Chapter 132: Secret

Su Wan was unaware of the connection between the Cao family and Gu Huaizhi, so she didn’t dwell on the matter, thinking that once it passed, there would be no further involvement.

“The Qi Family Army is under my command, so don’t get any ideas,” Su Wan remarked casually, though Zhao Wei detected a warning in her tone. He sighed and replied, “I was looking for the Qi Family Army earlier because I didn’t want it to fall into Su Jihong’s hands, which would go against the wishes of the late General Qi. As long as they are under your command, I have no ulterior motives.”

Su Wan’s opinion of Zhao Wei rose; he was forthright and honorable, with an open and generous heart.

“The Qi Family Army hasn’t undergone formal training in recent years. We’ve recruited new soldiers—can we use your grounds to train and drill alongside your soldiers? Mutual exchange and progress?”

Zhao Wei, being stationed in Guangling Prefecture, had the final say in this matter.

Su Wan suggested, “If it’s inconvenient for you, we can change the location and practice somewhere else.”

“It’s convenient,” Zhao Wei was quite surprised by Su Wan’s consideration. “The Qi Family Army can certainly spar with others.”

“They’ve all learned the same martial techniques, so they’re very familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. But without fighting against different opponents, their real combat skills could be a weakness. 

The Zhao Family Army is currently the most formidable force. Competing against stronger opponents and going through a ‘hell mode’ of training will allow them to improve rapidly.”

The Qi Family Army had flourished under Su Wan’s grandfather, becoming renowned across the nine provinces. Su Wan was determined not to let them fade into obscurity under her leadership.

If there wasn’t a good environment available, she would do everything in her power to create one for them.

Zhao Wei regarded Su Wan with newfound respect. “Alright, you can set the time.”

Su Wan, pleased, responded, “Thank you, General Zhao!”

Zhao Wei nodded slightly, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Zhao Da gave Su Wan a deep look, as if he had figured something out. Their general was not usually someone who was so easily persuaded.

It seemed that whenever Su Wan made a request, no matter how outlandish, the general would agree.

A beauty that brings disaster, he thought to himself.

A hero is no match for a beautiful woman.

An age-old truth.

As Zhao Da caught up with his general, he noticed something he hadn’t before—there was a certain air of melancholy and solitude about him.

He’s twenty-six now, at an age where, in another eight or nine years, he could be a grandfather.

But Su Wan is already married.

Poor general.

Meanwhile, Qi Third, with a look of resignation, complained, “Young lady, we’re already living in hell every day. The boss doesn’t treat us like humans during training. Now, if we have to train and spar with the Zhao Family Army, what if we end up embarrassing them? If they get angry and decide to gang up on us, what if they wipe us out completely?”

“General Zhao isn’t the type to be narrow-minded,” Su Wan said with a faint smile as she glanced at Qi Third.

Qi Third shrank his neck and muttered, “Well, that’s not necessarily true. Old General Qi was a mighty figure, commanding awe across the land. Who wouldn’t speak well of him? But our boss once said that back when the Old General went to the frontier, he lost to a woman. He would have had to cede territory, but his head could be cut off, and blood could be shed—there was no way he could give up even an inch of the Great Zhou’s land.

But a true man of his word, once a promise is made, it’s as irrevocable as a team of horses. The Old General, not wanting to lose face and yet desiring to go back on his word, cleverly tricked that woman into coming back with him to have children. Not only did he not have to cede any land, but he also gained a wife for free.”

Su Wan: “…”

Qi Third, sounding like he was giving heartfelt advice to a child, continued, “Young lady, people’s hearts are hidden, especially a man’s words. When it comes to matters of interest, they can be full of deceit. Apart from our Qi Family Army, you shouldn’t trust anyone.”

Su Wan: “…”

“The woman my grandfather tricked… was that my grandmother?”

Su Wan was unaware of the stories surrounding Old General Qi and his wife, so she asked, “Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Qi Third and Qi Fifth exchanged glances, silently communicating with each other. Finally, Qi Fifth coughed, rubbed his nose, and said, “We don’t know much, just what we’ve heard from the boss.”

“The world is divided into four kingdoms today, but decades ago, there was constant warfare among them. When the Old General was attacking the Yue Kingdom, he crossed the Changdu Mountains and unexpectedly saved a young woman. She was very beautiful and highly skilled in both martial arts and scholarly pursuits. The Old General greatly admired her talent, wisdom, and strategy. She accompanied the army to the border between the Great Zhou(Kingdom) and the Yue Kingdom, where it was revealed that this young woman was actually from the Kingdom of Xiliang and held a significant status—possibly even a female general of Xiliang. Facing the prospect of becoming a hostage, she made a bet with the Old General.”

“If she lost, she would serve the Old General and work with Xiliang to help him attack the Yue Kingdom. If she won, the Old General would cede the city of Changdu Mountain to Xiliang and assist them in their battle against the Yue Kingdom.

At that time, the Yue Kingdom had already allied with the Great Chu(Kingdom). Having another ally would have made things much easier. The Old General might have been… well, let’s just say he saw the situation as beneficial and agreed to the bet.”

The Old General had a long history of winning battles and had never lost before, but fate was unkind this time. He ended up losing to this young woman, much to his shock. Given his reputation, he couldn’t go back on his word without damaging his authority and credibility within the army.

However, for reasons unknown, the young woman never brought up returning to Xiliang. Instead, she allied with Xiliang to help the Old General attack the Yue Kingdom and Great Chu, which greatly strengthened their forces. Together, they dealt one defeat after another to the Yue Kingdom and Great Chu.

Several months later, after the Yue Kingdom and Great Chu surrendered, the young woman disappeared, and it was rumored among the soldiers that she had returned to Xiliang.

Half a year later, just as Old General Qi was preparing to return to the capital, someone brought a child to him.

That child was Qi Min. The Old General never married, and he personally raised the child himself.

The fact that this young woman was a general from Xiliang was not a secret, so everyone knew that Qi Min had half of her bloodline from Xiliang.

Back then, Qi Min and the Regent were in love, but because of her lineage, the royal family sent a clear signal: if Qi Min wanted to marry the Regent, Old General Qi would have to surrender his military power and the Qi Family Army. If she wanted to preserve the Qi family’s power, her only option was to marry the current Emperor; she could not marry any other member of the royal family.

Qi Min understood the Regent’s ambitions. Even if the Qi family handed over their military power, the Regent would become a sidelined prince, and they would be left vulnerable, like fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

To protect the Qi family, Qi Min ended her relationship with the Regent. Before the royal family could issue an arranged marriage, the Su family came forward with a proposal, and Qi Min resolutely married Su Jihong.

As Qi Min’s health deteriorated, she feared that the Su family might harm Su Wan or set their sights on the Qi family’s influence. To prevent this, she arranged an engagement between Su Wan and the Crown Prince, indirectly signaling to the royal family that Su Wan was the Qi family’s only heir. Marrying her to the Crown Prince would ensure that the Qi family’s military power would return to the royal family. This would prevent the royal family from suppressing the Qi family and instead make them protect Su Wan.

However, just as Su Wan was about to marry the Crown Prince, the Regent suddenly intervened.

“Ah, aside from our Qi Family Army, the Qi family’s military power is in the Regent’s hands now,” Qi Third said with a pout, thinking about how the Regent had ruined Su Wan’s engagement. “The Regent might still hold a grudge against your mother for abandoning him.”

Su Wan hadn’t expected there to be such a hidden story behind it all. She softly responded, “He doesn’t hold a grudge against my mother.”