The First Female Governor of the Great Qian Dynasty

What is the gap between an A-tier general and an S-tier ceiling? The answer is five rounds.

In just five rounds, Xia Luqi seized an opportunity and brought his blade down; a massive head soared into the sky, accompanied by Xian Zhen's shrill scream.

"My son! Gao Yuan, you brat, I won't let you go even as a ghost!"

Gao Yuan's expression turned stern as he coldly gave the order.

"Obstinate fools. Kill them all!"

"Ah..."

Facing a massive disadvantage, the remaining dozens of men wanted to resist but were powerless. They soon became a pile of corpses.

The battle ended quickly. Looking at the corpses of the father and son, Xian Zhen and Xian Bifa, Gao Yuan decided to make the most of them.

"Bang Jie, take a thousand men and the heads of Xian Zhen and his son to Menge City to demand their surrender. Remember, the moment you enter the city, take control of the Lin and Xian families. Do not let anyone escape."

"Understood!"

Xia Luqi carried the two heads and took the command medallion Gao Yuan handed him.

"My Lord, if the enemy does not surrender..."

"Send someone to notify me. I will deploy the main force of the army to reinforce you. Do not act recklessly."

"This humble general understands!"

Xia Luqi did not linger; he gathered his troops and departed. The remaining work of cleaning the battlefield was left to the prisoners, while Gao Yuan led several hundred men purely to supervise.

Two days later, Mu Sheng arrived with a thousand men, bringing a large number of pack horses, laborers, and carts. Only then did the progress of cleaning the battlefield speed up.

Three days later, the battlefield was cleared, and the army set out to return to Dehong.

Gao Yuan left two hundred men to garrison this camp, along with a thousand prisoner laborers to continue improving the fortifications, intending to use it as a transit station for future communication between the two regions.

Having won a great victory, Gao Yuan sat triumphantly on horseback, beginning to fantasize about the admiring gazes of the girls back home.

Reality isn't always dull—take this time, for instance.

The news of the great victory had already been sent back to Dehong City by messengers. Mu Sheng had long prepared a ceremony to welcome the army's triumphant return.

The sides of the road were crowded with curious commoners. In the middle of the road, two brand-new, grand carriages stood surrounded by guards.

Judging by their design, one was Zhao Xiyao's imperial princess carriage, and the other was the carriage of the County Duke's residence.

The army stopped about three or four hundred paces from the carriages. Gao Yuan led the way by dismounting, unbuckling his weapon, and striding forward.

The doors of the two carriages pushed open, and a beauty as fair as a flower stepped out from each.

Gao Yuan stepped forward quickly, bowed to Zhao Xiyao, and said loudly,

"Thanks to Your Highness's protection and the soldiers' dedication, I, Gao Yuan, duke of anle county, have wiped out Xian Zhen's rebel forces."

Zhao Xiyao looked at the man before her and couldn't help but reveal a smile, saying sweetly,

"Fuma, you have worked hard."

Gao Yuan was stunned for a moment, not expecting Zhao Xiyao to address him as 'Fuma'.

The entire triumph ceremony proceeded very quickly; after all, it was prepared in haste, and most importantly, they were poor.

Holding a ceremony in ancient times was very expensive, so Gao Yuan had suggested it when he first sent word back.

The ceremony was kept simple—just enough to give the right feeling. The money saved was better spent as rewards for the soldiers.

Leaving the tasks of inventorying the spoils and tallying casualties to Mu Sheng, Gao Yuan couldn't wait to return home.

After living like a savage out in the elements for so many days, he now only wanted to take a hot bath, enjoy a delicious feast, and get a good night's sleep.

At the entrance of the Princesss Residence, Zheng Wan and Song Yao stood waiting expectantly.

Seeing the two carriages appear in the distance, the two women began to feel nervous again.

Song Yao opened her small, sweaty hands and tugged at Zheng Wan's sleeve.

"Sis... Sister, are... are we really going to call Xiao Yuan that later?"

Zheng Wan's gaze remained fixed on the approaching carriages as she nodded firmly.

"Regardless, the Gao Family and Xiao Yuan are subjects of the Great Qian. Since we have accepted the imperial decree and edict, we have acknowledged it; otherwise, it would be defying the imperial order."

