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

Lu Yuan stopped.

"I grant them permission to leave the capital. They might bring troops back and smash up the schools."

He Shen hesitated and asked, "Your Highness, shall we pursue them?"

Lu Yuan threw the red silk down the steps.

"Where they study is up to them."

"Who dares to borrow the troops of the feudal lords again...?"

He drew his sword and pointed it at the city gate.

"I will even chop down the vassal kings who lent him troops!"

He Shen didn't ask whether to pursue them or not, and turned around to lead his men to search the alleyways on both sides of the academy.

Scholars who can walk away, take advantage of the chaos to injure people, or spy on military defenses will not get away with it.

Before half an incense stick had burned, three men in plainclothes were brought to the steps.

One of the men's short swords was still stained with blood, and the imperial guards who followed him clutched their wounded arms and threw down three Zhou Prince's Mansion waist tokens.

He Shen then unfolded the paper booklet that had been searched.

The location of the academy's guards and the residences of the instructors were all recorded in the book.

The leader struggled to raise his head: "We entered the capital on the orders of Prince Zhou. Even if Your Highness wishes to punish us, you should first send us to the Imperial Clan Court!"

Lu Yuan's gaze turned icy as he saw the circled instructor's name.

"You want to pay with your life for wounding my soldiers?"

The sword fell, and the man's explanation came to an abrupt end.

"The remaining two, behead them. Hang their heads on the city gates, and post their charges publicly!"

The figures who had lingered at the alley entrance immediately dispersed, some even too afraid to pick up their hats that had fallen to the ground.

Lu Yuan did not pursue the matter further, but only instructed He Shen to escort the instructor home. The injured were to be treated at the expense of the Crown Prince. Afterwards, he sheathed his sword and returned to his residence.

Just as he stepped across the threshold, Su Bo'an rushed over with a medicine note in his hand, almost tripping over the hem of his robe.

"Your Highness, great news! Double happiness!"

Lu Yuan glanced at the paper in his arms.

"Someone's sending money again?"

"What does money matter!"

After the old steward finished speaking, he realized that he had scolded His Highness for what he loved to hear most, and hurriedly corrected himself.

"It's the young master! Consort Zhao and Aunt Liu are both pregnant!"

Lu Yuan's hand holding the sword suddenly paused.

"two?"

"Two! Both were personally examined by the hospital director, and both have been in the hospital for over a month!"

Su Bo'an's face was all wrinkled from laughing so hard, he was even more excited than Lu Yuan, even though he wasn't the father.

Lu Yuan shoved the sword into his arms, lifted his leg and walked away, but turned back after taking two steps.

"I almost forgot, you can't go in dressed like this."

Blood was still stained on his sleeves.

Su Bo'an quickly fetched a clean robe, but Lu Yuan, finding it too slow to tie the belt, took it from him, tightened it himself, and entered the backyard in a few steps.

Zhao Mingzhu was holding a plate of pickled plums when she saw him enter. She got up to greet him.

Shen Hanqiu helped her up and took the plate that was about to fall.

"We've been waiting for this person for eight times now, and they've finally arrived."

"My husband, I'm going to be a mother!"

Zhao Mingzhu grabbed Lu Yuan's sleeve, looking as serious as if she had just accepted a major mission.

"The imperial physician said it's true, I didn't eat anything that caused my stomach upset!"

Lu Yuan almost burst out laughing; the anger that had been building up inside him when he arrived finally dissipated.

He sat down next to her and inquired about her daily life in detail.

The doctor said that her pulse was still stable and she had no discomfort, so there was no need to overuse herbal medicine. She just needed to eat a moderate diet and have regular follow-up visits.

When Zhao Mingzhu heard "appropriate amount", her hand reaching for the sour plum stopped.

"But the child wants to eat it?"

Lu Yuan handed the plate to Shen Hanqiu.

"If he is willing to speak, I will invite him to the Imperial Academy for a discussion right now."

Shen Hanqiu smiled and turned her face away. Zhao Mingzhu looked at her belly and also felt that this request was indeed a bit difficult.

