"Really? You think I'm incredibly smart, right? My dad always says I'm stupid, that I don't know what's in my head. What's in my head is just what he says, so what's there to ask?" Lu Ming said seriously, with a wronged look on her face.

Chang Lili tried very hard to hold back her laughter, but failed.

"What are you laughing at, Sister Lili!" Lu Ming said, pulling Chang Lili away in dissatisfaction.

"No, no, I think what you said makes sense," Chang Lili said after clearing her throat twice.

Changing the subject abruptly, Lu Ming's eyes lit up as he grabbed Chang Lili and said in a suggestive tone, "Sister Lili, I never expected that the beautiful Chu, whom all the girls in the capital yearn for and want to kiss, would come looking for you. Our general is also deeply in love with you. You are truly blessed with good fortune!"

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Chang Lili wanted to burst out laughing, but upon hearing the second half, her face flushed red, and she pushed Lu Ming away, her voice involuntarily tinged with a hint of reproach: "Don't talk nonsense, your father should be coming to find you!"

"No, I specifically asked Chu Huan to cover for me and tell my dad that I went to train the soldiers with him," Lu Ming said smugly.

Chang Lili felt that Chu Huan had a really tough time.

"Hehe, the beautiful Chu left her sword with you to repair. Once you've fixed it, won't she come back to get it? When is she coming? You'd better tell me." Lu Ming said excitedly, pulling Chang Lili along with a firm attitude.

Chang Lili smiled defiantly and said slowly, "I thought you were so deeply in love with Young Master Su Ling? In the end, you were just fooled by his handsome appearance and fell for someone else!"

Lu Ming pouted and said angrily, "Sister Lili, what did you say? I just said I was looking. I'm not doing anything. Everyone loves beauty. It won't hurt if I look. My heart is still pure."

Chang Lili looked at her resolute expression and laughed, "A young lady like you doesn't feel ashamed to say such things."

Lu Ming, however, held his head high and said shamelessly, "What am I afraid of? There's nothing wrong with this. I like Su Ling's actions; they're upright and honest."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either; those around her could hear it clearly.

She remained calm and composed, but Chang Lili broke out in a cold sweat. Looking up, she saw everyone glancing at Lu Ming with strange looks and whispering among themselves.

Even more alarming, Chang Lili also saw Chu Huan, a handsome young man, standing stiffly not far away, staring blankly at Lu Ming, who was completely unaware of what was happening.

Seeing that Chang Lili had discovered him, Chu Huan turned around and quickly left.

When Chang Lili pulled Lu Ming to look, they only saw Chu Huan's tall and slender back.

"He...he heard what I said?" Lu Ming's face showed a hint of fear.

Chang Lili initially felt that Chu Huan was both innocent and pitiful, but seeing Lu Ming's expression at this moment, she became happy for him.

Judging from Lu Ming's appearance, she probably already has feelings for Chu Huan but is unaware of it, otherwise why would she be so nervous and fearful?

But Lu Ming continued nervously, "He won't tell my father, will he?"

Chang Li felt an overwhelming pity for Chu Huan.

"What if he tells my dad? He listens to my dad like a bat, even more obedient than I do!" Lu Ming said nervously, pacing back and forth.

Chang Lili gave a helpless smile: "Don't worry, he won't tell your father."

"How do you know? He'll definitely tell my dad. What should we do? Do we have to kill him to silence him? But Chu Huan is a really good person..." Lu Ming said seriously.

Chang Lili was startled and pulled Lu Ming away: "You...you're not serious, are you?"

Lu Ming looked at her pleadingly, "What should I do, Sister Lili? My dad will beat me to death!"

Chang Lili sighed with a dark expression: "Don't worry, he won't tell your dad. Tell me, he's covered for you quite a bit, hasn't he?"

Lu Ming nodded pitifully.

"If he wanted to betray you, why would he wait until now? Why go to such lengths to prevent your father from finding out you're running around?" Chang Lili truly felt sorry for Chu Huan.

Such a promising young man actually met a heartless girl. He listened to her every word and obeyed her every whim, but it was like talking to a brick wall, and he received no response whatsoever.

Lu Ming looked puzzled, pondered for a while, and then suddenly slapped her thigh as if she had just realized something, saying, "That's right, Sister Lili! You're right, Chu Huan is indeed loyal, I didn't misjudge him!"

She cheered up in an instant and pulled Chang Lili aside, saying, "You have to let me know when the time comes, otherwise it won't be fair."

Chang Lili shook her head helplessly and said, "It's hopeless. Our general won't allow outsiders to come to the Military Manufacturing Office anymore. I'm afraid Deputy Commander Chu won't be able to get in."

"Huh? What? The general won't let him come? Why?" She looked at Chang Lili with wide eyes, then frowned as if she had thought of something. "Our general is so stingy."

Chang Lili couldn't help but slap her forehead: "What are you thinking about now?"

Lu Ming removed Chang Lili's hand, puffed out her cheeks, and said with some agitation, "Sister Lili, do you think it's possible that our general is too stingy, and has been turning away Su Ling, who wants to come to the Military Manufacturing Department, these days?"

"Huh?" Chang Lili looked blank for a moment before she came to her senses and said with a wry smile, "What are you thinking? Although Meng Yuxiu is decisive and ruthless, he still distinguishes between public and private matters. It's impossible for him to shut Su Ling out just because of some minor conflicts."

Moreover, given the so-called Su Ling, that is, Xiao Lingshou's identity, if he really wanted to enter the Military Manufacturing Bureau, who could stop him?

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming said dejectedly, "Why did Su Ling just disappear without a trace? He didn't even come to see me or us."

Seeing her dejected look, Chang Lili felt a pang of heartache and couldn't help but touch her forehead.

She felt that she was the one being cared for and loved in front of her mother-in-law and Meng Yuxiu, but in front of Lu Ming, this carefree little girl, she became the one taking care of and loving others.

"What? Dead?" Xiao Shu'er stood up in shock, and accidentally knocked over a teacup on the table with her embroidered long sleeves.

Bai Mei immediately asked with concern, "Princess, are you alright? Did you hurt your hand?"

Xiao Shu'er impatiently pushed Bai Mei away, and looked at the second scout who had come to report, asking again, "The scout I sent out earlier is dead? How did he die? Who did it?"

The scout dared not raise his head and confessed in detail: "It was in a deserted villa in the city. It looked like a fatal sword wound. As for who did it, I only found the scout's body and couldn't find the murderer."

They thought that even if Xiao Shu'er didn't fly into a rage, she would still lose her temper, call them useless, and punish them severely.

But she paced back and forth, a cold smile on her face. Not only did she not lose her temper, but she also said with unusual calmness, "If I'm not mistaken, it must have been Meng Yuxiu who did this. That vicious man! I treated him so well, yet he was so ruthless for a vixen!"