Chapter 54 The martial arts demonstration was so captivating to the eyes of the men watching...

After the court assembly the following day, the Northern Army Battalion Commandant took the initiative to come to the Imperial Study to request an audience with Xie Lanzhou.

"Your Majesty, I, Sun Pengju, the Commandant of the Northern Camp, request to take over the surrendered troops of the Yan Kingdom and train them for Your Majesty."

Xie Lanzhou looked down at the person kneeling below, who was the one who had spoken at the court meeting yesterday about being wary of the State of Lu.

"Please take a seat, stand up and speak." With a glance from Xie Lanzhou, a little eunuch immediately brought over a chair.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sun Pengju expressed his gratitude and sat down to Xie Lanzhou's left.

"How long have you been in the Northern Army camp? What have you been doing?" Xie Lanzhou asked.

Sun Pengju respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I was the top military scholar during the Xuanwu era, and since then I have been training and leading troops in the Northern Army camp."

Xie Lanzhou glanced at his tanned face and nodded slightly.

When the late emperor was alive, he prioritized stability in everything. Even when enemy countries invaded, he would mainly negotiate peace. As a result, many military generals in the northern and southern camps had great talents but no opportunity to use them.

After Xie Lanzhou took power, his reputation for tyranny and murder spread far and wide, and there was indeed a period of peace. Therefore, this large-scale expansion can be regarded as giving all the generals a chance to make meritorious contributions.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "I understand. You may return now."

Sun Pengju bowed and took his leave, his face revealing his disappointment.

After he left, Xie Lanzhou asked Eunuch Fu to bring the list of military graduates from the past five years and the annual evaluation results of the commanders of various military camps.

A thick stack of files was brought into the Imperial Study, and Xie Lanzhou frowned slightly as he looked at them.

Confused, Eunuch Fu asked, "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

Xie Lanzhou picked up a dossier, flipped through it, and casually replied, "Select a few capable men to train troops for me."

Eunuch Fu hesitated and said, "But... with so many people, how do we choose?"

Xie Lanzhou remained silent for a long while before saying, "Send the meal to Jingchun Palace."

Eunuch Fu responded, knowing that His Majesty was having a meal before making a decision.

*Jingchun Palace.

After taking the prescription given by Physician Gao yesterday, Su Panyue's abdominal pain has lessened considerably today, and her appetite has returned.

Xie Lanzhou, on the other hand, seemed uninterested, prompting Su Panyue to ask:

"Is something troubling Your Majesty?"

Hearing her question, even Eunuch Fu, who was waiting nearby, broke out in a cold sweat. Everyone said that the empress should not interfere in politics, but this lady was different; she even took the initiative to ask.

However, Xie Lanzhou said without hesitation: "The surrendered soldiers of Yan need to be led by several generals, but in recent years the Great Qi has been too comfortable, and it is difficult for me to judge which people are worthy of important positions."

[Mainly because there are too many files, and I'm too lazy to look at them.]

Su Panyue couldn't help but smile when she heard his thoughts. Being an emperor really does bring a lot of troubles.

She suggested, "Then let them compete and choose the winners based on their performance. That would be the fairest way."

Xie Lanzhou pondered for a moment, nodded, and then said to Eunuch Fu beside him, "Send down the order to give each military camp five days to prepare. Five days later, the military exercise will be held at the North Training Ground. I will personally attend the exercise."

Eunuch Fu acknowledged and went to make the arrangements. Su Panyue asked with interest, "What is martial arts practice?"

Xie Lanzhou replied, "It is a competition as you said, but it is just a contest between different military camps, and it tests the generals' ability to lead troops."

Su Panyue nodded thoughtfully and asked softly, "I have never seen such a scene before. May Your Majesty take me with you then?"

Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Xie Lanzhou nodded: "Okay."

