My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Ashina Simo was furious to see that Hegan Chengji was launching attacks frequently and always targeting his vital points.

He gripped his long Japanese sword with both hands and launched a counterattack.

It is said that the Xiongnu soldiers used straight swords as weapons, which greatly enhanced the Xiongnu army's attack power and lethality. This may be one of the reasons why the Xiongnu were able to unify the northern grasslands.

Both the Xiongnu and the Turks were nomadic peoples, and they shared many similarities in their lifestyles.

They carried tents and rode horses; wherever they went, that was home.

Boys start practicing horseback riding, wrestling, archery, and swordsmanship from a young age.

Ashina Simo was no exception. He was smarter than ordinary people, and he learned everything faster than others. His swordsmanship was also very advanced.

The long Japanese sword in his hand slashed horizontally and vertically, his attacks were extremely fierce.

Ashina Simo and Hegan Chengji fought for more than ten rounds, but still could not determine a winner.

The two men circled around the field, then huddled together in the middle, their swords tangled, inseparable.

Everyone who saw it was terrified; those who practiced martial arts understood...

When swords and knives are tangled together, it is extremely dangerous, and someone could die at any moment.

Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Li Chengan quickly stood up and shouted, "Stop!"

but,

At this point, Hegan Chengji and Ashina Simo were both blinded by rage and neither would listen to reason or give up first.

Both of them were straining desperately, their faces red, necks thick, veins bulging on their foreheads, and their eyes bloodshot.

Li Chengan realized the situation was bad and thought that if things continued like this, someone would surely die.

He immediately stood up and shouted, "Stop!"

but,

At this moment, both Hegan Chengji and Ashina Simo wished they could kill each other with one move and were unwilling to stop.

Li Chenggan wondered what to do.

Ashina Simo and Hegan Chengji were like two mad bulls, neither willing to admit defeat and only wanting to attack.

Li Chengan quickly leaped between the two men, grasped the swords with both hands, and shouted, "Open!"

Ashina Simo staggered back seven or eight steps before barely managing to regain his footing.

He Gan Chengji also retreated more than ten feet away with a "thump thump thump".

Li Chenggan handed the sword to Hegan Chengji.

He Gan Chengji took the sword, his face flushing. He was actually very grateful; if Li Chenggan hadn't come to his rescue...

One of them, Ashina Simo, will definitely get hurt, or even lose their life.

Li Chengan put the long Japanese sword away again.

He patted Ashina Simo on the shoulder: "Your swordsmanship is quite good. You haven't mastered this sword yet. Once you do, its power will definitely be even greater."

Ashina Simo realized he had been somewhat rash and said with a hint of shame, "Your Highness, I—".

Li Chengan waved his hand: "You don't need to say anything more. I know you're a good man."

"Both of you, sit down!"

Ashina Simo and Hegan Chengji glared at each other and then sat down again!

As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, while experts see the details. Li Chenggan's move just now was truly a display of skill that surpassed all others.

Everyone present was a master, even Xue Rengui was no exception.

He dared not say that he could definitely separate Ashina Simo's and Hegan Chengji's swords.

To disassemble their swords, the heat and force needed to be just right.

Otherwise, you will not only fail to separate others, but you will also hurt yourself.

Therefore, everyone admired Li Chenggan even more.

……

The fourteenth day of the first lunar month, in the morning.

Chang'an, Su Family Supermarket.

Because wine has been selling particularly well lately, Su Wan sometimes comes to the supermarket to help out.

Su Wan has her own business philosophy; she knows that being too rigid in business is not a good approach.

Even the best wine needs good marketing.

Therefore, she often plans marketing campaigns, such as "buy one get one free," or buy a jar of wine and get a set of wine bottles for free.

For example, there's a Members' Day, which is held every fifth day of the month, where the entire supermarket offers a 88% discount.

At this moment, two people walked into the supermarket. Su Wan looked up and saw that the two people who came in were Lu Zhaolin and Fuyu Fengzhang.

Fu Yu Fengzhang stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness, I have fully recovered and have come to express my gratitude."

Su Wan put down her work, untied her apron, and invited the two of them to sit down in the reception room. Su Wan personally poured a bowl of tea for each of them.

Su Wan smiled and asked, "Fuyu Fengzhang, have you fully recovered?"

"Yes.

Lu Zhaolin's miraculous healing skills brought the patient back to health; the medicine cured the illness instantly!

That's wonderful!

I heard that your army suffered heavy losses.

Fu Yu Fengzhang's expression was solemn: "Your Highness, yes. We have lost some men."

However, I understand that this matter is neither the Crown Prince's fault nor the Heavenly Khan's fault; someone secretly plotted against him.

"I'm glad you understand."

