“Young Master!” Lu Hongying’s expression changed.

As soon as she spoke, countless people in the training field turned to look at her.

The few who had been sparring with Zhang Yulin reacted, exchanging looks.

The person who had beaten Zhang Yulin to a pulp quickly walked over, helping him up.

He even said, “Ah, Young Master, look at you… I told you not to spar, but you insisted. Now look at the injuries you’ve sustained, what are we going to do?”

His companions all echoed in agreement, “Yes, one must know their limits in a spar.”

“Young Master, you’re not upset with us, are you?”

Just then, someone from the Zhongyong Hou estate arrived.

Since the Duke of Zhongyong had been out of the capital recently, it was his deputy, Wu Yong, who came.

Seeing this scene, Wu Yong’s face immediately darkened.

He threw down the large knife in his hand and shouted angrily, “What are you all doing?”

The few people didn’t expect to be caught red-handed.

Their expressions turned ugly.

Zhang Yulin, feeling dizzy, could not stand and had to half-sit on the sandy ground.

Due to the gender difference, Zhou Man Niang was not in a position to examine his injuries directly.

She could only softly ask, “Young Master, they’ve bullied you like this, why don’t you fight back?”

Zhang Yulin’s eyes wavered as he heard this.

He shook his head, saying, “I can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

“You fool!” Lu Hongying was furious.

She shouted, “Others are bullying you, and you won’t even shout out in pain, you won’t fight back?”

How could the son of a great duke be so humiliated by these ruffians?

Zhang Yulin’s face was pale as he lowered his head in silence.

He looked down at his hands.

If he acted as he had before, hurting innocent people for no reason, what would he do then?

“Where are your officers? Tell them to come out, I want to see them!” Wu Yong yelled in anger.

“General, we were only following the Young Master’s request to spar with him,” Zhang Jin said loudly. “When the Young Master entered the military camp, did Duke Zhongyong not say that the Young Master should be treated like a regular soldier, enduring hardship and training?”

“Now, we’ve won in the sparring, and you want to hold us accountable? That’s unreasonable!”

“Yeah, this is a military camp! If you don’t have the strength and can’t take a loss, what are you doing here?”

“Who here hasn’t been beaten when they first joined the army? Even General Cheng’s son had to endure hardships in the military camp. Did anyone treat him like this?”

“If you want to live like a noble, being pampered, you shouldn’t come to the recruit camp. Just go back home and enjoy being a Young Master!”

These comments sparked anger among the soldiers who had been watching the scene.

Zhang Jin sneered. “In a sparring match, there’s no such thing as not getting hurt.”

“If the General wants to punish me for this, I won’t accept it!”

Wu Yong’s face was grim. The trouble was, Zhang Jin was speaking the truth.

Anyone who enters a military camp is not here for a comfortable life.

Duke Zhongyong had intended to train Zhang Yulin, and hadn’t emphasized his noble status when he entered the camp.

But upon reflection, this was indeed a mistake.

Zhang Yulin’s situation was different from others, and suddenly entering such a harsh environment would only leave him open to bullying.

This situation was common in the recruit camp, where new soldiers almost always got beaten up.

If they encountered an especially tough old soldier, it wasn’t unheard of for them to leave the camp covered in bruises.

In the military camp, the only thing that could speak was a fist.

This was also what frustrated Wu Yong the most—Zhang Yulin wasn’t without strength.

If he could fight back, let alone these few men, even if all his companions attacked together, they still wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

But he…

When Zhang Jin saw that Wu Yong was silent, his arrogance grew.

He said loudly, “Yes, I did injure the Young Master in the sparring, but according to military rules, matters in the arena should be resolved there.”

“If the Young Master thinks he’s been wronged, he can take revenge on the spot! I, Zhang Jin, will accompany him anytime! But if I’m punished for a sparring injury, even if it reaches Duke Zhongyong, I won’t accept it!”

His companion next to him shouted, “Those who abuse military punishment, get out of the camp!”

“Get out of the camp!” “Get out of the camp!”

“Well, Young Master, do you still want to spar with me?” Zhang Jin looked coldly at Zhang Yulin.

Zhang Yulin remained silent, not even lifting his head.

“Of course, I want to spar,” came a calm voice.

Zhang Jin paused and looked up, only to meet a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Wen Yuesheng walked over slowly and stood in front of Zhang Yulin. “Get up and spar with him.”

