As soon as these words were spoken, the general and the deputy general were stunned.

They had never seen a woman who could speak so quickly and directly, expressing her thoughts more swiftly than a fast horse or a sharp blade.

At that moment, a soldier's report came from outside the door:

"Report. Five miles west of the training ground, bandits are robbing the carriages and horses."

"Let's go take a look."

General Xue walked swiftly out of the tent, and I also got up and wrapped my cloak tightly, pretending to follow. However, he stopped me:

"You stay inside the tent, and don't go anywhere."

I had originally planned to expose Shen Anrong's trickery face to face, but now I could only wait for changes to happen.

I waited in the tent for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, when I heard a familiar voice outside the tent:

"Thank you, General, for saving my life. I will go back and report to my father, and I will definitely..."

Shen Anrong walked into the tent with General Xue, and when she saw me, her words came to an abrupt halt:

"Shen Anqing... What are you doing here?"

Her surprised expression brought me great satisfaction. In my past life, I had put up with everything and everywhere, and in her eyes, I was no different from the maidservants in the courtyard. If she wanted to hit me, she hit me; if she wanted to scold me, she scolded me. She would snatch away anything that belonged to me, even if it meant smashing it to pieces, just to see me silently shed tears.

But now, things were different. I would take what I wanted with my own hands. The timid, tearful Shen Anqing was no more.

I smiled and looked at her:

"I want to marry General Xue, so I came to take a look."

"You..." This sudden turn of events left Shen Anrong at a loss for words. "You already have an engagement with the Tao family, how can... I will definitely go back to my father and make sure he punishes you severely."

With Xue Huaiyi standing by, Shen Anrong restrained her temper a lot. If this had been in the Shen family, she would have already slapped me in the face.

"I've already said that the Tao family is a pit of fire, but no one in your whole family helped me. I could only save myself."

"You shameless illegitimate daughter..."

Shen Anrong's eyes were now filled with flames of anger. Unable to bear it any longer, she raised her hand and slapped me in the face.

I was no longer the lamb to be slaughtered. I immediately raised my hand and blocked her slap:

"Anrong, this is not the Shen family. You should restrain your temper a bit."

The Shen Anrong of the past would never have been able to bear this. But now that I was acting so arrogantly in front of her, how could Shen Anrong hold back her anger?

She reached for my neck with her other hand, even though I dodged in time, she still tore off a sleeve. My entire arm was now exposed.

Things had escalated to this point, and Xue Huaiyi couldn't just sit idly by.

With a swing of his sword, he separated the two of us, and said coldly:

"Yuan Kui, personally escort Miss Anrong back home and protect her safety."

Seeing that she couldn't get any advantage here, Shen Anrong could only leave with a vicious remark:

"Just you wait."

Then she angrily walked out of the tent.

At this moment, Xue Huaiyi's gaze towards me had changed:

"To be honest, what did you come to me for?"

"To marry you..." I stared into his eyes, refusing to back down even a bit, "and then to seek revenge against the Shen family."

This time, Xue Huaiyi was not surprised. Instead, he revealed a wicked smile:

"Your plan is so far-reaching. Dare you come to my mansion tonight to discuss it in detail?"

For a woman from a reputable family to spend the night at a man's house, it would be staking her lifelong reputation. If after this night, Xue Huaiyi did not intend to marry me, then I would have no choice but to throw myself into the lake and die.

Seeing me hesitate, he continued to provoke me:

"If you want me to marry you, you must have some advantages, right? For example, exceptional courage, or a graceful figure..."

My heart was in chaos, my mind raging.

Should I take the risk and try to change my fate? And is the man in front of me really worth entrusting myself to?

I had just been reborn, and now I had to gamble everything?

...

Seeing me in a state of panic and indecision, Xue Huaiyi enjoyed it very much. He said nothing and simply waited for my answer.

And a moment later, I finally made up my mind and decided to place all my hopes on this man:

"General, if you are free, let's set off now."