Chapter 42: Who Else Refuses to Accept This?

Inside the Third Prince’s residence, a Jun-ware porcelain vase from the previous dynasty, worth a thousand gold pieces, was smashed fiercely onto the floor, the shattering sound crisp and piercing.

Li Yi’s chest heaved violently, his handsome and refined face distorted by extreme anger, devoid of its usual gentle and scholarly composure.

"Li Xuan—!"

He squeezed the name out from between his teeth, as if he wanted to chew the man up and swallow him whole.

The underground private vault of the Hengtong Bank was the lifeline he had painstakingly cultivated over many years. Those riches were the foundation for recruiting soldiers, buying people’s hearts, and plotting his grand ambitions! Yet now, overnight, it had been cleaned out completely, leaving only a mocking message on the wall: "Many thanks, Third Brother, for your generous donation."

This was no different from being stripped naked in public and slapped across the face countless times over.

Wei Yong, the chief strategist, stood to the side, bowing his head deeply without even daring to breathe loudly. He knew that at this moment, the Third Prince was a ferocious beast on the verge of devouring someone.

After a long while, Li Yi slowly sat back down in the Grand Tutor’s chair, the frantic rage in his eyes gradually replaced by a deeper, bone-chilling frost.

"Wei Yong, tell me, what on earth is my sixth brother trying to do?"

Wei Yong felt a chill in his heart and mused, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince's move achieves three objectives with a single stroke. First, he cuts off your financial lifeline, draining the water from the bottom of the cauldron; second, he uses your money to buy the loyalty of the Golden Guards, presenting flowers borrowed from another to the Buddha; third, and most importantly, he is declaring war on you with undisguised provocation."

"Declaring war?" Li Yi sneered. "Does he think that by seizing one of my banks and subduing Du Wei, he can rest easy? Naive!"

He stood up, pacing back and forth in the study while tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

"The water in the left camp of the Golden Guards is deep. Du Wei is merely a leaf floating on the surface; Li Xuan may not necessarily see the undercurrents beneath the water." A vicious glint flashed across Li Yi’s eyes. "Doesn't he like acting? I will let him play this role on an even grander scale, preferably... so grand that it reaches His Majesty’s ears."

...

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Wisps of smoke curled upward from the incense burner on the imperial desk as Emperor Li Chengye of Great Zhou reviewed the memorials.

Noble Consort Liu walked in with a light, graceful step, carrying a cup of ginseng tea, and said softly, "Your Majesty, you have toiled all day; rest your eyes for a moment."

Li Chengye let out a hum, put down the vermilion brush, and took the cup. However, instead of drinking, he used the lid to gently skim the floating froth.

Noble Consort Liu massaged his shoulders, seemingly mentioning it quite casually, "Your Majesty, I heard a bizarre tale from the palace attendants today. Crown Prince is truly decisive and swift; only a few days after taking charge of the Golden Guards' left camp, he cracked a major case involving stolen military provisions."

"Oh? There is such a thing?" Li Chengye’s tone betrayed neither joy nor anger.

"Indeed there is." Noble Consort Liu’s voice grew even softer, carrying a trace of well-measured anxiety. "However, I also heard other idle gossip. It is said that in order to coerce Commander Du Wei, the Crown Prince used overly aggressive tactics—first humiliating him in public and then imposing a strict deadline for solving the case, throwing the entire left camp into panic. Although the silver was eventually found and a cook was made a scapegoat, General Du Wei has lost all his prestige within the camp. Now, he is utterly submissive to the Crown Prince, completely lacking the backbone of a military general."

She paused, carefully observing the Emperor's expression.

"I am merely a woman of the inner palace and do not understand affairs of the court. I only feel that since the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, reprimanding high-ranking imperial officials in such a manner—though ostensibly for restoring military discipline—might chill the hearts of the soldiers... wouldn't that..."

She stopped right at that point, leaving the remaining implication for the listener to ponder.

Every sentence of these words praised the Crown Prince, yet every single word insinuated that Li Xuan’s methods were harsh and lacked the benevolence expected of an heir apparent, particularly alluding to his deliberate suppression of military officers—precisely the thing an emperor feared most.

