Mu Mingtang was embarrassed. Although Hsieh Hyun-chen was scheming against her, Mu Mingtang still felt that she wouldn't lose. She nodded and said, "Okay. But you have to follow what I said just now. I'll decide whether you pass or not. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen nodded easily. "Okay."
Mu Mingtang was also excited. The poor studied while the rich practiced martial arts. She had never seen the real 18 types of weapons. There were so many weapons that she didn't even know what they were called.
Mu Mingtang wanted to go to the weapons rack to take a look. She stood up and wanted to go around the railing, but Hsieh Hyun-chen picked her up by the waist. Mu Mingtang was shocked and instinctively hugged Hsieh Hyun-chen's shoulders. The world spun and the golden leaves in the sky seemed to be spinning in circles. Before Mu Mingtang could react, her feet had already touched the ground. Hsieh Hyun-chen said indifferently, "Why did you take the long way around? We're already here."
Mu Mingtang was a little dizzy. She calmed herself down and said, "Why did you do this so suddenly? You scared me."
Hsieh Hyun-chen said slowly, "It won't be so sudden if you do it a few more times."
Mu Mingtang glared at him and quickly ran away. Hsieh Hyun-chen slowly followed and saw Mu Mingtang pacing back and forth in front of the rows of weapons. He couldn't name them.
Hsieh Hyun-chen explained to Mu Mingtang, "This is a battle-ax, this is a hook, and these two are truncheons."
Mu Mingtang slowly nodded and looked at the weapons one by one with Hsieh Hyun-chen. In the end, she was skeptical. "I've only seen you use single-handed weapons before. You've actually practiced with two-handed weapons before?"
"Not really. I practiced with them a few years ago." Hsieh Hyun-chen said, "When I was 12 or 13 years old, I mingled in the military camp. I knew a lot of people and wanted to try everything. There was a person whose family used truncheons. His family's unique skill was very famous. Out of curiosity, I exchanged blows with him a few times and learned how to use the jian. After that, I'll be able to master the other two-handed weapons. "
Mu Mingtang did not believe this. How could Hsieh Hyun-chen learn a secret manual passed down from their ancestors after reading it a few times? Mu Mingtang looked amused and asked deliberately, "Really?"
"Of course. But after I learned it, he was no longer the best at using the jian in the entire army. "
"Okay." Mu Mingtang nodded and gave him a chance to perform. "Then you do it."
Mu Mingtang didn't think that Hsieh Hyun-chen would lie. He did know how to use these two-handed weapons, but he didn't know how to use them well. He didn't expect Hsieh Hyun-chen to change his style so quickly. It was completely different from when he used swords and sabers.
Two-handed weapons were not the mainstream, and the most important thing was to be able to coordinate with both hands. Hsieh Hyun-chen's left and right hand movements were natural and airtight. Also, truncheons were suitable for people with great strength. If such a heavy and square truncheon hit the body, it would probably cause the body to bleed on the spot. Mu Mingtang stood to the side and watched for a while. He kind of believed that Hsieh Hyun-chen's former master was crushed by his disciple after teaching Hsieh Hyun-chen.
The lethality was really terrifying.
Mu Mingtang was sincerely convinced. After Hsieh Hyun-chen put away his weapons, Mu Mingtang pointed at the spears. Sabers and truncheons were both close combat weapons, but spears and staffs were long range weapons. It was a completely different system. Mu Mingtang didn't believe that Hsieh Hyun-chen could really master everything.
After that, Mu Mingtang was slapped in the face, and it hurt a lot.
Hsieh Hyun-chen demonstrated every weapon on the weapon rack. He was sweating slightly. Maybe it was because of the exercise, but he was in high spirits and his eyes were shockingly bright. "Are you convinced?"
Mu Mingtang didn't have anything to say. She originally thought that winning or losing depended on her own subjective judgment, so it was up to her to judge. But when something was really done to the extreme, even an outsider couldn't say that it was bad.
Hsieh Hyun-chen rarely exercised his muscles and bones. At this moment, he was in a very good mood. He looked at Mu Mingtang with a smile in his eyes and said in high spirits, "You're willing to accept defeat?"
Mu Mingtang's face slowly turned red, but he still forced himself to be calm and said, "Okay, I'm willing to accept defeat."
Hsieh Hyun-chen was in high spirits the whole day, but when it came to the end, he realized … a very bad accident.
He was too strong. Usually, he didn't feel it, but when he was excited, he couldn't control his strength.
