The speaker was a rough-looking man with an unruly expression; he was none other than Duke Yu, who had openly confronted Bai Qingyuan in court yesterday.

The officials and civil servants were already used to this.

These two, one who loves to argue and the other who loves to pick fights, have long been a unique sight in the imperial court, their love-hate relationship making them quite a spectacle. If they don't have a fight one day, they feel out of place.

In particular, one of them was a Grand Tutor of the first rank and the other was a Duke of the first rank. Their official positions were so high that no one else dared to interrupt. Only Emperor An could stop them.

"Stop arguing!"

Having to act as a peacemaker every day, Andi was extremely annoyed, so he quickly called a halt before the two started arguing.

That concludes today's morning court session.

Before he could finish speaking, a eunuch rushed in, "Your Majesty, an envoy from Southern Qi requests an audience!"

Emperor An, who had already sat up, sat down again.

"Summon him to the palace!"

The fact that the Southern Qi envoy came to pay his respects at this time must mean he had important business to discuss, and Emperor An was already pondering why he had come.

Before long, the envoy from Southern Qi entered the palace to pay his respects to Emperor An and then explained the purpose of his visit.

After listening, Emperor An frowned and pondered.

If what Song Baiyun said earlier is true, the Third Prince of Southern Qi should have felt that he was sure to win the literary test, and a single-round competition would have been most advantageous for him. However, he took the initiative to add another round. This shows that he must have heard that Young Master Akun was participating in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering, and he was not confident of beating him, so he had to add another round at the last minute!

Having figured this out, Emperor An's brows relaxed, and he then refused, saying, "Since we already have a written test, why bother with a martial arts contest?"

The envoy from Southern Qi argued, "Your Majesty, this civil service examination was proposed unilaterally by you, and our prince agreed without hesitation. Now that our prince has proposed a military confrontation, so many people in An dare not agree. Are they afraid of our prince?"

This kind of provocation had little effect on Emperor An. Just as he was about to refuse again, he saw Zhu Tong shake his head at him.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright, you've come from afar as guests. Since you want to fight, then so be it!"

The Southern Qi envoy was overjoyed upon hearing this, and after bidding farewell to Emperor An, he left the palace.

After he left, Zhu Tong said, "Your Highness, as he said, they have come all the way to Anguo. If they propose a fight and no one dares to respond, it will damage the prestige of the country if word gets out."

"I hope you have thought things through thoroughly."

Zhu Tong bowed and continued, "Moreover, this envoy's arrival today suggests that he is also unsure about the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering two days from now. As long as Young Master Akun performs normally, we are guaranteed to win the literary test. Even if we lose the martial arts competition, it won't be a disgrace."

"You make it sound so easy, Prime Minister!"

The troll resurfaced, sneering, "The Third Prince of Southern Qi's military strategy is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Who can defeat him? Besides, who can guarantee a sure win in the written exam? If we can't win the written exam and lose the martial arts competition, it will damage the prestige of the nation. Where is the prestige of the nation then?"

"Pooh!"

The critic retorted, "What do you know, you civil official! Who said he'd definitely win in a physical confrontation?"

"Oh? I don't understand, but Duke Yu is a military man, so he must know a lot! Or should Duke Yu personally take charge?"

Grand Tutor Bai narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"I--"

Duke Yu rolled his eyes and did not jump into the trap set by Grand Tutor Bai out of a fit of anger.

"I am but a Duke, and I have seen more roads than the Third Prince of Southern Qi has crossed bridges. If I were to defeat him, it would be an dishonorable victory!"

"Hehe, I'm afraid some people are too afraid to accept the challenge, worried that they'll lose face if they lose, right?"

"You—can't have children!"

Holy crap!

Bai Qingyuan really wanted to swear at this moment. This is an argument, but what do you mean by saying that I have a physical defect?

"Duke Yu, we're having a normal discussion about state affairs. It's pointless for you to resort to personal attacks."

Grand Tutor Bai squinted, maintaining his composure.

"But I wasn't wrong, was I? You really can't have children!"

"..."

"Alright, stop arguing!"

Emperor An gave a cold shout, and only then did Grand Tutor Bai and Duke Yu quiet down.

"My dear minister, what do you think?"

"Grand Tutor Bai is right. Everyone has witnessed the military strategies of the Third Prince of Southern Qi. It would be difficult for ordinary people to defeat him. But we don't need to be afraid of him, because there are people in Anguo who are much more capable than him!"

"who--"

As soon as Emperor An asked this question, a figure suddenly appeared in his mind, and he immediately said:

"General Jinghong!"

Emperor An and the entire court spoke up almost simultaneously, demonstrating how highly regarded Liu Jinghong was in their eyes.

Zhu Tong smiled and nodded, "The Southern Qi Third Prince led the army to conquer the Yue Kingdom. While his strategy was certainly the key to victory, the formidable fighting power of the Southern Qi army should not be underestimated."

"But General Jinghong has repeatedly won with fewer troops and has trained the Liangzhou soldiers into an iron cavalry. In just a few years, they have fought dozens of battles without a single defeat. Whether in actual combat or strategy, they are top-notch. If General Jinghong were to face the Third Prince of Southern Qi, our chances of winning would be quite high!"

These words stirred Emperor An's blood!

Yes, if Anguo only has one army left to rely on, it is the Jinghong Iron Cavalry!

"Send word by carrier pigeon: summon General Jinghong to the capital immediately!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch accepted the order and ran out.

...

After finishing his meal, Zhang Xuexian ran out and returned to the Zhang family home in about an hour with several men. These men were probably the confidants he had mentioned.

Upon entering, Zhang Xuexian rushed over, looking at Jing Zhe with an incredulous expression, stammering.

"Nephew, you...you can actually write lyrics?"

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Xiaoyu and her mother came out and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Zhang Xuexian excitedly recounted the news he had heard outside. When they heard that Jing Zhe had shone brightly at Wuxian Garden and defeated several talented scholars, Madam Zhang and Zhang Xiaoyu were so shocked that they could hardly speak.

But their expressions were somewhat different.

Zhang Xiaoyu was shocked and filled with admiration. Moreover, she had seen Jing Zhe's beautiful handwriting before, so she was somewhat prepared for him to be able to compose such excellent lyrics.

After her initial shock came worry. Not only was he handsome, but he was also incredibly talented. Given time, he would be famous throughout the capital. Such a man...

Women's thoughts are always complicated, while men's are much simpler.

Zhang Xuexian patted Jing Zhe on the shoulder and laughed, "Nephew, I told you you could do it!"

"..."

Jing Zhe glanced at him, thinking to himself, "You're so shameless. You clearly didn't believe me before, right?"

He then teased him, "Uncle, are you the same as you were when you were young?"

"No, no, no!"

Even with his thick skin, Zhang Xuexian dared not agree at this moment. He shook his head and awkwardly laughed, "I'm just bragging, you're really awesome!"

"..."

Jing Zhe smiled, then had Zhang Xuexian lead a few trusted men into the warehouse. The equipment was all connected and easy to operate; it didn't take long to teach them.

The Zhang family had no shortage of cloudy liquor, and the process of making strong liquor was immediately put into production.

————