After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

"No rush, no rush, my beauty, take your time thinking." Shen Hanzhou jumped up from the stone bench, drawing his sword from his waist. "His Majesty also said that I should practice swordsmanship with you, my beauty, to loosen up my muscles. Don't worry, my beauty, I'll let you win—hey, what kind of sword are you using, my beauty? Should I give you a three-move handicap?"

Xie Qinglan placed the black-sheathed longsword on the stone table, picked up his own Qingyun sword, and stood up.

He glanced at Shen Hanzhou indifferently, as if he were looking at a grasshopper that didn't know its own limitations.

"No need to give way."

Shen Hanzhou felt a chill run down his spine from that look.

He had spent ten years fighting on the battlefield and had an instinctive sense of danger.

The person in front of me looked aloof and frail, but the moment he stood up, his aura changed—he was no longer the sickly beauty wiping her sword in the shadow of the crabapple blossoms, but a sword drawn from its sheath.

Shen Hanzhou suppressed his smile and gripped his sword tightly.

He decided to test the waters first, using only seven-tenths of his strength to see what his opponent was capable of.

Then he drew his sword. The blade pierced the air, as fast as a shooting star.

Xie Qinglan turned slightly to the side, and the Qingyun Sword rose from below, its spine striking Shen Hanzhou's wrist with precision.

With a clang.

Shen Hanzhou's sword flew out of his hand, spun twice in the air, and plunged straight into the mud beneath the crabapple tree. His hand was numb from the shock, and his entire right arm was trembling.

Before he could react, Xie Qinglan's sword tip was already three inches from his throat. The clear, bright blade of the Qingyun Sword reflected his dumbfounded face.

One move. Only one move was used.

Xie Qinglan sheathed his sword, turned around and sat back on the stone bench, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. His expression remained unchanged throughout.

"His Majesty sent you to practice swordsmanship with me, not to send you to your death." He put down his teacup, his tone indifferent. "Go back and tell His Majesty that the sword is a fine sword, but the man is not so great."

Shen Hanzhou looked down at his empty right hand, then looked up at the sword stuck in the mud.

His wrist was still trembling, and a red mark remained on his thumb. In the Northern Shuo army, he considered himself second only to Xiao Jingyuan in swordsmanship, and in all these years, no one had ever disarmed him in a single move.

But that sword strike just now—he didn't even see when the other party made the move; he only felt a numbness in his wrist before the sword flew away.

He suddenly remembered Xiao Jingyuan's words—"Don't cry if you lose."

"You—" Shen Hanzhou pulled his sword from the mud, turned around, and glared at him. "Who exactly are you?"

A series of hurried footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

Gao An rushed in, panting, carrying a stack of secret reports. He saw Shen Hanzhou standing in the middle of the courtyard, sword in hand and looking disheveled. He paused for a moment, then asked, "General Shen? What happened to you—"

"Eunuch Gao, you've come at the perfect time." Shen Hanzhou pointed at Xie Qinglan. "Who is this person?"

Gao An glanced at Shen Hanzhou, then at Xie Qinglan who was leisurely sipping tea, his expression extremely subtle. He leaned close to Shen Hanzhou's ear and whispered a few words.

Shen Hanzhou's expression became extremely interesting in an instant.

First came shock, then disbelief, and finally a sense of despair, as if "I am doomed."

Xie Qinglan, the Prime Minister of Mount Heng—the Jade-Faced Asura who quelled the rebellion in Qianzhong with three thousand men and thirty thousand with three thousand. Ye Lingyun, the Sword Saint of Mount Heng, personally acknowledged him as the number one swordsman in the world whose sword intent surpassed his own.

He called this person "beauty" several times and asked if she was married.

Shen Hanzhou took a deep breath, slowly sheathed his sword at his waist, and straightened his clothes. Then he performed a proper salute.

"This humble general, Shen Hanzhou, was blind to the great man before him. I have offended you greatly just now. I beg you, Prime Minister Xie, to forgive my petty offense and let my nonsense go."

Xie Qinglan raised her eyes and glanced at him. That glance was still indifferent, as if she were looking at something not very interesting.

