Chapter 16
Ling Huanchen laughed when he heard this, "Zhao'er is so studious and ambitious. Isn't the king happy?"
"I'm glad, but I'm afraid his enthusiasm of working hard for three days and drying the net for two days won't last long." Yu Xi curled the corners of her mouth and took the teacup handed to her by Ling Huanchen.
No one understood his younger brother better than he, the elder brother. Yu Zhao had no talent for studying or martial arts since childhood, and even less for self-improvement. He, mindful of his motherless birth, indulged him in other areas. As long as Yu Zhao was safe and happy, he wouldn't mind being a leisurely prince for the rest of his life. As the elder brother, he shouldered all the responsibilities.
But things don't always go as planned. The little kid has grown up, grown up, and has become bolder. He dares to run around with his limited skills. Huan Chen and he happened to agree. It's better to catch him now than not. However, with Yu Zhao's lively personality, it will probably take a lot of effort to get him to learn.
Ling Huanchen knew what he was thinking and said comfortingly, "Your Majesty, please have faith in Zhao'er. As the saying goes, sincerity can move mountains and break rocks. It's never too late."
Yu Xi raised her eyes and met Ling Huanchen's gaze. She didn't know what she remembered, but suddenly a trace of tenderness emerged in her heart. She held his hand and said, "Huanchen is right. It's not too late."
Ling Huanchen thought of the guards who had accompanied Yu Zhao into the palace and asked, "Were the guards beside Zhao'er sent by the king?"
"He is one of the secret guards beside the king. Ji Feng has always been upright and strict. With him guiding Zhao'er in martial arts training, it should be effective."
At this moment, Xiao Qi bent down and walked in from outside the house. He took small steps, put the candied fruit on the table, and then walked away backwards.
"Why don't you see Ah He today?"
It wasn't just today. Ever since moving to Yuluan Palace, with more people serving, there were always times when Yun He was nowhere to be seen. In his previous life, Ling Huanchen had speculated that Yun He had received secret orders and had gone out to complete a mission during her absence.
Xiao Qi scratched the back of his head and said foolishly, "I didn't see Sister A He today. Master, do you have something to talk to her about?"
"It's okay, you can go down."
After Xiao Qi left, Yu Xi peeled a few melon seeds while Ling Huanchen was distracted and fed them to him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ling Huanchen's mouth was filled with melon seeds, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence. He stared with his eyes as if accusing.
Yu Xi curled her lips, "These past few days have been the Secret Guard assessments, today is the final one, and Yun He is among them."
Ling Huanchen was slightly stunned. This was the first time that Yu Xi revealed Yun He's identity in front of him, as if she had no reservations at all.
"Don't you have anything to ask me?" Yu Xiyuan wanted to find an opportunity to tell Ling Huanchen. Even if the other party would feel resentful because of this, he didn't want to hide anything.
As a monarch, one is inevitably suspicious. When an unknown factor comes into view, it is even more important to keep an eye on it personally.
Ling Huanchen suddenly realized that Yu Xi was going to confront him, and then shook his head, "No, she's fine."
Yu Xi thought that after Ling Huanchen knew Yun He's identity, he might come to question her or start avoiding her, but that didn't happen. Not only was the man in front of her not angry, but he seemed quite happy.
He thought about it carefully and asked tentatively, "Do you want to go and see how they assess it?"
Ling Huanchen blinked, "Me? Can I go?"
The Dark Guards' master is a single person: the current monarch. They are directly under the command of the King of Phantom City, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and their gatherings are not visible to ordinary people.
Seeing that he was interested, Yu Xi took him by the hand and stood up to leave, "Why not?"
Ling Huanchen had also thought that the place where the secret guards trained should be in a secret base in a deserted place, and the secret door leading to the training ground must be hidden in a corner of the palace.
He had guessed most of it, but missed one thing. The secret door was actually in the study of Ziyi Palace.
There is a small secret door, but when you walk into it you find a different world, as if the entire open-air martial arts arena has been moved underground.
Yu Xi's secret guards numbered nineteen, all carefully selected, trained from childhood, and selected through a series of trials. Their mission was to be loyal to the emperor and protect him, eliminating any destabilizing factors. If something couldn't be done openly, the secret guards would do it in secret.
The so-called assessment was custom-designed by Yu Xi, held annually. The results were divided into three tiers: three gold medalists, seven silver medalists, and nine bronze medalists. Secret guards of different ranks received different missions, and those with bronze medals underwent significantly more training until the year-end assessment, when the ranks were reshuffled. Receiving bronze medals three times in a row made it difficult to retain a Secret Guard position. However, anyone who had served as a king's shadow could not escape unscathed; their fate was unbearable to contemplate.
"Your Highness!"
Seeing Yu Xi coming in person, everyone stopped competing and stood on both sides in a well-trained manner, with their heads lowered and their backs straight like pine and cypress.
"Well, go on."
Yu Xi pulled Ling Huanchen to sit on the armchair beside him, looking like a bystander.
