Chu Han found someone to take the blame and covered up the illegal mining of iron ore.

Although the emperor scolded him in the end, it was better than having his true colors exposed and losing the emperor's favor.

Three days later, the emperor finally ordered the official to be beheaded in public and the matter was exposed.

Chu Han finally let go of the worry that had been hanging in his heart, and he hated Chu Xuan, who was always against him and ruined his plans.

Just when Chu Han thought the matter was over.

In the imperial study, the emperor and Lu Hanzhang sat opposite each other, with a half-finished chess game in front of them.

"Mr. Lu, what do you think about the Huaizhou incident?"

The emperor held the white piece in his hand, his expression indifferent, as if the words just now did not come from his mouth.

Lu Hanzhang looked at the chess game in silence, secretly groaning in his heart.

This morning the emperor sent someone to summon him into the palace to have breakfast and play chess. Although this had happened before, he had just returned from Huaizhou, so the emperor's attitude was intriguing.

Sure enough, the emperor finally asked about this matter.

"Your Majesty..." Lu Hanzhang was unsure of what the emperor meant and did not dare to speak.

The emperor seemed to have seen something. He picked up the teacup in front of him, brushed off the tea foam, and took a sip: "Just tell me what you have to say. I still trust you."

After years of being the emperor's subject, the emperor believed he had a good idea of ​​what kind of person Lu Hanzhang was.

Hearing this, Lu Hanzhang smiled helplessly: "Your Majesty understands me, so I will tell you everything I know. The matter in Huaizhou may not be as simple as it seems. I was ordered to go to Huaizhou before, but I didn't expect to be kidnapped as soon as I arrived in Huaizhou. It's too much of a coincidence."

"If someone didn't know why I was going there in advance, how could they attack me? Besides, the governor of Huaizhou is a low-ranking official. How could he have the ability to find thousands of people to mine for him and move the iron ore away without anyone noticing? This old minister has overstepped his authority. Judging from all the signs, this governor of Huaizhou was probably used as a scapegoat."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into deathly silence. The back of Lu Hanzhang's shirt was already soaked, and a gust of wind blew past, causing him to shiver.

Since ancient times, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all the emperor's grace. If you make a mistake once, you will be doomed.

"I understand." After a long while, the emperor said softly: "I will leave this matter to you to investigate," You secretly keep a close eye on Chu Han for me, and if there is any unusual movement, report back to me immediately."

"Your Majesty, I obey your order."

After Lu Hanzhang left, the emperor sat there for a long time without moving, thinking about his sons. They were all cute and adorable when they were young, but now they have grown up and have more thoughts.

"Call the King of Liang and tell him I want to see him."

When Chu Han arrived, the emperor had already set out lunch. Before he could kneel down and kowtow, the emperor raised his hand and called him over.

"No need to be so polite. Today, there are only two of us here, father and son. Come and sit down with father."

Chu Han was immediately flattered, and his heart was filled with joy: "Yes, Father."

The father and son sat face to face, looking very loving and filial, but only they themselves knew what was really going on.

"Father did owe you a lot in the early years. When you were a child, Father didn't hold you many times, nor did he feed you. Do you blame me?"

Chu Han was suddenly confused. He didn't understand what the emperor meant. Was he reminiscing about the past?

But his face was still full of fear and trepidation, his eyes full of admiration for his father: "Father, your Majesty is very busy, I know that you can't visit me every day, but I know that your Majesty still misses me in his heart, how can I blame you?"

The emperor nodded meaningfully, then picked up a piece of fish and put it in Chu Han's bowl: "Father is old and will not live for many more years. After Father dies, the Tianji Kingdom will still rely on you. Father now only hopes that you can behave yourself and learn the way of monarch and minister. Do you understand?"

How could Chu Han not understand that the emperor was warning him not to have any unnecessary thoughts? The incident in Huaizhou really made the emperor suspicious of him.

Chu Han fell to his knees with a thud. When he looked up again, tears were streaming down his face. "I understand. From now on, I will behave myself and be the most obedient son to you, father!"

The emperor felt very disappointed and only hoped that Chu Han could understand the meaning of his words. After a hundred years, the throne would definitely be given to Chu Han.

Among the remaining sons, Ye An Chuxuan's background is unclear and he is too cunning. The emperor has never seen through him for so many years and has always disliked him.

Prince Su Chu Chen was a talented general but could not be a commander-in-chief. Moreover, he had been following Chu Xuan since he was young and had no opinions of his own. The remaining princes were either too young or died young.

After counting them carefully, it turned out that only the King of Liang, who had never been favored by him before, was the most to his liking.

Obviously Chu Han did not understand the emperor's hidden meaning. Instead, he hated Chu Xuan and Lu Yanluo even more.

He left the palace and headed straight to Lu's Mansion.

Outside the gate of the Lu Mansion, Chu Han ignored everyone's obstruction and broke into the courtyard where Lu Wei was. He angrily asked outside the door: "Lu Wei, come out! Why did you lie to me? You must give me an explanation today!"

In the courtyard, Lu Wei had a blank expression on her face and said in a cold voice, "Go now. From now on, you and I will have nothing to do with each other. I was blind and believed you wrongly before. I will never marry again in this life. Is Your Highness Prince Liang satisfied?"

Chu Han became even more relentless upon hearing this and insisted on confronting Lu Wei face to face. In the end, Lu Hanzhang arrived and drove them away.

The matter was ultimately left unresolved. No matter what happened behind the scenes, everyone in the capital could see that the emperor still treated Prince Liang differently.

In October, the Xue family from Jiangnan moved to Beijing, and the emperor personally bestowed a mansion on them, which caused a sensation in the capital.

The Xue family is not prominent in Beijing, but they are a wealthy family in Jiangnan. They contribute millions of taels of tax silver to the national treasury every year, and their strength should not be underestimated.

Not long after the Xue family came to Beijing, they held a banquet. All the ministers in the court were invited, and the Ye Palace was naturally among them.

On the day of the banquet, Lu Yanluo and Chu Xuan came to Xue's house together. The house was decorated with carved beams and painted buildings, and had a unique Jiangnan charm.

Officials were strolling around the courtyard in groups of two or three. Listening carefully, one could hear some of them speaking with sarcasm in their voices.

"After all, this is a merchant's home. The courtyard is magnificent but not solemn enough to be presentable."

Lu Yanluo, who was standing by, couldn't help but curl her lips when she heard that.

[Don't think about your own three-story courtyard before you criticize others. This is not presentable. Your home is a slum. ]

Chu Xuan smiled and thought that it made sense. Since ancient times, there have been scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. Some people looked down on merchants the most, but they often lived better than anyone else.