After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Chu Yan and Bai Lu both turned their gazes toward Cao Yuan.

Cao Yuan's lips curved into a smile. "You should know each other too!"

Seeing their somewhat bewildered expressions, Cao Yuan stopped keeping them in suspense and said, "That is Chu Yan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

Bai Lu cleared her throat to ease the tension, "Princess, you're really joking!"

“I’m not joking. Don’t you all know Chu Yan? You’ve all come all this way with me. It’s hard for me not to feel that you’re here to exonerate Chu Yan.”

“I think we should go to the territory of Chen tomorrow to investigate. Chen is famous for its exquisite ornaments. The tributes they send every year are absolutely exquisite. So the answer to such a fine gold needle should be found within the territory of Chen,” Chu Yan said.

"Young Master Xiao even knows about the tribute items. Could it be that you're wearing a mask because you know me?"

Cao Yuan looked at him warily.

"That must have been said by Lord Chu!" Bai Lu quickly explained, "Lord Chu is a man who hates evil and is the adopted son of the Prime Minister. How could he do such a treasonous thing? How could a cripple like him..."

Chu Yan glared at her.

Cao Yuan thought about it and agreed; Chu Yan probably wouldn't do that!

"Will Young Master Xiao be joining us tomorrow?"

Bai Lu said, "That's natural."

"Hahaha! Where is my precious grandson?!"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Cao Yuan's face lit up with excitement, and she quickly ran outside. As she reached the doorway, she saw an elderly man in his sixties with graying temples. He was dressed in simple, coarse linen clothing, appearing quite unassuming. The old man walked steadily towards Cao Yuan, a gentle smile on his face that conveyed kindness and warmth. He seemed nothing like the decisive and ruthless general he was known for on the battlefield.

"Grandfather!"

It was my maternal grandfather, it really was my maternal grandfather!

"Grandfather!"

Cao Yuan ran towards Zhenbei Marquis Shi Wennuo.

"Grandfather, your grandson misses you so much!"

"Haha, look at you, you're still such a young girl. You're married and you're still crying." Shi Wennuo wiped the tears from her face.

"Grandpa, I miss you so much, I miss all of you!"

Bai Lu and Chu Yan walked out of the tent.

As Chu Yan watched Cao Yuan nestled in Shi Wennuo's arms, images of his childhood with his mother flashed through his mind.

Unexpectedly, Cao Yuan, who is usually resilient, mature, calm and decisive, turns into a spoiled little girl when she is with her family and has someone to rely on.

"These two are..."

Cao Yuan rubbed her eyes. "Grandpa, let me introduce you to this..."

Before Cao Yuan could introduce them, Bai Lu took the initiative to say, "This must be the Marquis of Zhenbei! My name is Bai Lu, and this is my friend Xiao Xing, who came specifically to help the princess negotiate peace."

"Marquis of Zhenbei!" Chu Yan bowed respectfully.

"Thank you all very much." Shi Wennuo looked around, as if he was looking for someone.

"Grandpa, who are you looking for?"

"Yuan'er, you came all by yourself? Where is my granddaughter's husband?"

Upon hearing the name of her granddaughter's husband, Cao Yuan's face instantly darkened. How could he be mentioned on such a joyous occasion? She pursed her lips, a barely perceptible hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes.

Initially, Cao Yuan's desire to marry Xue Xinian, the Marquis of Zhenbei, was naturally opposed. Not only were their social statuses mismatched, but he was also only a minor fifth-rank official at the time. However, Cao Yuan insisted on marrying him, and her maternal grandfather had no choice but to agree, as he was his only precious grandson. He even held a grudge against Shi Wennuo and didn't invite him to the wedding banquet.

"Judging from your expression, you two had a fight? Now that you're married, you should treat each other well and give me a great-grandchild soon, hahaha!"

"Oh, Grandpa, we're all hungry! What are we having for dinner?" Cao Yuan gently took Shi Wennuo's arm to change the subject.

"Look at you, you're still shy!"

Svenno rubbed his forehead, then remembered, "Look at me, I'm so senile I've forgotten. Come with me! Today it's all your favorite food."

An open-air bonfire barbecue was held in the military camp, and the aroma of mutton roasting over the fire was irresistible.

The campfire blazed brightly in the night, warming people's hearts. A gust of wind blew by, bringing a chill. General Liu brought over two jugs of wine.

"Gentlemen, this is a custom in our military camp for welcoming new guests. It's not as extravagant as a banquet in the capital. Please don't mind!" General Liu said.

"Thank you for your hospitality!" Chu Yan bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Come and have a drink, it'll warm you up."

Cao Yuan sat down next to Bai Lu with a bottle of wine in her hand. "Why aren't you drinking?"

Chu Yan seemed afraid of being exposed by drinking, so he dared not accept the wine.

Cao Yuan shoved him directly into his arms, "Brother Xiao, how can a grown man be as reserved as a girl! Do you look down on us and not want to drink with us?"

"Your Highness is too kind!" Chu Yan accepted the wine.

Cao Yuan picked up a leg of lamb. "Eat some meat! The roasted meat from our border military camp is something you can't get in the capital! It's roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil."

Chu Yan was startled by the size of the lamb leg. He held it carefully, unsure of where to start eating. Indeed, he couldn't find such a large piece of meat in the capital.

"Brother Xiao, why are you acting like a little girl?"

"The princess is so biased, she won't even give me a lamb leg." Bai Lu pouted.

"Then I'll get you another one!"

Cao Yuan was about to reach for it when Bai Lu stopped her, "Hey, no need! I'm not hungry now after looking at the corpse."

General Liu ran to the center and shouted, "Anyone want to wrestle with me? If you beat me, I'll treat you to three days' worth of wine!"

The soldiers were in high spirits, tapping the ground with their weapons to cheer themselves on.

Cao Yuan stood up. "I'll do it! I'll do it!"

"Princess, come here! It's been so long since we had a competition, let me see if you've regressed in the capital."

"Come on!" Cao Yuan's skirt was tucked into her waist, she assumed a horse stance, clenched her fists, and her eyes were like torches.

A tense and solemn atmosphere filled the air, as if even the wind was holding its breath in anticipation of the impending duel. The two took a running start and charged towards each other.

Cao Yuan grabbed General Liu's collar with one hand, grabbed his arm with the other, and kicked General Liu's leg.

General Liu kicked off, did a backflip in the air, and delivered a heavy punch to Cao Yuan, causing Cao Yuan to stagger back a few steps.

"Princess, you've regressed!"

"I haven't even used my full strength yet!" Cao Yuan took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and then moved to wrestle with General Liu. The two fought fiercely, and General Liu grabbed Cao Yuan's arm, trying to throw her down. Cao Yuan pushed off with her feet and knocked General Liu to the ground.

"Oh!" the soldiers clapped and shouted.

"General Liu, you haven't seen each other for so many years, how come you still can't beat my Yuan'er?" Shi Wennuo laughed.

“It was General Liu who gave me permission!” Cao Yuan said.

"Princess, you flatter me. I'll take care of the wine for the next three days!" General Liu patted his chest.

Cao Yuan sat down in front of Bai Lu, who was already completely drunk.

"You're already like this after just one bottle?" Chu Yan glanced at her and moved aside.

Bai Lu leaned against Chu Yan and mumbled incoherently, "Your Highness, you must... um!"