"Zhou Nuo, you didn't make it to the end in the martial arts competition, but in my eyes, you are no less than the martial arts champion!"
"Today, in front of all the civil and military officials, I formally invite you to serve as the instructor of the Great Jing Dynasty. What do you say?"
Standing behind Zhou Chuan, Zhou Nuo couldn't see her brother's expression, but news from Yan Chuan City had already reached her. She knew that Zhao Cheng had not only successfully married Yuan Yun, but had also set a date to take Chunqin and Yang Cai'e as concubines at the same time.
Without much thought, she clasped her hands and said, "Zhou Nuo is willing to serve Your Majesty! However..."
Yuan Xiu smiled and said, "Speak your mind, there's no harm in it."
"The position of military instructor is no small matter and carries great responsibility. I am worried that I am not capable enough."
Yuan Xiu asked, "Do you feel that you are too young and a woman to command respect?"
Zhou Nuo remained silent and nodded.
Yuan Xiu smiled, faced the military officers, and asked loudly, "Are you all satisfied with having Zhou Nuo serve as an instructor to train you stinking soldiers?"
"I'm convinced!!!" the generals exclaimed in unison.
"Look, everyone respects you." Yuan Xiu smiled at Zhou Nuo and said, "Training troops is not about leading them into battle. It's just about training the archery skills of the soldiers in the army and improving the overall archery level of our Great Jing."
Zhou Nuo thought for a moment and said, "That's no problem."
"Then it's settled." Yuan Xiu's expression turned serious, and he said sternly, "Zhou Nuo, I hereby appoint you as the instructor of the Imperial Guards of the Great Jing Dynasty. Train the Imperial Guards well for me, and I will reward you handsomely!"
Zhou Nuo clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Zhou Nuo obeys!"
Yuan Xiu patted Zhou Nuo on the shoulder, then laughed and said, "If I remember correctly, you are the first female instructor of the Great Jing Dynasty. Do a good job, this is a great thing that will go down in history!"
"Yes..." Zhou Nuo didn't feel anything. She always felt that "female instructor" sounded strange, and it wasn't as nice as being called "Heroine Zhou".
The officials had no objections to Yuan Xiu's arrangements, except for Wen Hu, who was standing among the military officers, who glanced at Zhou Nuo with an unfriendly expression.
Inside the main hall, it wasn't appropriate to look around, so Zhou Chuan wasn't surprised by his sister's choice. His thinking was simple: being an instructor was fine, as long as his sister didn't have to fight on the front lines.
He twisted his neck and turned around. He was exhausted from fighting his way up to second place these past few days, especially from the matches against the two people next to him, which had required him to give it his all.
Xu Qingshan is indeed formidable. Both are top-tier masters and practitioners of swordsmanship, but Zhou Chuan acknowledges that there is still a significant gap between them.
As for Dian Chen, a figure virtually unknown in the martial arts world, he also surprised Zhou Chuan. Dian Chen was a burly man, wielding two axes, and looked like a roughneck. However, he was actually a top-notch martial artist, and he fought with incredible ferocity, the kind of person who would take someone down with him even if it meant death, and wouldn't stop until his opponent was crippled.
Zhou Chuan suffered a great loss when he faced Yang Taozhi's Gentleman's Sword. If it weren't for Yang Taozhi's advice when they were in Lingshan, Zhou Chuan would have almost lost the match.
Even though he won, Zhou Chuan still suffered some minor injuries.
"There are always people better than you, and mountains beyond mountains. I need to work even harder..." Zhou Chuan felt he had gained a lot from this martial arts competition.
Yuan Xiu nodded in satisfaction, walked around Xu Qingshan, Zhou Chuan and the others, and became more and more pleased with himself.
"You've all been exhausted these past few days, so enjoy yourself in Changsui City for a few days. I'll summon you to the palace again in three days, and you'll all receive rewards!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!!"
The Imperial Study.
