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

The surrounding officials also changed their expressions.

They knew that Li Zhenyuan was used to running rampant in the Ministry of Justice because he had the support of the Second Prince, but they never expected him to contradict the prince in front of him.

Shen Yilei stepped forward and blocked Li Zhenyuan's hand.

"How dare you be so disrespectful to His Highness!"

Li Zhenyuan turned his gaze to him.

"You, a mere clerk in the Ministry of Justice who climbed the social ladder by marrying a widow's daughter, dare to lecture me?"

Shen Yilei's face turned red with anger, and he raised his hand to push him away.

Lu Yuan was amused by the situation and raised his hand to stop Shen Yilei.

He wanted to see what else Li Zhenyuan could say.

Li Zhenyuan then turned his gaze to Lu Yuan.

"Your Highness, as His Majesty's son, you should abide by the rules of the court."

"If every prince could freely enter the Six Ministries to check files, today the Second Prince would check the Ministry of Justice, tomorrow the Second Prince would check the Ministry of Revenue, and the day after tomorrow the other princes would check the Ministry of War."

"Wouldn't all six ministries be thrown into chaos?"

Lu Yuan said coldly, "Lord Wu has quite the nerve!"

After putting down the case file, Li Zhenyuan stood up with an air of self-righteousness.

"I was simply enforcing the law impartially."

"Even if His Majesty were standing on that throne today, I would still say the same thing."

"No one may enter the archives without an imperial edict."

The officials from the Ministry of Justice in the East Courtyard also retreated one after another.

Shen Yilei said to Li Zhenyuan, "You even dare to stop His Majesty, huh?"

"I am loyal to the court and to the laws of the Great Yong Dynasty."

Li Zhenyuan turned his gaze to everyone present, "Anyone who puts His Highness the Ninth Prince into the archives today will be leaking the Ministry of Justice's secrets."

"I will write down his name and present it to the Emperor tomorrow."

The few people in charge who had initially wanted to dissuade them immediately shut their mouths.

Lu Yuan looked at his face and suddenly smiled.

"Good, good, well said."

A hint of smugness appeared in Li Zhenyuan's eyes.

"I'm glad Your Highness understands my intentions!"

"I will retry the case in Yongning County in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Justice."

"Regarding the matter of Steward Shen hitting his superior, I can also let it go for Your Highness's sake."

"Otherwise, the Second Prince will definitely ask about it too."

Lu Yuan handed the case file to Shen Yilei.

"Get it for me."

Shen Yilei caught it with both hands.

"Your subject obeys."

Lu Yuan took a few more steps forward.

Li Zhenyuan did not retreat; instead, he spread his arms to block the direction of the archive.

"Your Highness, please wait. I have already said that you are not qualified..."

Lu Yuan gripped the Shangfang sword at his waist and drew it from its sheath.

Li Zhenyuan was about to say something.

The tip of the sword lightly grazed his neck.

Li Zhenyuan clutched his neck, staggered backward, and blood seeped from between his fingers.

Lu Yuan looked down at him, holding the blood-stained sword.

"Now, does this prince possess the qualifications?"

One by one, the officials in the courtyard knelt down. Some looked at Li Zhenyuan's corpse, while others hurriedly pressed their foreheads to the ground.

The leaders who had previously surrounded and attacked Shen Yilei on behalf of Li Zhenyuan all looked grim and dared not speak.

The Imperial Guard captain came to Lu Yuan's side.

"Your Highness, Li Zhenyuan is, after all, an official appointed by the imperial court..."

"Should we first send someone to inform His Majesty, and then let the Three Departments handle it?"

Lu Yuan placed the imperial sword in front of everyone, saying, "My father has bestowed upon me the imperial sword, authorizing me to carry out the execution first and then report back."

"Li Zhenyuan abused his power for personal gain, shielded a murderer, accepted bribes, sealed case files, and destroyed evidence."

"I have already given him a chance to explain, but he refused it himself."

The older manager looked up.

"Your Highness, the ten thousand taels of silver sent by the Cao family has been placed in the warehouse in the side courtyard."

"I personally saw the silver box and also saw Physician Wu make the aggrieved party sign the settlement agreement."

Another person immediately said, "Wu Langzhong has sent two more constables to the west of the city to find witnesses."

