Тhеrе аre manу реорle in this world who dоn't knоw how to sрeak рrореrlу, but Хu Huaizu is thе only one who cаn still tаlk nonsеnse undеr Yin Gеzhi's tеrrifуing gazе.
Fеng Yuе fеlt а chill run dоwn her spine аnd rеallу wanted to sаy, "Young mаster, if yоu wаnt tо соurt dеаth, could уоu plеаsе not drаg me intо it? I still wаnt to live а gоod lifе and don't wish to diе so soon!"
Аs it turnеd оut, the Хu family's seсоnd уoung mаstеr bеlаtеdlу reаlizеd, "Did I saу somеthing wrong? Doеs Mаstеr nоt like Мiss Fеng Yuе?"
Тhis isn't even a mаtter of liking or disliking! Feng Yue сhuckled drylу and tugged аt his sleеvе, "Young mаster, there are still two dishes in the kitchen. Why don't you accompany me to fetch them?"
"Alright." Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Xu Huaizu fled quickly, pulling Feng Yue along as they dashed out. Only when they were far away did he frown and ask, "What did I say wrong?"
Feng Yue sighed, "Your master has always looked down on courtesans. With a status like mine, how dare you suggest I could be your master's wife?"
Looked down on? Xu Huaizu frowned, "If he looks down on you, then why does he insist on keeping you in this courtyard?"
Feng Yue shrugged, "Probably because my cooking is better than Guan Zhi's."
"But..." Xu Huaizu frowned, "I feel like Master cares about you quite a bit. The two of you get along well enough. It was just a joke, wasn't it?"
"You should rest for a while." Feng Yue shook her head, "Don't joke like that anymore."
Nodding in agreement, Xu Huaizu sighed, "I always thought Master was a perfect person. I never imagined he had flaws too."
"Hmm?" Entering the kitchen and placing the dishes in his hands, Feng Yue asked, "What flaws?"
"It's about matters of the heart." Xu Huaizu said, "If you like someone, you like them. If you don't, you don't. Getting tangled up in things like status and such—it's just too exhausting."
Pausing slightly, Feng Yue couldn't help but laugh.
Matters of the heart are clearly the most difficult to handle in this world, far more challenging than riding horses or fighting battles. If a simple "like" or "dislike" could settle everything, then all the lovesick men and resentful women in the world would be free.
But this young master of the Xu family is still young and likely hasn't experienced much romance yet. It's no surprise he would say such things.
"The food is getting cold, let's go."
"Alright."
The atmosphere in the room had eased a bit. The group managed to have a relatively peaceful meal, after which Yin Gezhi sent his two disciples off to continue their training and then dragged Feng Yue into his room.
"You..." He looked up, but before he could speak, the person opposite him jumped up high, waving her hands, "There's no need to lecture me, master. I don't have any of the thoughts Young Master Xu mentioned. I know my place and understand why I'm here. I would never dare to have any improper thoughts about you!"
She said it all in one breath without pausing. Yin Gezhi frowned and sneered, "You certainly know your place."
"Of course, of course. Otherwise, how could I serve by your side?" Feng Yue grinned shamelessly, "Compared to Miss Yi, I'm far inferior!"
Glancing at her lightly, Yin Gezhi said, "Compare yourself to someone else. She's not as good as you."
What? Feng Yue blinked, hearing Yin Gezhi speak so bluntly for the first time, and felt a bit unsettled, "Why? Don't you like her quite a bit?"
"Liking is one thing." After a moment of contemplation, Yin Gezhi said, "But being with her is too exhausting."
Slightly taken aback, Feng Yue shrugged, "That's true. After all, not everyone can shamelessly flatter you like I do."
"What did you say?""Hehe, nothing much." Making a funny face at him, Feng Yue turned and ran: "I'm going to check on Lingshu."
Before the words even finished, she had already vanished from sight, leaving him no chance to say anything more.
Yin Gezhi frowned, thinking that this person must have been a frog in a past life—not only did she like to puff out her cheeks, but she also hopped away quickly!
Yet, being with her was surprisingly relaxing and comfortable.
Curling the corners of his lips, Yin Gezhi turned and decided to fulfill his duties as a master, especially showing extra care for Xu Huaizu.
Three days later, the selection competition kicked off with great fanfare at the training grounds. Yin Gezhi stood quietly among the crowd with the two young masters, accompanied by the maid Feng Yue and the attendant Guan Zhi.
"So many people have come," Feng Yue whispered softly. "It's almost as grand as the annual procession of families sending their daughters into the palace."
Guan Zhi lowered his voice and said, "The Zhao Lin case has had quite an impact among the common people. Normally, such competitions wouldn't allow spectators, but His Highness the Crown Prince made an exception, inviting civil and military officials and allowing the common people to watch from outside the fence to ensure fairness."
This certainly seemed fair, but... glancing at the many veteran generals standing on the waiting platform, Feng Yue shook her head. These were people who couldn't afford to lose, especially in front of such a large crowd. Winning the competition wouldn't be difficult, but winning would offend a great many people. Was it worth it?
Before leaving, Yin Gezhi had spent a long time whispering to the two young men. Feng Yue didn’t know exactly what was said, but judging by Xu Huaizu’s excited expression and An Shichong’s worried eyes, it probably wasn’t anything good.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard Ye Yuqing on the platform suddenly say, "Prince Yin is here too? I heard you brought your beloved disciples. Are you planning to compete with everyone present?"
