Chapter 63: Martial Arts Tournament

  Inside the Shallow Moon Pavilion, Zhao's mother, Cai Lian, Ting Xue, and Ting Yu were overjoyed to see Yun Shang Yue return. However, upon seeing her thin face and pointed chin, they couldn't help but feel another wave of heartache. They prepared nourishing stews, medicinal dishes, and brought out the best food, filling the table with a sumptuous feast of soups, dishes, and rice.

  Yun Qian Yue looked at the crowd with a heart-aching expression, unable to help but laugh and cry at the same time. It seemed as if Rong Jing had mistreated her or something. But it was true that she had lost weight these days. She waved her hand at everyone, asking them to sit down and eat together with her. How could she finish all this food by herself? The crowd declined repeatedly, but in the end, they still sat down and ate together with her.

  After Yan Shuang left for Rong Wang Fu, these days the people in Shuang Yue Pavilion were all depressed and uninteresting. Especially Cailian, Tingxue, Tingyu and others, who had been waiting for Miss to return day after day. Now that they finally have her back, they are naturally overjoyed. The Shuang Yue Pavilion was filled with laughter and chatter at this time.

  Yun Qian Yue ate her meal while listening to Cai Lian and others talk about the recent events in the capital.

  The first thing that happened was that the young Master Leng intercepted Miss Shangyue on the street and tried to kill her, but was saved by Jing Shizi. Although many people in the capital heard about it, no one dared to spread the news openly, only the common people secretly applauded, while the high-ranking officials seemed to have all gotten a sudden case of deafness, with no one reporting it to the Emperor. Perhaps even if the Emperor knew, he would have turned a blind eye to this private settlement. It is said that Young Master Leng was punished by Old Master Leng and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall after returning home, but what exactly happened within the walls of the Wang estate is unknown. In any case, this incident did not cause any waves.

  The second thing is that the Crown Prince of Nanliang finally woke up after being drunk for half a month and came down from Lingtai Temple to the capital, where he was temporarily accommodated in the palace of Nanliang. The Crown Prince admired the prosperity of Tian Sheng and strolled through the streets every day, mainly visiting those brothels. He was handsome and charming, with a pair of peach blossom eyes that captivated people's hearts, and gentle and affectionate, causing all the women in Tian Sheng's brothels to go crazy for him. Many young ladies from good families in the capital saw the Crown Prince on the street and secretly admired his elegant appearance. The Crown Prince was in Tian Sheng for only a few days, but he truly lived up to the phrase "riding horse leaning against the bridge, full of red sleeves inviting", and for a time, he was unmatched in his charm, surpassing many excellent young men in Tian Sheng, with no one able to rival him.

  The third thing is that half a month ago, the second lady of Rong Wangfu, Rong Linglan, and the young princess of Xiaoqin Wangfu, Leng Shuli, had a big fight because of jealousy. Rong Linglan scratched Leng Shuli's scalp, and Leng Shuli scratched several blood marks on Rong Linglan's neck. The two women stained the Taizi Mansion with their blood. For a time, it was a topic of interest among the people of the capital.

  The fourth thing is that Princess Qingyan attempted to drown herself in the lake a few days ago, but fortunately, Yun Wangfu's son, Yun Wuhan, rescued her in time. Although she was saved from death, she was still injured and fell ill again, lying weakly on her bed, sometimes waking up and sometimes falling into a coma. The Emperor was worried about this and ordered Yun Wangfu's son, Yun Wuhan, to move into the palace next to Princess Qingyan's quarters to take care of her. Although this is not in accordance with etiquette, people have thought that the two are a perfect match for years, and none of the ministers in court have raised any objections.

  Only these four major events, and many minor ones occurred in succession. From the mouths of Cai Lian and others, Yun Shang Yue would occasionally sigh and say that for half a month she had been living a secluded life, missing out on many good things!

  At the second watch of the tenth hour, although Cai Lian and others still had many words that they could not say to Yun Shangyue with relish, thinking that she would go to the arena tomorrow to watch the Martial Arts Champion Conference, fearing that she would get up early, they restrained themselves and stopped talking, all retreating, only then did the Shallow Moon Pavilion thoroughly quiet down.

  Yun Shallow Moon lay in bed, not sleepy, filtering the people she would see tomorrow in her mind, until late at night, before falling asleep.

  On the second day, just as the sky was breaking dawn, Yun Shang and Yue didn't need anyone to call them before they got up on their own.

  First, she practiced Tai Chi, then exercised her fists and feet, feeling refreshed and spirited. She thought that no matter what happened today, she would be ready to defend herself, and if the old emperor dared to plot against her, she would not hesitate to take revenge, perhaps even emptying his already depleted treasury.

