Who Will Step Forward?

What was Ning Chen doing?

Ning Chen was brushing his teeth with a homemade toothbrush—simple, made of pig bristles, and shedding with every stroke.

"Ptoo, ptoo."

"Ptoo, ptoo."

Early in the morning, Ning Chen idly squatted before the door, brushing his teeth while spitting out pig bristles. He was so focused that he did not even notice when Qing Ling arrived.

"Mm."

Ning Chen made a muffled sound, which counted as a greeting.

"Her Majesty wants you. Come with me."

Qing Ling had no time for nonsense and grabbed Ning Chen to drag him away.

Ning Chen jolted in alarm. Before he could even take a sip of water to rinse the green salt from his mouth, Qing Ling had already hauled him off.

"Wait, let me drink some water."

"There's no time. You'll have plenty of time to drink later."

"..."

Ning Chen felt miserable inside. How could later be the same as now? If you had the nerve, try holding a mouthful of salt yourself.

With Qing Ling pulling him along, the normally considerable distance from Weiyang Palace to Heavenly Edict Hall took only the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Along the way, Qing Ling quickly explained the situation in the hall. As Ning Chen listened, he despised the Zhenji Kingdom envoy's conduct from the bottom of his heart. It was truly a wonder how someone could be so shameless.

In truth, the hardest part of the needle-from-the-oil-cauldron challenge was choosing the person to retrieve it. Earlier, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy's demand that the other side select the candidate had seemed reasonable enough. Yet the rulers and ministers of Great Xia had still underestimated just how shameless the envoy could be.

At present, only five representatives from Zhenji Kingdom had come to the hall, and every one of them was a martial artist. How was Great Xia supposed to choose?

Changsun had realized this point and summoned Ning Chen. If a martial artist had true qi protecting their body, they could place their hand into boiling oil for a short time without suffering serious harm. This put Great Xia at far too great a disadvantage in terms of candidates.

Ning Chen followed Qing Ling to Changsun's side and quickly whispered several words, explaining a few arrangements.

"Will it work?" Changsun asked, concern faintly showing between her brows.

"Your Majesty will see," Ning Chen replied softly with a nod.

"Qing Ling, make the arrangements."

Changsun nodded slightly. There was no other choice now. It would be best if they won the first round; at the very least, they had to force a draw.

After hearing Ning Chen's plan, Qing Ling also looked doubtful, but she still obeyed and went out to make the arrangements.

Below the great hall, the ministers and Zhenji Kingdom envoys were seated on either side, enjoying the banquet delicacies while watching the singing and dancing. Ning Chen was terribly envious.

He had not even finished brushing his teeth, much less eaten breakfast. At that thought, he looked at the Zhenji Kingdom envoys with even greater displeasure. A faintly bashful smile appeared on his face as he silently greeted their entire families in his heart.

Suddenly, Ning Chen sensed someone looking at him. He glanced back from the corner of his eye and was instantly startled.

Consort... Consort Wan!

Among all the women Ning Chen had seen, Mu Chengxue and Ninth Princess Xia Xinyu would lose to no one in beauty. In dignity, Changsun was naturally without equal. Even Qing Ling, setting aside his personal prejudice, was an exceptionally lovely woman.

Yet when it came to feminine charm, Wan Yunshang was undoubtedly the most outstanding. Seven parts beauty, three parts seduction—blended perfectly together, she was every inch a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.

Of course, it was not that the others lacked charm compared to Wan Yunshang. It was simply that each had one fatal flaw that severely dragged down her score. To put it simply, Mu Chengxue was too cold, the Ninth Princess was too young, Qing Ling was too fierce, and Changsun... that was not something he dared comment on.

Did it feel good to be stared at by a beautiful woman? If anyone dared say yes at this moment, Ning Chen would walk over with a smile and slap them across the face.

He lowered his head again and again, secretly praying that Wan Yunshang had not recognized him. On his first day in the palace, he had offended the high-ranking Consort Wan. She had not appeared to mind at the time, but who knew what she truly thought?

Fortunately, Wan Yunshang's gaze merely swept past him without lingering long, allowing Ning Chen to breathe a little easier. His taut body relaxed slightly as well.

