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

He Shen was taken aback.

He stared at Lu Yuan's face, unable to react for a long time.

"Your Highness, what did you say?"

"I said, take men and surround the Second Prince's residence and the Han residence."

Lu Yuan's voice was very low, "Anyone who dares to resist, just chop them down."

He Shen frowned.

"Your Highness, this...this is against the rules, isn't it? The Second Prince is His Majesty's..."

"I don't care who he is!"

Lu Yuan grabbed He Shen by the collar and dragged him close. "My wife has been kidnapped and is in the Han residence! You're my uncle, are you going to help me or not?"

He Shen looked into Lu Yuan's eyes and remained silent.

This nephew has never asked him for anything since he was a child.

He spoke up today, but he's still the same.

He Shen gritted his teeth.

"OK!"

He turned around and yelled into the barracks.

"Sound the assembly call! All battalions, assemble!"

The sound of bugles rang out in the camp, and the Imperial Guards poured out from all directions, neatly lining up in formation on the drill ground.

He Shen walked to the front of the group and drew his sword.

"At your command!"

Three thousand imperial guards drew their swords.

"Split into two groups. One group will follow me to the Han residence, and the other will go to the Second Prince's residence. Surround both houses!"

"Anyone who dares to resist will be killed on sight."

Lu Yuan stood to the side, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The imperial guards poured out of the camp gates and split into two groups, running towards the city.

Lu Yuan mounted his horse and followed behind He Shen.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the long street was loud, causing the doors of shops on both sides to shake.

People on the street saw this commotion and hid in the alley, peeking out to see what was happening.

Someone recognized He Shen's banner and gasped.

"The commander of the Imperial Guards has personally led the troops? Is war about to break out?"

"Judging from the direction, it's heading towards the Han residence."

"Who did the Han family offend?"

……

Han Mansion.

Su Yuling's knife was stained with blood.

She was panting heavily, her back against the wall, the knife in her hand pointing at the servants who had surrounded her.

Three people lay on the ground, clutching their wounds and groaning.

Shen Hanqiu shrank behind her, her face deathly pale.

The head servant, a man with a fierce face, was holding a stick.

"Miss Su, it's no use resisting anymore. You can't stop this from happening today."

Su Yuling gritted her teeth, "I am the Ninth Prince's Consort! If you dare to touch her, I will ask His Highness to exterminate your entire clan!"

"Oh."

The servant sneered, "I thought it was someone important. Who could a good-for-nothing Ninth Prince, who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun, scare?"

Upon hearing this, the servants burst into arrogant laughter.

Lu Yuan is now a well-known figure in both the court and among the people.

Not to mention that Lu Yuan and their young master used to play together often.

The Han family also knew what kind of person Lu Yuan was.

She has a good temper and is always smiling at everyone.

So I'm not afraid of him at all.

"That scared me to death."

"Your Highness, how come we didn't know?"

"Alright, stop wasting time talking to her. Shen Hanqiu must stay here today!"

Shen Hanqiu was trembling all over.

"Yu Ling, you should go first. Go see His Highness the Ninth Prince as soon as possible."

Su Yuling also hesitated.

It's true that she's practiced martial arts since childhood, and killing two or three men wouldn't be a problem for her.

However, the other side had too many people.

I have just gone through a difficult time and my body has not fully recovered.

If you want to save Shen Hanqiu, you must first run out and call for help.

But after she left, Hanqiu's innocence...

As the servants drew closer, Su Yuling gripped the knife in her hand even tighter.

Where the hell is Lu Yuan now?

At that moment, a booming sound suddenly came from not far away.

It sounds like a large group of people are running this way.

The servants stopped and turned to look at the doorway.

The door was kicked open, and the people inside pushed it open.

A dozen or so imperial guards in black armor rushed in, carrying long swords, and surrounded the servants as soon as they entered the courtyard.

The head of the imperial guards pointed his sword at the servants.

"Kneel down, all of you!"

The servants were all stunned.

Imperial Guards?

How did the Imperial Guards end up at the Han residence?

Su Yuling also didn't know what was going on.

