"If I were to lead the capital's army to Ningxia to quell the rebellion, would you be confident in your ability to succeed?"

Since Zhang Yong has pledged his allegiance to her, she has to consider his future and help him achieve greater success.

Rather than simply being an inner official protecting the palace.

The military is her weakness, and she needs to improve in that area.

Zhang Yong's eyes narrowed slightly.

If he were to leave the capital, he would have to arrange for reliable confidants to protect it. The safety of the emperor, empress, and young prince was the foundation of his security.

He proposed a relatively rough plan.

Su Wanwan naturally didn't understand military affairs, so she just listened quietly, occasionally asking a question or two, and humbly learning.

With Lu Xingjian overseeing things, she wasn't in a hurry.

Yan Ge'er sat quietly to the side, listening with curiosity.

...

Lu Xingjian returned on the third night.

These past few days have been extremely urgent military matters, and he has been working almost non-stop.

"How have you been feeling these past few days?" He carefully examined Su Wanwan's physical condition.

Her complexion is good, with a rosy glow; she seems to have recovered considerably.

"You're eating well and sleeping soundly. How are you?"

The man pinched his brow wearily and pulled Su Wanwan to lie down on the bed. "Sleep with me for a while."

Not long after, the man fell asleep.

Su Wanwan stared at his sharply defined profile and remained silent for a long time.

Yan Ge'er has gradually gotten used to sleeping in his own room and no longer sleeps with them.

When she woke up the next day, it was just getting light. The man was kissing the back of her neck, his hands lingering erratically.

Seeing that she was awake, he no longer restrained himself and pressed her down beneath him.

Su Wanwan frowned.

"There's still no news coming in from Yansui?"

The man breathed heavily, "Mmm."

"Don't you think something's wrong?" Su Wanwan reached out and hugged his neck. "Yansui is only 800 li away from Ningxia, they should have received the news a long time ago."

The man let out a deep breath. "So?"

Su Wanwan paused, "I heard that Ma Ji and her child were sent to Ningxia by Ma Ang."

She kept people watching Maggie.

Liu Qi's intelligence network, built by trading horses with the border troops, was quite well-informed.

Unfortunately, I can't get in touch with him now.

Lu Xingjian leaned down and sealed her lips with his, "Focus."

Bringing up those sensitive people at this time is really a mood killer.

Su Wanwan was dizzy from his kisses and took a while to catch her breath before she continued talking.

"If the Prince of Anhua were to use this child as a pretext to win over the Yansui border troops and collude with the Northern Yuan court..."

Lu Xingjian frowned and angrily slapped her bottom.

"Just because someone says my child is mine doesn't mean she is!!"

What are you thinking about all day?

"I am still alive, and I am not on the imperial throne. No matter what he says, it's useless!"

Su Wanwan did not back down. "If the two empress dowagers approve, and the Imperial Clan Court issues an imperial edict, and the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat collude, what will you do then?"

"Am I dead?" The man's anger surged.

"If the palace guards are taken into custody, what does it matter whether you live or die?"

This is the worst-case scenario.

When the emperor becomes a puppet, his personal will becomes meaningless.

Lu Xingjian's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he had no intention of compromising.

This guy really knows how to spread alarmist rumors.

Su Wanwan had no intention of letting it go: "You demoted my grandfather without any remorse. But when it comes to Maggie and her brother, you become very stubborn."

"Is Maggie and her family more important than me and my family?"

Lu Xingjian was silent for a few moments, then asked, "Do you really think so?"

Su Wanwan was speechless. "At least that's the truth."

“To outsiders, it seems that I am jealous and cannot tolerate Maggie and her children, while you have been promoting them and subsidizing them.”

Lu Xingjian patiently said, "Fine, I'll listen to you. Dismiss Ma Ang from his post as commander-in-chief."

"Whether you want to change it or not is up to you. I don't expect you to listen to me." Su Wanwan felt a little annoyed.

It seemed like she was forcing him to do something.

But she was just raising her own questions.

“Fine, it was me who felt Ma Ang was inappropriate and insisted on replacing him.” Lu Xingjian turned over and pulled Su Wanwan onto his lap. “It has nothing to do with you, is that alright now, my dear aunt?”

Su Wanwan: "..."

That being said, in terms of seniority, he really should call her aunt.

...

Ma Ang paced back and forth anxiously.

He did not learn of the Prince of Anhua's intention to rebel on the first day; he had already been secretly courted by the Prince of Anhua's mansion.

The reason given by the lobbyist from the Prince of Anhua's mansion was that they would support Ma Ji's son to become emperor in the future, claiming that he was a descendant of Emperor Zhengxuan.

But Ma Ang dared not gamble his entire fortune and life.

The Prince of Anhua is also of royal blood. Once Ma Ang has used him, he can kick him aside and ascend the throne himself.

Besides, last time the emperor personally went to Yansui to deploy the border troops to severely defeat the Northern Yuan Khanate.

Having witnessed Emperor Zhengxuan's demeanor and pragmatic style firsthand, the generals of the Yansui border army were more loyal to the court and the emperor than ever before.

It's not something that a general like Ma Ang, who was parachuted into Yansui, could easily shake in a year or two.

If Ma Ang were to incite his border troops to rebel, he would likely be bound and handed over to the imperial court before even leaving Yansui City.

He dared not take that risk.

Moreover, with Liu Jin, the "Nine Thousand Years Old," as his backer, why would he bother to go to such lengths to appease the poor and remote Prince Anhua, who was far from the emperor's reach?

Warfare burns through real gold and silver.

Even faster than the iron cavalry of the Prince of Anhua arrived in Yansui was the imperial edict of dismissal.

Meanwhile, the former deputy commander-in-chief of Yansui was promoted one rank and replaced Ma Ang.

Ma Ang was stunned.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

...

Busy days fly by.

Because Zhang Yong was leading the capital's army out of the city, the palace guards were reorganized and replaced with people trusted by Lu Xingjian.

Su Wanwan was busy directing the ships, arranging for the overseas grain ships that had not been transported to the capital last year to enter the city.

We are currently in a period of transition, when there is a shortage of skilled workers.

The food shortage in the capital region, which Liu Jin had been working on for a long time without success, was gradually alleviated.

On the other hand, she also secretly ordered people to inquire about news from Ningxia.

Reports indicate that Xiao Bin was not serving in Ningxiawei, but rather in Yuquanying, a location quite far from Ningxiawei.

As for whether he was forced to join the rebels or was killed, there is still no news.

Su Wanwan's heart clenched in waves.

She shouldn't have just let him leave last year in Yansui.

In any case, I should say a few words to him and ask how he is doing.

After much deliberation, Su Wanwan wrote a few letters and asked someone to send them to Ningxia.

Ningxia is currently rebel territory, and these letters may not even reach their destination.

When Lu Xingjian returned, he saw Su Wanwan writing a letter diligently under the lamp.

Her eyes were slightly red, and there were a few smudges of tears on the letter.

She must have cried.

He stood behind her for a long time, his face expressionless.

Su Wanwan looked up at him blankly, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. She covered the letter she had written with a blank sheet of paper.

"You're back early today."

Lu Xingjian's Adam's apple bobbed, his expression unreadable.