With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

Nima!

When a dozen or so fine nets, swarming with tens of thousands of locusts, were thrown in front of them, not only were Xie Yuandao and Xie Yunzheng stunned, but even their soldiers gasped and showed expressions of fear.

They really couldn't understand how Ye Cheng'an managed to catch so many locusts.

I don't understand why they would parade around with so many locusts.

Shouldn't this thing be burned alive immediately after it's caught?

After a long silence, Xie Yuandao's voice rang out again, "Young Master, don't joke with me. I want compensation, not locusts!"

"Or is the young master trying to threaten me with these locusts?"

"Hey, I'm not as bad as you think. I really want to compensate you for injuring your soldiers. These locusts may not look like much, but they'll fetch a fortune in no time!" Ye Cheng'an said calmly.

Xie Yuandao snorted coldly, "Locusts sold for exorbitant prices? Young Master, are you kidding me? I don't want this kind of compensation!"

Ye Cheng'an chuckled. Actually, it would be better if Xie Yuandao didn't want them; he wouldn't even part with these precious locusts.

"It's not that I refuse to give it to you, but that Lord Xie doesn't want it," Ye Cheng'an said.

Xie Yuandao's face was ashen. This despicable Ye Cheng'an not only attacked people, but he was also bullied like this when he came to demand an explanation.

He couldn't swallow this insult.

"Given your behavior, I will certainly write to the royal court and request that the Prince and Princess discipline you!"

"Alright, I'll be waiting. However, our business isn't over yet," Ye Cheng'an said.

"Our business? What else could we possibly have to do?" Xie Yuandao asked suspiciously.

Xie Yunzheng also looked puzzled.

Ye Cheng'an spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "First of all, we have already made things clear about the matter of my men injuring your garrison commander. I offered compensation, but you refused and wanted to write a letter to the royal court to accuse me... In that case, let's put this matter aside for now."

"Secondly, we should also mention that when I learned of the locust plague ravaging Panlong City and that it was about to devour all the crops grown by the people, I dispatched an urgent messenger day and night to rush to its aid. Yet your men blocked my way and prevented me from going to Panlong City..."

"I'd like to ask, is Xie Yunzheng blocking the road his own idea, or is he acting on your orders, Xie Yuandao?"

"Why are you two trying to stop me from controlling the locust plague? Are you perhaps spies sent by the Northern Barbarians, hoping to stir up trouble in Liuzhou?"

Ye Cheng'an asked three questions in succession, each one louder and more stern than the last, his gaze and expression growing colder and more severe with each question.

Xie Yuandao never expected that his original intention in leading his army here to join forces with the Jingyuan army and force Ye Cheng'an to deal with Li Tieshan would backfire so badly, and he ended up shooting himself in the foot...

Ye Cheng'an managed to slap such a huge label on him with just a few words!

Who exactly said that this prince of the North, despite his first-rate governance skills, was weak and easily bullied?

Damn it, this guy is clearly a living devil!

"Young Master, don't go too far! We only stopped your troops because we were afraid that you would carry the locust plague from Yong'an City to Tongchuan. How can you pin such a huge accusation on us?" Xie Yuandao roared.

Xie Yunzheng gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master, is this how you treat people? Is there no law left? Don't forget, this Liuzhou territory isn't ruled by you alone. If you dare to use this charge against us, the Governor will certainly not let you off!"

"Governor?" Upon hearing their words, Ye Cheng'an's smile widened. These two idiots were far too out of touch; they didn't even know that Panlong City was in chaos because of him.

Xiao Heming had long since become a defeated general under his command!

"I'd like to see what Xiao Heming can do if I try to pin this on you two."

"Uncle Li, tie these two up and take them back to Yong'an City. I suspect they are spies from the Northern Barbarians, and they must be interrogated under torture!"

"As for you..." Ye Cheng'an glanced at the troops under their command, "Whether you want to go to Jingyuan or go to Xiao Heming to complain, go ahead, I'll be waiting!"

"Let's go, let's continue back to Yong'an City!" Ye Cheng'an said, then returned to the carriage.

Zhu Yu quickly stepped forward and massaged his shoulders and legs, saying, "Young master, you've worked so hard. You looked so majestic just now, you almost charmed me to death!"

"Now that the trouble in Tongchuan City is over, the next area is under Lord Shen's jurisdiction. Young Master can then relax and enjoy time with me... Shall we continue?"

As Zhu Yu asked the question, she lowered her eyes shyly, not daring to look into Ye Cheng'an's eyes.

It's so embarrassing for a young lady to so openly extend an invitation to a man~ But who can blame her when the young master is so heroic, decisive, and incredibly handsome?

If she doesn't make her move soon, it will be difficult for her to rise to power once the princess and the eldest son start to develop feelings for each other...

At the same time that Zhu Yu extended another invitation to Ye Cheng'an, in Panlong City...

The officials of the surrounding cities all brought their troops to their aid.

"Where is the eldest son's army? What did he do to the Grand Commander?"

"Yes, Chief Jiang, you sent someone to ask us for help. What has become of the Grand Commander?"

Faced with the concerned gazes of the eight city officials, Jiang Zhanji was momentarily at a loss as to how to tell them what had happened in Panlong City that day.

"...The eldest son and his army have already left, and they even provided Panlong City with divine water, helping the city completely eliminate the locust plague..."

"As for the Grand Commander, I haven't had a chance to meet him yet."

When he got to this point, Jiang Zhanji was clearly a little guilty.

It's not that he didn't have time to see them, but rather that he secretly didn't want to.

His words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the eight city officials. "You mean the eldest young master has a way to eliminate the locust plague?"

"How is this possible? Panlong City and the surrounding cities are all suffering from the locust plague, and no one has ever been able to eliminate it before. How did he manage to do it?"

Faced with the questioning of the eight city officials, Jiang Zhanji said, "If you gentlemen do not believe me, you can go to the fields of Panlong City to see the situation. Before the eldest young master came, the fields of Panlong City were full of locusts, and nearly one-fifth of the crops were eaten. After the eldest young master came, all the locusts were wiped out."

"Now, all the people in Panlong City are grateful to the eldest young master."

The eight city officials exchanged glances, then ordered their subordinates, "Go, send men to check the situation in the fields of Panlong City. If the eldest young master can truly eliminate the locust plague... we'll immediately pursue him and have him help our cities eliminate the locust plague as well!"

"Let's take this opportunity to go to the Governor's Mansion! Let's ask the Grand Governor how he plans to handle the situation where the eldest son led his troops and the angry crowd to storm the Governor's Mansion..."

"Although the eldest son is the prince's son, he has been stripped of his title as heir apparent and demoted to this godforsaken place, Liuzhou, which means he has lost power!"

"A disgraced young master is no different from a concubine in the cold palace. He might die unknowingly at the hands of some power one day. He still wants to ride roughshod over the Grand Commander and us? Absolutely not! He must pay the price!!!"

The eight officials, filled with righteous indignation, headed towards the governor's mansion.

Seeing their proud and arrogant appearance, Jiang Zhanji shook his head helplessly. Although the eldest young master had been exiled to Liuzhou, judging from the ability and courage he showed in the Panlong City incident, he was definitely not someone to be underestimated.

These people wanting to side with the Grand Commander and target the eldest son is probably delusional; they'd better not end up losing more than they gain...