Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

On the martial arts stage, two figures were fighting fiercely.

Huangfu Ling's boxing style inherited the ferocity of the northern military, with sweeping, powerful movements and each punch piercing the air with a resounding thud. Tielihua's routines, however, reflected her family heritage, a steady and profound style, with rigorous attack and defense. Their fighting styles were remarkably similar, both employing an unwaveringly hard-hitting style. In close combat, fierce elbows and knee strikes were effortlessly employed. Without witnessing it firsthand, no one could imagine these two beautiful women exchanging blows with such ferocity and brutality, as if risking their lives on the battlefield.

This hard-nosed style, unlike the typical female competition, instantly ignited the atmosphere. The previously somewhat disengaged "Six Dings and Six Jias" guards and other staff members in the courtyard now gathered around, staring intently at the stage, occasionally erupting in cheers and exclamations.

"Lihua! Don't retreat! Her punches are powerful, the more you retreat, the more disadvantaged you will be!" A man wearing leather arm guards slapped his thigh in anxiety.

Someone on the other side also shouted advice to Huangfu Ling: "Miss Huangfu, don't just protect your face! You need to build up the power of her punches. Use your shoulders to block them and find an opportunity to counterattack from close range! That's right! That's it!"

The commotion startled a figure who had just entered the courtyard. He was a burly man, broad-shouldered and bearded. He spoke in a thick Northeastern accent and asked in a muffled voice, "What's going on? What's all the noise? Who did Lihua get into a fight with?"

A colleague nearby quickly grabbed him and pointed at the stage, saying, "Tiger! Look! The one fighting Lihua is Bei Hou's daughter, Huangfu Ling!"

The Northeastern man known as "Tiger" heard this, his eyes widening, disbelief written all over his face. "Marquis Bei? From that Huangfu family?!" To him, the title of "Marquis Bei" sounded rather vague, lacking a specific fiefdom or any particularly distinguishing mark of merit. It was simply a vague location, inevitably making it seem a bit unworthy. He had never imagined that the daughter of "Marquis Bei" would possess such skill, even matching Tie Lihua, the acknowledged leader of the younger generation within their Commander-in-Chief's Office, in a close fight.

On the martial arts stage, a fierce battle is in full swing.

Huangfu Ling had traveled all night, and his energy was immensely expended. His breathing had become heavy, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his movements were a bit slower than before. Tielihua's situation wasn't much better. Although she was about the same height as Huangfu Ling, she had a larger frame, more muscular muscles, and superior strength. Her punches and kicks were powerful and resilient, each strike delivering a powerful blow, though this also meant she was slightly less agile.

Huangfu Ling swiftly dodged Tielihua's fierce swinging punch, the strong wind causing her cheek to hurt. Then, when Tielihua launched a powerful whip kick, she chose not to block it head-on, but instead, she seized the opportunity and kicked the outside of her opponent's ankle, which was her supporting leg, with precision!

Tielihua's balance suddenly shifted, and her body swayed slightly. In that split second, Huangfu Ling took advantage of the momentum and leaped upwards, first raising his leg as if to strike downwards. Tielihua instinctively raised her hand to block, unaware it was only a feint! Huangfu Ling's true killing move followed immediately. With a light, airborne spin, his other leg, like a whip that had been gathering momentum, swept fiercely towards Tielihua's abdomen, which had been left wide open by the loss of her balance.

This series of changes was as fast as lightning. If she had enough energy, Tielihua might be able to resolve it with her solid lower body skills and reaction ability, but now she was tired from the long battle. Although her eyes could see through the reality, her body could not keep up with her thoughts.

"boom--!"

A dull sound.

Tielihua was knocked off the martial arts stage by this powerful kick. She staggered a few steps, but finally relied on her solid horse stance skills to stabilize her body and avoid falling down in embarrassment.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, and then an even louder noise broke out.

"it is good!"

"Beautiful! That feint is brilliant!"

"I didn't expect Miss Huangfu to be able to perform such a wonderful combo even when she was exhausted!"

Many people's faces showed sincere admiration and amazement. They had originally expected this to be a battle of attrition, and even favored Tielihua, who was more rested and stronger. However, they had not expected Huangfu Ling to use his skill and experience to seize the fleeting opportunity despite being at a disadvantage. The Northeastern man "Tiger" was even more stunned, his mouth hanging open for a long time before muttering, "Oh my... This daughter of the Northern Marquis is really powerful!" Although the kick hit Tielihua's stomach, it also struck him in the heart.

Tielihua stood in the audience, rubbing her stuffy belly. There was no trace of anger on her face. Instead, she raised her head and gave Huangfu Ling on the stage a hearty yet somewhat helpless smile: "I didn't expect that I would study hard and practice diligently in this martial arts arena every day. I feel that I have made great progress, but I still can't beat you."

Huangfu Ling panted slightly, sweat trickling down her cheeks, but her eyes were bright. She gently jumped off the martial arts stage and said, "You and I have equal talents, but my father was not by my side all year round, often fighting with children and thieves, and no one ever supported me when I was a child. You don't even know how I defeated those young masters in Yunzhou. After all, you are too obedient and only know how to fight in this martial arts field. This is the gap." In fact, he wanted to say that your father's previous official position was too high.

Tielihua stepped forward and patted Huangfu Ling on the shoulder, her fighting spirit undiminished: "Next time! Next time I will definitely beat you!"

