He glared at Aunt Song’s very well-endowed backside and gave it two hard smacks.

"What?"

"Do my words not carry any weight around here anymore?"

Those two smacks from Lu Yuan were quite forceful, making Aunt Song’s voluptuous figure quiver.

Aunt Song turned around, looked at Lu Yuan with an aggrieved expression, and said in a coquettish voice:

"Oh, alright, I get it~

I’ll stay home and keep her company~

You only care about your dear Aunt Zhao, not about poor old me at all~"

Seeing Aunt Song’s pitiful little act, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.

"And how do I not care about you?"

Aunt Song pouted at Lu Yuan and whined playfully:

"All you think about is how no one will be here to keep Aunt Zhao company after you leave for the Capital City. Why don’t you think about how I won’t have anyone either~"

In fact, when Song Meiqin had heard about Lu Yuan’s plans, she had originally thought she would go to the Capital City with him and Su Liyan.

But now, it turned out she had to stay home too.

Seeing Aunt Song’s playful whining, Lu Yuan felt utterly charmed.

He immediately pulled Aunt Song into his arms and said with a wicked smile:

"Then I’ll just have to spend more time with you at home these next few days."

Nearby, Zhao Qiao’Er immediately piped up in a sweet voice:

"What about me?"

Zhao Qiao’Er had also figured it out.

She had blurted it out in a moment of panic.

Thinking about it now, she, Zhao Qiao’Er, was not a child. She knew how to weigh her priorities.

No matter what, the baby in her belly was more important.

It hadn’t been easy to finally conceive at her age; she couldn’t afford to be reckless.

Lu Yuan grinned at Aunt Zhao and said:

"I’ll keep you both company."

Aunt Zhao couldn’t help but roll her eyes charmingly.

"So greedy~"

After breakfast, Lu Yuan left home early.

Usually, he would linger at home with his wives for a while.

This time, however, he headed out quickly.

He needed to arrange matters in Taiping City over the next few days.

He also had to modify the carriage.

And send a message to his mother-in-law.

He would depart in a week.

However, this departure in a week wasn’t a direct trip to the Capital City.

Instead, he would first go to Yandu.

’Isn’t it because King Yan insisted on seeing me?’

’It was hard to say what the future held, and I don’t know if my inventions will cause some subtle changes in this world.’

’But building a good relationship with King Yan was a must.’

’What if things here play out like they did on Earth, and King Yan is the one who ultimately ascends the throne?’

’So, I should go and see him.’

’He probably just wants my help with his armaments or something.’

’That’s easy enough. I’ll just give him some equipment upgrades, and that should do it.’

「Seven days later.」

Early in the morning, outside the west gate of Taiping City.

A massive carriage, drawn by three horses, was already waiting.

Lu Yuan sat inside the carriage, waving to Aunt Zhao and Aunt Song outside the window.

"Alright, head on home. I’ll be back in less than a month. Don’t worry, it’s nothing."

Aunt Zhao and Aunt Song both nodded, but neither of them left.

It seemed that they wouldn’t go back until Lu Yuan’s convoy departed first.

Lu Yuan didn’t say any more, simply turning to Su Changliang, who had also come to see him off.

"Keep a close watch on Taiping City. If there’s anything you don’t know how to handle, discuss it with Aunt Zhao and Aunt Song."

Su Changliang also nodded.

Finally, the convoy slowly began to move.

On this trip, Lu Yuan brought forty men with him—the original Firearms Team.

As for what would happen at home, there was no need to worry at all.

For one, Taiping City was now firmly in the hands of the Zhao Family.

The entire Government Office was filled with people from the Zhao Family.

After Lu Yuan had been in office for over two months, to put it bluntly, even the dogs at the Government Office were practically Zhao Family dogs.

Right now, in all of Taiping City, the Zhao Family could be said to reign supreme.

The Officials were all from the Zhao Family.

Furthermore, whether it was the Officials or the Zhao Family’s original Nursing Home personnel,

they were all now equipped with Firearms.

It was no longer like before, when only forty men had Firearms.

Moreover, these Firearms weren’t the old Flintlock Guns anymore; they had been upgraded again.

After all, Lu Yuan was the County Magistrate now. His word was law.

There were never any issues.

So, even with Lu Yuan taking this forty-man Firearms Team with him, there was no need to worry about the situation back home.

Besides, the old butler was still at home, so there was no cause for concern.

In addition to the forty fully-armed members of the Firearms Team, there were also several Maids, cooks to help with meals, and so on.