  Cai Lian came in to help Yun Shangyue bathe and dress, after which she tidied up. After lunch, Yun Meng hurried over, his voice heard before he arrived, fitting the busy demeanor of the Cloud King's chief steward. "Miss Shangyue, are you ready? The Marquis of Jing's carriage is waiting at the door; he will be entering the palace with you?"

  "Rong Jing? He's here again?" Yun Shang Yue raised an eyebrow, wondering if this guy was haunting her.

  "Yun Shizi went directly to the archery field from the palace, it would be too much trouble for him to come back and pick you up. So naturally, Jing Shizi came to pick you up instead. With Jing Shizi by your side, both Old Master Wang and Master Wang can rest assured." Yun Meng said with a smile.

  Yun Shallow Moon pouted, she had a feeling of being sold to Rong Jing.

  "Miss, you'd better go quickly! Don't keep Jing Shizi waiting." Yun Meng urged again.

  "Alright!" Yun Qian Yue stepped out of the room, and turned back to say to Cai Lian and the others: "You don't need to follow me, even if you do, you won't be able to enter the arena. The feeling of being exposed under the scorching sun is unbearable, just wait at the mansion!"

  "Yes, miss!" Cai Lian also knew that it wasn't a place she could casually follow to, and obediently nodded.

  Yun Piao Yue walked out of Shallow Moon Pavilion and headed towards the entrance of the mansion.

  Yun Meng smiled and followed Yun Qianyue half a step behind, instructing her, "Miss, today is different from usual. You mustn't be naughty. You have to stay close to either Jing Shizi or our young master at all times, and don't run around everywhere."

  "Alright, I understand." Yun Qian Yue nodded.

  Yun Meng didn't say anything more.

  As soon as she came out of the inner courtyard, Yun Shangyue saw that at the gate, in addition to Rong Jing's all-black carriage, there was also a very luxurious carriage parked. She saw Yun Xianghe standing in front of Rong Jing's carriage, dressed in a gorgeous outfit, seemingly saying something, while Rong Jing's curtain remained closed. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Uncle Meng, where is she going?"

  "Replying to Miss Shallow Moon, the young lady is going to enter the palace to see Empress Dowager. A few days ago, the young lady said she missed Empress Dowager and sent someone to ask for an imperial decree. Empress Dowager agreed and allowed the young lady to enter the palace today." Yun Meng said in a low voice.

  "Hmm!" Yun Shangyue nodded, coldly snorting in her heart, Yun Xianghe was indeed a master who refused to be ordinary.

  "The queen is good to you, Shallow Moon, but she's also not bad to the elder sister." Yun Meng said in a low voice: "Because of your demotion to a concubine, the elder sister might harbor jealousy in her heart. You should be careful around the elder sister and guard against her. Moreover, the elder sister has been going out more frequently these days, attending gatherings with other young ladies from various households without fail. These years, you haven't participated in social events or interacted with the young ladies of the capital, but the elder sister is still well-liked within their small circle."

  "Uh-huh, I see. Uncle Meng reminded me." Yun Qianyue nodded.

  Yun Meng stopped talking and the two of them walked to the door, one in front of the other.

  Yun Xianghe heard the footsteps, turned around and came back, saw Yun Qianyue, a hint of hatred and jealousy flashed in her eyes, but she still pretended to be close and walked over, concerned and softly said: "Sister has lost so much weight these days!"

  "I'm forced to study hard, so I've naturally become thinner. Elder sister eats and drinks well every day, looking plump and fair!" Yun Shuoyue also smiled very harmoniously. Pretending! Who can't do that?

  Yunxiang's face stiffened, and she subconsciously reached out to touch her own face. Had she gained weight? Had she gotten fat?

  Yun Qian Yue seemed to hear a low laugh coming from the carriage, she hummed in her heart, and ignored Yun Xiang He, stepped forward towards Rong Jing's carriage, walked to the front of the carriage without being polite, stretched out her hand to lift the curtain and got into the carriage.

  Yun Xianghe came back to her senses and only saw Yun Qianyue's corner of her clothes, the curtain had already fallen, she still hadn't seen the man's face inside, and couldn't help but feel angry and jealous. Why did Yun Qianyue get to sit in Jing Shizi's carriage? And why was it so natural for her?

  Yun Xianghe was about to say something, but Yun Meng smiled and reminded Rong Jing's carriage: "Rong Shizi, you must take good care of my family's Qianyue Miss, Old Master Wang said that with Miss following you, he is at ease."

