General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

For the past year, Shen Luo has been having the same dream.

In a dream.

According to his plan, he was captured and taken to the enemy camp.

Over the past six years, the enemy has suffered countless defeats against him. Now that they have finally caught him, they vow to use every form of torture on him.

Branding irons, splints, tiger benches... those people tortured him madly. Every time he couldn't help but groan in pain, all he got in return was their even more unrestrained and triumphant laughter.

The laughter in my dream grew louder and closer—then suddenly vanished.

Flames suddenly appeared in the night sky, and the deafening sounds of fighting almost shattered eardrums…

The plan succeeded, and Eleven and Twelve led their troops in.

……

He and the Northern Ming National Preceptor were in the dungeon together, while above them, wave after wave of bugle calls from the Southern Yue were sounding.

"Do you think I'm going to kill you?" the Imperial Advisor said.

"I have to admit you are a genius. In a war with absolutely no chance of winning, you sacrificed yourself to achieve this victory."

A smile tugged at his face behind the mask.

"Young man, you are already very good, but it's still not enough."

"You may win this round, but you won't win the next one."

"The next battle will be the war to destroy the Kingdom of Nanyue."

The dignified imperial advisor stretched out his hand, in which lay a small white pill.

He deftly dislocated Shen Luo's jaw and tossed the pill inside.

The flames grew larger and larger, then engulfed everything...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

But recently, Shen Luo hasn't had this dream again.

Until the day after he left the capital.

But this dream was strange in a way.

In his dream, he faced those instruments of torture and, for the first time, felt a sense of fear.

And the will to survive.

This dream haunted him every night after he left the capital, but yesterday he finally found an opportunity—

As the flames began to spread in his dream, he asked, "Why?"

A fearless hero, a boy who faces death without fear.

What are they afraid of?

In the empty darkness, a defiant voice echoed: Why? Why? Why…

Then he heard a woman's voice.

The woman's voice, a mix of calm, doubt, anger, fear, and joy, all called out the same name: Shen Luo.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Shen Luo!" The voice from my dream rang out in reality.

"Qiqi?"

Shen Luo thought he was probably hallucinating, otherwise how could he see people who should have been in the capital appear in front of him?

She was smiling so brightly.

Nineteen thoughtfully left, leaving the space to her master and mistress.

She seemed to have gotten darker and thinner after four days.

The large, heavy long robe was ill-fitting on her, yet it inexplicably made her look petite and adorable.

A few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead, which must have been due to the hardship of the long journey.

That makes sense. She's a frail woman; traveling such a long distance from the capital to Longcheng must have been exhausting.

Shen Luo scrutinized Jiang Qiqi from head to toe, as if he wanted to see every single hair on her head, his gaze both intense and tender.

He's only twenty-two years old, what could he possibly be hiding!

As soon as Jiang Qiqi entered, she sat down on a stool without any hesitation and drank two large cups of tea.

This tea is so refreshing!

After finishing her drink, Jiang Qiqi was taken aback when she saw Shen Luo staring straight at her.

Then--

She raised her hand and wiped her face.

"Is there something dirty on my face?"

"No." Shen Luo smiled and shook his head, turning his wheelchair to her side, gently tucking her stray hair behind her ear, his gaze tender and full of concern, "Why did you come all this way?"

Jiang Qiqi: "What are you doing?!"

This was a dragon's whisker that she had meticulously planned to scatter!

"Because I have something important for you."

After fixing her hair, Jiang Qiqi took out a notebook.

I don't know what got into Shen Luo today, he's messing with her hair again.

But it's okay, she doesn't hold grudges.

The notebook in question was collected by Zheng Yanshu and contained evidence of Cui Zhi and others embezzling government funds and grain during the last disaster relief effort.

After consulting with Lin'er, Jiang Qiqi decided to explain the matter to Shen Luo.

She omitted the part about her trip to Liyuan County with Lin'er, only saying that Lin'er found it among her father's belongings. Given the gravity of the matter, she felt it couldn't be taken lightly, so she personally delivered it.

This time, it wasn't that Jiang Qiqi didn't trust Shen Luo; it was just that Lin'er had killed a high-ranking official, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Shen Luo is especially clever, and after finding out the truth, he will inevitably suspect Lin'er.

After all, smashing someone's head open with a hammer is a method of murder...

It's quite niche.

As for the title of "King of Hammers in the Northwest," with all due respect, Sun Shaoan, you should step down.

……

Shen Luo listened attentively to Jiang Qiqi's explanation of the whole story and nodded:

"I see."

There was not a trace of surprise in his tone.

Jiang Qiqi: "Huh?"

Shen Luo carefully reviewed the evidence she had just given him and placed it on the table.

“When Shijiu told us before that Cui Zhi had privately sold disaster relief drugs at high prices, I had this kind of suspicion back then.”

“Such recklessness and audacity must not be the first time this has happened,” Shen Luo said.

Jiang Qiqi nodded: "The people are used to this, which shows that this governor must have done this kind of thing quite often."

And then there's Cui Ling, whom I just encountered. She's arrogant, domineering, and disdainful of everyone, constantly calling people "lowly commoners."

Cui Zhiping's usual style of doing things is evident.

Shen Luo nodded slightly in agreement.

"But... I have too many things to deal with right now, and I don't have time to investigate this matter."

This was not Shen Luo making excuses.

He was indispensable in both controlling the plague at home and fighting rebels abroad.

Especially... there is a severe shortage of manpower.

If it were the same situation as before, a small rebel group would be suppressed with a single order from him.

But now the rebels outnumber them by more than two.

Even with his painstaking planning and scheming, his chances of winning were still less than 40%.

Jiang Qiqi understood what he meant.

The lesser of two evils.

Beset by internal and external troubles, petty corrupt officials and parasites are not worth mentioning.

“However, this information of yours is very important,” Shen Luo comforted her. “I promise you, I will definitely investigate this matter once the situation stabilizes.”

"No need." Jiang Qiqi refused him, and she smiled. "General Shen has worked so hard, it's only reasonable for me, as his wife, to help out."

When Jiang Qiqi uttered the words "virtuous wife," Shen Luo clearly heard his heartstrings twitch.

A blush gradually crept onto her ears.

"No, that would be too strenuous." He shook his head and refused.

Shen Luo never doubted Jiang Qiqi's abilities.

She could see through Twelve's light-footed skills, identify the spies hidden in the General's Mansion for many years at a glance, and even help the Fourth Princess resolve a crisis on her own...

In his eyes, she was even more amazing than himself, comparable to a god.

But how could she do something as arduous and dangerous as investigating corrupt officials?

Jiang Qiqi dismissed this with disdain.

Could anything be more dangerous than secretly filming a gang transaction in a primeval forest with twelve guns pointed at you?

"Relax." She patted Shen Luo on the shoulder. "I'm not a red rose that can't withstand the wind and sun."

She's a zombie that eats one after another, chewing away at the next man-eating plant!

And so, with Jiang Qiqi's determined gaze and Shen Luo's worried expression, the matter was settled.