In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

"This calming incense is indeed quite good." Yanhe suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down one's spine.

Cui'er, thinking Yanhe hadn't noticed, secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "If Madam likes it, this servant will send some more tomorrow night..."

"No need for tomorrow night."

The smile on Yanhe's face vanished instantly, replaced by a thunderous rage.

"Someone come here!"

At Yanhe's command, two fierce old servants rushed over and pinned Cui'er to the ground, one on each side.

"Madam! Madam, spare me! What have I done wrong?" Cui'er was terrified and struggled desperately.

"What did you do wrong?" Yanhe sneered, slamming the bronze incense burner heavily in front of Cui'er, scattering incense ash all over the ground. "Did you think the smell of this soft-boned grass could fool my nose? Tell me! Who ordered you to put the drug in the incense?"

Upon hearing the words "soft bone grass," Cui'er's face turned deathly pale; she knew she had been completely exposed.

"This servant...this servant doesn't know what Madam is talking about...this incense really is from Registrar Cui..."

"You still dare to implicate Registrar Cui? It seems you won't tell the truth without torture."

Yanhe spoke without any hesitation, his tone as resolute as that of a seasoned general.

"Drag her away! Beat her! Beat her until she talks!"

"ah--"

A piercing scream instantly shattered the tranquil night sky behind the county government office.

This beating was extremely severe, striking not only Cui'er's body but also the hearts of all the servants in the inner quarters.

Those who were secretly observing or even harboring ulterior motives were all terrified and hid under their blankets, trembling, upon hearing the heart-wrenching screams.

They finally understood that this seemingly gentle and dignified princess not only had a more acute sense of smell than the county magistrate, but also a ruthless approach that was no less than the county magistrate's!

Before half an incense stick had burned, Cui'er confessed.

She was indeed a spy planted by the Tian family.

The bone-softening herb was given to her by Tian Chengyi with the aim of turning Yang Xuan into a cripple without her realizing it, thus completely depriving him of the ability to fight against the Tian family.

Inside the study, Yang Xuan listened to the commotion outside and watched Yan He walk in with Cui'er's confession. A deep sense of shock flashed in his eyes.

He knew that Yanhe was capable of stabilizing the household, but he did not expect that her methods would be so swift and decisive, even more so than his own.

"He confessed." Yanhe placed the confession on Yang Xuan's desk, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the dust off his hands. "He's from the Tian family."

"What do you plan to do with her?" Yang Xuan asked.

"Break both legs. Tomorrow morning, dump them at the gate of the Tian family mansion." Yan He's tone was calm and utterly unwavering. "And tell Tian Boyong that the back courtyard of the county government is not a place he can just meddle in whenever he wants. If he dares to send anyone here again, they won't be sending living people, but corpses!"

Looking at the woman before him, who was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, Yang Xuan felt an indescribable respect welling up in his heart.

Those in Yaozhou who were secretly watching the county government's movements would soon find out.

Inside this county government office, there is not only an extremely sharp knife, but also an indestructible shield.

From that night onward, the servants who had previously regarded Yanhe as just a down-on-her-luck princess secretly changed their way of addressing her.

They no longer called her "Princess," but addressed her with deep reverence as—

"lady".

......

The 15th.

For fifteen days straight, the sounds of wails, curses, and clashing weapons echoed from dawn till dusk in the back training ground of the Yanjing County government office, without a moment's respite.

Pei Zhao used the most cruel and bloody training methods of the Fengxiang Army to skin those forty unruly desperados alive.

Anyone who disobeys orders will be beaten!

Those whose formation is scattered, attack!

Those who retreat when faced with the enemy, attack!

Every day, people are beaten until their skin is torn and bleeding, and every day, people are so exhausted that they collapse on the ground like dead dogs.

But Pei Zhao never showed mercy. His sword was always on the verge of being drawn, and anyone who dared to utter the slightest complaint would be met with thunderous suppression.

On the other side of the sticks and blood, there was the gleaming silver and mountains of wine and meat that Yang Xuan had amassed through secret means.

As long as you can endure the training and obey military orders, you'll get plenty of big bowls of wine and big chunks of meat!

Every month, the full amount of three strings of cash in military pay was paid to him without missing a single penny!

Under such extreme contrasts of ice and fire, this group of "wild dogs" who originally only knew how to fight in the streets and rob in the mountains finally began to transform.

These people, whose eyes were once unfocused, now exude a cold wariness.

Even the way he held the knife was no longer as fancy as before; instead, he aimed to kill with the shortest possible distance.

When Pei Zhao shouted the command "Form the formation," the group no longer fought individually like a scattered mess, but quickly formed a three-person team, advancing and retreating in a coordinated manner.

This is no longer a group of thugs and hooligans.

This is the rudimentary form of an army that has initially acquired combat capabilities!

"My lord."

At dawn, Pei Zhao stood on the reviewing stand, looking at the forty men standing straight and silent below, a hint of undisguised pride flashing in his eyes.

Yang Xuan stood beside him and nodded in satisfaction.

"You've worked hard, Pei Zhao." Yang Xuan patted Pei Zhao on the shoulder, then turned to the audience.

"Brothers!" Yang Xuan's voice echoed across the training ground. "You've suffered these past two weeks. But I can tell you, every drop of sweat you shed, every beating you endured, was for your own lives!"

"From today onwards, you are no longer nameless, unregistered soldiers. Registrar Cui has already registered you. Your current status is that of official servants of the Yanjing County Government, legal 'Salt Protectors'!"

Upon hearing this, a fanatical light instantly shone in the eyes of the forty men below the stage.

Legal status!

For those of them who have carried criminal records for years and live in the cracks between the legal and illegal worlds, this is more precious than mountains of gold and silver!

With this skin, they could walk openly on the streets of Yaozhou without having to hide from the government like rats!

"but!"

Yang Xuan's tone suddenly turned cold.

"This skin isn't for you to wear and bully others on the streets! The Tian and Hu families are eyeing us covetously outside, and bandits roam freely outside Yaozhou City. Now that we have a knife, now that we have status, we must test whether this knife is sharp enough!"

"The first batch of new equipment built by Old Huang to repair Qing'ao Well is complete and needs to be transported to the well site immediately. Pei Zhao!"

"exist!"

"You will take thirty men and escort these supplies out of the city. Remember, this is your first battle; you can only win, you cannot lose!"

"Your subordinate obeys! If there is any mistake, I will answer with my head!" Pei Zhao replied loudly.