“Stop hitting! I surrender!”
“Cut it out—!”
The militia screamed and scattered in defeat.
There was no saving Yang Pigu now—even he himself was drowning beneath the flood of soldiers.
With helmets on and nobody able to tell who was who, the pent-up soldiers laid into Yang Pigu with sword hilts and spear shafts, giving him a thorough beating.
Someone even flipped up his helmet and punched him square in the face a few times.
Served him right, though.
Who told him to stand at the camp entrance, in front of all the recruits standing at attention under the scorching sun, and taunt them with that sharp, sarcastic voice, calling them a “choir”?
As the one-sided beating (or rather, public emotional release) grew fiercer and the scene teetered on the edge of a full-blown scandal, Lai En, standing on the high platform, rubbed his forehead helplessly and waved at General Keleiduosi beside him.
The old general immediately raised the signal flag and gave the signal to end the exercise.
Alicia pretended not to see it.
Are you kidding?
He had openly mocked her and even challenged Lai En’s authority.
Letting him off just like that?
Dream on!
“Lord and Master, the flag…”
Andrew reminded her in a low voice.
She jumped down from his shoulder, nearly face-planting into the dirt.
Brushing the mud off her armor, she kept her head down and said with righteous indignation, “Andrew, your mindset needs to open up! Look, after grueling training and a fierce battle, our troops have achieved a glorious victory. They need a release valve for all that pent-up emotion—it’s completely normal! This is called reasonable emotional release!”
“Huh?”
“You need to deeply understand that this New Army is His Highness Lai En’s innovative endeavor, pushed through against all opposition and placed with high hopes! Looking down on this army is slapping you and me in the face, and even more, it’s questioning His Highness’s far-sighted decisions! For such conservative forces that are stuck in their ways, obstruct progress, and jump out to provoke us, shouldn’t we strike back with a heavy fist and crush their arrogance? We need to smash that outdated, arrogant, backward thinking of theirs to the ground, stomp on it with ten thousand feet, and make sure they never rise again!”
“Lord and Master, that’s true, but shouldn’t we at least stop…”
The girl kept her head down, playing ostrich—as long as she didn’t look up, she hadn’t seen the end-of-exercise signal!
“Andrew!” she interrupted him, still not lifting her head, her tone turning sharp with disappointment.
“Remember, a person lives for pride, a tree lives for its bark! That’s even truer for the military. If someone looks down on us, we have to hit back hard! If that spirit collapses, morale and fighting will be ruined. How can we fight wars later?”
“Lord and Master? Uh…”
Andrew hesitated.
“See? If you have something to say, just say it! Stuttering and hemming and hawing—that’s not manly. How can I promote you like this?”
Alicia kept stringing him along while fiddling with her pants.
“And you have no sense of propriety at all! Can’t you show a little consideration for a lady? You didn’t even support me when I climbed down. Now I have mud all over my clothes again…”
“Ahem!”
Huh?
That throat-clearing didn’t sound like Andrew.
Could it be…?
Alicia stiffly turned her head.
What met her eyes was Lai En’s handsome face, black as a pot.
He stood with his arms crossed, expression cold, followed by several noble officers with varied expressions—half wanting to laugh but not daring to.
They had no idea how long they had been standing behind her.
“Ah-ha! So it’s you, Your Highness! Hello, Your Highness! Good day to you, Your Highness! To what do I owe the honor of your personal visit?”
The girl immediately plastered on a practiced, flattering smile.
“Aren’t you going to tell them to stop? The exercise is over! Do you want all the commoners of Lide’an and the nobles to keep watching the farce?”
“Your Highness! Look how spirited they are… I mean, how the masses are…”
Alicia started rambling, dodging the issue.
Frankly, she wanted Yang Pigu to take a few more hits—it was just the right outlet for the recruits who had been yelled at for a whole month.
“Alicia—!”
Lai En growled in a low voice.
Fine, he was really angry now.
The girl lowered her head in submission and had to order the trumpeter to sound the retreat.
And so, the farce finally ended.
“Ah, your servant has been too lax in discipline and ineffective in managing the army. Please forgive me, everyone…”
Alicia turned into a hamster, bowing and scraping, delivering a rapid and profound self-criticism, lowering her posture to the extreme.
Yang Pigu, just revived with his two black eyes, muttered: “If your army is lax in discipline, then what am I?”
Alicia couldn’t help sneaking a peek at Yang Pigu’s beaten face—battered like a pig’s head—and barely suppressed the corners of her mouth from twitching up.
“Alright… I’ve put you through a lot, Lord Xipuaisi.”
Lai En had to step in as mediator.
“As for the part of the bet regarding your one month’s salary…”
The girl’s ears perked up instantly, her eyes wide, desperately signaling him.
Lai En seemed to feel her burning gaze and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
“…Let’s forget it.”
Damn you, Lai En!
Feeling soft-hearted just because he got beaten?
And my silver that was already in my pocket just flies away like that?!
“But,” Lai En’s tone shifted, returning to its usual authority.
“As for the other parts of the bet… Lord Xipuaisi, do you have any objections?”
