The Duke of Loyalty and Bravery soon realized the Emperor’s intention.

He spoke, “Does His Majesty want Yulin to step forward and fight Nu Lie?”

On the field, Li Jianghai had already been defeated, and the scene grew more embarrassing.

Gao Quan noticed the Emperor’s displeased expression and quickly said, “Your Majesty is wise! The heir is naturally the one most suited to face this number one warrior!”

As his words were finishing, he felt a cold, sharp gaze fall on him.

Gao Quan secretly cursed.

He didn’t want to offend the Duke of Loyalty and Bravery, but if this continued, the Great Hui’s reputation would be lost.

If the Emperor lost his temper, they, the servants, would all suffer.

The Emperor’s gaze swept over them.

The Duke paused, then said, “Your Majesty, I fear this matter is not for me to decide.”

The Emperor frowned. “Your son, you mean you don’t have the say on this?”

“Your Majesty does not know. Yulin is now just a simple guard. Since he is serving as someone else’s guard, it is naturally his master who has the final say.”

The Emperor: ?

“You want your son to be a guard for someone else?” Upon hearing this, the Emperor nearly thought the old man was deceiving him.

But the Duke lowered his head seriously.

“You really…” The Emperor was speechless.

He had no time to further investigate. He asked, “Who is his master?”

Even if Zhang Yulin had really become a guard, that person must be someone either wealthy or noble.

The Emperor immediately shifted his gaze to the people at the banquet.

Then he heard the Duke of Loyalty and Bravery say, “Princess Si Ning.”

The Emperor: “Who?”

He thought he had misheard.

Si Ning?

Wasn’t Zhang Yulin supposed to be normal?

Was his father the crazy one?

“Your Majesty, it is indeed Yulin’s great benefactor, the most important guest of the Duke, and the only child of Princess Huiyi—Princess Si Ning.”

The Emperor: …

The Duke spoke so smoothly, with so many titles, that the Emperor was momentarily speechless.

After a long pause, he turned to Gao Quan and said, “Go bring Princess Si Ning here.”

Gao Quan immediately replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

But when he returned, it wasn’t Wen Yuesheng who came, but Wen Xun.

Wen Xun was now feeling uneasy. Why had the Emperor started asking for Wen Yuesheng?

After hearing Gao Quan’s words, he became even more confused.

But he had no choice but to gather himself and prepare to answer the Emperor’s questions.

“Why are you here? Where is Si Ning?”

Wen Xun’s heart tightened.

He hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, Princess Si Ning did not enter the palace today.”

The Emperor’s expression darkened. “How could she not come to the palace?”

This was a difficult question for Wen Xun to answer.

He couldn’t exactly say that the palace hadn’t directly invited Si Ning, and he had purposely given her a lesson.

As he hesitated, he heard the Emperor say directly, “Go and fetch her!”

Everything would be settled after the palace banquet.

For now, the Emperor demanded to see Si Ning immediately.

“Gao Quan, you go personally.”

Gao Quan was the Emperor’s most trusted inner servant.

As soon as he moved, many people at the banquet began to stir.

Especially the several princes, who quickly sent people to inquire about Gao Quan’s whereabouts.

The entire court of Great Hui, from the royal family to the ministers, was in a state of chaos.

However, Prince Yu Shun of Haozhou seemed to be entirely unaware.

When King Heng Guang suggested taking a short break before continuing the duel, he didn’t voice any objections.

Yu Shun was handsome and elegant, with soft, gentle eyes of a grayish hue.

As he stood up, the entire hall fell silent.

Yu Shun spoke in a calm tone, “I have come this time to promote friendship between our two nations, not to show off in combat. Nu Lie is reckless, and I hope His Majesty can forgive him.”

This Haozhou prince was not only polite but also graceful.

The martial arts contest had gone four rounds, all ending in disastrous defeats for Great Hui.

Now, he was giving the Emperor an easy way out.

It was a strategy of retreating to advance.

It put Great Hui in a dilemma: agreeing meant admitting their inferiority, but refusing would lead to an even worse situation if they lost the fifth round.

King Heng Guang hesitated for a moment but remained silent.

The Emperor cast a glance at him, snorted coldly, and was about to speak when he saw Xiao Jin stand up.