  "Uncle Meng can rest assured! I'll take good care of her and won't let her run wild." Rong Jing's voice was warm.

  "Who's going to run wild? I don't need you watching me." Yun Qianyue hummed discontentedly.

  "You are the most troublesome one, if I had a choice, I would be the least willing to take care of you!" Rong Jing seemed to sigh helplessly and ordered Xuan Ge: "Let's set off!"

  "Yes, Crown Prince!" Xuan Ge cracked his whip and the carriage departed from the entrance of the Yun King's Manor.

  Yun Meng smiled and watched as the horse carriage left, then turned around and went inside to report to Old Master Wang.

  Her hands were clenched tightly in her sleeves, almost to the point of drawing blood, and she had nearly bitten through a silver tooth. She stood in front of Jing Shizong's carriage for half a day, speaking words that didn't get a single response from him. And yet, despite Yun Shangyue being so discourteous in front of Jing Shizong, he didn't rebuke her; instead, his tone was warm and gentle, which only added to her irritation. Her eyes followed the all-black carriage as it departed, and if they could have turned into sharp swords, she would have probably pierced through the carriage long ago.

  "Miss..." Yunxianghe's personal maid looked at Yunxianghe's expression and felt a chill run down her spine, calling out softly.

  Yun Xianghe's face set in a determined expression, she got into the carriage. Her maid also immediately got into the carriage, and the luxurious carriage left the entrance of Yun Wangfu towards the imperial palace.

  In Rong Jing's carriage, Yun Qian Yue looked at Rong Jing after getting on the carriage and saw that he seemed to have lost weight too. She raised an eyebrow and teased: "Where did you go? Didn't do anything good, did you? Your body has become so thin! This makes it easy for people to suspect that you went to that kind of place to fool around and got drained back."

  Rong Jing glanced at Yun Shangyue with a hint of disdain, her eyebrows slightly raised. "I let you see the books in my study, and after half a month of burning the midnight oil, this is the kind of trash that's entered your mind? I really wonder if you've even read those books."

  "Nature is all finished, and the books in your study are nothing more than that. For a genius like me, it's just a piece of cake! Didn't expect that, did you? I've naturally read them all, want to recite them backwards for you?" Yun Shangyue raised an eyebrow with pride.

  "I see you've read it all, but it's still a mess. You just have the ability to memorize without understanding." Rong Jing was unimpressed.

  Yun Shallow Moon had long been taught by this guy's poisonous mouth and tongue, so now she naturally wouldn't be angered by such a small sentence of belittling. She snorted, "You're just jealous!"

  "Alright, I'm jealous! Then let me test you on how?" Rong Jing looked at Yun Shang Yue, his eyes flashing slightly as he smiled and asked.

  "Bring it on!" Yun Shangyue cracked her knuckles and rubbed her palms together, confident that this guy wouldn't be able to hold a candle to her.

  "Who stole the hen from Zhang's family in the end? Do you know?" Rong Jing asked in a gentle voice.

  Yun Shallow Moon was stunned, and the hen from Zhang's family was finally stolen by whom? How did she know? Which Zhang employee, she looked at Rong Jing, a puzzled expression, scolded: "What kind of question is this?"

  "You still can't answer who stole the hen from Zhang Yuanwai's family, which was written on the last page of the 13th volume of 'The Interesting Stories of Zhang Yuanwai', and yet you dare to say that you've finished reading it?" Rong Jing gazed at Yun Shangyue with a hint of a smile.

  Yun Shallow Moon suddenly had an urge to smash that piece of tofu against the wall, she looked at Rong Jing with a black line on her face and remained silent for half a moment.

  "What else can be said?" asked Rong Jing with a smile.

  The cloud was shallow and the moon was sideways, there was nothing to say, but still somewhat reluctantly said: "I originally would have read them all, just leaving the last few small books, who knew that container... forget it, I didn't finish reading what can you do to me?"

  She recalled seeing Rong Feng in the study yesterday and his expression at that time, as well as his last words, which made her feel suffocated and slightly dizzy.

  Rong Jing looked at Yun Qian Yue, his eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, he lazily leaned against the carriage wall, and his warm voice suddenly turned cold, "What can I do to you? Heh..."

  Yun Qianyue felt that Rong Jing's tone was off, she looked up to see him closing his eyes, his face pale and indifferent, with an expression of not wanting to bother with her anymore. She furrowed her brow, silently cursing him as a weirdo, and also leaned against the car wall, no longer speaking.

  The car was quiet, with only the sound of the wheels rolling rhythmically on the ground.

