Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

......

Yuwen Huagu was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

He rushed forward and snatched the red-tasseled spear from his hand.

It was thrown far away into a corner.

"My dear daughter, you're going to scare your dad to death!"

"How could your father bear to let you suffer such injustice?"

He bent down, put his hands on his daughter's shoulders, and helped her sit up on the bed.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

He looked at his daughter, who was nearly 175 cm tall, and her wheat-colored skin from years of martial arts training.

"Look at you, so delicate and fragile, how could I bear to let you go to the lion's den?"

Yuwen Huagu's gaze fell on his daughter's forearm muscles, which were even more muscular than those of an ordinary man.

Suddenly, something felt off. If she really entered the palace, who would be the lamb entering the tiger's den?

Yuwen Mingzhu shook her shoulders, sending him flying.

His eyes were practically spitting fire.

"Then why did you still want me to marry you?!"

"Father, don't you know who Chen Shao is?"

"He's a notorious good-for-nothing in Beijing's social circles; he even has to sit at the children's table at banquets!"

"You want your daughter to marry this kind of man? She'd rather die than do it!"

"If you want to get married, you can marry him yourself!"

...This isn't marriage, it's politics! Yuwen Huagu waited for her to finish her rant before explaining:

"Daughter, don't worry. This time when you enter the palace, you will not become his woman. On the contrary, he will become your man."

Yuwen Mingzhu was taken aback: "Isn't this the same?"

"Of course they're different."

"Firstly, Chen Shao is fond of men and has no interest in women, so you are definitely innocent."

Yuwen Mingzhu gasped. The royal family really were all freaks.

"Secondly, you are going there with a mission."

"What mission?"

"To monitor him, even to control him."

Yuwen Huagu lowered his voice:

"My dear daughter, think about it. If you can make him completely obedient, then you and your aunt... one in the palace and one in the court, wouldn't you have the Great Yan completely under your control?"

"If this succeeds, my Yuwen family might even have a chance to overthrow the dynasty!"

Why did Yuwen Mingzhu prefer military uniforms to dresses?

He just wanted to draw his sword, ride a horse, and roam the world.

A woman who doesn't want to hold great power is no good warrior.

She also has considerable ambitions.

Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up instantly:

"Is he really attracted to men?"

Perhaps he felt he had been a bit too harsh on his father.

Yuwen Zhu hesitated for a moment:

"It's not that I want to disobey my father, but I really have ambitions beyond this world and don't want to waste my energy on matters of men and women."

"Dad understands you!"

Yuwen Huagu waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to explain.

"This is absolutely true. This kid is currently inseparable from a young Taoist disciple."

"Mingzhu, if this succeeds, you will be the greatest contributor to the Yuwen family!"

The father and daughter plotted for a while, then smiled at each other.

Laughter echoed throughout the entire General's Mansion.

......

At the same time, at the Prime Minister's residence.

The embroidered pavilion in the backyard.

Unlike the Yuwen family, who were known for their tendency to demolish their homes, this side was much more refined.

Han Qingwan, Han Cao's beloved daughter, sat on the edge of the bed, hugging a pillow.

Tears silently streamed down her face.

His eyes were bloodshot and even a little swollen.

His shoulders were trembling slightly.

"father..."

Her voice was already a little hoarse.

"You tacitly approved of your daughter's childhood sweetheart relationship with the Second Prince Chen Shu."

"We're already mutually in love..."

"He also said that if he ascends the throne, his daughter will definitely become empress."

"Now you're sending your daughter into the palace to serve that incompetent emperor... What is this? What is this all about?!"

She wasn't yelling, but it sounded like her heart was being torn apart.

I felt pity for him.

Han Cao felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

She instinctively reached out to wipe away her daughter's tears, but then withdrew her hand halfway through.

This is absolutely not the time to act on emotion.

Since it's already unavoidable, we should just relax and enjoy it.

No, we should go with the flow!

Looking at his daughter, who was crying and trembling, Han Cao remained silent for a moment.

He spoke slowly: "This is politics."

"As the eldest daughter of the prime minister, there are some things that are not up to you, or even your father, to decide."

Han Qingwan's tears welled up again, unable to hold back.

Why use your daughter as a political sacrifice?

"If the Second Prince really ascends the throne in the future, Father, how will you face him?"

Hesitation will inevitably lead to chaos.

No matter how much Han loved her, he had to be ruthless and decisive at this moment.

He deliberately kept a straight face.

"Second Prince, I will explain it to him personally; he should be able to understand."

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Women are like clothes to them. Han Cao dares to guarantee that the Second Prince will not utter a single fart.

Compared to the throne, what about women?

"Daughter, one day you will understand what your father is like."

"Remember the task your father gave you."

After saying that, he dared not linger any longer, afraid that he would soften his heart.

He turned and left, shouting outside.

"Butler, prepare the carriage and escort the young lady to the palace. We can't wait a moment longer."

Since you've started, you might as well go all the way.

The question now is not whether to send her off or not, but to get ahead of the Yuwen family.

Han Qingwan was shocked and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Father, your daughter only knows a little about poetry and literature; how could she possibly accomplish such a great thing?"

Han Cao's figure had already disappeared.

Han Qingwan felt utterly hopeless.

Then his heart-wrenching voice came from inside the house:

"Don't pull me, don't pull me!"

"Let me die."

......

The Northern Mang camp.

Helian Yunni slammed the battle report onto the table.

That stunningly beautiful face now appeared slightly ferocious.

When the emperor is enraged, corpses float for miles.

Inside the entire tent, everyone was silent, not daring to utter a sound.

Helian Yunni coldly surveyed the crowd.

A cold laugh:

"More than five thousand men! Our Northern Barbarian Iron Cavalry swept across the grasslands, fighting all the way to the capital of the Great Yan, and never suffered a defeat!"

"You were all scared like this by a simple trick? Are you all pigs?"

"Speak up, are you all mute?"

An old general hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your Majesty, it is not that we are incompetent or cowardly in battle, but rather that the Taoist practices of the Central Plains are too wicked."

Other generals immediately chimed in.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I originally intended to breach the city, but alas, my horse has never seen anything like it before, and I am willing but unable to do so."

"Your Majesty, although we suffered a minor defeat this time, we were not seriously injured. However, the strength of the Great Yan has been fully exposed. Their city is weak and they have no strength to fight us."

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

If they were to mobilize the entire city in such a favorable situation, the Northern Barbarian Empire would be completely destroyed.

Only about three thousand cavalrymen came to pursue them.

What does this mean...?

This shows that the other party is all show and no substance, just an empty shell.

Only unarmed civilians remained in the city.

After everyone analyzed the situation, the Empress's mood shifted slightly from a stormy storm to a gloomy one.

"Your Majesty, Chen Shao is currently making massive preparations for war within the city. He has added rolling logs and stones to the city walls, and the new recruits are training day and night. Judging from their posture, they are determined to fight us to the death. We should first think about how to breach the city..."

The Empress nodded slightly.

Indeed, there's no need to pursue this further.

Those six Ding and six Jia were herself; she was almost scared to death at first sight, let alone others.

She slammed her hand on the table:

"Bring Chen Yuan up!"