Two people were quickly selected on the dueling platform. One of them was the soldier of General Huang who had just teased Lili. General Huang was a cheerful and generous man, and he was very happy to see his soldier step forward to take the lead.
General Huang personally went down to the arena to offer a few words of encouragement, and upon returning, he smiled and told everyone, "This soldier of mine has excellent aptitude and is usually very diligent. He's one of the most capable soldiers in my batch. The first match was so intense; today is truly interesting!"
Upon hearing this, the other generals laughed and said they would find their own "king of soldiers" to challenge them.
Lili listened with great interest. Although she knew nothing about military strategy or martial arts, it didn't stop her from enjoying the show.
Lili still remembers the fight between Gu Ziyi and Shen Jiahao. One was handsome and gentle, and the other was upright and dashing. Both of them were highly skilled in martial arts and their moves were very beautiful, which was a feast for Lili's eyes.
Gu Ziyi turned his head and saw that Lili was lost in thought, so he asked her, "What are you thinking about?"
Lili chuckled, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about the sparring match between His Highness and Big Brother before."
"Hmm? Missing your older brother?"
“No, Lili just felt that the sparring between His Highness and Big Brother was really impressive, and seeing this scene today just made her feel a little emotional.” Lili shook her head, her tone hesitant. “But... I really miss Big Brother. I wonder how he is doing now. He left all alone. I don’t know if he took any money or a change of clothes with him.”
The young girl was heartbroken that her brother, who had been by her side for so long, had suddenly left, especially to join the army, a dangerous job. She didn't say anything and comforted her family, but deep down she was also very sad.
Even though Lili knew in her heart that her older brother was brave and unparalleled, and that he was a person protected by the star of war, and would surely be able to turn danger into safety in times of crisis, she still couldn't suppress her worry.
Even if you don't die, you can still get hurt.
Recalling her previous speculations, Lili was afraid that her older brother might get hurt, thinking that he might have gone to the war-torn north.
A faint look of melancholy and worry appeared on Lili's face. Gu Ziyi frowned slightly, feeling a pang of heartache.
He had been lying low in the south for many years, and most of his influence was there. However, in the past few months, he had searched all the military camps, big and small, in the south, but he had not been able to find out about a new recruit named Shen Jiahao.
He could only comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on things over there. I'll send someone to let you know as soon as I have any news."
"Actually, Lili has a little guess."
Lili whispered a few words to him: "Big brother may have gone to the north."
Gu Ziyi frowned and thought for a moment: "The northern border faces Mongolia directly. The Mongolians are warlike by nature and have been harassing the northern border. Although it has not reached the point of war, the two countries have always been at odds."
Lili nodded in agreement: "That's right. Big brother is eager to prove himself. After thinking it over, I think the north, where war with the Mongols is most likely, is the place he's most likely to go. We were all wrong before, thinking that big brother would go somewhere nearby. Maybe he actually went to join the Black Armor Army on the northern border?"
Gu Ziyi nodded: "Yes, that makes sense. I will send someone to investigate in the north."
Lili echoed, then refocused her attention on the dueling platform.
The generals had already chosen their opponents to fight General Huang's soldiers. Just then, the gongs and drums were sounded, and both sides chose broadswords. As soon as the gongs and drums sounded, the battle began immediately.
The arena was surrounded by people, the open space was packed with tens of thousands of people, and the chaotic shouts were mixed together, creating a spectacular sight.
Amidst the clash of weapons, the slight worry that had risen in Lili's heart was suppressed.
Lili watched intently as the two fighters on the dueling platform were fiercely competing, with neither able to gain the upper hand for the time being. Several generals watched with admiration.
In the end, the defending champion won, and General Huang laughed triumphantly: "Hahaha, well done! Does anyone else want to challenge my soldier?"
The other generals, unable to bear his smug boasting, each chose their most capable subordinates.
After several rounds, the champion changed several times, but since it was a friendly competition, everyone stopped short of serious injury. Apart from some minor injuries, there were no particularly serious situations.
Gu Xiaoran changed his clothes and came back. Just as he was about to sit down next to Lili, he found that his seat had been moved behind the two of them.
It wasn't directly behind the two of them; it was two rows away from Lili and Gu Ziyi, and it was the leftmost seat.
The young master was displeased, his face fell, and he angrily demanded, "Who moved my seat?"
Zhui Feng smiled and said, "Your Highness, it is your subordinate."
