In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

"You want to be with me forever, right? We'll never be apart, no matter where we go?"

"Yes. We'll never be apart."

"Aren't you afraid of danger?"

"I'm not afraid." Her voice was more resolute than ever before.

Cui Yutang let out a pleasant laugh. He protected the back of her head with one hand and put his arm around her shoulder with the other, then rolled her around on the low couch.

"Cui Yutang, are you crazy!" Xie Yige was dizzy from being spun around, and patted his shoulder twice.

He then stopped, helped her sit up, and reached out to tidy her messy hair, looking at her with bright eyes.

"My lady, I will prioritize declining the mission to the southwest. If I absolutely cannot refuse, I will take you with me." He looked at her earnestly. "Now that the imperial military system has changed from the militia to a conscripted army, families are permitted to accompany the soldiers."

"Really? Then you'll keep your word." Xie Yige looked at him with a smile. "I'm quite useful; I even know a little bit of medicine."

"Yes, my baby is the best." He reached out and ruffled her little head. "Starting tomorrow, I'll practice with your little toys with you."

He dared not be careless in the slightest when it came to her safety.

The next morning, Cui Yutang took her directly into a mountain hollow deep in Lishan, filled with old pear trees.

The valley is surrounded by layers upon layers of pear trees, their dense foliage rustling through the leaves, swallowing up all other sounds.

Inside stood a target ring similar to that of Shichahai, and several ripe pears were scattered on the ground.

"The mountains here are layered upon each other, with dense forests and excellent sound insulation, making it perfect for your practice."

"The scenery is also excellent." Xie Yige glanced around with her beautiful eyes. This Chaoyi Villa was indeed hiding many surprises.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail today, dressed in a fitted, dark purple Hu-style robe, her figure exquisite and alluring. She possessed a captivating blend of heroic spirit and delicate beauty.

She tilted her head, recalling how her mother had assembled it.

The entire sequence of actions—opening the wheel, loading the cartridge, closing the wheel, and locking it—was meticulously replicated, clean and efficient.

Cui Yutang's eyes were filled with deep admiration. Her extraordinary intelligence fascinated him. This was another side of her, different from his usual self; she wasn't his affectionate wife, but a calm and focused martial artist.

"My husband, show me how to fire a shot."

Cui Yutang learned martial arts from a young age and is skilled in using various weapons and hidden weapons.

He held it in his hand and felt it. It was cool to the touch, small, lightweight, and fit his palm perfectly. He recalled Xie Wanqing shooting, so he straightened his shoulders and arms, quickly raised the gun, aimed at the target in the distance, and sharpened his eyes.

With a loud "bang!", it exploded, hitting the bullseye perfectly, a perfect ten.

Cui Yutang glanced down at the gun in his hand. This thing was indeed incredibly lethal; it was a vicious weapon.

"Husband, you're amazing!" Xie Yige cheered, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him with admiration.

Cui Yutang raised an eyebrow: "Baby, it's your turn. Come on."

Xie Yige recalled the mantra her mother had taught her, and then saw the way Cui Yutang had just held the gun.

She stood with her feet slightly apart, steadied herself, and raised her arms horizontally, her left palm firmly supporting her right wrist. Her elbows were slightly lowered, and her gaze locked onto the bullseye. "Bang!" This time, she hit the eight-ring.

"Husband, I'm so amazing! I got one more ring than last time!" She jumped up excitedly.

"Yes, baby is great." Cui Yutang's lips curved into a smile, his eyes filled with undisguised praise.

Xie Yige practiced like this for nearly half an hour, firing more than twenty bullets. The bullet holes gradually stabilized from scattered seventh rings to eighth rings, and one or two more bullets grazed the edges of the ninth and tenth rings.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and Cui Yutang forced her to stop.

"Take a break first, don't stay up too long, your hands will hurt."

After he helped her put the gun away, he took out a water pouch and placed it on her wrist; it was warm.

"Husband, you actually prepared this."

"Hmm, I'm afraid you'll cry and hurt your hands when you get back." He then massaged three acupoints for her: Hegu, Laogong, and Neiguan, and then flexed and stretched them in a circular motion.

Seeing his meticulous and serious demeanor, Xie Yige's eyes inexplicably reddened.

"Does it hurt?" He asked with a hint of nervousness in his eyes, and immediately softened his movements.

Xie Yige shook her head: "It doesn't hurt. I want a hug."

Cui Yutang's heart stirred, and he quickly lifted her up and hugged her tightly.

His Yige loves to act cute, and he likes it very much.

They taught her to practice like this for three days, spending every day in the valleys of Lishan.

He also taught her the tricks of using the "Dark Cicada" hairpin at close range, the aiming method of the "Flying Flower" silver ring, and the basic knife skills of the "Fine Cloud" dagger.

She went from being unfamiliar to being skillful, like a small animal slowly growing claws and fangs.

On the evening of the third day, Xie Yige lay on the low couch, completely dejected: "Husband, I'm about to die."

Cui Yutang held her in his arms, looking down at her limp and weak appearance, and realized that he was about to give up as well.

For the past three days, he hasn't been able to bear tormenting her. With such a delicate beauty in his arms, he has to suppress his desire every day.

It's unbearable.

"Take a day off tomorrow, I'll take you horseback riding."

Cui Zhinu only had five days off. He had long since gone back to serve the Emperor and Empress like a beast of burden.

The court meetings have been in complete chaos these past few days.

The entire Rong'an Prince's household was imprisoned, and his eldest son, who had led the rebellion, was executed on the spot. However, the court remained divided on whether to kill the Rong'an Prince himself.

Some advocated eliminating the threat completely, while others were wary of the 50,000 heavily armed troops and several thousand Gu soldiers in the southwest and dared not make any rash moves.

"Your Majesty, the second and third sons of Prince Rong'an are both in the southwest, commanding 50,000 heavy troops and several thousand Gu soldiers. If Prince Rong'an is suddenly killed, it will cause a rebellion." Pei Judao, Minister of Justice and member of the Pei clan of Hedong, stepped forward to object.

"Minister Pei, you are mistaken," General Cheng Wuting of the Left Valiant Guard retorted, bowing. "Whether Prince Rong'an is killed or not, a war in the southwest is inevitable. Moreover, his second son, Li Jin, has always been ambitious and is already a major threat to the court."

Empress Wu glanced at the two of them indifferently.

Her gaze shifted from Pei Judao to Cheng Wuting, and finally settled on Cui Zhinuan, who had remained silent.

"Minister Cui, you have remained silent throughout. Do you have any other insightful opinions?"

Cui Zhinuan bowed and stepped forward, saying, "I believe that Prince Rong'an must be killed without a doubt. The traitors should be executed without leniency. If we let the ringleader go today out of fear of the powerful army in the southwest, it will be showing the world that even members of the imperial family can escape death for treason. This will lead to the collapse of the social order and endless troubles in the future."

Empress Wu slowly looked down at all the civil and military officials in the hall. Her gaze was as cold as frost, and her voice echoed in the empty hall.

"Prince Rong'an is plotting treason and should be executed."

All the officials in the hall felt a chill run down their spines. They all tucked their sleeves in and bowed their heads, none daring to utter a single word.

Minister of Justice Pei Judao immediately knelt down, "Your subject obeys!"

After straightening up, he added, "I believe that since the decision has been made to kill Prince Rong'an, a commander to pacify the southwest should be appointed as soon as possible."

The hall fell silent once more. The ministers lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact, and no one spoke.

This mission is extremely dangerous. There are 50,000 heavily armed soldiers, several thousand Gu soldiers, treacherous terrain, and rampant Gu poison... Anyone who goes there will face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.