The newcomer was an official from the Office of Protocol under Liang's Court of State Ceremonial.
With the guard on the platform winning so easily, in theory, it was time to consider his next match.
But the Duke of Wei's concubine-born son raised a hand, putting an immediate halt to proceedings.
Then he rose to meet the Liang official, and the two spoke in low voices.
After a few exchanges, he froze slightly, astonishment appearing on his face before giving way to a trace of helplessness.
The Office of Protocol official had brought unexpected news: Princess Yongning of Liang was choosing a husband, and she wanted to screen the hostages from Great Jin.
This princess was quite well known in Great Liang. Her mother had died when she was young, and the King of Liang doted on her.
She enjoyed commerce, and even without her mother's support, she had built a merchant group of respectable size.
She even handed a portion of her earnings to her father. With his private treasury filled, the King of Liang liked her all the more.
In short, Princess Yongning had no interest in affairs of state, but her words carried considerable weight with the King of Liang.
As for the princess's looks... there was no specific information, but both her mother and father were good-looking, so she could not be too ugly.
The Office of Protocol official announced his purpose and stated that the hostages had one month to get themselves into condition.
After he left, someone approached the Duke of Wei's concubine-born son for instructions. "Shall the matches continue?"
"Let's suspend them for now." He rubbed his forehead in distress. "We need to discuss this properly."
This was certainly no small matter. If a hostage really married Princess Yongning, it could bring considerable benefits to Jin's international standing.
The previously bustling tournament grounds were also affected by this sudden bombshell.
Wu Youren's expression barely changed, however. He turned and quietly left, returning to his quarters.
When he went to the dining hall at noon, no one paid him any attention this time. Most people were discussing the news.
He continued to squat outside the door to eat, and as he wolfed down his food, he overheard some gossip about Princess Yongning.
There was certainly no shortage of well-informed people among the hostages, and they praised Yongning as though she were a flower.
Besides being as beautiful as a flower, she was intelligent and talented. Knowing she lacked her mother's support, she never meddled in affairs of state or the palace.
Her interest in commerce was her wisest choice. Great Liang was a strong nation, and her siblings would not mind her earning a little money.
Choosing a husband from among the hostages was another way to demonstrate her harmlessness-it would cut off any possibility of her participating in affairs of state.
But Wu Youren thought this had nothing to do with him. It still came down to those same words: he wasn't worthy!
A marriage at this level had little to do with looks or talent.
An exalted princess of Great Liang, even if she married a hostage, would at least have to choose a marquis's descendant, surely?
A few earls' sons could also try their luck. In any case, Wu Youren felt there was no need for him to entertain idle hopes.
He had only just returned to his quarters and decided to take a nap when Liu Jingming came again.
He did not consider Wu Youren's decisive surrender a big deal, because an even brighter path had appeared.
"Take good care of yourself these days. If Princess Yongning takes a fancy to you, you'll go straight to the pinnacle of life!"
"I'd like that too." Wu Youren shook his head casually. "But it won't be my turn!"
"I think your chances are excellent," Liu Jingming said seriously. "Didn't you notice how many of the female guests stared when you stepped onto the platform?"
"It's still impossible." Wu Youren kept shaking his head. "With my status, I could be a male favorite at most. Marrying a princess... that's getting carried away."
"You really don't mind debasing yourself." Liu Jingming laughed at that. "Isn't being a male favorite going too far?"
Yet despite saying that, he was secretly weighing it up.
A baron's grandson becoming a princess of Great Liang's plaything seemed, just barely... acceptable?
It was not that his thinking was twisted. Rather, the precarious existence of a hostage, never knowing whether they would live to see tomorrow, placed far too heavy a burden on them all.
"I don't want to be one." Wu Youren raised his eyebrows and said helplessly, "But it seems I don't get a say."
"Luckily, I'm not that burly. Hopefully... this princess's tastes match Liang's standards of beauty."
If the people of Jin considered strength and martial vigor beautiful, Liang took it a step further-a man had to be thickset!
But Liu Jingming laughed at that, his smile distinctly odd. "Those noblewomen's tastes... hehe, you're still young!"
Wu Youren, however, declared that he would lie down and take the blows. "Forget it. Thinking so much won't help. I'll just drift with the current."
"His Highness won't overlook a card like you," Liu Jingming said with certainty. "If even I can think of it, how could others not?"
In fact, the seventeenth prince and two high-ranking hostages did indeed discuss Wu Youren.
This was the first time the three leaders of the Hostage Prince Corps had held a discussion specifically about this bottom-rung hostage.
Without question, they all felt there was a considerable chance that this youth would catch Princess Yongning's eye.
Other people's knowledge of Great Liang's princess might have come from hearsay, but these three had good sources.
Princess Yongning's fondness for beautiful youths had almost reached an incurable degree!
She did not like brawny men-or at least was not keen on them. She preferred handsome young lads and kept countless male favorites around her.
