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

Lu Yuan swallowed the osmanthus cake in his mouth and glanced at Lu Cheng.

"none of your business."

The moment those four words were uttered, Lu Cheng's cold smile froze.

People came and went in the Imperial Garden, and Lady Xun and the daughter of an official were secretly keeping an eye on the two princes.

Hearing the argument, people from the neighborhood quickly gathered around.

Lu Cheng wore a purple python robe today, and although his left arm was slinged over his chest, the jade crown on his head was worn upright.

He originally thought that if he brought up the bet, Lu Yuan would feel somewhat guilty.

Who knew that this bastard would start cursing as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Ninth Brother!"

Lu Cheng leaned on the armrest of the sedan chair, his face grim.

"This is the palace, not your private backyard. How can you speak so vulgarly in front of all the ladies and young women? Have you no royal dignity whatsoever?"

Lu Yuan picked up another piece of cake from the table.

"There's still a month to go, what's the rush?"

"Could it be that you're so bored being confined at home that you're counting down the days?"

"Or have you already figured out what you'll do with me after you lose, and you're itching to get back to it?"

A few laughs came from all around.

Su Yuling stood beside Lu Yuan, holding the knife, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Lu Cheng gripped the armrest of the sedan chair tightly. "I'm just kindly reminding you, lest you fail to pay the money by the deadline and then make excuses to delay!"

He turned to look at the onlookers and deliberately raised his voice.

"You may not know this, but my ninth brother boasted in court a few days ago that he would raise the funds within a month to manufacture cavalry equipment for the Ministry of Works, and also to resolve the issue of repairing the dikes in Hedong."

"The Ministry of Works demanded 300,000 taels, while the river works required more than one million taels."

"But Ninth Brother said that all the problems could be solved in a month."

These words sparked discussion among the onlookers.

A hint of smugness appeared in Lu Cheng's eyes.

Officials in the court all knew what the Ministry of Revenue was like.

The national treasury was so poor that even the funds for sacrificial offerings to Heaven had to be borrowed from Peter to pay Paul, yet Lu Yuan dared to take on this task.

In his view, once these noble ladies knew the whole story, they would definitely think Lu Yuan was arrogant and ignorant.

It would be best to spread this message outside the palace.

Let the whole capital wait and see Lao Jiu make a fool of himself.

"This bet was actually made by Ninth Brother himself."

Lu Cheng continued, "If he fails to accomplish it within a month, he will lose. If he succeeds, I, the prince, will allow him to do as he pleases."

"Listen to this, folks! Isn't this utterly shameless?"

No one agreed.

The ladies closest to each other exchanged strange glances.

Lady Dingyuan pulled her daughter closer to her, as if afraid she might be influenced by something unintelligent.

The young lady from the family of the Vice Minister of Rites covered half her face with a round fan and quietly asked her mother.

"Has His Highness not left the residence these past few days?"

"It should be."

"So he doesn't know the cement has been fired yet?"

The wife of the Vice Minister of Rites tugged at her daughter's sleeve, signaling her to keep quiet.

The other women nearby were exchanging glances.

The news of the successful trial production of cement had not yet been officially announced to the world, but each prefecture in the capital had its own connections.

Minister of Works Xie Guangkun rushed into the palace carrying a gray brick. When he came out, he was so happy that he didn't even ride in a sedan chair and ran all the way back to the Ministry of Works.

This matter had already spread among the officials' families.

Moreover, many of the people attending the banquet today are family members of officials from the Ministry of Works.

They already knew that the Ninth Prince's firework was harder than blue bricks, yet cost less than 30% of the price of blue bricks.

The cost of repairing the dike on the east bank of the river is very likely to be cut by more than half as a result.

Lu Cheng was still bringing up the issue of the million taels of silver from the Yellow River.

This is not a slap in the face to the Ninth Prince.

This is like offering your face up to someone and asking if their hand hurts.

Lu Cheng waited for a while, but still didn't hear anyone mocking Lu Yuan.

He looked toward the crowd.

The ladies and young women didn't look at Lu Yuan; their eyes were all on him.

I have sympathy.

I have doubts.

A few others couldn't hold back any longer and turned around to cover their mouths.

Lu Cheng felt a tightness in his chest.

"What's with those expressions?"

Lady Dingyuan coughed lightly, "Your Highness, your recovery is the priority. It's best not to worry about matters of state."

Lu Cheng sensed something was off about what he was saying.

"What does Lady Hou mean by this?"

"It's nothing."

