“Poof!” Zhang Jin fell to the ground, his ribs broken.

He spat out a mouthful of black blood and fainted instantly.

The new recruit training ground had never been this quiet before.

Zhang Yulin’s chest heaved violently.

He lowered his head and glanced at his own hands.

“Good!” The Emperor laughed from afar, “Who said our Great Hui has no fierce generals?”

“Someone, reward him heavily!”

Many of those present soon reacted, all astonished.

“Such power with a single strike!” someone exclaimed. “Born with divine strength, as expected, it’s not a false reputation!”

“Wasn’t there someone just saying that the rumors were untrue?”

“…That divine strength is real, but you should consider the situation in which it was unleashed just now.”

There was quiet discussion from the side, and the evening breeze of summer howled in their ears.

Despite this, Xiao Jin’s gaze couldn’t leave the figure.

He heard the Wei Yangwang beside him say, “When did this Si Ning go crazy? In that situation, she still dared to step forward?”

What the Wei Yangwang said expressed the thoughts of many.

Over there, Wu Yong also reacted and raised his arm, calling out.

His face turned red, his expression full of excitement. “The heir’s arm strength is incredible!”

Along with that was deep admiration for Wen Yuesheng.

Now, he finally understood why the Marquis held Wen Yuesheng in such high regard.

Zhang Jin remained on the ground.

Someone cautiously approached to check his breath and then sighed in relief.

He was still alive, but given the situation, it would be difficult for him to continue practicing martial arts.

“Princess, what should be done with Zhang Jin?” Wu Yong asked.

Wen Yuesheng’s eyes were cold. “Take him back to his family.”

“In the training grounds, life and death don’t matter.”

She returned Zhang Jin’s earlier words verbatim.

As dusk settled, the setting sun painted the sky a blazing orange-red.

King Heng Guang hurriedly received the news and arrived, but by then, only a few people remained at the new recruit training grounds.

The Emperor had only watched the duel from afar before leaving.

Wen Yuesheng and the others had already returned to the capital, leaving Wu Yong behind to handle the matter and deal with Zhang Jin’s companions.

King Heng Guang ground his teeth, his face dark. “Go investigate! Find out who dared to harm the heir of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery in the new recruits’ camp!”

The people below responded quickly.

“What about the heir of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?”

The deputy general beside him cautiously spoke, “The heir left with Princess Si Ning.”

“Left?” King Heng Guang frowned.

Just then, Wu Yong returned, and upon seeing King Heng Guang, he greeted him, though his expression wasn’t great.

After standing, he said: “Your Highness, following the Marquis’s order, the heir’s situation is special. It’s not suitable for him to stay in the military camp. The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery’s people have already taken the heir, and we appreciate your care these days.”

After such an incident, King Heng Guang had lost control of the military department’s involvement, so naturally, there was no way to retain the heir.

The next day.

The emissary had entered the capital.

After finishing his tasks, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery hurriedly brought Zhang Yulin to the Princess’ residence.

Wen Yuesheng sat in the quiet pavilion and looked up at the Duke. “Does the Marquis intend for the heir to serve as a guard by my side?”

The Marquis nodded seriously. “Yes.”

When he first heard about this, his immediate reaction had been regret.

Zhang Yulin had been a fool for over twenty years, and he was too hasty, not considering whether the complicated environment of the military camp was suitable for him.

So after the incident, he made a decision that others would think absurd.

Zhao Momo had her mouth slightly open, shocked.

The heir, who should have had a high status, was now expected to lower himself and serve as a guard beside the princess?

What was even more unexpected was that Wen Yuesheng agreed.

She said softly, “If the Marquis has other plans for him in the future, he can be taken back to the Marquis’s residence at any time.”

Desensitization training.

She had gone through it before.

But it wasn’t with people; it was about killing.

Unfortunately, not long after, her focus had shifted to suppressing the killing instinct.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery replied, “If he becomes the princess’s guard, he will serve at her command.”

Thus, Zhang Yulin stayed at the Princess’ residence.

When Wen Xun learned of it, he was shocked.

He couldn’t even understand why the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery trusted Wen Yuesheng so much.

But seeing the Marquis’s determination, he said nothing more.

After all, the Duke(Marquis) was a high-ranking official in the court.

Who would not show him some respect?

Many people knew about this matter, but it didn’t stir up much of a ripple in the capital.

The reason was simple.

The emissary from Haozhou had arrived in the capital.

During the previous dynasty, Haozhou was once a vassal state.

However, during the reign of the Great Hui Emperor, Haozhou suddenly grew stronger.

This was because, during the turbulent period of the Great Hui’s founding, Haozhou had annexed three smaller neighboring kingdoms, gradually strengthening its national power.

By the time of the previous emperor, Haozhou’s territory had expanded to a third of the Great Hui’s land.

Since the founding of the Great Hui, the dynasty had focused more on culture than on military power, allowing Haozhou to develop rapidly during this period.

In recent years, Haozhou’s military strength had become formidable, and it posed an increasing threat.

The border regions had been troubled for nearly a decade.

After many years of war, the sudden peace agreement held great significance both inside and outside the imperial court, and for the entire Great Hui.

The unexpected peace caused a great stir in the capital.

However, the situation wasn’t smooth when it came to the chosen princess, Fu Rui, who was to be married off as part of the peace agreement.

She cried and threw tantrums in the palace, even going on a hunger strike in protest.

The emperor, in a bad mood, made the officials handling diplomatic matters exhausted.

