As soon as these words came out, everyone behind the screen couldn't help but look at Mrs. Wei. Mrs. Wei's face turned pale. She had indeed tampered with this account. It was prepared for the spring equinox next year, but how did Cheng Xiuru know the accounts of the previous year?

"The prince's dowry only cost 40,000 taels. Before the end of the year, Zhuangzi, the shop's income has not been paid, so naturally it will be less." Wei took a deep breath and said coldly.

Cheng Xiuru took out the account book given by his second aunt, "This account also records autumn accounts."

When Mrs. Wei heard that Lou Jing had the accounts from the previous year in her hands, she immediately understood that this must be the work of her second aunt, and couldn't help but glare at her.

"Did Madam include the money in her dowry?" The second aunt was not happy that the family property was divided. Now that she heard that the Wei family had secretly deducted so much silver, she couldn't help but become even more angry and glared back without showing any weakness.

"You..." Mrs. Wei hates people talking about her dowry the most. The Yongning House has long been in decline by this generation, and her dowry is not even as much as 10% of Lou Jing's mother. That's why these two sisters-in-law look down on her.

She is sarcastic and sarcastic from time to time.

The second uncle and the third uncle also showed some dissatisfaction. The second uncle Lou Jian Zhang frowned and said: "Brother, we are brothers and you are the legitimate son. You can get two shares of the family property. Why are you greedy for us?"

"It's true that the Lord of Hell doesn't mind being skinny!" Third Uncle muttered.

Lou Jianyu felt very embarrassed, and immediately asked his accountant to reconcile the accounts with Cheng Xiuru here, "Let's do it right here. I want to see who stole the public's money."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a maid scream from behind the screen, "Madam!" Ms. Wei suddenly fainted, and her mother, the steward next to her, quickly helped her and pinched her hard.

"My lord, my wife has fainted!" the little maid cried.

The eldest aunt stood up and looked at Mrs. Wei's face, "Uncle, please quickly invite an imperial physician."

"Uh huh huh..." Wei Shi woke up with a hum.

"Help Madam back to the room to rest." Lou Jianyu said this without any intention of inviting an imperial doctor. Wei was pregnant. If the imperial doctor took her pulse, wouldn't it be obvious right away?

After everyone heard this, they had a new understanding of the step-wife's position in the heart of the Duke.

At this time, it was enough to reconcile the accounts only with the general ledger, so Cheng Xiuru quickly reconciled the accounts. It was indeed because it cost 40,000 taels of silver to purchase a dowry for Lou Jing, but a large part of the missing 20,000 taels was some money that had been stolen.

After registering the small farm and shop, Lou Jianyu felt a little confused on his face and immediately threw down the account book in his hand.

The public accounts have been completed, and now the family property can be divided.

Cheng Xiuru had already prepared everything. Apart from the fields for sacrifice and ancestral property, he knew exactly which villages had good harvests and which shops were profitable.

"My subordinates have done the calculations. Although these are not enough for 30%, they are all near the capital..." Cheng Xiuru took out a pamphlet from his arms and handed it to Lou Jing to read.

Lou Jianyu looked at the postures of these two people. He was obviously prepared. He had already planned to take 30% of Gongzhong's family property. He was trembling with anger. "Of course, it is my father who has the final say on the separation of the family. It is not up to you."

Picking and choosing?”

"Father, what you said is wrong." Lou Jing smiled and handed the brochure in his hand to Lou Jianyu. "The ones my son asked Mr. Cheng to pick were not the ones with the best harvest. It's just because my son has lived in the palace for a long time and couldn't care about those things."

Far away."

In the imperial study, Emperor Chunde and Zuo Xiang were still discussing the matter of title closure.

The title of a prince is often related to the fiefdom. For example, the prince of Jin was granted the title of Jinzhou, and the king of Shu was granted the title of Shu. Of course, there are also cases like the second prince Xiao Chengjin, who was granted the title of the prince because of poor health and lived in Jingyi Mountain for a long time.

He received the title of King Jing.

So, if the position of prince is abolished, Xiao Chengjun's title will determine where his fiefdom is.

"Jingnan Hou will return to the capital next month, and there will be no one to guard the southeast. In my opinion," Zhao Duan looked at Emperor Chunde's face and saw that there was nothing wrong with it, so he tried to say, "It is better to be granted the title of King of Fujian."