Xiao Jin spoke warmly, “What the Prince said is quite right.”

“But the summer heat is strong, and after four rounds, even Lord Nu might need some rest.” Xiao Jin paused, then clapped his hands.

A group of palace servants quickly entered the hall.

“Aside from martial arts, Great Hui also has some unique items for everyone to admire.”

“Let’s use this opportunity to wait for Lord Nu to recover, and then we can resume the contest.”

It was clearly a delaying tactic, but Yu Shun merely smiled lightly and didn’t refuse.

The situation was under control.

Yet, everyone present understood that the fifth round would be particularly important.

The Duke stood by the Emperor, his expression changing repeatedly, but he didn’t speak at this moment.

Xiao Jin had prepared thoroughly, and the palace servants he had called upon were highly skilled.

The skills they demonstrated certainly amazed the Haozhou emissaries.

The Haozhou emissaries were pleased, but the Great Hui emissaries couldn’t pay attention to any of it.

Among the ministers, many could no longer hold back and began to whisper to each other.

“Li Jianghai has already lost. Surely we can’t let the General of the Cavalry go up for the fifth round?”

“Look at the Duke of Loyalty and Bravery’s expression. Could it be him?”

“Forget it. The Duke might have been capable in his youth, but now, he’s no match for Nu Lie.”

“What should we do…”

The wait felt particularly long.

Even Wen Yuruo, who sat next to Xiao Jin, was affected by the mood.

She glanced at him with concern.

Xiao Jin only shook his head lightly.

As the atmosphere became more tense, Gao Quan returned.

He was sweating and had a look of joy on his face as he hurried over to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, the Princess has arrived.”

The emperor’s eyes lit up. “Announce it!”

Gao Quan immediately called out loudly, “Announcing Princess Sining!”

As soon as he spoke, all performances in the hall came to a halt.

The hall instantly fell silent.

Yu Shun lightly curled his lips and casually looked outside.

When Princess Sining’s name was mentioned, the officials stared wide-eyed at each other, exchanging confused glances.

What was going on?

Princess Sining knows martial arts?

They couldn’t understand why Gao Quan had made such a long trip in this hot weather to bring in Wen Yue Sheng.

Just as the announcement ended, when Wen Yuesheng appeared in front of everyone, the crowd froze.

When the eunuch arrived, Wen Yuesheng had still been meditating.

Thus, she wore only a simple white dress, with a green gauze robe with wide sleeves over it.

She wore a white jade lotus crown, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall.

One hand was behind her back, while the other held a long string of white jade prayer beads.

Compared to the other noblewomen in the hall, she appeared exceptionally pure and simple.

But even this plain attire couldn’t hide her stunningly beautiful face.

Her grace was seductive, and her charm seemed innate.

These were two completely different, even contradictory, types of beauty, yet she effortlessly blended elegance with allure.

Even the way her robes fluttered in the air carried an exquisite beauty.

Her presence alone was already striking.

Behind her followed Zhang Yulin.

Zhang Yulin was extremely tall and muscular, his body so solid that his clothes seemed to barely fit, almost bursting.

As he walked, he resembled a moving mountain.

But despite his imposing figure, he obediently followed Wen Yuesheng.

Wen Yuesheng was naturally more slender than ordinary people.

In the midst of the wild, swirling wind, it seemed as though she could be blown away with ease.

Walking in front of Zhang Yulin, she looked even more petite.

Zhang Yulin’s size could probably accommodate two or three of her.

Her slender figure barely reached the level of his chest.

She walked slowly, and Zhang Yulin followed her every step.

She held the prayer beads, while Zhang Yulin had a steel chain hanging at his waist, with two large purple-gold hammers at the end.

As they walked, the hammers emitted a deep, resonant sound.

Wherever they went, there was an overwhelming aura of power.

This scene was so shocking that not only the envoys of Haozhou but even the ministers of Dahuì were stunned.

No one had expected that it would be Wen Yuesheng, nor had they anticipated her entrance would be like this.

“Is this… the Bodhisattva and her Vajra Guardian?” someone whispered.

The emperor was also taken aback.

Just seven days had passed, and it seemed that Zhang Yulin had gained an incredible amount of strength.

He appeared even more massive than before.

