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

In the courtroom, Mo Cang shouted anxiously, "If you dare touch me, you're all dead! Be careful, or I'll kill your whole family!"

However, his shouts were useless, and An Jingsi personally picked up a stick and started hitting him.

He was a grandmaster-level expert, capable of tearing apart innate beings with his bare hands. If he fought him seriously, Mo Cang wouldn't be able to withstand even one blow. But even when he held back, he still beat him much more fiercely than ordinary officials.

Click!

An Jingsi struck Mo Cang with a stick, making him cry out for his parents.

The people outside the gate applauded and praised him, but they were also worried that the young man might get into trouble for hitting someone he shouldn't have.

The official stood in the hall watching Mo Cang being beaten, his eyelids twitching with fear. He was terrified that if he beat someone to death, the prince would be even more furious with him.

Fortunately, Mo Cang was still alive after the beating, but he stopped shouting and just lay there groaning, his buttocks half-rotted.

After finishing her work, An Jingsi grabbed Mo Cang and tucked him under her arm like a little chick.

The officer hurriedly replied, "General, it's not that I haven't done my best, but I really dare not overstep my bounds."

An Jingsi replied, "I will report this matter to the Crown Prince truthfully, and the decision will be made by the Crown Prince."

"This humble official understands..."

The officer saw An Jingsi off with a wry smile, remaining uneasy as he watched him leave.

Just then, Liu Bowen happened to pass by, and he hurriedly went up to pay his respects and told him about the matter.

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "No need to worry. You were recommended by Lord Yu, and the Crown Prince will not make things difficult for you. However, in the future, you should still follow the ironclad rules of the Northern Frontier."

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Mr. Qingtian."

With Liu Bowen speaking up, the official was finally relieved. Liu Bowen pondered for a moment before going to the brothel where the incident had occurred. He felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange about it.

Just then, Chen Futu finished his meal, and Mo Lan stayed by his side, waiting.

An Jingsi brought Mo Cang inside and threw him to the ground. Mo Cang fell with a thud and was completely disoriented.

Mo Lan glared at An Jingsi with heartache, "General, you are far too rude!"

An Jingsi, however, was not afraid of him and stood to the side like a door god.

"Sis, it hurts so much—"

Mo Cang lay there shouting and yelling.

Mo Lan stepped forward to check the situation and found that her younger brother's buttocks were ripped open and he was covered in blood. She was shocked and furious, and asked Chen Futu, "Why did you use such a heavy hand, Your Highness!"

Chen Futu turned to An Jingsi, "You did it yourself?"

“The official was wary of his status and dared not punish him, so I personally beat him twenty times. But don’t worry, my brother, I held back. It was just a superficial injury.”

"How do you define a superficial injury?" Mo Lan was heartbroken, and glared at him angrily.

Chen Futu frowned and said, "Mo Cang, you have disappointed me too much. I only let you eat, drink and have fun because of my sister, but you only cause me trouble. Do you want to be locked up?"

"Brother-in-law, I was wrong, I will never do it again."

Mo Cang endured the pain and begged for mercy.

He was genuinely afraid of Chen Futu. Chen Futu had slaughtered the Longman, and everyone in the Mo family was terrified. Fortunately, he had a beautiful older sister who caught the eye of the young master; otherwise, the Mo family's fate wouldn't have been much better.

"I'll let it slide this time since it's your first offense. Remember to compensate the other person and don't embarrass me again. If you act recklessly again, you will be severely punished."

"Your Highness, it would be better to keep my younger brother here, or send him to an academy for careful instruction. Otherwise, I worry that if this continues, he will become addicted to playthings and lose his ambition."

Mo Lan pleaded, her eyes full of hope.

Chen Futu said expressionlessly, "I'm afraid he can't endure those hardships. It would be better for him to be a rich young master and live a carefree life."

"But it's not good for him to keep going to brothels. Should I teach him myself?"

Mo Lan refused to budge and continued to plead.

Chen Futu was silent for a while, then said, "You should take him away first and find the royal physician to examine him. Let things be peaceful for the time being."

"This humble servant thanks Your Highness."

Mo Lan called the Tiger Guards to help her take Mo Cang away.

Watching the siblings leave, Chen Futu frowned more and more deeply, and did not go to Pingkangfang.

As night deepened, Liu Bowen arrived.

"Your Highness, why are you still not resting?"

"Mr. Qingtian, what's your opinion on the matter of Mo Cang?" Chen Futu got straight to the point.

"When General An arrived, I happened to witness this incident, which struck me as odd, so I went to the brothel to inquire about it."

"What's weird?"

“Logically speaking, Consort Mo would have told Mo Cang not to cause trouble outside, but this still happened. According to the brothel, Mo Cang is usually low-key and never makes enemies. He spends most of his time in private rooms drinking with two or three girls. However, he got into a fight today, which is unusual.” Liu Bowen almost made his point clear.

Chen Futu asked strangely, "You mean, that kid did it on purpose?"

"He knows that the Crown Prince wants to make him indulge in frivolous pursuits and become incapable of taking over the Mo Clan in the future. I think he must have discussed this with Consort Mo, hoping to use this matter to get you to relocate him. Did Consort Mo mention this to you just now?"

"It was indeed mentioned."

Chen Futu sighed and walked out of the room.

Liu Bowen asked softly, "What are your plans, Your Highness?"

"The Mo tribe had a great influence in the Longman region. After the westward expedition, they lost their value and were either exterminated or migrated to the Central Plains."

"Your Highness can use this as a condition to have an open and honest discussion with Consort Mo. If she promises that the Mo Clan will move into the Central Plains in the future and that your two children will take over the Mo Clan, then this matter can be dropped."

Liu Bowen's opinion was very straightforward: for now, the Mo tribe's influence around Longman was still needed to maintain the rule of the northern frontier. In the future, after Longman was destroyed, the entire tribe would migrate, and there would be no fear of the maternal relatives causing trouble in the Western Regions.

Having said that, Liu Bowen lowered his voice and added, "I'm afraid that Consort Mo won't agree so easily."

"Why?"

“The Crown Prince has no children yet, and she is his only concubine. Logically speaking, her child with you should be the future Crown Prince of the Empire. How could she be willing to let her child become a mere clan leader?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Futu suddenly felt a sense of urgency, as if he were being swept along by the tide of history.

Liu Bowen then said, "The solution is simple: the heir apparent should give birth to a legitimate eldest son as soon as possible. Only in this way can the situation in the northern border be stabilized and long-term peace and stability achieved."

"Isn't Liu Longyue unsuitable?"

Chen Futu couldn't help but ask. Logically, he shouldn't ask others about these things. Liu Longyue was beautiful, but Chen Futu really wasn't interested in her. As he always said, Qin Liangyu was the only princess consort he recognized.

His attitude towards Qin Liangyu was completely different from his attitude towards other women. He would take the opportunity to "have tea" with other women, but Qin Liangyu would not agree. Instead, she would humiliate him and make him feel like he was being bullied. He enjoyed this immensely.

Perhaps this is why what we can't have is always the best.

"Ahem, these matters are not convenient for me to discuss further." Liu Bowen, as expected of an old fox, raised a question but did not elaborate.

Chen Futu, his face dark, snapped, "Just say it! What are we going to do now?"