After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Who lived in Pingkangfang?

Those were all powerful figures in the northern frontier, such as those peerless warriors, or Zhang Liang, Liu Bowen, and others. In short, ordinary people would have to pay a huge price to live there, and even if they had money, they might not be able to get a place to stay.

"Since we have some time, I'll take you to see it."

Chen Futu told the driver to turn around and go to Pingkangfang.

The environment of the entire residential area was much better than other places, and the men and women coming and going were all rich and noble, with women being the majority.

Most of them did not recognize Chen Futu, so it did not cause a commotion.

Finally, Chen Futu led Yan Qing to a grand mansion for a visit. The mansion featured artificial hills and waterside pavilions, with shimmering ponds and vibrant autumn colors, a truly delightful sight.

"I am very satisfied with this house. May I ask how much it costs?"

Yan Qing asked with great delight, as she had money and could afford to pay as long as Chen Futu asked.

Chen Futu's heart skipped a beat, and he grinned, "I'll give you this house to live in. We're all friends, no need to be so polite."

"Is it?"

Yan Qing felt a little suspicious.

It would be strange if such a nice house didn't sell for an astronomical price. As the saying goes, "If someone is being overly solicitous, they're either up to no good or a thief."

How could Chen Futu admit to having ulterior motives? He casually wrote her a letter of recommendation, stamped it with his seal, and said that as long as she had the letter, she could get the house and move in anytime.

"In that case, I thank you, Your Highness."

Yan Qing accepted the letter without hesitation.

She wasn't stupid; she could see that Chen Futu wanted more than just her fortune; he wanted her too.

She didn't mind being closer to Chen Futu. With the prince as her backer, her family would have no worries in the northern frontier. Moreover, she didn't expect to gain any status as a commoner.

Then Chen Futu pointed to the large houses around them with numbers written on their doors and introduced them to her one by one who lived inside.

For example, number one is occupied by the heir apparent, though he doesn't usually live here but in the royal court. Number two is occupied by Qin Liangyu, number three by Zhang Liang, number four by Liu Bowen, and then there are Guan Yu, Ma Chao, and others.

She can visit them when she has time; those generals are quite easy to talk to.

Yan Qing smiled, pursing her lips. "Does the young master intend to treat me like an official and give me an important position?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Villa Number One tonight. Remember to take your tea."

Chen Futu raised an eyebrow, uttered a single sentence, and strode away.

As Yan Qing gazed at the dashing figure's retreating back, a hint of spring-like desire welled up on her beautiful face.

She was lonely and had been deprived of love for a long time; tonight she would finally get to taste the flavor of a man.

As night fell, Chen Futu stretched in the royal court. He had been busy with government affairs lately, which was quite tiring. Fortunately, Yu Qian and the others helped him with the miscellaneous tasks; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to handle everything by himself.

In addition, there was An Jingsi, who had just returned from the southern military camp and brought back a personal letter from Qin Liangyu.

The letter was written in a beautiful style and discussed military affairs, as well as the recent standoff between the army and Sun Chengzong, the Prince of Kaiping.

With Dian Wei and An Jingsi there, Sun Chengzong could only talk the talk about the fact that the northern frontier was plundering people.

In addition, Dian Wei, who knows where he learned it from, cursed Sun Chengzong a lot, cursing him with "family members as the center and the genealogy as the radius", and almost sent Sun Chengzong away.

After reading the letter, Chen Futu pondered for a moment and wrote a reply. He didn't mention the attack at all, but only expressed his longing. He wrote about how a day apart felt like three autumns, how the happy time was like a dream and he only hoped for her early return, and how "on the day the Taiping Attendant returns, I will take off my battle robe with my beloved concubine."

The entire piece is filled with frivolous and vulgar language; one wonders what Qin Liangyu's reaction was after reading it.

After sending the letter, Chen Futu said to An Jingsi, "There is no war recently. Go to the military academy to teach some martial arts and do your best to cultivate the next generation of generals. As for other generals, you can spar with them if you encounter them, but only to a certain extent."

“I understand.” An Jingsi nodded.

Chen Futu looked at the sky outside, intending to go to Pingkangfang to talk to Yan Qing about "tea". However, just as he was about to leave, he ran into Mo Lan, who brought dinner with her. It was quite a sumptuous meal.

Chen Futu asked suspiciously, "Why are you here?"

Mo Lan lowered her head, finding it difficult to speak. An Jingsi said, "When I came, I heard that her younger brother, Mo Cang, had injured someone in a brothel and had been taken to the authorities."

“I see. Jing Si, go to the yamen yourself and bring that kid to me... Remember to give him twenty lashes first.”

"Here!"

An Jingsi strode away from the royal court.

Mo Lan was filled with unease upon hearing this. "Your Highness, he is young and inexperienced. I hope Your Highness will show leniency."

"He goes to brothels every day, and you're telling me he's young and naive?"

Chen Futu had a bad temper.

Although he deliberately spent money to turn Mo Cang into a useless person, it doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants.

Mo Lan sighed, "I only have this one younger brother in Longcheng. Moreover, he grew up in the Western Regions and is impulsive. He doesn't understand the affairs of the Central Plains. I hope Your Highness will forgive him this time. I will keep a close eye on him in the future."

"Get up."

Chen Futu waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down beside him.

Mo Lan hesitated for a moment, then, like a frightened little rabbit, she lowered her head and sat down uneasily.

She is no longer the noble Empress Longman, but merely a concubine by Chen Futu's side. Even though she is in charge of the Imperial Household Department, it is only temporary.

During this dinner, Mo Lan was extremely gentle and attentive, almost to the point of being meticulous.

Meanwhile, things were in complete chaos at the government office.

Mo Cang was young and a troublemaker raised in the Western Regions. When questioned by the officials, he almost raised his head and cursed, pointing his finger at the official's nose and shouting: "Do you know who I am? I am the prince's brother-in-law. Who dares to mess with me!"

The officer, suppressing his anger, said, "The Crown Prince has strictly ordered that everyone in Dragon City abide by the law. Is it true that you assaulted someone in a brothel?"

"Have!"

Sumikura admitted it.

The man kneeling to the side, upon hearing this, burst into tears and wailed, "My lord, I won't plead for it anymore, I won't plead for it anymore..."

Just because he and Mo Cang both fell for the same girl, Mo Cang beat him up. To make matters worse, the girl was related to the prince, so he didn't dare to pursue the matter.

However, a large crowd of people had gathered outside the government office, pointing and whispering, putting the official in a difficult position and causing him a great deal of trouble.

On the surface, there are clear orders that everything should be done in accordance with the law, but do the Crown Prince's people really act so casually?

What if Consort Mo whispers something in the prince's ear? Would he even want his head?

Just as he was struggling with this decision, An Jingsi entered the crowd. Seeing his superior scratching his head in frustration, he said, "Why not act according to the law?"

An Jingsi was tall and imposing, and his voice was like muffled thunder, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

The officer immediately recognized him as the prince's personal bodyguard and quickly rose to greet him.

Mo Cang raised an eyebrow and scrutinized An Jingsi, saying unhappily, "And who are you, daring to meddle in my business? Believe me or not, I'll have my brother-in-law chop off your head."

"You probably don't have the ability to cut off my head."

Seeing that the officer was still undecided, An Jingsi personally stepped forward, grabbed a whistle stick, and ordered the officers to hold Mo Cang down.

The crowd outside the government office cheered loudly upon seeing this!