Chapter 45 is quite subtle.

There were about forty men in black, clearly well-trained and prepared. They brought many tools: darts, crossbows, ropes, shovels... In the blink of an eye, they quickly set up the traps and hid themselves.

Their movements were extremely agile, and their martial arts skills were considerable. Lu Jinlan couldn't help but feel nervous. What kind of people were they ambushing that required so many experts?

A short while later, a middle-aged woman dressed in tattered clothes appeared, leaning on a cane and walking with difficulty. She wore a bamboo hat and a veil, and looked very unwell, her body hunched over and she was coughing constantly. But when Lu Jinlan looked down at her feet, he knew that these appearances were all a disguise.

A martial artist's steps are light; the deeper their skill, the lighter their movements. A true martial arts master can fall from a height of several meters as lightly as a feather. This is an instinct ingrained in their body; it cannot be faked.

An ordinary person might not be able to tell, but an expert would know at a glance. How could the man in black not see it? Lu Jinlan secretly felt a chill for the woman.

Sure enough, the leader of the men in black noticed something. She made a gesture, and instantly more than a dozen arrows shot out from different directions.

The woman's figure suddenly changed, and she swung her cane with lightning speed, instantly knocking down the arrows one by one. Then, she calmly steadied herself, raised the cane, and the tattered cloth covering it unfurled, revealing a flash of cold light. Lu Jinlan then realized that it was a beautiful silver spear.

The woman said in a hoarse voice, "This old woman is just a traveler in a hurry. I beg you kind ladies to be merciful and let me pass."

The leader of the men in black scoffed, "We know perfectly well who you are, no need to pretend. Today is your death day. If you are willing to die, we will leave you with a whole corpse. Otherwise, you will be beheaded."

The woman snorted coldly, "Ignorant wretch, if you want to take my life, you'll have to see if you have the ability."

The woman brandished her silver spear, and dozens of men in black, like venomous scorpions, swarmed forward instantly.

Lu Jinlan watched the battle from the treetop, feeling that the woman's spear technique was exquisite and her internal energy was fierce. She wielded her silver spear with great force, instantly forcing back the enemy coming from the front. With a backhand sweep, those hit would fall, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking and painful screams.

Lu Jinlan couldn't help but secretly applaud. What excellent marksmanship! What excellent skills! What excellent internal strength! Outnumbered, she gained the upper hand in just over ten moves. She is truly a great heroine.

Although unaware of the situation, Lu Jinlan almost wanted to close her eyes and side with her. Soon after, the men in black were successively injured, so they deliberately led the woman towards the trap.

In this way, the woman would definitely suffer a loss. Lu Jinlan shouted anxiously, "Watch out for a trap!"

Those below were all stunned, each one feeling a chill run down their spines. There was someone in the tree, and they hadn't even noticed?

Everyone stepped back a few paces, and the man in black said, "Who is this expert? Come down and talk to me."

Lu Jinlan rolled off the plane and began to kindly try to mediate: "Stop fighting. You are no match for this senior. You only have one life, why throw it away?"

The man in black snapped, "What's it to you? Where did this little brat come from? Get out of the way!"

Lu Jinlan's good intentions were met with ingratitude, and her anger flared up instantly. She gritted her teeth, "You really won't listen to reason, senior, take a break, let me handle this!"

She kicked up the longsword on the ground, gripped it in her hand, and flashed into the encirclement. With a single move, "Stepping on the Moon and Plucking the Stars," she forced three or five men in black to drop their weapons.

The woman couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent swordsmanship!" She had initially been somewhat worried about Lu Jinlan because of her young age. However, seeing her superb swordsmanship and extraordinary agility, her worries turned into admiration, and she even couldn't resist taking up her spear and charging back into the encirclement to fight alongside her.

As Lu Jinlan was fighting, he suddenly heard the woman say, "Your moves are unpredictable, but the transitions are not smooth. Have you not practiced enough and lack real combat experience?"

Lu Jinlan said, "Yeah, I'm too lazy to practice, and I don't have that many fights."

The black-clad women grew increasingly enraged as they fought, their weapons clanging and clashing against each other. Yet, amidst this background noise, the two women chatted without batting an eye or breaking a sweat.

