Chapter 11: King Qin of Xia Country

In the pawnshop, the light was bright, with a touch of warmth.

Zhao Huai sat at the table with five steaming dishes and a bowl of fragrant rice in front of him.

Now he knew what was in the wooden box - the five dishes.

Scallion ribs, fried sesame cakes, steamed meatballs, Wensi tofu soup, and fresh bamboo shoot soup.

Zhao Huai picked up the spoon and took a mouthful, savoring it carefully.

"Does it taste good?"

Yu Qinghan looked at Zhao Huai in front of her, full of anticipation.

"Mmm, it tastes great, especially the knife work of the tofu. It melts in the mouth, and the choice of mushroom as the soup base makes it very aromatic."

Zhao Huai nodded lightly. It was not easy to cook the dishes to this level.

Getting such an answer, Yu Qinghan felt satisfied and laughed in surprise, "I didn't expect Young Master Zhao to have studied cooking."

"A little, a little."

Zhao Huai thought to himself that all those food bloggers' videos from his past life were not watched in vain.

"Actually, I'm not very good at cooking. I learned all these from the servants. When I'm bored and can't go out to enjoy music, I would study cooking at home."

Yu Qinghan explained.

"In that case, you are truly talented."

Zhao Huai sincerely said, "I thought Miss Yu, being experienced in battle, would be clueless about cooking. I didn't expect the attention to detail in cooking as well."

Faced with such blatant praise, Yu Qinghan was very pleased.

Nobody had ever praised her for her culinary skills for so long.

"Young Master, you flatter me."

After a while of dining,

Zhao Huai finished the dishes on the table.

Perhaps it was the company of a beauty, but his appetite was exceptionally good today.

After the satisfying meal, Zhao Huai looked at Yu Qinghan's back and couldn't help but ask,

"Miss Yu, if you were to marry me, would your family's elders be able to attend?"

As far as he knew, Yu Qinghan ran away from home, so her parents might not come.

Yu Qinghan sighed while cleaning up the lunchboxes,

"It's a disgrace to say, but I've been living in the matchmaking agency these days. If I get married, they probably won't come, and I wouldn't invite them either. My father and I are now as estranged as strangers."

"It's that serious?"

Zhao Huai was shocked to hear this.

"In fact, Miss Yu might not know, but I'm also an orphan. My parents passed away when I was young, and I don't have any elders. So if I were to get married, there would be no elders to attend either."

Zhao Huai gave a bitter smile, and comforted her softly.

"Oh? Young Master is also alone."

Yu Qinghan was surprised to hear this.

"Yes."

Yu Qinghan was actually quite optimistic and joked, "Then it's easier to get married. It saves a lot of cumbersome procedures."

"It seems so."

Zhao Huai also smiled helplessly.

"Since Miss Yu doesn't have the pressure of family, why not move in sooner? Staying there all day isn't ideal."

"Are you willing to take me in?"

Yu Qinghan asked in surprise.

"Since we are getting married, what is there to talk about taking or not taking in?" Zhao Huai found it very amusing.

"Alright, as the young master says."

Yu Qinghan agreed with a wry smile.

...

Jinghai City

King Qin's Mansion

At the entrance, soldiers stood on both sides, each one an imposing figure clad in black iron armor and wielding a halberd.

In the mansion, there was a luxurious attic, very quiet, without the bustle of music and dancing to be heard.All the generals were present, with the strategists by their side.

In the middle stood a handsome youth dressed in a white jade dragon robe.

He possessed a pair of dominating golden pupils, emanating an aura of sharpness, like a divine sword out of its scabbard. His untamed eyes revealed the despotic nature of a ruler, utterly imperious.

He was none other than the current King of Xia Country, Yu Shihuang.

"Greetings, Your Highness King Qin."

An elder in a Confucian robe bowed by the side.

"Hmph! You even messed this up and failed to capture the person. Are you all just a bunch of idiots?"

Yu Shihuang scoffed coldly, his anger in his words threatening enough that the surrounding strategists and generals hardly dared to even breathe.