This problem had been with him for many years. When people were excited, they would naturally increase their strength. This was the body's natural defense mechanism. However, when an ordinary person increased their strength, it was to protect themselves. If he increased his strength slightly, it would be a disaster for the other person.
In the past, when he sparred with others, he often couldn't control himself and used a little more strength. The other person would often have some bruises. However, there was no blood. Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't care, and the other person didn't care either. After applying some medicine and recuperating, they would be fine again in three or four days. On the contrary, it was a real spar when both sides didn't hold back.
Since he was young, Hsieh Hyun-chen had destroyed furniture and utensils, and Hsieh Hyun-chen had bruised countless people. When something was broken, he would replace it with a new one. When the other person was injured, he would compensate them with medicine and recuperate. Hsieh Hyun-chen had always thought that this wasn't a big deal, because when he was excited, it was usually when he was facing an enemy. It didn't matter if he used more strength.
He completely didn't expect that one day, he would fall into another trap.
When it came to consummating a marriage, it was also close physical contact. The person's mental state was also very excited. Hsieh Hyun-chen discovered that when he used just a little bit of strength, Mu Mingtang would cry out in pain. Sure enough, there was a bruise where he held her.
Hsieh Hyun-chen was very depressed, and he was irritable for a few days. It was really retribution. In the past, when he practiced strength, he was invincible because of his great strength. He didn't expect that one day, he would also be distressed because of his great strength.
Hsieh Hyun-chen cursed in his heart.
Hsieh Hyun-chen was in a very bad mood, and he trained like crazy for half a month. This time, he didn't train with heavy weapons. He focused on training with small weights, and especially focused on the fine control of his strength.
Mu Mingtang felt that it was funny and awkward, but she couldn't say anything. She could only pretend that she didn't understand his intentions.
It was strange. A few days ago, it was still a golden autumn, but after it rained, it suddenly took a turn for the worse, and the weather became extremely cold. It was only the end of September, but they had to wear cotton and velvet clothes.
This autumn cold came quickly and quickly. Many people were frozen to the point of coldness. The Prince's Residence also changed into winter clothes overnight.
However, this year's winter not only came early, but it also came very cold. In October, it actually started to snow. Dongjing wasn't very far north, and it rarely snowed in winter. But now, snowflakes fell from the sky, melting as they fell. Finally, when they fell to the ground, they turned into water. After freezing for a night, the next day, they were all sharp icicles.
Mu Mingtang wore a scarlet dress and a large purple sleeve shirt. The collar and cuffs were decorated with fine fluff. She stood in front of the window, looking at the vast expanse of white ice and snow outside. She couldn't hide her worry.
"It's fine if it's snowing, but it's also so cold. When it falls to the ground, it's all frozen. How many people will freeze to death this winter? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen walked over from behind and also looked up at the gray sky. "It's not just that."
Mu Mingtang turned around and looked at him in confusion. "What?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen's side profile was reflected in the snow, and the line of his nose seemed to be plated with a layer of glittering cold light. "It's not just us. The snow that falls from the grasslands won't melt. They're far more affected than we are. "
Mu Mingtang suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air. The Central Plains was based on agriculture. Whether poor or rich, it was common knowledge to store up grain in winter. But the nomads of the grasslands relied on hunting and herding. In such cold weather, many sheep would freeze to death, and there would be no grain left.
Mu Mingtang was so shocked that she couldn't speak. After a while, she asked in a low voice, "You're saying?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen looked at the falling snow outside the window and didn't say anything. Only his thin lips were tightly pressed together.
Starting from November, there were memorials asking for disaster relief everywhere. Not only the capital, but Jiangnan also ushered in a great cold wave that hadn't been seen in a hundred years. Jiangnan's granaries couldn't bear it, let alone other places.
But at this time, Dongjing also couldn't take care of itself. The snow had been falling intermittently for two months. The streets, roadsides, and eaves were covered in ice. The price of charcoal in the capital skyrocketed. More and more people couldn't afford to burn charcoal. In the past few days, people had frozen to death on the roadsides.
Dongjing's commerce was prosperous, and most of the people had small savings. Even so, there were still people who froze to death. One could imagine the situation in the cities outside the capital.
In the morning court, the civil officials were impassioned every day and worried about the country and the people. Now, disaster relief had become the general trend. But how to relieve the disaster, how to solve the problem of the cold in the capital, and how to balance the disaster across the country was a big problem.
The Emperor frowned every day. Hsieh Hyun-chen's crisis had not been resolved, and there was civil strife in the country. It really made him mentally and physically exhausted. The Emperor felt more and more that he was old and weak. Even if the officials didn't say anything, he knew that it was time for him to prepare a successor.
