Chapter 165

Chapter 165

The Yuan siblings, Yuan Ling and Yuan Ran, exchanged glances, unsure of who Su Yu was referring to as "General Gao," and equally uncertain about Su Yu's attitude.

Mainly because Su Yu, after opening the door, left it open and sat down on the threshold.

They were stunned, never imagining the emperor would be so unconventional. Sitting on the threshold was considered highly disrespectful to the host of the palace—

Oh, the palace's host was the emperor herself, so it made sense for her to sit on the threshold.

Yuan Ling and Yuan Ran stole another glance. Though the emperor's movements lacked elegance, her striking face and slender limbs gave even her casual gestures a carefree, magnetic charm that made them blush.

Both of them flushed red, especially Yuan Ling, who recalled her earlier flirtation with the emperor, feeling as though she had taken advantage of the emperor.

Soon after, Gao Lan, the 'General Gao' Su Yu had mentioned, arrived.

She hadn't been in the capital, but since Yu Chiyi had been reassigned to Yuanzhou, Su Yu had recalled her to the capital to oversee the imperial guards.

After Gao Lan slew Tian Hong in Hebei, defiance in the military became rare. Even the dissenters were swiftly silenced by her fists.

"Your Majesty," Gao Lan greeted Su Yu, unfazed by Su Yu sitting on the threshold. Back when she was Su Yu's personal guard, this was a common sight. Su Yu was completely unpretentious; if there was a place to sit, she would sit, and if there wasn't, she would make do.

Noticing others in the study, Gao Lan peeked inside.

Yuan Ling and Yuan Ran also looked at Gao Lan. Tall and heroic, her female-style armor left no doubt about her gender.

Yuan Ling and Yuan Ran were once again shocked. Raised in the military, they recognized Gao Lan's armor as that of a fourth-rank officer, despite its feminine cut. Gao Lan was actually a military official in the court?!

Su Yu turned to Yuan Ling and inquired, "How are your wounds?"

"Yuan Ling..." She instinctively spoke in a soft voice, but meeting Su Yu's clear gaze and seeing Gao Lan behind her, she recalled the emperor's always-direct demeanor. Her first encounter with the emperor had been equally poised. Now that she had truly left the land of Luosuo and was no longer the lowly slave everyone could trample on, why was she still playing the submissive role from Luosuo?

Yuan Ling bit her lip. This wasn't her. Suppressing her anxiety and restraining her coquettish demeanor, Yuan Ling calmly replied to Su Yu, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My injuries are not serious."

Su Yu then asked, "Can you fight?"

Yuan Ling was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded.

Su Yu turned to Gao Lan and said, "Fight her and test her skills. Be mindful of her injuries."

Gao Lan quickly removed her armor, readying herself for the fight.

Yuan Ling was still in a daze when Gao Lan's fist came flying toward her face, showing no mercy despite Yuan Ling's delicate appearance.

Yuan Ran quickly stepped in to block the punch for Yuan Ling. Although he was a eunuch, he was still a trained martial artist and had more strength than the average person. However, Gao Lan's punch sent a numbing shock through his arms—

Gao Lan's strength was not just greater than that of an average woman; it far surpassed that of most men.

He frowned, wanting to plead for Yuan Ling, but to his surprise, Yuan Ling pushed him aside and faced Gao Lan directly.

"Sister, your injuries..."

Yuan Ling smiled, "It's fine. The emperor has allowed General Gao to fight me. A Ran, step aside and watch."

Yuan Ran still wanted to shield Yuan Ling, but Su Yu beckoned him over and patted the spot beside her, signaling for him to sit next to her.

Yuan Ran blushed, unable to resist Su Yu's allure. He walked over to Su Yu's side, casting a worried glance at Yuan Ling.

Then, lowering his eyes, he slowly knelt and prostrated himself at Su Yu's feet, as obedient as a tame cat. "Your Majesty, could you please not make my sister fight..."

Su Yu coldly refused him: "I want to see how strong your sister is. Also, don't stay on the ground; it's not very clean. When Premier Cui arrives later and sees the dust on you, he'll start complaining again."

Yuan Ran: "..." He really couldn't associate the word "complaining" with Cui Xuan.

But the next moment, Su Yu had already extended her hand to him. His heartstrings trembled, and his hand moved faster than his heart, thus grasping Su Yu's hand.

Su Yu's hand was like her person—not overly hot but very warm, like a touch of warm jade in winter.

Su Yu, however, was startled by the coldness of his hand. It was icy, so cold it felt inhuman. She looked at Yuan Ran again; his complexion had always been pale, as if he might disappear in brighter light.

