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

As Ye Cheng'an finished speaking, Pei Heng and the others all gasped in shock.

The Tiger Roar Camp—those were the personal guards of the old Northern King! They were once the most formidable army in the North!

However, since Ye Jinglan succeeded as the King of the Northern Border, this army has suffered great suppression and neglect. Anyone with discerning eyes knows that Ye Jinglan is afraid.

He feared he couldn't control the Tiger Roar Camp, feared the Tiger Roar Camp's loyalty to Ye Cheng'an would affect his position as the King of the Northern Territory, but he couldn't just dismiss the army all at once, lest it cause dissatisfaction among the civil and military officials in the court. So, over the years, he could only suppress them day after day.

He was waiting, waiting for the Tiger Roar Camp to be weakened and completely lose its threat to him; or, waiting for the Tiger Roar Camp to one day rise up in rebellion when he could no longer tolerate it, at which point he would have a legitimate reason to eliminate this army.

But today, Ye Cheng'an actually wants this army. What does he want to do?

Ye Jinglan's lips were tightly pressed together, his face ashen. He stared at Ye Cheng'an for a long time before finally saying, "Take the Tiger Roar Battalion to Liuzhou. What, do you want to rebel against me?"

Ye Cheng'an scoffed, utterly disdainful. "The Northern Frontier boasts a million soldiers. If I wanted to rebel, how could the mere Tiger Roar Camp be enough? Or is it that Father, you lack even this much confidence?"

"I want the Tiger Roar Battalion simply because they were my grandfather's personal guards. I can't bear to see my grandfather's hard work destroyed, nor can I bear to see his former guards treated unfairly, their brilliance tarnished!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jinglan's expression softened slightly. This rebellious son was right. He had been in power for ten years, and the Tiger Roar Camp had been deliberately suppressed and marginalized by him. It had probably already lost its former glory and scattered like quicksand. Even if this rebellious son really took him to Liuzhou, he would not be able to threaten him.

However, he still wanted to keep the Tiger Roar Camp under his control. "You can have the Tiger Roar Camp, but can you afford to support so many people?"

Ye Cheng'an replied without hesitation, "Father, have you forgotten? When I first took over the administration of the interior, the treasury was completely empty. The Northern Border was able to afford large-scale construction projects and defend against foreign enemies, all of which I earned."

Ye Jinglan scoffed, "Isn't that just normal tax revenue from the Northern Territory? Liuzhou isn't the Northern Territory; it doesn't have that much tax revenue for you to boast about!"

"Father need not worry about this matter. Since I have taken the Tiger Roar Camp, I will definitely find a way to support them." Ye Cheng'an did not want to say more to Ye Jinglan.

Arguing with a fool is absolutely the stupidest thing in the world.

In the future, he will let Ye Jinglan see with his own eyes how the Tiger Roar Camp, under his leadership, will regain its former glory, or even surpass it!

"Alright, Tiger Roar Camp is yours. When will the peace talks with Hu Shang be resolved?" Ye Jinglan asked.

"I'll go now." Ye Cheng'an got up from the couch and walked outside.

Ye Jinglan had already fulfilled all his requests. If he didn't do something else that the other party cared about, he was afraid that the rabbit would really push him too far.

"As expected, this unfilial son isn't sick at all! He did it all on purpose!" Seeing Ye Cheng'an nimbly stand up from the bed and walk out, Ye Jinglan was furious.

Pei Heng quickly corrected him, "Your Highness has forgotten that the eldest young master was repeatedly framed by villains and misunderstood by you, causing him great distress and resentment. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, his heartache will naturally be cured."

"..." To hell with his mental illness! If Ye Jinglan actually believed this unfilial son's nonsense, he would be a fool.

But what can be done now that things have come to this?

He only hoped that this rebellious son would quickly resolve the matter with the Hu merchants, purchase enough warhorses to repair the army's appearance, and first get through the matter of the princess's inspection.

As for the rest, he'll settle accounts with that unfilial son later!

After leaving the eldest son's residence, Ye Cheng'an led his men to the post station.

Mu Yanqi had already ordered a table of food and wine to be prepared and had been waiting for him for a long time.