The Emperor looked at the officials arguing endlessly in the court and the silent Xie Xuanji standing at the side. He suddenly sighed in his heart.
Now, there was no time to develop a suitable successor. The Emperor could only support Xie Xuanji and let him join the central government as soon as possible. Even if Xie Xuanji wasn't a very suitable person to be the Emperor, even if the Emperor knew that his decision could cause the Ye Dynasty, which had finally stabilized, to fall back into chaos, at least, that was a matter for after the Emperor's death.
The throne would still be in the hands of his descendants. For generations, one of them would become a wise ruler, reclaim the lost land, and return to glory. If the throne fell into the hands of Hsieh Hyun-chen, then there would be nothing left.
At this moment, the people in the court didn't know what decision the Emperor had made. They also didn't expect that before the disaster relief plan was discussed, they would suddenly receive an unexpected memorial.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that it was unexpected because this memorial was written by Prince An, Hsieh Hyun-chen. The contents of the memorial were actually reminding everyone to be wary of the Northern Tribes. Furthermore, he requested that the Emperor immediately move troops to the Ye Rong border.
When the officials saw this memorial, they immediately exploded. This summer, the Northern Tribes and the court had just signed a contract. The two countries called each other brothers, withdrew their troops from the border, and opened up trade. If they moved troops at this time, wouldn't they be going back on their words and openly breaking the contract?
The civil officials who had grown up reading books immediately couldn't accept it. They all wrote brilliant prose to demonstrate the importance of faith and righteousness. Hsieh Hyun-chen had long thought that this group of bookworms wouldn't be able to think. But when he saw this day, he was still angry.
Hsieh Hyun-chen specially changed into court robes and went to court to scold this group of bookworms. Mu Mingtang sent him out early in the morning and then waited in the palace. At noon, a servant came to inform him that the Prince had returned.
Mu Mingtang immediately went out to welcome him. Hsieh Hyun-chen strode in from outside. The servant holding the umbrella for him couldn't even catch up with him. In just a moment, Hsieh Hyun-chen's shoulders were covered in a layer of snow.
Mu Mingtang sighed slightly. He knew that today's morning court wouldn't go smoothly.
Hsieh Hyun-chen saw Mu Mingtang standing at the door. He quickly walked up the steps and stopped her from coming out. "It's cold outside. You haven't changed your clothes yet. What are you doing out here?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen pulled Mu Mingtang into the room. The servant girls in Jade Qilin Hall immediately came forward to help them change their cloaks and change their clothes. Mu Mingtang didn't go out and had been wearing normal clothes. Hsieh Hyun-chen's court robes were wet in some places and had to be changed.
After Hsieh Hyun-chen changed into normal clothes, Mu Mingtang sent the servant girls away and carried the hot soup to Xi Ci Hall. She put the soup on the table. When she looked up, she saw Hsieh Hyun-chen staring at the ground. She didn't know what he was thinking.
Mu Mingtang opened the lid and slowly stirred the soup. The steam blurred her eyes. "You're still thinking about the outside world?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen sneered when he heard this. His tone was full of ridicule. "A group of idiots. Why would I think about them?"
Mu Mingtang raised his eyebrows and didn't say anything. She took a small sip. When she saw that the temperature of the soup was about right, she put it in his hand.
"What's wrong? What did they say today?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen couldn't help but sigh. "They said that there's a contract. The Northern Tribes just signed the contract and they won't go back on their words. Even if they want to break the contract, they won't do it in just half a year. If the Ye Dynasty mobilizes their troops now, it's a despicable act. Not only will it cause a conflict between the two countries, but it will also cause the country to lose its reputation. "
Mu Mingtang didn't quite believe this. The Mu family was a family of merchants. When Mu Mingtang was young, his father always told Mu Mingtang that there were no brothers in the business world. Merchants valued their reputation the most. However, as long as the profits were big enough, there would be old friends who would turn against each other every year.
Not to mention that these were two big countries. They had many old grudges in the past. Pinning his hopes on a contract was akin to betting everything on the Northern Tribes. What he was betting on was the conscience of the Northern Tribes.
Of course, Hsieh Hyun-chen couldn't be at ease.
However, this kind of thing couldn't be done with a will. The Sixteen Prefectures of the Serene Cloud Country were openly occupied by the Northern Tribes. All these years, were all the scholars afraid of death and no one wanted to reclaim their homeland? Were the soldiers of the Ye Dynasty weak? Were there no generals or commanders in the Ye Dynasty?
