The plot surfaces...

  "Sister, brother-in-law?!" The lamp on the table in the tent had not been extinguished and was still quietly burning. As soon as she lifted the curtain of the tent and came in, Han Xueyan saw Shao Qi's face and was stunned. After confirming that it was indeed her sister's husband-like face, her eyes gradually filled with mist. In these days, nothing could make her feel like this... a mix of emotions. "Sister, brother-in-law, is it really you?"

  Shao Qi looked at Han Xueyan's face, full of shock, and it took a long time to utter two words, "Yan'er?"

  Was it really her brother-in-law? At this point, the tears in Han Xue's eyes finally burst out like a flood, and she rushed over to throw herself into Shao Qi's arms, clinging to his back and wailing loudly, "Brother-in-law... I've been searching for you so bitterly, so bitterly!"

  Shao Qi tightly wrapped his arms around her, holding her extremely tight, as if he wanted to pour all the emotions of their five-year separation into this moment. "Brother-in-law is here, Yan'er will not suffer anymore, Yan'er will absolutely not suffer again, brother-in-law guarantees?"

  Han Xueyan was both excited and heartbroken, with a hundred emotions swirling together. "Brother-in-law, it's been five years, why haven't you and sister come home? Why? Father and mother were so worried about your disappearance that they eventually passed away, leaving me all alone... Waaah..."

  "Is it my fault, am I the one who owes you?" As he spoke, Shao Qi released Han Xue's hand, she was a bit shorter than him, so he had to lower his head to see her tear-stained face clearly. Her nose and eye sockets were already red from crying. He gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes with a loving and heart-aching expression, "Have you been doing well these past five years?" The young girl who was once so naive had now become a elegant and refined young woman, looking more lovely by the minute.

  Han Xueyan sniffled and shook her head, "It's no good, Father and Mother passed away last year, leaving only me. I'm all alone, feeling so miserable and lonely, missing my sister so much. Brother-in-law, where is my sister? Is she inside?"

  "She..." Shao Qi trailed off, his voice hesitant and uncertain. At this moment, his eyes were deep and dark, with a hint of pain and a fullness of murderous intent. It was hidden very well, and Han Xueyan didn't notice it at all. Nor did she see the tightly clenched fists in his hands.

  Seeing her brother-in-law's expression, Han Xueyan had a bad premonition, which made her unable to breathe on her own. With a hint of tears in her voice, she asked: "Brother-in-law, where is my sister?"

  "She..."

  At this time, Fu Yushu and others returned.

  Hearing footsteps, Shao Qi immediately stopped talking and looked towards the door.

  Cao Dan lifted the curtain and looked inside, seeing that Shao Qi had already returned. His face suddenly turned a bit ugly, "Brother Qilin, so you were here all along! We've been searching for you everywhere, almost going crazy, didn't you know?"

  "Shao Qi's eyebrows furrowed, 'Looking for me? What business do you have with me?'"

  Fu Yushu explained in a warm voice, "Oh, that's right. Xue Yan saw you in the Royal Forest today, so you and his brother-in-law look very alike. So the three of us helped him find you." Seeing Han Xueyan with tears still on her face, he sensed something and asked intentionally or unintentionally, "Xue Yan, is he your brother-in-law?"

  "He..."

  "Isn't this little brother quite good?" Shao Qi timely reached out, put his hand on Han Xueyan's shoulder, stopped her from speaking, and gave her a look.

  Han Xueyan understood and stopped talking, turning to Fu Yushu with a silly smile, "Brother Qilin is also very nice, right?" But she felt a bit depressed, why didn't her brother-in-law let her reveal the relationship between them?

  ——?

  Cao Dan drew a conclusion through their conversation: "Xue Yan, did you really mistake the person?"

  Han Xueyan smiled apologetically and said, "Little Cao Ge, I'm sorry. Today, I might have had an illusion. I mistakenly took Qilin Da Ge as my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law is an ordinary person, how could he be as majestic as Qilin Da Ge? So... he's not my brother-in-law?"

  Fu Yushu remained silent, the curve of his lips and the emotions in his eyes were not visible to everyone. In his eyes, Han Xueyan was a person who couldn't hide her emotions, her joys and sorrows were written all over her face. At this moment, Han Xueyan's forced words were obviously a lie...

  If Qilin is Han Xueyan's brother-in-law, then Han Xueyan's brother-in-law is called Shao Qi. Shao Qi is the Grand Marshal of the Army, and it so happens that Han Xueyan's sister is named Han Lingying, and in the imperial harem... there is a concubine named... Han Lingying.

  If what Han Xueyan said is true, then her sister and brother-in-law are indeed Shao Qi and Han Lingying. In that case, shouldn't Shao Qi and Han Lingying be a married couple? Why would Han Lingying be in the harem? Did Shao Qi personally offer his own woman to the Emperor?

  Rumors have it that Shao Qi has never been married by imperial order, nor has he had a woman in his heart. He has been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and many young officers who enter his camp never come out again. It is said that he has a cut sleeve hobby, so until now he still hasn't established a family.

  Is Shao Qi really like what the rumors say? What's going on with Han Lingyong then?

  If Shao Qi is the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, why did he disguise himself as Shao Qi and sneak into the contestants? Is it the emperor's intention or his own? It should be the emperor's intention, otherwise, when the emperor saw him, why would he treat him as a contestant.

