Chapter 1

Ning Zhen’s car suddenly stopped, but she remained unaware. 

Her eyes were vacant, lost in thought. 

The adjutant driving for her spoke, “Fourth Miss, someone has blocked the road. It’s a car from the military government.” 

Ning Zhen snapped back to reality. 

A car was parked horizontally in front of them. 

The door opened, and a slender, straight leg wrapped in sheer stockings stepped out, followed by a lady. 

The graceful woman wore a red cheongsam embroidered with gold-threaded peonies.  

In the sunlight, the golden threads shimmered, accentuating her radiant face. 

The lady walked over. 

Ning Zhen didn’t get out of the car; she simply rolled down the window. 

The woman leaned on the car window with her elbow. “Hello, Fourth Miss Ning. I’m FanFan.” 

Ning Zhen’s gaze remained calm. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t bite. I just came to see what the future mistress looks like in advance,” FanFan said with a playful smile, her eyes sparkling as a subtle violet fragrance wafted from her sleeve. 

“Did you get a good look?” Ning Zhen asked. 

FanFan laughed again. 

This laugh was filled with meaning, and the condescension was obvious. 

“You’re a beauty,” FanFan said with a smile, “but the Warlord doesn’t like such prim and proper types. You should know that.” 

Ning Zhen continued to stare at her. 

She was neither timid nor angry. Her dark eyes, like two icy orbs, quietly emitted a cold light. 

FanFan felt a sudden chill. 

But having dealt with many pretentious people before, FanFan wasn’t fazed. She wasn’t a typical household woman. She quickly recovered, smiling again. “Fourth Miss Ning, I have a gift for you.” 

With that, she took a gun from her handbag and pointed it at Ning Zhen. 

The driver was startled. “Fourth Miss!” 

Ning Zhen remained unmoved, quietly watching FanFan. 

“Have you seen this? It’s a new model Browning,” FanFan said, pushing the barrel closer. 

The driver was about to get out to protect Ning Zhen. 

FanFan was also expecting Ning Zhen to be terrified. 

Finally, Ning Zhen’s expression shifted. 

She didn’t laugh, nor did she get angry. She just sighed softly, “How foolish…” 

The moment the words fell, pain shot through FanFan’s wrist. 

It happened too quickly, and before she realized it, Ning Zhen had already taken the gun, turning the barrel back on FanFan’s forehead. 

FanFan was momentarily stunned. 

“My father graduated from the Military Academy, and my brothers all attended military school. You think you can play with a gun in front of me?” Ning Zhen’s eyes turned icy. 

FanFan, ignoring the barrel, stood up straight. “What can you do? Even with a gun, would you really dare to shoot me?” 

The gun fired. 

Something in FanFan’s mind snapped. She instinctively fell, clutching her head. 

Having followed Sheng Changyu for years, seen battle, and survived assassinations, FanFan knew well what the sound of gunfire meant. 

Where does it hurt? 

Ning Zhen finally pushed open the car door. 

She was wearing a pale pink Western dress, her tall, slender figure poised, gazing down at FanFan. 

FanFan, huddled on the ground, clutching her head, looked utterly pathetic. 

Only then did she realize that her left shoulder had been grazed by the bullet. A burning pain seared through her. Her clothes were torn, and the wound was visible, but the bullet hadn’t penetrated her body. 

“Ning Zhen, you dare shoot me?” FanFan yelled, both furious and in pain. “Do you even know who I am?” 

“I do. You’re Warlord Sheng Changyu’s second concubine,” Ning Zhen replied quietly, bending slightly to look at her. 

“You’ll regret this,” FanFan bit her lip. “The Warlord won’t let you off!” 

“Then go and file your complaint,” Ning Zhen said calmly. 

With her slender, pale hands, she casually disassembled the gun, letting the bullets fall one by one next to FanFan. 

“Go tell the Warlord, or tell the old lady, and ask them to stand up for you. This is your first warning. If you dare disrespect me again, next time the bullet will go through your head.” 

Ning Zhen’s voice was steady, unhurried, and measured. 

Her dark eyes were as deep and cold as a still, ancient lake, with all emotions buried beneath the surface, revealing nothing. 

She threw the handgun aside, turned, and got back into the car. “Back to the residence,” she ordered the adjutant driving. 

The car started smoothly. 

