Fu Yuchi's face darkened. He shouldn't have said that last sentence, but how could he highlight Xiao Miao'er's extraordinary qualities if he didn't?

"You better do your job properly, and I won't touch that girl." Xi Yan toyed with the white porcelain cup, his eyes holding an ambiguous meaning.

Fu Yuchi's face instantly turned cold, all warmth vanishing from his expression. "Don't touch her."

Xi Yan knew that Ji An was serious, so he put aside his joking thoughts and said seriously, "Don't worry, as long as Ji An helps me achieve my great cause, I will not harm him in the slightest."

"How did we win that battle?" Fu Yuchi thought of the girl far away in Yingzhou, and decided to focus on his career.

Xi Yan reverted to his previous nonchalant demeanor and said, "The imperial court can't even pay the military salaries in full every year, and with lax military discipline, who would have thought that my men would launch a sneak attack there?"

Guo Dingyuan's 300,000-strong personal guard was trained by his grandfather, Guo. Guo had a system for training troops, and as long as this system was inherited, elite soldiers would surely be trained.

In addition, the Guo family has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds in this area. Not only do they have the property inherited from their ancestors, but they also get ripped off by many merchants who pass through Kezhou. Even if the imperial court doesn't allocate military funds, the Guo family is not short of money.

As Fu Yuchi listened to his enthusiastic description of the battle that had served as a wake-up call for the imperial court, he said, "This time, the fighting was fierce enough. It won't be so easy next time."

"Yes, those old fogies are probably so worried about dealing with me that they're practically going to lose their hair in court right now," Xi Yan said, beaming with pride as he recounted his masterpiece.

Fu Yuchi knew things weren't that simple. If Xi Zhengzhen was really that incompetent, those loyal and devoted old ministers would rather die than let him sit on the throne.

At least so far, Xi Zheng hasn't become a puppet, which shows that he still has some ability.

"The imperial court can currently mobilize 400,000 troops, and Kezhou has 300,000. If a war really breaks out, the total number of troops, including those stationed outside, could reach 700,000. Your Highness, what are your chances of winning?"

Xi Yan smiled and countered, "How much of a chance do you think I have?"

"Who will lead the troops, and how will they fight?" Fu Yuchi answered.

Xi Yan nodded and looked outside. The shouts on the training ground were deafening, and could even be heard clearly from the Prince's Mansion, which was several miles away. "Guo clanswoman Pingchuan is leading the troops, and will launch a strong attack."

Fu Yuchi nodded thoughtfully and said, "Female General."

"Your Highness is getting better and better at catching people off guard."

"What's wrong with the female general? Does the gentleman look down on women?" A loud and clear female voice suddenly came from outside the door.

The two people inside looked in the direction of the voice, and Xi Yan seized the opportunity to say, "What do you think, sir? What do you think of the commander I've chosen?"

Before he could finish speaking, Guo Pingchuan was already standing in front of him. "This humble general greets Your Highness. And who is this gentleman?"

“Mr. Fu, you can call him Mr. Ji’an,” Xi Yan introduced.

When Guo Pingchuan heard the word "Fu", he was taken aback. He stared at Fu Yuchi's face for a moment and then smiled, "Since you are a teacher invited by the Prince, you will be my colleague from now on. I hope you will not hesitate to give me your guidance."

Fu Yuchi sensed an undisguised sharpness emanating from the woman before him, sharp and intimidating.

This is a quality of youthful promise, especially for a woman to achieve such success; she must possess extraordinary pride.

Xi Yan said, "My uncle spent his life on military campaigns, and for the sake of the Guo family, he remained unmarried for his entire life, leaving behind only this adopted daughter."

Guo Pingchuan's eyes were bright. She was not afraid of anything in front of her, and her movements were smooth and graceful.

As she stood up, the sword at her waist swayed slightly. It was clear that the sword was exceptionally heavy, and even the scabbard was made of black iron, demonstrating its rarity and value.

“Pingchuan was cultivated by my uncle, and she is no less capable than any man,” Xi Yan said.

Fu Yuchi's gaze remained fixed on Guo Pingchuan's sword. He had no interest in what kind of person the woman in front of him was; he only cared about the chances of her winning against Xi Zheng.

A good general not only needs to be skilled in martial arts, but more importantly, he needs to have a mind that is a thousand times more resilient than others.

Fu Yuchi noticed that Guo Pingchuan's hand holding the knife had a thick layer of calluses. You have to know that to develop such thick calluses, you first have to break through your flesh and blood. After countless temperings, the tender flesh on your palms will all turn into old skin before you can lift a hundred-pound black iron knife.

"Your Highness, Pingchuan will prove to you that without the Guo family, there would be no Pingchuan," Guo Pingchuan said confidently.

Xi Yan glanced at her. "Ji An, she was also an orphan who suffered back then."

The disaster that year affected far too many people. Taking advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the Fu family, Xi Zheng eliminated all those in the court who opposed him. Men were killed without exception, and women were sent to slavery or prostitution. Blood flowed like rivers, and cries of agony filled the land.

The hatred from that time has persisted, becoming Xi Yan's motivation for revenge. There are too many people waiting for him to save, and too many injustices that need to be cleared.

"Ji'an, all these years, haven't you thought about avenging the Fu family? You don't care about the lives of more than a hundred people in the Fu family?" Xi Yan was puzzled. He was willing to endure and lie low for many years just to avenge his mother. He didn't believe that Fu Yuchi didn't have hatred in his heart.

"I remember when we were little, if I took something from you, you would hold a grudge for ages. How come you've changed now?"

Fu Yuchi's face darkened. He hadn't changed; it was just that more often than not, he felt powerless to control his own destiny.

Rather than seeking revenge, his parents preferred that he live a life of mere survival, since he was the last bloodline of the Fu family.

"I'm getting more and more curious about that girl." Xi Yan pinched his lips and poured Guo Pingchuan a glass of wine as well. "How is she so capable that she can get someone that I can't?"

Fu Yuchi thought to himself, thinking about his little Miao'er. Yes, how could she be so capable?

How exactly did they persuade me?

She said that separation is also a reunion. She encouraged him to let go of his obsessions and do what he wanted to do. She gradually opened his heart and saw the most vulnerable and tender side of him.

What he saw in Xiao Miao'er was a stubbornness, that girl who was afraid of wild dogs even in the pitch black of night, but who never gave up trying to make a living.

So why should he give up?

Fu Yuchi's mind was filled with Xiao Miao'er's every smile and frown. Her smiling face and voice were imprinted in his heart, and he could never forget them.

She's still waiting for me to come back.

Sun Miao'er was working when she suddenly sneezed twice, rubbed her nose, and exclaimed, "That bastard is cursing at me!"

But isn't it said that three sneezes mean cursing, and two sneezes mean thinking?

Is someone thinking about me?

She counted the days, wondering if the letter she sent had reached her master, or if the fat pigeon had tried its best to fly.