Li Chengye remained silent, simply placing his teacup back onto the desk.

A crisp "clack" echoed with exceptional clarity within the silent hall.

He picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink, spread out a sheet of xuan paper, and began practicing his calligraphy as if no one else were present.

His strokes were like dragons and snakes, carrying enough force to pierce through the paper.

Noble Consort Liu stood behind him, watching those powerful, hooked characters, but her heart grew heavier and heavier. She could not see through him at all—completely unable to fathom him. There was no expression on the Emperor's face, neither approval nor anger, as if the words she had just spoken were merely a breeze blowing past the window, vanishing the moment they passed.

This unfathomable imperial statecraft sent an inexplicable chill through her.

After a long time, Li Chengye finished writing the character for "Tranquility" and spoke indifferently, "The inner palace shall not meddle in politics. You may withdraw."

"…Understood, this concubine takes her leave." Noble Consort Liu’s heart trembled; daring not say another word, she curtsied and slowly backed out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

...

The Eastern Palace, abandoned martial arts training ground.

The edge of a sword pierced the air, carrying a biting chill.

Xiao Ningshuang was dressed in martial attire, her figure as agile as a leopard. Her sword techniques were sweeping and powerful, radiating an astonishing aura.

Yet, a wooden sword invariably managed to appear lightly in the inevitable path of her strikes from an unthinkable angle.

"Clang!"

With another crisp sound, Xiao Ningshuang felt her wrist go numb, and her long sword almost slipped from her grip.

"Wrong, wrong again." Li Xuan’s lazy voice drifted over from behind her. "How many times must I tell you: mind and intent must merge, intent and Qi must merge, Qi and strength must merge. Your sword is too rigid; it has only killing intent, but no swordsmanship spirit. It is full of flaws, practically shouting at the enemy, 'Come and hit me!'"

A warm, large hand covered the back of her hand, while his other arm unceremoniously wrapped around her waist, pulling her entire body into his embrace.

"Did you feel that?" Li Xuan’s breath brushed against her earlobe with a trace of scorching heat. "Your waist is too stiff. Power originates from the ground, travels through the waist and hips to the arms, and finally culminates at the tip of the sword. If you do not relax here, the force cannot be transmitted, and your sword forms naturally die."

Xiao Ningshuang’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson, spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck.

Lately, this scoundrel always managed to find all sorts of high-sounding excuses to touch her. Yet, everything he said made sense; his profound dissection of martial arts principles left her utterly unable to refute him.

She could feel the heat radiating from the body behind her, along with its steady and powerful heartbeat. It was clearly an immensely intimate gesture, but his gaze was clear and his movements devoid of any impure thoughts, as if he truly were just instructing a clumsy student.

This sensation left her feeling both shy and annoyed, yet incapable of generating even a sliver of genuine disgust.

"I… I know! Let go!" Xiao Ningshuang struggled slightly.

"Don't move." Far from letting go, Li Xuan tightened his arm instead and murmured by her ear, "I just came back from His Majesty's place. Accompany this Crown Prince for a moment."

There was a trace of imperceptible exhaustion in his voice.

Xiao Ningshuang’s struggling stopped. She could sense that this man, seemingly omnipotent and capable of orchestrating everything from behind the scenes, was also shouldering pressure as heavy as a mountain.

"Your father... gave you a hard time again?" she asked softly.

"Hardly a hard time," Li Xuan chuckled lightly. "His Majesty is a brilliant chess player. By handing me this piece called the Golden Guards' left camp, he wants to see how I will play it. Play it well, and he will give me more. Play it poorly... a chess piece can be discarded at any moment."

He paused, then continued, "Du Wei has completely turned to my side, and Third Brother is probably coughing blood in rage after I gutted his foundation. However, this is only the beginning. The left camp of the Golden Guards is nominally mine now, but the hearts of the men within remain scattered. I must forge it into a blade that truly belongs to me—a blade sharp enough."

"What do you plan to do?" Xiao Ningshuang asked out of curiosity.

