Yan Shiman stared blankly at the open window. After a long while, he sniffed, as if venting his anger. He waved his hand and knocked over the conspicuous wine bottle on the table.

With a crash, the bottle shattered into pieces.

Yan Shiman did not stay in the room any longer, but walked silently to the next room with heavy steps and knocked on Shen Yunjiao's door.

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Yunjiao opened the door and immediately saw Yan Shi's red-rimmed, aggrieved expression.

Before Yan Shiman could say anything, Shen Yunjiao took the initiative to invite him in.

She winked at Fuxia, signaling her to bring the food box wrapped in silk to the table.

"Yan Shiman, this is mung bean cake, try it."

"I can't eat," Yan Shiman said, shaking her head.

"Eat something to regain your strength," Shen Yunjiao gently advised.

Seeing this, Fu Xia silently left the room, leaving only Shen Yunjiao and Yan Shiman in the room.

Shen Yunjiao could see that although Yan Shiman appeared to be a handsome and cheerful young man, he actually had a very soft heart.

In addition, he actually longed to be a woman, so Shen Yunjiao knew that coaxing him with some sweets would make him happier.

Heeding Shen Yunjiao's advice, Yan Shiman slowly opened the food box and took out a piece of green, cool pastry.

After taking a bite, the soft cake melted in his mouth.

Yan Shiman suddenly felt a little better.

He swallowed the pastry and asked dejectedly, "Shen Yunjiao, do you think I'm a monster who's neither male nor female?"

Shen Yunjiao's hand, which was pouring tea, froze, and her eyes darkened slightly.

Does the North Wind say that about him?

That's really harsh.

Shen Yunjiao looked at Yan Shiman with a serious expression and replied, "I have never thought of you as a monster."

"But I was born a man, yet I like to dress up as a woman. Don't you find that disgusting and strange?" Yan Shiman slumped on the table, looking somewhat dejected, her long, black eyelashes fluttering like fans.

Shen Yunjiao said, "I don't think so. Everyone has the right to live the way they like. Whether you are Yan Shiman, the heir of the Prince of Runan, or Yan Shiman, the lady of Miaoyin, you can dress however you want. Those who think you are strange are just narrow-minded."

Hearing Shen Yunjiao's words of comfort, Yan Shiman's brows relaxed, and he felt a little better.

In fact, he doesn't care about what other people think.

But the person who found him disgusting was North Wind.

Although he often played around with the North Wind, he regarded it as a good friend in his heart.

Yan Shiman thought that Beifeng would not underestimate him so much.

"The feeling of being disliked is really awful," he murmured.

After hearing this, Shen Yunjiao laughed and said, "You should be glad that he didn't attack you. As far as I know, Beifeng is highly skilled in martial arts, and killing you would not be difficult for him."

Yan Shiman muttered in a low voice, "He just stuck chopsticks into my neck."

As he spoke, he revealed his fair neck to Shen Yunjiao.

Shen Yunjiao was stunned when she saw it.

This place not only has marks from being poked with chopsticks, but also many ambiguous hickeys, large and small, which are quite shocking.

Shen Yunjiao couldn't bear to look, so she silently pulled Yan Shiman's collar up a little.

"I'm so unlucky." Yan Shiman sighed again.

After finally composing herself, Yan Shiman raised her clear, bright eyes and looked at Shen Yunjiao. "By the way, I haven't asked you yet, what brings you here to see me?"

As soon as Shen Yunjiao heard that they were talking about serious matters, she perked up.

She quickly sat up straight and said solemnly, "I've come here to ask you to use the power of Ziyun Tower to help me investigate something."

“Of course,” Yan Shiman readily agreed.

Shen Yunjiao was overjoyed and told Yan Shiman about Ye Shaoqing's embezzlement of disaster relief funds.

"Yan Shiman, please investigate Yu Qian for me. He was an official appointed by the imperial court during the disaster relief efforts in Yongzhou. I want to know if he has any private dealings with Zhao Shuyi, the current prefect of Yongzhou."

"Don't worry, I'll send spies to investigate today," Yan Shiman nodded and assured him.

"Thank you, Yan Shiman," Shen Yunjiao said sincerely, then suddenly she remembered something.

