Upon hearing this, Li Xuan broke out in a cold sweat.
The teahouse was not far from the city gate. When Li Xuan looked towards the city gate, he saw that the soldiers guarding the city were different from when he arrived. They were wearing Shang Dynasty army tokens on their waists, and when they didn't speak, the coldness in their eyes could burn people's hearts.
Seeing that Li Xuan was somewhat uneasy, Shang Shaoyan poured him a cup of tea and lowered his voice: "Don't worry, Lord Li, these soldiers only obey my orders and won't cause any trouble."
Li Xuan looked at the soldiers with some anxiety, then glared at Shang Shaoyan: "Princess, this move is extremely dangerous! How do you know these soldiers don't have ulterior motives?"
Shang Shaoyan casually twirled the teacup in his hand, then suddenly exerted force, shattering the teacup into dust.
Li Xuan stared at the pile of debris as if he had seen a ghost, then looked up at Shang Shaoyan. For a moment, he was so frightened that he couldn't even speak.
Shang Shaoyan smiled gently: "Lord Li, you may not know this, but our Shang family has a long-standing tradition that young ladies should not practice needlework, but should learn martial arts. Although more than a hundred years have passed, this is still the case in my generation."
She paused, her phoenix eyes flashing with a sharp edge: "If you don't even have this much skill, how can He Yang win over the masses? Not to mention that He Yang will be heading to the Northwest in the future."
Li Xuan stared at Shang Shaoyan, pondered for a moment, and then waved his hand wearily: "Please go back, County Princess. I am exhausted both physically and mentally lately, and I am afraid I cannot give you a satisfactory answer for the time being."
Shang Shaoyan hadn't intended to persuade Li Xuan in one go—in fact, Li Xuan was easier to persuade than Chen Shu, after all, Li Xuan could be called "cunning and shrewd," and was best at assessing the situation, unlike Chen Shu, who was wholeheartedly loyal to the imperial power.
Therefore, Shang Shaoyan would not force Li Xuan to obey, but would just wait for him to figure it out himself. Li Xuan's words were naturally meant to reassure Shang Shaoyan. He expressed his stance that he would not interfere with Shang Shaoyan, but that he would need to consider whether or not to obey for some time.
Shang Shaoyan nodded slightly, then got up and left the teahouse.
...
At the western suburban camp, Tai Jian and Cheng Chu were drinking together.
The quality and quantity of troops in Shuzhou were not high, while the five hundred elite soldiers brought by Shang Shaoyan were far superior in both combat strength and morale. Therefore, Tai Jian was determined to learn from Cheng Chu.
Cheng Chu took a sip of wine, and after hearing Tai Jian's purpose, his heart stirred.
Isn't this the perfect opportunity to make a name for the Duke and the County Princess? The County Princess is coming to train troops tomorrow, so why not take this chance to bring the army from the western suburbs of Shu Prefecture under our control!
Speaking of which, the Duke once asked him to spar with the County Princess. He was worried that he might hurt the County Princess, but the County Princess was dressed in short, barbarian clothes and knocked him to the ground in less than three moves. Afterwards, she exclaimed, "I only used one-tenth of my strength, how come the effect is so good?"
Cheng Chu at the time: "..."
Thinking of this, he started to add more drama to Shang Shaoyan's story: "General Tai, you don't know this, but these five hundred elite soldiers were not like this before they came to Shuzhou. They were even inferior to your western suburban army."
"It was all because of the lessons the county magistrate taught us on the way here that we ended up like this."
The county magistrate dealt with several troublemakers.
"It was also the county magistrate who boosted their morale."
Anyone who dares to act carelessly will be punished by the county magistrate.
"The county magistrate will also give you a beating and a sweet treat."
He killed the assassins as a warning to others, and then taught a few of the underlings a sword technique.
After rambling on for a while, Cheng Chu exclaimed, "So, it's not my doing, but rather the county princess's skill in disciplining people!"