"Besides, don't you think the current Xiao Yuan is completely different from before?"

Speaking of Gao Yuan's changes, Song Yao deeply agreed.

"Yes, the old Xiao Yuan was as fragile as a little girl. Who would have thought that after the family misfortune, he would suddenly grow up and be able to shield us from the wind and rain."

While they spoke, the carriage arrived at the residence entrance. The door was pushed open, and Gao Yuan was the first to jump down.

He walked quickly to the imperial carriage and reached out to help Zhao Xiyao down.

The servants and maids standing at the door hurriedly bowed and shouted,

"Welcome back to the residence, Princess Highness and duke of anle county."

The two women also took a few quick steps down the stairs, came before the two, performed a Wanfu bow, and said softly,

"Welcome back to the residence, Sister and Husband."

Gao Yuan was visibly startled. Just as he was about to ask why the two were calling him that, Zhao Xiyao spoke first.

"We are family, there is no need for such formality."

After saying that, Zhao Xiyao reached out to take the two women's hands and said gently,

"Come, let's go inside and talk."

Watching the three women walk into the house, Gao Yuan suddenly felt a sense of being suppressed, and a wave of worry arose regarding his future status in the family.

That evening was a welcome banquet. Although the ingredients were limited and the cooking methods simple, there was plenty of wine and meat.

Gao Yuan ate a whole chicken and a large piece of wild beef along with sweet rice wine.

This was specifically hunted in the mountains by people sent by Mu Sheng to reward the army.

Even the prisoners got to eat a bowl of rice porridge with a bit of meat today.

After eating and drinking his fill, Gao Yuan used the wine's influence to start telling the three women stories of his battles.

"Later, I heard from those prisoners that when that old scoundrel Xian Zhen heard the supplies were intercepted, he fainted from anger on the spot, hahaha! Oh right, were you scared when Xian Bifa led people to attack the city those few days?"

Zhao Xiyao shook her head. "No."

Zheng Wan also shook her head. "Actually, the rebels never even made it onto the city walls. It was just that the smell of blood was everywhere, which was very uncomfortable."

Song Yao was a bit quicker to speak. "That day, Sister Zhao Xiyaos informal address took people to the city walls. She threw up as soon as she came back."

Gao Yuan got a bit anxious upon hearing this. He put down his chopsticks, looked at Zhao Xiyao, and said with a slightly reproachful tone,

"Why did you go to the city walls for no reason? Don't you know that swords and spears have no eyes?"

Zhao Xiyao pouted, looking pitiful.

"You were fighting a bloody battle at the front, and I wanted to help you. So when I heard the rebels had retreated, I took people up there, wanting to boost morale a bit."

Gao Yuan sighed.

"War is too cruel and bloody. Let me handle those things. The three of you just be responsible for being as beautiful as flowers."

"Husband, Xiao Yao and I are not weak women who know nothing. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to manage the Grand General's Residence for so many years."

"Yeah, yeah, Sister Wan and I can help you."

Looking at the three women's eager gazes, Gao Yuan understood—they didn't want to be mere ornaments.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Yuan slapped his forehead.

"How about this? Once Bang Jie takes Menge City, we will merge the two Pacification Commissioner's Offices into one province and establish a government office."

"When the time comes, Zhao Xiyaos informal address, you will be the provincial inspector, and Wan'er and Yaoyao will be your deputies. How does that sound?"

Zhao Xiyao was somewhat surprised, pointing an elegant finger at her own delicate nose.

"Me... Me?"

She then reacted and waved her hands repeatedly.

"No, no, how can a woman be an official?"

"What does it matter? Anyway, the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away. Even if you were to declare yourself a king on your own land, your Imperial Father couldn't do anything about it."

Gao Yuan spoke as if he didn't mean anything by it, but he was actually trying to subtly influence Zhao Xiyao.

Let this girl be an official first, then slowly turn her into a regional ruler, and finally have her ascend the throne as Empress.

Step by step, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water—a perfect plan!

Whether she was truly convinced by Gao Yuan's reasoning or acted purely out of trust in him, Zhao Xiyao eventually accepted Gao Yuan's proposal.