Liu Tan was not surprised when he received the news. Everyone around him was indignant, but he thought it was normal.

After all, the prince hasn't appeared in public for a long time. Every time news came out of the prince's palace, it was that the prince was in good health and was recuperating.

But this is too long of a recuperation. The King of the Northern Territory has been recuperating since he set out from Shuofang City. Now that he has defeated the rebels, he is still recuperating.

I've been resting for so long, do I have to keep resting forever?

Liu Tan met with Liu Ju every day. Whenever he asked Liu Ju to hurry up and deal with something, Liu Ju would smile and say, "You're handling it pretty well, aren't you? Go on, let me recuperate a little longer. After all, this isn't just an illness, it's poisoning, and the poison needs to be completely eliminated."

After hearing what he said, what else could Liu Tan do? He couldn't just tell his brother to stop detoxifying and get back to work, could he?

Moreover, Liu Tan basically did not interfere in political affairs, leaving them to the three dukes and nine ministers to handle.

The emperor usually makes relatively important decisions and maintains the balance of power in the court.

If an emperor has to do everything himself, we can say that he is very responsible, or we can say that he is unqualified to be an emperor.

However, Liu Tan didn't understand the situation in Chang'an, and he had no way to stop these people from placing people somewhere. He simply let them do it, and tried to create a jungle effect. Anyway, the ecology was too barbaric, and these big guys would be the first to be unable to bear it.

And when his father comes back, he can deal with all the evil spirits that can't help but jump onto the front stage.

Unfortunately, not everyone knows that the King of the North never interferes in political affairs.

In other words, Liu Tan's image in the hearts of the people of Chang'an is too positive. No matter what, it is true that he came here to defeat the rebels and save Chang'an, so many people are now skeptical about this rumor.

The three dukes and nine ministers also knew about this rumor, but many of them stood by and watched, wanting to see the reaction of His Royal Highness the King of the North.

Should he fly into a rage and send cruel officials to investigate, or should he pretend nothing happened and continue doing as he pleases?

Some more unscrupulous people, such as the Imperial Censor and the Minister of Agriculture Sang Hongyang, even made a bet. Based on the information he heard from his son, Sang Hongyang judged that Liu Tan should be the former.

However, the Imperial Censor felt that Liu Tan should be the latter.

As for what happens next, as long as Liu Tan makes any move, they can also take action to help the child.

It’s not necessarily that I’m really assisting him, but... right now there’s only one person who can be of use, what else can I do?

Unexpectedly, Liu Tan didn't react at all. He happily took the news to find his brother.

When he arrived at the Prince's Palace and saw Liu Ju playing with the children, he pretended to be angry and said, "I'm about to be labeled a traitor, and you still have the leisure to play here!"

When Liu Ju looked up, he saw his brother walking in angrily. He then looked down at his son and felt that his brother's expression was similar to his son's - the child was feeling aggrieved because his father had snatched the cloth tiger away and refused to give it to him.

He asked someone to take the child away while smiling, "What happened?"

Without saying anything, Liu Tan directly presented the message sent from below to Liu Ju.

After taking a look, Liu Ju frowned first, then looked up at Liu Tan.

Before he could open his mouth, Liu Tan put on a very dangerous expression and said, "If you dare to tell me that they can say such things, be careful that I will get angry."

Liu Ju laughed after hearing this and said: "Then turn your face and let me see it."

Well, he had never seen his brother really angry or upset. Those so-called angry expressions on his face were often just momentary anger, and he had never seen him get upset.

Liu Tan: ???

Who is this!

Liu Tan immediately grabbed the edge of the desk with both hands, wanting to overturn the table for Liu Ju.

I saw him bending his legs, trying hard, and exerting force with his arms... but he couldn't move it.

Not to mention it didn't move, the desk didn't even shake.

Liu Tan was full of doubts about his life and pushed hard. This time it finally shook a little, but the problem was...wasn't this too exaggerated?

He is indeed not a strong man, but his strength is still greater than that of the average man. At least he can draw a bow, and there are not many people who can draw a bow.

So now you can’t even lift the desk?

Liu Ju was holding onto the desk and laughing so hard that he almost died. The eunuch beside him couldn't help but laugh and said, "Fifth Prince, this desk is made of iron chestnut wood and is extremely heavy."

Liu Tan: ...

He angrily let go and sat beside her, saying, "I don't care. You must hold a court meeting tomorrow. You can handle the rest of the matter yourself. I'm going to look for the whereabouts of my father."

Liu Ju's laughter gradually died down, and he asked, "Have you found evidence that Liu Qumao is plotting a rebellion?"

Liu Tan rolled his eyes and said, "If he could be found, he would be in the prison now."

Liu Ju simply said, "Then you have to see this through to the end. Finish this first."

Liu Tan turned to look at him and asked suspiciously, "Why do I feel like you don't really want me to go out and look for my father?"

As for Liu Ju hoping that Liu Che would not come back, Liu Tan felt that it was impossible but also very likely.

In terms of status, since the emperor cannot come back, the prince will be the emperor.

But emotionally speaking, Liu Ju should not be so cruel.