Gu Xiaoran was startled; he recognized Zhui Feng as one of his cousins, the Crown Prince.
"Well, this seat is quite nice too, thank you for the seat, cousin!"
Zhui Feng returned with a smile on his face.
Gu Xiaoran held his anger in his hands, not daring to lash out. He pretended to go and settle scores with Gu Ziyi, but only dared to punch Gu Ziyi's back from where he stood.
Li Wu pressed him down, urging him to sit: "Young Master, shall we watch the martial arts competition in peace? The Prince instructed you to obey His Highness the Crown Prince. If you anger His Highness the Crown Prince, you'll be in for a scolding from the Princess when you get back!"
Gu Xiaoran retorted stubbornly, "I'm not afraid of that. How can my cousin be like this? His emotional intelligence is really low. Can't he see that I fell in love with Miss Chen at first sight? He has no sense at all."
Gu Xiaoran sat down angrily, his eyes glued to Lili.
Li Wu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was finally behaving himself, while thinking to himself: Young Master, who is the one with low emotional intelligence and no sense of propriety?
However, Li Wu only dared to say it in his heart. Neither of these two gentlemen was easy to mess with, and if he said it out loud, he would be finished.
After watching several rounds, Lili's mood improved. Looking at the lively scene, the cool breeze didn't seem so cold anymore.
Suddenly, Lili glanced into the crowd unconsciously, her gaze drawn to one person.
The man was dressed like everyone else, in a red linen coat, and was cheering for the person on stage just like everyone else, joining the crowd in the commotion.
In such a big place, with so many people dressed the same, Lili was somehow drawn to that person.
It was a very ordinary face; the man was about twenty years old and had dark skin.
Lili stared at him for a few seconds, but the man was just doing the same thing as tens of thousands of other people, nothing special.
What happened?
She always felt that something was off about this person.
Lili looked away, wondering if she had been overthinking things and her mind was still reeling.
But the more Lili thought about it, the more something seemed off. When had her intuition ever been wrong?
Lili looked into the crowd again, and sure enough, she spotted that person immediately.
After several attempts, Lili was still able to spot that person at a glance.
“Strange,” Lili murmured.
With so many people around, she always manages to spot him at a glance; there's definitely something wrong with her.
Gu Ziyi was watching intently and didn't notice Lili's little actions.
Lili casually turned her head and asked him, "Your Highness, who is that person?"
Gu Ziyi followed her gaze and looked over. Lili added, "The one with small eyes and thick eyebrows, who's laughing with his arms crossed right now."
Gu Ziyi confirmed the person she was referring to, glanced at him, then looked away and focused his attention on her: "Judging from the people around him, most of them are General Huang's men, so they should also be General Huang's soldiers."
Lili gave a bright smile and clapped her hands in a mock clapping gesture: "That person is a bit strange."
Upon hearing this, Gu Ziyi didn't turn to look at him again. Instead, she moved closer to Lili, pretending to listen attentively to her: "What's wrong?"
Lili said a few unimportant words, and her smile grew even brighter.
From a distance, onlookers would only think that the two were having an enthusiastic discussion about the dueling arena, with the girl extremely excited and the Crown Prince listening patiently and gently.
Then, Lili leaned close to Gu Ziyi's ear and whispered, "Something feels off. There might not be just one person like him. Your Highness, could you find a way to get that person to go up on stage and challenge us?"
Lili stepped back slightly, and Gu Ziyi cooperated perfectly, replying with a smile, "I told you to eat more for lunch, are you hungry now?"
Lili immediately picked up the act, adopting the shy demeanor of a young lady whose thoughts had been exposed.
"Your Highness!" Lili said with a slightly flushed face, "Lili is still growing, it's normal for her to get hungry quickly."
"Alright, alright, Zhuifeng, go get those things for Miss to fill her stomach."
"yes."
Zhui Feng had barely taken two steps when Gu Ziyi frowned and personally stepped off the stage: "I will go alone. Li Li loves sweets, so I will personally supervise the cook."
Lili's eyes and brows were filled with smiles. Sure enough, she accurately caught the man's gaze lingering on the two of them for a moment, then casually looking away, as if he had glanced at someone else, before finally continuing to watch the fight on the arena.
interesting.
Who was that person, and who was he looking at?
Lili suppressed her doubts to avoid others observing her thoughts.
Seeing that Gu Ziyi had left, Gu Xiaoran came over from behind with a big smile, casually sat down in Gu Ziyi's original seat, and greeted Lili: "What a coincidence, Miss Chen, we meet again!"