"He said that if the witnesses refused to change their testimonies, they would be arrested on charges of falsely accusing the magistrate."

Lu Yuan wiped the blood from his sword onto Li Zhenyuan's official robe and sheathed the sword.

"Lieutenant, listen to my command!"

The Imperial Guard captain clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Take men to the Wu residence."

"Confiscating property."

The captain was taken aback.

"Now?"

"Are we supposed to wait for the Wu family to transfer their money and burn the letters?"

Lu Yuan pointed outside the courtyard.

"All of the Wu family's cash, land deeds, shops, and valuables must be clearly registered."

"All the silver found should be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue, which will then issue an entry voucher."

"Letters, account books, official visiting cards, and anything bearing the Second Prince's mark should be sent to the Ninth Prince's residence."

The captain hesitated before saying, "This humble general is here on His Majesty's orders to protect Your Highness. If we all go to the Wu residence, your personal safety..."

Lu Yuan turned around to face the Ministry of Justice official kneeling on the ground.

"This is the Ministry of Justice. I'd like to see who dares to kill a prince here."

Several officials kept their heads bowed very low.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guard captain did not hesitate. He left four Imperial Guards to guard Lu Yuan and led the others directly to the Wu residence.

Lu Yuan walked up to Shen Yilei and took the Yongning County case file from his arms.

"Li Zhenyuan is dead, and the position of physician cannot remain vacant forever."

Shen Yilei was stunned.

"Your Highness means..."

"From now on, you will temporarily replace the Assistant Minister of Justice."

Lu Yuan placed the case file in his hands. "You will be in charge of retrying the case in Yongning County. Not a single piece of evidence of Cao Yuan's crimes—killing people on horseback, coercing the victims, and seizing land—can be omitted."

"All the money given by the Cao family must be sealed up. Everyone who touched it, who received it, and who promised to change Cao Yuan's sentence must be recorded."

"I will definitely find out the truth," Shen Yilei said excitedly.

Lu Yuan patted his father-in-law on the shoulder.

"I will inform the Ministry of Personnel. 'Temporary' is a term used today. The formal appointment will be sent to the Ministry of Justice soon."

Shen Yilei knelt down.

"Your Highness thanks me for your promotion! I will certainly uphold the laws and regulations of the Ministry of Justice and ensure that this incident never happens again!"

Lu Yuan helped him up.

After making some further arrangements, he left the Ministry of Justice without waiting for the Imperial Guards.

As soon as he stepped out of the Ministry of Justice, the officials inside surrounded him, trapping Shen Yilei in the middle.

Someone helped him pick up his official hat, someone helped him straighten his official robes, and someone even took out the seals and documents under Li Zhenyuan's control.

The few officials who had just helped Li Zhenyuan besiege him were now all smiles, vying to congratulate Doctor Shen on his promotion.

Don't be fooled by the fact that you've only been promoted to the fifth rank; this is a signal!

Shen Yilei has a bright future ahead of him.

That afternoon, the Wu family's property was seized by the Imperial Guards.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver, thirteen shops, six estates, and a large number of jewels and land deeds have all been registered.

After the cash was delivered to the Ministry of Revenue, the officials counted it overnight.

They also sent a document to the Ninth Prince's residence to record the entry of the item into the treasury.

The letters, account books, and calling cards in Li Zhenyuan's study were packed into two wooden boxes.

Several of the letters bore the mark of the Second Prince's residence.

The two wooden boxes bypassed the Ministry of Justice and were delivered directly to the Ninth Prince's study.

After nightfall, Lu Yuan returned to his residence.

After reading the news about the illness that He Shen brought from the palace, he ordered the Wu family's letters and account books to be locked up.

After doing all that, he pulled up his collar and called Su Bo'an over.

"Prepare hot water; I wish to take a bath."

Su Bo'an bowed in agreement, then turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Lu Yuan called out to the person.

Su Bo'an turned around.

Lu Yuan glanced at the three courtyards behind him.

"A regular bathtub is too small. Have someone make a large tub that can accommodate four people bathing together."

"Fine, I'll give you a design tomorrow. We'll build a pool that can accommodate several, or even dozens, of people bathing together."