When this news spread, it was like a drop of water being poured into a hot pan. The generals in various military camps, who had been dormant for many years, suddenly became motivated and began to prepare day and night. After all, there were few opportunities to perform in front of the emperor, and if they could be noticed, it would be a great leap to the top.

Amidst the intensive preparations, time flew by, and the day of the martial arts performance arrived in the blink of an eye.

Su Panyue got up early to get ready, as she was going to accompany Xie Lanzhou to watch the martial arts performance today.

She originally intended to disguise herself as a palace maid and secretly follow along to see what was going on.

However, Xie Lanzhou disagreed and even had a women's military uniform specially made according to her measurements and sent over.

This was the first time Su Panyue had worn this style of clothing. Her hands and feet were bound by straps to facilitate movement, and the belt around her waist accentuated her figure. Her dark hair was not styled in a bun as usual, but was tied up high with a hairband, making her look refreshing and capable.

Su Panyue turned around in front of the bronze mirror twice, becoming more and more satisfied with what she saw.

Xie Lanzhou came in from outside; he must have come specifically to pick her up.

Upon entering and seeing Su Panyue dressed like this, his eyes darkened slightly.

I want to pin her down and fuck her hard...

Just as Su Panyue was about to ask him if it looked good, she was caught off guard and overheard his thoughts. She secretly pouted and cursed him as a pervert in her heart.

Xie Lanzhou had already walked over and put his arm around her waist, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Is your period over?"

"Hmm..." Su Panyue responded hesitantly, with a bad feeling about it.

Xie Lanzhou didn't say anything more, and simply helped her onto the horse.

Normally, the emperor would travel by carriage, but today was a special day as he was going to the martial arts training ground in the suburbs of the capital. The journey would inevitably be bumpy, so Xie Lanzhou simply rode a horse directly from the palace.

Su Panyue sat in front of him, sensing that the officials behind her were not looking very friendly, so she whispered, "Your Majesty, I can ride a horse. I can ride by myself."

Xie Lanzhou remained silent, only tightening his arms around her, almost forcing Su Panyue to press against his chest.

[You came out with me but are trying to avoid me! Are you trying to run away again?]

Su Panyue choked, not expecting him to think that way. She simply gave up struggling, ignoring what the ministers behind her were thinking, and comfortably leaned against the man's chest muscles.

The streets and alleys had been cleared in advance, and with the Imperial Guards leading the way, they left the city without any hindrance.

Further along the path to the martial arts training ground on the outskirts of Beijing, the road became less smooth. Although the journey was bumpy, with Xie Lanzhou holding her tightly, Su Panyue didn't suffer much before arriving at the training ground.

Xie Lanzhou helped her down, and Su Panyue couldn't help but ask, "Since His Majesty forbids me from riding a horse by myself, why did he prepare this outfit for me?"

"It will be useful." Xie Lanzhou took her hand and they walked inside together.

The two appeared on the high platform of the training ground, below which were the various battalions of troops already in full battle array, standing neatly in formation. Outside the training ground, some curious civilians gathered to watch, making it quite lively.

As soon as Eunuch Fu announced, "The Emperor has arrived," the entire army below shouted "Long live the Emperor!" in unison, creating a magnificent spectacle.

This was the first time Su Panyue had ever so directly experienced the power and strength of the Great Qi. She left Xie Lanzhou half a step behind, not wanting to attract attention.

However, she was the only woman present, and the onlookers spotted her immediately, whispering among themselves in hushed tones.

Su Panyue couldn't hear what they were saying because they were far away, but she could clearly feel everyone's gaze on her, and she took a half step back, feeling a little uncomfortable.

But Xie Lanzhou grabbed her hand. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and had exceptional hearing. He could hear the people's discussions, which were nothing more than saying that she was a bewitching concubine who brought disaster to the country and bewitched the emperor, so that the emperor would bring her to such occasions.

Pulling her to stand beside him, Xie Lanzhou raised his voice and said, "All soldiers, listen to my command! On the battlefield, there are no fathers and sons. Today, on the training ground, I also hope that you will all show your true skills. Begin!"