  The streets were also exceptionally lively today, and as soon as the dawn broke, the people gathered in groups of three or five to discuss who would participate in the Wu Zhuangyuan conference today. They all made bets and guessed who was most likely to become this year's Wu Zhuangyuan. In the words of the people, it seemed that becoming Wu Zhuangyuan was not the highest honor, but being able to compete with Tian Sheng Qi Cai Jing Shi Zi was the greatest honor, even if one lost, it would still be glorious.

  Yun Qianyue listened to the murmurs outside the car, thinking that this year Rong Jing's martial arts skills had completely declined. She estimated that Wu Zhuangyuan could knock him out with just one finger. She raised her eyelids and glanced at Rong Jing, seeing that he still had that calm and distant expression. She lowered her eyelids, thinking it would be best to beat him to death, this deadpan look was really ugly.

  The horse carriage went through the streets and stopped steadily after about half an hour.

  "The Crown Prince has arrived at the arena!" Xuan Ge's voice came from outside.

  "Is Moonlight inside the carriage?" Before Rong Jing could respond, another extremely familiar voice came from outside, gentle and elegant, it was Ye Qingyan.

  Yun Qian Yue immediately sat up, reached out to lift the curtain, and indeed saw Ye Qing coming towards her carriage. Seeing her, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and he called out loudly: "I was originally going to go to Yun Wang Fu to pick you up, but I heard that this weak beauty went to Yun Wang Fu, so I didn't run there again. I came here early to wait for you. The Emperor knows you like this, especially granted you permission to come. Little girl, the Emperor is still quite good to you."

  "That's natural, I have to consider the fact that my aunts and cousins all married into the royal family, so they should be good to me, their niece. The emperor, this uncle of mine, isn't someone who can be called in vain." Yun Qianyue saw Ye Qingran and suddenly felt her chest clear up, she smiled and raised an eyebrow.

  "Haha, if you say this to the Emperor, I wonder what expression he'll have! " Ye Qingran laughed loudly twice, looked at Yun Shangyue and frowned: "How come you've become so thin? I heard that you're learning to read with Rong Wangye's weak and beautiful concubine, did he oppress you and not give you food to eat?"

  The words fell, and Ye Qing faintly glanced inside the carriage, but Yun Shang Yue was blocking him, so he didn't see Rong Jing.

  "Aren't you also thinner? Doesn't the military camp give you food to eat?" Yun Shangyue turned her head and glanced at Rong Jing, seeing that he was still leaning against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, motionless. She turned back and saw Ye Qingran wearing a tight-fitting outfit, smiling and asking, "Are you going on stage today? Isn't it to take the martial arts champion?"

  "The food in the military camp is not worth mentioning, but I, Xiao Wang, have been having trouble swallowing every day. It's no wonder I've lost weight!" Ye Qingyan mentioned the food in the military camp with a look of disgust. Upon hearing Yun Shuoyue's latter half sentence, she raised an eyebrow, "Naturally! I heard that this year's participants in the Martial Arts Championship are all top-notch experts. This Tian Sheng City is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers! I haven't returned to the capital for seven years, and now that I'm back, I must learn from them properly. I, Xiao Wang, certainly can't be inferior to others!"

  "I hope you can take down that champion!" Yun Qianyue smiled and nodded.

  "That's natural, you little girl just watch and see, when the time comes I will win that sword for you, how about it?" Ye Qingran had a confident look on his face.

  "What sword?" Yun Qianyue asked.

  "Suī xuě! But one of the three famous swords in the world. It has been sealed in the Emperor's treasure vault, but this year the Emperor brought it out as a prize. This sword is light and agile, most suitable for a woman. I won it for you." Yè Qīng Rǎn said.

  "Great! You must win." Yun Qianyue also wanted to see the one of the three famous swords in the world. If Ye Qingchen really won, she wouldn't mind giving it to her.

  "Uh, I also think that I can win the treasure sword." Ye Qingran smiled confidently, seeing Yun Shangyue sitting motionless on the carriage shaft, she beckoned to her, "What are you still doing sitting in the carriage? Let's go in! Weak beauty, why haven't you spoken for half a day?"

  "He's going crazy! Don't mind him!" Yun Qianyue said, lifting her foot to get off the carriage. Just as she was about to jump down, Rong Jing suddenly stretched out a hand from behind and pulled her back. She lost her balance, let out a cry of surprise, and tumbled back into the carriage, landing on her butt with a thud. Her back felt a slight pain. Glaring at Rong Jing in annoyance, she asked, "What did you pull me for?"

  Rong Jing didn't look at her, slowly dismounted the carriage, and as his feet touched the ground, a warm voice came, "You're crazy!"