Yuan Ran also knew his body temperature was unnaturally low. Seeing the emperor's hand flinch, he wanted to let go, but instead, Su Yu firmly held his hand and pulled him up from the ground, standing up herself.

"It's too windy here; let's move inside a bit," Su Yu worried that the cold wind here was too strong, fearing the wind might blow Yuan Ran away, which would be her fault.

On the other side, Yuan Ling and Gao Lan had already started fighting.

Gao Lan was strong, trained in the Gao family's martial arts and further trained under Yu Chiyi for a while, almost every punch landed with force.

Yuan Ling barely dodged Gao Lan's punches with her agility, but it was a close call; Gao Lan's fists almost grazed her shoulders.

Yuan Ling was surprised that despite her size, Gao Lan was also very agile. Before the punch landed, Gao Lan quickly turned around, supported herself with one hand on the ground, and switched her fist to a palm to strike Yuan Ling.

Yuan Ling's eyes flashed as she seized the moment, her hand as flexible as a snake's, sidestepping and twisting, she counter-grabbed Gao Lan's wrist.

Gao Lan's eyes sparkled with interest, and her other hand quickly followed. Yuan Ling released her wrist and leaped back, nimbly dodging Gao Lan's attacks.

The two exchanged blows, their figures intertwining.

Su Yu, unfamiliar with martial arts, couldn't grasp the details and asked Yuan Ran, "Who has the upper hand between them?"

Yuan Ran hesitated, "For now, General Gao has the upper hand, but my sister is injured..."

"What about after your sister's injuries heal, and she fights General Gao again?" Su Yu asked again.

Yuan Ran paused, "My sister excels in agility. If she can't win within twenty moves, she likely won't."

He was also worried that Su Yu might disdain them, so he quickly added, "My sister is also skilled, it's just that we..."

They were once the pride of their family, but long-term servitude took a toll on their bodies.

But those disgraceful pasts, Yuan Ran didn't want to mention in front of Su Yu.

Su Yu didn't press further, respecting his dignity. She spoke to Yuan Ling and Gao Lan, "Alright, that's enough."

Yuan Ling leaped back, and Gao Lan redirected her punch, accidentally smashing a corner of Su Yu's table.

Gao Lan: "..." She had been careful! She hadn't even cracked a floor tile, but ultimately lost to the table.

Without waiting for Su Yu to speak, she immediately knelt before Su Yu, swiftly pulling out five taels of silver from her pocket and handing it to Su Yu, "Your Majesty, this is all I have; I haven't received my salary this month yet."

Su Yu didn't think much of it; it was only fair to pay for the damage. She naturally accepted Gao Lan's five taels of silver.

Turning back, she saw Yuan Ling and Yuan Ran so shocked they forgot to close their mouths.

Su Yu lightly coughed twice, signaling Gao Lan to rise. After Gao Lan stood up, she asked Gao Lan in front of the Yuan siblings, "Who do you think would win between Lady Yuan and Xue Jun?"

Xue Jun was the first martial arts champion after Su Yu ascended the throne and was now stationed at the Zhaoyi regional command.

Gao Lan spoke bluntly, "Xue Jun is more skilled."

Su Yu asked again, "What about compared to Pei Jin?"

Pei Jin was the second-place winner in the same Military Examination as Xue Jun.

Gao Lan scratched her head, "Then Pei Jin is still better."

Su Yu stroked her chin. Yuan Ling thought the emperor was dissatisfied with her and bit her lip hard, kneeling before Su Yu, "Your Majesty, I... I can practice!"

"You definitely need to train. I want a female Military Examination champion..." Su Yu glanced at Yuan Ling, then waved her hand, "Never mind, it's okay if you're not the champion. As long as you can rank in next year's Military Examination, that's enough. First, recover from your injuries, then follow General Gao."

Yuan Ling widened her eyes, "I... I'm a woman. Am I really allowed to participate in the Military Examination?"

Without waiting for Su Yu to answer, Gao Lan laughed, "Even I, a woman, became a general. It's not unusual for you to take part in the Military Examination. You're also lucky. Next year is the first year women are allowed to participate in the Military Examination, and you just happened to catch it. With your skills, making it into the top ten shouldn't be difficult."

Su Yu nodded with a smile. From the moment she first met Yuan Ling, she had been planning to involve her.

Since she had issued the decree allowing women to take part in the Military Examination, it wasn't without reason. But finding a suitable woman to participate was still quite challenging. Gao Lan was clearly not an option; she was already a general and couldn't stoop to participating again.

While Su Yu was still thinking about this, she met Yuan Ling in Yuanzhou. From that moment, she started planning how to convince Yuan Ling to take part in the Military Examination. In her original plan, after defeating Luosuo next summer, she would openly bring back the Yuan siblings and have Yuan Ling participate in the Military Examination the following year. Winning the championship would be ideal, but even if she didn't, as long as she made a public appearance and contributed to the victory over Luosuo, Su Yu could name her the second female general.

