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

Lu Yuan looked at Su Bo'an and glared at him fiercely.

Su Bo'an thought Lu Yuan was praising him for being sensible.

He subconsciously stroked his beard, revealing a knowing smile.

Lu Yuan was so angry he almost vomited blood.

That old man is such a rip-off!

We need to finish him off!

Meanwhile, none of the girls knew what it was, and they were too embarrassed to ask.

After all, it's uncertain whether the other party recognized them.

If I ask, it will make me seem ignorant.

So they all picked up a piece and were about to hand it to Lu Yuan's bowl.

Lu Yuan was startled and quickly pressed down on the rim of the bowl, looking at Su Yuling warily.

"Whoever dares to put food on my plate, I'll make them eat the whole table."

The tonic that Su Yuling had just picked up stopped in mid-air.

"Didn't you say you were already past the point of being hungry?"

"This was specially made for you by the butler."

"My husband, please eat more."

"I'm suddenly not hungry."

Lu Yuan turned to look at Su Bo'an.

"Explain to me, what are all these?"

Su Bo'an had a serious expression on his face.

"Your Highness, these are all good for nourishing the body."

"You've worked so hard today, and your three wives have also been through a lot. They deserve some nourishment."

Shen Hanqiu was still observing the ingredients on the chopsticks.

"What part exactly?"

"Deer penis".

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he pointed to the other plates in turn.

"Sheep penis, bull penis, dog penis, tiger penis."

"That's a cut-open deer penis in your hand."

Shen Hanqiu's cheeks flushed instantly, and she immediately put the food back on the plate.

Liu Ruyan also put her chopsticks away.

They all came from wealthy families, so how could they not know what a whip meant?

The thought of eating that stuff made them all blush with embarrassment.

Su Yuling, however, put the deer antler directly into Lu Yuan's bowl.

"Since it's such a nourishing food, my husband should eat more of it."

"You still have government affairs to handle tonight."

"You can't let your health break down."

Lu Yuan picked it up and put it back into her bowl. "The Crown Princess went shopping in two streets this morning and even helped me organize military reports when she came back."

"You have it harder."

Su Yuling picked it up again and put it back in the bowl. "This was prepared for you by the kitchen."

"No, it's the Crown Princess who has worked so hard..."

The two pushed each other back and forth several times.

Liu Ruyan found it amusing, picked up a piece, and put it in her mouth.

Since she'd already eaten all of her husband's raw food, she might as well try what cooked food tasted like!

After chewing a few times, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"This tastes... actually not bad."

Shen Hanqiu didn't know if it was true or not, so she could only hand him a cup of tea.

"If it's delicious, eat more."

Seeing that Liu Ruyan's expression was strange, Lu Yuan put down his chopsticks.

"Ruyan, is there something you want to say?"

Liu Ruyan lowered her head and clutched the hem of her skirt. "Husband, the Imperial Clan Court has been investigating the Liu family recently, and they even arrested some people today."

"Yes, I've already gone."

Lu Yuan didn't hide it from him.

Liu Ruyan turned pale and immediately left her seat.

"My lord, I know that my grandfather and those people in the clan have done many wrong things."

"They seized land, oppressed tenants, and profited from their father's official position."

"I dare not ask my husband to protect them."

She knelt before Lu Yuan, pleading, "I only beg my husband to spare my father's life."

"Leave some elderly people and children for the Liu family."

Neither Su Yuling nor Shen Hanqiu interrupted.

Although Liu Ruyan has severed ties with the Liu family, blood ties cannot be completely severed with a single document.

Lu Yuan got up and helped her up.

"I have already given orders regarding the Liu family's affairs."

"All the seized land, shops, and money will be returned, and the victims will be compensated."

"The few wicked young men were dealt with according to the law."

"The rest will be locked up for a while, and after they've learned their lesson, they'll be sent back to their hometowns."

Liu Ruyan raised her head.

"Even my father won't be executed?"

"Liu Qingyuan defected to Lu Cheng, sacrificing his daughter for his future; he is certainly not a good father."

"But the crime he committed did not warrant execution."

Lu Yuan wiped away her tears, "But you have to pay the price for doing something wrong."

"But I will not exterminate the old and weak of the Liu family just to establish my authority."

Liu Ruyan smiled again and was about to kneel down once more.

Lu Yuan supported her arm.

"If you kneel again, I will eat the whole plate of food on your plate."

Liu Ruyan quickly sat back down and served him a bowl of soup.

"I will certainly serve my husband well from now on."

Su Yuling picked up a piece of turtle meat and put it into her bowl.

"Your husband is so good to you, so from now on you will be the main person in charge of taking care of his daily life."

"Hanqiu and I will help you with other things."

Liu Ruyan's neck turned red.

"My sister is teasing me again."

Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair.

"I think the Crown Princess's arrangements are very reasonable."

"My husband!"

Liu Ruyan pushed the soup bowl in front of him.

"You should take some more supplements."

After lunch, Su Bo'an came in to report that several female soldiers from the Fengzi Battalion were requesting an audience.

Lu Yuan immediately went to the study.

Four female soldiers stood outside the study.

Their leather armor had been used for many years, with several layers sewn into the shoulder straps, and the weapons at their waists had many gaps.

The head of the Hundred Households, Qi Yue, presented a newly updated roster.

"Your Highness, the Phoenix Battalion currently has three thousand men."

"Of them, 310 were injured and 120 were no longer able to train."

"Deputy Commander Qin instructed his subordinates to inquire whether the wounded soldiers should be sent back to their hometowns."

Lu Yuan opened the roster.

Behind each name was written the details of the injury and the family situation.

"How will they support themselves after being sent back to their hometowns?"

Qi Yue lowered her head.

"The imperial court will provide three months' worth of pay."

"What about three months from now?"

No one could answer that.

The Phoenix Battalion was a personal guard left behind by the late Empress.

After the late empress passed away, this women's battalion was regarded as a burden by various tribes.

The Ministry of War refused to provide new armor, the Ministry of Revenue was in arrears with military pay, and even half of the camps were occupied by other imperial guards.

Many people persevered despite their injuries, simply because they had no way to make a living after leaving the military.

Lu Yuan took out three thousand taels of silver notes from the drawer.

"Give this money to Qin Cang."

"First, pay the outstanding military pay, then give the wounded soldiers resettlement allowances."

Qi Yue did not reach out.

"Is Your Highness planning to disband the Phoenix Battalion?"

The other three female soldiers' expressions also changed.

"My subordinates are still capable of fighting."

"Although the armor is worn out, it can still be used after some repairs."

"Please, Your Highness, do not send us away."

Lu Yuan put the silver note into Qi Yue's hand.

"Who said I wanted to kick you out?"

"This three thousand taels is just to help the sisters improve their lives."

"Get your injuries treated, and buy clothes if you need to."

He raised his hand and pointed to the roster.

"Once I have finished dealing with matters in the Northern Border, I will build a new camp for the Phoenix Camp."

"New armor, weapons, and warhorses—nothing will be missing."

Qi Yue's eyes reddened.

Three female soldiers behind him also knelt down.

The Phoenix Battalion endured ten years of hardship, and no one ever asked them how they would survive after leaving the camp.

Lu Yuan didn't give three thousand taels today.

It is an opportunity for them to continue to stand tall.

Qi Yue held the silver note protectively to her chest.

"Your Highness treats the Phoenix Battalion with such great respect."

"From this day forward, the three thousand men of the Phoenix Battalion will only recognize the Crown Prince's command!"