Chapter 4 A Narrow Escape: What a Silly Sister!
"You can't say that. After all, we were the ones who broke off the engagement first."
Lu Lingyue lowered her eyes and said, "Being rejected by a man is considered a disgrace even by ordinary families, let alone by someone of noble birth like the Prince of Yue."
"...It's only natural that she would harbor resentment because of this; it's our Lu family that has wronged her."
*
After returning to his residence, Yuan Yan went to the martial arts training ground within the manor.
On the weapon rack were the original owner's double hammers and longsword, which gleamed in the sunlight, clearly indicating that they were frequently used and well-maintained.
Yuan Yan reached out and grasped the massive hammer, which originally looked exceptionally heavy, and lifted it up with ease.
After briefly weighing it in one hand, she said, "This hammer looks quite heavy, probably weighing thirty or forty pounds."
[To be precise, the one in the host's hand weighs 36.8 jin. The other one is heavier, weighing 41.2 jin.] The system beeped, reporting the precise figures.
"I thought that the weapons weighing tens or hundreds of kilograms in those historical novels were all exaggerated. I never thought that there were actually people in real life who could control such heavy weapons."
Yuan Yan casually tried it out, and the giant hammer spun around in her hands like a large toy.
[In this world, women are stronger than men. Women are naturally much stronger than men, and their physical abilities are generally much better than those of ordinary people on your former Blue Star. In addition, the original owner was born with great strength and had practiced martial arts since childhood, so her martial arts skills were probably among the best. Therefore, wielding these two hammers was a piece of cake.] The system's tone was inexplicably proud.
"If I were to fight Xue Dianjun, who would win?" Yuan Yan asked.
[If it were just a contest of strength and martial arts internal power, you would win. However, Xue Dianjun is a retired general, a soldier who has truly killed countless enemies. Her true combat strength cannot be measured solely by martial arts skills. And we don't know how much martial arts you can currently utilize in this body... it's hard to say.] The system's statement was ambiguous.
"If you can't estimate it, that's fine. You'll know once you have a chance to compare them later."
After Yuan Yan finished speaking, she picked up the pair of hammers and began to swing them according to her memory. She was clever by nature, and after practicing a few times, her movements quickly became smooth and powerful.
[Host, what did you do in your original world? How come you can digest and absorb memories so quickly? You have a strong ability to learn, and it seems you even have some martial arts skills...] The system became curious.
"Oh, so you can't see my past life?"
The system simply stated: "Yes, this is the host's privacy. We cannot view it unless you agree."
"Guess," Yuan Yan said, refusing to elaborate and shutting the system down.
The hammer struck the outermost stone pillar, and the large stone immediately shattered, sending fragments flying everywhere.
Yuan Yan: "Someone, summon the Prince's Guard to come up and spar with me."
...
Yuan Yan spent several days in the training ground, mastering not only all of the original owner's martial arts skills, but also being able to use his lightness skill at will.
The servants in the mansion were all whispering among themselves.
It is said that after returning from her trip that day, Her Highness the King of Yue locked herself in the martial arts arena. She seemed to have been provoked and for several days demanded that her subordinates and guards fight her, even damaging the ground of the martial arts arena.
When the imperial decree summoning her to the palace arrived, Yuan Yan had just defeated the chariot captain.
Looking at his sword that had been knocked away, the captain of the chariot said admiringly, "Your Highness's martial arts have improved again these days."
"After a few days of practice, I've just gained some insights," Yuan Yan said casually.
As for the system, it had long since become numb to it. After spending several days cooped up in the training ground with Yuan Yan, it was almost suffocating. Upon hearing the emperor's summons, it immediately revived.
[Host, we're finally going to see the Emperor! She hasn't come for so many days; I thought she'd forgotten about you.]
Yuan Yan, however, knew this all too well and shook his head: "After all, she was once the most beloved princess, how could I forget her so easily? She just wants to give me the cold shoulder for a few days and temper my temper."
"Let's go, get ready, and go see my good mother."
...
Yuan Yan walked through the palace.
Whether by coincidence or design, they ran right into the Third Princess Yuan Xiao.
The Third Princess Yuan Xiao revealed a mocking smile as soon as she saw Yuan Yan: "Second Princess, I heard that you haven't left the manor these past few days... Could it be that something sad has happened to you, and you are unable to bear the pain in your heart and refuse to see anyone?"
These words were clearly a veiled reference to the Lu family's annulment of the engagement, filled with schadenfreude and mockery, and clearly stemmed from long-standing resentment.
The Third Princess was the daughter of Lady Wu, and she was usually quite close to the First Princess, Yuan Jing. She was also aware of Lady Lu's decision to break off her engagement and choose another wife.
It seems the original owner did indeed have a poor relationship with her sisters, just as she remembered. Especially with the Third Princess, Yuan Xiao, their relationship was practically irreconcilable.
"Third Princess, don't just talk about your elder sister. You haven't been out and about these past few days either, have you?"
Yuan Yan's gaze swept over the bruises on Yuan Xiao's face, and he paused with feigned regret.
It's clear that the original owner really went all out at the palace banquet that day. Even the bruises on Yuan Xiao's face haven't completely faded yet.
"It's all my fault for being too heavy-handed and lacking restraint that day, leaving a mark on your face, which has made it difficult for me to go out and see people for so many days... Third sister, I apologize to you from behind." Yuan Yan said, while pretending to bow to Yuan Xiao.
Yuan Xiao was completely disoriented and instinctively covered his face with his hand.
She was arrogant and conceited, originally believing that her martial arts skills were quite good, ranking among the best of all the royal sisters, not much worse than Yuan Yan, who was born with superhuman strength.
Who would have thought that at the palace banquet that day, after only saying a few words, she was completely overpowered by Yuan Yan and had no chance to fight back. This caused Yuan Xiao to lose face, and he has held a grudge ever since.
“Yuan Yan, this is how you reflect on your mistakes when the Empress Mother orders you to… Just you wait, I will definitely tell the Empress Mother and have her punish you.”
Yuan Xiao flung his sleeves and stormed off towards Ganlu Hall in a huff.
"He is arrogant, shallow and easily angered. No wonder he is often used as a pawn without even realizing it."
Yuan Yan shook his head and followed slowly into the palace.
Inside the main hall, Yuan Xiao, who had just entered, was already kneeling at the lower level.
Just moments ago she was clamoring to file a complaint, but now she was bowing respectfully to the emperor, not daring to utter a single word.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Yuan Yan entered the hall without any apparent change, and followed his memory of Yuan Yan, bowing and paying his respects respectfully.
The system whispered a reminder: [Host, that is your mother, the Emperor Yuan Hao of the Phoenix Kingdom.]
The emperor's voice rang out from the head of the table, majestic and steady, "Yan'er, you've come."
Yuan Hao looked at Yuan Yan kneeling on the ground. After being confined for so long, the second son seemed to have lost some weight, and his eyes were no longer as bright as before. He must have suffered a lot. His tone softened slightly.
"You have been reflecting on your mistakes in the palace these past few days. Have you realized any wrongdoing?"
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