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

Lu Cangqiong grabbed the military map scroll and slapped it directly on Lu Yuan's shoulder.

"You actually want to test it, kid?"

Lu Yuan raised his arm to block twice.

"Father, it's no wonder I'm suspicious. Just look at his IQ."

"Let alone a prince, even an uneducated commoner wouldn't do such a thing."

"You saw his behavior in court today; he practically had the words 'deliberately targeting' written all over his face."

"Besides, it won't hurt you to get tested once."

"You bastard!"

Lu Cangqiong chased after him and slapped him twice more.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Your second brother is a bit foolish; you could only say he took after his mother and inherited nothing from me!"

Lu Yuan retreated behind Zhou Fu.

"Maybe it was his mother's child with some random man!"

Caught between the father and son, Zhou Fu quickly advised, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is joking."

"The situation in the North is critical."

Lu Cangqiong handed the scroll to Zhou Fu and walked back to the military map.

"Shen Chongshan has been in charge of the Zhenbei Army for many years."

"He placed many of his cronies in the Twelfth Battalion."

"Although the Earl of Yongning has a high reputation, all nine male members of the Su family died in battle, and his former subordinates have been ostracized by the Shen family for many years."

"It's not that easy to complete the change of leadership within three days."

Lu Yuan went around to the other side of the military map.

"What does Father Emperor intend for me to do?"

"Think about it yourself."

"You just said the Shen family was a big problem, and now you're handing it over to your son?"

Lu Cangqiong raised his hand and pointed to the crown prince's robes.

"I have already given you the position of Crown Prince."

"You must learn to handle all aspects of government affairs, border military matters, and the appointment and removal of officials."

"If I, as your father, have to do everything myself, what's the point of me making you the crown prince?"

"I might as well have established Zhou Fu as the new emperor!"

Zhou Fu almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Is this a joke?

This old servant hasn't even thought about moving his head yet.

Lu Yuan glanced at Zhou Fu and suddenly fell into deep thought.

"I don't think it's a bad idea. Eunuch Zhou is reliable and loyal!"

Zhou Fu was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Your Highness, please don't joke with this old servant."

"The Great Yong Dynasty had an ancestral rule that eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in politics."

"If you continue, this old servant will have to find a rope and hang himself."

Lu Yuan was speechless for a moment after being cornered by him.

He had just received the imperial decree today, and before he even had a chance to look at the gates of the Eastern Palace, he was already burdened with the trouble of the Twelve Camps of the Northern Border.

Seeing his humiliation, Lu Cangqiong's mood finally improved a bit.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Weren't you quite eloquent in court just now?"

"Your Majesty, I am thinking that you have given me the position of Crown Prince at a very good price."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Lu Cangqiong pointed to Shen Chongshan's name.

"I only want one result."

"Three days from now, Su Tan must take control of the Zhenbei Army."

"If Shen Chongshan disobeys the imperial decree, he shall be escorted back to the capital."

"If his confidants lead troops to obstruct him, they will be treated as traitors."

Lu Yuan rolled up the military map.

"Alright, leave it to your son."

Lu Cangqiong was somewhat surprised.

"Do you have a solution?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Then why did you agree so readily?"

"Anyway, you've already tricked me."

The portrait of General Lu Yuan was tucked under his arm.

"Your subject will first go to the Ministry of Justice to investigate the arms case."

"After we deal with Wu Yu, we'll figure out how to deal with Shen Chongshan."

Lu Cangqiong waved for them to leave.

"I want to see the outcome of the arms case before nightfall."

Lu Yuan walked to the palace gate and then looked back at Lu Cangqiong.

"Father, are you really not going to consider the blood test for kinship?"

A scroll of memorials flew over from behind the emperor's desk.

Lu Yuan turned his head away and quickly left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

……

Inside the Ministry of Justice prison, Madam Zhao leaned against the cell door, her wrists already chafed red by the iron chains.