After seven days of rest, a grand banquet was held in the palace to host the emissaries from Haozhou.

This banquet was of great importance, and all officials of rank four or above were invited, along with their families.

The princess’s residence was no exception.

Yet, despite the palace becoming quiet, no one went to call Wen Yue Sheng.

Previously, although Wen Xun had not directly reprimanded Wen Yue Sheng, he had become increasingly impatient with her.

As the head of the household, if Wen Xun didn’t give the order to call Wen Yue Sheng, no one else dared to do so.

As a result, during the grand state banquet, even the important servants from the household went, leaving only Wen Yue Sheng at home.

Zhao Mama, observing this, felt anxious.

The day before the banquet, she had planned to have Wen Yue Sheng apologize to Wen Xun.

But Wen Yuesheng said nothing, and Zhao Mama wasn’t sure if the message had been heard.

Today, being forgotten at home, Wen Yue Sheng didn’t care at all.

She simply continued her usual routine of meditation and copying Buddhist scriptures.

Meanwhile, in the palace, the place was already full of noise and excitement.

No one seemed to notice Wen Yue Sheng’s absence.

As usual, Wen Yue Sheng was not favored, and her strange temperament meant no one would think of her.

However, today was different.

Wen Xun had exchanged pleasantries with several colleagues, and each one subtly inquired about Wen Yue Sheng.

“Why haven’t we seen the princess today?”

“Did something delay her?”

“Where is the princess?”

After so many inquiries, Wen Xun was starting to feel confused.

He frowned and thought of sending someone to investigate.

But one of his colleagues, who was on good terms with him, pointed it out directly: “How do you not know anything?”

“Do you remember that day during the second miss’s coming-of-age ceremony, when many people threw gold and jade into the princess’s wishing pond?”

“At the time, it was only because the old lady of the Zhen Guo Duke started it, and many people were trying to curry favor with her.”

“No one expected the wishing pond to be so effective!”

“Those who made wishes in the pond, eighty percent of them have come true!”

The colleague said this, giving Wen Xun a light pat on the shoulder, and added with emotion: “You’ve been raising a living Bodhisattva in your household.”

Wen Xun’s face changed repeatedly, but he couldn’t speak a word.

It was laughable that the wishing pond was right in his own residence, yet he had never even visited it.

He had never even given Wen Yue Sheng a proper look.

But now, they were saying Wen Yue Sheng had become a living Bodhisattva?

This… was truly absurd.

But today, not only Wen Xun, but also Chen Shi and Wen Yuruo, had been asked about it.

Wen Yuruo, who was beside Xiao Jin, noticed that Xiao Jin glanced several times toward the princess’s residence.

She furrowed her brow and coughed twice.

Xiao Jin asked, “What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?”

Wen Yuruo just shook her head, her face pale. After that, Xiao Jin didn’t look that way again.

The talk about Wen Yue Sheng’s wishing pond became a hot topic among the officials.

Meanwhile, the emperor and empress had no idea about it.

The emperor hadn’t even noticed that Wen Yue Sheng was absent from the banquet.

Fu Rui had caused a stir for seven days, and the emperor was now greatly annoyed.

Today, he had ordered Fu Rui’s feet to be bound.

She was to go, whether she wanted to or not!

The emissary from Haozhou was the crown prince, Yu Shun.

People from Haozhou were all tall and robust, with fierce temperaments.

However, this crown prince was handsome, well-read, and had the demeanor of a scholar-general.

The banquet began, and the two sides engaged in pleasant conversation.

But after the banquet, the Haozhou emissaries suddenly proposed a martial arts contest with the Great Hui’s generals.

This was a common occurrence in Haozhou, where many people were skilled in martial arts.

It was not unusual for them to set up camp in the desert, light a bonfire, and drink and spar for fun.

But for the Great Hui, this was a matter of pride.

After all, how could the host country lose to its guests? Everyone present at the banquet knew this.

Unfortunately, the Great Hui had neglected its military for a long time, and changing that wasn’t an overnight matter.

Many of the current generals were either elderly or only average in skill.

The first warrior sent by Haozhou was a towering, fierce man.

After entering the arena, he single-handedly fought against three of the Great Hui’s generals, and none of them lasted more than a hundred moves.

The emissaries from Haozhou cheered loudly, while the Great Hui was silent.

The emperor’s face darkened, and he lowered his head to ask the General of Cavalry, “I ordered you to train the troops, and this is what you’ve produced?”

The General of Cavalry, in a difficult position, replied, “… The border wars have been tight every year. All those skilled in martial arts have been sent to the battlefield. Plus, with defenses in the southwest and Yuzhou, there are very few capable generals left in the capital.”

Duke(Marquis) Zhongyong spoke up, “Your Majesty, this is not the fault of the General. Li Jianghai is skilled in martial arts, but he’s facing Nulie, and he’s being forced back step by step. Nulie is the fiercest warrior of the plains, who could defeat a hundred men by himself in Haozhou. He is a rare general and difficult to deal with.”

The “Li Jianghai” mentioned was one of the generals facing off against Haozhou’s warrior, Nulie.

Li Jianghai was the strongest among the Great Hui’s generals, yet he couldn’t withstand Nulie’s fierce attacks.

He was on the verge of being knocked out of the arena.

The emperor, looking at Duke Zhongyong, suddenly seemed to remember something and asked him, “Where is your son?”

Duke(Marquis) Zhongyong froze.