"General Shen's swordsmanship is worthy of the title of General Zhenbei."

Shen Hanzhou was taken aback. He thought Xie Qinglan would humiliate him, but unexpectedly, she praised him.

Before he could even rejoice, Xie Qinglan added, "It's just that when he drew his sword, his right shoulder was raised too high, and his stance wasn't stable enough. The wind and sand in the North are strong; General Shen probably practiced his stance training on horseback and forgot how to stand on flat ground."

Shen Hanzhou opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Because Xie Qinglan was absolutely right. He had indeed been on horseback for too long, and his footwork skills had become somewhat rusty. Yet this man had only exchanged one move with him and had already seen through his weaknesses.

"...Prime Minister Xie truly lives up to his reputation." Shen Hanzhou's playful smile vanished, and he looked at Xie Qinglan seriously. "This humble general is utterly convinced of his defeat today. However, this humble general has a favor to ask—could I perhaps request a few more exchanges with the Prime Minister another day?"

"We'll talk about it another day." Xie Qinglan's voice remained calm. "General Shen has had a long journey; please go back and rest first."

Shen Hanzhou responded and turned to walk towards the courtyard gate.

The Imperial Study.

Xiao Jingyuan was announcing a document when Gao An trotted in and gave a detailed account of what had just happened at Tingxuexuan.

"According to the guards in the courtyard, General Shen's sword was disarmed by Lord Xie in one move. In addition... General Shen misspoke and said some offensive things."

Xiao Jingyuan put down his vermilion brush and raised his eyes. There was no expression in his eyes, but Gao An, who had served him for so long, knew that this was the way His Majesty was showing signs of anger.

"What offensive words?"

Gao An knelt down with a thud and repeated Shen Hanzhou's words about "beauties," "whether they are married," and "their souls are about to fly away" verbatim.

With each sentence he learned, Xiao Jingyuan's expression darkened further.

When he learned the last sentence, the vermilion pen in Xiao Jingyuan's hand snapped with a "crack".

"Issue my decree. General Shen Hanzhou, the General Who Guards the North, shall immediately proceed to the western border to provide disaster relief. He shall depart first thing tomorrow morning without delay."

Gao An was taken aback. The snow disaster in the western border did indeed require manpower, but General Shen had just rushed back from the northern border without stopping and hadn't even caught his breath.

"Your Majesty, General Shen has only just returned to the capital today, and he must be exhausted from his journey. Shouldn't we allow him to rest for a couple of days before—"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

Gao An dared not say anything more, bowed his head and replied "Yes," then turned and left to deliver the imperial decree.

As he reached the palace gate, he heard Xiao Jingyuan add behind him, "Let him go to the Ministry of Revenue to collect three thousand shi of grain and escort it to the western border. If anything goes wrong on the way, let him bring his head to face me."

Gao An silently lit incense for Shen Hanzhou in his heart.

When Shen Hanzhou received the imperial edict, he was soaking his feet in the post station. He sat on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed, his feet soaking in hot water, humming a little tune from the northern border.

When Gao An personally delivered the imperial decree, after reading "Go to the western border immediately for disaster relief," Shen Hanzhou's foot slipped out of the basin, splashing water all over the ground.

"Eunuch Gao," Shen Hanzhou pointed to himself incredulously, "His Majesty has ordered me to deliver grain to the western border?"

"Yes. Three thousand shi of provisions, departing first thing tomorrow morning."

"I just got back from the North today after two horses died! I haven't even had a chance to sit down properly!" Shen Hanzhou jumped out of bed. "Your Majesty is settling a personal score—no, what personal score do I have with Your Majesty?"

Gao An looked at him expressionlessly.

Shen Hanzhou suddenly remembered the outrageous things he had said in Tingxuexuan earlier that day, and his expression changed.

"Is it because of Prime Minister Xie?" He lowered his voice. "Did His Majesty find out so quickly?"

Gao An did not answer, but gave him a meaningful look.

Shen Hanzhou slowly sat back on the edge of the bed, buried his face in his palms, and let out a muffled groan.

"I fucking knew it—if you can't control your mouth, you'll get into trouble sooner or later."