Mother Lin was stunned. "The prince has his eyes on the Lin family.

Why? "

Jia Shu told Mother Lin everything that happened at Hu shi's place today, and expressed his guess, "The Lin family is about to rise, but they are still civil officials. Ruhai is only an attendant scholar now, so logically speaking, he should be able to rise to the top soon.

They shouldn't be taken seriously by the enemy spies. "

But the final result was..,

The so-called Spirit Concubine and shopkeeper Zhou..,

Even if they picked up the relationship from decades ago..,

They also wanted to harm Jia Su and make her miscarry.

If they thought more viciously, they might even think that Jia Su would never be able to have a child.

"Daughter-in-law thinks that it might be because of the Color Makeup Pavilion that I opened and the Lin family's bookstore that became popular recently. Moreover, they are all related to the Emperor, which made the prince behind them anxious."

Mother Lin was puzzled. "Because of the Crown Prince?"

"You can say yes, but you can also say no."

Jia Su pursed her lips, "After all, the Lin family and the Jia family are related by marriage, and the Jia family is one of the Crown Prince's most firm supporters.

Although because of the Color Makeup Pavilion and the Lin family's bookstore..,

We have direct contact with the Emperor,

The relationship between the Lin family and the Crown Prince has been pulled apart. Ruhai hasn't had much contact with the Crown Prince until now,

But the other princes won't think so. "

The two families tried their best to become in-laws.

Once something happened to the Jia family..,

The Lin family wouldn't help?

But if something happened to the Crown Prince..,

The Jia family would definitely be implicated.

In this way, the Lin family was still related to the Crown Prince.

All the princes who wanted it couldn't watch the Lin family, who was close to the Holy Emperor of Qi, become a member of the spy —

The Crown Prince had Duke Rongguo, who was trusted by the Holy Emperor of Qi, by his side. If the Lin family came, when could they wait until the Crown Prince fell?

The stronger the Lin family was, the more they would attract the attention of others and be targeted.

"But why would they choose to attack the child?" Mother Lin couldn't figure it out.

Jia Su also found it strange at first, because all the arrangements in Madam Hu's courtyard were targeted at her two children. Moreover, it was different from when they were targeting Lin Ruhai. This group of people directly went for the kill.

However, Mama Lin's reaction just now gave her an answer.

The Lin family didn't have many heirs, so they valued the inheritance of their heirs far more than others. Even if Jia Su didn't care much about whether or not he had children in this lifetime, Mother Lin and Lin Ruhai didn't care.

If Jia Su had a miscarriage and hurt her body, it would be difficult for her to get pregnant in the future. At that time, no matter what, Lin Ruhai would have to take a concubine.

As a wife, there was no one who could tolerate her husband's concubine.

Even if the princes did not know about this, there were at least one or two of his aides who clearly understood this.

Moreover, Jia Su and Lin Ruhai had lost their son.

At that time, if they were to sow discord, how could the relationship between Jia Su and the Lin family be as harmonious as it was today?

… …

When Jia Su's train of thought reached this point, she also realized that the person the other party really wanted to deal with was her.

Ever since Jia Su married into the Lin family, she was the one who took care of the Lin family's affairs. With Caizhuang Pavilion in front of her — at that time, Jia Su hadn't married into the Lin family yet — it didn't seem so strange if the Lin family's bookstore made a move again.

What kind of people were Lin Ruhai and Mother Lin? What kind of abilities did they have? As long as someone was willing to investigate, they wouldn't even need to waste a lot of manpower to obtain information from their relatives and friends.

They didn't seem like people who could think of such a way to make money and gain fame. They didn't seem to have noble and virtuous thoughts at all.

Only Jia Su, who seemed to have some connection with Caizhuang Pavilion and the Lin family's bookstore, had always been hiding behind Lin Ruhai and the Lin family. Only Lin Ruhai would occasionally mention her existence. She was more likely to be the one who really helped Lin Ruhai and the Lin family gain fame and bring a lot of wealth to the Lin family.

It wasn't strange to guess this because Lin Ruhai and Mother Lin weren't the kind of people who were willing to take all the credit for her.

If there was a fire in the backyard, Jia Su, who was deeply in love with Lin Ruhai, would definitely be caught in the fight in the backyard. (If Jia Su was really like what people guessed and was just an ordinary woman who had some ability but was addicted to love.)

If Jia Su really had a conflict with the Lin family, Caizhuang Pavilion wouldn't be affected much. However, the Lin family's bookstore, which was currently very popular, would definitely be unable to carry on and be replaced by other bookstores that were eyeing covetously.

If the Saint Emperor still wanted to continue cooperating with the Lin family, then the only way to change the owner of the Lin family's bookstore was to change, or to push it to the front, it could only be changed to one person. And that person was very obvious.

If the Saint Emperor was disappointed with the Lin family's bookstore and wanted to change partners, that would be even better. There was no one more suitable than that person. His status was noble, he was talented, and his reputation among the civil officials was also suitable.

That person who was framed by Hu Yao during the incident of the Chancellor's fall from grace and suffered a great loss. He even almost lost his mother's family …

His Highness the Third Prince.

Regardless of His Highness the Third Prince's temperament, the fact that he loved to read and was brimming with talent had spread among the scholars.

In addition, in order to protect his reputation among the scholars, the businesses under his name were mostly relatively elegant bookstores, teahouses, and so on.

Whether it was taking over the Lin family's bookstore that had already made a name for itself, or directly using his own bookstore to cooperate with the Emperor, the Third Prince had too many advantages.

