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

……

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Ye Cheng'an walked out of the room, leaning against the wall for support.

Similarly, Zhao Xuefu was not much better off; she did not show her face or leave her room for an entire day.

"Young Master is awake. You must not have slept well last night." Zhu Yu pouted to express her dissatisfaction, while placing the nourishing soup she had already prepared in front of Ye Cheng'an. "Here, ginseng chicken soup. This ginseng is a hundred-year-old ginseng that I specially bought. Drink it quickly."

"Zhu Yu is so considerate." Ye Cheng'an took the soup bowl and drank from it.

Zhu Yu scoffed, "So, when exactly is the young master going to fulfill his promise?"

Ye Cheng'an wasn't stupid; he immediately understood that Zhu Yu's sour words just now stemmed from jealousy. As for the promise he made...

Ye Cheng'an thought of how he had previously asked the other party to serve him well so that he could become the master.

Oops, I've been so busy lately that I forgot about what I promised this little girl.

"How about tonight? Tonight, I will certainly keep my promise," Ye Cheng'an said.

A smile finally appeared on Zhu Yu's face. "You said it yourself, Young Master. I didn't force you. If you're lying, I'll never talk to you again."

"It's a deal." Ye Cheng'an gently pinched Zhu Yu's waist, assuring her.

Zhu Yu's mood improved considerably, and while Ye Cheng'an was drinking soup, she reported some matters to him: "Young Master, the winery and textile factory have resumed operations. Uncle Zhong is managing these matters very well, so you don't need to worry about them."

"In addition, last night, the three commanders of the Tiger Roar Camp led their troops to the outskirts of Baili Forest and brought back all the warhorses that the Northern Barbarians had abandoned there, totaling 100,000 horses."

"We've won a resounding victory this time! What are your plans for these warhorses?"

"What should we do with it..." Ye Cheng'an murmured, "Of course we can't let others have it, it's our spoils of war."

“But Tiger Roar Camp has horses…” Zhu Yu frowned. “Moreover, this matter will surely reach the royal court soon. If the prince and the second princess find out about this, they will definitely not allow you, the eldest son, to have so many horses in your hands.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Cheng'an's expression also became serious. With this great victory in Liuzhou, the mother and son who couldn't stand to see him doing well would definitely not be able to sit still.

These warhorses are indeed being targeted by them.

"Any news from the royal court lately?" Ye Chengan asked.

Zhu Yu shook her head. "Chief Secretary Pei hasn't sent any messages lately."

"I executed the chief official of the Nine Cities and detained the three imperial censors. The royal court couldn't possibly remain silent, but why hasn't my teacher sent a message yet?" Ye Cheng'an murmured. "Could he have fallen into a trap? What did Su Wanrou and her son do to him?"

"Zhuyu, I'm giving you a task. Quickly disguise yourself and take some people back to Beian City to check on the situation there and how our teacher is doing."

"But the young master promised me tonight..." Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth, "The greater good is at stake. I'll go right away. I only hope that the young master will keep his promise to me next time."

Ye Cheng'an stood up and kissed Zhu Yu's lips. "Don't worry, I would never lie to you."

At this moment, in the Northern Royal Court.

Chief Secretary Pei Heng has been placed under house arrest.

Because Su Wanrou and her son discovered that the person who sent the message to Ye Cheng'an, telling him that the three imperial censors were going to Liuzhou for investigation, was Pei Heng.

Su Wanrou and her son believed that it was because Pei Heng had tipped them off that Ye Cheng'an was already prepared, so he kept stirring things up in Ye Jinglan's ear, urging Ye Jinglan to deal with Pei Heng.

Even her own faction members petitioned for Pei Heng's execution.

Unfortunately, Pei Heng had served as Chief Secretary for longer than Ye Jinglan had served as King of the Northern Border, and his involvement in the internal affairs of the Northern Border was far greater than Ye Jinglan's.

In the court, many officials supported and strongly opposed Pei Heng's execution.