Emperor Chunde was stunned and slowly frowned. He had taken away the military power of Marquis Jingnan in order to weaken the queen's mother's family and curb the power of the prince. Now that the prince was to be deposed, such an action was meaningless.

On the contrary, Japanese pirates are raging in the southeast all year round, and it is easy for serious troubles to happen if there is no one to guard him. Now it is most appropriate to seal Xiao Chengjun in the southeast.

"The southeast is remote, the land is poor and sparsely populated..." Emperor Chunde felt more and more sorry for the prince at this time.

"Thalassemia, just enlarge the fiefdom." Zhao Duan lowered his eyes and said.

Emperor Chun De sighed and nodded slowly.

"Is your Majesty preparing an edict now?" Zhao Duan asked in a leisurely manner, but the hands hidden in his sleeves were sweating. This matter cannot be delayed. He knows this king very well. As long as he gets through today

Late at night, someone might persuade her to change her mind. Especially now that Emperor Chunde only favors Concubine Chen, something might happen if she goes to Luanyi Palace at night.

"Draw up the decree!" Emperor Chunde, in a rare moment of decisiveness, waved his hand and asked the left minister to write down the decree in the imperial study.

In the Duke Anguo's mansion, Lou Jianyu had a disagreement with Lou Jing about the land because Lou Jianyu was in the shop. Everyone discussed it until noon before settling on it. The housekeeper served the meal on time. Lou Jianyu had no appetite at all, but Lou Jing ate with gusto.

, and even added an extra bowl of rice.

"There are lychees in Lingnan. They taste good in tea and wine." After lunch, everyone sat and drank tea. When Cheng Xiuru and the others copied down the accounts, my aunt started talking about Lingnan, "Every year when the lychees are ripe,

, the Hou Mansion often uses that for cooking, the fried meat with fresh lychees is the most delicious."

"I've also heard that the lychees from Lingnan are delicious, but it's a pity that they have to be eaten as soon as they are picked, and they will go bad if left overnight. We in the capital may never be able to eat them in our lifetime." The second aunt was born in a poor family.

Low, but still somewhat knowledgeable.

"It's not that bad. It can last for two days if you put it in water to stabilize it." The eldest aunt smiled slightly and talked about the mountains, rivers, flowers and trees in Lingnan. The second aunt and the third aunt both showed envy in their eyes. They were in the capital.

Women can never travel far in their lives, but Mrs. Pingjiang Hou accompanied her husband on the military expedition, from the capital all the way to Lingnan, and was much more knowledgeable than them.

"Uncle, didn't you say you brought me lychee wine?" Lou Jing heard the conversation of the women behind the screen and asked her second uncle beside her with a smile.

"I forgot about it yesterday," Xu Che looked at his nephew who was begging for things again and couldn't help but laugh, "I know you like it, so I brought two big altars here. Remember to send some to the Queen."

"When did the second uncle know these etiquettes?" Lou Jing asked with a smile. The second uncle did not get married even at his old age. He went out to fight against the Nanman and capture the bandits every day. How did he know this?

"I was thinking that since the queen grew up in the southeast, she would also like to drink lychee wine." The second uncle lowered his eyes and murmured in a low voice.

Lou Jing raised his eyebrows. Thinking about it, it was indeed true that Marquis Jingnan was stationed in the southeast, so Ji Zhu should have grown up in the southeast when he was young. It would be a good idea to use lychee wine to please his father.

What we have to do today is to mark out the part of the family property that Lou Jing wants, and let the third old man watch it as a witness. As for the detailed reconciliation and delivery, Cheng Xiuru will handle it in the next few days.

After the directory was copied and the documents were written at Anguo Duke's Mansion, Lou Jing asked Le Xian to go to the Kyoto Yamen in person and get the documents passed through the official seal. The prefect heard that it was the matter of the Crown Princess, so he took care of it without saying a word.

Within two hours, Le Xian came back with the sealed document.

The huge family property was divided up in just one day. Lou Jing's thunderous tactics were noticed by everyone in the Lou family. When they looked at Lou Jing again, they couldn't help but feel a little more fearful.

At dusk, Lou Jing returned to the East Palace in a happy mood.

At that time, it was already time to serve the meal. I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in Chongren Hall and told the Crown Princess to eat by herself without waiting for him. Lou Jing raised her eyebrows and filled a jade pot with lychee wine to go find her Prince Husband.

