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

Entering the manor? Absolutely not!

When Ye Jinglan's eunuch Wang Chengen came to the eldest son's residence to deliver an imperial decree, Ye Chengan, who had been enjoying a massage with pearls and jade, suddenly became sickly and weak.

Zhu Yu cleverly drew the curtains to block Wang Chengen's probing gaze, and said, "Eunuch Wang, as you can see, the eldest son is heartbroken and depressed. Since leaving the palace, he has been ill and unable to return. I'm afraid he won't be able to come to the palace with you."

"Please go back and tell them that if His Highness really wants to see the eldest son, he should come in person."

Having served Ye Jinglan for so many years, what kind of simple person could Wang Chengen be? He saw through Ye Chengan's act at a glance.

His gaze passed over the pearls and jade, and he said to Ye Cheng'an lying inside the curtain, "Young Master, as the saying goes, how can a father and son hold a grudge overnight? The Prince sent this old servant to invite you, which is already giving you a way out. You must accept it, otherwise, if you anger the Prince, it will be difficult to make amends later."

Upon hearing this, Ye Cheng'an frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "Fuck you, I'll take it!"

He's clearly a scumbag father who needs his help, yet he still acts all magnanimous towards him. Does he really think he's some kind of despicable person?

"Eunuch Wang, I understand Father's intentions. However, as you have seen, I am ill and my mind is clouded. If I insist on going to see Father, I am afraid I will talk nonsense and make Father even angrier."

"Therefore, please convey what you have said, Eunuch Wang, as Zhu Yu has said."

"..." Wang Chengen's face turned ugly upon hearing this. Over the years, the Prince had often taken his anger out on Ye Cheng'an because of his second wife and stepson, but every time the Prince needed him, the eldest son would put aside past grievances. Why was this happening this time...?

He gave Ye Cheng'an a deep look, "Since the young master has made up his mind, this old servant has no choice but to relay the truth."

Upon returning to the palace, Ye Jinglan was furious to find Ye Cheng'an missing. "Where is that rebellious son? Why didn't he come? Does he expect me to go and fetch him?"

Wang Chengen said tremblingly, "Your Highness, the eldest son is ill and unable to come."

"Is he ill? Or is he putting on airs?" Ye Jinglan slammed his fist on the table in anger. "This unfilial son is getting bolder and bolder! Does he really think I can't live without him?"

"Among the officials present, is there anyone willing to go and negotiate peace with the Hu merchants on behalf of this rebellious son?"

Ye Jinglan's gaze swept over Pei Heng and the others.

However, everyone shook their heads and sighed, avoiding the situation at all costs. They had no way of dealing with Hu merchants, and even if they did, they wouldn't show off at this moment. They all wanted to vent their anger for the young master!

Pei Heng spoke up, "Your Highness, the leader of that foreign merchant group is not just an ordinary merchant, but the chief minister under the Empress of the Western Regions, whose official position is equivalent to a female prime minister. If the Second Young Master dares to offend her, and the Northern Border does not give an explanation as soon as possible, she may lead the foreign merchant group away from the Northern Border tonight!"

"If Your Highness dares to stop us, it would only show the world that the Northern Border is abusing its power and oppressing merchant caravans! Only the Eldest Prince can resolve this matter!"

"The Crown Prince has been in charge of internal affairs for many years, working diligently and without making any mistakes. However, you first stripped him of his title as Crown Prince and demoted him to Liuzhou. Then you announced to the outside world that the Northern Royal Family had stopped providing any practical assistance to the Eldest Prince. It is understandable that the Eldest Prince is disheartened..."

"We urge Your Highness to consider the bigger picture and personally visit the eldest son's residence to request that he preside over peace negotiations with the Hu!"

Under Pei Heng's leadership, a group of officials once again petitioned Ye Jinglan for permission to take charge.

The hot-tempered Han Zhaolie snorted coldly, his words becoming much harsher, "Your Highness, for the sake of personal face, is unwilling to bow to the eldest son? Are you just going to stand by and watch my northern border be branded as a place of oppression? Are you just going to stand by and watch the inspection fail and the imperial army press in?"

"In Your Highness's heart, is your reputation more important, or the people and the land of the North more important?!"

"..." Ye Jinglan never imagined that simply removing Ye Cheng'an, the rebellious son, from his position as heir would one day force him to this point.

But seeing the angry glares of the officials before him, he finally succumbed to the pressure and said, "Wang Chengen, prepare the carriage. I will personally go to see that rebellious son!"

...

An hour later, Ye Jinglan, along with Pei Heng and the others, arrived at the eldest young master's residence in a grand procession.

The so-called eldest son's residence was actually just the former residence of Ye Cheng'an's mother.

Previously, for some reason, Ye Cheng'an was forced to leave the Prince's Mansion.

However, Pei Heng and the others never expected that the environment in which the eldest young master lived after leaving the palace would be so simple and quiet, even with seventy percent of the palace's servants coming with him.

I can't even imagine how bad the eldest son's living conditions must have been before.

For a moment, all the officials showed signs of distress.

Only Ye Jinglan felt a surge of anger after seeing Pei Heng and the others pity and sympathize with Ye Cheng'an. This damned rebellious son deliberately forced him to come to the eldest son's residence and bow his head. Could it be that he wanted all the officials to see how shabby the eldest son's residence was?

He gritted his teeth and stepped into Ye Cheng'an's room.

"You unfilial son, I have personally come to invite you to negotiate peace with the Hu merchants. Are you satisfied now?"

