I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Twenty female soldiers turned around in unison.

The armor plates collided, and the long sword was drawn.

Before the festive red silk in the front yard could be removed, a row of cold glints appeared in front of Lu Yuan.

Su Yuling stopped in her tracks.

She glanced at the female soldiers, then at Lu Yuan hiding behind the crowd, her anger unabated.

"Okay."

"Even your new love interest knows to protect you now."

Lu Yuan poked half his head out.

"What new love? This is someone from the Phoenix Battalion!"

Su Yuling held the long sword in her hand very high.

"Phoenix Camp?"

The tall female soldier at the front recognized her and came over to clasp her hands in greeting.

"Liu Qing, the captain of the third squad of the Phoenix Battalion, greets the Princess Consort."

The remaining nineteen men sheathed their swords and bowed.

"Greetings, Princess Consort!"

The sounds were so synchronized that they startled the two sparrows under the eaves into flight.

The angry expression on Su Yuling's face also stopped.

She grew up in the military, and you can tell whether someone is good at fighting or not just by looking at their posture.

Although the women's armor was tattered, their backs remained straight, and they did not hesitate at all when sheathing their swords.

His hands were calloused from years of wielding weapons.

These are indeed soldiers.

And they are elite troops.

Shen Hanqiu followed him into the courtyard, leaning against the door frame and catching his breath.

"Yu Ling, I already told you to investigate this matter first."

Su Yuling did not speak.

Lu Yuan emerged from behind the female soldier, straightened his collar which had been blown askew by the wind, and then his courage grew.

"She chased after her husband with a knife right after their wedding; the Su family rules are quite interesting!"

Su Yuling glared at him. "Why don't you explain yourself clearly?"

Did you ever give me a chance?

Lu Yuan pointed to the sword in her hand, "When you rushed out the back door, your face had one thing written on it."

Su Yuling asked instinctively, "What did you say?"

"Kill her first, then become a widow."

The female soldiers next to them all lowered their heads and kept making "ah" sounds.

Shen Hanqiu felt embarrassed and turned away with a smile.

Su Yuling couldn't save face, so she sheathed her sword.

"I didn't know that Father Emperor gave the Phoenix Battalion to you."

"Now you know?"

"understood."

"Then shouldn't you apologize to me?"

Su Yuling turned and left, saying, "I was running so fast I didn't hear you clearly."

Lu Yuan took two steps to catch up and reached out to grab her wrist.

"You chased me halfway around the yard with a knife, and now you think you can run away without hearing a word?"

Su Yuling turned to look at him.

The two were close together, and Lu Yuan's hand was on her wrist.

Memories from last night flooded back, her ears turned red, and she loosened her grip a little.

"So what do you want?"

"Call me 'husband' so I can hear it."

"dream."

Su Yuling tried to pull her hand back, but Lu Yuan didn't let go.

She glanced around.

The twenty female soldiers stood ramrod straight, their eyes shining brighter than the last.

The maids under the eaves all pricked up their ears, and even the old servant sweeping the courtyard stopped sweeping at the base of the wall.

"With so many people watching, loosen your grip first."

"I'll let go if you call me."

"Lu Yuan".

"You called me by the wrong name."

Su Yuling lifted her foot and stepped on his boot.

Lu Yuan winced in pain, but his hand remained clasped around hers.

"Did you murder your husband? Last night you were calling him 'husband' all the time, and now you've turned on him at dawn. How can you deny everything after pulling the knife?"

"You still dare to talk back!"

Su Yuling's face flushed even more, and her other hand reached for the hilt of the knife.

Lu Yuan immediately released his grip and took two steps back.

"Fine, if you're not going to yell, then don't yell. Why use a knife?"

Su Yuling snorted and turned to enter the main hall.

She stopped again when she reached the door.

"The sisters of the Phoenix Battalion have had a long and arduous journey. There are many empty rooms in the mansion, so have them cleaned up. Also, tell the kitchen to prepare plenty of food, with as much meat as possible."

Liu Qing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Su Yuling didn't even turn her head.

"Thank him, he paid for it."

Lu Yuan rubbed his nose. "So you play the good guy, but I get all the blame."

Su Yuling finally turned around, a smile in her eyes.