The corners of Li Xuan’s lips curved upward into a smile that carried a hint of mischief and a touch of madness.

"The soul of an army is forged in blood and fire. If I want to completely transform them, I must first shatter their current brittle bones."

He released Xiao Ningshuang, walked to the center of the training ground, and swept his gaze across the empty expanse.

"Starting tomorrow, I will implement a new training method in the left camp. I want them to know what true elites are, and what hell is like."

Looking at the frightening brilliance flashing in his eyes, Xiao Ningshuang shivered involuntarily. She had a premonition that a storm was about to sweep through the left camp of the Golden Guards.

The next day, the left camp of the Golden Guards.

Li Xuan stood in full military uniform upon a high platform, overlooking the three thousand soldiers assembled below.

Behind him stood a solemn-looking Du Wei and a group of centurions.

Wang Fugui cleared his throat, unfolded a scroll, and read in a loud, clear voice:

"By order of the Crown Prince! Effective immediately, the training regimen of the Golden Guards' left camp is reformed! Wake up at the Hour of Mao every day, carry thirty catties of weight, and cross-country run for ten miles! At the Hour of Chen, drill in formation, holding a stationary posture for two hours without the slightest movement! At the Hour of Si, engage in weapon sparring without protective gear until blood is drawn! At the Hour of Wu..."

Clause after clause laid out unprecedentedly rigorous regulations.

Especially the final provision, which caused everyone to gasp in unison.

"...A grand competition shall be held once a month. Based on comprehensive evaluations, the bottom one hundred shall be expelled from the left camp and never hired again! The above orders take effect immediately!"

When the voice faded, dead silence fell over the entire field.

The soldiers below stared at each other in shock and disbelief, their eyes filled with utter astonishment.

Was this training? This damn thing was courting death!

Although the Golden Guards were the capital garrison, they had lived in ease for many years, and their training had long become a mere formality. When had they ever suffered such torment?

The expressions of Du Wei and the centurions also turned extremely grim. Once these orders were issued, it was equivalent to roasting them, the officers, over a fire. They knew the Crown Prince meant business this time.

Li Xuan’s stern gaze swept slowly across everyone below, taking in all their expressions.

His resonant voice rang through the entire training ground: "I know many of you are unconvinced, feeling that I am torturing you."

"That’s right! I am torturing you!"

"Because in my eyes, your current state makes you nothing more than a bunch of scoundrels brandishing weapons to scare common people! A bunch of good-for-nothings fed by the treasury of Great Zhou!"

"Do you want to be good-for-nothings?!"

His voice exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap.

"No!" someone shouted first from the crowd.

"No!!"

The scattered shouts gradually converged into a single roar.

"Very well!" Li Xuan’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. "Starting today, I will train alongside you! For the ten-mile cross-country, I will run at the very front! For the stationary postures, I will stand with you! Whoever can last longer than me will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver!"

"What I want is not a mob of rabble, but an iron-blooded army capable of pacifying all directions and expanding our territory! A wolf-and-tiger force that strikes terror into the hearts of all enemies!"

"Three months! I give you only three months! Three months from now, those who are still standing here will have their names carved alongside mine onto the pillar of immortal glory!"

"Now, is anyone still unconvinced?"

The entire field remained pin-drop silent.

Looking at the straight figure and electric gaze of the Crown Prince upon the high platform, an unfamiliar flame ignited within the hearts of every soldier.

It was a sense of humiliation from being looked down upon, an awakened martial spirit, and a lingering... yearning for the future.

Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.

"All troops, listen up! Target: Western Mountain outside the city! Weighted cross-country march, begin now!"

He stepped down from the high platform first, picked up a heavy backpack stuffed with stones from the side, slung it over his shoulders without hesitation, and bolted out of the camp gates first.

The three thousand soldiers stared at his retreating back in a daze for a moment before finally gritting their teeth and following him.

An unprecedented, iron-blooded military training thus kicked off.

And the eyes hidden in the shadows began to stir restlessly, waiting for the moment when this tightly strung chord would snap completely.