Perhaps because he was not yet familiar with Dian Chen, Yuan Xiu did not sit on the dragon table this time, but sat upright on the dragon throne, with Lü Lu standing behind him, and Wei You and Chen Changyun standing on one side.
Before the dragon throne, the officials knelt and bowed in respect.
"Rise."
Yuan Xiu said something, and Dian Chen stood up.
His presence was like that of a towering mountain.
Yuan Xiu nodded repeatedly and said, "Dian Chen, you ranked third in this martial arts examination. Are you satisfied?"
Dian Chen said nonchalantly, "I'm convinced, but I'm not convinced either."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Yuan Xiu liked his ministers to be straightforward, and he felt comfortable as soon as Dian Chen opened his mouth.
Dian Chen said, "In terms of martial prowess, I am indeed no match for Xu Qingshan, and I am also slightly inferior to Zhou Chuan. However, in the martial arts examination, it is only a matter of winning or losing, not a matter of life and death."
Dian Chen had dark skin and thick sideburns, making him look like a middle-aged man, but he was actually only thirty years old. He raised his clenched fist and said, "If it's a real fight, I might not lose! Even if I die, they'll be crippled!"
"Excellent! Well said!" Yuan Xiu had only sat upright for a minute when he jumped up from the dragon throne, walked to a corner of the dragon table, pointed at Lü Lu and Chen Changyun, and laughed, "These are the people you chose, and they suit my taste perfectly!"
Chen Changyun quickly replied, "It's all thanks to Eunuch Lü's discerning eye!"
Lü Lu remained silent, smiling without saying a word.
Yuan Xiu then asked, "Dianchen, do you know why I summoned you here alone?"
The official replied, "This humble subject dares not presume to understand Your Majesty's intentions. Whatever Your Majesty commands, I will obey!"
"How about you stay by my side and become my imperial bodyguard?"
Dian Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately knelt down, saying, "Thank you for your high regard, Your Majesty!"
"You're right, I do value you highly, so don't let me down."
"This humble subject would never dare!"
"Still calling yourself a commoner?"
"Your Majesty's life is mine. From now on, if anyone dares to harm Your Majesty, I will chop them into mincemeat with a pair of axes!"
"I will announce your appointment in three days. Chen Changshi, take the Imperial Guard out. Don't be stingy with the money; let him have a good time in Changsui City for a few days!"
"yes!"
Chen Changyun raised his hand to Dian Chen and said with a smile, "Please."
"Please go first, Lord Chen!"
After the two left, Yuan Xiu returned to the dragon throne with a smug look on his face and lay down, swinging his legs on the armrests.
Wei You walked over and said, "Why did Your Majesty disregard the top two scholars and instead arrange the appointment of the third-ranked scholar first?"
Yuan Xiu said, "I already know that Xu Qingshan is the Left Prime Minister's man. Their relationship is not shallow. It will not be easy to win Xu Qingshan's heart. As for Zhou Chuan, there are rumors that he is Zhao Cheng's man. Of course, this may not be accurate, but my elder sister said that Zhou Nuo and Zhao Cheng are indeed involved. In the future, Zhou Nuo may become the Right Prime Minister's concubine."
"Although Xu Qingshan and Zhou Chuan may eventually turn to us, why not use Dian Chen, who is clean and honest, now?"
Wei You said, "Dian Chen may not be clean either. I found out that he used to be a bandit and had even been a gangster."
"Hahaha..." Yuan Xiu laughed and said, "What's so unclean about this? In my eyes, as long as it has nothing to do with the civil and military officials of the court, it's clean. Dian Chen was a bandit, which means he was forced into it by life. Such a person will rise to the top by taking advantage of the military examination and then be valued by me. That's why I hold the military examination, isn't it?"
"And look at Dian Chen, he's brave and fearless, a tiger general indeed!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Wei nodded and said no more.
Yuan Xiu glanced at Wei You and said, "You've been back in the palace for several days now. Since Attendant Chen isn't here, tell me your thoughts on the Right Chancellor's office."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
