Prince Qin of the Great Xia Dynasty

Inside the pawnshop, the lights were bright, carrying a hint of warmth.

Zhao Huai sat at the table, in front of him were five steaming dishes, and what looked like fragrant rice.

Now he knew what was in the wooden box, it was these five dishes.

Scallion Spare Ribs, Fried Sesame Cake, Steamed Lion's Head, Wensi Tofu Soup, and Fresh Bamboo Shoot Vegetarian Soup.

Zhao Huai picked up a spoon, scooped a spoonful into his mouth, and savored it carefully.

"Is it good?"

Yu Qinghan looked at Zhao Huai in front of her, her face full of anticipation.

"Yes, the taste is very good, the knife work on the tofu is especially good, it melts in your mouth, and the soup base is made of mushrooms, so it's very fresh and fragrant."

Zhao Huai nodded slightly, it was not easy to make the dishes to this level.

Hearing this answer, Yu Qinghan felt satisfied, and at the same time smiled with surprise, "I didn't expect that Zhao gongzi is quite knowledgeable about cooking."

"A little, a little."

He didn't watch so many food blogger videos in his previous life for nothing.

Zhao Huai thought to himself.

"Actually, I'm not very good at cooking, I learned these from the servants. When I'm bored on weekdays and can't go out to listen to music, I study cooking at home."

Yu Qinghan explained.

"Then the girl is really talented."

Zhao Huai said seriously, "I thought that the girl, having been on the battlefield for a long time, would know nothing about cooking, but I didn't expect that her mind for cooking is just as delicate."

Faced with such blatant praise, Yu Qinghan was very happy.

Growing up, no one had ever praised her for her cooking.

"Gongzi is too kind."

After quite a while of dining.

Zhao Huai finished all the food on the table.

Perhaps it was because he was accompanied by a beautiful woman, but his appetite was particularly good today.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhao Huai looked at Yu Qinghan's back and couldn't help but ask, "Yu guniang, if you marry me, will your elders come?"

As far as he knew, Yu Qinghan had run away from home, so her parents probably wouldn't come.

Yu Qinghan packed up the lunch box and sighed:

"I'm ashamed to say that I've been living in the marriage agency these days. If I get married, they probably won't come. I won't invite them either. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that my father and I are now completely severed."

"It's that serious."

Zhao Huai said in surprise.

"Actually, guniang doesn't know, but I was also an orphan, my parents passed away early, and I don't have any elders either. I came out to live alone, so if I get married, there probably won't be any elders either."

Zhao Huai smiled wryly and comforted her softly.

"Oh? Gongzi is also alone."

Yu Qinghan was also very surprised to hear this.

"That's right."

Yu Qinghan looked optimistic and joked, "Then it's really easy to get married, saving a lot of tedious procedures."

"Yes, indeed."

Zhao Huai also smiled helplessly.

"Since guniang doesn't have any pressure from home, why not move in sooner? It's not good to stay there all day."

"Gongzi is willing to take me in?"

Yu Qinghan asked in surprise.

"Since we're going to get married anyway, what's there to talk about taking her in or not?" Zhao Huai found it quite amusing.

"Alright, as you say, young master."

Yu Qinghan smiled wryly and immediately agreed.

Jinghai City

Prince Qin's Mansion

On either side of the entrance stood imposing soldiers in iron black armor, holding large halberds.

Inside the mansion was a luxurious pavilion, very quiet, without any signs of singing or dancing.

Generals awaited orders, strategists stood by.

In the very center was a handsome young man, wearing a white jade python dragon robe.

He had a pair of imposing golden eyes, and the sharp aura emanating from his body was like a unsheathed divine sword. His unruly eyes revealed the domineering nature of a king, incomparably arrogant.

He was the current Prince Qin of the Great Xia Dynasty, Yu Shihuang.

"Greetings, Prince Qin."

An old man in a Confucian robe bowed to the side.

"Hmph! You can't even handle this, can't even catch a person, are you all useless?"

Yu Shihuang snorted coldly, the anger in his words making the surrounding strategists and generals afraid to even breathe.

They knew that the one before them was not to be trifled with.