"Our Zhao family does not smuggle weapons!"

"Those four carriages were sent by the Ministry of Rites; the Fuyuan Escort Agency was only responsible for escorting them!"

Two jailers stood in the way of the cell door.

One of them unfolded a confession.

"Du San, the bodyguard of your Zhao family, has already confessed."

"The weapons were loaded in by Zhao Mingzhu under the orders of the Ninth Prince."

Zhao Mingzhu sat on the straw mat and immediately got up.

"Du San has no right to handle the goods at all."

"After the truck entered the security company, he was responsible for looking after the horses."

"This confession is fake!"

The jailer handed the confession to Wu Yu, who was standing next to him.

"Lord Wu, what should we do?"

Wu Yu was dressed in the official robes of the Ministry of Rites, with a warrant from the Lu City government hanging at his waist.

He placed the confession in front of Zhao Mingzhu.

Whether it's fake or not is not important.

"The bodyguards from Fuyuan Escort Agency have already signed it."

"Now only you and your daughter are missing."

Madam Zhao shielded her daughter behind her.

"Wu Yu, I am your own aunt!"

"The Zhao family and the Wu family are also related by marriage."

Why did you want to harm us?

The smile on Wu Yu's face faded.

"If my aunt truly cared about family ties, she should have married Mingzhu to me in the first place."

"The Zhao family and the Wu family had a marriage agreement long ago. It was only after you met the Ninth Prince that you became greedy and wanted to curry favor with the royal family."

Zhao Mingzhu kicked the cell door.

Wu Yu dodged backward, but she still kicked the hem of his official robe.

"Who do you think you are?"

"My father never agreed to let me marry you!"

"Those two marriage certificates you sent, even the Zhao family seal is fake!"

Wu Yu stared at her through the wooden fence.

"After the Ninth Prince falls from power, I'll see how long you can keep up your stubbornness."

Mrs. Zhao gripped the railing.

"The Ninth Prince already knows Mingzhu's identity."

"He even personally promised to marry Mingzhu."

"Having done so much harm to the Zhao family today, aren't you afraid that the Ninth Prince will hold you accountable?"

Several jailers laughed at the same time.

"Is Madam Zhao still waiting for the Ninth Prince to rescue them?"

"It's hard to say whether he'll even live to see today."

Wu Yu raised his hand, signaling the jailer to open the cell door.

"Aunt, I can tell you this clearly."

"I'm the one who had the weapons loaded into the Zhao family's truck."

"The mezzanine of the four carriages was also made in advance by the carpenter at my request."

"The officials from the Ministry of Rites who inspected the goods, the soldiers guarding the city, and the captains of the Five City Garrison were all the Second Prince's men."

Madam Zhao's face turned pale.

"You admit to framing the Zhao family?"

"What's the point of admitting it?"

Wu Yu entered the cell and placed a box of inkpads on the straw mat.

"His Highness the Second Prince will soon be the Crown Prince."

"Once the Ninth Prince is convicted of treason, who in the court will be willing to overturn your case?"

"Aunt, don't blame me for not giving you a chance."

"As long as you identify the Ninth Prince, I can protect half of the Zhao family's bodyguards."

"Mingzhu can also be spared the death penalty."

Zhao Mingzhu raised her hand and knocked the confession away.

"You're dreaming!"

Wu Yu grabbed her wrist, trying to drag her to the inkpad.

Zhao Mingzhu twisted his arm behind his back and pressed him against the cell door.

Two jailers immediately rushed in and separated her from Madam Zhao.

Wu Yu rubbed his arm, his smile gone.

"Don't you like that Ninth Prince?"

"After he's crippled, I'll let you watch him go to the execution ground with your own eyes."

"Whoever dares to steal my woman, they'll only face death!"

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside the cell.

The accompanying officials from the Ministry of Justice quickly made way for them.

A figure stopped behind Wu Yu.

"Oh?"

"I'd like to see just how much of a dead end this is!"