Even if it was the Saint Emperor, if he knew that there were benefits to be gained, would he push the benefits to others?

It was obvious that the Third Prince was the most suitable candidate.

However, he didn't even test her and directly made a move against her …

Wasn't the Third Prince's heart a little too petty?

Yes, because the Lin family might help the Crown Prince, he wanted to deal with the Lin family, and even deal with her, the wife of the head of the Lin family who helped the Lin family.

This wasn't a problem.

However, he directly made a move without testing the Lin family's attitude. Once he made a move, he directly targeted the issue of the Lin family's lifeline, the problem of having an heir. He didn't have any intention of using peaceful means before resorting to force. Furthermore, without any warning, he planned to shed all pretense of cordiality with the Lin family and become mortal enemies …

The Third Prince clearly didn't care much about the Lin family and was completely unafraid of the Lin family's revenge.

Of course, what made Jia Su most suspicious of the Third Prince and his aides' brains was that before he had walked into a dead end, he had already colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country for the sake of the throne his biological father sat on.

However, it could also be because the Third Prince already had a trusted aide from an enemy country by his side.

This made the Third Prince even more incompetent. After all, he was a dignified prince, but he actually let a spy from an enemy country get close to him. He didn't even have the slightest bit of backbone and was directly instigated to defect.

Jia Su: "… If the Emperor knew about the Third Prince's actions, wouldn't he be angered to death?!"

Mother Lin was shocked by Jia Su's conjecture, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that what she said made a lot of sense.

Mother Lin understood the Third Prince and the Holy Emperor's character better than Jia Su, so she said, "The Third Prince's narrow-mindedness is something that most of us nobles who often come into contact with the imperial family are well aware of. We also pay attention to not offend him."

Jia Su raised his eyebrows. "Then why did he choose to cooperate with the enemy country? Could it be that he also had the idea that 'if I can't have it, you can't easily get it'?"

For the first time, Mother Lin didn't care about her image and opened her mouth wide. But after blinking, she still admitted it with some difficulty. "With the Third Prince's temperament, it really is possible."

She added, "Nowadays, His Holiness favors the Crown Prince the most, followed by the Third Prince, who is very talented in studying.

He and the Eldest Prince can be said to be one in civil and one in martial arts. They are both the Crown Prince's right-hand men. "

Jia Su paused and said hesitantly, "So His Holiness deliberately spoiled the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince?"

"It's not to the extent of raising them to be useless," Lin Mu shook her head, "But because the eldest and third princes are close in age to the crown prince, when His Majesty raised the two princes, he taught them all the skills that officials should have.

His Holiness didn't teach the two princes the true way of being a ruler. "

"The Eldest Prince is reckless and straightforward, but his achievements in military affairs are highly valued by the generals. The Third Prince's thoughts are complicated and he loves superficial skills the most. His talent in studying also made him famous among the literati."

Mother Lin furrowed her brows. "But His Holiness later saw that the two princes' reputation among the civil and military officials seemed to surpass the Crown Prince's, so he simply trapped the two princes in the palace and didn't let them come into contact with the civil and military officials. After so many years, the two princes' reputation was replaced by the wise Crown Prince and they can no longer threaten the Crown Prince's position."

Jia Su narrowed his eyes. "Mother is saying that the Third Prince's greatest reliance in seizing the throne isn't his mother's family, but his good reputation among the literati, and even the civil officials?"

Mother Lin nodded. Then she realized something and slightly widened her eyes.

Jia Su also thought of it. "So the Third Prince directly made a move against me. Other than wanting to seize the Lin family's bookstore and prevent the Lin family from helping the Crown Prince, the biggest reason was that Ruhai's reputation among the scholars surpassed his?"

In other words, the Third Prince was very displeased with Lin Ruhai's current reputation among the literati, but he wanted to seize Lin Ruhai's current reputation in his own hands and use it to compete with the Crown Prince.

Mother Lin couldn't understand. "But the Emperor was able to directly cut off the Crown Prince's channel to improve his reputation among the literati because he was threatened by the Third Prince's position. Why would he agree to let the Third Prince take over the Lin family's bookstore?"

Thinking of the Crown Prince leaving behind the title of "Yizhong Qinwang" in the Red Chamber and nothing else, Jia Su said faintly, "Back then, the Emperor suppressed the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince to protect the Crown Prince. Now, he might not necessarily do the same."

Although there were still ten or twenty years before the Red Chamber plot began, the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Holy Emperor of Qi couldn't have arisen in a day.

The two originally had a good relationship. Even if the Holy Emperor of Qi suddenly realized that the Crown Prince was a threat to his position, he couldn't immediately suppress the Crown Prince with all his might and even force the Crown Prince to rebel.

If that was really the case, the relationship between the Holy Emperor of Qi and the Crown Prince would be in question.

But in the Red Chamber, after the Crown Prince committed a crime, he still had a very good title. It was much better than the title of "Yizhong Qinwang", the son of Zhongshun Qinwang, who didn't commit any crimes. Furthermore, the title was the highest Qinwang. How could the Holy Emperor of Qi's feelings for the Crown Prince be fake?

Mother Lin didn't think that Jia Su's worries were a problem at all. "His Holiness occasionally reprimanded the Crown Prince two years ago. But in these two years, the relationship between His Holiness and the Crown Prince is much better than before."

Jia Su was stunned and realized that this was probably due to Jia Daishan.

She blinked and said, "Then we can try to tell the Emperor about this …"

"No." Mother Lin's first reaction was to refuse.

