's smile vanished.

"What?"

"If the Imperial Clan Court is investigating the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, they'll definitely find me in the end!"

Lu Cheng gritted his teeth, wishing he could twist Han Gou's head off.

"It's all your fault, you idiot! You forced me into marriage so blatantly, giving Lu Yuan something to hold against me!"

Han Gou shrank back after being scolded, and it took him a long time to finally manage to utter a single sentence.

"That...that's too good for Lu Yuan, isn't it?"

"Cheap?"

Lu Cheng sneered, "He's riding high now, with the Emperor bestowing a marriage upon him and even granting him the salary of a prince. And me? Not only did I get two beatings, but I'm also being investigated by the Imperial Clan Court!"

Han Gou opened his mouth, but dared not say anything more.

The room remained silent for a long time.

Lu Cheng leaned against the pillow, his eyes darting around.

Suddenly he spoke up, "Don't you like Shen Hanqiu?"

Han Gou paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously.

"Yes...yes, but that woman is hiding in the Yongning Marquis's mansion now, and I have no way to get around her..."

"There is a way."

Lu Cheng sat up and stared into Han Gou's eyes.

"Once you've made it a fait accompli, Shen Hanqiu will have no choice but to marry you."

Han Gou's eyes lit up. "What does the Second Prince mean...?"

"Isn't Lu Yuan protecting her? Then we'll make sure he can't protect her."

Lu Cheng leaned back against the pillow, his tone turning somber.

"Once Shen Hanqiu loses her innocence, Lu Yuan won't be able to control her even if he wanted to. At that point, once your Han family marries her, Lu Yuan will be left helpless."

Han Gou swallowed hard, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"But... what about the Yongning Marquis's residence..."

"And what about the Yongning Marquis's residence?"

Lu Cheng sneered, "How many days can Su Tan, an old man nearing his grave, protect us? Besides, does Shen Hanqiu intend to never leave the Marquis's residence again?"

Han Gou's expression changed.

He licked his lips, his face beaming with excitement.

"Then I'll go back and have someone take care of it."

"Make it as clean as possible."

Lu Cheng closed his eyes. "Don't let anyone find any fault with me."

"Your Highness, rest assured."

Han Gou turned to leave, but looked back at the door.

"What about Lu Yuan...?"

"Lu Yuan?"

Lu Cheng opened his eyes, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Once Shen Hanqiu's matter is settled, he'll naturally fall into chaos. Then, I'll deal with him properly."

"Anyone who dares to challenge me for the position of Crown Prince must die!"

Han Gou grinned and then went out.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes after hearing footsteps.

He felt he had played his game well; Han Gou was a perfect scapegoat, and if things went well, Han Gou would get married, thus slapping Lu Yuan in the face.

If things fail, Han Gou will be held responsible.

He can fish from the back.

……

The courtyard behind the Yongning Marquis's residence.

After Su Yuling returned home, she stood in the yard, holding a long knife in her hand.

She took a deep breath, then gripped the knife with both hands and slashed at the other person.

As the wind swept past, it stirred up some fallen leaves.

Shen Hanqiu sat in the corridor, resting her chin on her hand.

"Yu Ling, do you think His Highness the Ninth Prince can really protect me?"

After sheathing her sword, Su Yuling turned and glanced back at her.

"If he says it's possible, then it's definitely possible. Although this person has a bad reputation, his performance is very reliable."

"but……"

Shen Hanqiu gritted her teeth and said, "The Han family has the Minister of War backing them up, what if..."

"Not a single doubt."

Su Yuling put the knife back into its sheath and then sat down in the corridor.

"Have you forgotten how he beat up Han Gou yesterday? That bastard said in front of so many people that he had his eye on you and was backing you up."

Shen Hanqiu's face immediately turned red.

"He...he just said it casually..."

Even a casual remark is still a remark.

Su Yuling looked at her, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

"You can rest assured, since he said he would, he won't abandon the cause."

Shen Hanqiu lowered her head, her fingers twirling on the handkerchief.

"But he's a prince, and what am I?"

"You are the wife of a martyr."

Su Yuling's voice was low and somber. "Fifth Brother died for the country. You are a member of the Su family. Anyone who dares to touch you is going against the Su family."