Tai Jian clicked his tongue, somewhat disbelieving: "A delicate and frail young lady like the county princess, I'm afraid she can't, can she?"
Cheng Chu sighed: "I used to think so too, until I sparred with the county princess and was beaten so badly that I had to lie down for three days."
Actually, it took three hours, because the county princess only used one-tenth of her strength.
Tai Jian wasn't stupid; he immediately understood: "The county princess is not only a skilled teacher, but also highly skilled in martial arts? Wait a minute, she really looks quite... well, you scholars use that word, something like willow or wind?"
Cheng Chu added, "She's like a willow swaying in the breeze. But that's just on the surface, General Tai. As the old saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart!"
Tai Jian scratched his head: "Why do I feel like this sentence isn't used like that?"
Cheng Chu: "...That's not important. Anyway, General Tai, if you don't believe me, I'll call the county princess here tomorrow so you can see for yourself whether she can do it or not."
Tai Jian hesitated for a moment: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Isn't the county princess busy with the glass-related matters? Won't this put her in a difficult position?"
Cheng Chu then added fuel to the fire for Shang Shaoyan: "General Tai, you may not know this, but the county princess is always happy to help others. This little thing is no trouble at all."
Tai Jian smiled憨厚ly, then exclaimed, "Princess, you are truly a good person!"
Cheng Chu smiled and nodded. "Yes, the county princess is a good person!"
He couldn't help but imagine the scene of Tai Jian being beaten to the ground by Shang Shaoyan tomorrow, and a smile that was hard to describe appeared on his face—hehe, this is going to be a good show.
...
After leaving the teahouse, Shang Shaoyan prepared to return to his residence.
To promote glass, she hung a lot of white silk gauze at the entrance of her house, and then attached glass beads to the ends. When the wind blew, it made a crisp and beautiful sound, and passers-by couldn't help but stop and watch.
Although Bai Lu had said that wearing a white veil might not be auspicious, Shang Shaoyan didn't care: "What's the big deal? I walk around outside every day, who would think I'm dead?"
Bai Lu hesitated for a moment: "But there's always the chance that some idiots won't see it... Besides, this stark white color is really not a good omen."
"Idiot" was a new word Bai Lu learned from Shang Shaoyan, and she found it very useful.
Shang Shaoyan waved his hand: "The mermaid silk will reflect a dazzling light under the sunlight, and it looks quite beautiful."
Bai Lu thought about it and agreed. Although the sun doesn't shine much in Shuzhou, it has been sunny these past few days. Once the weather turns cloudy in a few days, there's no need to advertise the glass anymore, and the white gauze can be taken down.
And so, the row of white silk ribbons at the entrance remained.
Shang Shaoyan returned to his residence and prepared to take a nap. Before taking a nap, he instructed Bai Lu, "Go and get me a bowl of chicken soup later. Cheng Chu just made it at noon. It will be just right for me to drink after my nap."
Bai Lu smiled and agreed, then walked towards the kitchen.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw Cheng Chu and Xu Xian drinking chicken soup. The former said with great pride, "I won't say anything else, but I'm the best at making chicken soup!"
Xu Xian readily agreed, saying, "Indeed, General Cheng's soup-making skills are superb!"
Cheng Chu continued to boast: "Who in Shengjing doesn't know that I almost went to learn cooking back then? If it weren't for the unpredictable nature of life, I might already be a renowned chef!"
As Xu Xian sipped his soup, he exclaimed, "General Cheng's skills are more than enough to make him a royal chef!"
Cheng Chu proudly puffed out his chest: "I just came back from General Tai's place. The chicken soup had to be simmered for exactly the right amount of time, which made me feel a bit neglected by General Tai, but since Lord Xu enjoyed it, it was all worth it!"
Xu Xian was deeply moved: "General Cheng is so righteous!"
Bai Lu found it amusing and listened from the side without showing herself.
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