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

"Your Highness, the eldest son is known for his kindness and benevolence, and he treats his subordinates with kindness. He would never make trouble for anyone without a reason. I feel that there is something fishy about this matter, and we cannot just believe Su Kuo's one-sided story!" Pei Heng said with a frown.

Ye Jinglan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean, the injuries on Su Kuo's body are fake?"

"Or are these injuries not caused by that unfilial son!?"

"Or perhaps you think I'm blind and incapable of distinguishing between loyalty and treachery!?"

Faced with Ye Jinglan's increasingly heated questions, Pei Heng showed no fear, only unwavering conviction. "Your Highness, I dare not question you, but I believe the eldest son should be summoned to the palace to investigate the matter thoroughly before making a decision!"

"Hmph! A few harsh words from me, and that rebellious son defiantly resigned from his position as heir apparent!"

"Afterwards, they further incited people to take nearly 70% of the servants from the Prince's residence! And they even condoned these servants beating up the Prince's envoy!"

"What is this if not disobeying my authority and challenging my dignity?!" Ye Jinglan snorted coldly, putting an end to the matter.

"No need for further words. That rebellious son harbors deep resentment towards me, and likewise, I have no desire to see him again. It's settled then. Let him hurry to Liuzhou, and I can finally have some peace and quiet!"

Your Highness is truly brilliant! A triumphant glint flashed in Su Luo's eyes. If she hadn't been trying her best to restrain herself, she probably would have already been dancing with joy at the Northern Border court meeting.

Excellent! He got a beating, which made the prince completely despise Ye Cheng'an, and even abolish the old system, no longer providing Ye Cheng'an with any assistance in Liuzhou...

This makes it even easier for the princess to get rid of Ye Cheng'an on her way to Liuzhou!

The second young master no longer needs to worry about his position as heir apparent and his right to inherit the Northern Territory being taken away!

The princess will surely reward him handsomely.

Looking at the Northern King who couldn't distinguish between loyalty and treachery, Pei Heng suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of anger and sorrow.

The foundation laid by the great rulers of the North is likely to be destroyed in Ye Jinglan's hands!

He felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood welled up inside him, almost making him vomit.

Minister of War Han Zhaolie quickly stepped forward to help him up, and took the opportunity to say, "Your Highness, I have something to report!"

"Speak, as long as it's not about that rebellious son!" Ye Jinglan said.

Han Zhaolie said, "The Northern Barbarians have repeatedly invaded our northern border. Your Highness and the Second Prince led a large army to fight for several months. Although we won a great victory in this battle, we suffered heavy losses. If we do not introduce new warhorses and armor in time, I'm afraid our army will have difficulty passing the princess and the court's inspection..."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the court frowned and their expressions turned grave. "Although the princess's visit is ostensibly to reward us, the Northern Border has grown powerful over the years and has become a major threat to the court. The court has secretly sabotaged the Northern Border in many ways. If the princess discovers that our army has suffered heavy losses, she will surely pass this news to the court, allowing the court's army to take advantage of the situation and devour the Northern Border..."

"We must quickly replenish our warhorses, armor, and weapons to restore our army's appearance, at least to maintain the facade! The war with the northern barbarians has just ended; we simply cannot withstand a second attack from the imperial court!"

Even Ye Jinglan felt that what the court officials said made sense; the relationship between the Northern Border and the court had indeed always been very delicate.

He wanted his two sons to marry the princess in order to eliminate the estrangement between the northern border and the imperial court through marriage, so as to prevent the northern border from being caught between the Daqian and the northern barbarians and being attacked from both sides.

At this time, the marriage between the princess and Jinyu has not yet been finalized, and the northern border must not reveal any clues that would give the court the impression that it can take advantage of the situation!

"Your Excellencies are right. Quickly replenish my army with warhorses, armor, weapons, and other necessary supplies, and adjust their formation to prepare for the princess's military review!"

"This..." Han Zhaolie deliberately feigned a troubled expression. "Your Highness, these matters were not my responsibility in previous years. I am but a military man and have no clue what to do!"

Ye Jinglan frowned. "Then whoever was in charge of these things in previous years should take over the work. Why are you looking so long-faced?"

Han Zhaolie's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, then he looked up at Ye Jinglan and said, word by word, "Your Highness, in previous years... these matters were all handled by His Highness the Heir Apparent."

At this point, even if Ye Jinglan was foolish, he realized that Han Zhaolie had gone through all this trouble to stand up for that rebellious son!

How could he forget that Han Zhaolie was a former subordinate of the old Northern King? How could he possibly be genuinely good to him and the Northern Border?