Wu Yong’s expression changed. “Princess!”

At this moment, it was not wise for Zhang Yulin to spar with anyone given his condition.

He had been in the army for many years and knew that people were different from each other.

He had seen many fierce generals, but some of them had become tormented and dejected after failing to overcome certain mental barriers.

Zhang Yulin had already shown such signs before even stepping onto the battlefield; he should not be further provoked.

Yet Zhang Yulin listened especially carefully to Wen Yuesheng’s words.

He paused for a moment, gritting his teeth against the pain, and stood up, looking seriously at Zhang Jin. “If the Princess wants me to spar with you, I will.”

His father had told him that the Princess was his great benefactor, and he had to listen to everything she said.

Zhang Jin was momentarily stunned before sneering. “Fine, but I must say this upfront.”

“This spar was initiated by the Young Master himself. If he gets injured again, don’t blame me!”

“Agreed.” It was Wen Yuesheng who responded.

Her eyes showed no emotion: “If you can win, everything prior will be forgiven.”

Zhang Jin was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “As expected, the Princess is reasonable! Everyone, did you hear that?”

As soon as he spoke, the surrounding soldiers responded in unison.

At this point, Wu Yong knew there was no way to dissuade them anymore.

However, he couldn’t just watch Zhang Yulin take another beating.

He could only anxiously pace back and forth.

But that wasn’t the end.

Wen Yuesheng spoke again. “Just fists and feet aren’t enough for an exciting match.”

“Bring weapons!”

Lu Hongying was taken aback for a moment before reacting, giving orders to fetch the purple-golden hammer she had modified.

When the hammer appeared, everyone gasped in shock.

This kind of weapon didn’t need much skill—just picking it up and swinging it could easily kill someone.

Zhang Jin’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of it.

But when he saw how weak Zhang Yulin looked, unable to even lift a single hammer, he immediately felt more at ease.

“Fine! As the Princess wishes!” Zhang Jin laughed nonchalantly and signaled for someone to bring him a spear.

He picked up the spear and casually swung it through the air.

The spear sliced through the sky, emitting a series of sharp, ear-piercing whooshes.

Wu Yong’s expression had already dropped to freezing point.

Had it not been for Lord Zhongyong, Wen Yuesheng, who was seen as Zhang Yulin’s savior, he would have turned on Wen Yuesheng today.

Even so, he gripped the great sword in his hand tightly.

His eyes darkened as he watched the scene.

The duel hadn’t even started yet.

Meanwhile, Heng Guang was already being reprimanded.

“I made you a minister of the Ministry of War, and this is how you manage things?” the Emperor roared, his voice filled with anger. “Look at the soldiers you’ve trained. How can these people face the hundreds of thousands of cavalry from the Ha Zhou?”

“If you can’t do the job, then don’t do it. From today, get out of the Ministry of War!”

The people around knelt, but the Emperor, still furious, didn’t even spare them a glance as he turned and walked off the high platform.

As soon as the Emperor left, everyone hurried to follow him.

But before they could exit the training grounds, the Emperor suddenly stopped.

“Gao Quan,” the Emperor said darkly, pointing towards the distance, “Go check what’s going on over there.”

From afar, they could only see a group of new recruits gathered together.

The new recruits had just entered the camp and hadn’t yet started training.

But their disorderly conduct was enough to make the Emperor sneer.

Gao Quan quickly returned with the report.

Xiao Jin, who overheard the entire matter, looked displeased.

Meanwhile, Wei Yangwang, who was standing nearby, grumbled, “Tsk, Fourth Brother, this future Fourth Sister-in-law of yours sure knows how to stir up trouble for you.”

Xiao Jin’s face turned cold. “Big Brother’s camp has soldiers like this, who are bold enough to humiliate the son of Marquis Zhongyong?”

“You mean to say this is just a coincidence?”

Wei Yangwang’s expression changed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “Isn’t this the usual state in the camp?”

Xiao Jin sneered without responding.

The Emperor had regained his composure after his initial rage, but his eyes still looked like a storm was brewing.

He didn’t speak but stepped forward, walking towards the area in question.

The others snapped to attention and hurried to follow.

Wei Yangwang whispered to Xiao Jin, “It seems Fourth Brother is closer to Big Brother, even willing to share some of Father’s anger.”

He said this with a mocking smile, then took the lead and followed.