Lady Dingyuan pulled her granddaughter back two steps.

"I just feel that what the imperial physician says always makes sense. With a head injury, one needs to rest more."

Laughter erupted again from the surrounding area.

Lu Cheng's face turned pale and then red.

"This prince is injured in the arm and face, not the head!"

After finishing the cake, Lu Yuan brushed the crumbs off his fingertips.

"You're quite proud of yourself."

"Who said there was no head injury? Did the imperial physician examine you?"

"Some injuries are inside, not visible from the outside. They look like normal people normally, but the moment they open their mouths, their condition is exposed."

This time, even several elderly ladies of noble birth laughed out loud.

Su Yuling turned her head to the side, her shoulders twitching slightly.

Shen Hanqiu stood beside her, wanting to laugh but feeling it would be impolite, so he could only lower his head and straighten his cuffs.

Lu Cheng's chest heaved with anger. "Lu Yuan, stop trying to win with your words!"

"The cement hasn't been produced on a large scale yet, and the money from Hedong hasn't been raised enough. The closer the deadline gets, the worse your defeat will be!"

"I, the prince, want to see what you'll have to say a month from now!"

Lu Yuan looked him up and down. "Second brother, have you gone mad from being locked up in the manor?"

"The cement kiln was built next to Fengziying. The land was free, and the stone was sourced locally. The first kiln only cost 2,700 taels of silver."

"The items have been fired, and the Ministry of Works is preparing to expand the kiln."

"On the east bank of the river, cement was used to repair the dikes, and disaster victims were employed as laborers in lieu of relief. This saved tens of thousands of taels of silver in labor costs alone."

"You still have that million taels left?"

Lu Yuan pointed to the sedan chair and said, "Were those wooden supports under your butt also charged at 100,000 taels?"

The laughter from the crowd grew louder.

Lu Cheng was stunned for a moment.

He has been confined to his residence for the past few days. Liu Hong only told him that Lu Yuan was busy building the kiln, without mentioning that the cement had already been fired.

"That's impossible!"

"That thing is just a recipe on a tattered piece of paper, and it can be made in three days?"

The wife of the Vice Minister of Works stepped out from the crowd.

"Your Highness, the cement has indeed been produced."

"Yesterday, the Ministry of Works tried it; they hit the cement brick several times with a hammer, and only a corner of it broke."

"His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Works to expand the kilns, first to supply the dike repair in Hedong."

Lu Cheng's lips moved a few times. "Even if the cement is done, what about the 300,000 taels of silver for military equipment? The equipment for the 100,000 cavalrymen of the nine border regions can't be made from mud!"

Lu Yuan laughed, and said sarcastically, "You really care about me."

"How about this, Second Brother, give me all the silver in your mansion, and I'll have your name engraved on the Imperial Sword."

"If I use it to chop people up in the future, it'll count as you doing your part."

Lu Cheng subconsciously touched his neck.

The sword at Lu Yuan's waist truly made him tremble with fear.

"You dare!"

"What wouldn't I dare to do?"

Lu Yuan took two steps forward, startling the palace servants carrying the sedan chair, who quickly retreated.

The sedan chair swayed, and Lu Cheng's injured arm slammed into the armrest, causing his face to contort in pain.

The laughter from the crowd could no longer be suppressed.

Lu Cheng was both in pain and angry. Just as he was about to order the palace servants to leave, the sound of jade pendants came from the other end of the flower path.

A dozen young women, led by palace maids, entered the Imperial Garden.

They wore matching begonia-colored palace dresses, with only a single silver flower in their hair and a light gold sash tied around their waists, a style typically worn by women awaiting selection.

The woman walking at the front had gentle eyes and fair skin; she was none other than Liu Ruyan, the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Lu Cheng froze on the sedan chair when he saw who it was.

Liu Ruyan also saw him, and her steps faltered.

Their eyes met, then they quickly looked away.

Lu Yuan glanced at Liu Ruyan's dress, then at Lu Cheng's still bruised face, and his eyes lit up.

He took a step forward, pointed at Liu Ruyan, and shouted.

"Second Brother!"

"Isn't that the person you love?"

The entire Imperial Garden fell silent.

The color drained from Liu Ruyan's face instantly.

Lu Cheng glared at Lu Yuan, veins bulging on his forehead.

Lu Yuan seemed not to have seen it, and added another sentence with a shocked expression.

"Why is she wearing an outfit from a talent show?"

"Are you going to give your beloved to your father, the Emperor?"