Marquis Dingbei was unconvinced and his face turned red with anger.

In a way, he was practically the Crown Prince's father-in-law.

The Crown Prince actually sided with Suijintan in front of so many people, mocking him for exaggerating the facts!

Before he could speak, the Crown Prince said to the Emperor, "Father, I think the method at Broken Gold Beach is good; it sets a good example."

"As the number of refugees increases, it would be better to have them taken care of and resettled in a unified manner. Then, we should call on families in the city to donate grain and supplies, even if it's just one meal a day, to help the refugees get through this difficult time."

"In addition, order troops to be dispatched from the southwest to eliminate the Maitreya sect. If all goes well, we should hear good news in half a month."

"At that time, we will issue orders to open granaries in various places to provide food for the refugees, and also distribute improved seeds. In this way, we can still catch up with the second planting..."

The Crown Prince spoke eloquently and logically, and it must be said that this was the best method available at the moment.

The emperor nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with admiration and pride.

But the high-ranking officials felt bitter, because not only had their estates been damaged, but they also had to donate grain and supplies. It was like being cut with a knife, adding pain on top of pain!

They certainly dared not blame the Crown Prince, so they could only secretly glare at the Marquis of Dingbei, the culprit.

When you go to the palace, just talk about the number of refugees and the damage to your own estate. Why do you have to bring up the Li family?

The eye drops didn't work; instead, they dragged them into the pit!

Marquis Dingbei felt his hair stand on end and was on pins and needles, as if the crowd was tearing at him.

His plan was perfectly fine, but why didn't things go as he envisioned...?

Yes, the Li family, it's all the Li family's fault!

The Li family is his nemesis; anything he encounters with the Li family will never go smoothly!

Leaving aside the chaotic situation in Kyoto, where they were busy resettling displaced people and hoping the Empress's funeral would end soon, the situation remained unresolved.

Speaking of the southwestern border alone, there has been an emergency adjustment of patrols to prevent foreign enemies from causing trouble, and there is also an urgent need to investigate the foundation of the Maitreya sect. They are extremely busy.

Fortunately, General Lu was brave and highly respected, his strategist was full of wisdom, and the generals were all very dedicated, so there were no major problems for the time being.

But that night, General Lu and his strategist had just returned to the general's mansion after patrolling the camp. Before they could even enter the gate, someone rushed up to them, shouting, "Your Highness, save us!"

General Lu and his men were startled, and the guards also raised their long swords to signal the newcomers not to approach rashly.

The man was extremely anxious. Upon seeing this, he quickly pulled off his bamboo hat and shouted in a low voice, "Your Highness, this servant is Lu Feng!"

Lu Feng?

General Lu didn't react for a moment, but the strategist recognized the person and whispered a reminder, "General, it's Lu Feng, the chief steward who's with the young master in Xindu!"

General Lu's expression immediately changed. This was the servant who served his son. He had suddenly abandoned his son and run back. Something terrible must have happened!

"Come in and talk to me!"

The group quickly entered the mansion and went straight to the study.

Lu Feng was covered in sand and dust, his clothes were dirty, and his lips were chapped, clearly indicating that he had rushed back on horseback without having time to eat or rest.

The strategist raised his hand to pour tea, and General Lu couldn't help but ask, "Lu Feng, why did you suddenly return? Is something wrong with the Crown Prince? How is he in Xindu?"

Lu Feng's mouth moved, but his knees buckled and he knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness, it's all my fault. I failed to take good care of the young master. The young master... is under house arrest! Please, Your Highness, save the young master!"

House arrest?!

General Lu's expression changed, but he still helped Lu Feng up, saying, "Tell me slowly."

The strategist also advised, "Yes, we're already home. Everything can be discussed now. Don't rush."

As he spoke, he handed over some tea.

Lu Feng gulped down the drink in a few mouthfuls and said, "General, strategist, the young master has not come out since he married the princess and moved into the princess's residence."

“Every time I go to ask if I can see the prince, the princess says that the prince is not in good health and needs to rest.”

"Twice I tried to rush in, but the princess had her guards throw me out."

"I was really worried about the young master, so I spent a lot of money to bribe the servants at the princess's residence. I heard that the young master is under house arrest in his bedroom, and the princess doesn't allow him to move around outside. Every day... every day they sleep together!"

It was really hard to say this, and Lu Feng only dared to speak up when he saw that no one was in the room.

General Lu and the strategist both thought they had misheard. The strategist couldn't help but ask, "That's not right. Even if the Empress kept her death a secret, she had actually passed away by the time the princess got married. How could the princess still be... This is extremely unfilial!"

Lu Feng gritted his teeth in hatred, "That's not all, strategist! Even though there's been a funeral in the palace these past two days, with officials and noblewomen coming to mourn, and the princess spending the day in the palace and returning to her residence at night, she still didn't... she didn't spare the heir either! This servant has no idea what's wrong with the princess! She's utterly heartless!"

The strategist thought of a possibility and looked up at General Lu.

General Lu's face darkened considerably, and he nodded in agreement, "We were right earlier."

The strategist, annoyed, instinctively exclaimed, "Why must the princess be like this!"

But after he finished speaking, he sighed, the reason being as obvious as lice on a bald man's head!

Lu Feng was somewhat surprised and uncertain, and secretly glanced at General Lu.

General Lu snorted coldly and rebuked him, "You don't need to keep it a secret for the young master anymore! The top scholar from the Li family came a few days ago, and we already know about the serious mistake the young master has made!"

Lu Feng was deflated and slumped to the ground, utterly dejected.

"This servant doesn't know what's wrong with the young master. He's like he's possessed. No matter how this servant tries to persuade him, he won't listen!"

"Originally, when the young master became the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination, everyone was happy except for the young master himself. Then, the emperor bestowed a marriage upon him, and the young master agreed, instructing his servants to prepare the wedding items."

"But then, the young master changed his mind and didn't want to marry the princess anymore. He even pretended to be sick to deceive the emperor, luckily without being discovered..."

Even in the study of the Prince's mansion, his own territory, Lu Feng still cautiously lowered his voice.

"Later, the Emperor pressed him hard, and the young master dared not disobey the imperial decree, so he eventually got married. But after the marriage, he never left the princess's residence again. This servant was really worried, so I rushed back!"

"Your Highness, please think of a solution! The young master is under house arrest and must be furious! What if he falls ill?"

In his opinion, after saying all this, the prince would definitely send someone to the new capital.

But after a while, he still didn't hear any sound. When he looked up, he saw the prince staring at him coldly.

"Lu Feng, you only said that the prince was under house arrest, but you didn't say why the princess disliked him so much, nor did you say what kind of disaster he caused by using his family's people!"

Lu Feng was so shocked that he shuddered and immediately lay down on the ground, no longer daring to hide anything.

"Your Highness, this servant was afraid that your anger would harm your health. This servant... no, the young master doesn't want to disobey the imperial decree and cause trouble for the family, and he really likes the princess, so..."

“So,” General Lu continued, “he wanted to marry the princess first, and then take the county princess into his household. The Li family and the Marquis regard the county princess as their precious jewel, and they certainly wouldn’t agree to her becoming a concubine. So he secretly sent people to cause trouble for the Northern Expeditionary Army, trying to force the Marquis and the Li family to agree, right?”

"As a result, the Northern Expeditionary Army was unaffected, but the Li family and the Marquis discovered that he had been scheming behind the scenes. Moreover, the princess also discovered his intentions, and in the end, he became a prisoner!"

Today's update is here!