Chang Lili lowered her head, wondering why he was so fixated on this question.

What she liked was blacksmithing and forging; she not only disliked these things, but even loathed them.

But at this moment, she didn't know whether she should tell the truth. She had always been a decisive girl who dared to love and hate, but she found that she had become very strange lately. When facing Meng Yuxiu, she would become hesitant and indecisive.

Seeing Chang Lili's brows furrowing more and more, Meng Yuxiu sighed helplessly, his smile gentle and indulgent.

He seemed to read her mind: "If you don't like it, why make things difficult for yourself?"

Chang Lili immediately adopted a gentle, submissive demeanor, thinking there was still a chance to salvage the situation, and said, contradicting her true feelings, "It's not that I dislike it..."

A string of absurd statements about "poverty preventing one from having many opportunities" was already on the tip of her tongue when she felt a warm sensation on her head. Her thoughts were instantly interrupted, and when she looked up, she met Meng Yuxiu's smiling eyes, completely losing her composure.

“Whether you like it or not, I don’t like it, and I don’t like you doing these things,” Meng Yuxiu suddenly said, speaking so frankly and matter-of-factly.

Chang Lili suddenly realized that Meng Yuxiu could be trusted. He was Meng Yuxiu, not an ordinary man. How could Lu Ming's theory work?

If it had worked, Meng Yuxiu would have already married Xiao Shuer and been second only to the emperor by now.

She suddenly became as docile as a tamed wildcat, calmly showing her little paws and saying unhappily, "I don't like it either."

“Then don’t do it. I don’t think these are suitable for you. Why make things difficult for yourself?” Meng Yuxiu said, opening the food box.

Chang Lili's eyes lit up instantly as she stared intently at the exquisite pastries inside the small food box. The sweet and familiar aroma from her dream became even stronger, and the walnut shortbread, which made her mouth water, was placed in front of her by Meng Yuxiu.

Her previous worried expression had vanished, replaced by an undisguised smile.

"You're so thoughtful, knowing I desperately need to replenish my energy." She quickly finished speaking, picked up the walnut shortbread, and took a delicious bite.

Then, with a contented expression but a mournful tone, she said, “It’s not that I’m making things difficult for myself; it’s clearly that the world is making things difficult for us women. They all say things like ‘a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent,’ and that needlework is the proper thing for a young lady to do. We also have to read this pedantic, boring, and scalp-tingling ‘Admonitions for Women.’”

Meng Yuxiu asked in surprise, "Didn't you used to do things your own way? Why are you suddenly concerned about what others say?"

Chang Lili ate her walnut pastry, but then she became unhappy and started to complain about Meng Yuxiu. If she weren't going to be a general's wife, she, Chang Lili, would be living a carefree and happy life. She was only doing this to make him look good.

“There is no such thing as what a woman should do, only what she wants to do or doesn’t want to do. Why bother arguing with someone who has no ambition and is short-sighted?” Meng Yuxiu said softly.

Chang Lili was stunned for a moment, looking at Meng Yuxiu as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her eyes gradually revealed an undisguised surprise. These words coincided with her thoughts. She used to think that there was no one in the world who could agree with this principle.

When she looked at Meng Yuxiu with surprise, she saw him pick up the white handkerchief next to him and asked, "Is this finished?"

Although Meng Yuxiu had already seen the two hideously ugly mandarin ducks thoroughly, Chang Lili still couldn't help but blush, lowering her head and muttering indistinctly, "I guess so..."

"This thing is quite unique," Meng Yuxiu said with a smile.

Chang Lili puffed out her cheeks and said defiantly, "I may not be good at embroidery, but you don't have to nitpick about that."

“I truly believe this is a rare find. It was embroidered by the current imperial foundry and the wife of the soon-to-be general. There is no other like it in the world.” His tone was calm, but his conviction was undeniable.

Chang Lili blushed upon hearing this: "Don't say that. If it were well embroidered, that would be fine, but embroidered like this, people will laugh their heads off."

“I don’t think so. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Besides, I don’t think those girls who are good at playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting are anything special. The general’s wife who can forge divine weapons is already a heroine among women. The embroidery made by her doesn’t need to be judged by its quality,” Meng Yuxiu said matter-of-factly.

Her words made Chang Lili overjoyed, but he could only pretend to be reserved and continue eating her walnut pastry.

Her attitude towards Meng Yuxiu also changed significantly, and she even asked him solicitously if he wanted tea.

Chang Lili would miss her blacksmith's workbench. These days, she had sacrificed a lot of time to learn needlework and read "Women's Precepts," and she had endured the pain of being separated from her blacksmith's workbench and hammer.

Suddenly she remembered something, looked at Meng Yuxiu, and asked with piercing eyes, "Mechanical arts, nine-section whip, you took my nine-section whip, but you haven't given me an answer yet."

Meng Yuxiu raised an eyebrow and sighed helplessly, "You still can't forget about learning mechanical arts."

"You were the one who set those three tests. Your intention was to make things difficult for me and prevent me from learning mechanical arts. But now that I've passed your test, do you want to go back on your word?" Chang Lili crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and her tone revealed a dangerous aura. "A man's word is his bond. Have you forgotten what you said in the dungeon?"

“Of course I haven’t forgotten…” Meng Yuxiu said with a smile.

Chang Lili immediately stepped forward and asked, "So, what do you think of the nine-section whip I made?"

Seeing her expectant gaze, Meng Yuxiu sincerely said, "Exquisite."

In my memory, there was a dashing woman riding a red steed, holding a nine-section whip in her hand. It was clearly a weapon that was difficult to control, but in the woman's hands, it became an invincible artifact that made the enemy tremble with fear.

Meng Yuxiu was brought back to your senses by Chang Lili's shouts.

"That's it? That's too perfunctory. You have no idea how difficult it was to make that weapon. Also, you took my weapon and then kept it for yourself? That's not right. And, I've already passed the second test, right? Can I continue to the third test?" Chang Lili looked at Meng Yuxiu expectantly.

Meng Yuxiu said in a deep voice, "You've passed. You can continue to the third test. But before that, I have a small request."

Chang Lili glanced at him and asked, "What are your requirements?"

Meng Yuxiu picked up the white handkerchief, on which two indescribable things stood out. He said, "This thing is mine."

Chang Lili stared wide-eyed for a moment before calming down and saying in an incredulous tone, "You took my nine-section whip and made demands, but these demands... you can have them."

She didn't want to give this to Meng Yuxiu, lest he take the opportunity to make fun of her later. However, after thinking about it carefully, she realized that such a shabby thing could be exchanged for the opportunity to learn mechanical arts, so she made a great deal and didn't say anything more.

Some time has passed since Chang Lili's imprisonment, and she has finally returned to a peaceful and tranquil life. The Imperial Clan Court has also finally found peace.