What's even more infuriating is that the woman immediately grabbed the wrist of one of the men in black and, in the midst of the melee, used her gun skills to demonstrate sword moves to Lu Jinlan, saying, "You don't need to finish your last move. Follow up with this 'Swarm of Bees and Butterflies' move, and it will be even more effective."

Lu Jinlan followed the same method, grabbing another man in black. Just like the woman, he released his longsword from his hand, spun it around the man's neck, and kicked it several feet away. The men in black dodged the attack.

Lu Jinlan's eyes lit up. "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

The leader of the men in black immediately cursed, "Go to hell! Are you using us as teaching aids? Get out of here!"

The men in black vanished in an instant. The two exchanged a smile, and the woman cupped her hands and said, "Thank you for your help. May I ask your name, young hero?"

Lu Jinlan hesitated for a moment, becoming cautious. She thought: Now that I'm a celebrity, I'd better not reveal anyone's name casually, lest I get involved in disputes and cause trouble.

She returned the greeting, saying, "It was nothing, nothing to mention. They couldn't do anything to you even if I didn't help. Are you going into the city, senior? I'd like to travel with you."

Before leaving, Lu Jinlan destroyed the traps set by the men in black. Facing the woman's questioning gaze, she smiled and said, "So that passersby won't accidentally fall into the trap and get hurt."

The woman nodded repeatedly in admiration and started chatting with her on the way.

"You look very young, how old are you?"

"Sixteen, almost seventeen."

"Good age! I'm forty-five this year, and I really envy you for being young and full of life."

Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "Senior, you are still vigorous despite your age, and this is the perfect time for you. Today, those who are attacking you are all young people, and even if they gang up on you, they can't defeat you."

The woman laughed a few times. "That's true. By the way, your skills shouldn't be wasted. Where do you work? Are you married with children?"

"I'm still studying, and I'll be getting married soon. As for having a daughter, that'll be...that'll be soon too. But...but this..."

She didn't know how to describe her current family situation. The woman understood and said, "The young man who gave birth to a daughter, isn't the husband you're going to marry?"

Lu Jinlan gave an awkward smile. "That's true. Sigh, having too many men is also a problem. My mother said I can have as many ordinary men as I want, but the young man I'm going to have comes from a less than ideal family, and she's afraid my in-laws will mind."

The woman said, “Women often have multiple husbands. You are so young and promising, you are destined for great things, so it’s not surprising that you have many men. But if you come from a poor family, it’s best not to let your husband’s family know, to avoid trouble.”

Lu Jinlan cupped her hands in greeting, "Senior is absolutely right. You seem very adept at handling these relationships. How many husbands do you have?"

The woman laughed and said, "On the surface, there's only one."

Lu Jinlan said "Oh," and then asked, "So, there are some casual affairs going on behind the scenes?"

The woman chuckled, “Of course there are. But as wives, we must be clear-headed. Men outside are like delicacies, there’s all kinds of dishes. If you’re tired of the ones at home, go outside for a change of pace, don’t force yourself. But don’t forget, your husband at home is the essential white rice, you must give him respect. When husband and wife are of one mind, the family prospers, and it will help you achieve great things.”

Lu Jinlan nodded repeatedly, "This junior has learned a lot."

The woman smiled and said softly, "But I'm curious, what kind of background do you have that requires concealment?"

Lu Jinlan whispered, "To be honest, senior, I redeemed my young man from a brothel."

The woman laughed heartily and slapped her on the back, saying, "You little rascal, you're quite the flirt."

Lu Jinlan couldn't help but laugh and said, "You can't blame me for this. He's kind and considerate. He's been trained and is very professional and knows how to serve people. That's what makes him different. And let me tell you, his first time was with me. If I hadn't redeemed him, he would have preferred to remain chaste for me and almost committed suicide. You don't know, even the men in brothels have their good points."

Upon hearing this, the woman hurriedly said, "How could I not know? Do you think I've never been with men in brothels? Let me tell you, when I was young..."

The two walked arm in arm into the city, chatting and laughing all the way, practically calling each other sisters, until Song Lincheng, who was guarding the city gate, came to greet them.

"Mother! Jinlan!"

"mother?"

"Jinlan?"

