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

"The Hung Hing ship had just been seized when hundreds of merchants blocked the gates of the mansion!"

Su Bo'an handed Lu Yuan a torn notice.

There were some footprints on the paper, and the edges were covered in mud.

"They demand an explanation from Your Highness."

"Some even threatened that if the Sun family wasn't released today, all the businesses in the capital would close down and go on strike!"

After Lu Yuan took the notice, he casually folded it twice.

"I haven't even gone to them yet, but they've come to me of their own accord!"

Zhao Mingzhu walked over quickly.

She glanced at Su Bo'an first, then took the notice and read it through.

"The Hung Hing ship controls a large supply of cargo!"

"Some businesses sold their goods for them, while others pledged their silver to the Sun family!"

"These people don't necessarily all want to stand up for the Sun family."

Lu Yuan had put a lot of effort into his business dealings in the capital, so he was naturally aware of the connections involved.

With the downfall of the Sun family, no fewer than several dozen businesses will be affected.

Some people were worried about not getting paid, while others were pushed along.

"Therefore, I will ask first, and then settle accounts with them."

Lu Yuan turned to Madam Zhao and said, "Madam, the Crown Prince's Palace will send the marriage certificate tomorrow!"

"Mingzhu doesn't need to go to the Imperial Household Department for the next few days. I'll send someone to pick her up!"

Madam Zhao bowed in greeting.

"This humble woman obeys."

Lu Yuan didn't linger and pulled Su Bo'an outside.

Zhao Mingzhu escorted the goods all the way to the entrance of the escort agency, and when he was about to mount his horse, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"You just dealt with the Sun family. If you kill someone again today, the other businessmen will be terrified!"

"knew!"

Lu Yuan pressed down on the back of her hand, making her release it.

"I will try my best to be reasonable!"

Zhao Mingzhu stood at the door watching Lu Yuan mount his horse.

She didn't take the last sentence seriously until the sound of horses' hooves had faded into the distance.

The scene at the Han residence, however, was quite different.

Han Gougang had just taken a bath and changed his clothes. His hair was still wet, and he was still wearing the prison clothes he had brought from the jail.

He ate a bowl of meat soup, his mouth full of oil, and gnawed the bones clean.

He was locked up in jail for many days, and the food they brought him was cold and hard.

Now that he sees meat, he no longer cares about table manners.

Han Zheng sat opposite him and gave a brief account of what had happened in the past few days.

Lu Cheng was deposed, Consort Shen lost power, Lu Yuan was named Crown Prince, and the Sun family was also raided today.

Hearing this, Han Gou still held the bowl in mid-air, not bringing it to his mouth for a long time.

"Has Lu Yuan really become the crown prince?"

"And what about the Second Prince?"

"He is no longer a prince."

Han Zheng glanced at his son's prison clothes, then at the bones on the table, and his brows furrowed even deeper.

"You are not allowed to mention Lu Cheng again."

"The Han family has already lost more than a dozen officials in their efforts to help him rise to power."

Han Gou put the bowl on the table, and a lot of soup splashed out.

"Am I just going to let this go after being imprisoned by Lu Yuan for so many days?"

"He also took 100,000 taels of silver from the Han family!"

"Father, you are the Minister of War, how can you be afraid of a newly appointed crown prince?"

Han Zheng raised his hand and slapped him.

Han Gou tilted his head to the side, his lips still greasy.

"If you have any sense at all, you should understand that the Han family can't afford a second round of this."

Han Gou covered his face, his voice much lower.

"We can't take direct action against him, nor can we create trouble for him."

"Isn't he short of money right now?"

"If the merchants in the capital refuse to do business with him, let's see how he provides disaster relief and how he deals with Northern Liang."

Han Zheng picked up the teacup, brought it to his lips, and then put it down again.

Although the son's words were direct, they were not wrong.

The current imperial court is short of silver and grain, and the Northern Liang is also keeping an eye on the border.

If the businesses in the capital really close down, Lu Yuan will have another problem.

"Among the merchants who went to the Ninth Prince's residence today, there were some of our people!"

"After the Sun family was investigated, it wasn't just the Hung Hing ship that was affected!"

"Their payments, goods, and trade routes have all been seized by the Ministry of Justice, and there will always be those who are dissatisfied."

"If we direct all our discontent towards Lu Yuan, we can force him to release the Sun family!"

Han Gou lowered his hands from his face and moved his body forward slightly.

"Dad always has a way!"

"The second prince is gone, but there is still the first prince."

