The saintess is pregnant, what does that have to do with me, a spoiled brat?

Zhang Kuang lay sprawled on the ground, his hands trembling so badly he couldn't even hold a pen.

Next to him was a pen and paper handed to him by Lin Hu.

"Write faster." Xu Nuo pulled up a chair, sat down, and crossed her legs. "I don't have much patience. If your handwriting is messy and Marquis Changxing can't recognize it, I'll have no choice but to cut off your head and send it back."

Zhang Kuang shuddered and quickly lowered his head to write furiously.

He's genuinely scared now.

This isn't just the number one playboy in the capital, this guy is a living devil!

He killed a third-rank official with one punch, and the third-rank official's imposing aura suppressed the entire scene. He even dared to directly accuse him of treason.

After finishing the letter, Lin Hu grabbed the paper, blew the ink dry, and handed it to Xu Nuo.

Xu Nuo glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction.

"Send a quick-thinking brother to deliver this to the Marquis of Changxing's residence." Xu Nuo tossed the letter to Lin Hu. "Tell Zhang Fu that it's calculated by headcount. If it's a penny short, I'll throw a corpse into the Marquis's residence."

"yes!"

Xu Nuo stood up and walked to the group of disarmed private soldiers from the Marquis's mansion.

Over a hundred people were all tightly bound together with cowhide ropes by veteran soldiers of the Zhenbei Army.

"Tear them all down and hang them on the wooden stakes outside the training ground," Xu Nuo said calmly.

Zhang Kuang abruptly looked up: "Xu Nuo! Don't go too far! They are all elites of the Marquis's mansion!"

"Elite troops?" Xu Nuo laughed. "In my eyes, they're worth a million taels of silver right now. Hang them up and let them circulate in the wind, so that Marquis Changxing won't think the money was wasted."

The guards pounced on them like wolves, and in no time stripped the private soldiers down to their underwear, hanging them one by one at the edge of the drill ground.

The wails echoed throughout the entire Xishan camp.

Xu Nuo turned around and looked at the group of troublemakers from the elite cavalry who were huddled in the corner.

The hundreds of young soldiers huddled together like quails, not daring to even breathe.

Niu Dachun clutched his severed right hand, his eyes rolling back in pain, but he gritted his teeth and dared not utter a sound.

"Now, let's talk about the rules of the Valiant Cavalry."

Xu Nuo walked up to the command platform and looked down at them.

"I don't care whose dogs you were before, whether you were the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, or the illegitimate sons of some marquis or earl."

"From today onwards, the Valiant Cavalry Battalion has only one rule."

"My word is the rule."

Xu Nuo pointed to the private soldiers hanging in the distance.

"Who's in favor, and who's opposed?"

The entire room fell silent.

No one dared to speak.

Even the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Changxing was trampled underfoot, and the Marquis's private soldiers were hung up like pigs. What are these spoiled brats compared to them?

"Very good." Xu Nuo nodded. "Lin Hu, take over the camp's defenses. Drag these useless bastards out and make them run laps until they throw up. Anyone who dares to stop, break their legs."

"promise!"

Lin Hu drew his long sword and led his guards into the crowd, herding the group of young soldiers onto the drill ground like ducks.

The study of the Marquis of Changxing's residence.

boom!

The fine Duan inkstone was smashed violently onto the blue brick floor and shattered into pieces.

Marquis Zhang Fu of Changxing was so angry that his beard and hair stood on end and his chest heaved violently.

"That brat has gone too far!"

Zhang Fu slammed his hand on the rosewood desk, making the teacups jump around.

The aide standing opposite wiped the cold sweat from his brow and carefully picked up the distress letter from the ground.

"My lord, please calm your anger. This promise... he is indeed a madman. But the accusation he's leveled is extremely malicious."

The aide lowered his voice: "Unauthorized deployment of troops from the manor to the military camp is tantamount to treason according to the laws of Dali. His Majesty is currently looking for an excuse to reprimand Xun Gui. If this matter reaches the Emperor's court, our Marquis's manor..."

Zhang Fu's face turned ashen.

He knew, of course, that this was an open conspiracy.

The old emperor threw the promise to the Western Hills camp, intending to muddy the waters.

His foolish grandson just had to run into the line of fire at this crucial moment, and even exposed the Marquis's trump card.

"Over a million taels!" Zhang Fu gritted his teeth. "Why doesn't he just rob the national treasury!"

"My lord, money can be earned back, but if it becomes a pretext for treason, it's a crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan," the advisor pleaded.

Zhang Fu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with malice.

"Go to the accounting office and get the money," Zhang Fu said through gritted teeth. "Send the money to him. I will settle this score with interest from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion sooner or later!"

The main tent of the elite cavalry battalion.

Xu Nuo sat cross-legged on the cot, closing his eyes to rest.

