Prince of Jingkang, sitting on the throne, cast a glance toward Zhang Yulin.

The bloody item in Zhang Yulin’s hand was too gruesome to bring into the hall, but the Emperor seemed pleased.

“You’ve worked hard dealing with the rebellion in the East,” the Emperor said solemnly. “Jiang Yunhai had been stationed in the East for many years, but unexpectedly, he developed a rebellious heart.”

“He even managed to rally the soldiers below him and organize a force of thousands, trying to secede the entire Eastern region.”

Bang!

The Emperor slammed his hand on the table, and the sound seemed to strike everyone’s heart.

The officials in the hall stood up.

“He must be executed!” the Emperor declared with a cold expression.

He then looked at Zhang Yulin, “Our Great Hui soldiers are fierce and unmatched. With only a few hundred men, you struck hard against the rebels and even beheaded Jiang Yunhai’s right-hand man.”

“Zhang Yulin, you did well!”

At that moment, everyone was shocked.

They had known that Zhang Yulin was sent on a difficult mission, but no one had expected him to face thousands of rebels with only a few hundred men.

Jiang Yunhai, once considered an important figure, had been sent to the East by the Emperor, but in front of Zhang Yulin, he was as fragile as paper, easily crushed.

Zhang Yulin lowered his voice, “It’s the princess who trained us well.”

The room fell silent.

His voice was steady and resolute. “The five hundred soldiers who accompanied me to quell the rebellion were all from the Northern Guard, under the princess’s command. Without her training, this mission wouldn’t have been so easy.”

Though there were stationed troops in the East, the commanding officer, Jiang Yunhai, had rebelled. No one knew if there were more traitors among the garrison.

While Jiang Yunhai’s rebellion might seem like a small matter in the grand scheme of things, if it involved the nearly 100,000 soldiers stationed there, it became a far more serious issue.

Therefore, the Emperor’s goal was to eliminate Jiang Yunhai without alarming the garrison.

Fortunately, Zhang Yulin had not failed his mission.

“Good, good!” The Emperor smiled. “I hereby decree, Zhang Yulin, for your merit in quelling the rebellion, you are promoted to the rank of the Fourth-Rank Loyal Martial General!”

Everyone in the room was taken aback.

In just a few months, Zhang Yulin had risen from a foolish child to a Fourth-Rank position.

His rapid promotion was the fastest among all the generals.

But that wasn’t all.

The Emperor paused for a moment before suddenly saying, “Moreover, from this day forward, I bestow upon Princess Sinning a golden waistband to be worn before the Emperor, with control over the four great training grounds and all the capital’s defending troops.”

As the officials’ expressions changed dramatically and before they could react, the Emperor added, “Whoever wears this waistband, as if I were personally present, may kill any traitors without mercy.”

The entire hall went silent.

Among the officials, those remaining from the Duke of Xu’s faction looked particularly grim.

When Wen Yuesheng had been in charge of the Northern Training Grounds, she had already wielded great power.

Now, with control over all the defending forces in the city, she held the entire defense under her command.

This power was now dangerously close to that of the Imperial Guards’ commander, making her a close confidante of the Emperor.

What made matters even more striking was the Emperor’s final statement.

Though officials had criticized her for bypassing procedures and executing directly, now the Emperor had granted her the authority to do just that.

This meant that if anyone made a mistake in her hands, she could kill them on the spot, no questions asked.

Such power, combined with Wen Yue Sheng’s ruthless nature…

Everyone in the hall now looked at her with a hint of fear.

Even the Empress and the Duke of the State’s household showed signs of unease.

The person who felt the deepest impact from these words was Wen Xun.

Wen Yue Sheng had quickly become a prominent figure in the capital, a close confidant of the emperor, yet had no relation to him or the Wen family.

Previously, he had sent someone to invite Wen Yuesheng to a banquet, but Wen Yuesheng had not responded.

Wen Xun looked at Wen Yue Sheng in the center of the crowd, his expression unusually complicated.

The atmosphere in the hall was strange, with countless eyes focusing on Wen Yue Sheng.

Zhang Yulin’s promotion had been rapid, but what about Wen Yue Sheng?

From the time she took power to now, the period had been even shorter and more unexpected.

It seemed as if everything had only just begun, yet she was already at her end. Ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to think of such a situation.

It wasn’t until the martial arts competition below began that things eased slightly.

However, people continued to glance at her out of the corners of their eyes.

Even Wen Yurou wasn’t surprised.

For some reason, she always felt that the Empress’s attitude towards her was no longer as warm as before.

Clearly, she was still seated closest to the Empress, but the Empress kept whispering to Wei Lanzi beside her.

The Empress was Wei Lanzi’s aunt, so it was only natural that she was closer to Wei Lanzi.

Wen Yurou clenched her hands.

Unable to hold back, she slowly walked over to Xiao Jin before the competition began.

Her actions caught everyone’s attention in the hall.

She placed a plate of fresh, ripe grapes in front of Xiao Jin and softly said, “Yurou wishes the Prince of Yong’an a victorious start and to win first place in the martial arts competition.”

Today’s martial arts competition would see Xiao Jin himself participating.

The Empress’s faction wanted to use this opportunity to build a reputation among the generals, so the rewards would be more than just for the victor.