Jia Su didn't understand. "Why not?

The Third Prince's current actions aren't just about seizing the throne. He even has a relationship with the enemy country. If we don't let the Emperor prepare as soon as possible, the Third Prince might really be in a desperate situation in the future and directly tell the enemy spies about Great Xia's secrets. Wouldn't we become sinners then? "

Mother Lin sighed. "But we're just guessing. There's no evidence to point to the Third Prince."

Jia Shu was slightly stunned. That's right. Even though they had deduced from the results that the Third Prince might be the mastermind behind everything, and that he had even colluded with enemy spies to murder the countess of the super-ranking Count.

But without evidence, how could the Holy Emperor of Qi choose to believe them and suspect his own son?

The matter had reached a deadlock.

Jia Su wanted to use her ability to go to the Third Prince's residence. Just last year, the First Prince, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and Fifth Prince had all left the palace to build their own residences to look for evidence. However, she couldn't tell Mother Lin about this, so she could only choose to keep quiet.

Just as the two of them were talking, Lin Ruhai was drinking tea with a distinguished guest he had never met before in a compartment on the second floor of the teahouse.

On this day, Lin Ruhai finished editing the book at hand and left on time. He wanted to go home and have dinner with his mother and Ruosang.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the Hanlin Academy, he was stopped by a eunuch dressed as a manservant. "Scholar Lin, my master invites you."

The eunuch's voice was different from that of ordinary people. Lin Ruhai was very familiar with it during his time on duty at the Hanlin Academy.

He knew that the person who came to see him must be one of the princes. Although he was unwilling, he could only follow the eunuch and go to the place where the prince was now.

The capital was very big and there were many famous teahouses. However, the most famous one was the property of the Holy Emperor of Qi when he was still in seclusion — Mi Yang Lou.

As everyone knew, Mi Yang Lou was registered under the crown prince's name after he was born.

As soon as Lin Ruhai arrived at Mi Yang Lou, his heart was beating like a drum.

When he saw the master of the little eunuch, he panicked. "Your Highness the Crown Prince!" He bowed respectfully.

Crown Prince Tu Luo smiled and stood up. He walked to Lin Ruhai and bent down to help him up. "Ruhai, don't be so courteous!"

After the eunuch placed tea on the table next to the crown prince, the crown prince directly led Lin Ruhai to sit down. "I've long heard of Ruhai's talent, but I couldn't meet you because of trivial matters. Today, I happened to have the opportunity to leave the palace. Without Ruhai's permission, I ordered someone to invite you here. I hope you don't mind my rudeness."

What else could Lin Ruhai say?

Of course, he could only say, "Your Highness, it is this official's fortune to be summoned by Your Highness."

The smile on the crown prince's face became gentler. "Ruhai, why are you so modest?

Even Imperial Father sees you in a different light. He must also think that Ruhai's talent and ability far surpass others. You are a person worth befriending. "

Lin Ruhai bowed his head. "This official is afraid."

The crown prince pretended to be angry. "Didn't I say before that you don't need to be so courteous?

If Ruhai continues to be like this, I'll be angry. "

The crown prince was the ruler. He was the official. What else could Lin Ruhai do?

He could only smile at the crown prince. Then, he picked up the tea on the table. As if he had drunk something delicious, he carefully savored it.

The crown prince didn't care. He sat across from him and quietly waited for Lin Ruhai to finish his cup of tea. Then, he picked up the teapot and refilled Lin Ruhai's tea.

Lin Ruhai was so scared that he stood up.

But when he met the crown prince's smiling eyes, he could only suppress the anxiety in his heart and sit down again.

"I heard that Ruhai's ancestors were a very famous scholarly family. They must have done a lot of research on tea. Can you tell what kind of tea this is?"

Tasting tea required a calm mind. Lin Ruhai was only focused on dealing with the crown prince. How could he tell if the tea was good or bad?

But the tea was indeed good. Lin Ruhai could still smell the tea's fragrance between his lips and teeth.

After calming his mind, he carefully answered, "Is it Wuyi Da Hong Pao?"

The crown prince immediately laughed loudly. "Ruhai really is a tea lover." He then asked, "Can Ruhai taste more?"

Lin Ruhai said shamefully, "This official's skills are not good enough. I can't taste more."

The crown prince waved his hand carelessly. "What's wrong with that?

Ruhai is blessed by the heavens when it comes to studying. To be able to achieve what he has at such a young age, it's obvious that he put in a lot of effort.

It's hard for people to multitask. Ruhai only drank a cup of tea, but he was able to taste the tea's origin and variety. It's already very impressive. "

Even though Lin Ruhai was on guard, when he heard this, he couldn't help but feel his heart warm.

After this, the atmosphere between the two clearly improved.

But even when the palace was about to be locked and the crown prince took his leave, Lin Ruhai still didn't know why the crown prince wanted to meet him at the teahouse.

Lin Ruhai returned to the Lin family with a rumbling stomach.

Jia Su and Mother Lin saw him enter the room, and only then did they stop talking.

Lin Ruhai first paid his respects to Mother Lin, then looked at Jia Su. "Ruosang, did the two children cry today?"

Jia Su stood up and walked to his side. She shook her head. "Mother is taking care of them. What's there to worry about?

The two children are also very obedient. They only cried a few times when they were hungry and wanted to change clothes. The rest of the time, they just quietly played by themselves. "

Lin Ruhai smiled. Only then did he take Jia Su's hand and bid farewell to Mother Lin. "Mother, son and Ruosang will go back to the room to change clothes first. We'll come back for dinner later."