Ning Chen did not know that Wan Yunshang had nearly forgotten that day's incident. Yet the moment she saw him just now, she remembered it again—because Changsun was seated before him.

Wan Yunshang withdrew her gaze, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. Her smile bewitched hearts and stirred souls, making several ministers who had unconsciously looked her way feel their hearts pound fiercely.

Changsun naturally noticed that glance, but she said nothing and quietly waited for the items Qing Ling had prepared.

At a banquet where princes and nobles gathered, eunuchs were the least noticeable people. Even if someone attentive noticed that the little eunuch behind the Empress Dowager looked unfamiliar, they would not take it to heart. Throughout Great Xia's thousand-year history, eunuchs had never been able to become the center of attention.

The Xia Emperor's expression remained calm. The majesty of an emperor needed no anger to inspire awe. Having guarded such a vast empire for nearly twenty years, if anyone claimed he was utterly incompetent and muddleheaded, probably no one would believe it.

Changsun had already sent word to the Xia Emperor the previous night. Thus, Changsun was the main figure in today's matter.

The Xia Emperor was in no hurry and quietly waited for Changsun's arrangements. No one understood Changsun's character better than he did. Unless she was completely certain, she would never interfere.

The message Changsun had sent the previous night was very simple, consisting of only one sentence: "Great Xia will not lose the first round."

Its meaning was obvious: either a draw or a victory.

The Xia Emperor believed he could not achieve a better outcome, so he let Changsun make the arrangements.

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy was also quietly waiting. He was in even less of a hurry. He was already in an invincible position, so there was no need to contend over this brief moment.

After waiting for a long time, Qing Ling finally returned. Standing behind Changsun, she signaled with her eyes that everything was ready.

Changsun nodded faintly, then looked toward the Xia Emperor without revealing anything and gave a small nod.

"Set up the oil cauldron."

Receiving the signal, the Xia Emperor no longer remained silent and issued the order.

Before long, a massive oil cauldron along with its brazier was carried to the entrance of Heavenly Edict Hall. The blazing flames beneath it leaped violently, a terrifying sight to behold.

"Envoy, please designate a candidate," the Xia Emperor said.

The bodies of Great Xia's officials trembled involuntarily. It was not that they were necessarily greedy for life and afraid of death; they were simply terrified.

In fact, they were overthinking it. No matter how bold the Zhenji Kingdom envoy was, he could not possibly force a Great Xia minister into the oil cauldron in the Great Xia court.

The choice was not difficult to guess. It would be nothing more than a palace maid, a guard, or... some other powerless, insignificant person such as a eunuch.

Thinking one step further, guards were all martial artists, so they were impossible. Palace maids were women; even if he was not the sort to cherish flowers and treasure jade, he would not wish to bear the vile name of bullying women. That left only... eunuchs.

Ning Chen was clever and understood more clearly than anyone else, so he lowered his head more deeply than anyone else. If the occasion had allowed it, he would probably have already turned and run.

He had already said everything that needed to be said. Why should he still have to do such a thankless, exhausting task?

"This little eunuch, please."

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy stepped forward to inspect the oil cauldron. After confirming there was no issue, he turned and swept his gaze around the hall. At once, he spotted Ning Chen, whose head was lowered deepest. His status was suitable, his age was suitable, and he was not a martial artist. He was simply the perfect candidate for entering the oil cauldron.

If Ning Chen had known what the Zhenji Kingdom envoy was thinking, he would have cried out in injustice. He was a martial artist! He really was!

Unfortunately, he was merely a novice who had not yet reached a rank, and over the past two days, he had even lost his sole thread of true qi. No wonder no one could tell.

Seeing that the Zhenji Kingdom envoy had actually chosen Ning Chen, Changsun froze. Along with her concern came a faint thread of anticipation. She had always tried her best to conceal Ning Chen's existence in order to protect him from the undercurrents of the palace. Thus, no matter how great Ning Chen's contributions were, she had never shown any acknowledgment. Even before the Xia Emperor, she had deliberately concealed Ning Chen's name.