He had a full entourage.

This time, Lu Yuan’s party was heading to Yandu first.

After meeting King Yan in Yandu, they would take a boat straight down the Canal, heading south to the Capital City.

It wouldn’t be too arduous a journey.

This was also why Lu Yuan had said his wife could go to the Capital City.

Otherwise, if they had to rely on a carriage for the entire journey, Lu Yuan would never have brought his wife along.

The roads weren’t very safe.

Especially since the roads were difficult to traverse in some places.

But traveling by water was perfectly fine.

’Once we get to Yandu, if worst comes to worst, I can just borrow a boat from King Yan.’

’Traveling on one of King Yan’s boats would make things even easier.’

"My, this carriage is wonderful! I don’t feel any bumps at all."

Inside the carriage, Su Liyan’s mother-in-law remarked with admiration as she felt the interior furnishings.

Su Liyan, meanwhile, linked her arm with Lu Yuan’s, leaning against him with a smile.

"He designed it and personally supervised its construction. It’s smooth like this on the main roads, and it’s the same on rough terrain~

It feels like you’re riding on a cloud, not bumpy at all~"

Su Liyan said, her face full of pride.

This was despite the fact that it was Su Liyan’s first time riding in it as well.

Nor had she actually ridden it through open fields.

But her husband had mentioned how amazing it was during one of their evening chats at home.

Since her husband had said it, Su Liyan naturally believed it without a doubt.

As for his wife’s proud boasting, it made Lu Yuan a little embarrassed, and he chuckled.

"It’s not that exaggerated. I just added some spring shock absorbers underneath.

Liyan is pregnant, after all, so of course, we need to be extra careful."

Hearing her son-in-law’s words, Su Liyan’s mother nodded repeatedly, then took on a troubled expression.

"I’ve really troubled you, Son-in-law.

I really didn’t want to bother you with this matter, it’s just..."

But before Su Liyan’s mother could finish, Lu Yuan said with a serious expression:

"Mother, don’t say such formal things.

We’re all family. There’s nothing that can’t be said between us.

If you feel like this is an imposition, then you’re truly not treating me as family."

Hearing Lu Yuan’s words, Su Liyan’s mother nodded, her face filled with emotion.

"For Liyan to marry you... I don’t know what good deeds she must have done in a past life to have such good fortune in this one."

Su Liyan’s mother had said these words countless times.

Whether it was in front of her son-in-law or to others in the village.

Su Liyan’s mother had truly said it too many times, but no matter how many times she said it, it never felt like enough.

Lu Yuan just smiled and didn’t respond to that.

’Good fortune or not...’

’In Lu Yuan’s eyes, being able to marry a wife like Su Liyan was his good fortune.’

There were only three people in the large carriage.

Lu Yuan, Su Liyan, and his mother-in-law.

His father-in-law had not come along.

Although Lu Yuan had told him countless times that he didn’t need to work the fields in the village anymore.

’Our family has plenty of money, why still farm?’

But even so, it seemed that elders all over the world were the same.

They could never stay idle.

And their children couldn’t persuade them otherwise.

And really, when you thought about it,

during the busy farming season in the village, everyone was out in the fields.

Even if you were told to relax and hang out in the village,

with everyone in the fields, there was no one to hang out with.

So he still went to the fields.

His father-in-law was at home, watching over the land and the house.

Now, his father-in-law’s family was the only one left in Changliu Village.

Even Third Uncle’s family had moved into the city.

Mainly to help look after their two daughters’ children.

So someone had to stay behind in the village.

After chatting with his mother-in-law for a while, Lu Yuan suddenly remembered something he had been wondering about.

Lu Yuan was really quite curious about it.

He immediately looked at his mother-in-law and asked curiously:

"Mother, that chanting you do... is it very powerful?

Did you foresee something?

Otherwise, why would you suddenly decide to go to the Capital City at this particular time?"

Su Liyan’s mother blinked at Lu Yuan.

’This matter was actually quite easy to bluff her way through.’

’After all, the entire Empire knew that the Empress was in poor health.’

’She could have just said she’d heard it from someone else, or something like that, and bluffed her way past it.’

But, perhaps because of what Lu Yuan had said just now, about them all being family...

...Su Liyan’s mother was silent for a moment before looking up at Lu Yuan with a somewhat awkward smile.

"I do know a little, but not very much..."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan immediately perked up and said:

"Mother, in that case, could you teach me?"