After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Amidst the undercurrents of turmoil, Shen Jingque enjoyed a day off.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and she called Tianjiu down from the tree.

"You're off today, go home and get some rest."

The leaves rustled, and Tian Jiu plummeted straight down like a weight, shaking his head with a blank face.

"The eldest young master said that he must protect the young lady at all times."

"The eldest young master also told you to stay away from me. If I can't see you, isn't that the same as having a holiday?"

Tian Jiu thought about it and it seemed to make sense, but something also seemed off.

Shen Jingque didn't give him a chance to think further, patted him on the shoulder and pushed him away.

"Go ahead, go ahead, I'm going out with my best friend today, and my second brother is with me too, we won't get lost."

Tian Jiu eventually retreated to the rooftop where Shen Jingque couldn't see him, which was the maximum distance he could accept.

As soon as Shen Jingque arrived at the agreed alley entrance, she saw Xu Wanying jump down from the carriage, looking like a tiger released from its cage, and start shouting from a distance.

"Sparrow—my father promised—my father promised!"

Before Shen Jingque could speak, a pair of strong, powerful hands grabbed her arm, nearly spinning her around twice.

"My father replied! He not only agreed to let me learn martial arts, but also hired a horse and archery instructor for me!"

Xu Wanying's eyes were bright, and her round face was almost overflowing with smiles.

"He made me practice basic skills for six months, and after six months he would personally test me. If I passed, he would take me to the army camp!"

Shen Jingque felt dizzy from being shaken so much that she quickly grabbed her wrist to steady herself: "Really? Your father actually gave in?"

"Thanks to your encouragement, and thanks to Helan Qing for writing the letter for me!"

Xu Wanying mimicked her father's expression when he read the letter: "His reply was just one sentence—'You bastard, train properly and don't disgrace General Dingyuan's mansion.'"

Shen Jingque was delighted. The MBTI test was indeed worthwhile; Xu Wanying's father fell for this kind of provocation.

Xu Wanying shook Shen Jingque's arm and said coquettishly, "Que'er, will you learn with me? If we learn together, we'll definitely be 'male scallops'!"

"...It's twice as effective with half the effort."

"Okay, that's about right!"

Shen Jingque's brain was practically spinning from her swaying, and she hurriedly agreed, "Okay, okay, I promise you!"

Xu Wanying rubbed her hands together, eager to try: "Then we need to buy bows and arrows today!"

"Buy it! I'll buy it with you!"

The two hit it off immediately and excitedly climbed into the carriage.

"Wait, our wallets aren't in place yet."

Shen Jingque patted the carriage wall, and the coachman cracked his whip, turning the carriage toward Qiyun Money Exchange.

Xiao Changqi was standing in front of the money exchange counter, using an abacus.

He was still muttering the preparation list for Fan Suyao Chamber of Commerce's Spring Festival banquet when he heard the noise and looked up to see the two girls rushing in.

"Second brother!"

Shen Jingque called out sweetly and pounced on Xiao Changqi's arm.

Xiao Changqi's abacus beads clicked and scrambled, and he sighed helplessly, "So, what have you got your eye on this time? I'm busy preparing for your future sister-in-law's wedding banquet."

"Second brother is the best. Come with us to buy bows and arrows. I want to learn archery with Yingying."

Shen Jingque grabbed his arm and shook it, and Xiao Changqi instantly lost his composure.

"Okay, okay, let's buy a bow and arrows. Where can we buy them?"

"The biggest archery shop in the East Market!"

The three stormed into the bow and arrow shop, where the shopkeeper greeted them with a smile.

Judging from their attire, it was clear that a big customer had arrived.

Xu Wanying immediately spotted the black lacquered ox horn bow hanging on the wall and leaned closer with shining eyes.

"Shopkeeper, please take this bow down so I can try it out."

Upon seeing that it was a carriage from the Princess's residence, the shopkeeper immediately handed over the bow with a beaming smile.

Xu Wanying took the bow, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and assumed an extremely standard posture.