Ye Cheng'an sneered, feigning ignorance, "The relationship between the Northern Border and the Hu merchants has been very good these past few years, so why is there a need for peace talks? It's normal for me to feel unwell and dizzy, but why is Father talking nonsense? Could it be that Father is also ill?"

"..." Ye Jinglan knew perfectly well that Ye Cheng'an wanted to embarrass him in front of everyone, so he clenched his fists even tighter.

Seeing this, Wang Chengen quickly stepped forward to defuse the conflict, "Young master, you may not know this, but the matter is like this..."

After hearing the whole story, Ye Cheng'an burst out laughing. "That audacious bastard Ye Jinyu, who has the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard, not only acts arrogantly and domineeringly at home, but he actually dared to ride roughshod over the Hu merchants! Doesn't he even know that the person in charge of this trade is Mu Yanqi, the first female official under the Queen of the Western Regions, whose position is equivalent to a female prime minister!"

"He's lucky he wasn't beaten to death!"

"You bastard! How dare you speak like that! No matter what, Jin Yu is still your brother. Besides, he did this to open up the source of the Northern Border." Ye Jinglan said angrily.

Pei Heng and Han Zhaolie almost clapped and cheered when they heard Ye Cheng'an's words.

The eldest son is good in every way, except that he is too kind-hearted. He has suffered so much injustice over the years, yet he still insists on brotherly love and filial piety. But the problem is, his brother is not respectful, and his father is not kind either.

No matter how much the eldest son gives and makes concessions, he can only get them to become even more unreasonable.

In their opinion, Ye Cheng'an should have been this sharp long ago!

"Whether Ye Jinyu wants to save money for the Northern Territory or is simply lustful, let's leave that aside for now, and I have no interest in it. Since Father is here, let's deal with Su Kuo's matter first, and then discuss other things." Faced with Ye Jinglan's harsh criticism, Ye Cheng'an showed no emotion whatsoever; on the contrary, he remained extremely calm.

"Yesterday, Su Kuo brought men to my door to convey my father's decree, taking the opportunity to falsely accuse me of sending someone to steal the Northern Border military tally. After I told him that I had failed to properly safeguard the tally and that my father was guilty of a capital offense, he changed his story and said that my father's jade pendant had been lost. At that time, the princess was in the shadows. For the sake of the dignity of the Northern Border royal family, I ordered someone to give him a minor punishment as a warning, but I never expected..."

"He actually returned to the palace and falsely accused me of disobeying the king's decree and committing treason, deceiving you into believing a treacherous villain and punishing me. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider my sentence!"

Ye Jinglan never expected that this rebellious son would not only force him to bow his head in person, but also use this opportunity to blackmail him...

Although Su Kuo may have been at fault in this matter, this unfilial son should not have taken this opportunity to humiliate him again and again in front of all the officials!

Pei Heng and Han Zhaolie already suspected something was amiss with the eldest son's assault on the royal envoy and his disobedience. Upon hearing that Su Kuo had actually done such a thing, they were immediately enraged. "Your Highness, regardless of Su Kuo's reasons, falsely claiming that the Northern Border military tally was stolen is a serious crime! We beg Your Highness to reconsider!"

"Yes, Su Kuo is merely a lowly palace official, yet he dared to tell such a colossal lie, almost causing the death of the Prince and the Northern Border. His crime deserves death!"

Ye Cheng'an added, "And today, Su Kuo went to the post station with my second brother to meet the Hu merchants. Not only did he not stop my second brother from acting recklessly, but he also aided and abetted the evildoers. I suspect that he is a spy sent by the enemy country, in order to corrupt the crown prince and sow discord between the northern border and the countries of the world!"

"Your Majesty, I suggest that you arrest his entire clan, including his nine generations of relatives, and subject them to severe torture. It is better to kill ten thousand innocent spies than to let one guilty person go free!"

Ye Jinglan glanced at the usually gentle and kind eldest son in astonishment. He never expected that the eldest son would so casually impose the punishment of nine generations of a family.

Su Kuo may have made a mistake, but the people Su Wanrou recommended to him were at most involved in internal strife, and would never collude with external enemies.

"We can discuss this matter later. Right now, the most urgent task is to negotiate peace with Hu Shang. You should take care of this matter first."

He wants the horse to run but doesn't feed it. Does Ye Jinglan really think he's an idiot?

Su Kuo, who was in office, received a salary, but he, despite being the legitimate son of a prince, did the hardest work and carried the heaviest burden.

I'll fuck you!

"Father, you have forgotten that I am heartbroken and deeply troubled. This is a heart ailment, and if it is not cured, I fear I will be unable to relieve your worries."

Threat!

How dare this damned, unfilial son threaten him?

Ye Jinglan's face was grim. He took a deep breath and said, "Wang Chengen, issue the order to bring Su Kuo in for trial. I have also rescinded all the punishments I imposed on the eldest son recently."

"Father is wise, but I am about to go to Liuzhou. The journey is long and fraught with danger. The three armies stipulated in the regulations are not enough to protect me..."

"Your Majesty, I desire the Tiger Roar Camp, the old troops left behind by my maternal grandfather!"

"As long as Father agrees to this, I guarantee I will handle the peace negotiations with the Hu merchants perfectly for you."

After saying that, Ye Cheng'an looked at Ye Jinglan with a half-smile.

Normally, if he made such a request, he would definitely be refused, but now that he has the precondition of having control over Ye Jinglan, he might as well take it!