Upon seeing him arrive, she personally poured him a cup of wine and handed it to him. "I heard that today the King of the Northern Border led his ministers to the Eldest Prince's residence, requesting that the Eldest Prince mediate the conflict between the Northern Border and my merchant caravan. The fact that the Eldest Prince has come here now proves that you have vented your anger... Shouldn't you owe me a favor?"

Ye Cheng'an sat down opposite Mu Yanqi with a smile, took the glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. "It's true that Ye Jinyu tried to establish his authority over the Hu merchants, and it's also true that he maliciously pressured them to lower prices. In the end, he even dared to ask the Western Regions' female prime minister to be his concubine... All of these things have hit your sore spots. Don't tell me, he put pressure on the Northern Border just to vent my anger."

Mu Yanqi smiled, her red lips pursed, her eyes fixed on Ye Cheng'an. "It's true that I was trying to protect the interests of the Hu merchants, but didn't I also indirectly help the young master? If this were in the past, the young master would have been very grateful to me. Why are you so heartless and ungrateful today?"

"This is not the same young master I knew before."

Ye Cheng'an chuckled lightly. Of course it's different now; the eldest son from before is already dead.

He died because of his kindness and humility.

He's not the pushover he used to be!

"If you don't change, you die; if you change, you live. If it were Miss Mu, she would change just like me." Ye Cheng'an said, word by word. "How about this, Miss Mu came to the Northern Territory at my invitation, but she was wronged because of the internal strife in the Northern Territory. I will increase the price for Miss Mu by 20% as compensation."

"Furthermore, it won't be long before I lead my troops to Liuzhou. At that time, we will have many more opportunities to cooperate."

Mu Yanqi was taken aback. "You've already proven your importance to the King of the Northern Border and vented your anger. Why do you still need to go to Liuzhou?"

"Are you really willing to give up the Northern Royal Court? Are you really willing to give up your position as heir apparent? This is all the foundation laid by your maternal grandfather and maternal clan. Are you really willing to... just hand it over to them like this?"

Ye Chengan said, "The imperial court sent the Ninth Princess here. Although the official reason is to reward her, the real reason is to investigate the situation. If I stay in Beian City and fight with that idiot Ye Jinglan and his stepmother and stepson, we will all be crushed when the imperial army comes to attack."

"Only by leaving Beian City can I fully develop my own power and have the strength to protect the legacy left by my mother clan in the future."

"Although you have a long-term plan, your decisive choice still impresses me greatly. You are more resolute and decisive than the eldest young master I knew before! I, Mu Yanqi, toast you with this glass. Business matters will proceed as you have suggested!"

Although Mu Yanqi was born in the Western Regions, her father was from the Great Qian Dynasty, so she had half Great Qian blood.

Her appearance was not that of a woman from the Western Regions with golden hair and blue eyes; she was simply taller and had fairer, more delicate skin and more defined features than the women of the Daqian.

Her beauty was neither jarring nor out of place, yet it possessed a touch of exotic charm, captivating the heart in just the right way. No wonder even Ye Jinyu couldn't resist her allure.

...

at the same time.

Frosty Garden.

Zhao Xuefu was having her maid fix her nails, but upon hearing Hongluan's report, she immediately withdrew her hand. "You mean, Ye Jinglan led his officials to the eldest son's residence to bow down to Ye Cheng'an?"

"Ye Cheng'an also took the opportunity to demand that Ye Jinglan severely punish Su Kuo, rescind his punishment, and take control of the Tiger Roar Camp!"

"He's going to Liuzhou, and he wants the Tiger Roar Camp... Could it be that he's planning to...?"

As Zhao Xuefu was deep in thought, Ning Shuang said, "Princess, the Tiger Roar Camp was indeed famous before, but don't forget that since Ye Jinglan took the throne, he has been suppressing it. In ten years, even the best sword would have been worn down! I think Ye Cheng'an wants the Tiger Roar Camp only because it is the old Northern King's personal guard. He can't bear to see these people being suppressed, so he wants to take them to Liuzhou."

"No, just based on the fact that those foreign merchants only recognize Ye Cheng'an, he can't possibly be an ordinary person. Last time, I invited him to pledge his loyalty to the court and become my son-in-law, but he refused. This time, I've decided to add some more bargaining chips..."

"Hongluan, prepare the carriage. I'm going to the eldest son's residence to wait for Ye Cheng'an!"