Before Shen Jingque could even offer a few words of praise, she heard a crisp "bang".

The bow broke.

The shopkeeper's smile froze: "This..."

"Is there a quality problem with this bow?"

Xu Wanying scratched her head, looking at Shen Jingque somewhat embarrassed.

Shen Jingque, without changing her expression, directed the shopkeeper to take another handful.

As a result, when Xu Wanying pulled, it snapped and broke again.

The shopkeeper's face turned completely green, and his hands, holding the third bow, trembled. "Miss, these bows are made of the finest cedar wood, and the strings are made of ox sinew. With your strength..."

"Enough with the nonsense, bring out the good bow. If one breaks, I'll buy a new one."

Xiao Changqi waved his hand and slammed a gold ingot onto the counter.

The shopkeeper immediately shut up and, trembling, went to the back room to bring out the shop's prized possession.

Xu Wanying blushed slightly: "Second Brother Xiao, how could I possibly do this..."

Xiao Changqi waved his hand dismissively: "It's only a few dollars, try it on, try until you find one that suits you!"

After struggling for half an hour, Xu Wanying finally found a bow that could not be drawn.

Shen Jingque picked out the lightest mulberry wood bow from the side.

She's not very strong, so she doesn't need to shoot enemies. If there are any hunting activities in the future, she can just join in the fun.

Xiao Changqi swept the arrows away with a wave of his hand.

As they emerged from the bow and arrow shop, Xiao Changqi exclaimed in amazement, "Miss Xu's strength is greater than that of an ordinary strongman."

"That's right. When she becomes a general, her second brother will be the general's sugar daddy."

"What father?" Xiao Changqi was completely confused.

"It means benefactor," Shen Jingque said, making up a story without batting an eye.

We came out of the bow and arrow shop just as it was lunchtime.

"Come on, come on, let's go to Bazhen Pavilion! Your brother will treat you to a feast!"

With a flourish of his hand, Xiao Changqi led the two men straight to the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

In the private room, Xu Wanying finally got her wish and ate squirrel-shaped mandarin fish again.

In the private room, as soon as the steaming hot squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was served, Xu Wanying couldn't wait to pick up a large piece and stuff it into her mouth.

"Waaaah...it's so delicious!"

She chewed while mumbling incoherently, and two tears of emotion welled up in the corners of her eyes.

"Your brother is much more generous than my dad. My dad would ramble on about military strategy even if he just wanted me to eat an extra piece of meat."

Xiao Changqi raised an eyebrow smugly, "Of course, your brother earns money for his sisters to spend."

Shen Jingque was happily eating a shrimp when her peripheral vision inadvertently glanced at the street outside the window.

A figure startled her.

A man in gray was sitting at the tea stall across the street, drinking tea with his head down.

The outfit itself wasn't anything special, but the man's hat brim was pulled down very low, and Shen Jingque felt that the gray clothes looked somewhat familiar.

She recalled seeing a similar figure outside the archery shop.

Shen Jingque didn't say anything, picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, then smiled and clinked glasses with Xu Wanying.

"Come, let's wish our future female general a speedy journey to the battlefield, commanding the three armies, and achieving great feats!"

Xu Wanying downed her tea in one gulp with a hearty laugh, and the two joked around for a while before Shen Jingque made an excuse that she was full and invited them downstairs.

When it was time to pay, she deliberately lingered at the counter for a while, keeping an eye on what was happening across the street.

Sure enough, the man in gray put down his teacup, stood up and stretched his legs, his position directly facing the entrance of the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

"Second brother, I'm full, let's go back."

Shen Jingque took Xiao Changqi's arm, her carefree smile still on her face.

The moment the curtain fell, Shen Jingque's smile vanished completely.

She lowered her voice and said to the driver, "Take a ride around the East Market and then return to the mansion."

Xiao Changqi's expression turned serious: "What... um."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Jingque covered his mouth.

The carriage moved slowly, and Shen Jingque gently lifted the corner of the curtain with her fingers, revealing a narrow gap.

The gray figure on the street stood up and followed at a leisurely pace.