Xu Shijie realized he could no longer speak clearly, so he furiously lifted his head and pointed at Shen Qingwan.

She looked down at Xu Shijie, who was kneeling at her feet.

Just as his hand lifted, she swiftly kicked him in the head.

The already weakened Xu Shijie was completely knocked out by her blow.

“Sorry, I thought he was about to attack me,” Shen Qingwan said stiffly, with not a trace of sincerity.

Her attitude seemed to say, Yes, I did it on purpose. What can you do about it?

Murong Wushuang hadn’t expected her to be this fierce when angered, yet somehow, it made her seem genuine—perhaps even… adorable.

Beichen Yuan, however, gritted his teeth and ordered someone to take Xu Shijie away for treatment.

As for Shen Qingwan, he called her to the command tent for a discussion.

Murong Wushuang, worried that Beichen Yuan might protect his own people unfairly, wanted to step in for Shen Qingwan.

However, Beichen Yuan asked him to leave, clearly intending to speak with her alone.

Shen Qingwan wasn’t surprised.

This wasn’t their first meeting, after all, so she didn’t bother being overly polite—especially since this dog of a man had once tried to take her life.

The murderous look in his eyes made it obvious that he had recognized her.

Inside the tent, it was just the two of them. Beichen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, eyes burning with suppressed rage.

“You’ve got some nerve, daring to walk right into my camp,” he said coldly.

Shen Qingwan’s lips curved into a slow smile. “If I weren’t bold, how could I dare deliver food supplies to the Zhenbei Army in times like these? If I weren’t bold, how could I risk my life capturing enemy spies infiltrating the camp? I may be a merchant, but I’m not one to be bullied. Since your men humiliated mine, I have every right to demand justice.”

Her words sounded like a response, but every sentence was a reminder of her value and contributions to the Zhenbei Army.

Beichen Yuan was momentarily speechless—after all, they were still eating the supplies she had provided. It wouldn’t be right to say anything too unreasonable.

“This is a military camp. Vice General Xu will be disciplined according to military law. It is not your place to take matters into your own hands. I won’t hold you accountable for today’s events, but that’s the end of it.”

Beichen Yuan wasn’t particularly keen on protecting Xu Shijie.

That guy had indeed become arrogant and reckless in the camp, and getting beaten up might actually teach him a lesson.

However, seeing Shen Qingwan’s composed expression, Beichen Yuan just couldn’t suppress the urge to make things difficult for her.

Shen Qingwan adjusted her sleeves slowly. “How you handle Vice General Xu is your business. I wouldn’t dare interfere. I just hope your food supply lasts until the end of this war. Otherwise, it would be quite embarrassing if you had to come looking for me again.”

She turned to leave as she spoke. Beichen Yuan’s temples throbbed, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

“Are you threatening me?”

His voice was icy, each word squeezed out through clenched teeth.

Shen Qingwan paused. “If you see it as a threat, then I suppose you didn’t misunderstand. Or, Your Highness, you could always return the twenty thousand shi of grain and expel me from the camp immediately.”

Let’s see if you can swallow this insult!

Shen Qingwan had heard that the War King was a ruthless, battle-hardened warrior, but he wasn’t one to kill indiscriminately.

That’s precisely why she dared to speak to him this way—she had done nothing wrong and was holding his army’s survival in her hands.

Beichen Yuan felt as though something was stuck in his throat.

He couldn’t swallow his anger, nor could he spit it out.

It was utterly frustrating.

Aside from Murong Wushuang, Shen Qingwan was probably the only person who dared speak to him like this.

“Shen Qing,” he growled through gritted teeth.

Shen Qingwan smiled faintly and turned back, as if granting him a great honor.

“Are you having second thoughts, Your Highness? How about this—if you have Xu Shijie beaten with a military rod, I’ll donate an additional one thousand shi of grain. That’s a deal you can’t lose, isn’t it?”

She did the calculations—given Xu Shijie’s current condition, fifty strikes would be enough to kill him. Fifty military strikes for fifty thousand shi of grain.

A fair trade.

If Beichen Yuan wanted to keep him alive, thirty strikes would leave him breathing and still bring in thirty thousand shi of grain.

Hearing this, Beichen Yuan’s gaze turned venomous.

This woman is ruthless! She was deliberately using food supplies to push him into punishing Xu Shijie. The worst part? He couldn’t refuse.

Compared to winning the war and feeding the 100,000-strong Zhenbei Army, one strike for 1,000 shi of grain was an absolute bargain.

“Big words,” he scoffed. “Do you even have that much grain to offer?”

“Whether I have it or not is my concern. Whether you dare to punish him is yours. If the punishment is carried out today, the grain will arrive within ten days. If Your Highness has the courage, I have the supplies.”

Her words were arrogant yet confident.

Beichen Yuan was starting to grow curious about her true identity.

“Guards,” he called.

Just when Shen Qingwan thought Beichen Yuan would refuse to “bend for two pecks of rice,” he surprised her.

Xuantian, a soldier standing guard, immediately entered with his sword in hand. “Your Highness.”

“Take Xu Shijie to the training grounds. Give him one hundred strikes with the military rod.”

Shen Qingwan’s eyebrow twitched. One hundred?! That would turn the man into a bloody pulp.

She cursed inwardly. Shameless! Fifty strikes would’ve killed him—Beichen Yuan was just adding the extra fifty for revenge.

This meant she now had to provide 100,000 shi of grain.

Xuantian acknowledged the order and left.

Beichen Yuan then turned to Shen Qingwan, his voice eerily calm. “You never specified that the punishment wouldn’t count if he died. Well? Would you like to witness the execution yourself?”

“Your Highness is truly ruthless,” Shen Qingwan said with a smile. “But a gentleman’s word is his bond. Since I made the offer, I won’t take it back. As for witnessing the punishment, I’ll pass. I trust Your Highness to handle it fairly.”

A hundred strikes—Xu Shijie was as good as dead. That scum deserved it for insulting her mother and attacking her people.

When Shen Qingwan stepped out of the tent, Murong Wushuang was still waiting.

Seeing her unharmed, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Did the prince make things difficult for you?”

Shen Qingwan shook her head. “His Highness is actually quite approachable.”

Murong Wushuang froze. Approachable?

Was that a word that could describe Beichen Yuan? He couldn’t believe it. Also, why had Xu Shijie suddenly been sentenced to one hundred strikes?

Before he could ask further, Beichen Yuan called him inside.

Stepping into the tent, Murong Wushuang was met with Beichen Yuan’s stormy expression—black as the bottom of a pot.

And she called him ‘approachable’?

“What did she say to you? One hundred strikes will kill Xu Shijie,” Murong Wushuang pointed out.

Beichen Yuan didn’t bother hiding it. “She traded grain for his punishment.”

Murong Wushuang was dumbfounded. That’s an option?!

“You agreed?”

Beichen Yuan’s face darkened. “One strike for 1,000 shi of grain. Xu Shijie is dying for a worthy cause.”

Murong Wushuang couldn’t hold it in—he burst out laughing.

It was rare to see Beichen Yuan outmaneuvered, and yet, a single woman had completely played him.