As soon as Qi Junguang left, the court became noisy again.

It seems that no one believes Jing Zhe can break through the defenses of fifty Silver Thread Army soldiers by himself.

Even Liu Jinghong looked worried and remorseful.

She didn't mind Zhu Xinning marrying out of the country, but she was afraid that if Jing Zhe lost, it would have a bad impact on his future.

Why didn't I stop him just now?

Zhu Tong's expression turned even uglier.

Winning is fine, but if she loses, Zhu Xinning will have to marry far away to Southern Qi!

As Zhu Xinning's younger brother, Jing Zhe shouldn't have done this, right?

This was something Zhu Tong couldn't understand, and he planned to ask Jing Zhe about it after the court session.

Emperor An probably shared this idea, so as soon as Qi Junguang left, he immediately ended the morning court session, but kept Jing Zhe behind.

After the court officials left, Jing Zhe followed Emperor An back to the council hall. Before he was even offered a seat, Emperor An couldn't help but ask, "Why did you gamble with him?"

"Your Majesty, of course it's to defeat him and bring glory to Anguo!"

"..."

This answer left Emperor An speechless.

He really wanted to say, "How do you think you're going to win?"

But looking at Jing Zhe's confident expression, he suddenly felt a surge of hope: "Are you really going to win? Aren't you afraid of losing?"

“Your Majesty, Zhu Xinning is my second sister. If there is anyone who would least want to see her marry into the Southern Qi, that person is definitely me. I will not treat my second sister's happiness as a game!”

"..."

Emperor An was about to ask him what weapons he had, but then thought better of it and decided to let it go, saying they would find out later.

"By the way, I was discussing with my ministers today the possibility of bestowing an official position upon you, but we haven't reached a decision yet. Now that you're here, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Do I have such a high status?

They can give you any official position you want.

After he subtly expressed this idea, Emperor An coughed and said, "I'm only asking you for reference. How can I give you whatever you want? Wouldn't An Kingdom be in chaos?"

"..."

Damn, then why did you even ask?

So he said, "Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with officialdom, but since Your Majesty wishes to bestow an official position, my request is not high. I only ask that the position not be too low, the real power not too small, and the burden not too heavy... Oh, Your Majesty, please don't go..."

Is this what you call not demanding?

As Emperor An walked out, he said angrily, "Let's wait until after the martial arts examination to decide on the official position! Go back and prepare well, and also think about which position is more suitable for you!"

"..."

You even said you'd consider my opinion?

You're kidding me!

Jing Zhe made a complaint, and then Sui Shouren sent him out.

As they emerged from the palace, Liu Jinghong and Zhu Tong were waiting outside.

Zhu Tongxian came forward to greet him.

"Nephew, why did you agree to that bet?"

"Xinning is your second sister. Can you just stand by and watch her marry into the Southern Qi?"

Seeing his anxious expression, which didn't seem to be feigned, Jing Zhe was very pleased and repeated what he had just said to Emperor An.

But concern can cloud judgment, and Zhu Tong was still worried.

Seeing that it was getting late, he said, "Let's go back to the manor first, and we can talk later!"

"I'm not going!"

Liu Jinghong grabbed Jing Zhe and said, "He is a member of the Jing family, not a member of your Zhu family, Prime Minister Zhu! My brother is coming home with me tonight. As for going to your house, let's skip it. I'm afraid I'll be seen as some kind of uncouth person if I go!"

Liu Jinghong was even more vengeful than Jing Zhe. After saying this, she pulled Jing Zhe away.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Zhu Tong gave a wry smile.

...

The horse had already been led back by the cavalry, and the two men walked side by side on the road.

"Zhe'er, you're too impulsive!"

Liu Jinghong sighed, "What will you do if you lose?"

Jing Zhe looked at Liu Jinghong, "Then is Fifth Sister absolutely certain of winning?"

Seeing Liu Jinghong shake her head, Jing Zhe laughed and said, "That's right. It's better for me to lose than for Fifth Sister to lose. Besides, I might not even lose!"

Hearing this, Liu Jinghong's brows relaxed, and she asked with some curiosity, "Zhe'er... do you really have a weapon that can break through the silver-threaded armor?"

Jing Zhe honestly replied, "Not yet."

"..."

Seeing Liu Jinghong speechless, he added, "Isn't there still three days? That's enough time for me to finish making the weapon!"

Liu Jinghong wanted to say something more, but then she thought that too many miracles had happened to her brother, from making ice before to gaining internal strength now. Perhaps she should believe him this time too.

However, it doesn't matter if he loses. If anyone in the court blames him, he will do everything in his power to protect him. At worst, he will take him to Liangzhou and never come back. Let's see who dares to go to Liangzhou to cause trouble for them!

Hmm, thinking about it that way, it's not so bad.

Liu Jinghong even had a thought of wanting Jing Zhe to lose, and she didn't care whether Zhu Xinning married into another family or not!

Then he asked Jing Zhe with a smile, "Zhe'er, did you agree because you were afraid that Fifth Sister would lose and lose face?"

"It's not that I'd lose face, I just don't want to see Fifth Sister lose."

Jing Zhe shrugged and said honestly.

Liu Jinghong was deeply moved after hearing this, but her emotion was short-lived, as it was shattered by Jing Zhe's next words.

"More importantly, I can't watch my second sister marry into the Southern Qi Kingdom and marry Qi Junguang! No matter what, I must win this martial arts competition!"

Liu Jinghong glanced at him, "What if we can't win?"

"We can't win..."

Jing Zhe hadn't thought about this issue, because he felt that winning would be easy; all he had to do was find the materials and make the weapon by tomorrow.

"If we can't win, then let's elope with Second Sister! Anyway, she can't marry into Southern Qi, otherwise we won't be able to see her again!"

Jing Zhe said solemnly.

Oh, so she's more important than me!

Instantly, Liu Jinghong's jealousy intensified, a sour feeling rising from her.

At first, Jing Zhe didn't notice, but when he turned his head, he saw Liu Jinghong walking around in a sullen mood, her brows furrowed, her small mouth upturned, and her armor completely out of place. She seemed to be muttering to herself.

Jing Zhe listened carefully, but could only hear things like "What's so good about her?" and "I care about her but not me," which immediately embarrassed him.

However, he became even more curious about the relationship between Liu Jinghong and Zhu Xinning, because he had noticed before that Liu Jinghong didn't seem to like Zhu Xinning very much, so he asked about it.

He only understood the reason after Liu Jinghong finished explaining.

Liu Jinghong worked so hard to improve his military rank, so that he could have more influence in the court and help Jing Wenmao clear his name and return to Jingzhou.

Zhu Xinning lived in the Prime Minister's residence, so Liu Jinghong initially approached her, hoping she could speak to the Prime Minister and persuade him to make a few more suggestions to Emperor An. However, the matter ultimately came to nothing, and Jing Wenmao never returned to Jingzhou before his death.

Because of this incident, Liu Jinghong held a grudge against Zhu Xinning and disliked her very much. They even argued in court.

————