Lu Baichuan had no idea what to say. Speaking of this young lady from the Duke of Mu's mansion, he remembered something.

On the night he fell into the trap, he intercepted a carriage on the road and coerced the people inside to cover his escape.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it, isn't the other person the young lady from the Duke of Mu's mansion?

However, he was wearing a mask at the time, so the other person probably didn't recognize him. It's unlikely that she would fall deeply in love with him at that time.

As for the night of the palace banquet, they hadn't seen each other for more than a few hours, and he had even spoken to her, so it was even less likely that she would fall in love with him.

After thinking about it this way, he concluded that his wife must care about him too much, so she would think that any woman she saw liked him.

"No, I don't have any contact with her."

He explained very seriously that he didn't want his wife to be jealous.

He Jiuniang rested her chin on one hand and scooped porridge into her mouth with the other, her mind racing.

“I also think it’s impossible. I don’t think that girl looks too good, but she’s not a vicious person either. She wouldn’t be so desperate as to hire someone to kill me just because she looks at you. On the contrary, the Duchess of Mu is very hostile towards me.”

Lu Baichuan then realized that his wife wasn't jealous, but was seriously considering the other person's motives.

Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Had I been presumptuous?

Fortunately, his wife was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't notice his many ideas. Once she calmed down, she said seriously, "We've been in the capital for so long, and we have indeed offended quite a few people, but we've never had any dealings with the Duke of Mu's mansion, so there's no question of offending them. The previous members of the Duke of Mu's mansion were all pillars of the state, but since the current Duke of Mu came to power, there hasn't been any progress. They're just all show and no substance, and their inner strength has almost completely collapsed. Logically speaking, given our current status, they should be trying to curry favor with us, not hiring someone to kill us. There might be other things involved."

"What you said makes a lot of sense, so what could it be?"

He Jiuniang sighed. Why wasn't her clever little brain working properly right now?

Lu Baichuan almost blurted out that it must be related to her background, but he was afraid that he was wrong, so he didn't say it directly.

"No matter what it is, we're going back to Jingzhou tomorrow. We can investigate it slowly after the New Year. We need to settle all accounts then."

Actually, he wanted to take the opportunity to investigate the Duke Mu's mansion. He had seen the way the Duke Mu's wife looked at her daughter-in-law that day; it was full of malice and a fierce glint in her eyes. There must be some secret involved.

Even knowing that his current wife was not the original wife, Lu Baichuan felt it was necessary to be cautious because it concerned his background. Even if she was not the original wife, her closeness to Jiang Ruoya was innate, and it was possible that it was the consciousness left behind by the previous wife.

In any case, Lu Baichuan takes this matter very seriously and wants to send someone to investigate, which is much more practical than making wild guesses here.

He Jiuniang was too lazy to think about it. She was indeed a little tired after working all night. She ate something and went to sleep. She still had things to do tomorrow.

The next morning, the couple sat down for breakfast together. Lu Baichuan went hunting with the princes, while He Jiuniang went to prescribe the last dose of medicine for Zhou Yanlan's sister-in-law.

In the evening, the princes would also hold a bonfire party and have some barbecue, and take the opportunity to let their princesses get closer to He Jiu Niang. Their whole day was packed with activities, and they had no time to think about anything else.

During the morning court session, the old emperor had already announced the change of crown prince. Very few people in the court opposed it, and some even knew that this day was coming from when the old emperor put Prince Chen in power, so no major conflict arose. However, Prince Mao was heartbroken.

He was born the crown prince and held that position for nearly thirty years. Now that he has been replaced, he finds that hardly anyone is on his side, which has left him in a terrible mood.

But at this time, no one cared about his thoughts; everyone was discussing what auspicious day should be chosen for the new crown prince's coronation ceremony.

The Crown Prince sighed, thinking that it was better to let it go than to argue with these people. He should go back and tell his princess to make sure she gets along well with He Jiu Niang that night.

Given the current situation, maintaining a good relationship with He Jiuniang isn't about making a comeback or anything; it's simply about wanting to be friends with the Lu family.

Yes, it's about being friends.

Look at Lao Liu, after becoming friends with the Lu couple, what good things hasn't he gotten? That Lu Hei Ya seasoning packet, and those gifts given out in public, which one doesn't make one's heart itch?

Moreover, Lu Baichuan will take office after the New Year, and the Lu family's business will be conducted in the capital. Naturally, they need to maintain good relations so that they can reap the benefits in the future.

After all, they had heard that Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck) was limited in quantity every day in Jingzhou, and Jia Yuan Ge's new products were so popular that you had to fight for them. If you didn't have connections or a bad relationship with the Lu family, you couldn't buy them even if you had the money.

After all, everyone knows that He Jiuniang is a woman who is neither soft nor hard to deal with, and she also has the Emperor backing her up, so she is someone you absolutely cannot offend.

Yes, Prince Mao has given up on the idea of ​​making a comeback. After so many years on the throne, he is indeed very tired. He admits that he is an incompetent ruler and doesn't want to work hard anymore. Living a simple life is not so bad. Those days when his father kept him in the imperial study to review memorials were really too painful.

In this situation, it's just a matter of losing face, nothing serious.

You can't put food on the table by saving face, can you?

"Your Highness Prince Mao, the Emperor is summoning you!"

King Mao was lost in thought and didn't notice what was happening around him until someone whispered a reminder to him, bringing him back to his senses.

He hurriedly said, "Father, please speak, I am listening."

The old emperor got a headache when he saw him spacing out and asked, "Why are you daydreaming when I'm talking to you? What are you thinking about?"

"Your Majesty, I'm wondering what kind of prey we can hunt today to enjoy with our drinks."

He doesn't think before he speaks; he says whatever comes to mind.

A chorus of suppressed laughter rose from below. He had been replaced as crown prince, and before he even left the main hall, he was already being mocked.

The old emperor was not angry. He sighed and said, "Over the years, I have always made you do things you don't like. From now on, do whatever you like. I will no longer make you do things you don't like."

These words made the Crown Prince feel a little sour. From childhood to adulthood, his father had always loved him the most. It was his own fault for being unworthy and not being good enough. Yet, he was arrogant and proud. Seeing that the third prince was becoming more and more capable, he was still unconvinced and resorted to dirty tricks against him.

In the end, they still suffered a crushing defeat.

He originally thought that his father would look down on him and mock him like everyone else, but he was told to do whatever he liked.

Prince Mao was moved to tears. The old emperor then said to the crown prince, "Third son, you truly deserve the position of crown prince, but it was given to you by your elder brother. Now that you have taken this position, you should help him more."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will follow your teachings."

The crown prince curled the corners of his lips, feeling quite pleased with himself. He had gotten what he wanted and had no complaints whatsoever.

The old emperor's words were ostensibly addressed to the crown prince, but in reality, they were a warning to the court officials who had just mocked Prince Mao.

This was a clear message to everyone: even if Prince Mao was replaced, not just anyone could mock him.