It wasn't. There was no lack of people who were willing to shed their blood for the country. The voices calling for an expedition to the North had never stopped. It was just that the higher-ups didn't want to hear it.
Mu Mingtang sighed deeply.
It was an opportunity for a general to be born in this era, but it was also a tragedy.
In the entire court, only Hsieh Hyun-chen wanted to go to war. Not only did no one agree with him, the others even condemned Hsieh Hyun-chen for ignoring the country for his own personal gain. Some even suspected that Hsieh Hyun-chen wanted to seize power. This made Hsieh Hyun-chen very angry. Hsieh Hyun-chen simply said that he was sick and didn't care about the outside world anymore.
Mu Mingtang woke up abruptly in the middle of the night. She realized that Hsieh Hyun-chen wasn't there. She jumped in fright. Her drowsiness immediately dissipated. She got up and saw that Hsieh Hyun-chen wasn't in the bedroom. She reached out to touch Hsieh Hyun-chen's quilt and found that it was already cold.
It seemed that he had been gone for a long time.
Mu Mingtang didn't disturb the servant girls. She quietly put on her clothes and got out of bed. Hsieh Hyun-chen was very cautious. He didn't like having people around at night. Therefore, they didn't have a servant girl to keep watch at night. No one was left in the entire Jade Qilin Hall. Mu Mingtang walked around the entire hall. She didn't see Hsieh Hyun-chen.
Strange. Where did he go?
The servant girl outside saw that there was a light in the hall. She quietly stopped outside the door and knocked: "Wangye, wangfei, are you awake?"
Mu Mingtang didn't want to make a noise. However, seeing that the person outside was awake, she didn't hide it anymore. She simply opened the door and replied: "It's me. Where is Wangye? "
The servant girl on night duty was very surprised. Only now did they know that Hsieh Hyun-chen was missing. Mu Mingtang saw their expressions and knew that there was nothing she could do. That's right. If Hsieh Hyun-chen really wanted to leave, even if someone was sleeping at the foot of the bed, he could still quietly leave. Mu Mingtang, the person who slept next to him, didn't know anything.
The servant girl followed Mu Mingtang and looked around. She was also afraid: "This servant will go wake up the others."
Mu Mingtang suddenly thought of something. She raised her hand to stop the servant girl. She said thoughtfully: "There's no need to make a big fuss. I should know where he is. "
The servant girl didn't understand. She quickly wrapped a cloak around Mu Mingtang and followed Mu Mingtang with a lantern. Mu Mingtang's white cloak didn't look thick. In fact, it was made from the fur of a fox. It was fine and warm. After tying it on, it was very light. After Mu Mingtang left the room, he walked directly to the training field on the west side. As expected, just as they got close, they heard the sound of something flying through the air.
The two servant girls looked at each other. Even if they didn't see it, they knew that the person inside was undoubtedly Wangye.
Mu Mingtang took the lantern from the servant girl's hand. He waved his hand to them and said: "I'm fine here. You can go back first. Don't disturb anyone else. Wangye and I will be back in a moment. "
The two servant girls didn't dare to object. They lowered their heads and bowed: "Yes."
Mu Mingtang, wearing a white cloak and carrying a palace lantern, slowly walked down the corridor. At this moment, in the training field, Hsieh Hyun-chen was practicing his sword in the snow. His moves were large and fierce. Each move was very vicious.
It didn't seem like he was practicing his sword. It seemed more like he was venting.
Mu Mingtang didn't disturb him. He carried the lantern and silently accompanied him. The sword was a gentleman among weapons, but in Hsieh Hyun-chen's hands, even the gentleman sword carried an indomitable murderous aura.
No wonder when Mu Mingtang asked him if the blade was his ultimate skill, he said no. It turned out that he was skilled in many weapons, but his most unique skill was the sword.
This kind of sword was worthy of being called the king of all weapons.
After Hsieh Hyun-chen finished practicing a full set of sword moves, he put away his sword with a clang and strode toward Mu Mingtang.
"It's so cold. Why did you come out?"
"I woke up and didn't see you. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I came out to find you." Mu Mingtang finished speaking and sighed. "Don't keep everything to yourself. The current court … isn't something you can change by yourself. Maybe it's not that bad. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen smiled when he heard this. He walked quickly. By the time Mu Mingtang spoke, he had already reached the side of the corridor. He casually threw the scabbard on the wooden steps and reached out to pick up a jar of wine.