"Fu Xia, bring the small brocade box from the carriage," Shen Yunjiao called out.

"Alright!" Fu Xia heard this and ran downstairs. Shen Yunjiao turned to Yan Shiman with a smile and said, "I have something here that you might find useful."

Yan Shiman looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Shen Yunjiao returned his smile with a slight smile, a smile that held a deeper meaning.

After Fu Xia took the small brocade box and closed the door again, Shen Yunjiao took out the bottles and jars and placed them on the table one by one.

"Look, we have honeydew melon, peach, and grape flavors here. You can try them."

Yan Shiman was stunned for a moment, "What is this for?"

"Miracle Cream, a new product I just developed." Shen Yunjiao looked at him with a smile. "It can be used to treat chapped, peeling, or red and swollen areas. It works wonders."

"But I'm not injured anywhere," Yan Shiman blinked and replied.

Shen Yunjiao stood up and gestured towards Yan Shiman with her chin, "Didn't you use it at the back last night? You can also use this ointment to treat the wound there."

Yan Shiman's face turned bright red instantly.

He immediately understood why Shen Yunjiao had laughed like that just now.

"You! How did you know I was the bottom one!" Yan Shiman muttered awkwardly.

Shen Yunjiao didn't answer him; instead, she smiled and said goodbye.

-

The following day, Emperor Dayong hosted a banquet for the envoys at the Shanglin Garden Palace.

The aroma of fine wine and delicious food filled the air, while elegant string music played continuously.

The real highlight was the drill competition held after the banquet.

On the vast open ground of Liang Garden, the soldiers of Dayong and the warriors brought by the Northern Hu delegation were all eager to fight, waiting for the upcoming martial arts tournament.

The afternoon sun was scorching, and flags fluttered at the horse farm of the Shanghai Forestry University.

The imperial tent was set up in the north, while the other two places were the viewing tents where civil and military officials stayed.

Emperor Zhaowu sat in the imperial tent, flanked by Crown Prince Xiao Huaijin and Consort Shu on his left and right, respectively. Further away sat the Second Prince of Beihu, Yelü Qi, and Princess Helan.

The Shen family's watchtower was the first one on the right side of the imperial tent. Shen Zhizhang sat inside, his expression solemn and unmoving.

Shen Yunjiao sat next to her father, watching all of this with curiosity.

"Father, where did my brother go?" The weather was sweltering, and Shen Yunjiao asked, fanning herself.

Shen Zhizhang moved the lychees in front of him to Shen Yunjiao's side, "Your brother is the Grand Master in charge of receiving the Northern Hu, so he should be very busy right now."

After Shen Yunjiao acknowledged with a "I understand," she secretly raised her eyes to observe Shen Zhizhang. His preoccupied appearance made her feel vaguely uneasy.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber. After eating a few chilled fruits, Shen Yunjiao leaned close to Shen Zhizhang and asked in a low voice,

"Father, why did the Emperor set up this martial arts tournament?"

Shen Zhizhang came to his senses, affectionately patted her head, and explained, "When Emperor Taizu was young, he fought on all sides and was strong and healthy. In order to demonstrate the strength and military power of Dayong and to warn these neighboring countries, he established a rule that whenever a delegation from a neighboring country visited Dayong, they must compete with the soldiers of our Dayong Dynasty, and even the Crown Prince had to participate."

Shen Yunjiao already knew that Xiao Huaijin was going to participate in the competition.

But what she was curious about was whether Emperor Zhaowu, who looked thinner than the average man, was also going to participate in the competition.

After hearing Shen Yunjiao's words, Shen Zhizhang's eyes flickered slightly. He slowly said, "Emperor Zhaowu naturally went up to compete. At that time, he was facing the fierce general of Western Chu, Marquis Jing'an, and almost chopped off his right hand."

Shen Yunjiao was surprised; she hadn't expected that Emperor Zhaowu was so valiant in his youth.

Shen Zhizhang lowered his eyes, chuckled softly, and a sense of melancholy washed over him.

Emperor Zhaowu was indeed a wise ruler in his youth, but unfortunately he has now become such a decadent figure.