  Yun's face suddenly turned red with rage, and her half-raised body fell back again.

  Yè Qīng rǎn hā hā dà xiào le qǐlai, "xiǎo yā tóu, wǒ jiù shuō zhège ruò měi rén shì pī zhe yáng pí de láng, nǐ kàn, chī kuī le ba? Wǒ shuō de méi cuò ba? Tā hēi zhe ne!"

  Translation:

  Yè Qīng burst into loud laughter, "Little girl, I told you this weak beauty is a wolf in sheep's clothing! Look, he got taken advantage of! Didn't I say so? He's black-hearted!"

  Rong Jing glanced at Ye Qing Ran with an indifferent tone, "Yin Ge will also participate in the Martial Arts Champion Conference this year. Are you sure Shui Xue is yours?" Ye Qing Ran's face suddenly turned black, "You're deliberately making things difficult for me, aren't you, Rong Jing?"

  Yun Qian Yue lay on the carriage, gazing at the top of the canopy, recalling the night at Ling Tai Temple when Xuan Ge used one move to throw Ye Qing Ran out. She was extremely speechless. This black-hearted guy was specifically using Xuan Ge to deal with Ye Qing Ran.

  She was just sighing, only to hear Ye Qing's words fall, and then she burst out laughing: "Weak beauty, your calculations are probably going to go wrong. Ben Wang has already figured out a way to break that move these past few days. Your move won't work on me again! Hahaha..."

  What is meant by "the way is high for one foot and magic is high for one zhang"? Yun Shallow Moon can no longer use language to describe these two.

  "Even so, you don't necessarily win." Rong Jing didn't think so, turned his head and urged Yun Shangyue impatiently, "Has the fish on the plate grown into a lotus flower? Letting you be so slow to react?"

  Yun Qian jumped out of the carriage and got down to the ground, resentfully saying: "There's no lotus root or fish, but I saw a whole cart full of black mushrooms, and I was just thinking of pulling them all out!"

  Rong Jing raised an eyebrow, "I also have black mushrooms growing on me, do you want to help me pull them out too?"

  "I'm afraid of getting my hands poisoned, so I'll just leave it on you!" Yun Shangyue slapped her clothes twice with force, as if to shake off something, and hummed.

  Her long eyelashes blinked twice, and she stopped responding, turning her head forward.

  Yun Qian Yue looked ahead, and saw that not far in front was a garden surrounded by a three-zhang high wall. In front of the gate was a huge plaque with the words "Arena" written in bold strokes. Outside the wall were soldiers guarding with hooked spears, defending this arena with layers inside and out, leaving only one door for people to enter and exit, where someone was checking the identities of those entering.

  She shifted her gaze from the entrance, only to see that not far away, many vehicles and horses had already stopped. A group of young men in their teens to thirties were standing there, all eyes fixed on this side. Most of them fell on her and Rong Jing's bodies. There were admiring gazes for Rong Jing, while she received a mix of stunned, scrutinizing, puzzled, disdainful, and contemptuous stares. As for Ye Qingchen, the notorious little demon king, his intimidating aura was enough to deter people from looking at him directly, with only a few brave ones daring to steal an occasional glance.

  Yun Jian's gaze swept around in a circle, but she didn't see any familiar faces, so she withdrew her line of sight.

  "Let's go, we're going in!" Ye Qingyan turned back to Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing.

  The two nodded, just about to step forward, when a horse carriage slowly drove up. Before it even came to a stop, the sound of Night Sky's voice rang out, "This prince was originally on his way to Cloud King's residence to pick up my sister from last month and bring her back together, but unexpectedly, Jing Shizi took the lead and brought my sister back first. It seems that these days, Jing Shizi and my sister have been teaching each other and learning from each other, their feelings are extremely good?"

  Hearing the sound of the night sky leaning in, Yun Shang Yue seemed to be unaware, and continued walking forward.

  Rong Jing stopped in his tracks, looking at the carriage that was leaning towards the night sky. Only to see Ye Tianqing open the curtain, revealing half of her body, looking at him and Yun Shangyue's dark eyes. He smiled faintly, "She is naughty and doesn't listen to discipline, Jing's ruler hits her hands every day, how can they have a good relationship? Your Highness, don't praise her, she is just a spoiled brat, no matter how you teach her, she won't become a great talent. It's not possible for them to have a good relationship, now she hates me so much that she would kill me if she could."