"I hope I'm just worrying for nothing." Hsieh Hyun-chen still didn't seem to be in a good mood. He leaned against the railing, opened the jar, and poured the wine into his mouth. Mu Mingtang looked worried. He put the lantern on the corridor, lifted the corner of his skirt, and sat with him on the railing. "I can understand that you don't feel good. But I worked hard to raise your body. I won't allow you to ruin your body. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen finally smiled. "Okay, I'll keep it for you."
Hsieh Hyun-chen drank strong wine. Mu Mingtang knew that he couldn't hold his liquor, so he didn't drink with him. He only sat quietly to the side. Seeing that the jars of wine were almost empty, Mu Mingtang felt that it was enough. "It's enough. You can't drink anymore. If you drink any more, you'll get drunk."
Hsieh Hyun-chen threw the empty jars on the snowy ground. "How can I get drunk?"
"We're all human beings. How can you not get drunk?" Mu Mingtang wanted to stop him from drinking. She didn't notice it earlier. When she stood up, she saw that there were a few jars of wine scattered behind the stone table. It seemed that they were also empty.
Mu Mingtang was shocked. He quickly looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen. "You drank a lot before I came?"
"Yes," Hsieh Hyun-chen admitted honestly. "It's because I drank that I wanted to move around and sweat."
Mu Mingtang took a deep breath. Without saying anything, he grabbed Hsieh Hyun-chen's hand. He didn't want him to touch the wine again. "Are you crazy? You drank so much? After drinking, you still dare to stay in the snow for so long. Be careful that you don't catch a cold tomorrow. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen still didn't think that he was drunk. But when he stood up, he suddenly staggered. Mu Mingtang was shocked. He quickly went around the corridor to support him. "You said you weren't drunk. How can this be called not drunk?"
Mu Mingtang didn't dare to let Hsieh Hyun-chen stay in the cold wind. If he was exposed to the cold wind again, he might have a headache tomorrow. Mu Mingtang quickly helped him to rest inside. Fortunately, the prince's estate was large. The martial arts arena was also equipped with a full set of resting rooms. All the furniture and soft things were available.
Mu Mingtang helped Hsieh Hyun-chen to sit on the couch. Hsieh Hyun-chen seemed to be really drunk. After sitting down, he supported his head with his hands and muttered, "I'm so thirsty."
When Mu Mingtang heard this, he couldn't help but get angry. "Who told you to drink so much wine? Who told you to be brave in the cold wind? Now you know what it's like?"
Although Mu Mingtang said this, he immediately turned around to find him some water. Although the martial arts arena was fully furnished, there were few people here. The tea couldn't be kept warm all day long like the tea in Jade Qilin Hall. Mu Mingtang only found a pot of cold tea. He didn't have time to pay attention to it. He quickly poured a cup for him to sober up.
Mu Mingtang spent a lot of effort to find water. By the time she carried the tea back to the couch, Hsieh Hyun-chen had already fallen asleep.
Mu Mingtang couldn't help but soften her footsteps. She sat on the edge of the couch and softly said, "Get up first and drink some water."
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't respond. Mu Mingtang was afraid that he was thirsty, so she reached out to shake his arm. "Drink some water first before you sleep."
Mu Mingtang's hand had just touched Hsieh Hyun-chen's arm when her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Then, the world spun. Hsieh Hyun-chen pushed her against the couch.
Mu Mingtang didn't expect this at all. She was caught off guard and cried out in alarm. Naturally, the water in her hand spilled. Some of it even spilled on Mu Mingtang's lapel. Her collar was instantly soaked.
Mu Mingtang was still in shock. When she came to, she immediately pushed Hsieh Hyun-chen's chest. "What are you doing? The water spilled. Let go!"
Hsieh Hyun-chen stared at her. His eyes were full of confusion. "Who are you?"
He was really drunk. He couldn't tell what time it was. All that was left was his body's instincts.
Mu Mingtang was so angry that she hit him. She tried to sit up. "I'm Mu Mingtang. Get out of the way. I want to get up. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't move. He was still firmly pressed against Mu Mingtang. The confusion in his eyes didn't lessen. "I don't know you. What are you doing here? "
When Mu Mingtang heard that he didn't know her, she was so angry that she choked. She wanted to kick him away, but her legs were restrained by him. She could only stare at him. "You said you were thirsty. I came to give you water. You repaid my kindness with ingratitude and spilled all the water on me. I don't care if you're pretending to be drunk or not. Get out of the way. I want to change. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen turned around and glanced at the lonely cup on the ground. He realized that he had spilled all the water. He was usually very bad. He didn't expect that after getting drunk, his reaction would be slow and dull.
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