As he spoke, he rubbed his stomach. "Son drank a lot of water today. I don't want too much soup for dinner."

Mother Lin smiled and agreed. Only then did the two of them leave.

When the two of them returned to Mother Lin's room, dinner had already been laid out on two tables.

Lin Ruhai looked up and found that many of the dishes were his favorite. Moreover, as he had requested, there was only one soup dish.

Jia Su let go of Lin Ruhai's hand and walked to Mother Lin's side. Lin Ruhai, on the other hand, occupied a table by himself.

The two children were held in the wet nurse's arms. Their beady eyes moved back and forth between Jia Su and the others. Other than that, they were very obedient and didn't do anything else.

However, Pipi, who was unwilling to be left out, broke free from the binding of the swaddling clothes. He stretched out his two paws and waved them in Jia Su's direction. He waved his paws while shouting loudly.

This was the first time such a situation had happened. As Jia Su and the others ate, they couldn't help but look in Pipi's direction.

Seeing that the adults were looking at him, Pipi waved his two chubby little arms even more vigorously.

Of course, he also shouted even more energetically.

Jia Su had no choice but to turn around and glare at Pipi.

However, Pipi thought that Jia Su was looking at him. He bared his toothless little mouth and shouted wildly. His chubby body also leaned towards Jia Su's direction.

Fortunately, the wet nurse was holding him and didn't let him do anything reckless.

Pipi got angry and turned to look at the wet nurse who was hugging him. He furrowed his brows and stared at her with his dark eyes. From time to time, he would punch the wet nurse's chest with his little fists.

He was also very fierce!

However, he wasn't as strong as Zhuzhu. He was only three months old. Even if he punched the wet nurse with all his strength, it wouldn't hurt or itch.

On the other hand, the wet nurse was worried that he would hurt his hands if he kept punching her. She quickly grabbed his paws and stuffed them into the swaddling clothes.

Pipi: "…" Ah ah ah!

Zhuzhu heard the noise and turned to look at Pipi. However, she quickly turned her head away in boredom. She even raised her paws to cover her mouth and yawned.

Jia Su and the other two watched happily from the side and slowed down their eating speed.

When it was time for the two children to start dozing off, the three adults finished their dinner.

Jia Su waved her hand at the wet nurse. "Carry the two children back to the courtyard. After feeding them milk, coax them to sleep."

The wet nurse nodded and then carried the two children out of Mother Lin's room.

Mother Lin said to the servant girls in the room, "You can leave first."

When only the three of them were left in the room, Jia Su looked at Lin Ruhai. "Husband, why did you come home so late today?

Did you go to have tea with your colleagues? "

She thought about how Lin Ruhai said that he drank a stomach full of tea when he came back. She had this question.

Lin Ruhai frowned, as if he didn't know what to say.

"What's wrong?

Did someone make things difficult for you? "Mother Lin thought that he had encountered some trouble and asked him worriedly.

Lin Ruhai shook his head. "It's not that someone made things difficult for me. It's just that … your son finished his duty on time today. Who knew that when I walked out of the Hanlin Academy, I was stopped by the crown prince's eunuch."

Because of his uneasiness, Lin Ruhai recounted his conversation with the crown prince in the afternoon without missing a word.

After Jia Shu and Mother Lin heard this, they both had thoughtful expressions on their faces.

Mother Lin looked at Lin Ruhai and spoke first. "If I remember correctly, you have never seen the crown prince before, right?"

Lin Ruhai nodded. "Your son thought that it was some prince who wanted to see me. Who knew that the eunuch would lead me to Mi Yang Lou and then I saw the crown prince."

The crown prince was different from the other princes. Because of his status, he couldn't leave the palace.

However, the entrance and exit of the palace were strictly guarded. Even the crown prince couldn't leave the palace easily.

Even if he wanted to leave the palace, he had to inform the Saint Emperor of Qi.

However, the person who wanted to see him was the crown prince. He even had someone wait at the entrance of the Hanlin Academy. It was hard for Lin Ruhai not to think about it.

Mother Lin thought for a moment and said, "Is the crown prince trying to win over the Lin family for the sake of Duke Rongguo?"

Lin Ruhai had some thoughts in his mind. "Your son thinks that's not right.

If the crown prince really wants to win over the Lin family for the sake of Duke Rongguo, he wouldn't have waited so long to see me. "

From the engagement between the Lin family and Jia family to the marriage between Lin Ruhai and Jia Su, it had been almost three years. The crown prince had never tried to win over the Lin family.

Today was the first time Lin Ruhai saw the crown prince in person.

Jia Su clearly thought of the same thing as Lin Ruhai. "Daughter-in-law also thinks that the crown prince can't be treating my husband differently because of Duke Rongguo.

Daughter-in-law even thinks that the crown prince might have thought that the Lin family and Jia family were already in-laws and were naturally tied to him. That's why he didn't plan to spend any more effort on my husband. "

If Jia Su's words were true, then the crown prince obviously didn't care about Lin Ruhai at all.

In fact, it was true. Otherwise, the crown prince would have found time to meet with Lin Ruhai after the marriage between the Lin family and Jia family.

"But it's different now.

First, my husband became a study attendant and won His Holiness's favor. Then, His Holiness cooperated with Caizhuang Pavilion and the Lin family's bookstore.

