It was not until all the courtyards had lit their lights that the Prince of Zhenbei rushed back to the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion from the military camp outside the city, covered in dust.
Before he could figure out which concubine's courtyard to go to for dinner today, Yu Zizhen came over with Cui Yu.
The father and daughter walked across from each other on the corridor. Before Yu Zizhen could clasp her fists and salute, the King of Zhenbei spoke before her, "Zizhen? Are you okay?"
Yu Zizhen simply brushed aside the matter of the formalities. She smiled and nodded, "Doctor Feng said I can go out for a walk occasionally."
The King of Zhenbei breathed a sigh of relief, but he still subconsciously reminded Yu Zizhen, "You have just recovered from a serious illness. If there is nothing important, it is best not to leave the house casually these few days."
After all, it is still winter in the north. If Yu Zizhen catches a cold when going out, it would be bad if his illness relapses.
Yu Zizhen nodded vigorously, "I just have something to tell you, so I made this special trip."
Upon hearing this, King Zhenbei took her directly back to his study.
After the father and daughter sat down on either side of the desk, Yu Zizhen didn't beat around the bush. She said, "I have two things I want to tell you. First, since I will be appearing as a man in the future, it will not be good for me to always have maids and servants around me. I want all the servants in my courtyard to stay in the palace."
King Zhenbei hesitated, "Then won't there be anyone to serve you in your daily life?"
Yu Zizhen smiled, "I can handle simple things like dressing and washing myself, but the laundry and cleaning can be left to the servants in the palace in the capital."
Prince Zhenbei agreed after a brief thought. He usually dressed and washed himself. If he could do it, then the "prince" he chose could do it as well.
He said, "Then I will pick out a few servants and attendants for you, and you can have them live in the outer courtyard normally."
Yu Zizhen nodded obediently, "Okay."
The Prince of Zhenbei was very pleased with her obedience. "Among the people coming to the capital, the fewer people who know your secret, the better. Aside from Madam Hong on your mother's side and Mr. Jiang on my side, let everyone else think you are the genuine prince of the palace."
Oh, this is exactly what she wants.
Yu Zizhen was secretly delighted. With the words of the Prince of Zhenbei, the Princess of Zhenbei could forget about sending a bunch of maids and servants to monitor her.
She nodded in agreement without hesitation, "Don't worry, I will be very careful and keep this secret."
After a pause, she continued, "Besides the people who follow me, I also want to ask you for something else."
King Zhenbei did not hesitate at all, "You say."
Yu Zizhen thought to himself, look at her proper attitude, and then look at the Princess of Zhenbei, wow.
"I want a soft sword, some money for emergencies, and also, could you give me a copy of the Yu family's spearmanship, or a copy of any other family's swordsmanship, so I can learn from them?"
The Yu family's spear skills are well-known and can exert great power on the battlefield. Yu Zizhen does not want to give up, but she cannot carry a spear with her every day in the capital.
In order to better protect herself, she needed a weapon that was not too conspicuous and could be carried with her.
The King of Zhenbei thought for a moment, then waved over his trusted servant who was standing aside as a backdrop, "Xianwu, go get ten thousand taels of silver."
Yu Zizhen blinked. As expected, the Prince of Zhenbei was a true hero who was a hundred times more generous than his wife.
Just as she was thinking, she heard the King of Zhenbei say again: "Martial arts cannot be learned by oneself according to books. If you want to learn the Yu family's spear technique, I will send a new martial arts master to go to the capital with you. As for the soft sword, do you want to carry it with you in case of emergency?"
Yu Zizhen nodded, "Carrying a gun in the capital is a bit conspicuous."
King Zhenbei laughed and said, "Then you shouldn't consider the soft sword."
Yu Zizhen blinked, with just the right amount of confusion on his face.
Prince Zhenbei patiently explained to her, "Since Empress Dowager Lu has issued an edict in the name of the Emperor, requiring the princes and nobles stationed on the border to send their sons to the capital to accompany the prince in his studies, then once you arrive in the capital, she will certainly instruct the Emperor to arrange for you to study in the palace. You must remove your armor and weapons before entering the palace. You are not allowed to bring any of them, whether it's a soft sword or a long spear."
Yu Zizhen frowned, his originally smooth and delicate face wrinkled into folds. "What should I do? I can't be completely without any means of self-defense, right?"
"Learn some boxing and kicking skills." King Zhenbei suggested gently, "I'll have the martial arts master who comes with you teach you both boxing and spearmanship."
Every generation of the Patriarch of Zhenbei Palace would select reliable and talented children from among the family's sons and clan members, and let them practice martial arts and fight together with the future Patriarch of Zhenbei Palace.
Some of these selected children were able to earn a future for themselves by repeatedly making military achievements and became the loyal and trusted generals of the Zhenbei King in the army, while others died early in some unknown battle, leaving only their family members to receive long-term protection and generous compensation from the Zhenbei King's Mansion.
The rest will retreat to the second line and return to the palace for recuperation after being injured or reaching a certain age.
The two martial arts masters assigned to Yu Zizhen by the King of Zhenbei were both his trusted subordinates who retreated to the second line after he was injured.
They are responsible for cultivating heirs for the King of Zhenbei and training a steady stream of reliable personal soldiers.
"Your Uncle Qin is busy with many things and can't accompany you to the capital. It just so happens that your Uncle Bai's condition has improved and he has no family to tie him down, so he's the best person to accompany you to the capital."
Yu Zizhen nodded. "Uncle Qin and Uncle Bai are both the best martial arts masters in the palace. I'll be lucky if anyone accompanies me."
After hearing this, the King of Zhenbei's evaluation of Yu Zizhen suddenly increased by two points. He smiled and said, "I'm relieved that you think so. I was worried that you would dislike your uncle Bai's aloof, old-fashioned and strict personality."
Yu Zizhen waved his hands vigorously, "Only a strict teacher can produce a good student. Besides, Uncle Bai is just not good at speaking, but he is actually a very good person."
Yu Zizhen is not talking nonsense.
The young original owner had a low status in the palace and a weak sense of presence. Servants with a little bit of status dared to take advantage of her young age and ignorance to neglect her in a subtle way. However, Bai Tong, who was deeply trusted by the King of Zhenbei, had always been respectful to her.
He was able to observe courtesy to the unfavored young master who had no inheritance rights behind the scenes, and at least he would not do such things as flattering the powerful and bullying the weak, even if he were in a different environment.
For Yu Zizhen, who is just a small chess piece of the King of Zhenbei, this is the best treatment she can have at the moment.
"As long as you are satisfied." Although it would be useless even if she was not satisfied, it was better to have her arrangements recognized than not recognized. When the King of Zhenbei was happy, he rewarded Yu Zizhen with a few pieces of jade seeds that she liked.
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