Chang Lili got into the carriage, and on the carriage, she couldn't help but stick her head out and look around.

"This treatment, wow!" Chang Lili muttered to herself in the carriage, then laughed out loud.

Then she couldn't help but lean forward, lifting a corner of the carriage curtain to ask, "Your name is Ke Shou? Why did the general send you to escort me? Where did the general go? Is he always this busy? You are the general's bodyguard, so you must know a lot about him. Can you tell me about the general's battles and what he does every day?"

Keshou: "..."

Upon arriving at the military manufacturing department, it was another extremely busy day.

Although Chang Lili intended to complete the forging of so many weapons on her own and did not expect anyone to help her, she found herself powerless to do so when it came to actually doing it.

It was common knowledge that Chang Lili was disliked; the experienced masters wouldn't help her, and no one else dared to do anything for her.

Xiao Liuzi only glanced at it a couple more times.

With her slender arms and legs, she was naturally not as strong as a man, but she was not delicate at all, and she did a pretty good job of blacksmithing.

But a young woman's stamina can't last long, and soon she was so tired that she sat down to catch her breath and rest.

Of the three master craftsmen, Master Yang was petty and narrow-minded, Master Liu was somewhat cold-hearted, and only Master Xue was reasonable. Although he never paid much attention to Chang Lili, he never intentionally made things difficult for her.

Seeing her like this, he couldn't bear it any longer and stepped forward to help Chang Lili.

"Forging iron isn't just about brute force. When we forge weapons, we need to be flexible and balanced. That's how we can achieve long-term success." He picked up the iron hammer that Chang Lili had left aside and continued to shape the iron sheet she had been hammering for a while.

Chang Lili looked at him in surprise. He was, after all, a master craftsman with extensive experience, and he taught Chang Lili a great deal.

Seeing this, Xiao Liuzi also came over to lend a hand to Chang Lili.

Seeing this, Master Yang became uneasy: "What's wrong with Old Xue? He's already riding on my head, and I'm afraid he'll fall off?"

Upon hearing this, Master Liu gave him a cold look, and he wisely shut his mouth.

With expert guidance, the construction progressed rapidly, allowing Chang Lili to have much more time to rest.

Her remaining thoughts then fell upon the nine-section whip.

Because of previous experience, the blueprints were completed quickly, and the construction process was not as difficult as before.

She would work on it little by little before finishing her work each day, and the making of this nine-section whip was proceeding slowly.

After finishing her work and leaving the military workshop, Chang Lili found that Ke Shou was still waiting there. Upon seeing Chang Lili, he continued to bow and say, "I have been ordered by the general to come and take you back, young lady."

Once inside the carriage, Chang Lili couldn't help but lift the curtain and ask, "Judging from your behavior, does the General intend for you to pick me up and drop me off like this from now on? This is too much trouble for you."

She said this, but she didn't mean to refuse. Instead, she said with great interest, "Tell me more about the general. Where were we this morning? You really can't judge a book by its cover. You look so serious and earnest, but I didn't expect you to be so eloquent. Your storytelling skills are just as good as those of the storytellers in the teahouse. Has your general discovered your storytelling talent yet?"

Ke Shou: "...Probably not."

He thought to himself, "If the general finds out that I told Chang Lili about my affairs as if it were a story, I wonder what he will do to me."

This general used to hate it when girls pestered him with questions about him, but he's so different with Chang Lili, so it's anyone's guess how he'll react.

In the days that followed, he would pick up and drop off Chang Lili every day without fail.

Having not fought any major battles for a long time, the army had become somewhat lax. Meng Yuxiu set about reorganizing the army, and now, the reorganization is finally complete.

However, there were still some miscellaneous matters to deal with. He sat in his study, listening to his subordinates report on the matters he had investigated.

"It is said that Hu Pin first took the nine-section whip to the Emperor, hoping to use this half-finished whip to silence the general. The Emperor said that the evidence was insufficient and ignored him. Hu Pin then found out that Miss Chang had entered the military workshop and informed the Emperor of this matter. However, the Emperor still ignored him."

Meng Yuxiu forgot to tell the man to get up, so the man remained kneeling on one knee, bowing his head and waiting for Meng Yuxiu's words.

But after waiting for a long time, he still didn't speak.

He looked up and saw Meng Yuxiu with a distant gaze, as if he were lost in thought.

"General?" he called out tentatively.

Meng Yuxiu then came to his senses: "Hmm, if I had known Hu Pin would do this, he has always acted rashly and there shouldn't have been any trouble. However, you continue to investigate him for me. He seems to have been investigating the affairs of the previous dynasty. I wonder what his intentions are."

The man accepted the order and left.

"Keep watch." After the man left, Meng Yuxiu got up and walked outside, calling out as he went.

The next moment, a tall, thin man with delicate features appeared behind him.

“Let’s go to the military equipment manufacturing department,” Meng Yuxiu said.

As a guard, he shouldn't have said much, but he couldn't help asking, "General, are you going there to repair some weapon?"

Meng Yuxiu had many weapons, all of which were meticulously crafted and well-preserved; none of them actually needed repair.

“You…aren’t you going to pick up Miss Chang? I’ll go with you and check on the current situation at the Military Manufacturing Department,” Meng Yuxiu said thoughtfully.

Ke Shouque said, "But General, you went there just a few days ago, and it's not the time to pick up Miss Chang yet."

Meng Yuxiu turned around unhappily: "You..." He suddenly lit up, "Do you still remember that broken sword in the armory?"

"Is that the one you used when you first became a general, the one that was cut in half by the enemy?" Ke Shou asked.

Meng Yuxiu nodded in satisfaction.

"Of course I remember. The general said that although the sword was broken, he protected your life with his own body, so he is your savior. I have kept it safe all this time," Ke Shou said respectfully.

Meng Yuxiu said with a smile, "Go and get it for me. I've decided to fix it up."

So, Meng Yuxiu, carrying the broken longsword that was somewhat rusty, sat in the carriage and headed to the military workshop in high spirits.

This time, instead of waiting at the door, he swaggered in through the main entrance.

Although Meng Yuxiu rarely appears at the military manufacturing site and not many people know him, his presence and reputation mean that if even one or two people recognize him, it causes quite a stir.

But this commotion did not affect Chang Lili, who was focused on forging weapons, or Xiao Liuzi, who was happily helping her.

Xiao Liuzi is a clever fellow, always calculating and scheming. While helping Chang Lili, he doesn't forget to ask for some benefits in return.

“Lili, let me tell you, do you remember when you first came here, no one wanted to talk to you? It was me who was willing to talk to you and make you feel less helpless. You didn’t have any tools or a blacksmith’s stand. It was me, Xiao Liuzi, who helped you at this crucial moment. Otherwise, how would you be where you are today?” he said smugly.