"The edict has been drawn up, and the 'King of Min' has been decided. Tomorrow the court will announce it to the world." Cai Yi pointed to the word "Min" on the table and said to Xiao Chengjun.

Xiao Chengjun nodded slightly, "Let Yang Youting transfer you to the Sixth Department." Yang Youting, the Minister of Civil Affairs, is Cai Yi's uncle. It is not difficult to transfer Zhan Shi, the young master of Zhanshi Mansion, to the Sixth Department. Cai Yi was stuffed into the Sixth Department at first.

Donggong came here also to let him pass the qualifications.

"Your Highness," Cai Yi knelt down immediately after hearing this, "I would like to follow Your Highness to the fiefdom."

Xiao Chengjun waved his hand, "I know you are loyal, but the southeast is really not where you should go."

Cai Yi walked to Chongren Hall with his head down. When he looked up and saw the Crown Princess standing in front of the door, he couldn't help but be surprised. No one in the East Palace would block the Crown Princess's way. Therefore, Lou Jing was standing in front of the door after all.

How long, they had no way of knowing.

"Master Cai." Lou Jing greeted him with a smile, and there was nothing wrong with her smile.

Every time Cai Yi saw the Crown Princess, he felt an indescribable sense of danger. He even dared not look directly into those eyes that were as bright as cold stars, so he hurriedly bowed and left.

"Why are you here?" Xiao Chengjun folded the paper with the word "闽" written on it in his hand and put it on the candle to burn it. He did not go back to the Eight Phoenix Hall tonight because he just wanted to be alone. Unexpectedly

The Crown Princess actually came over again.

Chongren Hall was very empty, and the candlelight stretched Xiao Chengjun's shadow very long, making him look very lonely.

"My uncle gave me the lychee wine. I want to have a drink with His Highness." Lou Jing shook the white jade pot in his hand and walked slowly to the side of the Prince's Palace.

Xiao Chengjun turned around and saw his princess looking at him with a half-smile, a pair of beautiful eyes swaying with a deep firelight in the candlelight. She was silent for a moment, "Have you heard everything?"

"What did you hear?" Lou Jing put the wine bottle on the small table and approached His Royal Highness, "I always only listen to His Highness."

Xiao Chengjun sighed deeply and said slowly: "Father has drafted an edict, and my position as prince will be abolished."

Lou Jing was silent for a long time before saying: "Hasn't His Highness already planned this?"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had already said before that the phoenix was reborn from the ashes and was reborn from the ashes. He was telling him that if it was absolutely necessary, the emperor would depose him and find another way. There was no peace in the government these days, but Lou Jing did not expect that he would be deposed so soon.

Prince.

Xiao Chengjun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly clenched his fists in his sleeves, and said in a calm voice: "I have really wronged you over the past month. When it is announced to the world, you and I will no longer be husband and wife." It turned out that he was worrying too much.

…

Lou Jing nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I know."

In the world, only the emperor and the prince can marry a male wife. Once he loses his position as prince, there will be no more engagements between them. Lou Jing can resume his status as the prince of Anguo, and can still inherit the title of Duke of Anguo, marry a wife and have children.

. And Xiao Chengjun can also marry the princess. Even if he is restored to power, he may not necessarily marry Lou Jing if he marries the princess again. He can marry another man.

"From now on, we will return to the bridge, and we will return to the road. Don't interfere in the matter of seizing the direct descendants." Xiao Chengjun turned around, looked at the dragon patterns carved on the red pillars with his hands behind his hands, and no longer looked at Lou Jing.

Duke Anguo's residence is a hairpin family. With Lou Jing's ability, even if he does not have the merit of following the dragon, no matter who becomes the emperor, he will be the target of winning over. With such a head of the family, the Lou family will definitely continue to be prominent.

There is no need to follow him, the useless prince, in fear any longer.

Lou Jing looked at Xiao Chengjun's back and remained silent.

"Of course, if you are willing to continue to be my minister, I am unwilling to give up talents like you, but you have to think clearly." Xiao Chengjun held his breath. No matter how the people behind him responded, there was destined to be no one between them who could surpass the monarch and his minister.

external feelings.

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness." Lou Jing said lightly, turned around and walked out of the palace.
To be continued...