Early morning.

"At this morning's court, I have something to discuss with you, my dear ministers. The Crown Prince is getting older, and the Queen Mother and I discussed a few days ago about marrying him off to a Crown Princess. What are your opinions, my dear ministers?" Emperor Yugan looked high above, his hands domineeringly resting on the dragon table in front of him. His face was so stern that no one dared to look directly at him. His bright yellow dragon robe made people feel intimidated by the noble air of an emperor.

As soon as Emperor Yu Gan said this, all the ministers standing in the hall looked at each other, with surprise and joy in their eyes.

The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of Western Chu and will be the emperor of Western Chu in the future. The Crown Princess will be the future empress, and this will bring prosperity to the entire family of the empress. All the ministers who have daughters at home will have a faint smile on their faces.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The Crown Prince has indeed reached the age to marry a Crown Princess, so that the royal family can have more children soon. I just wonder which daughter the Emperor and the Empress Dowager prefer?" A minister who could no longer contain his excitement asked.

When the other ministers heard this, their faces were calm and expressionless, but their eyes revealed a hint of expectation. They even stood straighter than usual, with their ears pricked up as they concentrated on waiting for Emperor Yu Gan's answer.

Emperor Yugan took in everyone's expressions, but his gaze swept across the silent Han Che. He then spoke slowly, "As for the selection of the Crown Princess, there's no rush. The Queen Mother and I are considering women from official families of third-rank civil and military officials and above as candidates for this selection. What do you think, my dear ministers?"

Such relaxed requirements immediately livened up the atmosphere in the hall. Ministers of the third rank and above couldn't help but smile with joy, thinking in their hearts how they could ensure that their daughters would be selected in this imperial concubine selection.

Han Che naturally felt the cold gaze of Emperor Yugan looking at him. Thinking back to when Emperor Yugan mentioned Han Yu for no reason some time ago and he was rejected, he thought that this must be another way for the emperor to force him to submit.

Han Che felt a little annoyed. He should have paid attention to the emperor's thoughts at that time. If he had been on guard earlier, he would not be so passive now.

Just as he was thinking about how to remove Han Yu from the list, a voice of opposition was heard in the hall.

"I think this matter can be postponed." Chu Feiyang's tall figure stood out from the queue and spoke loudly. His clear voice immediately suppressed the whispers and excitement in the hall.

"Prince Chu, what do you mean? Don't you want the Crown Prince to get married soon? As the ancients said, get married and start a career! Only when the Crown Prince marries a Crown Princess can he focus more on state affairs." Before Chu Feiyang finished speaking, an official jumped out to object, his arguments full of righteous indignation.

"Yes, King Chu, what reason do you have to object? Don't you want the royal family to expand? Obstructing the royal family from expanding is as serious a crime as harming the royal heir. Think it through before you speak." Emperor Yu Gan followed the minister's words, his tone gloomy and cold, with rare severity, which made the problem more complicated and serious. He was afraid that if Chu Feiyang did not give a reason to convince the people, Emperor Yu Gan would really punish him.

Chu Feiyang remained calm, his expression unchanged. Standing in the court, he remained composed despite the public outcry. He bowed to Emperor Yugan and said, "Your Majesty, the floods in Jiangnan have left millions of people in dire straits. Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are role models for the people. You should live a simple life and overcome this hardship with the people! If the people of Jiangnan knew that Your Majesty went to such great lengths to select a Crown Princess for Crown Prince Xu during the flood, what would they think?"

After that, Chu Feiyang stopped talking, but he kept a few words to save Emperor Yugan's face. Emperor Yugan claimed that the national treasury was in a tight spot, so he ordered Rong Yunhe to go to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief. If the people knew about this, it would be difficult to say what the people would do.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yugan's brows furrowed. He had underestimated Chu Feiyang. He hadn't expected him to use such an excuse to block his proposal. But, what was his reason for doing this? Was it just for the sake of the people?

After hearing what Chu Feiyang said, all the ministers shut up. Although they wanted their daughters to sit on that enviable position very much, this matter concerned the virtue of Emperor Yu Gan. They would not be foolish enough to anger Emperor Yu Gan for the sake of long-term interests.

Emperor Yugan stared at Chu Feiyang with a stern and terrifying expression. However, seeing that Chu Feiyang was still standing steadily in the hall, he gritted his teeth and spoke slowly, "It was my negligence!"

When the ministers saw Emperor Yugan change his mind, they were all disappointed. However, they also knew from Emperor Yugan's actions today that the Crown Prince's wedding must be imminent, otherwise the Emperor would not have proposed it in public at this time. It seemed that they had to go back and ask the Madam to supervise their daughters to learn music, chess and painting, in preparation for future selection.

"Prime Minister Han, Qu Changqing, it's been so many days since the Chu Pei case, but has it been closed?" Little did they know that Emperor Yugan had just made a concession for the sake of his reputation among the people. Seeing Chu Feiyang retreating back to the queue, he called out Han Che and Qu Changqing in a cold voice, and asked about the Chu Pei case in a stern tone.

Qu Changqing was about to look at Han Che who was standing in front of him, frowned slightly, and was about to step out of the line to answer Emperor Yugan's question before Han Che.

Unexpectedly, Han Che was incredibly quick, standing in the center of the hall. He spoke clearly, "Your Majesty, Chu Pei's case is indeed nearing its conclusion. I will compile it into a report and present it to Your Majesty. Please grant me a few more days."

Han Che's answer was beyond Qu Changqing's expectation. He looked up at Han Che, who was standing in front of him wearing the uniform of a first-rank official but still looked young. His heart was full of surprise and admiration.