Only Xiao Jin remained standing, his eyes as deep and dark as the sea.

The news of the Emperor visiting the training ground spread quickly.

Everyone there was filled with panic.

But Zhang Jin, in the midst of it all, remained oblivious.

When ordered, he rushed at Zhang Yulin with his spear raised to strike directly at his face.

At that moment, Zhang Yulin couldn’t even pick up his weapon.

He could only awkwardly step aside to avoid the attack.

But due to his slow reaction, a stream of blood appeared at his neck, and when he was struck on the shoulder, he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Jin’s strikes were fierce, but Zhang Yulin could only retreat.

Even when pushed into a corner, he still had no strength to fight back.

He couldn’t even lift the heavy iron hammer, let alone avoid the fast-moving spear.

He was like a swollen cloth bag, only able to endure the repeated blows.

Wu Yong watched, his eyes reddening as he shouted, “Young Master! Fight back! You have to fight back!”

Why didn’t he fight back?

He had already been forced into such a situation, yet he still only dodged.

Could he really still fight after this?

This was the question in everyone’s mind.

Zhang Yulin, already covered in injuries, now faced Zhang Jin with a weapon, and it didn’t take long before his body started to buckle under the strain.

The more tired he became, the more exposed his weaknesses.

In this dire situation, Wu Yong felt his heart break with frustration, wishing he could knock Zhang Jin to the ground himself.

The scene was unbearable, with only the sound of Zhang Yulin’s labored breathing filling the air.

Unable to watch any longer, Wu Yong approached Wen Yuesheng, saying, “Princess, let the Young Master admit defeat. If this continues, he won’t last much longer.”

Wen Yuesheng, still holding the prayer beads, showed no emotion on her face.

After hearing Wu Yong’s words, she suddenly spoke, “Zhang Jin.”

“If you manage to make him admit defeat, everything that happened before will be erased.”

“If you can make him beg for mercy, I’ll reward you with ten thousand gold!”

At these words, the entire area went silent.

Anyone could tell that Zhang Yulin was just holding on by a thread, and in no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he would collapse and be unable to rise again.

Yet, at this moment, Wen Yuesheng was still provoking Zhang Jin!

Sure enough, when Zhang Jin heard “ten thousand gold,” his eyes blazed with intense fervor, and his spear sliced through the air with a fierce wind, every strike aimed directly at Zhang Yulin’s throat.

“Has she lost her mind?” Wei Yangwang said from a distance. “Trying to provoke someone like this—does she not fear she’ll really harm Zhang Yulin?”

Those nearby murmured, “It’s said that Lord Zhang Yulin has divine strength, but it seems the rumors were wrong. With such force, he can’t even compare to an ordinary soldier. How could he be called divine?”

“Maybe that’s why Princess Si Ning is provoking him like this.”

“Looking at the situation, this strategy is useless.”

“Zhang Yulin is likely unable to hold on much longer.”

Everyone, including Wu Yong, doubted Zhang Yulin’s ability to continue.

Amidst the murmurs, Zhang Yulin’s footsteps became heavier, and it seemed he was about to fall a second time.

Nearby, Zhou Man Niang and Lu Hongying could no longer bear to watch.

Then, suddenly, something unexpected happened.

Xiao Jin, who was standing far away, was stunned when he saw a flash of glaring gold enter the battlefield.

He saw Zhang Jin’s spear being thrust down with full force.

The spear reflected cold light in the sunlight as it moved towards Zhang Yulin.

Just as it seemed certain the spear would pierce Zhang Yulin, Wen Yuesheng suddenly appeared in front of him.

No one saw when she appeared or how she blocked the strike.

They only saw Zhang Yulin’s pupils constrict sharply.

Zhang Jin had already committed to his full force, unable to stop, and the spear was about to pierce Wen Yuesheng’s fair skin.

“Looking for death?!” Zhang Yulin trembled, his eyes turning bloodshot.

In a surge of intense anger, he roared.

He wildly grabbed the iron hammer lying on the ground.

With all his strength, he swung it.

The hammer flew through the air, creating a massive afterimage.

Boom!

The hammer struck Zhang Jin with a loud crash.

“Crack!” The spear in Zhang Jin’s hand snapped in two.

Zhang Jin flew backward, as though shot from a bow.

Amidst the flying dust, the entire field went silent.

Only Wen Yuesheng smiled faintly and said, “Wasn’t he able to fight back?”