My husband's relationship with His Holiness is clearly no longer that of an ordinary ruler and official. His Holiness's attitude towards my husband can be considered to be doting and trusting. "

Jia Su glanced at Lin Ruhai. "But we never took the initiative to look for the crown prince for such important matters …"

"The crown prince probably saw through our plans. At the same time, he didn't want to give up on the Lin family that was already at his mouth. That's why he looked for my husband and tried to win him over."

"But the crown prince didn't mention anything else today." This was what made Lin Ruhai uneasy.

It wasn't strange that the crown prince wanted to win him over. But he only invited him to tea and didn't mention anything about winning him over. He didn't even mention Duke Rongguo. This made him suspect that the crown prince had other plans.

Before Jia Su could speak, Mother Lin glared at him. "The crown prince wants to win you over. He lowered himself to invite you to tea and praised you so much. Isn't that enough?"

Lin Ruhai glared. "That's it?"

Mother Lin smiled. "What else could it be?

These imperial princes and imperial grandsons have noble statuses and are very arrogant. How could they directly tell you that they want to win you over?

Inviting you to tea is the crown prince extending an olive branch to you. "

Lin Ruhai was anxious. "Then I didn't refuse. Does that mean I'm a prostitute in the future?"

If he didn't have any relationship with the Holy Emperor, Lin Ruhai would naturally be happy to receive the crown prince's invitation.

But the Lin family was already tied to the emperor and was very safe. How could they be willing to get involved in the struggle for the throne?

That was something that could lead to the extermination of the entire family if they weren't careful.

This time, it was Jia Su's turn to glare at him. "The crown prince invited you to tea to express his attitude of wanting to win you over. If you accept his invitation, then give him a gift or have Duke Rongguo pass a message to him.

If he's asking someone to help him fight for the throne, could it be that he's going to force a deal? "

Lin Ruhai smiled embarrassedly. "This husband was just too shocked to see the crown prince. I haven't reacted yet."

Jia Su didn't expose his intentions. "In the future, there might be other people who invite you to tea. If it's a minister, you can directly refuse. But if it's someone you can't refuse, you can still go. Just don't casually agree to anything."

His Highness the crown prince extended an olive branch to Lin Ruhai. He might not have any intention of forcing him, but he was the crown prince and had his own confidence.

But the other imperial princes wouldn't properly accompany Lin Ruhai to tea and wouldn't dig a hole for him.

Lin Ruhai naturally nodded.

Jia Su and Mother Lin looked at each other. After a pause, he said, "But if the third imperial prince asks you, you definitely can't agree."

Lin Ruhai was stunned. "Why?"

He clearly said before that whether it was the crown prince or any other imperial prince who wanted to win him over, as long as he didn't agree to their requests and didn't offend them, he could accept their invitation.

With a sullen face, Jia Su recounted what happened at Madam Hu's today.

After Lin Ruhai finished listening, he grabbed Jia Su's hand. "Ruosang, will that medicine cause harm to your body?"

Jia Su was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "After I came back, I had Doctor Li examine me carefully. Because it was only for a short time, my body wasn't affected."

Lin Ruhai didn't care at first, but now he was a little anxious. "If you're pregnant …"

Jia Su hurriedly interrupted him. "What are you thinking?

How long has it been since I was born? How can I get pregnant so soon? "

Even if she was prone to pregnancy, Lin Ruhai wasn't.

Lin Ruhai was still a little uneasy.

Jia Su hurriedly grabbed his hand. "Ruhai, don't worry. I definitely won't have a child."

Lin Ruhai was stunned. "Why?" Didn't they have sex yesterday?

Jia Su sighed. "I used contraceptive measures."

It was difficult to get pregnant, and it depended on luck. However, it was very easy to not get pregnant.

She was pregnant with two children in her first pregnancy. Even if the delivery went smoothly, the pregnancy itself was too taxing on her body. Not only in the previous month, she even decided not to have another child for the next two years.

No matter what, she had to take care of her body before thinking about having a child.

However, she didn't tell Lin Ruhai about her contraceptive measures. Now that she said it in front of Madam Lin, she was a little worried about Madam Lin's reaction.

Unexpectedly, Madam Lin smiled and nodded at her. "It's a good thing that you can take care of your body."

Seeing the confusion in Jia Su's eyes, she explained, "When I was trying to get pregnant, I hurt my body. After giving birth to Ruhai, I found an imperial physician to help me recuperate. The imperial physician once told me that after a woman gives birth, it's best not to get pregnant for a year."

Jia Su sighed in relief.

Lin Ruhai cared about Jia Su. When he heard that it was good for her body, he naturally didn't have any objections.

After they finished talking about business, Lin Ruhai and Jia Su quickly bid farewell to Madam Lin and returned to their own courtyard.

The next morning, Lin Ruhai went to work after eating breakfast.

However, the news of the Crown Prince's meeting with Lin Ruhai yesterday might have spread. He had just walked to the entrance of the Hanlin Academy when he saw several servants standing at the door.

Lin Ruhai hesitated for a moment, but still walked over.

However, before he reached the door, the eunuchs rushed to Lin Ruhai.

"Scholar Lin, my lord has something to do today. He would like to invite Scholar Lin to have a meal at Zhen Cui Pavilion."

"Scholar Lin, my lord has something to discuss with you. If you have time after your shift, please follow this humble one to Yueyang Teahouse for a chat."

"Scholar Lin, this humble one is …"

"Scholar Lin …"

Hearing that these people were officials who had nothing to do with the princes, Lin Ruhai wasn't stupid. Naturally, he knew who was behind these people.