After Lu Yuan finished laughing, he realized that Liu Ruyan hadn't come over yet.

Clutching a small, unfinished embroidered cloth bag, she burst into tears the moment her eyes met his.

"Your Highness, this humble servant..."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already knelt down.

Lu Yuan reached out and helped her sit down on the chair.

"Sending such a grand gift just to announce good news? Are you trying to scare me away from my reward?"

Liu Ruyan shook her head, the more anxious she became, the less coherent her words became.

She used to want to be respectable and to be envied by others.

But once you have a child, you realize you still have fears.

She was afraid that her child would be looked down upon by others, and that Lu Yuan would only be happy for a short time and then forget about it.

"If only I could give Your Highness a son..."

"So, this young lady isn't my child?"

Lu Yuan took the cloth bag, where two small ducks with crooked stitches huddled together.

He didn't laugh, and put the bag back in her hands.

"It's the same for anyone. Just take care of yourself and don't worry about anything else."

Looking at what she held in her hand, Liu Ruyan finally nodded with tears in her eyes.

I don't want to say a single one of the pleasing words I've been thinking about for so long.

Su Bo'an was so anxious by the door that he kept rubbing his hands, wishing he could rush into the palace to report the news.

Looking at the room full of people, Lu Yuan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

In just a few days, two more happy events have occurred in the household!

When his little ones start calling him "Dad" in the future, he'll probably have to save up quite a bit of money.

"The entire prefecture will receive an extra month's salary! Those who took care of the two will receive an additional reward, and don't forget those who guarded the academy today."

"This old servant will do it immediately!"

"Wait a minute."

Su Yuling handed over the two red envelopes she had prepared.

"A gift of thanks for the Dean has been prepared. If you need anything in the future, just come to me. No one is allowed to be neglected."

She explained everything perfectly, even the two red envelopes were the same thickness.

Lu Yuan noticed that when she loosened the red seal, several pinch marks were left on her palm.

She was genuinely happy for the two of them.

Mingzhu almost tripped just now, but she took half a step forward before anyone else.

But after sitting back down, that hand involuntarily pressed against her lower abdomen again, then casually moved away.

Before Lu Yuan could speak, she had already stopped the head of the hospital who was carrying the medicine box.

"Please wait, sir, I..."

The old doctor looked at her, then at Lu Yuan, and quickly put the box down.

Su Yuling felt her face flush under his gaze, but she still reached out her hand in the end.

The person who would never admit defeat even after hundreds of rounds was now hesitant to look at his pulse.

After a moment, the head physician said, "Your Majesty's pulse is normal and there is no obvious problem. You should not be impatient in your pursuit of a child, and you should not take any folk remedies."

Su Yuling slowly withdrew her hand.

There's nothing wrong with it.

But why is it that she's the only one who hasn't made a move?

She refused to miss anyone's happy occasion, so she had to suppress her grievances and get up to arrange dinner.

Lu Yuan saw this and was about to go over and coax her when Su Bo'an pointed to the hem of his robe.

I changed my clothes in such a hurry that a section of my blood-stained clothes was still sticking out.

He had no choice but to go to the side hall first.

Just as he turned the corner, a hand suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

Su Yuling pulled the person behind the screen and blocked their way with her hand.

Lu Yuan staggered half a step, sat down on the soft couch, and almost laughed out loud.

"What, has the Crown Princess turned to robbery?"

Her carefully prepared words were completely ruined by that one sentence.

A maid was outside collecting the reward money. As soon as she got close, she grabbed his hand and told him not to make a sound.

In front of her sisters, she was expected to maintain a composed and dignified demeanor as the Crown Princess.

But even with this screen separating them, she wanted him to only see her.

Lu Yuan stopped laughing and instead took her hand in his.

"Children aren't military achievements, why bother arguing about who comes first?"

"Who's claiming it!"

Su Yuling replied so quickly that her eyes reddened.

Lu Yuan was about to get up when she pressed him back onto the soft couch, gritting her teeth as she forced out the words she had been holding back all night.

"You're not going anywhere tonight, it's my turn!"