Ning Zhen gently rubbed her wrist and sighed softly. 

There was an emergency in southern Anhui. Ning Zhen’s father, Commander Ning Shizhuo, was trapped on the front lines. 

This rebellion suppression was ordered by Warlord Sheng Changyu. But when Ning Zhen’s father and brothers were surrounded, the warlord didn’t send reinforcements. 

Ning Zhen had no authority to intervene in military matters. 

She had been exchanging telegrams with her second brother, and the situation was growing more dire as the rebels were closing in on the Yangtze River. 

The Ning family was desperate but powerless. 

Ning Zhen went to the Sheng family residence, hoping to ask the old Lady for help. 

Regardless of what plans the warlord had, the immediate crisis on the front lines needed to be addressed. 

The old Lady reassured her with a pat on the hand. “Good child, don’t worry. I’ll have Changyu send reinforcements to southern Anhui. Your father and brothers will return.” 

It was Ning Zhen’s first time meeting the old Lady. 

A few days later, a marriage proposal came from the Warlord’s residence. 

The old Lady wanted Ning Zhen to be her daughter-in-law. 

“The warlord has a favored concubine who has been with him for years. The old Lady also had someone close to her become one of his concubines. 

The two concubines each have powerful backing, and their rivalry has caused constant turmoil. The old Lady has long wanted to marry the warlord to a proper wife who can bring order.” The adjutant had gone out to gather information. 

Ning Zhen, who dared to involve herself in military affairs and even approached the old Lady for help, was looked upon favorably by her. 

The Ning family had been in the military for generations. Their women were not only known for their beauty and grace but also for their ability to bear children. 

With her father and brothers trapped on the front lines, their lives were in someone else’s hands. Ning Zhen didn’t hesitate and agreed at once. 

“The warlord is young, capable, and a fierce warrior. To marry him would be a blessing,” she told her mother and grandmother. 

She made sure that this message was passed back to the old Lady of the Sheng family. 

The old Lady was very pleased. 

In line with the customs of the Democratic Government, they first sent the betrothal gifts, then signed the marriage contract. 

When the betrothal gifts arrived, Ning Zhen was supposed to meet Warlord Sheng Changyu during the signing of the marriage contract. 

But she never saw him. 

The contract came with Sheng Changyu’s signature already on it, delivered to the Ning family. 

Ning Zhen signed her part and had it sent to the military government for filing. 

Just like that, she became Sheng Changyu’s fiancée, with the wedding scheduled for the seventh of April. 

The woman who had provoked her on the road today was one of Sheng Changyu’s two concubines. 

“Do not let my family know about this,” Ning Zhen instructed the adjutant. 

The adjutant complied. 

However, the news couldn’t be kept hidden. 

Her mother found out quickly. 

“…You shouldn’t have agreed to this. The Sheng family is too treacherous. It’s not a good match,” her mother sobbed. 

Ning Zhen held her hand. “The old Lady wants me to bring order to the household and manage the Sheng family. From now on, the Sheng family will be the Ning family’s support. 

Mother, I’m marrying to become the warlord’s wife, not to compete with concubines. Don’t worry, I’ll do well. I’ll make both the old Lady and the warlord happy.” 

Her mother still wept. 

Her grandmother called Ning Zhen over. 

“…There are some things your mother may not be comfortable telling you, so I must. Warlord Sheng Changyu holds a grudge against your father,” her grandmother hesitated to say. 

Ning Zhen replied, “I know. Su Qing’er’s death is linked to our family. Su Qing’er was Sheng Changyu’s childhood sweetheart.” 

Her grandmother sighed, “This marriage is indeed a ‘dragon’s den and tiger’s lair.’ If you want to break off the engagement before the wedding, I can step in…” 

“Sheng Changyu clearly wants to use this to settle a personal score, letting my father and brothers die on the front lines. His actions are reckless, and the old Lady fears it could destabilize the military and morale. 

The old Lady wants him to marry me, not just to calm the turmoil among the concubines, but to save my father’s life and ease tensions in the military for Sheng Changyu,” Ning Zhen said slowly. 

“Grandmother, I’ve understood this from the start, which is why I agreed to the old Lady’s proposal without hesitation. Rest assured, the Ning family’s daughter is no fool. I can handle being the warlord’s wife.”