Compared to the weak and malnourished man from seven days ago, he now looked like a solid rock.

Of course, it might also be because Wen Yuesheng, so slender in comparison, accentuated the difference.

But just based on the impact of their entrance, Zhang Yulin couldn’t compare to the might of Haozhou’s top warrior.

“Someone, offer her a seat!” The emperor turned to Yu Shun, smiling, “The person competing against Nu Lie in the fifth match is just my niece, Princess Sining’s bodyguard.”

“I’m sure the Crown Prince won’t mind, right?”

Yu Shun withdrew his gaze.

Compared to the tense Zhang Yulin, his eyes lingered more on Wen Yuesheng.

Many women from the grasslands were known to be bold, and as a prince, Yu Shun had seen many types of women.

But this was the first one who made him feel an unmistakable sense of danger after just a single glance.

He looked at Wen Yuesheng meaningfully and said, “Princess Sining?”

Wen Yuesheng slightly raised her eyes, her cold gaze devoid of any emotion.

Below, there was a flurry of whispers.

Some were shocked that Zhang Yulin had become Wen Yuesheng’s bodyguard, others marveled at her beauty, and there were even some…

“Hiss, can I make a wish to the princess?”

“Are you okay?”

And still others were considering their own wishes.

But amidst the chaos, the battle spirit of Nu Lie remained undeterred.

He stood up almost without hesitation and called out loudly, “Do you dare to fight me?”

Zhang Yulin immediately looked at Wen Yuesheng upon hearing this.

The emperor frowned, remembering the circumstances under which Zhang Yulin had unleashed such incredible strength.

It had only been seven days…

This was a competition between two nations, and it was unlikely they would let Wen Yuesheng stand by as a spectator.

As he was feeling helpless, he heard Wen Yuesheng speak.

In the scorching heat of August, her voice was as clear and cool as a mountain spring.

“Be careful,” she said softly, her voice almost a whisper. “Don’t kill him.”

In the tense atmosphere of the hall, her words only reached Zhang Yulin’s ears.

Zhang Yulin acknowledged her, stepping forward. “I’ll fight you.”

Compared to Nu Lie, without Wen Yuesheng in the front, Zhang Yulin seemed to lack all of his former intimidating presence.

The two quickly descended to the arena.

The emperor, still concerned, asked Gao Quan if Wen Yuesheng was confident.

She responded, “Who knows?”

Her voice was unguarded, making it clear for the emperor to hear.

The emperor’s face immediately turned pale.

It wasn’t just him.

When Zhang Yulin had first appeared, many were overwhelmed by his presence.

Now, realizing the situation, they were filled with worry.

Perhaps the Haozhou envoys were unaware, but everyone else knew that just over half a month ago, Zhang Yulin had been a dazed fool.

Now, they were letting this fool fight Nu Lie.

Who could feel at ease about this?

As the tension in the air mounted, the battle began.

Meanwhile, Yu Shun turned his attention to Wen Yuesheng.

Before the two competitors could start, Princess Sining closed her eyes.

With a string of white jade prayer beads in her hand, as Nu Lie swung his large sword, aiming to strike at Zhang Yulin’s face, she gently twirled one of the beads.

“Crack.” The beads clinked together, producing a crisp sound.

Zhang Yulin removed the purple-gold hammer from his waist, and with the force of a thunderbolt, he swung it at Nu Lie.

In an instant, Nu Lie’s sword shattered, and the blast of power caused blood to spill from his hands.

The hall erupted in shock.

Zhang Yulin possessed such strength?

One blow and it was shattered. What immense force!

In the midst of the gasps of excitement and fear, Wen Yuesheng turned another bead.

“Crack!”

Nu Lie adjusted himself, attempting to attack Zhang Yulin’s feet.

Zhang Yulin raised his hammers, and the ground seemed to shake.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Wherever the purple-gold hammers landed, deep craters formed.

The sound seemed to strike at everyone’s hearts, making many feel a chill run down their spines.

“Crack.” Another bead turned.

The situation on the field remained unchanged, but Yu Shun stood up and called out to the emperor, “Nu Lie cannot defeat this warrior. We concede.”

“Please, Princess, show mercy.”

If the fight continued, Nu Lie would surely die.