  Yun Shallow Moon's footsteps paused, thinking that this guy dared to tell lies with his eyes open without fear of the wind blowing out his tongue? When did his ruler hit her hands every day? She was locked in his study for half a month and didn't even see his ghost. Is this what they call teaching? However, he said one thing right, she had good feelings towards him, she really hated to peel off his skin and strip off his tendons. If Ye Tian Qing was the first person she disliked in her heart, Rong Jing deserved to be ranked second.

  "Oh?" Ye Tian's eyes widened slightly, the darkness in his pupils receding by half. His gaze turned to Yun Shang Yue, and although he only saw her profile, he still caught sight of her gritting her teeth as she stared at Rong Jing. He suddenly chuckled: "Little sister Yue is indeed a bit mischievous, but Rong Jing is probably demanding too much from her. She's different from other girls - since childhood, she never liked reading or writing, and now that she's being forced to learn, it's only natural that she wouldn't take to it easily. And yet, I see that she's lost even more weight these past few days. Rong Jing may not pity her, but there are those who will."

  Yun Qian Yue suddenly felt nauseous, and if Nui Tian Qing told her that the person who hurt her was him, she would vomit to death.

  "There were 'hearing the rooster and starting to dance', 'hanging head on a beam and piercing the thigh', 'hanging books on cow horns', 'carrying firewood to read books', 'reading books with a stick', 'high wind flowing wheat', 'Wen Shu weaving Pu', 'cutting walls to steal light', 'reading books by moonlight', 'using fireflies to reflect snow', 'Wei Bian San Jue', 'lowering the curtain to read books', 'burning oil to continue the study', 'ten years under the window'. Which one of these stories is not more bitter than being beaten with a few small sticks? If she has only studied for a few days and has become thin, it's already heartbreaking. In that case, it's better if she doesn't learn anymore, and just becomes an ignorant woman in the future." said Rong Jing.

  Clouds shallow moon raises eyes to look at the sky.

  Ye Tianying burst out laughing and said: "Indeed, only Jing Shizi, with his vast knowledge, can come up with these allusions. It's just that I, the emperor, feel a little sorry for Yueliang, who has been suffering too much, whereas Jing Shizi has a broader vision." Yunshangyue felt like vomiting but couldn't. Ye Tianying was so disgusting!

  "The prince is being too generous!" Rong Jing glanced at Yun Shangyue with a warm and gentle smile, neither humble nor arrogant.

  "Unaware of the guidance of Master Jing, has Little Moon learned Master Jing's great talent in these days?" Ye Tianqing got off the carriage and came to Yun Qianyue's side, asking her with a gentle tone while tilting his head.

  Yun Shang Yue pretended not to hear and also pretended not to see the person who had appeared beside her.

  "River ice forms, not in a single day's cold; accumulated earth becomes a mountain, not done in an instant. She has been indulged for many years, only learning today, and is extremely lazy, not using her heart or strength. The Crown Prince thinks she can learn how much?" Rong Jing's calm voice rose slightly, his eyebrows raised, as he asked Ye Tian Qing. Seeing Ye Tian Qing turn his head to look at him, he rubbed his forehead, sighing in distress, "Even if you are a great talent, it's hard to tolerate some people being born foolish! It's really a headache, Cloud Grandfather gave me a big problem, the Crown Prince has never seen not only her getting thinner, I've also gotten much thinner?"

  Shameless! Is there anything more shameless than this? Yun Shangyue's face turned black. She hadn't seen him for half a month in the Rong Wang Fu, didn't know where he had run off to, and yet when he came back, he still had the nerve to lecture her on how hard she was making things for herself. It was simply infuriating! If there weren't so many people around watching, she really would have punched him right in the face.

  At night, Ye Tian's gaze had been fixed on Yun Shang Yue since he arrived. Now that Rong Jing spoke up, he indeed saw that he had lost weight, and it was extremely obvious given his originally slender build. He was taken aback for a moment, the dark clouds in his eyes completely dispersing as he smiled: "It seems that Moon Sister has truly troubled Young Master Jing! Young Master Jing has really slimmed down."

  "It's not just thin, it's simply unbearable!" Rong Jing sighed again.

  Yun Shallow Moon was speechless and continued to gaze at the sky. She thought that God should have struck this guy dead with lightning!

  "What has your little sister learned by now? Can she recognize characters and manage a household?" Ye Tian Xiang asked with a smile.

  "Recognizing characters is barely passable, I suppose! Alas... Anyway, Jing has already resigned from teaching her, and won't teach her again. I really can't teach her anymore, so please ask Master Yun to find someone more capable!" Rong Jing let out a deep sigh, seemingly more defeated than ever before.