Left with no other option, Ye Jinglan had to place her under house arrest to quell the anger of Su Wanrou and her son.

As for the loyal and devoted officials left behind by the old Northern King, as well as those promoted by Ye Cheng'an, they were all ignored and suppressed.

This allowed the petty officials of the Northern Kingdom to gain power, and resentment spread throughout the kingdom.

As the heir apparent, Ye Jinyu was arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone.

Ye Jinglan didn't think he was wrong. On the contrary, he felt that this was the dignity that royalty should have, and he continued to treat the mother and son as if they were fragile and delicate.

This aroused endless anger in the royal court.

Han Zhaolie arrived at Pei Heng's residence early in the morning and said, "Chief Secretary Pei, you've seen the situation with the Prince. Su Wanrou is a vixen. With her around, the Northern Border will never be alright!"

"We can't just let them be brought up in court like this..."

"If all else fails, why don't we go to Liuzhou and find the eldest young master?"

Go to Liuzhou?

Looking for the eldest son?

Pei Heng frowned, then said, "I've heard that the eldest young master is also facing enemies on all sides in Liuzhou. Wouldn't our presence cause him trouble?"

"After all, the prince can't stand us getting close to the eldest son."

Han Zhaolie sighed heavily. "Who could have imagined that one day my northern border would be jeopardized by a woman... Alas!"

"If this continues, the Northern Border will be doomed sooner or later! The imperial court is already eyeing us covetously, and the Northern Border is still ruled by fools! Why don't we just go all the way and get rid of Ye Jinglan..."

At this point, Han Zhaolie suddenly lowered his voice, making a killing gesture with his hand across his neck, "And then, support the eldest son to succeed to the throne?"

"Shh!" Pei Heng immediately stopped Han Zhaolie upon hearing his bold words. "Minister Han, some things cannot be said lightly. It would be bad if they brought trouble to the eldest son."

"Besides, Ye Jinglan has a large number of troops under his command now, and we have no chance of winning if we do this. Let's wait and see."

"Chief Secretary Pei has been waiting for so long, what exactly is he waiting for?" Han Zhaolie asked, puzzled.

Pei Heng said, word by word, "Wait for the wind to come, wait for luck, wait for the young master to come to his senses."

"You mean..." Han Zhaolie's eyes narrowed. "Well, old foxes are indeed shrewd. You had this planned all along, but why didn't you tell me, leaving me completely in the dark?"

Pei Heng smiled, "Because the time isn't right yet, I only revealed a little to you because I saw how anxious you were."

"Let's keep waiting. With Ye Jinglan acting so foolishly, it might not be long before the eldest son is welcomed back to power!"

"Furthermore, hasn't Ye Jinyu been in charge of overseeing the government recently? Since they want to weaken the influence of us old ministers and subordinates, let's go along with their wishes and let them see whether the Northern Court can function without us."

"Lord Pei is truly remarkable," Han Zhaolie said sincerely. "Isn't this also a way of weakening the royal court's prestige? The more rampant Su Wanrou and her son's actions become, the better!"

...

A few days later, with Pei Heng and others deliberately skipping court and Su Wanrou and her son's deliberate suppression, the important positions and powers in the court fell into the hands of Su Wanrou's faction of officials.

This led Su Wanrou to become increasingly arrogant, reckless, and extravagant.

He even started attending court with Ye Jinglan.

They turned the once-prosperous Northern Kingdom into a family workshop.

Furthermore, his subordinates were all sycophants and flatterers who had no idea what was right or wrong. In just one month since Ye Cheng'an left, the imperial treasury had been completely squandered.

When Zhu Yu arrived in Bei'an City, all she heard was the people's contempt.

"Have you heard? That wretched woman, Su Wanrou, has actually started attending court!"

"Of course I've heard about it. I heard that she's going to build some kind of palace again, and has spent all the money in the imperial treasury. She doesn't even have money to pay the soldiers' salaries, and now she's planning to turn her attention to us!"