They knew that the person before them was not someone to be trifled with.

King Qin Yu Shihuang.

The eldest legitimate son of the Emperor of Xia, the Crown Prince.

His status was very noble, and apart from the Second Prince and the Princess, he was the unquestionable authoritative figure in the entire Xia Country.

The elder in the Confucian robe said, "Your Highness, please calm down. The Princess is in the Suzhou and Hangzhou area, and we can find her in just two more days."

Yu Shihuang waved his hand impatiently, asking, "What's the situation in the capital recently?"

The elder in the Confucian robe replied with seriousness, "Your Highness, the Emperor has given the command of 140,000 soldiers stationed in the capital and Guanzhong region to the Second Prince. Now the military power of the entire Xia has been divided into three."

"My brother is also not an easy one to deal with."

Yu Shihuang sneered coldly before continuing, "What about the other two?"

The elder in the Confucian robe went on, "The second force is naturally the nearly two hundred thousand soldiers under your control, occupying half of the Central Plains and the north. North to the Hongmen border, west to the Yaoshan Mountain, east to the coastal areas, it has the widest coverage."

"Go on."

"The third force is the three hundred thousand strong army under the command of the Princess, occupying the south and the most important areas of the Central Plains. Their strength ranks first."

Yu Shihuang calmly said, "You missed one thing. Though they have three hundred thousand soldiers, most of them are occupied with transportation and logistics. They should only have around a hundred thousand actual soldiers. Their ranking should be third."

The elder in the Confucian robe replied, "But, the Princess's army is battle-hardened. Starting from scratch, they rose from a mere thousand soldiers to a force of 70,000 and constantly achieved victory. In the end, they even severed Yan Country's last lifeline."

"Well said!"

Yu Shihuang laughed coldly, "My sister managed to cut off the last lifeline of Yan Country, so today, let's all talk about how to deal with her army."

The elder in the Confucian robe said, "Your Highness, we cannot rush this matter. The Princess has no intention to contend for supremacy, and she has gone into hiding. Her army is without a commander and there is no news about her movements. Now is the best time to take action. If Your Highness is reluctant to take action, the Second Prince certainly will."

Yu Shihuang snorted angrily, picked up the glaze cup and smashed it forcefully, "Then come up with a solution for me. You have been following me for so many years, can't you handle an army trained by a woman?"

"Crash!"

The sound of the shattered cup echoed, and Yu Shihuang's sharp gaze scanned the room.

But nobody dared to meet his eyes.

"Your Highness, I have a plan."

A thin and tall strategist with a goatee dressed in black cloth stepped forward and bowed.

Yu Shihuang's expression eased slightly, frowning, he said:

"Speak quickly."

The strategist in black cloth stroked his goatee, speaking earnestly, "The Princess's martial prowess is outstanding, known to all. Her army is also exceptionally loyal, so we cannot overpower them with brute force. We must outsmart them."

Yu Shihuang said dismissively, "Just say it, how can we outsmart them?"

"If the Princess has reached where she is today, it is impossible to have done so without the support of someone behind her."

The strategist in black cloth had a mysterious smile on his face.

"Oh? Who is it?"

The strategist in black cloth shook his feather fan, saying, "It is naturally the one on the throne. Without the support of the current Emperor, the Princess would not have gained the support of so many people in the court and acquired so much power. Once you ascend the throne, dealing with the Princess's army will only require an order."

"Are you saying I should win over my father?"

Yu Shihuang pondered aloud.

"Exactly." The strategist in black cloth smiled faintly.

"The Emperor has been fighting for years, and his body has suffered many hidden injuries. He is merely trying his best to hold onto his power. Your Highness just needs to wait for the opportune moment, ascend the throne at once, and issue a disbanding order. Every problem will be solved easily."

Yu Shihuang casually said, "I understand."

After contemplating for a long time, he made his decision.

"In that case, let's focus our efforts on the Imperial City. As for my sister's side, there's no need to alert her by stirring up any trouble. Send someone to the black market and let them handle it."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone received their orders.

...