The competition resumed, and Ling Huanchen immediately spotted Yun He, standing among the secret guards. Yun He happened to look up at that moment, and their eyes met. Yun He was stunned for a moment, and then a large knife passed over her head. Ling Huanchen's heart sank in his chest, but Yun He reacted quickly, dodging with ease and kicking her opponent a dozen feet away.
To avoid disrupting Yun He's performance, Ling Huanchen deliberately stopped looking at her. Turning around, he saw a familiar figure: none other than Ji Feng, the man assigned to Yu Xi. His movements were like a charm, remaining calm and composed under the ferocious attacks of his opponents, moving freely and effortlessly. He was truly an expert.
The two-on-one competitions were held, with the winner advancing to the next round. New opponents were chosen by drawing lots. Ling Huanchen watched Yun He overcome all obstacles and advance to the final round, securing silver and aiming for gold.
"Huanchen, who do you think will be in the top three?" Yu Xi turned around and asked.
"Ah He must be among them." Ling Huanchen didn't know much about the others, but he was very confident in Yun He.
The competition came to an end, and Yun He came in third and became the Gold Medal Secret Guard.
"Huan Chen's prediction was correct. This kid has always been ranked third since he joined the Dark Guard. No one has ever shaken this top three position."
When they reported back, Ling Huanchen finally looked at Yun He and said, "Ah He is really skilled."
"Master..." Yun He avoided his gaze and replied uneasily, "Your servant..."
Seeing her like this, Ling Huanchen smiled and said, "Go back and make me a new pot of tea. Xiaoqi is too heavy-handed and always makes the tea too strong."
Yun He was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily, "I'll go right away!"
Yu Xi pinched the back of Ling Huanchen's hand to draw his attention back, "Let's go see where I used to train."
Ling Huanchen thought he had seen the whole scene, but he hadn't imagined there was a hidden door within a hidden door. Yu Xi extinguished a flame near the wall and, with the force of his palm, pulled down an iron ring on the wall. The wall in front of him swung in response, revealing a dark entrance.
Behind the wall was an extremely cold place. Even though Ling Huanchen was born with a cold body, he couldn't help but shiver.
Yu Xi took the opportunity to hug the person and passed on her body warmth.
There are ice crystals everywhere here. Just standing there for a moment will make you feel the coldness penetrate your bones. If you stay here for too long, you will probably turn into an ice sculpture.
"This king often cultivates his internal energy here. Extremely cold places help martial artists improve their skills. One year here is equivalent to five years for others."
Ling Huanchen turned his head and stared at Yu Xi's profile. This person seemed to be introducing someone else's affairs, and his words were neither painful nor itchy.
"Your Majesty, there is another door there." This time Ling Huanchen saw clearly that there was a gap behind the heavy ice.
"There..." Yu Xi paused for a moment, but still walked over with Ling Huanchen.
As soon as the door opened, Ling Huanchen was stunned. There was not a single empty space inside the stone chamber. The upper level was filled with clusters of wooden stakes, the lower levels were filled with sharp blades, countless ice knives hung from the ceiling, and black iron chains were coiled on both sides of the walls. This was all visible to the naked eye, let alone the hidden mechanisms within.
"Is this also where the king trains?"
Yu Xi didn't care. "Don't worry. I won't enter the battle formation unless I'm sure of my chance. I'm not seeking death."
That is to say, I have been there before.
People only know that King Youcheng is gifted with supernatural powers, but they don't know the training behind it.
"Your Majesty, when did it begin..."
Yu Xi thought for a moment and said, "When I was twelve."
Then he is still a child.
"Who made the king..."
Yu Xi suddenly turned around, met Ling Huanchen's eyes, and said calmly, "It was me."
He had to make himself strong within the limited time, strong enough to frighten those in the palace who were eyeing him covetously.
Everyone knows that King Youcheng is ruthless and strict in disciplining his troops, but few people know that he is even more ruthless and strict with himself.
Yu Xi regained some of her composure and said, "This place is not suitable for you. Come back with me."
Ling Huanchen didn't move. "Why did the king bring me here?"
He had never set foot here in his previous life, and he had never been so frank with Yu Xi as he was now.
Yu Xi took his hand and placed it on her chest, with only his shadow in her eyes. "Huanchen, I trust you, okay?"
Ling Huanchen felt the beating under his palm, paused for a moment, and said softly, "Okay."
After walking around in the secret door, Ling Huanchen often lost himself in thought, holding the book in his hand. He could always recall the warmth under his palm that day, which was transmitted to his heart in an unstoppable way.
"Master, what are you laughing at?"
Ling Huanchen suddenly came back to his senses and saw Xiao Qi staring at him in confusion. He lowered his mouth and cleared his throat twice, "Maybe it's from reading."
Xiao Qi glanced at the title page of the book. He didn't recognize the first few words, but he recognized the last two words. Who would enjoy reading the Art of War?
Ling Huanchen changed the subject, "Your Majesty, hasn't left the morning court yet?"
"I was just about to inform my master that the envoys who went to Mingcheng today have returned to report, and the king will probably not be able to come to dinner."
Ling Huanchen thought about it and remembered that there was such an incident.
The author has something to say:
We continue on Thursday night.
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Thank you “35324978” the cute little girl for the encouragement of the nutrient solution!
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