Prince Qin, Yu Shihuang.

The Great Xia Emperor's eldest son, the First Prince.

His status was very noble. Apart from the Second Prince and the Princess, he was the absolute authority in the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

The old man in the Confucian robe said, "Your Highness, please calm your anger. The Princess is in the Suzhou and Hangzhou area. Give us two more days, and we will find her."

Yu Shihuang waved his hand impatiently and questioned, "How is the situation in the capital recently?"

The old man in the Confucian robe cupped his hands and said seriously, "Your Highness, the Emperor has already handed over the 140,000 Capital Garrison Feather Army stationed in the capital and Guanzhong to the Second Prince to command. It can be said that the military power of the entire Great Xia Dynasty has been divided into three."

"That younger brother of mine is not an easy person to deal with either."

Yu Shihuang sneered and then said lightly, "What about the other two?"

The old man in the Confucian robe continued, "The second force is naturally the nearly 200,000 troops in Your Highness's hands, occupying half of the Central Plains and even the north, from the Hongmen Border in the north, to the Yao Mountain in the west, and reaching the coast in the east, with the widest range."

"Continue."

"The third force is the 300,000 troops under the Princess's command, occupying the south and the most core areas of the Central Plains, making it the largest force."

Yu Shihuang said calmly, "There's one more thing you didn't mention. Although they have 300,000 troops, most of them are civilian laborers transporting supplies. They should only have about 100,000 or so. In terms of ranking, they should be third."

The old man in the Confucian robe replied, "But the Princess's army is a battle-hardened force. Starting from scratch, rising from a mere few thousand soldiers in the south, winning repeatedly, developing to a force of 70,000, marching north, conquering Yan Capital, taking the Central Plains, suppressing the north, and cutting off the last straw of the Great Yan Dynasty."

"Well said!"

Yu Shihuang sneered, "Well said, cutting off the last straw of the Great Yan Dynasty. Then let's talk today about how to deal with my sister's army?"

The old man in the Confucian robe said, "Your Highness, this matter cannot be rushed. The Princess has no intention of competing for power, and she is currently in seclusion. There is no commander in the army, and there is no news. This is our best opportunity. If Your Highness is unwilling to take action, the Second Prince will also take action, but being too hasty will only alert the enemy."

Yu Shihuang shouted sharply, raised the glass cup, and smashed it hard: "Then come up with a solution for me. You have been following me for so many years, can't you handle an army trained by a woman?"

"Clang!"

The sound of the cup shattering came, and Yu Shihuang's sharp gaze swept around.

But no one dared to meet his eyes.

"Your Highness, I have a plan."

Among the strategists, a thin and slender strategist with a goatee, wearing a green robe, stood up and cupped his hands.

Yu Shihuang's expression softened slightly, and he frowned, "Speak quickly."

The strategist in the green robe stroked his goatee and said seriously, "The Princess's martial prowess is outstanding, everyone knows it. The strong army under her command is also first-class loyal, so we cannot use force, we can only outsmart them."

Yu Shihuang said faintly, "Spit it out, how do we outsmart her?"

"If the princess could get to where she is today, it would be impossible without someone supporting her from behind."

The strategist in blue smiled inscrutably.

"Oh? Who is it?"

The strategist in blue shook his feather fan and said, "Everything is at the top, naturally the one on the throne. If the current Emperor wasn't propping her up, the princess wouldn't have received so much support from the court and the public, let alone so much power. Once you ascend the throne, dealing with the iron army under the princess's command only requires a simple transfer order."

"You're saying, get my imperial father on my side?"

Yu Shihuang pondered and said.

"Correct." The strategist in blue smiled faintly.

"Now that the Emperor has been fighting wars for years, his body has suffered many hidden injuries. He is only barely holding on. Your Highness only needs to wait for the opportunity to ascend the throne in one fell swoop, and then issue a military order to disband them. All problems will be easily solved."

Yu Shihuang said casually, "I understand."

He pondered for a long time and made a decision.

"In that case, let's shift the focus to the Imperial City. As for my sister's side, there's no need to alert her. Send someone to the Black Market and let them handle it."

"Yes!"

Everyone accepted the order.