  "They all say that 'a woman without talent is virtuous', as long as she learns general literacy and household chores, it's enough. In my opinion, Meimei doesn't need to learn anymore. If Master Yun is still not satisfied, then Shizhong will be troubled again. After the martial arts competition this time, I'll take care of teaching Meimei myself. Since Meimei is our own person, it's always troublesome for Shizhong, how can that be right?" Ye Tianqing said with a smile.

  A faint smile, without a word.

  Yun Qian's face turned cold, and she looked at Ye Tian with a heavy gaze. "Even if I don't learn it, I don't need you to teach me," she said in a cold voice. As soon as the words fell, she turned to Ye Qingran, who had been standing aside watching the scene with interest, and asked irritably, "Have you seen enough?"

  "Cough cough, I've seen enough!" Ye Qingyan lightly coughed and turned her gaze back.

  "Is it fun?" Yun Qiu Yue asked.

  "Ah, cough, it's okay." Ye Qingyan covered her mouth and coughed again, avoiding Yun Shangyue's line of sight.

  "What's still standing here for? Not leaving yet?" Yun Shangyue hummed and stepped forward into the arena.

  Ye Qingran immediately lifted her feet and followed her.

  The night sky's smile froze, and he glared at Yun Shang Yue as she walked away. His thin lips pursed, thinking that Yun Shang Yue was getting bolder and bolder, daring to slap him in the face in front of so many people today. His eyes darkened as he looked around at the crowd, who all tactfully averted their gazes or lowered their heads. The hand in his sleeve clenched into a fist as he turned to Rong Jing, seeing that Rong Jing still had a helpless expression on his face. Suddenly, he wasn't angry anymore - even Rong Jing couldn't do anything about her, and it was this kind of Yun Shang Yue that made him unable to help but care. His dark expression dissipated as he bowed to Rong Jing, "The Emperor has apparently been at the arena since early morning; we should probably go in too! Prince Jing, please!"

  "Your Highness, the Crown Prince requests your presence!" Rong Jing smiled and nodded slightly.

  The two of them almost simultaneously lifted their feet and walked towards the arena.

  Yun Qianyue and Ye Qing arrived at the entrance of the arena, where the people immediately bowed to them and made way. Just as they were about to enter, a figure hastily emerged from inside the arena - it was Lu Gonggong, the Grand Steward who served by the Emperor's side.

  Lu Gonggong had just come out and saw Yun Shangyue, Ye Qingran, and behind them Rong Jing and Ye Tianqing. He was overjoyed and hastily bowed to the four of them, saying: "This old slave greets Your Highness the Crown Prince, Master Rong, Young Master Ye, and Miss Yun! The Emperor has already arrived and, seeing that you have not yet arrived, ordered this old slave to come out and take a look. Since you have all arrived, please hurry in! The Emperor said that the martial skills competition will begin at three o'clock."

  "Alright, go and inform the Emperor, tell him we're going in now!" Night Sky nodded.

  "Yes!" Old Man Lu turned around and hurriedly ran back.

  Yun Qianyue, Ye Qingran, Rong Jing and Ye Tianqing entered the school grounds one after another.

  This place is a large school field, covering an area of several miles, with a wide and flat terrain. On the east side is a pavilion, on which a row of tables and chairs have been set up, with luxurious figures moving around, and two bright yellow flags are hung on the pavilion, showing the majesty of the imperial guard. Among them, a bright yellow figure sits in the top position, particularly eye-catching. Behind him stand dozens of eunuchs, maidservants, and guards, undoubtedly the current old emperor of Tian Sheng.

  The distance is quite far, and the shallow moonlight cannot clearly see the old emperor's face.

  The old emperor stood or sat with more than ten people, Yun Pian Yue saw her father Wang Wang Ye, the fourth prince Ye Tian Yu who was wearing a dragon robe and jade belt, and Yun Wu Han who was wearing a green shirt with brocade. She couldn't see the expressions of those people, but she could feel their eyes on the four of them at this moment.

  Yun shallow moon moved her line of sight, sizing up the facilities inside the arena. She saw that about 100 meters below the pavilion was a high platform with a diameter of about 10 zhang (a unit of length), supported by tall pillars, about 3 zhang above the ground. On top of the platform were simple stone pillars surrounding it, very much like the dueling stage described in books. The platform had all sorts of long and short weapons placed on it: knives, spears, halberds, tridents, axes, hammers, staffs, guns, forks, hatchets, shields, arrows, whips, swords, hooks, maces, claws, and more - a total of 18 types of weapons. Without a doubt, the martial competition would take place there.

  Yun Qian Yue looked at the ancient weapons above and her eyes lit up instantly. She asked Ye Qing Ran, "Hey, is your military camp also like this? Do you have those weapons too?"