The other party pointed out the crisis in the northern border in the imperial court, which was clearly an attempt to restore him to the position of that rebellious crown prince!

Unfortunately, he is the King of the North, not a puppet in the hands of these courtiers. He is the one who calls the shots in the North, not these courtiers!

"What a fine Minister of War! A mere military man, utterly clueless! Are you so certain that without that rebellious son Ye Cheng'an, I wouldn't be able to import warhorses, armor, and weapons, adjust the army's formation in time, and prepare for the princess's inspection?"

"Trying to manipulate me with this? Ha, you'll be greatly disappointed. I already ordered yesterday that the tasks of receiving the princess and preparing the troops be entrusted to the Second Prince, Jin Yu!"

"You wait and see, Jin Yu will definitely accomplish this task brilliantly. His talent in sharing my burdens will only surpass that rebellious son's!"

"Once he has accomplished this, I will make him my heir apparent, help him marry the princess, and ensure that he inherits the northern territory after my death!!!"

Upon hearing this, Su Kuo and the officials in the court who belonged to Su Wanrou's camp were overjoyed.

Over the years, with Ye Cheng'an in power, they have all been suppressed and looked down upon, their talents have had nowhere to be displayed. If the Second Young Master were to take power, they would be able to take off!

Seeing Ye Jinglan's confident expression and Su Wanrou's eager followers, Pei Heng opened his mouth, intending to say something.

But Han Zhaolie grabbed him and shook his head, signaling him not to meddle.

Ye Jinglan was muddle-headed and mediocre without realizing it. If he hadn't risen to power by relying on a woman, he wouldn't have been able to command respect even as a general, let alone become the king of the Northern Territory.

Having such a wonderful wife as the late Princess and such a good son as the Crown Prince is simply his greatest fortune, a stroke of good luck from his ancestors. Unfortunately, he is blind and incompetent, unable to distinguish between a fish eye and a pearl, mistaking the extravagant and licentious Su Wanrou and the spoiled, arrogant illegitimate son for treasures...

If that's the case, then let him hit a brick wall!

Only after he suffers setbacks and learns that some things can only be accomplished by the Crown Prince.

Here.

Ye Cheng'an was enjoying a massage from Zhu Yu, occasionally taking advantage of the young maid's body.

Zhongbo suddenly burst in, "Young Master, something terrible has happened! The Prince has listened to slander and believes that Su Kuo's beating was due to your dissatisfaction with the imperial decree. He has issued an order that he will no longer provide you with any assistance, and you will be responsible for the salaries of all the officers and soldiers in the Liuzhou army, as well as the personnel after arriving in Liuzhou!"

"Liuzhou is located in a remote and dangerous border region. With Your Highness acting like this, who would dare to go with the young master? Moreover, Su Wanrou and her son are ambitious and treacherous. Without military escort... Your Highness is sending the young master to his death!"

"If only the late Princess Consort and the old Prince were here, no one would dare to bully the Crown Prince like this!"

Uncle Zhong is quite old, and he even started crying when he talked about his sad moments.

Even Zhu Yu, with tears in her eyes and filled with anger and indignation, stood up for Ye Cheng'an, saying, "Your Highness, the Prince's actions are too heartless. Why don't you go and talk to Chief Secretary Pei? He watched you grow up and he would never be so cruel as to abandon you."

Ye Cheng'an shook his head. The original owner had been in charge of the government for many years without any oversights. His achievements were outstanding and he was deeply loved by the people. Apart from being too good-tempered and too tolerant, he had no problems.

He didn't need to tell him what to do; Pei Heng had certainly already done it in the court meeting. But the royal decree was still issued, which was enough to prove that his scumbag father had gone mad and couldn't even listen to what Chief Secretary Pei was saying.

At this moment, the more he contacts court officials, the more they will think he is disloyal.

Why not take advantage of these few days of free time to rest and enjoy the luxurious and decadent lifestyle that royalty should have?

Anyway, he was certain that his scumbag father would come begging to him one day.

As for Su Wanrou and her son, it's not that he underestimated them, but they definitely wouldn't be able to handle the matter of introducing warhorses, armor, and weapons, or improving the military's appearance!

Soon, there will be a good show to watch...

"What's the rush? When the Northern Treasury was handed over to me, it didn't have a single penny."

"Even without relying on the Northern royal family, I can still build a strong team for Liuzhou and support my subordinates!"

"Zhuyu, don't stop, keep pressing. If you serve me well, I'll let you become the master..." Ye Cheng'an said, while patting Zhuyu's round and plump buttocks.