"What else, my husband?"

Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment.

She had already stepped inside, leaving only a swaying hem of her skirt in the distance.

As Shen Hanqiu passed by Lu Yuan, she smiled and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess is calling, why aren't you chasing after her?"

"She cheated."

"But she did call out."

Lu Yuan looked towards the main hall, a smile playing on his lips.

This woman has a sharp tongue.

Liu Qing coughed lightly beside her.

"Your Highness, our duties..."

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "Just do as I just said."

"The manor provides food and lodging, and an additional two taels of silver per month. If you encounter anyone suspicious, arrest them first. If anyone breaks into the manor armed and kills them, it's on me."

The female soldiers exchanged glances.

Two taels a month is nothing to officials and wealthy families in the capital, but it is a considerable sum for them.

The Fengzi Battalion has been in arrears with its military pay for many years, and some veterans still have children and elderly people at home.

To save a single grain of food, many people in the camp ate only two meals a day, and in winter, even charcoal had to be divided into basins.

Liu Qing's throat bobbed.

"Your Highness, the military pay has not yet been fully paid, so I cannot receive any extra money."

"This is a subsidy for guarding the prince's residence, not military pay."

Lu Yuan beckoned to Su Bo'an, "Give everyone two taels of silver first, and also prepare two sets of clothes. Make do with the armor for a few days, and replace it with new ones in three days."

Su Bo'an rushed over, and upon hearing this, all the wrinkles on his face tightened up.

"Your Highness, the cash in the manor..."

"Out of money again?"

"You prepared betrothal gifts for your wedding and gave a sum of money to the Yongning Marquis's mansion a few days ago. The only cash you have left in the treasury is thirteen thousand taels."

"And a thousand taels of gold?"

"His Majesty bestowed gold ingots, and this old servant dared not touch them."

Lu Yuan glared at him, speechless, and retorted, "Will gold breed if you just leave it in the vault? Go exchange it."

"But it was a gift from the emperor."

"What my father bestowed upon me is mine; do I have to set up an altar and worship it?"

Su Bo'an reluctantly agreed.

Lu Yuan added, "By the way, send 30,000 taels to the Phoenix Battalion as soon as you get the money, and make up for any amount they owe."

"Have Qin Cang clearly list out the remaining expenses for repairing barracks and buying grain and meat."

Liu Qing's expression changed upon hearing this.

Thirty thousand taels.

The total military pay that the Fengzi Battalion has received over the past few years may not even amount to this much.

"Your Highness, that is gold bestowed upon you by imperial decree."

"I know."

"The Phoenix Battalion cannot accept this."

Lu Yuan looked at the cracked leather armor on their bodies.

"When you were risking your lives with my mother, I was still playing in the mud in the palace, and I wasn't much taller than a table."

"Now that I'm all grown up, you can't even get enough to eat."

"Should I just keep piling up gold in the vault, waiting for the rust to eat it all?"

Su Bo'an whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, gold doesn't rust."

Lu Yuan glanced at him.

"You think you know so much?"

Su Bo'an immediately shut up.

Liu Qing's eyes welled up with tears, and she knelt down on one knee.

The female soldiers behind her also knelt down.

"Liu Qing from Fengzi Camp, on behalf of her sisters, thanks Your Highness for your grace."

Lu Yuan reached out and helped her up.

"This is not a grace, but something you are entitled to."

"Let's settle them in first, and after we eat, we'll familiarize ourselves with the layout of the manor. The prince's wife and concubines live in the back courtyard. If they're missing even a single hair, I'll hold you accountable."

Liu Qing's expression turned solemn.

"As long as the prince's wife and concubines are alive, they will not be lost."

"Don't say anything unlucky."

Lu Yuan patted the old nail polish on her shoulder.

"They have to be alive, and they have to be safe too. From now on, they have to follow me. We must win the war, and we must keep our lives."

Liu Qing looked at him, unable to answer for a moment.

The late empress said something similar back then.

There are no people who deserve to die on the battlefield; if we can bring one back, we'll lose one less.

At that moment, a servant boy ran into the courtyard.

"Your Highness, officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue have come to see you, but they are fighting at the gate. Please go and investigate immediately..."