Normally, Yin Gezhi would respond to such a question with a cold glance and silence. Surprisingly, today he replied, and his voice was loud: "Naturally. Since we’re here, we must take something back with us."
"Oh?" The Crown Prince looked at them with great interest. "Your Highness means that your two disciples, who have been training for less than a month, can hold their own against a group of veteran generals?"
Yin Gezhi nodded.
"Hahaha!" Ye Yuqing laughed heartily. "I enjoy making bets with confident people like you, Prince Yin. In front of so many people, how about we start a wager?"
"Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
"Very well, it’s simple. If either of your two disciples can make it into the top two, I am willing to offer two hundred catties of Tianshan cold iron," Ye Yuqing said. "That cold iron is all we have this year. It was just delivered to the palace and hasn’t been forged into weapons yet, making it perfect for the two young masters. But if they fail to make it into the top two, how about you bow deeply to me in front of everyone?"
The words were filled with tension, sparking murmurs among the crowd.
If she didn’t know what these two were really like, Feng Yue would have been intimidated by the confrontational atmosphere. But knowing their true intentions, she could only roll her eyes.
Asking someone like Yin Gezhi to bow deeply to the Crown Prince of the Wu Kingdom was impossible. And the consequence of that impossibility would be—"Good." Yin Gezhi responded, then turned with a sharp gaze toward his disciples. He said coldly, "Just give it your all, don't hold back because of your opponent's status or anything else. If I see even the slightest hint of going easy, I'll expel you from my school!"
"Master!" The two young masters panicked, but Yin Gezhi coldly waved his sleeve, leaving them on the waiting platform.
"Prince Yin is truly ruthless! He just took on these disciples, and they're not nobodies either, yet he's so strict!"
"Can you blame him? The Crown Prince made such a harsh bet, clearly trying to embarrass him. Even if he's a hostage, Wei Kingdom isn't a vassal state of Wu Kingdom. Having their First Prince bow deeply to our Crown Prince would be a disgrace to Wei Kingdom."
"It all depends on whether those two young masters can pull through."
Listening to the surrounding discussions, Feng Yue watched the person approaching ahead and couldn't help but shake her head.
So devious! This way, no matter what opponents the young masters of the An and Xu families faced, they could rightfully set aside things like respecting elders. Their opponents might even understand them, and losing wouldn't breed too much resentment.
So all that muttering earlier was just rehearsing their act? Crown Prince Ye is impressive too—his thoughts aligned perfectly with Yin Gezhi's, and their coordination was seamless.
Indeed, none of these princes are good people!
The competition began. Yin Gezhi pulled her aside to watch, his face unreadable, his eyes showing no emotion.
Feng Yue couldn't help but say, "You should at least show some concern. What if the two young masters lose?"
"How could they lose?" Yin Gezhi lifted his chin, pointing at the person drawing lots to determine the order of the matches. Without moving his lips, he whispered, "The Crown Prince's man."
She paused, then looked at the seven or eight people standing on the stage. Feng Yue gritted her teeth. "This is too much!"
"Just to end things quickly," Yin Gezhi said. "And, if I may be blunt, none of the others who came today are truly capable. They're just here to compete for a comfortable position. Such people are no match for them at all."
He had confidence in his disciples. Moreover, only he could see through the weaknesses of An Shichong and Xu Huaizu. These old-timers were still too green.
Xu Huaizu was the sixth to take the stage, thoroughly beating up a white-bearded veteran general. As he pummeled him, he kept apologizing, "I truly offend you, but I cannot disobey my master's orders!"
The veteran general spat blood and shook his head. "It's truly not your fault."
Thud! The veteran general landed on the ground, wearing a resigned smile, bruised and battered as he was carried away.
Xu Huaizu grinned, suddenly feeling even more fond of his master. He really suited his taste!
The opponents who came on stage had their strengths—some were powerful, others quick—but Xu Huaizu found them easy to handle. Even with simple moves, he could knock them off the stage.
Frowning slightly, he suddenly felt that among Wu Kingdom's generals, aside from General Yi and his own father, few were truly fit for the battlefield. Had they grown too complacent?
"Please." The last to take the stage was An Shichong. Xu Huaizu snapped out of his thoughts and grinned. "I won't fight you. I'll take second place."
An Shichong's face darkened. "Why?"
"Didn't you have a stiff neck last night?" Xu Huaizu said. "Winning against you wouldn't be fair.""Enough nonsense!" An Shichong snapped in a low voice, his peripheral glance sweeping over the distant spectators. "This duel demands fairness—what are you causing a scene for?"
With that, he drew his sword and thrust straight toward his opponent's vital point.
Barely dodging the strike, Xu Huaizu sighed. "You're far too rigid about rules—utterly dull."
Nevertheless, he raised his blade to meet him, each move and stance now noticeably more earnest than before.
Ye Yuqing let out a long sigh, turning to the elder minister beside him. "Truly, heroes emerge from the young. Have I suffered a grievous loss?"
The elder minister beside him cupped his hands and smiled. "If genuine talent can be secured, Your Highness’s two hundred catties of cold iron are no great loss."
"Oh?" Ye Yuqing asked, fanning himself. "Does Minister Ning also consider these two to be fine talents?"
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