Xiao Jin was the strongest martial artist among the four princes.

To impress the generals, one must have outstanding skills.

They didn’t expect Xiao Jin to beat everyone, like the fierce general Zhang Yulin, but at least he needed to perform well to truly impress the soldiers.

Her actions caused everyone in the hall to look over.

The Prince of Wei Yangwang, standing beside Xiao Jin, laughed, “Miss Wen Yurou really has deep affection for the fourth prince.”

He emphasized the words “fourth prince” and continued, “The fourth prince must not disappoint Miss Wen.”

As he spoke, he glanced toward Wen Yue Sheng.

Xiao Jin’s eyes darkened.

But in front of so many people, he didn’t want to embarrass Wen Yurou. He just reached out and accepted the plate of grapes.

After Xiao Jin entered the competition, the Prince of Wei Yangwang laughed and said, “The fourth prince and Miss Wen seem to be a good match. How come his mother hasn’t arranged a marriage for him yet?”

“If this continues, will he be waiting for years and end up having the engagement called off?”

His voice wasn’t small, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly became awkward.

The Emperor, seated at the top, coldly said, “Xiao Yin.”

The Prince of Wei Yangwang immediately fell silent.

Wen Yurou returned to Xiao Jin’s seat, and no one stopped her.

After all, everyone knew that she was the future Princess of Yong’an.

However, many people’s gazes kept shifting between her, Xiao Jin, and Wen Yue Sheng.

The meaning was clear.

Over there, the martial arts competition had begun.

The atmosphere became even more intense as Xiao Jin took the stage.

Due to Xiao Jin’s status and the rules of the competition, if anyone without a title defeated a general, they would be greatly rewarded. Many people were eager to step forward.

Although Xiao Jin didn’t hold military power, he was one of the main generals for the upcoming military drills, so he naturally belonged to the group of primary generals.

Many generals came forward to challenge him, including Li Qingyuan from the guards.

Li Qingyuan had fought several rounds, and the rankings in the competition were determined by the number of victories a person had earned.

Li Qingyuan was ranked among the top ten.

However, if he lost, his victories would be wiped out.

Thus, the more victories one had, the more cautious they became. By the time Xiao Jin entered the arena, Li Qingyuan had been waiting for a long time without stepping onto the stage.

But upon seeing Xiao Jin take the stage and win three strong generals in a row, he decided to enter the competition.

The princess had said that soldiers must not show fear in any circumstance.

Li Qingyuan now truly respected Wen Yuesheng and saw this competition as a good opportunity for self-improvement. Thus, while his ranking mattered, winning against more opponents was even more important.

As soon as Li Qingyuan took the stage, the generals beside Wen Yuesheng cheered loudly for him.

The cheering sounds made many turn their heads, and when they saw the generals near Wen Yue Sheng, the atmosphere in the hall became even more heated.

What’s the point of just fighting? When there are personal grudges, that’s when the real excitement begins.

Previously, Li Qingyuan often stood beside Wen Yuesheng, so many people recognized him.

When Li Qingyuan attacked, many were impressed.

“Isn’t he just a lieutenant from the guards?”

“A lieutenant is this strong? His sword skills are impressive, looks like he’s no weaker than the generals who performed well earlier.”

“Such a pity…”

It was a pity that while Li Qingyuan was strong, he still fell short when facing Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin was handsome and skilled with a sword, and when he faced Li Qingyuan, the difference was easy to see.

His swordsmanship was superb, his strikes steady and powerful, forcing Li Qingyuan to defend with all his might.

In such a defensive situation, it was hard to win.

“Why does it look like Li Qingyuan’s swordplay is strong but lacks aggressiveness?” Lu Qinghuai softly said to Wen Yue Sheng, “That’s why he’s at a disadvantage against the Prince of Yong’an.”

“Li Qingyuan is too soft-hearted,” Zhang Yulin said. “He’s known for being a nice guy at the northern city barracks, and his swordsmanship is as gentle as his nature, lacking offensive power.”

Lu Qinghuai smiled lightly. “That won’t do. Swordsmanship is meant to kill and protect. Without aggressiveness, all it can do is dissuade the opponent. Doesn’t that make him more of a peacemaker?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qingyuan’s sword was knocked away by Xiao Jin.

“Li Qingyuan, lieutenant, loses—”

Along with his defeat, all the points he had earned in the competition that morning were lost.

With his loss, Xiao Jin had already won five rounds in a row.

Each of the generals he defeated was a formidable opponent.

The hall erupted in praise of Xiao Jin’s skill.

The Prince of Wei Yangwang, however, sneered and looked at Zhang Yulin. “Young Master Zhang, aren’t you going up?”

His question was directed at Zhang Yulin, but everyone knew who he really meant.

The Prince of Wei Yangwang was eager to see Wen Yuesheng push Zhang Yulin into the arena, hoping to see Xiao Jin defeated.

He added, “Your guard’s deputy has already lost. Shouldn’t the main general step up and reclaim the honor?”

Zhang Yulin scratched his head and hesitated. “But I’m not the main general.”

The Prince of Wei Yangwang only wanted to watch the spectacle. “If not you, then who?”

Zhang Yulin replied, “The princess is.”

The Prince of Wei Yangwang:?

Wen Yuesheng fighting Xiao Jin?

That would be even more exciting!