The two froze instantly, and Lu Jinlan wanted to slap herself twice.

Why is my mouth so loose, like a cotton waistband? I keep telling this person and that person things, but I end up saying them myself.

Song Jingxiao's face was also extremely pale. She never expected that the young mistress who was listening to her tell her stories of her romantic past was actually her future son.

Seeing that the two looked strange, Song Lincheng quickly asked, "What's wrong with you two?"

Song Jingxiao said in a deep voice, "We encountered an ambush. We'll discuss it in detail when we get back."

They remained silent the whole way, but once they arrived at the table, the atmosphere became quite subtle.

Lu Jinzhao assumed it was just awkwardness from meeting for the first time and laughed, "We're all family here, so relax."

Yang, Song Lincheng's father, chimed in, "Yes, it's rare that neither of the children ran away this time. My General Song, this isn't a military camp, so don't be so serious and scare the children."

Song Lincheng asked, "Mother, are you thinking about the ambush we just suffered? Were you hurt?"

Song Jingxiao sighed, "No, thanks to Jinlan's help, my daughter and I fought them off. But..."

She changed the subject, "I never expected that you were Lu Jinlan. You don't look like your mother at all."

Lu Jinzhao clicked his tongue, "How can it not be like me? This temperament is exactly the same as mine."

Lu Jinlan chuckled, her heart filled with despair, and said, "I didn't expect this either. Didn't you write that one cannot enter the capital without an imperial edict? Why are you here again all of a sudden?"

Song Jingxiao frowned. "It is true that one cannot enter the capital without an imperial edict, but I wanted to see you, so I secretly entered the capital. I didn't expect to be discovered. Oh well, I'll trouble the Emperor to issue a supplementary edict later; it's not a big deal."

Lu Jinlan glanced at her but said nothing more.

Everyone ate a meal peacefully, and after a few rounds of drinks, Song Jingxiao suddenly said, "I heard that Jinlan has a young man from a not-so-good background who is already pregnant."

"Who is spreading rumors behind our backs?"

"That's not true."

Lu Jinzhao and Lin Cheng both denied it at the same time. Lu Jinlan stepped on their foot, thinking to herself: Don't struggle, she told her herself.

Lu Jinlan braced himself and poured Song Jingxiao a glass of wine, saying, "It is true."

Song Jingxiao nodded, "Alright, you're brave enough to take responsibility. Then I'll be frank. I don't care what that man's status is, as long as you treat Cheng'er well, I have nothing to say. But you're going to be an official in the future, and you'll become a famous general and prime minister. If someone focuses on this, it will definitely affect your reputation. I think it's better to put in some more effort."

Lu Jinzhao hurriedly asked, "What's your plan?"

“Let him leave the capital for a while. Find a relative in Yunzhou and adopt him as your godson. Change his surname and background so that his children can have a better future.”

Lu Jinlan thought about it and agreed that it was indeed a good idea. "Okay, let's do it that way."

Song Jingxiao happily raised her glass, "Lan'er, you will become the head of our Song family in the future, just like my second daughter. I only have one child, Lincheng. Everything in the Song family is yours. I will be your strongest support and ensure your smooth rise to the top."

Lu Jinlan raised his glass and stood up, saying, "Thank you, General Song."

"Huh?" Song Jingxiao put away her cup. "You should change how you address me."

Lu Jinlan smiled, "Thank you, Mother-in-law."

The two men's glasses clinked together, producing a pleasant sound.

At this moment, Xi Mo hurriedly pushed open the door and came in, "Reporting to all masters, someone from the palace has come and said that the Emperor summons General Song to the palace immediately."

Song Lincheng was startled: "How did His Majesty know you were coming?"

Lu Jinlan murmured, "Even the man in black knows. If the Emperor didn't know, she wouldn't be the Emperor. But it's so late, could it be a trap? Let me escort you to the palace gate."

Song Jingxiao smiled and wiped her hands. "Those men in black in the capital don't dare to lay a hand on me. There's no need to worry. Just wait for my good news."

Lu Jinlan didn't understand what he meant at the time. What good news? It wasn't until the next morning that people from the palace came again.

Lu Jinlan was half asleep when she heard someone shout in the courtyard, "The imperial edict has arrived!"