Ning Guozhong had been a senior courtier on the Emperor’s side for years, and his words always carried weight. However, he could never quite grasp the Crown Prince’s temperament, so he was particularly careful with his choice of words in his presence.

Observing the Crown Prince’s attitude, Ning Guozhong decided to offer some praise, and cupping his hands, he said, “Although these two are young, they’ve managed to defeat many veteran generals, and no one has voiced any objection. In this old official’s opinion, it’s quite remarkable. Today’s trial was witnessed by all, and I believe no one would object to appointing these two to official positions.”

Just as he was speaking, cheers erupted from the platform above. Ye Yuqing looked up to see that the previously predictable battle had turned into an intense spectacle. The blue-robed youth wielding the sword moved with grace and agility, while the gray-robed young master wielding the blade showed considerable strength. Both sides traded blows back and forth. After more than fifty exchanges, the audience repeatedly applauded, yet neither side could gain the upper hand.

“Truly worthy of being Lord Yin’s disciples!” Stroking his beard thoughtfully, Ning Guozhong continued, “If only Lord Yin could truly set aside the grudges between our two nations and nurture talent for our Wu state. How wonderful that would be.”

Gazing deeply at the platform, Ye Yuqing shook his head with a smile, “Having these two is already fortunate enough, yet you’re still being greedy.”

Ning Guozhong stroked his beard and smiled, “So, has Your Highness decided how to arrange positions for these two?”

Pretending to ponder for a moment, Ye Yuqing responded reluctantly, “After these two finish their match, we’ll discuss military governance. If they truly excel in both civil and military matters, we can give them the vacant positions in the City Guard.”

Ning Guozhong nodded, “Your Highness’s merit-based appointments are indeed a blessing for our Wu state.”

Hearing the praise, Ye Yuqing was quite pleased. He turned to look at Yin Gezhi in the distance, hoping to share a knowing glance with intellectuals, but what he saw nearly infuriated him.

Yin Gezhi was leaning against a wooden post with his arms crossed, giving a sidelong glance at the person before him. Feng Yue was bouncing around, hands clasped together pleadingly, saying something unknown. Though they were close to An Shichong and Xu Huaizu, neither was paying any attention to the situation on the platform.

What kind of people were they? Was he the only one meticulously planning to put official caps on those two’s heads?

The great Crown Prince Ye was displeased. Folding his fan, he ground his teeth and ordered someone nearby, “Go listen to what they’re saying!”

“Yes!”

Feng Yue was twisting her waist like a snake spirit, but the person before her remained cold and indifferent. She was quite angry and pouted, “It’s just a bowl of noodles, can’t you lower your standards a bit?”

“My standards are already quite low,” Yin Gezhi said coolly. “Using prepared broth to cook noodles is normal, isn’t it?”

“How is that normal!” Feng Yue’s face fell. “In our household, we cook noodles very simply – boil them in plain water, drain them, then add seasonings and broth.”

“That way the flavors don’t penetrate.”

“But it’s simple!”

Giving her a deep look, Yin Gezhi said, “Just say directly if you want to be lazy.”

“Then this servant will speak frankly!” Feng Yue clenched her fists. “We agreed to pick up He Chou tonight, and this servant wants to be lazy when cooking noodles!”

Yin Gezhi: “…”

Letting out a long sigh, he wondered if he had been too gentle lately, causing the person before him to grow increasingly bold.

“Excellent!” A sudden roar erupted from all around, startling both of them into looking up at the platform.

Xu Huaizu propped himself up with his blade stuck in the ground, then grinned at the person lying on the ground before him, “Do you admit defeat?”

An Shichong rolled his eyes. “No.”

“Even if you don’t admit it, I still won!” Making a teasing face at him, Xu Huaizu turned and cupped his hands toward where the Crown Prince sat.

An Shichong got up with a sullen face and also gave a slight bow.

Feng Yue sighed in relief: “So it’s over. From everyone’s reaction, it seems they fought well.”

Yin Gezhi nodded, wearing an expression that clearly said ‘Of course my disciples are excellent,’ and glanced in Ye Yuqing’s direction.

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong?” Noticing his strange look, Feng Yue followed his gaze.

She saw Ye Yuqing with an unusually gloomy face, looking quite displeased.

Usually, this master could maintain his composure even when unhappy, but now someone had irritated him enough to show it so obviously. Feng Yue blinked, looked in the direction of his gaze, and whispered to the person beside her, “The Crown Prince seems to be looking in our direction.”

“Mm.”

“Did we do something wrong?”

“No,” Yin Gezhi said coolly. “His Highness is probably just hungry.”

Looking at the time, it was indeed when one typically gets hungry in the afternoon. Feng Yue nodded in understanding and cast a sympathetic look at Ye Yuqing.

After the competition ended, Ning Guozhong kept the two young masters behind to talk in the pavilion beside the training ground. Just as Yin Gezhi was about to leave with Feng Yue, they were suddenly stopped by guards.

The guard bowed and said, “Lord Yin, the Crown Prince requests your presence.”

Raising an eyebrow, Yin Gezhi glanced at Feng Yue and decisively wrapped an arm around her as they walked toward the Crown Prince’s direction.

“My Lord,” Feng Yue forced a laugh, having a bad feeling. “When important people like yourselves discuss matters, shouldn’t a lowly servant like me return first?”