After counting the number of servants, Lin Ruhai was shocked to find that, except for the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, all the other princes who were interested in fighting for the position of Crown Prince had sent people to invite him.

This was the first time Lin Ruhai had experienced the craziness of fighting for the position of Crown Prince. He also knew what kind of position the Lin family was in now.

If he wasn't careful, he could be smashed to pieces.

Because of this, Lin Ruhai was even more determined to stay away from the fight for the position of Crown Prince and cling to the Holy Emperor's thigh.

Thinking about Jia Su's instructions, Lin Ruhai cupped his hands apologetically. "Please tell your lords that I have something to do at home. After my shift ends today, I must return home as soon as possible.

I have failed to live up to your expectations. Please tell your lords my apologies. "

The servants looked at each other in dismay. They originally thought that, with so many people present today, there was only one person who could successfully invite Lin Ruhai. Therefore, they tried their best to move Lin Ruhai. Who would have thought that he would reject all of them?

The servants wanted to say something, but in the end, they could only step aside and let Lin Ruhai enter the Hanlin Academy.

After Lin Ruhai entered, he went straight to the library where he was compiling books without stopping.

Not long after, someone came in to call for him.

Lin Ruhai was busy compiling books. When he heard someone call for him, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he said, "Someone is looking for me?"

Ji Ru nodded. "Eunuch He, who serves the Emperor, is looking for you."

When Lin Ruhai heard this surname, he immediately quivered and sobered up. "I'll have to trouble Brother Ji to pass on the message."

Ji Ru waved his hand and walked to his seat.

Lin Ruhai hurriedly went to see He Wenyi. "Eunuch He, may I know why His Holiness has summoned me?"

As he spoke, he stuffed an embroidered pouch into He Wenyi's hand.

He Wenyi shook it and smiled. "Scholar Lin, you must be careful when you answer today. His Holiness knows that the Crown Prince asked to see you at the teahouse yesterday."

Although the Crown Prince was the heir apparent and it wasn't out of line for him to summon an attendant scholar, Lin Ruhai had been in the limelight recently.

Lin Ruhai understood and thanked He Wenyi.

"Speak. What did you talk about when you met the Crown Prince at the teahouse yesterday?" The Holy Emperor narrowed his eyes and smiled. He didn't seem any different from when he first met Lin Ruhai.

But who was Lin Ruhai?

After interacting with Jia Su every day, how could he not notice the difference in the Holy Emperor's attitude?

Lin Ruhai didn't say anything else and directly knelt down.

The Holy Emperor glanced at him and didn't tell him to "rise" this time.

Lin Ruhai was even more certain that the Holy Emperor was angry. He hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince asked to see this humble subject at the Yang Pavilion yesterday. We only chatted for a while and drank a few cups of Da Hong Pao. That was all."

He was worried that the Holy Emperor wouldn't believe him, so he told him some of the Crown Prince's words.

The Holy Emperor didn't have much of a reaction. He was the future ruler of a country. If he tried to rope in Lin Ruhai, he would be too disappointed.

The Holy Emperor narrowed his eyes and casually asked him, "Aren't you happy to hear the Crown Prince praise you?"

Lin Ruhai was stunned. He didn't know how to answer this question.

If he said he was happy, wouldn't the Holy Emperor think that he had already sided with the Crown Prince?

After thinking about it, he decided to rely on his experience with Jia Su and directly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble subject is naturally happy."

The Holy Emperor raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"The Crown Prince thinks that this humble subject is talented, but this humble subject has relied more on my own efforts to achieve what I have today."

Lin Ruhai's ears turned red. "This is different from other people praising this humble subject for being born to study and being a literary star."

"You prefer the Crown Prince's words?"

Lin Ruhai raised his head and glanced at the Holy Emperor. "Reporting to Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."

The Holy Emperor's gloominess dissipated. He asked again, "What do you think of the Crown Prince?"

Lin Ruhai only felt that the Emperor's questions today were all traps. However, he was the Emperor and Lin Ruhai couldn't refuse to answer. He could only say, "The Crown Prince is virtuous and worthy of being the heir to the throne."

No matter how good the Crown Prince was, in Lin Ruhai's heart, he wasn't just an heir to the throne.

The Holy Emperor chuckled. "I haven't seen you for a few days. Beloved Official Lin is even better at talking than before."

Lin Ruhai blinked. Did he answer correctly?

"His Holiness is overpraised!"

"You may rise!"

Lin Ruhai heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly got up.

The Holy Emperor's mood improved and he was naturally in the mood to discuss other matters with Lin Ruhai. "We came to find you today to discuss the matter of the Lin family's bookstore publishing books."

Lin Ruhai was stunned. Didn't the Holy Emperor suspect that he had sided with the Crown Prince and asked him to test him?

The Holy Emperor glanced at him and saw through Lin Ruhai's thoughts. He only felt that the latter's current state was too different from the one before. It was as if he was a completely different person.

Fortunately, Lin Ruhai quickly reacted. "Did the lords agree to print the past exam questions into books and hand them over to the Lin family's bookstore to sell?"

The Holy Emperor nodded. "Those old foxes naturally wouldn't agree so easily."

Lin Ruhai was a bit anxious, but he heard the Holy Emperor continue. "However, they didn't dare to disobey our orders. In the end, it was decided that not only would the past exam questions for the Spring Quarter Examinations and Palace Examinations be printed into books, other bookstores that want them can also buy the exam questions from the Ministry of Revenue.