  Ye Qingyan snorted in disdain, "This is just a small arena for the royal princes and young masters to play and compete, occasionally the Emperor will come to test their martial arts and archery skills. It's only useful once a year during the Martial Arts Competition. How can it compare to the Imperial Military Camp?"

  Yun Shallow Moon nodded her head, her eyes fixed on those weapons, "Those weapons are not bad!"

  "These are just a few pieces of equipment, little girl. Don't act like a frog in a well who has never seen the sky. One day when you go to the military camp's armory, I'll let you see what real equipment looks like." Ye Qingran said disdainfully once again.

  "Be careful with your words! The military camp is a place of great importance, how can it be that a single woman like Yueliang can go there?" Yitian Jing saw Yunshang Yue and Ye Qianran standing extremely close together, looking very intimate, and scolded from behind with a stern face.

  Yun Shallow Moon was about to spit out the "good" word from her mouth and swallowed it back.

  "I'm just saying, I naturally know that the military camp is a place of great importance." Ye Qingyan didn't look at Ye Tianqing, but instead said to Yun Shangyue: "It's not a big deal if you don't go to the military camp. When you visit the Duke's mansion one day, I'll let you see my treasure trove. My treasure trove has collected many weapons, and they're all top-notch."

  Yun Qian Yue's eyes lit up, "Does your house still have an armory?" She turned her head to look at him. Ye Qing Ran winked at her, and she immediately smiled and nodded, "Alright! I'll go to your house another day to see your treasure trove."

  Ye Tian's face sank, and he didn't say another word. Ye Qing had a habit of collecting strange and unusual things since childhood, including weapons. It was no surprise that the Duke's estate had its own small treasure trove. He also couldn't stop Yun Shang Yue from going to see it.

  Ye Qing's eyebrows twitched with excitement.

  Rong Jing's calm eyes swept lightly over Yun Qian Yue and Ye Qing Ran, then lowered her eyelashes.

  The four of them fell silent again and walked towards the pavilion.

  The distance had shortened, and Yun Shang Yue finally saw the old emperor's face. She couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment in her heart. This old emperor was just an ordinary old man with some dignity. Compared to the majestic appearance described in ancient books, he fell far short. The wide dragon robe on his thin body made him look even more insignificant, except for a pair of deep and spiritual eyes, there was nothing special about him. If he took off the dragon robe and put on a beggar's clothes, she thought that no one would suspect that he was not a beggar but the ruler of the vast Tian Sheng Empire.

  But as the saying goes, "You can't judge a person by their appearance, and you can't measure the depth of the ocean with a bucket." Yun Shang understood this principle deeply. One cannot judge people by their surface appearance. If this old emperor were truly like his appearance, how could he have ruled the vast Tian Sheng Empire for over twenty years without being swallowed up by smaller neighboring countries? So her disappointed emotions only flashed through her mind for an instant before she lowered her head and followed Ye Qing after him onto the pavilion.

  "Hah, Moon Girl, why are you so ladylike today? In the past, when you saw this kind of gathering, you would have eagerly rushed to my side with your love for martial arts. Is it really the teachings of Jing Shi Zi that have changed our Heavenly Saint's spoiled miss?"

  She paused in her steps, thinking that she had been too cautious, and according to the appearance of this body that had been pretending for so many years, how could she calmly walk over in such a situation? She calmed herself down and was just about to speak.

  "Does the Emperor not know? This little girl has lost her martial arts skills, and now she's probably too embarrassed to even try to compete with me and the many sons of Tian Sheng. How could she be so quiet otherwise?" Ye Qing smiled as he walked a step ahead of her.

  "Oh? Is that so? Moon girl?" The old emperor looked at Yun Shang Yue with raised eyebrows, and his eyes shot out a sharp light, his deep and profound old eyes locked onto her.

  Yun Shang's heart tightened as she thought to herself, "Indeed, one cannot judge a person by their appearance." She pursed her lips, and immediately, her eyes filled with a wronged expression. Slowly raising her head, she pouted at Ye Qingchen and said, "You clearly know that I'm feeling unwell and uncomfortable, yet you still have to say it out loud." As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up at the old emperor with dissatisfaction and complained, "It's all because the emperor doesn't care about me. He and my grandfather forced me to learn how to read and write every day with that despicable person... Hmm, where is Jing Shizi's good teaching method? It's simply abuse! My hands are swollen from being hit by his ruler."

  Digression

  The monthly pass is my spiritual food, so you can't cut off my supplies, or I'll really be starving to death～（⊙_⊙）

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