Li Wu, who hadn't been watching Gu Xiaoran closely again, was speechless.
Lili: "...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
At this moment, the duel on the platform was in full swing, and all the generals were very excited. They couldn't help but stand up and move forward, crowding to the front of the platform, leaving only a few people in the seats.
With Chu Zhenyue not around and Gu Ziyi absent, Gu Xiaoran, like a pigeon finally seizing the opportunity to fly away, took the chance to get close to the fairy.
"Miss Shen, there's no need for such formalities."
Gu Xiaoran's eyes widened. The girl's voice was soft, like a clear mountain spring, making him feel incredibly sweet inside.
Lili smiled politely and waited for a while. Seeing that he was just staring at her without saying anything, she felt a little embarrassed.
So Lili nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to the stands.
Gu Xiaoran wasn't about to miss the chance to talk to her. His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, and when he saw the hand warmer in her hand, his eyes lit up: "Miss Chen, is your hand warmer still warm? Would you like to get a new one? It's so cold today, you should take care to keep warm!"
Lili couldn't understand what this simple-minded prince was going to do. Just as she was about to shake her head and say no, Gu Xiaoran had already called over Li Wu, who was diligently watching him from the side: "Li Wu, go and get someone a new hand warmer!"
Li Wu: "Okay."
"No need, no need, it's still warm," Lili quickly replied.
"Oh..." Gu Xiaoran was not discouraged. "Then this tea must be cold. Li Wu, hurry up and brew some fresh tea!"
Li Wu: "Okay."
Lili was both amused and exasperated: "This tea, Yunshu, was just brewed."
Yun Shu, who was standing to the side, said, "Your Highness, this servant just brewed some tea."
"Oh..." Gu Xiaoran became more determined despite the setback, "Miss Shen has been looking for so long, are you hungry? Li Wu, go and get Miss Shen some snacks to fill her stomach, the kind that I brought from the capital!"
Li Wu: "...Okay."
Lili sighed and spoke again, "Your Highness just went to get me some snacks."
"Oh..." Gu Xiaoran was at a loss. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't think of anything to say, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Li Wu breathed a sigh of relief; this troublemaker had finally calmed down.
Gu Xiaoran failed to strike up a conversation with a girl for the first time, and the girl was much younger than him.
Gu Xiaoran always felt that although this girl was young and inexperienced, she had a composure and temperament far beyond her years.
Like autumn dew, pure yet with a hint of coolness.
Like the first snow, pure white and beautiful.
It is beautiful, delicate, and soft.
In short, everything about this girl was perfect for him; Gu Xiaoran felt that everything about her suited his taste.
King Qi and Queen Qi were childhood sweethearts, betrothed since they were still babies.
Father said we should start looking for a wife as soon as possible!
This is early enough!
Lili felt awkward under his gaze. She wasn't really a little girl. Before, she didn't understand why this young master was so enthusiastic, but now she could naturally see what Gu Xiaoran's eyes meant.
Pear's toes are so worn they could practically form a five-story house.
Although people in ancient times married young, with many getting married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, there was no need to start cultivating feelings at such a young age.
Lili chuckled awkwardly, not wanting to be stared at like that any longer, so she took the initiative to start a conversation: "I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince only arrived in Anding City a few days ago?"
“Yes!” Gu Xiaoran replied quickly. “When I first set off, I was wearing summer clothes, but now that I’ve arrived in Anding City, I have to wear winter clothes. How strange, really strange. Even the capital city isn’t this cold at this time of year. Anding City is in the far south, how can it be so cold?”
"Yes, it's really cold this year."
Lili then began to ponder the affairs of the people in the suburbs. The houses of the people in the suburbs of Liucheng had already been renovated in the first year of Shen Laosan's tenure, so there shouldn't be any problems.
After mentally reviewing the grain reserves in the granaries of each city in Nanlin County, Lili comforted herself, thinking that as long as there was food, no one would starve.
Seeing that she was thinking seriously, Gu Xiaoran was curious about what she was thinking. Just as he was about to ask her, a dark shadow loomed over him.
Gu Xiaoran opened his mouth but suddenly couldn't speak. His heart skipped a beat, and he slowly turned his head away.
Turning his head, he saw Gu Ziyi staring at him with icy eyes, revealing her indifference.
"Ouch!"
Gu Xiaoran was so startled that he jumped back three meters: "Cousin, how come you walk so quietly!"
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