Su Wan nodded, thinking that Fuyu Fengzhang was indeed a sensible person. "Prince Fengzhang, we are also heartbroken by what happened. However, the Heavenly Khan has indeed issued an edict to release you and lifted the siege on your army."

The Crown Prince has already written me a letter.

In his letter, he instructed that he would definitely make up for your losses.

Here's what I'll do. I've prepared 20 taels of silver. Take it and use it to treat the wounded and recruit more soldiers to replenish your ranks.

Fu Yufengzhang quickly declined, saying, "No, no, no, I haven't been of any help here this time, and I've only caused you a lot of trouble. How can I possibly take your money again?"

"The Crown Prince has repeatedly instructed you to accept this matter!"

"Wait a moment, you can bring people and vehicles to the warehouse to pick them up."

Seeing that he could not refuse, Fuyu Fengzhang had no choice but to accept it.

"Because my soldiers are waiting for me, and time is of the essence, I must take my leave now."

"Alright, when you get back, be sure to explain things clearly to your father so that there are no misunderstandings between the two of you."

Also, don't forget what you promised the Emperor: persuade your father to sever ties with Goguryeo and draw a clear line between them.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will definitely handle this matter well."

Fuyu Fengzhang thanked Lu Zhaolin again, and then led his men to the warehouse to retrieve the silver.

Watching Fu Yu Fengzhang's departing figure, Su Wan sighed, "Fu Yu Fengzhang is quite good, unlike his older brother Fu Yu Long."

Lu Zhaolin agreed: "Yes, this person is very reasonable and not the kind of person who argues unreasonably."

Su Wan asked curiously, "What kind of poison did Fuyu Fengzhang suffer from? How did you treat him?"

"He was poisoned by a kind of poison from the Western Regions called Yin-Yang Intercourse Smoke. Any man poisoned by this poison will feel hot all over, his blood will swell, and he will be burning with lust, and he will have to have sex with a woman."

Otherwise, the internal organs will be burned, and eventually, the patient will die from bleeding from all seven orifices.

This is similar to the poison that the Crown Prince was given a few days ago.

"What?"

The Crown Prince was also poisoned by this? How come I didn't know?

"This—." Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaolin realized he had let something slip.

He originally thought Su Wan knew about this, but it turns out Su Wan was still in the dark.

Su Wan couldn't help but ask, "How is the Crown Prince doing now?"

"He has fully recovered."

"He's recovered? How did he recover? Did you treat him?"

"No, that's not it."

"Since you didn't treat him, how was his poison cured?"

Lu Zhaolin was immediately speechless, thinking to himself that this matter was difficult to explain.

"Didn't you just say that men poisoned by this must have sex with women?"

"Yes...yes," Lu Zhaolin said, forcing a smile.

"So, who did he share a room with?"

Who exactly is that woman?

Lu Zhaolin realized that things had already gone this far, and it was no longer possible to hide the truth any longer.

He then thought that the truth would eventually come out, so he might as well tell the truth.

"Your Highness, Princess Consort, to be honest, there is a woman who has shared a room with you. That woman is Princess Qu Zhili of Gaochang, and she is already pregnant with your child."

I've already checked her pulse; Qu Zhili is carrying a boy.

"What? They even have a child?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wan immediately fainted.

Lu Zhaolin quickly called Xue'er over.

Xue'er patted Su Wan's chest and pounded her back. After the two of them busied themselves for a while, Su Wan finally came to her senses and caught her breath. When she understood what had happened, she burst into tears.

"You, Li Chenggan, you're really something! You kept saying you only loved me, but it was all a lie!"

Last time, at Liujia Mountain, I saw you hugging and kissing Qu Zhili, and you vehemently denied it.

I never expected that you two would get pregnant so quickly. You heartless bastard, this shows that you've slept in the same bed more than once. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been such a coincidence that you got pregnant, right?

I won't let you get away with this!

Xue'er could only try to persuade her from the side: "Master, try to think more positively."

Do you remember what you said to me back then?

You said Li Chengqian is the crown prince, destined to be emperor, unlike ordinary men.

Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect the emperor to be loyal to you; how could that be possible?

You said you wouldn't be as foolish as Princess Kuri, unable to think things through. Those words still ring in my ears, how could you forget them?

"As long as you can keep your position as Crown Princess, you can go and cause trouble outside with the Crown Prince."

"But the crucial issue is, now that they even have a child, do you think he still has feelings for me?"

Lu Zhaolin thought to himself that the reason Su Wan was so angry was because he had spoken too quickly. If he hadn't said anything, Su Wan wouldn't have been so angry.

Lu Zhaolin explained, "As far as I know, that night, when the Crown Prince was with Qu Zhili, he kept calling out your name."