Huangfu Ling looked at her unyielding expression, as if she saw her former self, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "You always said this after every fight before."

"This time is different!" Tielihua took her arm and said warmly, "Don't leave tonight, okay? Come drink with me! Don't leave until you're drunk!"

Huangfu Ling shook her head slightly, her tone softening a bit. "You know I don't like drinking. But..." She glanced at Tielihua's hard light armor, "I can go shopping with you and buy some clothes. How long has it been since you last wore a skirt? You almost forgot you were a girl."

Upon hearing this, Tielihua looked down at her easy-to-move-in outfit and smiled nonchalantly, "Wearing a skirt is so troublesome. It's inconvenient for walking or riding. I'm still more comfortable like this!"

The two chatted and laughed, and were about to leave the masculine staff room when a steady but somewhat unquestionable voice sounded from behind them, calling them.

"Young lady, please stay."

Huangfu Ling and Tielihua turned around at the same time, only to see a man standing there with an extremely burly figure, a resolute face, and eyes as sharp as an eagle. It was none other than the "Tiger" who had been watching the fight from the audience. He was dressed in a tight outfit, though not in armor, but the air of a battle-hardened warrior was overwhelming.

Seeing this, Tielihua immediately smiled and stepped forward to introduce them familiarly, "Brother Hu! You've arrived just in time. Let me introduce you. This is my good friend Huangfu Ling. Her father is General Huangfu, the Northern Marquis. He and my father have a life-long friendship."

The lines on Yinhu's hard face softened a little. He clasped his fists towards Huangfu Ling and spoke in a loud voice with the heroism of a gangster: "Since you are sister Lihua's good friend, you must be my sister, Yinhu! Sister, if you encounter any difficulties in Taiyuan in the future, just tell me my name, Yinhu, and I will protect you!" He said this in a resounding voice, as if he was stating a fact that could not be changed.

Tielihua knew his temper and explained with a smile, "Brother Hu, Ling'er just came to play with me. She will probably have to go home tomorrow. There is no need for a big Buddha like you to show up."

Upon hearing this, Yinhu raised his thick eyebrows and looked at Huangfu Ling with a more enthusiastic tone: "Sister Huangfu, do you live in Yunzhou? The journey from here to Yunzhou is not short, with high mountains and long rivers. It would be troublesome if you meet some ignorant thieves. If you don't mind, I, your brother, will personally bring the guards of the Tiger Camp to escort you all the way home and make sure you are safe!" He patted his chest, as if he could immediately gather his troops and set off as long as Huangfu Ling nodded.

Huangfu Ling felt a little helpless, but she maintained a respectful smile. She bowed slightly, her tone clear and distant, "Thank you for your kindness, warrior. You must be the renowned warrior 'Tiger', one of the 'Six Dings and Six Jias' under the Admiral's command. My father spoke of the fame of the Hedong warriors when Ling'er was a child, and seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is truly well-deserved." She began politely, then shifted the subject, her voice steady but with a clear demarcation, "However, I cannot trouble you enough to escort me home. Ling'er... is already a woman, and with her husband still alive, it's inconvenient for me to travel long distances with other men, fearing gossip. I hope you will forgive me."

"Oh... I see." The enthusiasm on Yin Hu's face froze instantly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him. His high spirits visibly plummeted. He was stunned for a moment before clasping his fists awkwardly, his tone becoming much lighter. "In that case, I'm sorry for being rude. Then... I'll excuse you." He stepped aside, his movements somewhat stiff.

The colleagues who had been following behind to watch the show could no longer hold back and burst into laughter. They laughed so hard that they fell over, mocking Yinhu's rare look of being humiliated.

Even after Huangfu Ling and Tielihua disappeared at the gate of the courtyard, Yinhu still didn't give up. He rushed to the edge of the courtyard wall, clung to the corner, stuck out half of his head, and stared at the receding figure with eager eyes. A sense of loss appeared on his resolute face.

A colleague came over, patted him on the shoulder, and jokingly said, "Come on, stop thinking about it. Your eyes are about to pop out of your head! Didn't you hear what they said? She's already got married!"

Yin Hu withdrew his gaze and sighed heavily. The sigh was filled with unspeakable regret and a barely perceptible bitterness. He murmured, "Such a heroic and skilled woman... I really don't know in which life I must have been blessed to marry her..." The agile and beautiful figure on the martial arts stage was still replaying in his mind.

Upon hearing this, the colleague laughed even more mischievously and said in a deliberately exaggerated tone, "I heard that the men in your Liao area always like to find out who the girl's parents are when they take a fancy to her. How come this time, you haven't even figured out who she married yet, and you're already hanging around like that?"

The other colleagues who followed behind also joined in the commotion: "Hahahaha... Tiger, your intelligence is not good!"

Amidst the laughter, one of the staff members who knew the inside story finally suppressed his laughter, raised his voice, and revealed the answer word by word:

"Her man is the now famous Zhang Jingwei, the man from Zhang County!"

The three words "Zhang Jingwei" resonated like thunder in Yinhu's ears. He whipped his head around, his eyes wide, a look of shock and disbelief written all over his face. His previous sense of loss and regret was instantly replaced by a complex feeling of "I see." The weight of that name clearly far exceeded his initial expectations. The laughter around him reached a new crescendo.