This was the real deal: reclaiming military power, training all soldiers in the territory according to Alicia’s plan, gradually abolishing the old military system, fully implementing the New Army reform, deepening feudal construction…
In short, the military power of the minor noble was now completely taken back.
“No, everything will follow Your Highness’s will.”
What else could Yang Pigu say?
He lost fair and square.
Besides, he had been beaten into a pig’s head by the soldiers—a huge loss of face.
“Then this matter, General Keleiduosi, I leave to you!”
Lai En waved his hand, tossing the burden of military reform to the bald general.
“Alicia!”
“Here!”
Here it comes!
A reward?
Promotion?
Raise?
Peak of life?
The future is bright!
“You, come to the castle alone to find me later!”
?!
What’s this?
Alone?
Is Lai En going to play the ‘secret room female subordinate story’?
Grumbling aside, when your lord summons, you dare not refuse.
The girl could only nod: “…Yes!”
…
The girl’s mood was like that of a student called to the teacher’s office, standing outside the door too scared to go in.
Only now she stood inside Lide’an’s main castle, facing the door of Lai En’s room.
Even Andrew, her attendant, couldn’t go in with her.
He could only stand at the door and cheer her on: “Lord and Master, just go in. Whether you stick your head out or pull it back, it’s still one slash. Just grit your teeth and get it over with—one slash, nice and clean!”
“Hey, you! Can’t you say something auspicious?”
Alicia shot him a glare.
“Maybe His Highness is going to reward me?”
“Would he summon you alone to reward you?”
Could it be about that beating Yang Pigu took earlier?
Was he going to settle scores?
Or had the padding in the reimbursement form been discovered?
No use worrying now.
The girl smoothed her dress, hesitated for a moment, and finally raised her hand to knock on the door.
“Come in!”
Lai En’s voice sounded fine—seemed he was in a good mood today.
The heavy wooden door separated Alicia and Lai En inside the room.
What was about to happen?
“Your Highness, your servant… has come.”
She stood properly by the door, not daring to go further inside.
“Mm.”
Lai En had his back to her, apparently looking at a document, not lifting his head.
“Your new soldiers were quite an eye-opener for me today.”
Alicia breathed half a sigh of relief.
At least he wasn’t immediately calling her to account?
But then, Lai En snapped the document shut with a slap, turned around, and pinched out the candle flame on the desk with his thumb and index finger.
A soft hiss sounded, and a wisp of smoke rose.
Doesn’t that hurt…?
The girl shrank her neck as she looked at his fingers.
“However! You went too far with Lord Xipuaisi! Humiliating him in front of so many nobles means you’ve made an enemy for yourself!”
Though Alicia had felt quite satisfied at the time, in hindsight, yes, such actions did create enemies.
“Your Highness’s lesson is well taken…”
Seeing her lower her head and admit fault, Lai En sighed lightly.
“For now, I can only record your merit. I’ll compensate you later. I swear by the House of Maximilian!”
What else could the girl say?
Though the bird had flown and the silver had run from her pocket, with the leader’s promise, she’d just accept it gratefully.
“Your servant… understands. Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness.”
She tried to make her voice sound full of gratitude.
“Alright, official business is done.”
Lai En suddenly stepped back half a step, the seriousness on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a playful, mischievous smile.
“Now, let me personally recognize your achievements this time!”
Saying this, Lai En began unbuttoning his coat.
!?
What?
What’s he planning?
Why is he suddenly getting undressed?
Is he really going to play the secret room female subordinate story?
That’s wrong!
Deviant path is incorrect!
It won’t win people’s hearts!
The girl was startled, slowly backing up until her back almost touched the cold door panel, her voice stammering: “Your… Your Highness! There’s no need for this! Official is official, private is private. We… we should keep them separate clearly! Your servant’s loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon, but this kind of ‘recognition’…”
She waved her hands frantically, tongue-tied.
“Oh? So you still know how to separate public and private?”
Lai En had already taken off his outer robe and tossed it aside, now leisurely unbuttoning his shirt beneath.
That unfathomable smile on his face grew even more pronounced, almost… malicious.
“Then explain to me: in the military expense report you submitted, those extra ‘loss fees’ and ‘management fees’—are they public or private?”
Busted!
Damn!
Was he going to blackmail her with this?
“Alicia? Daydreaming?”
Lai En’s voice suddenly sounded very close.
The girl snapped back to reality, and found Lai En had somehow walked right in front of her, less than half a step away!
His shirt was unbuttoned several buttons, hanging loosely, revealing his smooth collarbone and a small patch of firm chest.
A warm scent of faint soap and male pheromones rushed toward her.
“Wh-wh-wh… I-I-I…”
She was completely tongue-tied, eyes wide—damn, the kid has a good body!
And no chest hair!
“What’s wrong?”
Lai En seemed pleased with her reaction, the corner of his mouth curving into an even more obvious smile.
Then, he reached out, gently pressed her shoulder, and moved her slightly aside.
“You’re blocking my wardrobe. Move a little. I need to change into casual clothes.”