When Qinglan arrived at the tent, Ning Huaizhi was discussing military matters with several of his generals. Upon seeing Qinglan, several of his familiar old subordinates greeted her with smiles:

"What brings Princess Qinglan to visit our General today?"

"What do you know, you roughneck? Princess Qinglan is now our sister-in-law, so naturally she's thinking of the general and came to the camp to visit."

Ning Huaizhi glared at the man upon hearing this and said coldly:

"Don't talk nonsense. We're not married yet. Right now, you only have one sister-in-law."

Upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words, the two exchanged a glance but dared not utter another word, and could only silently take their leave.

Qinglan was initially pleased to hear their conversation, but seeing Ning Huaizhi protecting Jiang Yuwei like this, her smile froze on her face.

After everyone had left, Qinglan stepped forward, grabbed Ning Huaizhi's arm, and said in a coquettish tone:

"Brother Huaizhi, why are you so cold to me now? Is it all because of that bitch Jiang Yuwei who instigated you?"

Ning Huaizhi forcefully shook off Qinglan's hand, glared at her, and angrily said:

“If you have something to say, then say it. Don’t keep slandering my wife. I’m a smart adult and I don’t need anyone to instigate me. I used to treat you like my own sister, but now that our relationship has changed, my attitude towards you is naturally different.”

Upon hearing this, Qinglan's eyes reddened, and she stood there stunned, staring at Ning Huaizhi's busy figure for a long while before finally speaking:

“Brother Huai, no matter how you treat me, my feelings for you will always remain the same. You can only ever be my husband.”

Ning Huaizhi didn't want to get entangled with Qinglan about these things, so he said coldly:

"What exactly do you want from me today?"

"I... I just missed you and wanted to come see you. I even bought food and wine for the soldiers today, and Lin Feng is serving them down there right now."

As she spoke, Qinglan picked up the food box next to her and handed it to Ning Huaizhi, smiling:

"These are specially prepared for you, Brother Huaizhi. Smell them and see if they smell good."

Qinglan opened the food box and took out the food one by one.

“I haven’t eaten either, and I’m a little hungry now. Let’s sit down and eat something together.”

Ning Huaizhi didn't look at the contents of the food box; instead, he glared at Qinglan and said:

"You just said you brought wine to the military camp?"

Qinglan smiled and nodded.

Ning Huaizhi frowned, shoved Qinglan aside, rushed outside the tent, and shouted to the soldiers below who were distributing food:

"Return all the wine brought by Princess Qinglan intact. Anyone who dares to touch a single drop will be punished according to military law!"

Lin Feng, who was distributing wine to everyone, paused and then quickly moved the wine jar to the cart that Qing Lan had ordered someone to bring.

At this moment, Qinglan followed behind out of the tent. Upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words, she immediately became displeased.

"Brother Huaizhi, do you have to go against me like this? I kindly brought food and drinks for your men, and now you treat me like this? Do you really look down on me that much?"

As she spoke, Qinglan began to cry.

The soldiers had never seen Princess Qinglan cry before, and they were all flustered.

Ning Huaizhi glared at them, signaling them to go about their business, before pulling Qinglan back into the tent.

"Did you come here today specifically to cause me trouble? Do you know that we're leaving the city tonight? If they drink the wine you brought and mess things up tonight, they could lose their lives!"

Upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words, Qinglan quickly grabbed his arm and asked anxiously:

"Brother Huaizhi, where are you going tonight? Will you be alright? Should I go and beg the Emperor and Empress Dowager not to let you leave the palace? Our wedding is just around the corner..."

Before Qinglan could finish speaking, Ning Huaizhi flung her hand away and angrily said:

“I am a general, and it is my responsibility to lead my troops. If I were to desert first at this time, wouldn’t that disrupt the morale of the army? If you want me to die sooner, you can go and beg the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to issue an edict not to let me go on the expedition.”

As he spoke, Ning Huaizhi let out a cold laugh.

"Isn't this your usual trick?"

Upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words, Qinglan immediately looked at him with a wronged expression.

“Brother Huaizhi, how could you say such a thing to me? My marriage to you wasn't something I suggested myself. It was the Empress Dowager who insisted on betrothing me to you…”

Ning Huaizhi looked coldly at Qinglan and said:

"Qinglan, how did you become like this? Who taught you to lie so habitually?"

Seeing that Ning Huaizhi didn't believe her at all, Qinglan angrily turned away.

“Brother Huaizhi, you’ve really been blinded by Jiang Yuwei and can’t see the good in others at all. You say I’m lying, then let me ask you, wasn’t it a lie for Jiang Yuwei to say in front of everyone that Haochicheng was a shop opened with her dowry?”

Upon hearing this, Ning Huaizhi immediately turned and stared intently at Qinglan.

"Qinglan, I'm warning you, don't even think about taking over Haochi City anymore. The money that sustains all the expenses of our General's Mansion comes from Jiang Yuwei's dowry."

As he spoke, Ning Huaizhi stared at Qinglan with murderous eyes.

"I survived the short time I spent back in my hometown from the military camp because Yuwei used her hard-earned money to support her family and pay for my medical treatment. So, if you dare to lay a finger on her, I will not let you off the hook!"

A secret report just arrived from the border, requesting rapid support from the capital. Ning Huaizhi is about to leave the city tonight, and his biggest worry right now is Jiang Yuwei and their two children.

Ning Huaizhi hadn't expected Qinglan to come to the military camp to find him today, so he thought he would take this opportunity to give Qinglan a good talking-to so that she wouldn't cause trouble for Jiang Yuwei again.

Qinglan felt a pang of disappointment when she heard Ning Huaizhi say that the General's Mansion's current prestige was all paid for by Jiang Yuwei.

After all, General Sun had always upheld integrity as his family motto, so Princess Qinglan's life was outwardly glamorous but in reality, she didn't have much money.

She had originally planned that if she couldn't wait for Ning Huaizhi, she would marry someone from a similar family background, but unexpectedly, just when she was about to give up...

Ning Huaizhi suddenly appeared in the capital with his entire family and gained the title of general. Qinglan felt that her future was secure, so she tried every means to force Ning Huaizhi to marry her.

Now, hearing Ning Huaizhi say that the glory of the General's Mansion was entirely maintained by Jiang Yuwei, a village woman, he naturally felt uneasy.

If I were to marry Ning Huaizhi and become the mistress of the household, wouldn't I be the one to use my dowry to support the General's Mansion?

Qinglan became increasingly alarmed as she thought about it. At this moment, she no longer found Ning Huaizhi as pleasing to the eye as before, and even regretted that she had rushed to the Empress Dowager to arrange this marriage without thoroughly investigating his background.