  The emperor actually sent his own general to mix in with the contestants, why? Could it be that the emperor had heard rumors and therefore sent his own people to mix in with the contestants in order to observe the enemy situation?

  "I have something to discuss with Xue Yan, you all take a rest first?" After saying that, Shao Qi pulled Han Xueyan's arm and led her out of the tent.

  As he watched the two figures disappear from the doorway, Fu Yushu turned his head, his eyes gleaming with an unfathomable light.

  After walking with Shao Qi and Han Xueyan for a while, Yun Lei hurriedly put the sword on the table, "Ah, I have to go to the toilet?" Covering his abdomen, he rushed out of the tent like this.

  "Yun Lei seems to be in pain, I'll go take a look if he's alright?" Fu Yu Shu said worriedly to Cao Dan, then quickly walked out of the tent.

  Everyone left, Cao Dan lay bored on the carpet, "I'll just sleep." However, after closing his eyes for a while, the figure of a beautiful woman kept flashing through his mind, and from time to time, he heard her voice, "The day you become the top scholar is the day you fulfill your promise..."

  Memories of him and the woman kept surfacing in his mind, one segment at a time.

  That March, the peach trees in our home's peach garden were in full bloom with vibrant peach blossoms. When the wind blew, the peach garden turned into a world of red snowflakes. He wore a white robe, his demeanor detached from the world, dancing with his sword in the garden, amidst the sea of flowers, he danced out many captivating poses. His father brought her, an ethereal beauty who seemed to have descended from heaven, into the peach garden. He sheathed his sword and turned around, this fleeting glance between them sealed their fate, forever entwining their destinies. Her voice was like that of a skylark, softly calling out to him, "Shen Gongzi, I am Bai Ling?", how could he resist this heavenly voice and captivating beauty? From then on, no one else could replace her in his heart.

  It's all because of a predestined marriage, but how can one escape a doomed relationship?

  That autumn, the rustling autumn wind swept through the leaves of the trees, and he was full of expectation for her appointment, which should have been about marriage. She came, bringing with her the sacrifice of the imperial family - Princess Xinnai. She avoided their feelings, how ruthless to dissolve his good feelings towards her, "Young Master, only by becoming a son-in-law can you persuade your father that your future is boundless..." Qingshao said.

  "Shut up?" He broke off the bamboo flute in his hand, and from then on, their love was severed. "Even if I die, I won't be with you?"

  He turned around in agony, ?

  She gazed at him with tears in her eyes and humbly begged, "I was after all the one you loved, can't you help me out just this once?"

  "Convince my father? You can, unless you come out and show me a champion, I really want to prove your intelligence quotient, how dare you deceive people's feelings?" He threw down the cruel words and left decisively.

  All that's left for her is a resolute back view that she no longer has the right to love...

  Memories flooded back, and Cao Dan suddenly sat up, his fists heavily hitting the ground. His expression was extremely painful. "Sun Bailin, what did I, Shen Dan, owe you in my past life?" As he stared at the flame of the lamp on the table, his eyes became increasingly fierce.

  After a while, calming down, Cao Dan got up and walked out of the tent, heading straight for the only dining hall in the South Palace...

  ——?

  In a secluded and dimly lit courtyard near the South Palace Square, a man in white stood in the shadow of a tree, his back to the gate.

  Suddenly, a bald middle-aged man walked into the yard and stopped one meter behind the white-clothed man, bowing his head and clasping his fists: "Young Master?"

  A man in white clothes spoke coldly, "Who told you to sneak in?"

  Feeling the icy aura emanating from the man, the bald-headed man shuddered and trembled his lips as he spoke: "I-is it Young Mistress? Young Mistress said she was worried that Young Master couldn't assassinate the Emperor alone and would instead be killed by the Emperor, so she secretly sent me and Hong Niang to assist?"

  "Where is the matchmaker?"

  The bald-headed man said: "Hong Niang said that tonight there is an excellent opportunity to assassinate the Dog Emperor, so..."?

  "What a despicable thing!" The man in white robes suddenly shook his sleeve, and a cold wind instantly swept towards the bald-headed man. The bald-headed man didn't even touch the sleeve, but was knocked to the ground by the powerful gust of wind emitted from it, and his throat surged with a wave of nausea.

  The man in white turned around, surprisingly it was Fu Yushu. He glared at the bald-headed man with a mixture of anger and hatred, "Who gave her the power to act on her own? Over the years, how many times have we ambushed the Emperor without success? Where did she get this perfect opportunity from? Go, find her as soon as possible and stop her. If her assassination fails, it will surely make the Emperor suspicious of us. We'll be in trouble if he finds out that our people are mixed among the contestants."

  "Yes, young master, I'll go take care of it right away?" The bald-headed man said in one breath, then immediately retreated.

  ——?

  Shao Qi, as the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, had the power to move freely within the palace. He pulled Xueyan to a secluded corner near the South Palace and only then released her, grasping her shoulders and solemnly reminding her: "Xueyan, from now on, you cannot treat me as your sister's husband?"

  Han Xueyan felt inexplicably puzzled, "Why?"?

  At this time, Yun Lei's figure appeared behind the two of them. He nodded his head slightly towards Shao Qi and called out softly, "Master?"

  Han Xueyan stared at the two with wide eyes, "You... you..."?

  Shao Qi said: "Will we tell you everything?"