After hearing this, the smile on Liu Ju's face gradually disappeared. After a long silence, he said with difficulty: "I was just worried...you disappeared too."

Liu Ju was very clear about Liu Tan's character. After discovering that his subordinates could not find any news about Liu Che, he would most likely lead his men out to sea to search for him.

If Liu Che were still alive, someone could stop him. But if Liu Che was not around, who could control him?

Liu Ju could only persuade him, but the problem was, if this naughty kid could listen to advice, would he have caused so many troubles?

Liu Ju had become extremely anxious because of his father's disappearance, and his poor health was also related to this.

If something happens to my brother again, even if it's not as bad as the sky falling, it won't be much better.

Liu Tan said helplessly: "How could it be?"

Liu Ju said expressionlessly, "How can I be sure? I'm sure Father didn't expect to get lost when he went out to sea."

Liu Tan thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I have some other ideas."

Liu Ju raised his eyebrows and asked, "What?"

Liu Tan said, "You said earlier that the people sent out to look for the Emperor relied on carrier pigeons to deliver messages to the capital. Has the Emperor ever used carrier pigeons before?"

Liu Ju thought for a moment and said, "The embroidered robe envoy should have used it. Why are you asking this?"

Liu Tan asked, "It's difficult to find someone at sea. So... can we use carrier pigeons?"

Liu Ju thought for a moment and said, "This... I don't know either. I'll call someone to ask."

Liu Tan didn't expect that the person Liu Ju called was actually his cousin - Wei Man, the son of Wei Changjun.

When Liu Ju introduced Wei Man, he said with a smile, "This kid doesn't like anything else but raising pigeons. The homing pigeons he raises are the best in the capital. If you have any questions, just ask him."

Wei Man said modestly, "Your Highness, I am too kind to praise you. I wouldn't say I am the best in the capital, but at least I have some experience."

Although he spoke modestly, his expression showed immense pride, and he was obviously very confident in his pigeon-raising skills.

Liu Tan smiled and asked, "That's even better. Then let me ask you, how do your carrier pigeons deliver messages?"

Wei Man said, "That depends on how it's delivered. Generally, if you need a carrier pigeon, you carry it with you. The pigeon is kept in a cage until you need it. When you need it, you take it out and it will fly back home on its own, thus naturally achieving the purpose of delivering the message."

Liu Tan was stunned for a moment. "So... using the distance of carrier pigeons returning home? Can't I just whistle or something and it will know?"

Wei Man laughed and said, "How can a pigeon, being so stupid, understand these things?"

Liu Tan was a little disappointed: "Hey, I was thinking of using carrier pigeons to find it if possible, but if that's the case... I'm afraid..."

Wei Man understood Liu Tan's meaning in an instant. He was afraid that the ship he sent out might not be able to find the message, so he thought of using carrier pigeons to deliver the message. However, the problem was that carrier pigeons had too many limitations.

The emperor and his men did not carry carrier pigeons with them. However, if they had, there would not be no news until now.

However, at this time Liu Tan was also glad that Liu Che did not bring carrier pigeons. If he had brought carrier pigeons and there was still no news for so long, it could only mean that they had no way to send messages, and not being able to send messages meant that they might.

Liu Tan's expression turned a little unhappy when he thought of this. He forced a smile and said, "It's okay. I'll think of another way."

Liu Ju patted Liu Tan's shoulder and said, "Don't overthink it. Father, you are blessed by fate. Isn't there any bad news yet?"

Liu Tan lowered his eyes. If it was on land, perhaps no news would be good news, but if there was no news at sea, it might mean there would be no news in this lifetime.

It’s just that Liu Ju’s body hasn’t recovered yet, and he doesn’t want to make Liu Ju feel bad.

Although Liu Ju might know it in his heart.

Liu Tan took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, the interrogation of the rebels is my responsibility, and the government is yours. I need to rest!"

Liu Tan's claim of needing a rest was just an excuse. He had indeed done too much recently, and if he couldn't find any evidence to hold against Liu Qumao, he would resort to some extreme measures.

But when he takes a radical approach, he can be in any capacity, except being a prince who acts as the government officer.

This will easily make everyone in the court feel insecure - if the leader does this, will the rest of the people follow suit?

Liu Ju originally wanted to rest for a while, mainly because he wanted his brother to have more contact with power. What if he wanted to stay in Chang'an after more contact?

Until now, he hadn't given up on the idea of ​​bringing Liu Tan back. He had never been to the Northern Territory, but he felt that no matter how good the rumors were, they couldn't compare to Chang'an. What was the point of staying there?

But now Liu Tan said he wanted to rest. He thought that since Liu Tan received the news, he had been rushing here without sleep, and then he had been fighting the rebels to the death. Now he was busy investigating the mastermind behind the scenes and trying to find their biological father.

Liu Ju knew that Liu Tan had not fallen asleep before midnight for several days.

Thinking of this, he felt very distressed and said, "Okay, I will call a court meeting tomorrow. You should rest well for two days. Qi has already sent people to look for you. There is no point in you worrying here."

Liu Tan responded and was about to leave when someone hurried over to report, "Your Highness, Du Tingwei sent someone to say they found an important clue!"