Chapter 27: Apprenticeship

Zhuang Xiaoyu was a disciple of Daoist Lingxu, and her unfathomable martial arts skills were quietly spread around, especially when it was heard that Zhuang Xiaowan was learning martial arts from her sister. The noble families couldn’t sit still.

Each family’s head prepared lavish gifts to visit the Prime Minister’s residence, hoping that Zhuang Xiaoyu would impart some teachings to their children.

Madam Zhang arranged for them to be seated in the guest hall and called Zhuang Xiaoyu over to let her decide what to do.

When Zhuang Xiaoyu saw these familiar faces, she felt a sense of disdain. When she first came back, they had looked down on her.

When Madam Zhang asked about the ages of their sons, they all dodged the question, fearing that Zhuang Xiaoyu might marry one of their sons and bring disaster to their family.

“What are you all trying to do?” Zhuang Xiaoyu leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

“Miss Zhuang, you are skilled beyond measure. Could you please guide my son?”

“What is this son of yours?”

“Miss Zhuang, if I’ve been rude in the past, please forgive me. Considering that my husband and the Prime Minister serve together in the court, could you teach my family’s Mo Sheng?”

“Mo Sheng? What kind of name is that? Even ‘Familiar’ sounds better than it, hahaha…”

“Miss, will you agree?”

“How could I be so free, to teach your son? I could throw the emperor’s son off the roof if I wanted to. Do you think your son could survive a few tosses?”

…

Madam Zhang said nothing throughout the entire exchange, as if this had nothing to do with her.

The visitors could only awkwardly rise and take their leave, casting one last look at the gifts they had brought. No one offered to take them back, and they left, both regretful and upset.

In the backyard, Zhuang Xiaowan was practicing with a stake. A bowl of water was balanced on her head, which Zhuang Xiaoyu had placed there after recalling her friend’s son from the Prime Minister’s residence.

“Practice well, if the water spills, there will be a punishment.”

“Sister, how long do I have to hold it?”

“I’ll take a nap, we’ll talk about it when I wake up.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu yawned and went inside, leaving Zhuang Xiaowan alone in the courtyard, drenched in sweat.

There was a rustling sound in the corner of the wall. Zhuang Xiaowan turned her head and saw Murong Ze sneaking along the wall.

“Second Prince, why are you here again? Aren’t you afraid my sister will throw you out again?”

“I heard she’s sleeping. I came to keep you company while you practice.”

“I don’t need you to keep me company.”

“I’ll hold the bowl for you, you rest for a bit.”

Murong Ze placed the bowl on his own head and, imitating Zhuang Xiaowan, squatted in a horse stance.

“You… do you also want to learn martial arts from my sister?”

“Mm, but unfortunately, Sister Xiaoyu doesn’t pity me at all. I’m afraid she’ll throw me off the roof again.”

“How about this, in the future, when my sister teaches me something, I’ll pass it on to you. You can practice at home. Sister says that forging a sword requires ten years of persistence. Martial arts can’t be mastered in a short time. It requires consistent effort, and she only became this powerful after more than ten years of hard work.”

“Xiaowan, you’re too kind. You’re my master now. If anyone bullies you in the future, just tell me, and I’ll protect you.”

“Second Prince, you should protect yourself first. I have my sister to rely on.”

A prince, acting like a beggar, still needs to rely on marriage to build influence, yet he dares to say he will protect others.

Zhuang Xiaoyu woke up and found her sister still practicing. She praised her, saying she was teachable.

She thought that her reputation as a fierce woman had spread, and no one dared to bother her anymore. However, unexpectedly, after leaving the city, she encountered assassins. The figure and speed of the one who jumped at her clearly indicated they were well-trained—not just some ordinary household guard. It seemed they came with malicious intent.

Zhuang Xiaowan trembled in fear. She had never seen such a scene. The glinting sword must be extraordinarily sharp; a single stab would pierce to the bone.

“Sister…!”

“Have you never seen someone killed?”

“No.”

“Today, I’ll let you see. How do you want them to die?”

“I… I want them to die quickly.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu glanced at the assassins: “My sister says she wants you to die quickly, so you should thank her for sparing you the pain of dying slowly.”

“Miss Zhuang, you have such big words. First, think about whether you can save your own life,” the leader of the assassins said with disdain.

“Didn’t you faint for five days and still not learn your lesson?”

