Chapter 125

I am Shen Qingwu, the only daughter of the General Who Guards the State. On the soil of Great Yin, my father's name was sharper and more searing than the strongest liquor. The wind and sand of the northern frontier had honed his sword and piled up his military achievements like mountains. Yet when it came to me, it seemed heaven had dozed off—I inherited not a shred of my mother's gentle beauty, let alone the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting expected of a young lady of a good family. My hand grew tired just from holding a brush, but wielding a spear and swinging a club was enough to win a nod of approval from my father. In the Capital, people mocked the General's Mansion for producing a "rough girl," saying I must have caught the spirit of the army camp, being far too careless and unpolished to be a golden branch with jade leaves. I didn't care. Father's armor could keep me safe in any case, and no one dared cross the threshold of the General's Mansion lightly to mock me. That was until the Third Prince, Zhao Heng, appeared.