The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 384 Arrested

She would never tell Shen Jiaming that she had arranged for someone to deliver the note to Diao De.

I just hope that Diao De will live up to expectations and cause Qi Yongji some trouble before he dies.

In the light screen, Wu Qing finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "What exactly happened in the palace...?"

"If Lord Wu is truly curious, why not ask the Emperor himself?"

A shrill voice rang out from a distance, and the relaxed expressions on Diao De and Wu Qing's faces instantly froze.

The torches in the distance flickered in the distance. Wu Qing turned around and vaguely saw Mo Cheng's godson, Wu Gui, standing behind them with a group of guards.

The lantern in Wu Gui's hand suddenly lit up.

The effeminate-looking eunuch had a beautiful but overly pale face, with open scarlet lips and gleaming white teeth, like the skin of a dead man.

Stern-looking guards stood on either side of him, dressed in black, like ghost soldiers.

Wu Qing took a few steps back, almost letting out a scream.

Damn it!

No, this is no different from seeing a ghost!

No, this is scarier than seeing a ghost!

Diao De asked dryly, "When did Eunuch Wu arrive?"

"When Grand Tutor Diao said 'life is cheap'."

Fortunately, Diao De was thick-skinned and quickly recovered from the embarrassment of being caught.

He clutched his stomach, his tone carrying just the right amount of pain: "Eunuch Wu is a nobleman, so naturally he doesn't know the nature of those lowly people."

Wu Gui twitched the corner of his mouth, ignoring his words: "The birthday banquet is not over yet, Lord Diao, you should come back with us."

Diao De looked troubled: "Eunuch Wu, it's not that I don't want to go back, but I'm uneasy. If I were to behave improperly before the Emperor and offend Him, wouldn't that be a crime?"

"His Majesty is considerate of you, so he specially sent me to bring the imperial physician."

The guards behind Wu Gui made way for a royal physician carrying a medicine box, who jogged up to Diao De.

Hearing Wu Guiqiang's tough tone, Diao De realized that he could not escape his fate today, so he did not resist anymore.

The imperial physician examined Diao De's pulse with a practiced air and said calmly, "It's just a matter of one pill."

He took a brown pill from the medicine box and handed it to Diao De.

Diao De even considered that the pill might be poison, but after putting it in his mouth, a sweet taste spread out.

He laughed.

It turned out to be brown sugar dumplings.

When Wu Qing saw Diao De's smile, he almost thought he had gone mad.

He somewhat regretted leaving with Diao De.

If they had just stayed quietly at the banquet, they might not have attracted so much attention.

Who would have thought that they could be caught and brought back even after leaving the palace?

He suspected that Wu Gui had done it on purpose. He deliberately struck them down when they thought they had escaped.

He racked his brains trying to recall what had happened that day, but he knew nothing and could only wait anxiously.

Diao De and Wu Qing were "protected" by the guards as they stepped back into the palace gates. The vermilion gates were wide open, and their backs seemed to disappear into a gaping abyss.

When they returned to the banquet, the courtier who had just flattered Diao De greeted them, asking, "How is Lord Diao feeling?"

Diao De had no interest in paying attention to him, and parted ways with the preoccupied Wu Qing, each returning to their own seats.

At this point, Qi Yongji had already decided on the method of the competition—a martial arts contest.

The civil officials naturally objected.

If we only compete in martial arts and not in literature, what will happen to those of us who use our pens?

Qi Yongji insisted, "Emperor Taizu once said, 'Govern the country with civil administration, and secure the nation with military force.' You don't know martial arts? Then how did you pass the martial arts exam?"

Civil officials: ...

Isn't that only a few times?

Once you've passed the exam, you won't need to practice anymore.

Moreover, it's a widely accepted fact that in the military examinations for civil officials, nine out of ten points might be inflated.

Those with more intriguing thoughts naturally began to speculate whether the emperor intended to promote military power while suppressing civil administration.

Some were happy, some were sad, but no one stood up to refute it, and the way of the competition seemed to be settled.

However, Qi Yongji suddenly said, "But fighting seems too old-fashioned. How about each of us lead a thousand men to fight against each other?"

A murmur of discussion arose below.

Qi Yongji explained with a smile, "This is a method of the Dayong Dynasty. If it works well, it can be implemented in the army."

Upon hearing this, the officials of the Great Yong Dynasty were displeased.

"Pah! Shameless! Wu Chaogong!"

Fang Xunshan, who had just rolled up his sleeves and was about to start yelling: ?

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his sleeves, pulled Qi Wenhe, who was jumping up in excitement, and gestured for him not to disturb Zheng Xun: "Lord Qi, please keep your voice down."

Qi Wenhe sat down again, but his face was still grim: "We people with the surname Qi are simply ashamed to be associated with him!"

Fang Xunshan said in a gentle tone, "It has already been implemented in the Dayong army and has not been kept secret. This matter cannot be kept hidden. It is only a matter of time before the He Kingdom finds out. It is already very good that we have taken the lead and have gained a great advantage."

Qin Duzhi looked left and right, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. He seemed to have figured out how to deal with Fang Xunshan!

Inside the light screen, the people of the Brown Kingdom finally resigned themselves to their fate and began to think about how to win.

Among the imperial relatives, the eleventh prince, Qi Yongzhou, whom Qi Yongji had mentioned, silently took a sip of wine and got up to prepare.

His friend pulled him aside: "Ah Zhou, I called you but you didn't answer. Is something on your mind?"

Qi Yongzhou shook his head: "It's nothing, I just don't want to continue living like this in a daze."

He shook off his friend's hand and smiled brightly: "Just you wait and see, I'll definitely surprise you."

He waved to his friend and quickened his pace to leave the main hall.

……

Qi Yongji seemed to have planned to hold this competition for a long time, and the venue was already prepared.

The people inside the hall moved to the spacious training ground.

Although Qi Yongji only gave half an hour to prepare, Zheng Xun was still afraid that the light screen would run out of steam, so he shifted his focus away from the Brown Kingdom.

The light screen was then refocused on Liaozhou.

General He was still lying in bed, and He Wuyang skillfully massaged him while whispering about recent events.

"Grandfather, my sister said that war may break out. Your granddaughter now has to stand on her own. Are you at ease with that?"

“I’m doing well now. The grains I’ve researched can feed more people. I’ve also planted wheat and millet. When I have more free time in the future, I’ll research and develop bigger and sweeter peaches for my grandfather. I know you love peaches the most.”

"Everyone is working so hard to save you. You have to be strong and try your best. You hate causing trouble for others, so you can't let their hard work go to waste..."

Even at night, people still flocked to the General's Mansion.

Zhao Lingyin went out to buy medicinal herbs and saw this scene as she passed by, and stood there for a long time.

Upon seeing her, He Wuyu quickly approached: "Dr. Zhao! I told you we shouldn't stay cooped up in the room. Studying prescriptions is important, but we can't let it affect our health."

She was relieved, but little did she know that Zhao Lingyin hadn't come out to rest: "I'm going out to buy some medicine."

Although she now has a clear goal, there has been no progress in improving the prescription. She thought she would go to the pharmacy herself and maybe she could come up with some new ideas.

He Wuyu was moved.