The mistress who remarried has returned.

Qin Huai laughed, "You value your own life, but perhaps you value the lives of your subordinates and your young son. There are 146 of your loyal followers outside; I can kill them all and let you return to Daqi alone. Then your master will surely doubt your loyalty, wondering why everyone else died while you alone returned alive?"

Meng Qian's eyes widened suddenly. He had always heard that Qin Huai of the Great Zhou was extremely cunning, but now, with just a few words, he had already grasped his weakness. He couldn't help but weigh the pros and cons in his mind.

Qin Huai called softly, "Liu Shun."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Shun, who was outside, shouted in a loud voice, "Fire the arrows!"

After a short, sharp sound of arrows piercing the air, a chorus of screams erupted from the barracks courtyard. A hail of arrows rained down on the group of suicide soldiers.

"This arrow did not hit any vital organs," Qin Huai said in a deep voice.

Meng Qian's expression changed drastically. He didn't care if Qin Huai hurt or attacked him, but now that he was hurting his subordinates, it was tantamount to psychological torture. If he wanted to protect his subordinates, he had to hand over the secret. Even if he didn't protect his subordinates and was released back to Daqi alone, his master would suspect that he had been bought off by Da Zhou and that Qin Huai had blocked his path.

Qin Huai shrugged at Meng Qian, "You can also choose to surrender to me. Although I won't give you an important position, I won't harm you either. I'll give you a property, and supporting you in your old age won't be a problem; it's just a matter of a few taels of silver. The decision is yours, not mine."

Meng Qian has already loosened his grip.

The doorman went back and forth in the study courtyard, and whenever Liu Shun had a spare moment, he would hurry over to report.

Upon hearing from the doorman that the Xue family had something to discuss with General Qin, Liu Shun entered the study and whispered in Qin Huai's ear, "Miss Xue just sent someone to say that her nephew was beaten at school. The father of the child who beat him is also an official of the court, with a similar rank to her eldest brother. The eldest son of the Xue family doesn't want to settle this privately and hopes to teach the other party a fatal lesson. However, it's not easy to deal with someone of equal rank, so they need the General's help to oversee and make a decision."

"I'm discussing business with distinguished guests from Daqi," Qin Huai frowned, glanced at Meng Qian, and then said to Liu Shun, "How could I have time to concern myself with her nephew's affairs? Do I really need to get involved in such trivial matters as children fighting and pulling hair?"

After receiving the order, Liu Shun said, "Then I will go and have someone politely refuse the Xue family."

Qin Huai didn't say anything about going with Liu Shun to handle the matter. After Liu Shun left, he thought of Xue Cheng, who was the Vice Minister of Rites, a fourth-rank official. There were only a few officials of the same rank in the court, so he called out, "Liu Shun."

Liu Shun paused and stepped forward. "General, please give your orders."

"Don't rush to politely refuse the Xue family. Go and ask the Xue family's messenger which official from the imperial court was responsible for the assault."

"Yes." Liu Shun paused outside the door and answered through the door panel, then immediately arranged for soldiers to go outside the barracks to ask the Xue family.

Qin Huai stood up, stared at Meng Qian, and then lazily said to the outside, "Liu Shun, starting with Young Master Meng, shoot all those people outside, and then release Meng Qian back to Daqi. I don't have time to waste here. I have so many things to take care of."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Shen Shu also stood up and followed Qin Huai to leave, engaging in a psychological battle with Meng Qian alongside Qin Huai. "General Qin has ordered us to shoot his vital points this time."

Hearing the sound of bows being drawn outside, and seeing his own men, whom he had personally trained, and even his own son, about to die before his eyes, Meng Qian's mental defenses completely collapsed. He said, "It was Wen Quan who opened the door and let us into the Great Zhou. We were mixed in with the people from your vassal states who were delivering New Year's goods to his residence."

Qin Huai slowly turned around. "Where do you and Wen Quan usually meet up?"

Meng Qian said, "We meet at the Moon-Viewing Pavilion in the dense forest of Sanheli. We meet on the fifth day of every month."

What was his motive?

"I don't know. He only helped me steal your topographical map. I don't know why he helped me. Was it to get rid of you, or something else? I'm not sure. People at the top of the court like you never reveal your motives."

Qin Huai nodded. "Indeed, he won't reveal his motives."

"I've told you the truth. Please keep your promise and let us be safe." Meng Qian asked Qin Huai for a guarantee.

Shen Shu chuckled. Meng Qian's understanding of Qin Huai was still too superficial.

Qin Huai is a man who always eliminates problems completely, without exception. He never allows himself to fall into indecisiveness, no matter who he is dealing with.

The bows were drawn taut and all the arrows were fired. After the wails of the fifteen-year-old boy and the 146 assassins in the courtyard, all fell into a deathly silence.

Qin Huai turned around, looked at Meng Qian, and smiled politely, "Don't easily trust your enemies. However, it's too late for you to regret it now. I'll send you on your way later anyway. Keeping you around will only cause trouble later."

Meng Qian was greatly agitated and burst into a tirade: "You dog thief, you tricked me! You dog thief..."

With a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood, and before any torture could begin, he had already died of anger in his chair, bleeding from all seven orifices. A considerable amount of blood splattered onto Qin Huai's clothes; he had actually been driven to death by anger.

Shen Shu lifted the curtain first, asking his friend with concern, "What happened to your lower lip, Qin Huai?"

"You're feeling hot and bothered." Qin Huaining glanced at Shen Shu but didn't elaborate.

Shen Shu repeated, "So it was just internal heat..."

Qin Huai composed himself. "What are you thinking in broad daylight?"

"What I'm thinking about is beyond words," Shen Shu joked with a light laugh, "I just can't stop..."

Qin Huai only said, "Take care of cleaning up here, make sure it's clean, and don't disturb Wen Quan."

"Leave it to me. I may not be as smart as you, but I'm quite good at cleaning up the mess."

Shen Shu glanced at Qin Huai's lips again; they didn't look like he was suffering from internal heat at all.

It looks like it's been bitten.

A man like Qin Huai, who is law-abiding and knows his limits, would never tolerate someone biting his lip. Has he secretly taken in another one? Or has he made a move on that widowed Miss Xue?

However, Qin Huai's marriage was not his own decision, and family tradition dictated that he could not take a concubine before marrying his wife. Unless he intended to grant her status, he would not have acted rashly. The Xue family had fallen on hard times, and Empress Xiao's eldest princess was still young at the time. Although Zhou Yuan had now come of age, the Yan family had lost power, and Empress Xiao was imprisoned in the cold palace. Therefore, Qin Huai's marriage had been delayed until now. The Qin family was taking a wait-and-see approach.

Seeing someone come over to relay a message to Liu Shun, Qin Huai asked, "What did they say?"

"We've already found out." Liu Shun bowed to Qin Huai. "The Xue family said that the one who beat someone was Su Yunze, the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue, and his mother, Wang Guirong, is currently with him to make the judgment."

Qin Huai's gaze fell on the sword training posts in the barracks. The posts were covered with countless scratches and puncture marks from sharp blades, densely packed with old wounds. Apart from the lack of a bellyband, the posts resembled the scene he had inspected two days ago. He then asked, "Has Wang Guirong and her men already arrived at the Xue residence?"

Liu Shun replied, "That's exactly right. What do you mean?"

"I'm going to the Xue residence." As Liu Shun finished speaking, Qin Huai walked towards the stables and decisively replied, "Wang Shi is too arrogant. Does she think she can do whatever she wants without anyone interfering?"

Liu Shun was taken aback. How come he suddenly had time to meddle in such trivial matters as kids fighting and tearing each other's hair?