The jade pendant on her chest was faintly warm.

The Primordial Dragon Soul roamed within his body, constantly devouring the sparse spiritual energy around him.

Initial stage of the third rank.

Although the realm has been stabilized, the resources required to continue breaking through are simply astronomical.

The 100,000 spirit stones exchanged for one million taels of silver didn't even make a ripple.

We need to make money.

The more than one million taels from the Marquis of Changxing's mansion will arrive soon, but that's not enough.

These nobles in the capital are all incredibly wealthy; we need to find a way to fleece them as much as possible.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard a soft footstep outside the tent.

"Your Highness, someone is looking for you," Lin Hu reported from outside the tent, his tone somewhat strange.

"Who?"

"It's me!"

The tent flap was suddenly flung open, and Li Wanning, dressed in neat men's clothing and carrying a small bundle, swaggered in.

Xu Nuo was stunned for a moment.

"Why are you at the military camp?"

Li Wanning threw his bundle on the table and poured himself a cup of tea, gulping it down.

"I'm so bored at Zuixianlou, I've come to check on your work." Li Wanning blinked and leaned closer to Xu Nuo. "I heard you beat up the Marquis of Changxing's grandson today? And extorted over a million taels?"

"Let me correct you, that's called military expenditure," Xu Nuo corrected.

"Whatever his name is, you're rich now." Li Wanning's eyes sparkled. "Everyone gets a share, give me half!"

Xu Nuo laughed in exasperation.

"Do you think this is a division of spoils? This money is for supporting the Zhenbei Army."

"You're such a cheapskate." Li Wanning pouted, then lowered his voice, "But you'd better be careful. I heard that the Second Prince went to the villa in the Primordial Holy Land."

Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Looking for Shen Qingyi?"

"Yes." Li Wanning nodded. "Yesterday you swindled that ice queen out of a cultivation manual, and you also extorted a million taels from the Second Prince. Those two getting together, they're definitely up to no good."

Xu Nuo leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping lightly on the table.

The Primordial Holy Land.

Shen Qingyi.

This woman is no pushover.

"We'll meet force with force, and we'll dam water with earth." Xu Nuo said calmly, "If they dare to reach into the Xishan camp, I'll chop off their claws."

The capital city, the Taichu Sacred Land Villa.

The fragrance of sandalwood wafts through the air.

Shen Qingyi, dressed in a light blue dress, sat in front of the guqin, her fingers gently plucking the strings.

The music was cold and aloof, carrying a chilling aura that kept people at a distance.

The Second Prince, Li Chengqian, sat in the guest seat, holding a teacup, but his gaze remained fixed on Shen Qingyi's stunningly beautiful face.

"The Holy Maiden's musical skills have become increasingly refined." Li Chengqian put down his teacup and praised with a smile.

Shen Qingyi pressed her hands on the strings, and the music stopped abruptly.

"Your Highness, you wouldn't come here without a reason. Please speak plainly." Shen Qingyi's voice was cold and devoid of any politeness.

Li Chengqian wasn't annoyed, but the smile on his face faded a bit.

"I have come for the promise."

Upon hearing this name, Shen Qingyi's eyes instantly turned cold.

She would never forget the humiliation she suffered at Zuixianlou yesterday.

That bastard not only stole the incomplete scroll of "Spirit Guiding Technique," but also dared to make suggestive remarks to her.

"Xu Nuo is extremely well-hidden. Not only does he have the strength to kill a third-rank official with a single punch, but he has also taken over the elite cavalry battalion of the Xishan camp." Li Chengqian stared into Shen Qingyi's eyes. "Father is indulging him. If he completely controls the elite cavalry battalion, the power of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in the capital will be much harder to suppress."

"What does Your Highness want me to do?" Shen Qingyi asked.

"Hasn't the Primordial Holy Land always wanted to plant people in the Great Li Army?" Li Chengqian threw out the bait, "As long as the Holy Maiden can help me get rid of Xu Nuo, or depose him, I can decide to hand over the position of Commander of the Valiant Cavalry to someone from the Primordial Holy Land."

Shen Qingyi fell silent.

Taking control of the imperial power of Dali was her mission in coming to the capital.

Military power is naturally of paramount importance.

Moreover, she truly couldn't swallow that promise.

"Xu Nuo has elite guards from the Zhenbei Army by his side, and he himself is quite strong," Shen Qingyi said coldly. "Trying to touch him won't be that easy."

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark." Li Chengqian sneered. "The royal autumn hunt is in a few days. The Xishan camp will be responsible for the outer perimeter security. I will arrange everything then. The Holy Maiden only needs to cut off his escape route at the crucial moment."

Shen Qingyi stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the withered leaves falling in the courtyard.

"it is good."

She turned around, her eyes as cold as knives.

"I will personally take his life during the autumn hunt."