Yet after their brief time together, Changsun had increasingly come to understand that she could not conceal Ning Chen's brilliance forever. Thus, even amid her concern, there was always anticipation. She also wished to see how far that light could shine once freed from her restraints.

Compared to Changsun's complicated feelings, Qing Ling's thoughts were much simpler. Her only concern was whether this brat would turn today's court into utter chaos.

Was Ning Chen happy? No! Did he want to earn merit? No! He was a eunuch, after all—how could he possibly be promoted? Become the head eunuch? The chief eunuch?

This was a matter of fundamental principle. Sooner or later, he still had to run away. He could not remain in the palace for the rest of his life.

The reason he helped Changsun was, first, to ease Changsun's anger, and second, because Changsun had treated him fairly well.

The current situation was precisely what he least wanted to encounter. He knew that after today, countless eyes would be fixed upon him within the palace. Neither Consort Wan nor the Xia Emperor would permit an unknown person to appear beside Changsun.

The imperial household was the most heartless of all. The Xia Emperor was like this, Consort Wan was like this, and even Changsun was like this.

Seeing Ning Chen's hesitation, Changsun gave a low shout. "What are you panicking for? Go do it boldly. If anything happens, I will bear it!"

After being rebuked, Ning Chen's mind cleared a little. He knew he could not avoid this now.

He stepped out two paces, then uneasily turned back to look at Changsun. His meaning was clear: You have to keep your word!

Changsun ignored him. She was the Empress Dowager. If she could not even protect a little eunuch, then there was no need for her to remain Empress Dowager.

The oil in the hall's cauldron gradually began to bubble. The leaping flames in the brazier scorched people's faces with pain. Ning Chen waited until the bubbling became most violent, then stretched his hand over the cauldron. He flashed the Zhenji Kingdom envoy seated in the hall a brilliant smile and silently mouthed, "Screw you."

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy's face darkened. Though he did not know what the little eunuch had said, he could tell with his backside that it was nothing good.

Still, when he thought of how this boy's arm would become fried loach paste in the next moment, his mood inexplicably improved again.

Ning Chen thrust his left hand inside, and his expression instantly became spectacular.

It went in!

Throughout the hall, the ministers' eyelids twitched. The more timid ones instinctively turned their heads away, unable to keep watching.

Amid sharp gasps, Ning Chen's eyes reddened as his entire body trembled. His arm shook especially violently, causing oil to splash continuously from the cauldron and fall into the brazier, where it raised bursts of popping flame.

Seeing this, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy smiled even more brilliantly, as though the arm in the oil cauldron was not that of a little eunuch but the entire Great Xia Dynasty awaiting slaughter.

Yet in the next moment, the smile on the Zhenji Kingdom envoy's face silently froze.

Before the oil cauldron, those trembling hands—hands mostly concealed by sleeves soaked in oil—had clearly drawn out a needle as thin as a hair.

Clink. Perhaps there was a sound, perhaps there was not. The needle fell to the ground, and the little eunuch, his face twisted in pain, also crouched down, clutching his arm while his teeth ground together with a rattling sound.

"Summon the imperial physician!" Changsun shouted in a deep voice, jolting everyone in the hall awake.

"Well done!"

No one knew which minister had forgotten the etiquette before the throne, but someone slammed a hand onto the table and shouted excitedly.

Immediately afterward, cheers rang out everywhere, loudly praising this brave, unfamiliar little eunuch who was unafraid of pain.

A trace of satisfaction also flickered across the Xia Emperor's tense face. It was faint and vanished in an instant.

The imperial physician arrived quickly. A guard stepped forward to help Ning Chen up, and the imperial physician took the meritorious hero away.

Changsun swept a solemn glance at the Zhenji Kingdom envoy before speaking. "Qing Ling."

"Yes."

Understanding her meaning, Qing Ling walked before the hall and placed the fallen needle back into the oil cauldron.

After that simple action, Qing Ling turned toward the five Zhenji Kingdom envoys in the hall and calmly said, "I have heard that Zhenji Kingdom values martial prowess. I wonder how much of it is real."

When her words fell, Qing Ling stepped lightly forward, her tone cold as she said:

"Who will step forward?"