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

Han Gou was dragged out by his arms.

His legs were rubbing against the ground, leaving two gray marks on the soles of his shoes, and he was muttering something so softly that he couldn't even hear himself.

Lu Cheng leaned against the bed, recalling Han Gou's words, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

As a result, the area on his cheekbone that had just scabbed over was so painful that it almost split open.

But Lu Cheng felt a little better.

The Ninth Prince forcibly took away a minister's fiancée and beat him in public.

Once this matter gets out, the memorials from the Censorate will be piled up and the gates of the Qianyuan Hall will be destroyed.

Lu Yuan can just wait to be impeached.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes, the smile still lingering on his lips, but his mind was already imagining how the officials would attack Lu Yuan during the morning court session tomorrow.

Ninth Prince, your status as the eldest son is the biggest threat to me.

I'm not afraid of you doing anything to me, otherwise I won't be able to sleep peacefully!

……

The next morning, it was still dark.

There were already many people in the square outside the palace gate.

The courtiers, gathered in twos and threes, were whispering amongst themselves. The morning breeze lifted the corners of their robes, and some hunched their necks and pulled their sleeves tighter, while others stamped their feet to keep warm.

Lu Yuan sat by the palace wall, his legs spread apart, his whole body drooping down.

His eyes seemed to be filled with lead; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hold them open any longer.

Su Bo'an stood beside him, rubbing his hands together, and whispered in his ear.

"Your Highness, please straighten up! This is the palace gate."

Lu Yuan opened his eyelids a crack and glanced at him with the whites of his eyes.

"Can't we collect the reward at noon? Can't we do it in the afternoon? Why do you have to drag me out of bed so early in the morning?"

"How can that be the same?"

Su Bo'an stomped his feet in frustration, but dared not make a sound, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"His Majesty summoned you to receive your reward in front of the entire court! What an honor! You are the only surviving legitimate son of the late Empress!"

"This kind of public display should be seen by all the officials in the court, so that it will benefit you in the future..."

Su Bo'an paused here, swallowing the rest of his sentence.

Lu Yuan glanced at him sideways and said what he hadn't said aloud, sounding annoyed.

"So, this is also to accumulate resources for vying for the position of crown prince, is that what you meant?"

Su Bo'an's thoughts were exposed, his old face flushed, and he chuckled dryly twice.

"This old servant was just speaking offhand; Your Highness is wise."

"You're so brilliant, you know everything, right?"

"This old servant doesn't understand; this old servant is just a gofer."

Lu Yuan yawned, tears welling up in his eyes.

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening, he worked tirelessly in Su Yuling's field like an old ox.

At first, he felt incredibly awesome!

Farming is the most exciting thing for men of all the things in the world.

But after a dozen or so times, he couldn't take it anymore.

Su Yuling had been skilled in martial arts since childhood, so her physique was much better than that of the average girl.

When he tried to stop, Su Yuling disagreed.

So he didn't sleep well all night.

He reached up and touched the back of his head, then turned to look at the closed door before walking up to Su Bo'an.

"Alright, you can go back to the manor now. Have the kitchen prepare breakfast for the Princess Consort. Keep an eye on what she likes to eat and make sure she isn't neglected. Also, if she asks about me, tell her I went to the palace to receive a reward and will be back later."

"Your Highness, rest assured, this old servant has already made all the arrangements."

Su Bo'an bent down, took two steps back, looked back at Lu Yuan's nonchalant demeanor, sighed, and then left.

After walking for a while, we heard a commotion behind us.

Su Bo'an turned around and saw that the court officials outside the palace gates were all dodging to the sides, some even taking a few steps back and almost stepping on the clothes of the people next to them.

Four eunuchs carried a stretcher from the palace road.

The person on the stretcher was wrapped in many white bandages, with only two eyes and a mouth showing.

He wore a crooked official hat on his head, as if he had just put it on casually.

Lu Cheng lay on the stretcher, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd at the palace gate.

He's just here to watch the fun.

When we go to court later, some ministers will surely impeach Lu Yuan.

He needed to see his father beat the ninth prince with his own eyes before he could feel at ease.

He turned his head and bumped into Lu Yuan's face.

Lu Yuan had somehow gotten to the stretcher and squatted down to look at him, tilting his head as if he were looking at monkeys in a zoo.

"Oh, Second Brother."

Lu Yuan reached out and tapped on the side of the stretcher.

"What brings you here today? You look... wow, you've recovered quite well, much more energetic than yesterday."

Lu Cheng's eyes widened.

He originally wanted to see Lu Yuan make a fool of himself, but he didn't expect that this bastard not only wasn't nervous at all, but also took the initiative to provoke him.

Lu Cheng opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He stammered "you" for a long time but couldn't get the rest of the sentence out.

Lu Yuan stood up, clapped his hands, and walked around the stretcher twice.

Then she walked over to Lu Cheng's head, squatted down, and sat facing him.

"Second Brother, what's the meaning of wearing an official hat? Your wound hasn't healed yet, and you're already running around in court. Aren't you afraid of it getting infected and festering again?"

Lu Cheng rolled his eyes upward, looking at Lu Yuan's face, wishing he could jump off the stretcher and bite him.

"Lu Yuan...you..."

"What about me?"

Lu Yuan leaned closer and said, "Speak louder, you can't hear me with all that bandage wrapped around your ears."

Lu Cheng was so angry that he trembled all over, and the stretcher swayed with it, almost causing the eunuch carrying it to lose his balance.

At this time, more and more court officials gathered to watch the spectacle.

Some older officials stood by, pointing at Lu Yuan with their canes and making sarcastic remarks.

Wang Shuzi of the Hanlin Academy shook his head and whispered to the person next to him.

"What kind of behavior is this? A prince, dignified and powerful, snatches an official's fiancée in the street and beats up the official's family. How dare he be so presumptuous?"

The person next to him chimed in.

"If the late Empress were alive, she would probably be turning in her grave."

Lu Yuan didn't turn around after hearing this; he simply raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

First Queen?

These old men really know how to spout off without thinking.

He ignored the gossipers, turned around and looked at Lu Cheng on the stretcher, who looked furious, and felt secretly pleased.

"Second Brother, you were carried to the palace gate so early this morning. Are you here for court? Or to see me being impeached?"

Lu Cheng's pupils contracted slightly.

You were right.

Lu Yuan smiled, patted the edge of the stretcher, and stood up.

"Don't rush, the best is yet to come."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a shrill scream came from inside the palace gates.

"All officials enter the hall..."

The courtiers in the square also began to move about, their robes and shoes rustling on the stone pavement.

Lu Yuan patted his clothes, straightened them, and then walked towards the palace gate.

He stopped as he walked past the stretcher.

Lu Cheng lay on his back and lowered his voice when he saw Lu Yuan's face approaching.

"Ninth Brother."

Lu Cheng squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

"You're finished."

"You're finished today."