Lu Xingjian had never seen her dressed like this before, and he was stunned for a moment.

In his memory, Wanwan had always been a delicate and frail woman.

With a little force, his finger marks covered her fair skin, and she gasped for breath, her eyes brimming with tears.

I never imagined that one day she would stand beside me so dashingly, her presence no less imposing than a man's.

He was still a little worried about her:

"This armor was specially made for you. It's much lighter, but is it still strong enough?"

After all, she was pregnant and her body was delicate.

Su Wanwan paused slightly.

My feelings are very complicated.

This armor was naturally much heavier than the clothes we usually wore.

Compared to the armor he wore, which she found somewhat difficult to lift, this was relatively light.

The men had to wear heavy armor weighing dozens of kilograms to fight the enemy, and you can imagine how hard it was for them.

Lu Xingjian was carrying far more than just a few dozen kilograms of armor.

They can still think of these minor details.

Whether a man cares about a woman or not has nothing to do with what he says.

Sometimes it's hidden in these little details.

To say that she was completely unmoved would be a lie.

Lu Xingjian patted her on the shoulder encouragingly, "Just stick close to me for a bit."

Su Wanwan chuckled to herself.

Men pat each other on the shoulder when they're calling each other brothers. Is this a case of a husband and wife turning into brothers?

In Xiyuan, thousands of officers and soldiers stood ramrod straight on the drill ground north of Xiaoyuan, solemnly awaiting inspection.

The scene was spectacular.

The soldiers, dressed in brand-new uniforms and wearing helmets, stood in neat rows, full of spirit and high morale, their weapons reflecting a cold, eerie light in the sunlight.

At the command, the deafening slogans were powerful, high-pitched, and inspiring, making people's blood boil.

Su Wanwan rode her golden-furred Akhal-Teke horse alongside Lu Xingjian, surrounded by a crowd, as they slowly rode through the wide central passage, receiving the stares of the officers and soldiers.

Lu Xingjian raised his precious sword to signal to the soldiers.

The emperor's aura was as majestic as a mountain, imposing without anger, solemn and unapproachable, inspiring awe in all who beheld him.

Su Wanwan saw well-equipped cavalry, archers, infantry, artillery, and musketeers.

It encompasses almost all of the elite troops of the Great Liang.

She gave Lu Xingjian a long look.

He's really willing to spend money.

Equipping such a team would require a huge investment.

Including daily training, it will definitely take a lot of effort.

Without the emperor's full support, it would have been impossible to complete in such a short time.

Even now, in the Nine Borders, only some key fortresses are equipped with powerful cannons, and they are not widely used.

What's remarkable is that both the cavalry's warhorses and the artillerymen's carts were all strong, agile, calm, and composed, and were not thrown off balance by the deafening slogans.

However, what is even more worrying is that the thousands of soldiers here are all carrying weapons.

If someone with ulterior motives were to assassinate the emperor, they might very well succeed.

The fact that Lu Xingjian dared to inspect the troops in public here is enough to show that these people were carefully selected based on their backgrounds and character, and could withstand the test.

After Lu Xingjian and Su Wanwan rode their horses to the reviewing stand, a general stepped forward and asked the various formations to display their military bearing and discipline in turn.

Su Wanwan recognized Gu Ziyu.

She recognized the military officer standing next to Gu Ziyu and quickly remembered who he was.

It was Xu Guangzuo, the heir apparent of the Duke of Dingguo, who was the first fiancée chosen for her by Empress Dowager Xiaosu after she came of age.

The Duke of Dingguo had been living in seclusion for many years, yet his hereditary title and annual stipend of 2,500 shi of rice made him a respectable family with a good reputation.

However, back then, the late emperor directly told Empress Dowager Xiaosu to reconsider her idea.

I heard that the Xu family was heavily impeached by court officials at that time, and they almost lost their titles.

The matter was eventually dropped.

Su Wanwan felt a little embarrassed.

I wonder if Lu Xingjian knows about these old stories.

However, the exciting parade on the field quickly captured her attention, leaving her no time to think about anything else.

...

Back at Kunning Palace, Su Wanwan was still in shock.

He Ying's expression, however, was quite solemn:

“The Cheng family’s son-in-law from Jinling has sent an urgent letter, saying that there is a major case of injustice in Jinling and asking Your Majesty to make a decision.”

Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow, her expression serious. "Bring it here and let me take a look."

Jinling's uncle-in-law is Cheng Wen, Su Wanwan's uncle-in-law. He holds the position of Right Vice Minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, a sinecure.

When Su Wanwan set off from Jinling back to Beijing last year, her uncle had just been demoted from his position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to serve as Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in Nanjing.

Since they didn't have time to meet, Su Wanwan only sent her maid to deliver gifts and inquire after them, and there wasn't much interaction between them.

Cheng Wen's letter contained rather somber content:

"A fire broke out in a house in Jinling City, which spread to hundreds of houses, resulting in many deaths and thousands of people being displaced and destitute. This was the work of the Eastern Depot and its guards."

"We hope Your Majesty will uphold justice and redress the grievances of the people."

Before Lu Xingjian returned, Su Wanwan had someone summon Steward Li.

It's time to let the domestic factories test their skills.

Manager Li investigated and quickly replied:

"The recent thorough investigation of the Jiazi Treasury revealed that the embezzled silver was obtained by the Eastern Depot from salt merchants in Jiangnan. As for the arson, it was also done by the Eastern Depot to force the salt merchants to comply."

Su Wanwan was so angry that her face turned ashen.

"Outrageous! How can you treat human life so lightly? What do you think of the law?!"

Steward Li's expression was somewhat complicated as he offered his words of comfort:

"Your Majesty, compassion is not for commanding troops, righteousness is not for engaging in commerce, benevolence is not for governing, kindness is not for holding office, and sentimentality is not for establishing anything."

"The imperial treasury was completely depleted, while private salt merchants were as wealthy as the nation."

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