She was also extraordinarily jealous. Once someone caught her eye, she would no longer tolerate other women having contact with him.
But that was her private life and did not conflict with Liang's interests in any way, so naturally the royal family did not interfere.
The seventeenth prince believed they could make good use of this card in their hand and have Yongning put in a few good words for Jin at certain times.
Another high-ranking hostage also thought this approach was entirely feasible. The only concern was whether Yongning would take a fancy to him.
The Duke of Wei's concubine-born son disagreed. "This youth certainly knows how to read the situation, but Your Highness... tacitly allowed him to accept the challenges."
Some things seemed perfectly reasonable, but did not stand up to being pulled apart and examined piece by piece.
He believed Wu Youren might bear a grudge. Once he established a connection with Princess Yongning, the consequences would be difficult to predict.
As for his family back in Great Jin? Once he had attached himself to a princess of Great Liang, would family and such... matter?
Taking another step back, even if he defected to Liang, would it really be appropriate for Great Jin to... retaliate against his family?
But the seventeenth prince could tell that the other man was somewhat dissatisfied with how he had handled things earlier.
He stated bluntly, "I wasn't the one who arranged this, but the whole process could still be called fair and impartial."
"He should have been satisfied to make the list in the first place. He's already over fifteen. He should learn to solve his own problems."
"That... is hard to say." The other man sighed softly. "The key is that Liang has other hostage residences!"
Over the past several decades, Great Liang had excelled in both civil governance and military achievements. It truly had no shortage of hostages, and Jin was only one of the countries represented.
The seventeenth prince could tell that this man, too, slightly disagreed with his handling of the matter.
Then he grew somewhat displeased. This matter... what exactly did I do wrong?
He mulled it over as he walked, then unexpectedly spotted a thickset woman. "Sanmin, what are you doing?"
"My respects, Your Highness. I just went to see the guards," Yan Sanmin answered respectfully.
"To ask when Princess Yongning's female officials would arrive at Jin Garden."
Choosing a husband for royalty was no small matter. All the hostages had been notified that they needed to get themselves into peak condition.
It was also perfectly normal for the female officials responsible to arrive well in advance to make arrangements.
"Mm." The seventeenth prince nodded, then asked casually, "You know that Wu Youren well... shall we have him inspected first?"
Anyone who regularly appeared on If You Are the One knew that, in terms of order, going first or last was the most unfair to the guests!
He did not want to bear responsibility, much less a bad name, so he chose a compromise-give that fellow a chance, but not much of one.
"Entirely as Your Highness decides," Yan Sanmin replied with utmost respect.
After a pause, she added, "Only, I heard that his late father... was the baron's illegitimate son."
Every hostage had a difficult scripture of their own to recite, and Wu Youren was no exception.
His father had been born to his grandfather and a female weaver...
The baron had never bothered with this illegitimate son, but the weaver had shown her mettle, quietly raising her son to adulthood.
During the war between Jin and Liang, Wu Youren's father had died an unfortunate death while helping with logistics.
Jin lost that war and paid enormous war reparations. Compensation for the dead was meager, and compensation for civilians even more so.
Back then, the baron had also left a sum of money to settle the account between them, while the baroness guarded against them at every turn.
Only when the "hostage requisition order" arrived did the baron's family remember that there was an illegitimate son outside the household.
At the time, Wu Youren's family was in terrible straits. If the baron was willing to help, many problems would be solved as readily as bamboo split beneath a blade.
Later, the two sides reached an agreement. Wu Youren would become a hostage, and the baron's family would take care of everything else.
The body's previous owner had felt no love for this grandfather, but no particular hatred either. It was simply a transaction.
That was why so much of the Hostage Prince Corps' inside story could not be allowed to reach Liang's ears—if this fucking got out, where was the fatherly stake in any of it?
Would the Hostage Prince Corps still have the nerve to call them "hostages"?
By mentioning this now, Yan Sanmin was implicitly reminding the prince: once this man slipped out of their control, his reliability would be... rather poor!
Three days later, the temporarily suspended tournament resumed, but injuring anyone was strictly forbidden.
Princess Yongning might be choosing a husband, but the hostages' admission to the martial academy was important too.
Interestingly, every one of Wu Youren's challengers disappeared-his place at the martial academy was effectively settled.
This turn of events left not only others but even the man himself somewhat bewildered. "If I remember correctly, I... surrendered, didn't I?"
Others were dissatisfied too and reported the matter to their superiors, saying something was not right.
But the Duke of Wei's concubine-born son said mildly, "Wu Youren did surrender, but at the time... was his opponent declared the winner?"
There really had been no time to announce it, because that was precisely when the official from Liang's Office of Protocol arrived!
Since that was the case, the match had remained undecided, and now the guard had withdrawn his challenge.
Bizarrely, the remaining four challengers had all withdrawn their applications as well.
Wu Youren truly could not understand. One twist after another-what kind of plot is this?
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