Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent, but they were still somewhat puzzled.
If I remember correctly, the princes used to be outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, fighting tooth and nail. Even the incompetent crown prince was all about pride, refusing to admit defeat despite his lack of ability. How come it seems that the relationship between the brothers has improved a lot now?
The crown prince was replaced, but he didn't seem to have any thoughts about it. He even thought about going hunting and drinking. Is this the thinking of a normal person?
Was King Mao so angry that he went mad?
And what about the other princes and nobles? Why aren't they making a fuss? Is this matter just going to be left like this?
The court officials were puzzled, but dared not say anything more, lest they lose their heads.
After discussing for a while, they left the matter of the crown prince's coronation to the Ministry of Rites and then adjourned the court.
Just as everyone was about to leave, they heard the old emperor specially keep a few of his sons behind and say in a low voice, "What are you having for dinner tonight? Send me a portion!"
Prince Mao said, "If nothing unexpected happens, we'll definitely be having roasted meat. It's so cold that it'll be completely cold by the time it's brought to the palace. Why don't you join your children on a hunt, Father?"
The Crown Prince said, "That's a good idea. Bai Chuan is leaving tonight, so let's take this opportunity to relax."
The old emperor said, "I can go, but you can't. You're the crown prince now, you have too many things to do, don't get involved!"
Then, he said to Prince Mao, "Wait for me a moment, I'm going to change my clothes. I haven't done any exercise in years!"
After saying this, she hurriedly ran away, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and palace maids.
The courtiers: ? ? ? Is this a real scene?
Crown Prince: ??? He felt that he hadn't become the Crown Prince, but rather a great victim!
The other princes and those who did not yet have titles also took their time to change their clothes.
Princes with titles have residences outside the palace, but they also have places to live in the palace. Clothes and such are naturally provided. As for princes without titles, they naturally still live in the palace. They must be faster than the emperor, so as not to make their father wait for them.
Thus, a hunt that was agreed upon verbally became a major royal hunting event.
When the emperor and his princes leave the palace, it is a matter that should be taken very seriously. But the old emperor was letting loose at this moment. He didn't bring many people with him. He just left the palace with a group of his sons and a few personal guards, ignoring the attempts of others to stop him.
Fortunately, Lu Baichuan was quite reliable. Although he didn't know that the old emperor would also come to join in the fun, those princes were all nobles, so he couldn't be careless.
So, instead of attending court, he led his men to clean up the area early in the morning, ensuring there were no civilians in the hunting grounds. He then sent a large number of troops to guard the area, waiting for the arrival of the dignitaries.
Then, the old emperor arrived, leading a group of his sons, barging in recklessly.
Lu Baichuan: ...
He knew that the royal family was unreliable. The emperor only brought a few people with him. If something happened, who would be responsible?
Those are all his own sons, and he's the only outsider. Does he have to take the blame?
He sighed inwardly. There was nothing he could do now; he wouldn't be able to hunt properly for a while. His real responsibility was to protect that person.
The old emperor hadn't been this relaxed in a long time. Without saying much, he gave a few instructions and led his men into the forest. Lu Baichuan hurriedly followed, and a lively hunt began.
In the Duke Mu's mansion.
After bribing the hitman last night, she went to sleep soundly, thinking that all her worries would be gone after a good night's rest.
The events of the past few days have been like a nightmare. Something went wrong at the palace banquet that night, and the couple even made a great contribution. That little slut was even granted the title of Imperial Noblewoman!
She didn't even get the title, so why should that little bitch?
He's just a lowly bastard, only fit to be trampled under her feet!
However, after arranging everything last night, she had a wonderful dream. In the dream, He Jiuniang knelt pitifully in front of her, begging for mercy and asking her to show leniency, but she kicked her away with one kick, which felt so satisfying.
When she opened her eyes, she was startled to find a masked man sitting not far away. She was about to call for help, but then she realized that the mask looked familiar. It was the assassin she had made a deal with yesterday.
"So, is everything settled?"
As she said this, she couldn't control the corners of her mouth from turning up in a wild smile.
"No, it can't be done. We don't dare mess with that couple. We almost lost everything last night. You should find another organization to handle it. This is half of what you paid before. The brothers were badly injured, and their medical expenses still need to be paid."
He pointed to the envelope on the table, which contained silver notes.
Then, before Yan could react, he slipped away.
It took Yan a while to realize that her hopes had been dashed!
Was everything in her dream really just a dream?
Is that little bitch really that powerful?
Yan Shi is unaware that her identity has been exposed. She thinks that these assassins should have some integrity and wouldn't betray her, since they took half of her money, right?
But what she didn't expect was that in the face of absolute power, there is only absolute obedience; principles have long been shattered.
The main reason was that the assassins thought Lu Baichuan and his wife were good people, and that they had recently accomplished quite well. They all thought they were awesome. But the Duchess of Mu wanted to kill someone without saying a word, which they found very immoral.
Especially last night, Lu Baichuan and his wife clearly showed them leniency, saying that it wasn't easy for them to come out and make orders during the Chinese New Year. They were instantly moved and sympathized with them, which is why they shamelessly betrayed their customers.
Well, what can I say about this? Let's just let it happen again.
Madam Yan was furious. How could that little bitch, whom she had arranged to be trafficked since childhood, have climbed higher than her so easily? Lu Baichuan's official position now directly surpasses her husband's. Although he comes from a poor background and is looked down upon by the powerful families in the capital, his power is real.
The plan failed, and Yan was understandably flustered.
Will this lead to my own arrest?
It was only then that she began to panic. Although the Duke of Mu's mansion sounded quite prestigious, only they knew that they had been living off their past achievements all these years. Their influence in the court was not what it used to be, and there were no outstanding young people in the mansion. If the Lu family really found out, it was hard to say who would win or lose.
Just as she was panicking, a commotion broke out outside. She threw on a coat and went out to see what was happening. A maidservant in the courtyard hurriedly reported, "Madam, something has happened! The Duke went out drinking and carousing last night, and today he brought someone back with him, saying he wants to take a concubine!"
"What? He dares to bring women from that filthy place home!"
Yan, who was already troubled by the assassination attempt, became even more furious upon hearing this.
The maidservant trembled and whispered, "That's not all... That woman had a lover, but she didn't want to be with our Duke. However, the Duke got drunk, forced himself on her, and even beat her lover to death..."
There's more tonight, wait until I have dinner.
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