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

She had experienced countless battles, big and small, in her life, but this was the first time she had felt such a sense of power.

When that punch came, she clearly heard the wind and felt that she could easily withstand it.

But it was like being hit on the back by a stone roller!

What kind of punching power is that?

But this woman is, after all, a super ruthless person with a combat strength of 146.

Qin Ling Shuang took a deep breath, struggled to get up, and pushed away the helpers who were supporting her.

He drew circles with both hands to finish the pose.

His complexion has improved a lot.

"Just now... I was careless and didn't dodge."

Qin Ling Shuang knew she was cheating, but she couldn't help it; she was genuinely unwilling to accept it.

"Let's do it again, this time we'll fight head-on."

Chen Shao nodded indifferently.

"Alright."

The two stood in place again, this time Qin Ling Shuang no longer stood with her hands behind her back.

Instead, he faced Chen Shao and crossed his hands in a stance similar to the starting position in Wing Chun.

"please."

"please."

Without hesitation, Chen Shao smashed a cup over.

......

a moment—

Qin Ling Shuang sat opposite Chen Shao with a blank stare.

Chen Shao took her hand and pressed his fingerprint on the document of gift.

Then he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Qin Ling Shuang:

"On behalf of the people of Great Yan, I thank the Chief for stepping forward in this time of crisis."

"Five thousand warhorses must be escorted to the capital through your channels before the Northern Barbarians attack the city."

"Of course, it's not that I don't trust the chief, it's just that the situation is critical. Before the warhorses arrive, I hope that Chief Qin can recuperate in the palace."

The people of Black Wind Stronghold were immediately displeased.

They're all too familiar with this tactic; it's kidnapping.

Just as she was about to flip the table, Qin Ling Shuang shook her head.

She sighed:

"He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet. I, Qin Ling Shuang, may be a bandit, but I am also a hero. I accept my defeat."

Although the crowd was unwilling, they dared not be obstinate.

Xiang Tian could only lead his men away in a dejected manner to transport warhorses.

......

The Prime Minister's residence, study.

Yuwen Gu kicked open the door and stormed in, pointing at Han Cao's nose and cursing loudly.

"Han Cao! You old scoundrel!"

Ever since he sent his daughter to the palace, he has felt increasingly distressed.

But since things had already come to this, and unable to vent his anger, he rushed to the Prime Minister's residence to vent his frustration.

"These are all your lame schemes! What a terrible idea to use a honey trap!"

"It made my daughter give me a real dressing down!"

"My daughter even went to the palace! I've never felt so humiliated in my life!"

He got angrier and angrier as he talked, and once inside the house, he started smashing things around.

"Han Cao, let me tell you, if anything happens to Mingzhu, if that brat bullies her, I'll lead my troops to raze this wretched mansion to the ground!"

Han Cao sat upright in the armchair, slowly sipping his tea without even lifting his eyelids.

Arguing loudly with such a brute is uncivilized and beneath one's dignity.

"What are you panicking about? Your daughter has entered the palace, and so has my daughter. This is an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager. What can I do?"

But the thought of Yuwen's brains made him lose control of his facial expressions.

A smug smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"But General, your daughter is simple-minded and doesn't know many words. All she does all day is play with spears and sticks."

"With Chen Shao's methods, you might really lose both your daughter and your army this time."

"Go to hell."

When talking about his daughter, Yuwen Huagu couldn't help but retort.

"So your daughter's all that good? At least my daughter has ways to defend herself, but your daughter? She's just someone who can be slaughtered!"

"Ha ha!"

Han Cao put down his teacup, stroked his beard, and his smugness was evident.

"My daughter Qingwan is well-educated, reasonable, beautiful, intelligent and wise."

"Young men are completely powerless against girls like this."

"I'm not bragging, but in just one day, he will be completely submissive."

"Just imagine, in the still of the night, a beautiful woman adds fragrance to the ink, her delicate hands grind ink, and she softly recites a few lines of poetry."

"From now on, Chen Shao will have to call me 'father' whenever he sees me."

Yuwen Huagu felt a chill run down his spine.

It seems that's really the case; at least he himself has little resistance to such things.

Moreover, Chen Shao was inexperienced in worldly affairs.

If Han Qingwan manages to control Chen Shao, then things will be in serious trouble.

If I had known this would happen, I would have just agreed to his request and let my daughter enter the palace alone.

Once this kind of manipulative woman gains power, even the Empress Dowager might not be able to handle her.

Yuwen Huagu was filled with remorse.

He was about to unleash a few words of impotent rage.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Han Qingwan's personal maid stumbled into the study, led by the steward.

He knelt down in front of Han Cao, panting heavily.

"master..."

"Where is Miss?" Han Cao asked suspiciously.

Although he had just boasted to Yuwen Huagu, he was also filled with remorse.

So early in the morning, he ordered his maid to bring his daughter back, as long as his daughter didn't want to stay in the deep palace.

"Master...Miss...she sent me back to tell you...that she's not coming back."

Han Cao was taken aback, then flew into a rage.

"What do you mean? What do you mean she's not coming back! Does Chen Shao dare to force her to stay? This is outrageous!"

"No, no, no."

The maidservant quickly waved her hand.

"Miss said... she... she seems to have fallen in love with Chen Shao."

"Miss also asked me to pass on a message... to tell Master to tell the Second Prince that the Second Prince is a good person, and that Han Qingwan is unworthy of him... that she hopes the Second Prince can find a good match."

Upon hearing this, Han Cao swayed slightly.

I almost fell over.

Fortunately, General Yuwen was a skilled fighter and reacted quickly, managing to catch him.

Yuwen Gu laughed heartily:

"Little girl, explain yourself clearly. Does your young lady love Chen Shao, or does she love Chen Shao?"

The maid tilted her head, looking completely bewildered.

Isn't that the same?

"Go away, you don't understand anything."

Yuwen Huagu waved his hand to chase people away.

...

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Yuwen Huagu laughed loudly, so loudly that dust fell from the roof beams.

He supported Han Cao while bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"My esteemed Prime Minister, is this the fine daughter you've raised?"

"Beautiful inside and out, knowledgeable and reasonable?"

"She was only sent to the palace yesterday, and she was seduced overnight?"

"I never imagined that these gentle and virtuous women would all be like this?"

"The world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be."

"Did your daughter go into the palace to infiltrate the country or to aid the enemy?"

"And how are you going to explain this to the Second Prince?"

"Get out!" Han Cao's face was already so dark it could be wrung out.

Although what Yuwen Gu said was harsh, it... seemed to be the truth.

He simply couldn't understand how his daughter, who had been so passionately in love with the Second Prince last night and had vowed to never submit to him, had suddenly become like this!

Could it really be...?

Oh! Oh! Oh!

How shameful! So shameful!

How could such a wretched child have come from our scholarly family, the Prime Minister's Mansion!

Yuwen Huagu was still not satisfied.

He grinned widely and laughed to himself.

"However, Prime Minister Han, don't be angry. It's really hard to guess what a woman is thinking."

"Especially since you are too strict with your upbringing and always try to restrain her as a well-bred young lady, she is very likely to become rebellious."

"Has Han Xiang, who is well-versed in the classics, never heard the saying, 'Innocence and naivety are my teachers'? When raising a daughter, one must liberate her nature, just like I do, letting her grow freely and wildly, never suppressing her personality."

Yuwen Huagu tirelessly imparted his knowledge of raising daughters.

Suddenly, a more hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

"General, something terrible has happened!"