Ye Jinghe was happy, but some people were not.

"Commander Ye really has a leisurely life every day!" Xie Chang'an mocked.

"Not bad, not as leisurely as Young Master Xie!" Ye Jinghe retorted sarcastically, then, in front of Xie Chang'an, earnestly took Ye Jingchen's arm and walked towards the carriage parked at the door.

"Brother, let me help you into the carriage."

Seeing this, Xie Chang'an clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

After Ye Jingchen boarded the carriage, Ye Jinghe did not sit in the carriage with him. Instead, he mounted his horse and rode behind the carriage, looking down at Xie Chang'an provocatively.

The carriage slowly headed towards the palace. Ye Jinghe rode alongside the carriage, leaning over and turning his head to talk to Ye Jingchen, whose elbow was resting on the carriage window.

The carriage was too far away for Xie Chang'an to hear what the two of them were saying, but he could guess that Ye Jingchen must be asking Ye Jinghe what he had done at the guard camp that day.

Suddenly, Ye Jinghe turned around and glanced in this direction. Even from a distance of more than ten feet, Xie Chang'an could still see his smug and provocative eyes.

What's there to be proud of?

Xie Chang'an thought to himself that soon he would take Ye Jingchen to the Northern Frontier, where there would be no Ye Jinghe, no Yun Shu, and no other princes or princesses. Ye Jingchen would belong only to him!

I can only see him, and I can only think about him!

They will stay in the northern border region for at least two years. After two years, the four-year agreement will be up, and Ye Jingchen will have to give him an answer.

He only wants to hear one answer, and he has a way to get the answer he wants!

"Brother, Xie Chang'an is still watching us, like a statue waiting for its husband!" Ye Jinghe said to Ye Jingchen with a smile after glancing back.

"What Waiting-for-Husband Rock? Don't make up such nonsense!" Ye Jingchen said, glancing back subconsciously, but from his angle, he could no longer see the scene at the entrance of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"Brother, can't you really take me with you when you go to the Northern Frontier?" Ye Jinghe asked, unwilling to give up, after seeing this scene.

The northern border region was already fraught with danger, and Ye Jinghe was extremely worried about following Xie Chang'an, a dangerous element.

"If you go to the northern frontier, what will happen to the guard battalion? Won't all your previous efforts be wasted?" Ye Jingchen advised.

“You’re doing very well now. I hope that under your leadership, one day the Guard Battalion will become as powerful as the Divine Might Army—no, even more powerful than the Divine Might Army!”

Ye Jingchen knew how to persuade Ye Jinghe.

He now understood that Xie Chang'an had provoked Ye Jinghe to go to the guard battalion not only because he didn't want Ye Jinghe to serve in the Ministry of War with him, but also because he didn't want Ye Jinghe to have the opportunity to go to the northern frontier with him.

Ye Jingchen was unlikely to take Ye Jinghe with him to the northern frontier to suffer hardships in the first place. Now that Ye Jinghe has become a captain in the guard battalion, Ye Jingchen is even less likely to take him to the northern frontier for the sake of the 200,000-strong guard battalion.

"Brother, don't worry, the Guardian Army will definitely be your strongest support! After you return from the Northern Frontier, you will no longer be threatened by anyone!" Ye Jinghe assured him.

Upon returning to the East Palace, all the children were waiting for them.

On the way to Chengqian Palace, Ye Jingchen asked Ye Jingyu and Ye Jingyu about their future plans. Their plans remained unchanged: one wanted to go to the Ministry of Revenue, and the other wanted to go to the Dali Temple.

“Jingyu, when you go to the Ministry of Revenue, start as a clerk. The Minister of Revenue, Cao Jin, comes from a prominent family and is the son-in-law of the Wang family. You don’t need to worry about him when you go to the Ministry of Revenue; he won’t dare to make things difficult for you. The position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is currently vacant, and the Right Vice Minister is named Fan Tong. You’ve met him before; he lives up to his name—he’s a glutton. When we first went to the Xishan Palace, we were roasting a suckling pig by the campfire, and he shamelessly came over to eat some of our roasted suckling pig. He’s a very interesting person and has some ability. He comes from a humble background, so he’s trustworthy for now. When you get to the Ministry of Revenue, learn from him. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask him.”

"Once you're in the Ministry of Revenue, you must quickly find out how much money is in the national treasury, understand the annual income and expenditure, and then safeguard that money for Father Emperor. If you can find a way to generate wealth, that would be even better. Of course, this way of generating wealth cannot be through exploiting the people; it must be beneficial to the country and its people!"

"Your previous idea was good. After you go to the Ministry of Revenue, you can consider developing commerce and increasing commercial taxes by raising the status of merchants. But you must grasp the right balance. Everything in excess is as bad as deficiency. If the status of merchants is too high, it can easily cause trouble. It is best to put scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants on the same class." Ye Jingchen instructed Ye Jingyu.

"Brother Crown Prince, what should we do with the trade route and caravan that my maternal grandparents gave me?" Ye Jingyu asked.

He had no experience in managing caravans, and once he went to the Ministry of Revenue, he would have neither the time nor the energy to manage them.

Of all the gifts the Ji family gave him, the one that the emperor coveted most was the eight cartloads of gifts that were on the surface. But in fact, the most valuable gift the Ji family gave Ye Jingyu was not those eight cartloads of gold and silver jewelry, but a trade route and a caravan.

If that trade route is managed well, the caravan's net profit each year will be more than eight cartloads of gold and silver.

However, no matter how much the emperor coveted this thing, he couldn't interfere and could only let Ye Jingyu manage it himself.

"You can leave the management of the caravan to professionals. Since your maternal grandparents gave you the caravan, it means that the people in the caravan are trustworthy. You just need to have them keep good records and check the accounts once a month or once a quarter."

"If you want to develop your business, this caravan can serve as a perfect testing ground. Merchants are profit-driven; if they see that there is something to gain, they will be eager to cooperate with you!"

"An entire trade route and caravan! It's outrageously extravagant! Why don't I have such a wealthy maternal family?!" Ye Jingshu exclaimed, her eyes red with envy.

The money that the golden branch and jade leaf earns in a year is probably less than half of what the Ji family earns from just one of their trade routes in a year, and who knows how many more such trade routes the Ji family has!

"Elder sister, one shouldn't be too greedy. If your grandparents heard you say that, they would be heartbroken!" Ye Jingchen said with amusement.

If the Duke of Anguo's family had the same background as the Ji family, then the daughter of the Duke of Anguo's family would never have become the empress.

"I was just kidding! These words are only for you two to hear, you mustn't tell anyone else!" Ye Jingshu quickly said.

She was just sighing; from her perspective, a behemoth like the Ji family posed the greatest threat to imperial power.

"Jingyu, the Ji family gave you such a generous gift, which shows how much they like you. You must maintain your relationship with the Ji family. They don't lack wealth or power; all they need is your sincerity," Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingyu.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I also love my maternal grandparents, uncles, and aunts very much. I will keep them in my heart!"