Hearing his wife's words, Chu Zhongtian fell silent. The Great Zhou Dynasty was conquered by Emperor Taizu, but Taizu's sons died one after another in the war of unification. So Taizu's younger brother adopted his second son to Taizu, who is now the King of Qi.

In a fierce war, Emperor Taizu perished alongside a powerful foreign warrior. Because his adopted son was still young and the newly established empire was not yet stable, he passed the throne to his younger brother, Emperor Taizong, before his death.

Emperor Taizong inherited the legacy of his ancestor and unified the land. Unfortunately, due to the many old wounds he had suffered on the battlefield, he soon reached the end of his life. However, he was troubled when it came to choosing a successor.

Logically speaking, his throne should have come from his brother's lineage. Back then, it was only because the Prince of Qi was too young that he was chosen to succeed him for the sake of the family and the country's future. Now, the throne should be returned to the grown-up Prince of Qi.

However, people are selfish. Although the Prince of Qi was actually his son, he had been adopted by Emperor Taizu and belonged to another branch of the family. Naturally, he was not as good as his own eldest son, the Prince of Jin.

Therefore, he used a little trick, ordering that whoever broke through to the Earth Immortal realm first would inherit the throne.

At that time, Prince Jin was much older than his second son, Prince Qi. In addition, Emperor Taizong, as the emperor, certainly had more resources at his disposal. With his secret assistance, Prince Jin naturally broke through to the Earth Immortal realm first and smoothly inherited the throne, becoming the current emperor, Emperor Gaozong.

However, there were still many loyal ministers who were loyal to the lineage of Emperor Taizu. The lineage of Emperor Taizu's wife's family also supported Prince Qi. In order to appease this powerful force, Emperor Taizong vaguely mentioned that the succession should be passed from brother to brother, which quelled a period of trouble.

A century later, Emperor Gaozong was nearing the age of decline, yet he appointed his own son as crown prince. This naturally aroused dissatisfaction among the Qi Prince's faction. In addition, the crown prince was mediocre and far inferior to the Qi Prince's outstanding talent, so many other court officials also had designs on him.

But Emperor Gaozong had been emperor for over a hundred years, and his inner circle was powerful enough. Over the years, the two groups had been engaged in open and covert struggles.

The Chu family owns two major industries, salt and iron, and is so wealthy that it is comparable to a country. Such an influential family would naturally be courted by both sides. However, Chu Zhongtian was unwilling to get involved in the struggle for the crown prince and has always remained neutral. A few days ago, the royal faction planned to send someone to propose marriage to the Chu family, thus binding them to the war effort.

The Chu couple were in a dilemma because the Chu family was different from ordinary families. They had a huge secret that could not be known to outsiders. Moreover, Chu Chuyan had supported half of the Chu family over the years. If she were to be married off, the entire Chu family would immediately be at risk of being swallowed up.

Chu Chuyan was aware of all this, so she took the initiative to propose a son-in-law, finding the most useless guy in the city to be her live-in son-in-law. She hurriedly held a wedding, completely severing the thoughts of the emperor and the Prince of Qi.

That's why Qin Wanru suspected that the destruction of the Spirit Spring was orchestrated by someone sent by the Emperor or the Prince of Qi.

"No matter which side we're on, things won't be easy for us from now on," Chu Zhongtian said in a deep voice. "Sang Hong is about to take over as the governor of Linchuan County." Mingyue City is located within the jurisdiction of Linchuan County.

Qin Wanru's expression changed slightly: "Grand Minister of Agriculture, Sang Hong!"

The Grand Minister of Agriculture is one of the Nine Ministers, in charge of the national finances. The Vice Grand Minister of Agriculture is the second-in-command. Sang Hong has always been in charge of salt and iron and is a confidant of the emperor. His appointment as the governor of Linchuan is clearly aimed at the Chu family.

"I've heard that this man is ruthless and heartless, and he doesn't care about his own family. Over the years, he has ruined countless noble families in the capital. This time, our Chu family is probably in danger." Qin Wanru said with a worried expression.

Seeing his usually strong-willed wife showing a vulnerable side, Chu Zhongtian pulled her into his arms: "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Our Chu family isn't easy to bully. Sang Hong is just an eighth-rank official. It's still uncertain who will emerge victorious."

Qin Wanru rolled her eyes at her husband: "Whether someone is difficult to deal with isn't just a matter of their cultivation level. Chen Xuan, the notorious bandit from Longyin Mountain outside the city, is only a sixth-rank cultivator, and you haven't managed to kill him all these years?"

Chu Zhongtian snorted: "Chen Xuan is a slippery fellow, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. Every time I get the news and rush there, he has already vanished without a trace. So I suspect that there is an informant in this city who is tipping him off. Otherwise, how could we not have caught him after so many years!"

Qin Wanru's eyes darted around: "This group of bandits not only sells smuggled salt, but also robs and kills passing caravans. If we leave this problem to Sang Hong, as the prefect, can he just sit idly by and do nothing?"

Chu Zhongtian's eyes lit up: "Madam, what a great idea! By the way, I heard that the Yu family's caravan is coming to Mingyue City soon. We should inform them to avoid being ambushed by Chen Xuan's group... Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Wanru grabbed his ear: "I think you're worried about the mistress, Yu Yanluo. Yu Shu Qiong Zhi Yanluo, the most beautiful woman in the capital back then, you shamelessly pursued her, but unfortunately she married the Duke of Yunzhong. What, do you want to take this opportunity to rekindle your old flame?"

Chu Zhongtian hurriedly begged for mercy: "Madam, we've been married for so many years, how could I possibly have any other thoughts? Please don't talk nonsense."

Qin Wanru did not let go, and snorted coldly: "But as far as I know, the Duke of Yunzhong passed away unexpectedly a few days ago, and Yu Yanluo is single now."

Chu Zhongtian's eyes lit up: "Really?"

He immediately felt two murderous gazes from beside him and hurriedly changed his words, saying, "Madam, I don't even know these things, which proves that I have never paid attention to her. Besides, you know my situation, so why would you have any thoughts about me?"

Seeing his gloomy expression, Qin Wanru quickly let go of his ear: "Husband, I'm sorry."

Chu Zhongtian shook his head: "I'm the one who's sorry."

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