She looked at the imperial guards, then at the dense crowd outside, and was momentarily stunned.

Shen Hanqiu hid behind her, holding tightly to her clothes.

"Yu Ling, this is...?"

"have no idea."

Su Yuling, holding the knife, said, "Let's take a look first."

At this moment, He Shen strode in and glanced at the ground.

Three servants lay on the ground. Su Yuling, covered in blood, leaned against the wall, while Shen Hanqiu hid behind her.

He Shen frowned.

"Arrest all of them!"

The imperial guards stepped forward and quickly pinned the servants to the ground, binding them tightly.

He Shen walked up to Su Yuling and clasped his hands in greeting.

"He Shen greets the Crown Princess."

Su Yuling paused for a moment.

"Who are you……"

"I was sent by the Ninth Prince, He Shen, the commander of the Imperial Guards."

Su Yuling loosened her grip, and the knife almost fell to the ground.

Ninth Prince?

Lu Yuan?

She opened her mouth, but before she could ask, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Lu Yuan rushed into the courtyard, glanced around, and saw Su Yuling.

Their eyes met.

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then rushed to her in three quick steps.

"Are you injured?"

He grabbed Su Yuling's arm, looked her up and down, his eyes full of tension.

Su Yuling shook her head.

"It's not my blood."

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Shen Hanqiu.

"And you?"

Shen Hanqiu's eyes reddened, and she shook her head.

"I'm fine."

Lu Yuan's face darkened.

He turned to look at He Shen.

"Where is Han Gou?"

He Shen pointed to the inner courtyard.

"It should be inside."

Lu Yuan drew his sword.

"Come in with me."

……

Inner courtyard.

Han Gou, dressed in an extremely flamboyant manner, sat in the room, holding a wine bowl, with a smile on his face.

He is happy today.

Once that woman Shen Hanqiu enters this door, and the deed is done, Lu Yuan won't be able to interfere even if he wanted to.

When I marry her, I'll be her groom every night. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

"Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan, when you find out, you'll be wearing this green hat."

He took a sip of his drink and smacked his lips.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside.

Han Gou frowned.

"What's all the noise about?"

No one answered.

He stood up, pushed open the door, and looked outside.

The courtyard was empty; there wasn't a single person in sight.

Han Gou's heart skipped a beat.

Not right.

He turned to walk back, when suddenly a group of imperial guards rushed in from outside the door.

A dark mass of people blocked him inside the house.

Han Gou's legs went weak.

"Who...who are you?"

Lu Yuan stepped out from the crowd and stood in front of him.

"Young Master Han, how have you been?"

Han Gou's face turned pale the moment he saw who it was.

"Lu...Lu Yuan?"

"Um."

Lu Yuan nodded. "It's me."

Han Gou opened his mouth, but after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"You... what brings you here?"

"Come pick up my wife."

Lu Yuan tilted his head and asked, "How did we get here?"

Han Gou's mouth was trembling.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about..."

"have no idea?"

Lu Yuan sneered, "They impersonated people from the Ninth Prince's residence and tricked Shen Hanqiu into coming to your house, and you still say you didn't know?"

Han Gou swallowed hard.

"This...this is a misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding my foot!"

Lu Yuan kicked the other person away.

Han Gou fell to the ground, hitting the back of his head on the threshold, wincing in pain.

Lu Yuan came over and stepped on him.

"Han Gou, you've got some nerve. You got beaten up yesterday, and today you dare to kidnap my people?"

Han Gou gasped in pain, "It wasn't me, it was Er..."

Before he could finish speaking, he realized he had let something slip, so he immediately shut his mouth.

Lu Yuan's eyes were narrowed.

"Did your second brother tell you to do it?"

Han Gou also fell silent.

Lu Yuan's foot stomped very hard, and Han Gou was so badly stomped that he couldn't breathe.

"explain!"

"Second Prince, it's the Second Prince..."

Han Gou's face turned red with embarrassment, and he immediately betrayed Lu Cheng.

"He said that as long as we make it a fait accompli, Shen Hanqiu will be mine..."