Now, with the plan slightly ahead of schedule, it was even better.

Su Yu smiled and asked Yuan Ling, "I remember, during our first meeting, you used a two-handed sword that was a Yuan family heirloom. Where is that sword now?"

Yuan Ling was surprised that the emperor still remembered this. She felt both moved and guilty, "This time, I failed to kill the King of Luosuo, and the sword remains in the capital of Luosuo."

She and Yuan Ran had come out with the Patriarch of the Nu Clan this time. For safety's sake, they naturally couldn't bring the two-handed sword with them. She had originally planned to kill the King of Luosuo and then have Yuan Ran retrieve the sword, but unfortunately, she didn't succeed.

Su Yu's smiling eyes curved even more, and her dimples appeared, "Do you want to go and retrieve it yourself?"

Yuan Ling stared at her without blinking.

Su Yu pointed to the sand table behind her, indicating the direction of the capital of Luosuo, "If you can rank in next year's Military Examination, I will appoint you as the vanguard of the Western Expeditionary Army and let you personally lead the attack into Luosuo to retrieve what rightfully belongs to your family."

Yuan Ling was stunned for a long time, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Through her blurred vision, she seemed to see a light, the first beam of light she had seen after being in darkness for so long that she had forgotten what light looked like.

She thought she would never forget this moment for the rest of her life.

Cui Xuan walked down the palace corridor and first heard the sound of a woman crying from the imperial study. He paused slightly, clenched his fingers, and strode forward.

The door to the imperial study was not closed but wide open.

He thought there must be nothing shameful happening.

Before Cui Xuan could relax, he saw the intense, fervent looks Yuan Ling and Yuan Ran were giving Su Yu.

He frowned deeply and made a deliberate noise, "Your Majesty, I heard Minister Xie is waiting in the Linde Hall."

Su Yu beckoned him, and he naturally stepped inside. However, Cui Xuan immediately noticed a clear sitting mark on the threshold and a lying mark on the floor. His expression grew colder, even more frigid than the winter outside.

Cui Xuan walked to Su Yu's side and indeed saw dust on the hem of her robe.

He restrained himself and said, "Since it's a welcoming banquet for Lady Yuan and Lord Yuan, let's head to the Linde Hall first."

"Alright," Su Yu agreed and stepped forward to leave.

But Cui Xuan suddenly walked behind her and said, "Your Majesty, wait a moment."

He reached out to brush off the dust from her robe, straightened it, and then said, "There, it's done."

Su Yu was already accustomed to his ways and didn't pay much attention, but Yuan Ran seemed to be deep in thought.

After they were seated in the Linde Hall, Yuan Ran paid even closer attention to every move between Su Yu and Cui Xuan. He noticed that the lamb for the emperor was sliced by Cui Xuan before being served, and he also noticed that the brocade handkerchief the emperor used to wipe her mouth was embroidered with the character "Cui."

Yuan Ran pursed his lips. The closeness between the monarch and her subject was apparent in every detail. He had previously heard from Yuan Ling that Su Yu did not use eunuchs, and indeed, after the dishes were served, the palace attendants withdrew to the side.

But Yuan Ran believed he could handle the tasks Cui Xuan was doing, perhaps even more meticulously.

After the welcoming banquet ended, Su Yu instructed Xie Yiguan to arrange accommodations in the capital for the Yuan siblings so they would have a place to stay.

Yuan Ran said, "There's no need for such trouble. My sister will follow General Gao to the military camp, and I..."

He suddenly knelt at Su Yu's feet, prostrating himself in the most submissive manner. "Your Majesty knows that I am an incomplete person, one who should not have survived in this world. But Your Majesty told me to wait for you in the capital, so I dared not die. I kept this life to come to Your Majesty's side."

Yuan Ran gently tugged at Su Yu's hem, slowly straightening up, his posture as delicate as a small white flower braving the storm, creating a stark contrast with the cold and stern Cui Xuan standing beside him.

A single tear glistened in his eye as he tilted his head up, his slender neck adding a touch of fragile defiance. "Could you keep me, let me stay by Your Majesty's side to serve?"

Su Yu stirred slightly, Cui Xuan's brow tightened, and Xie Yiguan lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.

Before they could speak, Yuan Ran quickly added, "Staying by Your Majesty's side is the greatest blessing for me. Your Majesty need not pay me a salary."

Cui Xuan and Xie Yiguan: "..." This Yuan Ran was too adept at reading the situation, instantly identifying the emperor's vulnerability!