What a Han Che! He has only been in the position of Left Prime Minister for a few days, but he is already so good at guessing the emperor's mind.

The King of Chu had just humiliated Emperor Yu Gan. Although Emperor Yu Gan seemed to be giving in, he must have been holding a grudge in his heart. That's why he immediately brought up Chu Pei's case, trying to embarrass the King of Chu.

In a rage, Emperor Yugan decided to sentence Chu Pei very severely, but Han Che asked Emperor Yugan to give him a few days' grace, which was equivalent to leaving Chu Pei a way out, or Han Che was on the side of King Chu.

"One of you is the prime minister, and the other is the minister of justice. Both of you are pillars of the court. Yet you have spent so many days to sort out this case, and now you want me to give you a few more days. Is it because you two are not capable enough, or is this case really so complicated and difficult to judge? Or is there other hidden secrets in this case that prevent you two from reaching a conclusion?" After hearing Han Che's words, Emperor Yugan's pent-up anger suddenly erupted, and he vented it directly at Han Che and Qu Changqing.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Lord Qu and I have been trying the case as carefully as possible to be as thorough as possible. Please give your Majesty a few more days." Han Che was neither humble nor arrogant, and he stated his reasons and insistence directly.

"Your Majesty, the case of Chu Pei is no different from other cases. Chu Pei has been in Youzhou for many years and has made remarkable political achievements, but such a thing happened to him. As the Minister of Justice, I cannot let any criminal go, but I cannot wrongly accuse a good person! I ask Your Majesty to give him a few more days." Qu Changqing stepped forward, stood beside Han Che and spoke loudly, the persistence and determination in his eyes that no one could break.

"Okay, I'll give you a few more days. If you still haven't come to a conclusion when I ask you next time, then you two will suffer together with Chu Pei!" Seeing that the two men were gritting their teeth and refusing to give in, Emperor Yu Gan had no choice but to fix his sharp eyes on Han Che, trying to see through this left prime minister who had just taken office.

"Dismiss the court." Emperor Yugan spoke in a cold and hard voice, and stood up and left without waiting for his ministers to salute.

The atmosphere in the hall was strange, and the other ministers left without saying a word.

Chu Feiyang turned his gaze to Han Che who was slowly walking out of the hall, with a nonchalant smile on his lips.

"Your Highness, I never thought that Prime Minister Han would say such a thing." Qu Changqing came to Chu Feiyang and spoke in a low voice.

Chu Feiyang retracted his gaze and looked at Qu Changqing, smiling faintly, "Just now, the Emperor proposed to marry a concubine for the Crown Prince, and Han Xiang's sister was on the list. However, I feel that Han Xiang was not willing to let his sister participate in the selection. Therefore, after I stopped the Emperor, it is not surprising that Han Xiang acted this way."

"Han Yu?" After hearing Chu Feiyang's suggestion, Qu Changqing thought of the little girl who looked delicate and pretty but had extraordinary courage. He shook his head and chuckled.

Seeing Qu Changqing's expression, Chu Feiyang immediately shook his head. Qu Changqing was a decent person, though a bit of a fool. He had no idea about the relationship between men and women. Could it be that he really didn't want Qu Feiqing to get married? It seemed that the marriage of the Marquis's children was really difficult.

"Let's go!" Patting Qu Changqing on the shoulder to dispel his silly smile, Chu Feiyang was the first to walk out of the hall.

In the residence of the Prime Minister of Chu.

"These are all the account books and banknotes you've sent me in recent months." Yun Qianmeng personally placed a wooden box in front of Rong Yunhe and asked with a slightly serious expression, "Are you sure?"

Rong Yunhe took the wooden box and looked up at Yun Qianmeng. A smile appeared in his previously indifferent eyes. He nodded and said, "Yes. The emperor has always been jealous of the Rong family's wealth and usually has the Ministry of Revenue keep an eye on the Rong family. Now that there is such a good opportunity, I will naturally transport the Rong family's things out of the capital."

This time, going to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief under the emperor's order is the best opportunity.

Although Rong Yunhe himself does not value money, he is determined not to let his enemies take it away.

Seeing his determined expression, Yun Qianmeng knew that it was useless to say more. Besides, Rong Yunhe was a very sensible person, and she believed that he would manage the money here properly.

"Since you explained it this way, I won't stop you. But this time we're going to Jiangnan, the journey is long, and you just offended the emperor, so be careful." Yun Qianmeng spoke with worry in her heart, recalling everything Chu Feiyang said to her last night.

"Don't worry, I've already sent more servants and followers, and they'll all go through official routes. No matter how arrogant they are, they won't dare to commit violence openly." Rong Yunhe smiled at Yun Qianmeng and said, "The Prince of Chu has offended the Emperor because of me. Princess, please be more careful in your daily life."

Yun Qianmeng nodded and comforted him, "Just take care of yourself and don't worry about us."

Hearing Yun Qianmeng say this, Rong Yunhe couldn't help but chuckle, and couldn't help but laugh at himself in his heart. With the King of Chu around, how could he let Yun Qianmeng get hurt?

"The convoy is about to depart, and it's time for me to say goodbye." After saying that, Rong Yunhe stood up, nodded slightly to Yun Qianmeng, and then turned around and left Prime Minister Chu's residence.

"Did the prince send someone to follow Master Rong?" Yun Qianmeng watched Rong Yunhe leave.

Asked Xi Lin outside the door.

"Don't worry, Princess. The prince has already ordered his secret guards to secretly protect Master Rong."