"You mean, she's trying to instigate the prince to increase taxes? That woman is going too far!"

"Does she even know what it's like for ordinary people to suffer?"

"Hmph, if she knew, she wouldn't have acted so recklessly. When the eldest young master was alive, he repeatedly reprimanded her for interfering in politics within the harem. But now that he's gone, she's completely forgotten what he said!"

"When will the eldest young master be back?"

Zhu Yu felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at the people eagerly awaiting her eldest son.

Although the prince was incompetent and the royal family was heartless, the people knew who was good to him.

The eldest son's efforts over the years have not been in vain; at least the people still remember him!

Zhu Yu gazed at the familiar streets and scenes, but did not linger. She always remembered the task the eldest young master had given her: to find out about Chief Secretary Pei's situation.

She had just arrived outside Pei Heng's residence when she discovered that many royal spies were secretly watching her.

In addition, the Pei residence was surrounded by royal guards inside and out.

Is Chief Secretary Pei being held under house arrest?

Zhu Yu's gaze darkened, and he immediately disguised himself and others as woodcutters, sneaking into the Chief Secretary's residence.

Then Pei Heng was seen reading a book while reminiscing about the past.

He was clearly thinking of the eldest son, and he sighed several times from time to time.

Upon seeing this, Zhuyu immediately stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Sir, here is the firewood you requested."

Pei Heng was slightly taken aback when he heard the voice, and then looked at Zhu Yu. Although the other party had deliberately smeared her face, he still recognized her at a glance. She was the little girl next to the eldest young master.

His eyes lit up immediately, and he said to Zhuyu, "Come this way and put it in the backyard."

The guards didn't think much of it, because they had all checked the firewood containing the pearls and jade and found nothing wrong with it.

The other party didn't have any letters or similar items on them, so I didn't think much of it.

Only after reaching the backyard did Pei Heng lower his voice and ask, "How is the eldest young master's situation?"

Seeing that Pei Heng, despite being under house arrest, was constantly worried about the safety of the eldest young master, Zhu Yu immediately said, "Chief Secretary Pei, there's no need to worry. The eldest young master defeated the 100,000-strong Northern Barbarian army and has now established a firm foothold in Liuzhou. I've come here on the eldest young master's orders to check on the situation of you, Chief Secretary, and the other officials in the court!"

Upon hearing that Ye Cheng'an was not only unharmed but had also achieved such great success, Pei Heng knew that everything was alright.

Now all that's needed is the right opportunity for the eldest son to rightfully return to Beian City and purge the court of corrupt officials!

"It's good that the eldest young master is alright."

"Send a message to the eldest son to tell him that I am safe and sound, but Bei'an City is in chaos. Since he left, Su Wanrou and her son have been in power, and that wicked empress has even begun to hold court in a blatant manner."

"Furthermore, in order to eliminate dissidents, she has rendered all the old Northern King's former subordinates and ministers promoted by the eldest son idle. Now the court is in chaos, the treasury is empty, and even the soldiers' salaries cannot be paid."

Zhu Yu nodded, taking all the information Pei Heng had given her to heart, and then asked, "Would Chief Secretary Pei like to leave Yong'an City with me?"

"The eldest son has been eyeing the chief secretary for a long time. Since Su Wanrou and her son have already resorted to such unscrupulous means, I'm afraid they will soon become even more detrimental to the chief secretary."

"No!" Pei Heng refused without hesitation. "I can't leave."

"Why?" Zhuyu asked.

Pei Heng did not answer directly, but said, "I still have some things to do, and I must do them, otherwise, even if the future young master returns to Beian City, he will not be able to win the hearts and minds of the people."

"The eldest son is the legitimate heir of the Northern royal family, a true member of the royal line. He deserves to be honored, upright, and revered by all!"

"You may leave now. Give this to the eldest young master, and he will understand what I mean."

Pei Heng handed the jade pendant from his waist to Zhu Yu, and then left the backyard without looking back.