"The Prince of Xiang is the eldest son of the emperor, and he also has a fiefdom and troops. It is not impossible for a vassal king to inherit the throne."

"He will definitely not tolerate Sun Yiqian's murder."

Han Gou didn't even bother to drink the soup; he got up and walked out.

"I'll go check on the Ninth Prince's residence."

"stop!"

Two guards came in from outside the door and reached out to stop Han Gou.

Han Zheng remained seated, not even touching his teacup again.

"You just came out of the Ministry of Justice, and you want to send yourself back?"

"Stay at home, you're not allowed to go anywhere."

"Your cousin arrives in the capital today. Please accompany her in my place."

Han Gou stopped abruptly, his initial enthusiasm vanishing.

"Why is she here?"

"My uncle wanted her to go to the capital to discuss marriage."

Han Gou couldn't get any peace and quiet whenever he thought of his cousin.

She could talk from morning till night, and she loved to bring up old grievances from his childhood, giving Han Gou a lecture every time she entered the mansion.

"Father, I think I'd better go to the ancestral hall to reflect on my mistakes."

Han Zheng ignored those words and got up to instruct the butler who was waiting by the door.

"Go and keep watch outside the mansion gate."

"Once blood is spilled at the Ninth Prince's residence, the news must be sent immediately to the Prince of Xiang's fiefdom."

The area outside the Ninth Prince's residence was completely blocked.

After news of the Sun family's property being confiscated spread, merchants flocked from all over, even occupying most of the long street in front of the mansion.

The crew of the Hung Hing ship crowded at the front, clamoring for the Ministry of Justice to return the goods.

Later, there were also grain merchants, cloth merchants, medicine merchants, and owners of money exchange shops, all of whom were asking about their own money.

"The Sun family committed a crime, so why are our goods being seized?"

"I have 80,000 taels of silver deposited in the Hung Hing Company; the Ministry of Justice must repay it!"

"If the Crown Prince wants to investigate the Sun family, he should at least leave us a way out, right?"

More and more people gathered, and the noise grew increasingly louder.

A person in a brocade robe walked back and forth in the crowd, occasionally pushing others aside.

He speaks very loudly, and people in front of and behind him can hear him clearly.

"Still don't you all understand?"

"The Crown Prince is not here to investigate the case; he has his eye on the Hung Hing Company's assets."

"The national treasury is empty, but the Sun family is wealthy, so the Sun family became the first to be targeted."

"Today it's the Hung Hing, tomorrow it'll be our turn!"

After they finished speaking, many of the businessmen looked at each other.

People who originally just wanted to get their money back are now starting to worry that their family might become the next Sun family.

However, dissenting voices soon emerged from the crowd.

"The Sun family's practice of price gouging on disaster relief grain should be investigated."

"We just need to get the money we're owed; why should we complain about Sun Wanjin?"

The man in the brocade robe squeezed through and pointed at the person who had spoken.

"Your payment is in the Sun family's account."

"The Sun family has been convicted of treason. Do you think you can get your money back?"

"If we don't force the Crown Prince to back down today, none of us will live!"

Those behind couldn't hear what was being said in front, but seeing the crowd still moving forward, they joined in the pushing.

Several merchants standing in the front row were pushed up the steps, nearly bumping into the gate of the mansion.

Qi Yue led the female soldiers of the Phoenix Battalion out of the gate.

With a few clanging sounds from the scabbards, the swords were drawn together.

"Back off!"

"Anyone who dares to step into the mansion gates will be killed without mercy!"

The merchants in front stopped, but those behind continued to push.

Some people wanted to leave but couldn't, so they could only turn around and yell and curse.

The man in the brocade robe shouted again, using the crowd as cover.

"The crown prince confiscated the merchants' property and even planned to kill them to silence them!"

"Let's all go in together and demand justice from him!"

Several well-prepared shop assistants joined in the commotion, and the merchants once again crowded onto the steps.

Qi Yue gripped the hilt of her knife tightly, and the female soldiers of the Phoenix Battalion also took a step forward.

Just as the two sides were about to collide, the sound of horses' hooves came from the street corner.

The imperial guards from the Eastern Palace rushed along the long street, and the merchants turned around to look, and the noise subsided considerably.

Lu Yuan reined in his horse, dismounted, and walked through the narrow path cleared by the crowd to the front of the mansion.

Qi Yue handed over her sword.

Lu Yuan took the knife but did not draw it immediately. He only looked at the people below the steps.

"The Sun family's threat to the royal family constitutes treason."

"Are you speaking up for the Sun family to avoid being punished as well?"