The Third Round

Northern Zhangyuan. Night had already fallen earlier here than in the Central Plains. Beneath the myriad stars, military tents stretched across the Northern Zhangyuan border, and warhorses snorted, exhaling white mist into the night wind.

Inside the strategist's tent, a series of soft coughs could be heard. Fan Lingyue sat at a desk, wrapped in a thick mink fur cloak despite the not-too-cold October night. Her delicate, beautiful face was pale with illness, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

"How was it?" Fan Lingyue asked softly.

"We barely won one round," a young general beside her respectfully replied.

"An unexpected variable."

Fan Lingyue sighed softly. Great Xia's fortune had already shown signs of decline, but unexpectedly, a disruptor emerged, forcing her plans to change repeatedly.

"Have you investigated whether this person was among those who left the palace with Wuyou that day?" Fan Lingyue continued to ask.

"It has been confirmed, he was indeed there," the young general replied.

"Incredible."

Fan Lingyue fell silent. Such a brilliant person had entered the palace to become a eunuch, which made no sense, logically or emotionally.

Moreover, this matter could not be false, nor could it be a ploy by the Xia Emperor or Wuyou. The reason was simple: no emperor would be so magnanimous as to allow a fake eunuch into the imperial harem.

Although Fan Lingyue possessed a mind like a demon, she was not a deity, and naturally, there were things she couldn't predict. Furthermore, Ning Chen's background was as clean as could be, with no hidden secrets. But precisely because of this, Fan Lingyue couldn't understand the problem.

On the desk, a piece of blue cloth was spread out, clearly detailing everything the Northern Mongol intelligence network had investigated about Ning Chen's identity.

An ordinary background, ordinary experiences, parents who died young, no relatives, no dependents. He had studied for a few years but showed no exceptional talent. Half a month ago, driven by the necessities of life, he had no choice but to enlist in the palace as a eunuch.

Fan Lingyue closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then said to the general beside her, "Force him out of the Imperial City."

"Yes," the general bowed and responded.

Ning Chen had no idea that he had been targeted by the most formidable strategist in the world. Otherwise, he would definitely reconsider the matter of leaving the palace.

At this moment, Ning Chen stood outside Qing Ling's room, knocking on the door. No one answered. He knocked again, and still no one replied.

That's not right, Ning Chen muttered.

Wuyou preferred quiet. As long as she was in Weiyang Palace, she generally didn't need Qing Ling to stay by her side. Therefore, Qing Ling usually stayed in her own room most of the time.

After waiting for a long time without a response, Ning Chen, feeling unenthusiastic, returned to his own quarters. Since he had come at an inconvenient time, he would just make do with practicing by himself. It wasn't like he would die; he could just consider it exercise.

No sooner had Ning Chen left than Qing Ling, inside her room, suddenly opened her eyes. A mouthful of fresh blood immediately gushed out, indicating that an old injury had been triggered and flared up again.

"I'm still too impatient," Qing Ling sighed softly, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, feeling weak.

Too much had happened recently, and she increasingly felt the necessity of recovering her strength. However, her previous injury had been too severe, her cultivation badly damaged. Recovering would not be a matter of a day or two.

There were many capable people around Wuyou, but truly trustworthy individuals were few. Since her injury, she had spent most of her time recuperating, which only added to Wuyou's burden.

If only he could be useful.

A hint of exhaustion flickered in Qing Ling's eyes. In fact, she and Wuyou had discussed Ning Chen more than once. Setting aside his usual chaotic behavior, Ning Chen's displayed magnanimity was indeed surprising.

Unfortunately, this fellow always wanted to run away, which truly gave them a massive headache.

He didn't covet wealth and glory, nor did he crave money, power, or women. He was neither utterly evil nor a perfect sage. He had a host of flaws, yet they couldn't find a real point of leverage.

She knew that Wuyou cherished talent and valued sentiment. Otherwise, she wouldn't have repeatedly pardoned Ning Chen even in her anger. The most important reason for confining him this time was to make him settle down and completely abandon the idea of leaving the palace.

However, what neither she nor Wuyou expected was that Ning Chen, in his performance against the Zhenji Kingdom envoy, had greatly astounded everyone. Such intelligence, truly brilliant and unparalleled.

Thinking about it, perhaps the most peaceful place in the entire Imperial City right now was Weiyang Palace. Ning Chen's sudden rise had already stirred up enormous waves outside, yet within Weiyang Palace, not even a ripple had appeared.

She could tell that Ning Chen himself didn't take it seriously. Aside from feeling a little heartache when the Empress Dowager confiscated his one hundred taels of gold, he didn't dwell on anything else.

In Qingyue Pavilion, located in the center of Weiyang Palace, the Ninth Princess left after paying her respects. However, Wuyou's bedchamber remained lit throughout the night, and in the east, Qing Ling's room also had candles burning all night. Only Ning Chen's room, the farthest away, had its lights extinguished early, whether he was asleep or otherwise.

Just as dawn broke, the morning court was about to begin. Ning Chen was called over by a young eunuch. Wuyou, for the first time, actively brought him to court. Unfortunately, it was quite early, and a certain person looked sleepy and extremely unwilling.

Compared to the previous two times, Wuyou had considerably high hopes for Ning Chen this time. However, she just couldn't stand his indifferent and lazy demeanor, wanting to reprimand him but swallowing her words.

Not far away, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy arrived with five white-robed scholars. They were all young, appearing to be no older than twenty. However, their scholarly aura wasn't strong; on closer inspection, they didn't look like scholars but rather fortune tellers.