As soon as these words left her mouth, Zhuang Xiaoyu clearly sensed a brief moment of hesitation from the enemy. After all, they were the emperor’s shadow guards. They hadn’t sent out the entire force to assassinate Murong Xuan, but had instead conserved their strength to deal with her.

“Building a shadow guard is not easy. I really don’t want to see all of you wiped out. Go back and tell the emperor, we can live in peace. Why does he want to kill me?”

“Stop talking nonsense, today is your day to die.”

“Good words are wasted on those who deserve to die. I can’t help it.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu raised her hand, and a fierce wind suddenly blew up. The leaves on the trees around her were swept into the air, spinning in a whirlpool, and flying toward the assassins.

The shadow guards raised their swords to block, but it was futile. The leaves weren’t coming from just one direction; they surrounded them in a whirlpool. As they spun, wherever the leaves landed, the target would let out a shrill cry. It was a strange martial art—no one was injured yet, but the leaves were enough to take them down. One of the shadow guards, still unharmed, charged at Zhuang Xiaoyu, intending to take her life. Zhuang Xiaoyu flicked her hand, and the leaves turned into flying darts, each hitting the throat of an assailant, killing them instantly.

The remaining ones were few, and killing them would be easy. Zhuang Xiaoyu stopped her wind attack.

“Wan’er, for these few, do you want them to die or live?”

The few surviving men were terrified, their years of training as shadow guards rendered useless in front of Zhuang Xiaoyu. Their lives and deaths were entirely up to her.

Zhuang Xiaowan, still in shock, said, “Sister… you’re amazing.”

“Next time, you should try to stop stuttering.”

Zhuang Xiaowan, her courage growing, pointed at the assassins. “If you don’t want to cause us trouble again, my sister will let you go.”

The assassins exchanged glances, but they knew their fate was not up to them. They were merely following orders.

“You heard her. It’s not up to them. If you want them to live, I’ll let them go. If you don’t want them to live, I’ll kill them.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu was fiddling with a few leaves, one for each of the men. It would be enough to send them on their way.

The assassins, facing death, looked at Zhuang Xiaowan with pleading eyes, hoping she would spare them.

“Sister, will letting them go cause you trouble?”

“No.”

This girl was kind-hearted and wanted to release them. Zhuang Xiaoyu didn’t want her to feel conflicted. If she told her that “cutting the weeds at the root” would ensure peace, it would only make things harder for her.

“Then, let them go this time. If they mess up again, I’ll kill them all.”

“Since my sister has spoken, you can leave. Also, tell the emperor he won’t have peaceful days ahead.”

“Thank you, Misses.”

The assassins quickly vanished.

“Sister, why does the emperor want to kill you?”

“Because he doesn’t want a peaceful life anymore.”

He was scared—scared that Zhuang Xiaoyu might use the conditions of being a disciple of Lingxu Daoist to make demands of him, scared that she would oppose him, and even more scared of losing his power.

Sigh… can’t people just trust and tolerate each other more?

When Zhuang Xiaoyu got home, she told Zhuang Xian about the emperor wanting to kill her. “Now you know what kind of person you’ve pledged loyalty to.”

“That’s because you’ve ignored him so much. He resents you and wants to get rid of you.”

Old Zhuang even emphasized the emperor’s reasoning.

“So you mean he’s right, and I should obediently die according to his wishes?”

“Of course not! How could you die? You can’t die.”

“Then who should die?”

“Can we just avoid anyone dying?”

“Sure.”

Zhuang Xiaoyu left. Her father was so loyal, but she feared that if the conversation continued, he would ask his daughter to die for the country.

People always plotting against her, like a sword hanging over her head. Who knows when they’ll act? But she couldn’t afford to wait and see. She needed to find a way to make them too busy to focus on her.

Why weren’t the princes causing any trouble? Couldn’t they at least give their father a bit of trouble?

What happened to Murong Xiao? After being abandoned, couldn’t he still try to stir things up?

The emperor’s shadow guards, who had been sent to assassinate Zhuang Xiaoyu, returned to report the failure. The plan had failed, and most of the men were dead. The emperor was furious and spat blood again. His ability to kill was becoming increasingly limited, and with repeated failures, the shadow guard had been reduced to a shell of its former self. He was truly becoming a lonely king.

What was even worse was that Zhuang Xiaoyu had sent a message saying that he would never have peace again. It was a blatant threat.

As a ruler, he couldn’t swallow this humiliation.