Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian went to the palace to meet the emperor before they even had a chance to go home. They mainly went to report on their work and ask about the situation on the border.

Not only them, but the emperor was also eager to see them. In the past few days, battle reports from the border had been coming in every day, and every day they brought back bad news.

"emperor……"

Upon meeting, Lu Baichuan was about to bow when he was interrupted. The emperor beckoned to them, signaling them to come forward and speak.

"Put everything else aside for now. Even if there are any problems, I can handle them. The situation on the border is not optimistic. You should all rest well today and set off with the troops tomorrow."

The emperor had no other choice but to continue, saying, "Feng Cheng died in battle. He ignored all advice and committed a terrible crime, which will naturally bring disaster to his descendants. I will make arrangements and clear your names, but you two really can't delay any longer. It will be a long time before you reach the border, and I am worried that many things may change."

Feng Cheng was arrogant and self-righteous. He repeatedly disregarded Prince Jing's objections and sent troops without authorization, causing heavy casualties among his soldiers. He was also unwilling to believe in evil and deliberately provoked the other side, ultimately losing his life in the process.

This was a grave mistake on the battlefield, causing the deaths of so many soldiers, so even though he died, his family would still be implicated.

As for his younger brother Feng Gong, he had colluded with the Earl of Chang'an before, and the evidence was conclusive, so he has already been beheaded.

The emperor handled things so efficiently to save Lu Baichuan and his team more time to provide support. As for who in the court would dare to speak out, he would send people to investigate their backgrounds. As long as they found any flaws, their homes would be confiscated. It was convenient and efficient, much more comfortable than the constant bickering in the court before.

After getting rid of these troublesome troublemakers, even the emperor slept better than before.

Lu Baichuan was somewhat surprised: "Your Majesty, what about your reputation..."

He killed so many people in such a short time, wouldn't the people say he was a tyrant?

"No problem, no problem, I have already made preparations in advance, and my reputation is now excellent!"

The emperor was very happy. The confiscation of his property yielded a great deal of treasure, instantly filling the empty national treasury and giving him the strong foundation to confront the Eastern Court.

"The court is currently short of personnel. The imperial examinations will be held next month. The more examinations we hold, the more young people will be recruited, and the better the atmosphere in the court will be."

In just a few days, the emperor figured out many things. He used to worry about his reputation and the harmony of the court. He realized that he was able to sit in this position mainly to serve the people, and he shouldn't argue with these court officials. So even when he was so angry that he couldn't eat, he still chose to endure it.

But after hearing from Jiang Jiuniang that he had suffered serious injuries, he immediately decided not to indulge those people anymore. He still had a wife and children to protect, and this country to protect. How could he let a few troublemakers ruin his plans and dreams?

Hearing him say this, Lu Baichuan felt very gratified. In the past, the emperor always had too many concerns and could not fully exert his power, but after this time, he should no longer be as restrained as before.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, we will go back and make preparations, and set off tomorrow."

Lu Baichuan cupped his hands in greeting. He was tired after traveling for so long and wanted to go back and get some sleep.

The emperor nodded and said, "I'll have to trouble you this time. There are some vacancies in the court, so your eldest and second eldest brothers can come and help out."

This was something he had planned beforehand. This time, Lu Baichuan would not be rewarded for his meritorious service; instead, his elder brothers would receive special favors.

Upon hearing this, Lu Baichuan immediately knelt down. The emperor thought he was going to express his gratitude, but to his surprise, he refused: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, my elder brothers have not received any proper education and are not qualified to hold important positions in the court. Even if they were to enter the court, they would have to start from the bottom. This is to give them an opportunity to train. Please consider this carefully, Your Majesty."

"Isn't it good to hold an important official position? That way, your Lu family can quickly gain a foothold in the capital."

The emperor deeply trusted his character and genuinely wanted to promote his family. Moreover, the empress's childbirth was so dangerous, and it was Jiang Jiuniang who saved her life. The two official titles bestowed upon her by grace were really nothing.

Lu Baichuan shook his head again: "It is certainly a good thing to hold an important official position, but the higher the position, the greater the responsibility. My elder brothers are not capable enough, and they will only be troubled by sitting in high positions. Let's leave the positions to suitable people."

The eldest and second eldest brothers of the Lu family have only just arrived in the capital and are currently investigating the situation there. They haven't even started formally learning how to be officials yet, so how could they be appointed as high-ranking officials directly?

What do those students from poor families who worked so hard to get into university think?

Although the emperor's intentions were good, this was too conspicuous and would bring too much resentment to his family, so it was better to keep a low profile and take things slowly.

The emperor understood his concerns and said, "Alright, then let's assign them a small job in any government office in the capital. We'll take it slow."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Lu Baichuan was relieved and wanted to take his leave.

"Bai Chuan, Qin Jian, you must return safely!"

The emperor patted them on the shoulder with some reluctance, having a thousand words he wanted to say, but only managed to utter this one sentence.

In private, he did not address them as "my beloved minister" like others would, but instead called them by their names. This was not out of distance, but rather as if he treated them like brothers.

I am so successful today because I would not have been able to do without their help.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, we will."

Of course, they wanted to return safely, since their families were all in the capital, and no one wanted to leave their lives on that desolate border.

After bidding farewell to the emperor, the two prepared to leave the palace. Qin Jian hadn't seen his wife for several days and was already rushing back home, but Lu Baichuan was waiting for Jiang Jiuniang at the palace gate to go home with her.

Jiang Jiuniang secretly entered the palace, covered up her previous lie, checked the Empress's wound, and found that there was nothing wrong, so she was allowed to leave the palace.

When she arrived at the palace gate, she saw that Lu Baichuan was still waiting for her. She waved to him and asked him to get in the car so they could go home together.

"daughter in law."

As soon as he got in the car, Lu Baichuan hugged Jiang Jiuniang tightly, looking tired but unwilling to fall asleep.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Jiuniang found it strange. She was fine when she entered the palace, but now she's like this. Could something have happened again?

"Feng Cheng is dead, and the border war is critical. The Emperor has ordered Qin Jian and me to lead troops out tomorrow."

He sighed as he spoke, saying that although he had been prepared, he hadn't expected it to be so sudden.

Jiang Jiuniang also felt that it was too hasty, but the war could not wait for anyone. Upon hearing this, she simply said, "Then get a good rest tonight and get your energy back. I'll prepare some extra things for you to take with you, so they can be of help when the time comes."

She only said she would help him prepare things, and didn't say she would go with him, so Lu Baichuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she was exceptionally capable, he couldn't bear to see her suffer like that; he just wanted her to stay home happily and wait for him to come back.