That night, he was both drunk and confused due to poisoning.

He simply couldn't control himself.

"You mean when the Crown Prince was with Qu Zhili, he mistook Qu Zhili for me?" Su Wan stopped crying.

"Yes, the Crown Prince still loves you."

Upon hearing this, Su Wan felt somewhat at peace, but she was still deeply grieved.

She wiped away her tears and asked, "When will the Crown Prince return? I want to settle accounts with him."

"Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and also the day of the martial arts examination. I suppose he will come back."

"Fine! Xue'er, prepare a knife for me. I want to kill him myself!" Su Wan's eyes were filled with resentment.

"Your Highness, are you crazy? This won't do. If you kill the Crown Prince, you'll become a widow." Xue'er advised.

"I told you to prepare, so just prepare."

Lu Zhaolin inwardly groaned, thinking to himself that he had really messed up this time, saying both things he should and shouldn't have said.

Just at this time,

Su Gui has arrived.

Seeing Su Wan so upset, he quickly asked, "Sister, what's wrong? Who upset you?"

I'll beat him up for you and avenge you!

"It was Li Chenggan who angered me!"

"What? How is this possible?" Su Gui couldn't understand.

Xue'er then gave a general account of what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Su Gui's eyes widened in anger, and her face flushed red: "Is there really such a thing?"

If Li Chenggan really is a womanizer,

"Sister, how do you want to punish him? Should we break his arms, chop off his legs, or just castrate him? I'm willing to risk it all!"

Hearing this from the side, Lu Zhaolin thought to himself, "This kid is really audacious. He even dares to hit the Crown Prince and said he would castrate him. If that really happens, what will your sister do?"

Su Wan rolled her eyes at Su Gui: "What's between me and the Crown Prince is none of your business. I'll handle it myself, don't interfere!"

"Sister, no matter what, I won't let you suffer. I'll definitely avenge you."

No matter who he is, even the King of Heaven can't bully you!

Su Wan waved her hand: "Last time, because of the arrest of Chengxin and Wei Lingfu, the Emperor already had a problem with you. Don't cause any more trouble. Keep a low profile, understand?"

Although Su Gui was unconvinced, she dared not argue back.

He scratched his head, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Su Wan seemed to sense that he had something to say, so she said, "Just say what you have to say, or shut up."

"Sister, tomorrow is the martial arts exam, and I want to sign up for it."

"No, I don't agree." Su Wan refused without even thinking.

Why?

"Father made this very clear last time: you cannot participate in the martial arts exam."

The Emperor has already expressed his dissatisfaction because your official rank has risen too quickly.

In other words, even the Emperor thinks your official rank has risen too quickly.

Are you still going to try and seize the general's seal?

"Why not? If I can win the martial arts championship, wouldn't the general's seal be mine?" Su Gui said confidently.

"Naive! Even if you're the top martial arts champion, you can't become a general."

"Sister, why is that?"

"As a general, bravery is certainly important, but strategy is the most important thing."

Do you consider yourself a master strategist?

Su Gui was still unconvinced: "Even if I'm a little slow, what does it matter?"

Back then, Wei Qing came from a poor family; he was just an illegitimate child.

Later, he was given the opportunity to lead an expedition, with four armies, each with ten thousand men, to attack the Xiongnu.

Wei Qing formulated a detailed battle plan, led his army straight to Longcheng, and captured more than 700 Xiongnu nobles.

The other three routes were all defeated.

Emperor Wu of Han bestowed great honors upon Wei Qing, and from then on, Wei Qing rose rapidly through the ranks.

If Wei Qing hadn't had that opportunity to go on that expedition, how could he have achieved what he did later?

"My skills are now far superior to what they used to be, and I have gained considerable experience in leading troops into battle. If the court doesn't give me a chance to prove myself, how do they know I'm not up to the task?" Su Gui was like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, full of confidence.

Do you think you can compare to Wei Qing?

Among Wei Zifu's brothers, besides Wei Qing, there were also Wei Bu, Wei Guang, and others. Why couldn't they all achieve success?

Therefore, while Wei Qing's brilliant achievements were not unrelated to Empress Wei Zifu, the most important factor was Wei Qing's own exceptional talent and ability.

Although he had not systematically studied military strategy, he was a natural-born commander.

He had carefully studied, deduced, and simulated how to fight against the Xiongnu army, and developed his own set of combat methods, which were actually feasible.

If we compare him to Li Guang, he may not be as brave as Li Guang in terms of individual combat, but he is far superior to Li Guang in terms of large-scale troop operations.

That is why Li Guang's entire army was wiped out in that battle, while Wei Qing achieved a brilliant victory.

Success is never accidental; you still have a lot more experience to gain!