As for how they'll print the exam questions after they've obtained them, that's not within my expectations. "

Lin Ruhai panicked for a moment, but when he thought of his own printing shop's inventory, he quickly calmed down. "Your Majesty is wise!"

-

After Lin Ruhai's shift ended, he ran straight home. He didn't even stop to look at the people standing in front of the Hanlin Academy's entrance.

Those servants who had waited near the Hanlin Academy for an entire day and wanted to use their "sincerity" to move Lin Ruhai and make him follow them to see their lord were all dumbfounded.

The manservants looked at each other. Their eyes were filled with fear and sympathy for each other.

However, there was nothing they could do. Scholar Lin had said early on that he had something to do after his shift ended and had no time to meet them. They were afraid that their lord would blame them, so they waited here. In the end, they came empty handed. How could they blame Scholar Lin?

They were all prepared to be beaten with a plank or have their monthly pay deducted for their incompetence. In the end, when they arrived at the place where their lord had invited Scholar Lin and told their lord that they had failed to invite Scholar Lin, their lord did not blame them for their incompetence.

Especially when they heard that Scholar Lin hadn't left with anyone, their lord even gave them a reward.

Oh, no, it should be their lord. Under His Highness the Prince's instructions, he gave them a reward.

"Your Highness, Scholar Lin didn't come. Why aren't you angry?" the middle-aged man asked.

The man called Your Highness curled his lips into a smile. "What are you thinking of writing?

Yesterday, the Crown Prince used his own name to make an appointment with Lin Ruhai. Today, in order to not arouse the Emperor's and the Crown Prince's suspicions, we've found low-ranking officials with similar positions as Lin Ruhai to make an appointment with him. How dissatisfied is he with the Crown Prince that he would agree to our invitation? "

The middle-aged man was stunned. "That's true …"

The Crown Prince invited Lin Ruhai with his real identity, so Lin Ruhai couldn't refuse and had to accept the invitation. However, they couldn't reveal their identities as princes and have Lin Ruhai meet them. If Lin Ruhai really didn't want to get involved in the struggle for the throne, he naturally wouldn't come.

"But if Lin Ruhai really didn't want to participate in the struggle for the throne, why did he insist on marrying the daughter of the Jia family?

In order to establish a relationship with Duke Rongguo, he didn't even dislike the daughter of a concubine? "

"It's precisely because he married the daughter of the Jia family that now, he doesn't need to participate in the struggle for the throne." The man smiled. "This Lin Ruhai's luck is really good."

His wife was originally just an accessory of the marriage between the Lin family and Rongguo Province. Her existence was just like a "keepsake". In the end, he didn't expect that this "keepsake" would be a treasure. Not only did it allow the Lin family to enter the eyes of the Emperor, it also allowed the Lin family to break free from the predicament of having to participate in the struggle for the throne, becoming the safest faction to protect the Emperor.

The middle-aged man had an outstanding IQ and immediately realized that Lin Ruhai's wife was the source of all these changes.

Thinking of the Crown Prince's great cause, the middle-aged man's eyes revealed a trace of ruthlessness. "Your Highness, why not get the daughter of the Jia family into Your Highness's backyard?

If that concubine's daughter is really talented, wouldn't it be a waste to leave her by Lin Ruhai's side? "

The man glanced at him indifferently. "Wen Feng, don't look down on women."

"Your Highness!"

"Don't forget, when that Jia family's daughter of the concubine was in Rongguo Province, she never showed the slightest bit of talent. Otherwise, do you think that old fox Duke Rongguo would marry her off to the Lin family?

No, he wouldn't even marry her off to the Crown Prince. He would definitely let her 'die of illness' and let her become a shadow of the Jia family, working for the benefit of the Jia family for the rest of her life. "

The middle-aged man paused, still unwilling to give up. "But Your Highness's character is outstanding, who knows how many women would be willing to …"

"That Lin Ruhai is just a young boy, how do you think he can make that Jia family's daughter of the concubine be so willing to plan for him?"

"Because … Lin Ruhai is good-looking?" Don't those superficial women like this kind of outstanding and talented man?

"No, it's because Lin Ruhai doesn't have any other women in his backyard!"

Ever since he realized that he was the son of the noblest person in the world, and that he would have the opportunity to sit on the highest position in the world, he had begun to plan for everything he had today. Before his wings were fully grown, his protection was all women.

Growing up in the palace, he knew better than anyone that women were not inferior to men. When women were ruthless, they could even be more ruthless than men.

He would not look down on any woman, so he would carefully observe them and understand their thoughts.

"Wen Feng, do you think that Jia family's daughter of the concubine is worth me giving up the group of women in my backyard who have strong family backgrounds but know their place?" The man raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly.

There was no need to think too much about this question. Wen Feng immediately shook his head and denied it. "The Jia family behind that concubine's daughter has long been tied to the Crown Prince. It's impossible for them to side with someone else for the sake of that concubine's daughter."

The man smiled. "You don't have to give up. If you really used some tricks to get that concubine's daughter into my backyard, let's not talk about whether the women in my backyard are her match. What will happen to them if they fall into the hands of that Jia family's daughter … Can you get her into my backyard without hurting Lin Ruhai, and without letting that Jia family's daughter know that it was me who did it?"

Lin Ruhai was now an official that his Imperial Father valued, and he was also a count. How could he be so easily schemed against?

Wen Feng frowned and thought for a long time, then finally shook his head.

"So, don't think too much about it."

The man smiled and thought to himself, With the ability that Jia Clan's daughter has displayed, she only has some talent in business. However, there is no lack of business experts in this world.