“How can a servant leave when their master hasn’t?” Yin Gezhi sneered. “You wish!”

“But…” Blinking, Feng Yue said, “This servant has no idea what’s happening, it makes me very nervous.”

Walking slowly, Yin Gezhi asked softly, “You wouldn’t be nervous if you knew?”

“Yes, yes!” Feng Yue nodded!

“Very well.” His arm around her tightened, pulling her closer so he could whisper in her ear, “The Crown Prince probably saw us discussing dinner plans while he was scheming, thought we were too idle, and decided to give us some stimulation. And given recent events in the city, this stimulation won’t be minor.”

Drawing in a sharp breath, Feng Yue immediately began to struggle!

“Then this servant doesn’t need to go, right? Ah? It has nothing to do with me, right?”

Giving her a contemptuous look, Yin Gezhi smirked, “It has everything to do with you. Come on, now that you know what’s happening, don’t be nervous, or I’ll think you were lying to me earlier.”

Feng Yue: “…”

Although she could roughly guess what it was about, looking at his expression truly made her nervous.

Any calculations and plans would encounter countless unexpected situations when dealing with the Crown Prince of Yin, to the point that no one could outmaneuver him. Her calculations were shaky at best, and she wasn’t sure if they would work out.

Why did someone as treacherous and shameless as Yin Gezhi exist in this world? He made even staying alive feel nerve-wracking.

Ye Yuqing waited in a farmhouse outside the training grounds. Seeing them enter, he warmly beckoned, “Please, come this way, you two.”

Feng Yue smiled and bowed, about to say she would just stand to the side, when Ye Yuqing said, “Sit down, Feng Yue. Didn’t you want noodles? We have some right here.”

What? Blinking at the three bowls of noodles on the table, Feng Yue asked curiously, “How did you know?”

How did he know? Ye Yuqing ground his teeth – he had sent someone to eavesdrop! He thought these two were discussing some important secret matters, but it turned out to be just about what kind of noodles to have for dinner!

At that moment, the Crown Prince felt quite foolish. Though nothing was technically wrong, he felt insulted.

“His Highness has great powers, having heavenly eyes and ears would not be strange.” Sitting down leisurely, Yin Gezhi handed her chopsticks and said calmly, “Whatever you have to say, why not discuss it over the meal?”

Ye Yuqing pressed his lips together, and after exhaling deeply, put on his gentle smile again. Fanning himself while looking at these two who started eating without hesitation, he said, “On the day Zhao Lin was beheaded, many messengers left Buyin City from the relay station. What does Your Highness think about that?”

Eating his noodles elegantly, Yin Gezhi didn’t even look up as he replied, “The City Guard is Buyin City’s armor. The replacement of a commander is a major event, especially happening when General Yi is away. Naturally, people would send messages.”

“However, the number of messengers who left was far more than what I had imagined,” Ye Yuqing said with a serious look. “For a mere military officer, no matter how illustrious his military achievements, there shouldn’t be so many people acting as his eyes and ears.”

“It’s like Shu brocade – naturally, people like to embellish it,” Yin Gezhi said. “General Yi’s glory was earned through his battles, and also through your royal family’s rewards and praise. The principle of raising a tiger to later bring calamity is something all rulers throughout history should understand.”

“Oh?” After thinking for a moment, Ye Yuqing smiled and said, “But tigers can also have the merit of protecting the nation. Our Wu state cannot repeat your country’s mistakes. Killing Guan Canghai stabilized the throne, but external threats from enemy states could never be resolved after that.”

The hand holding the chopsticks froze for a moment, then continued picking up noodles as if nothing had happened. Feng Yue kept her eyes down as she heard the person beside her say, “I’m not entirely clear about the specifics of General Guan’s situation, nor do I wish to comment on it. However, compared to General Guan’s actions of returning the military tally and following imperial orders back then, your country’s General Yi seems to have more of his ideas.”

Ye Yuqing fell silent.

Though these two appeared to have a unified stance, from Feng Yue’s perspective, they were really on different boats heading in different directions. The Crown Prince wanted to put a chain around Yi Guoru’s neck for the crown to control and use for the country’s benefit. But Yin Gezhi, while appearing to take the same stance, actually just wanted to stab Yi Guoru to death.

Only with Yi Guoru gone would Wu’s threat to Wei be reduced to its lowest.

They would have to settle things between themselves eventually but for now… Taking a sip of soup, Feng Yue smiled at them.

It was enough for her to just follow along with what they did. Their future struggle between the snipe and the clam wouldn’t hurt her.

“There should be a register of disciples in the General’s mansion,” Ye Yuqing finally spoke. “Does Your Highness have confidence in obtaining it?”

“No,” Without even thinking, Yin Gezhi flatly refused. “Such matters are not convenient for me.”

Did he think he could use him as a secret agent? The General’s mansion was like a den of tigers and wolves, and he wanted him to go in and steal things.

It was an expected answer. Ye Yuqing laughed slightly and turned to look at Feng Yue, “Zhu’er said she wanted to chat with you. She hasn’t been in a good mood lately. Would Miss Feng Yue help me comfort her?”

Nearly choking on her soup, Feng Yue asked pitifully, “Can this servant decline?”

“No, you can’t,” The great Crown Prince Ye showed his white teeth in a smile and said cheerfully, “Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to pick you up.”