Ning Chen's spirits immediately lifted. Speaking of scholars, Great Xia's Confucian school was flourishing, with a court full of great Confucians. And the Grand Tutor, among the Three Grand Ministers, was the head of the current Confucian school. It could be said that Great Xia had no shortage of scholars. If the Zhenji Kingdom envoy truly wanted to compete in academics, it would be no different than seeking abuse.

Moreover, wasn't this round supposed to be about luck or fortune? Could these four fellows really be fortune tellers?

He wasn't familiar with fortune tellers, but he had met an impressive one before. When he and Li'er went out to buy shoes, they ran into him. He didn't think much of it at the time, but later, he realized the man really had some skills.

That charlatan said he couldn't escape, and sure enough, he was captured by Qing Ling.

Truly, in every profession, there's a master. Ever since he learned that true qi existed, fortune tellers weren't something he found unacceptable anymore.

The Xia Emperor still sat on the highest dragon throne in the Heavenly Edict Hall. His majestic face showed no hint of a smile. As the emperor ruling the most powerful dynasty under heaven, every action he took could shake the world. The Emperor of Great Xia, regardless of the generation, never lost the name of an emperor.

After Ning Chen entered the hall with Wuyou, several gazes turned towards him. All the officials knew that this young eunuch was truly extraordinary. If not for his status, he would surely have been courted by various factions.

Unfortunately, he was a eunuch.

Because eunuchs had caused chaos in the previous dynasty, the current dynasty severely suppressed them. It was almost impossible for eunuchs to wield power. Therefore, even though Ning Chen had achieved such great merit earlier, the Xia Emperor only rewarded him with one hundred taels of gold.

At court, Ning Chen didn't care about these things. What he truly cared about was that one hundred taels of gold.

The court session was as boring as ever, especially with the annoying face of the Zhenji Kingdom envoy. However, the third challenge they presented truly exceeded everyone's expectations.

A maze!

There was a maze in the Great Xia Imperial Palace, built by artisans of the previous dynasty. Why such a maze was built in the palace was no longer traceable. However, everyone knew that the maze's structure was extremely complex. Once inside, one shouldn't expect to get out in less than three to five days. The Zhenji Kingdom envoy's third challenge was simple: Great Xia and Zhenji Kingdom would each send one person in, and whoever emerged first would win.

Logically, Great Xia should have had a significant advantage in this challenge. After all, it was a labyrinth within the Great Xia Imperial Palace, so they would naturally be somewhat familiar with the terrain, certainly more so than Zhenji Kingdom.

However, even a fool would know things weren't that simple, and there wasn't a single fool present.

The problem lay with the five white-robed scholars brought by the Zhenji Kingdom envoy. They looked like charlatans, and if someone said there was no issue, not even a ghost would believe them.

"It truly tests one's luck," a scholarly official in the hall sighed softly. In this labyrinth, with good luck, one could exit in three to five days, but with bad luck, starving to death inside was quite common.

The rest was simple: choosing someone to enter. However, this choice was a big deal.

The officials instinctively looked at Ning Chen, not truly expecting anything, but this young eunuch had already given them too many shocks. One more wouldn't be surprising.

Seeing everyone look at him, Ning Chen smiled shyly, lowered his head, and remained silent.

If someone else could pass this stage, then they shouldn't look for him. Anyway, his agreement with the Ninth Princess was simply to win, so who went in to clear the stage and fight monsters wasn't that important.

Watching his officials' reactions, the Xia Emperor's brow furrowed unconsciously. He said indifferently, "Is there any minister who would like to volunteer?"

Below, a great scholar was about to step forward but was held back by another scholarly official, who gently shook his head. This was not the time for bravado. This round could not be lost, no matter what, otherwise Great Xia would suffer a great loss.

At the front, Duke Xiyu, one of the Three Grand Ministers, dressed in noble, luxurious robes, glanced at the five individuals behind the Zhenji Kingdom envoy. He chuckled softly and transmitted, "Grand Tutor, these five are not simple."

"The technique of five bodies sharing one mind, a mere trivial trick, not worth mentioning," said Grand Tutor, his expression unchanged, dressed in simple scholarly robes.

"With intention against no intention, Great Xia will lose the first round," Duke Jingwu interjected, stating honestly.

After the brief exchange, the Three Grand Ministers returned to silence, quietly observing the situation. They would not interfere in this matter.

"Do you have a solution?"

The inaction of the officials displeased Grandson. She helplessly glanced at Ning Chen beside her and asked.

"That depends on whether Her Highness and His Majesty are willing to part with something," Ning Chen replied with a somewhat embarrassed smile. His method was a bit violent and shameless, but it was effective.

"What do you mean?" Grandson asked curiously.

Ning Chen leaned forward and whispered a few words. Immediately, Grandson's expression changed repeatedly, becoming so dark it looked like thunder and rain were imminent.

"Are you certain?" Grandson asked through gritted teeth.

"More or less," Ning Chen again fell into his habit of being modest.

"Hmm?" Grandson's eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing inadvertently.

"One hundred percent," Ning Chen's heart tightened, and he immediately changed his tone.

"Agreed. You go prepare. I will speak with His Majesty about the rest," Grandson said calmly.

"Yes," Ning Chen responded, then left from the back of the hall.

Behind the grand hall, Ning Chen approached a general dressed in a dark green armored uniform and said a few words. Immediately after, the two exchanged a conspiratorial smile and headed together towards the Imperial Academy of Medicine.

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