Even if one of them couldn't compare to that Jia family's daughter, what about a group of them?

Moreover, this Jia family's daughter had a good family background, but she couldn't be of help to him. She was deeply in love with Lin Ruhai. If he wanted to get her, he would have to spend a lot of manpower and resources. In the end, he would have to dismiss all the women by his side …

As a man with normal needs, he couldn't be as pure as Lin Ruhai.

As long as he thought clearly, he would know that getting that Jia family's daughter to his side was completely not worth the loss.

Wen Feng was convinced by him and could only give up the plan in his heart.

But in his heart, he always felt that even if His Highness had to give up the women in his backyard, he should still get that Jia family's daughter.

This kind of thought came out of nowhere and had no basis at all. Not only His Highness, but even he didn't believe his own feelings.

-

As for the Third Prince, although he already knew that it was impossible for Lin Ruhai to come and see him, and his aides had already broken down the reason and explained it clearly to him, the Third Prince was still unwilling. He felt that Lin Ruhai was a loathsome existence. Occasionally, he would even want to get rid of him as soon as possible …

Not to mention that Lin Ruhai had stolen his limelight and caused his reputation in the hearts of the literati to drop again. His family's bookstore had also stolen the business of the bookstore under his name. This time, he even dared to refuse his invitation …

In the Third Prince's heart, Lin Ruhai was already a dead man!

-

Lin Ruhai didn't know that someone was thinking about him, and someone was thinking about his wife.

He received accurate information from the Holy Emperor of Qi. After his shift ended, he immediately returned home, wanting to tell this good news to his mother and Ruo Sang.

Mother Lin was naturally there, but Jia Su, who was supposed to be sitting with Mother Lin and chatting with her, wasn't there.

After Lin Ruhai paid his respects, he looked at Mother Lin in confusion. "Where's Ruo Sang?"

Mother Lin smiled and said, "You really can't leave your wife's side for even a moment after returning home."

Seeing that her son's face had turned red from her teasing, Mother Lin then said, "Didn't your wife tell you yesterday that the Chi Xia who used to serve her almost had a miscarriage?

She went to visit Chi Xia early in the morning. After she came back and dealt with today's trivial matters, she went back again. "

She muttered in her heart. When Jia Su came back yesterday, she said that the servant's child was safe.

After that, Doctor Li went to take a look and said that the child was fine. He even prescribed medicine to protect the child. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems.

Lin Ruhai didn't know what Mother Lin was thinking. When he heard the news, he wanted to go find Jia Su.

Mother Lin quickly stopped him. "She's a pregnant woman. What are you going to do?" She looked at Shu Li. "Go tell Mistress that it's time for dinner."

Seeing that Shu Li had left the room, Lin Ruhai sat down with peace of mind.

Jia Su quickly rushed back. After paying his respects to Mother Lin, he sat beside Lin Ruhai.

Mother Lin saw that the two of them had a good relationship and felt happy in her heart.

Jia Su felt a little awkward being stared at by Mother Lin. He glanced at Lin Ruhai and asked, "Did anyone come to drink tea or eat with you today?"

Lin Ruhai nodded. "Other than the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, everyone else should have sent someone to look for me."

Mother Lin's eyes turned. "They all came together?

They all used their identities as officials to invite you? "If he wasn't an official, her son would be eating and drinking tea in a restaurant or teahouse at this time.

"They were all colleagues of the same rank as me." Lin Ruhai said.

Jia Su nodded. "That's not surprising. They just wanted to test your attitude."

After all, the news of the Crown Prince meeting with Lin Ruhai had spread yesterday. Regardless of whether they wanted to invite Lin Ruhai today or not, the other princes had also heard the news. It was impossible for them to expose the real officials in their camp.

The Attendant Scholar was only a fourth rank official. There were quite a few officials of this rank. Exposing one of them wouldn't bring much loss to the Crown Prince.

However, because of this, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, who hadn't exposed anything, were a little conspicuous.

The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, who had not exposed their own officials, could think of a way to get rid of the people exposed by the other princes if they wanted to. If their methods were good, they might even be able to find one or two more officials who stood behind them.

It was unknown if the Crown Prince had already expected this result when he went to look for Ruhai.

It wasn't that no one didn't see this result. However, when the other princes wanted to test Lin Ruhai, the smart person who saw the result would expose himself if he didn't do anything.

Such a person would definitely receive the Crown Prince's close attention in the following days.

After all, Lin Ruhai had already met the most honorable Crown Prince among the princes. He had also spent a lot of time with the Holy Emperor of Qi. In fact, he didn't have much respect for these princes.

Hearing that they were testing him, Lin Ruhai didn't feel anything. Instead, he looked at Jia Su excitedly. "Today, the Holy Emperor of Qi summoned me."

Jia Su was stunned at first, then his eyes widened. "You didn't complain to the Emperor, did you?"

Lin Ruhai looked at Jia Su in confusion. "Complain about what?

When did your husband complain to the Emperor? "

Jia Su blinked. After all this time, Lin Ruhai still didn't know that the successful resolution of the Color Makeup Pavilion was due to his "complaint".

But this wasn't important.

"Did you tell the Emperor what we said last night?"

Lin Ruhai's eyes were bright. He looked at Jia Su with dissatisfaction. "How could your husband tell the Emperor what happened last night?

If the Emperor knew about this, his first reaction would be to kill all of us who knew about it to protect the reputation of the imperial family, okay? "