Ye Junfei replied, "Father, that's a strange question. I had Zhou Chenyang return the iron block, so it should be in Liefeng City!"

The Prince of Pingnan angrily retorted, "I have never received any iron ingots!"

Because as soon as the matter of the iron block was discovered, Zhou Chenyang sent people to destroy the Pingnan Prince's stronghold in Yucheng, so the spies could not get any information out.

When the Prince of Pingnan received the news, it was already many days later.

Ye Junfei also retorted, "I had Zhou Chenyang send the iron block back to Liefeng City, and I also informed my father about the rendezvous."

“I have done everything I was supposed to do, and the rest is none of my business.”

Prince Pingnan: "..."

He stared wide-eyed at Ye Junfei: "That's an iron block from a mine!"

"If those iron blocks fall into the hands of the imperial court and are forged into weapons, they could slaughter the entire Liefeng Prefecture!"

Why didn't you send someone back to deliver a message to me back then?

Ye Junfei looked completely bewildered: "I did send a message! Father, are you asking why I didn't send someone to keep an eye on Zhou Chenyang?"

“Father knows that I don’t have a single soldier under my command. When I left the palace, you only allowed me to take two guards with me.”

"At that time, I had finally managed to intimidate Zhou Chenyang. The situation was extremely critical, so of course the two of them had to prioritize protecting my safety."

When he left the Pingnan Prince's Mansion to inspect Liefeng Prefecture, the Pingnan Prince did not quite agree, but his reasons were reasonable and the Pingnan Prince could not stop him.

At that time, the Prince of Pingnan only allowed him to leave with two guards, and made it clear to him that even if he encountered danger outside, he was not allowed to ask the Prince of Pingnan's mansion for help.

The Prince of Pingnan thought he could frighten Ye Junfei, but Ye Junfei left the Prince of Pingnan's mansion that very day with Wu Dao and Wu Ge.

Prince Pingnan: "..."

He was so angry that his chest heaved, but he couldn't do anything about Ye Junfei.

Ye Junfei said lazily, "Judging from Father's tone, it seems he didn't get those iron pieces."

"This is not my fault. I did everything I could."

"After all, I am a nobody with little influence. Although I am the heir apparent, I don't even have a personal guard. It is already very difficult for me to come back alive."

The Prince of Pingnan understood the implication in his words, and the muscles on his face twitched, showing both anger and frustration.

He cursed Ye Junfei in his heart, calling him a rebellious son!

When Ye Junfei first returned to the Pingnan Prince's Mansion, Ye Jingxian sent someone to test him.

Of the dozens of top-notch guards, not one returned alive.

The next day, the bodies of all the guards were laid out in Ye Jingxian's courtyard.

How dare Ye Junfei say that he doesn't have a single usable person by his side!

However, he never found anyone else around Ye Junfei.

If he continues to curse now, Ye Junfei will definitely take the opportunity to ask him for his guards.

Princess Pingnan, fearing he would be driven to his death by anger, said gently, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. Since these iron pieces are in Liefeng Prefecture, they certainly won't be lost."

The Prince of Pingnan, with nowhere to vent his anger, roared, "Get out!"

Princess Pingnan felt wronged and didn't dare to speak again.

Lin Xiuyan thought Ye Junfei was truly a master at infuriating people, managing to anger the Prince of Pingnan to such an extent without making a sound!

She asked curiously from the side, "The Crown Prince is of noble status, why doesn't he have any guards around him?"

Ye Junfei said calmly, "You'll have to ask my father about this. Perhaps he thinks I'm too powerful for him to need a guard!"

The Prince of Pingnan gritted his teeth and said, "From today onwards, you will be in charge of the Thirteen Battalions."

The Prince of Pingnan's mansion had a total of thirteen guard units, ranging in strength from the first platoon to the thirteenth, with the thirteenth battalion being the weakest.

Ye Junfei's peach blossom eyes were full of mockery: "My father treats me so well that I am moved to tears."

Lin Xiuyan glanced at the Prince of Pingnan, then at Ye Junfei, and for the first time truly experienced the terrible relationship between the father and son.

The Prince of Pingnan was so angry that he wanted to hit someone. Just then, the nanny at the door came in and reported, "The Princess has arrived with the young master and young ladies."

Only then did the Prince of Pingnan realize that today was the second day of Ye Junfei and Lin Xiuyan's wedding.

Even if he dislikes Lin Xiuyan, she still has the title of Princess Consort and, according to etiquette, she must meet with the young masters and ladies of the manor.

He said with a dark face, "Let them in."

As the Prince of Pingnan turned away, Lin Xiuyan gave Ye Junfei a thumbs-up:

Even if the 13th Battalion is the worst, it still has two hundred men, which sends a signal to the outside world.

Ye Junfei wasn't too concerned about whether the Prince of Pingnan would give him someone, but he was happy as long as he could anger the Prince of Pingnan and make Lin Xiuyan happy.

Soon, the young masters and ladies of the Prince's mansion, led by Ye Qingwan, came over to pay their respects to Lin Xiuyan.

Perhaps because none of the legitimate sons and daughters were present, and all those who came today were illegitimate children, coupled with Lin Xiuyan's record of smoking Princess Anle yesterday, they were all quite polite to her.

Lin Xiuyan was always polite to others, and she was always polite to others in return.

The Lin family may not have much else, but they have plenty of money. When she got married, Lin Yunzhi prepared a large number of red envelopes for her to handle today's occasion.

Lin Xiuyan then gave each person a red envelope, inside which was a one-hundred-tael silver note. (www.cascoo.net)

Ye Qingwan smiled and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

As soon as she spoke, all the illegitimate sons and daughters thanked Lin Xiuyan in unison, seemingly indicating that she was quite easy to get along with.

After exchanging pleasantries and meeting each other, Ye Junfei left with Lin Xiuyan.

As soon as they left, Prince Pingnan also drove Ye Qingwan and the others away.

After everyone had left, he smashed the teacup.

Princess Pingnan chimed in, "Your Highness, we owe the Crown Prince a debt, so please don't hold it against him."

"What do you mean by owing him something?" Prince Pingnan said with a dark face, "He has taken the position of heir apparent, so he must fulfill the responsibilities of an heir apparent!"

"That bastard, he clearly did that with the iron block on purpose!"

"With him in such a state, how can I entrust the royal palace to him!"

He had considered deposing Ye Junfei more than once, but Ye Junfei's position as heir was recognized by the emperor and could not be easily changed.

Princess Consort of Pingnan reminded him: "The Emperor only recognizes his status because he was the heir apparent in the capital and thinks he is mediocre."

"The Emperor's intention in bestowing this marriage upon him was to allow Princess Anle to take control of the Pingnan Prince's Mansion."

"Now that he has refused the emperor's bestowed marriage, burned the imperial edict, and offended the emperor's reputation, the emperor may not protect him anymore."

The Prince of Pingnan's eyes lit up at first, but quickly dimmed: "His Majesty is determined to abolish the feudal system."

“The Pingnan Prince’s Mansion will be the first to suffer. Under such circumstances, the Emperor would probably be more than happy to let a good-for-nothing succeed to the throne of Pingnan.”

"Because only a useless person would let him manipulate them and cause them to collapse!"

Princess Consort of Pingnan said gently, "Your Highness is in the prime of life. As long as Your Highness is well, the Pingnan Prince's Mansion will be well, and Liefeng Prefecture will also be well."