Upon receiving this order, each military camp quickly deployed its troops and displayed their unique skills.

Standing on the high platform, Su Panyue no longer cared about the gazes and discussions of the people, and watched the competition on the martial arts field with her eyes glued to the ground.

They were all hot-blooded young men who had undergone rigorous training, and they fought hard on the field, making Su Panyue unable to take her eyes off them, and she even swallowed her saliva.

Unexpectedly, Xie Lanzhou noticed this small gesture and tightened his grip on her hand, his inner thoughts echoing in his mind:

[Seeing how engrossed the other men are in watching...]

Su Panyue was speechless for a moment. He wasn't even paying attention to the game below and he was still in the mood to be jealous. Thinking this, she quietly reached out and scratched his palm, whispering, "Your Majesty, concentrate."

Xie Lanzhou turned his gaze back to the field and indeed discovered several outstanding talents among them.

After another half a day, the martial arts exercise ended. As usual, Xie Lanzhou gave a few words of praise and arranged for the soldiers to rest for a while.

Su Panyue asked, "Has Your Majesty found anyone suitable?"

Xie Lanzhou nodded, pointed to a few people below, and instructed the young eunuch to write down their names. He then announced on the spot:

"The soldiers selected by His Majesty need to compete again."

The dozen or so people who were selected were eager to try, while those who weren't selected were inevitably a little disappointed.

The next match will be a two-on-one duel, testing their individual combat skills.

The men took off their shirts and went shirtless. Su Panyue initially watched with great interest, but after a while, she felt that none of them could compare to Xie Lanzhou's physique, so she secretly asked, "Are they more powerful or is His Majesty more powerful?"

She's not afraid of Xie Lanzhou at all now, and she can even ask such a bold question.

Xie Lanzhou wasn't angry; he simply replied, "You'll find out soon enough."

Su Panyue was puzzled and turned to continue watching the competition below.

The martial arts competition ended quickly, and the rankings of the dozen or so participants were determined in no time.

Xie Lanzhou immediately promoted several people by three ranks and awarded them a hundred taels of silver. With such a reward, some of the generals who were not selected finally couldn't help but complain.

"He's only good at leading troops. If we really want to compare, I'm definitely better than him."

"His Majesty doesn't know how he chose this person. This guy looks like a complete idiot, yet he still managed to get third place."

The murmurs below grew louder and louder. Xie Lanzhou cleared his throat, and the room quieted down.

"Anyone who disagrees may challenge me."

"But I never stop when I make a move; I think things through before I act."

Xie Lanzhou patted Su Panyue's hand as he spoke, then leaped down from the high platform and landed in the center of the martial arts arena.

His black robes fluttered in the wind as he stood with his hands clasped, his sharp eyes sweeping over the crowd.

There are always some self-important people who want to make a name for themselves. A strong man walks out of the military camp, his body full of fat, looking like he can lift a thousand pounds.

He said, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," and then lunged at Xie Lanzhou. In the next instant, he was trampled underfoot, so fast that the onlookers didn't even see it.

Xie Lanzhou could have easily broken his neck, but considering that the imperial concubine above was timid and soft-hearted, she ultimately only suppressed him so that he could not move an inch.

He kicked the man away, winning without even using his hands which were behind his back the entire time. He asked in a deep voice, "Anything else?"

Two or three more soldiers, who refused to believe in the evil spirits, came up one after another, and they were all carried off.

Seeing that no one was finally convinced, Xie Lanzhou straightened his clothes and returned to the high platform.

The first thing he did was tilt his head and ask Su Panyue, "How is it?"

"Your Majesty is mighty!" Su Panyue exclaimed.

"Let's go." Xie Lanzhou took her hand and walked outside.

"Where are we going?" Su Panyue asked curiously.

Xie Lanzhou replied, "I can't let you wear these clothes for nothing."