My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

“I did not expect Lord Lu to possess such grand talent for governance and statecraft,” Chen Jing remarked, genuinely praising Lu Youming as she looked at the cement walls. Whether it was administrative logic or managing the people, Lu Youming was exceptionally thorough.

One could see it in the massive transformation of Chongjiang County. This year’s autumn harvest would ensure the local people enjoyed a fulfilling New Year. In less than a year, the county town had been rebuilt, commerce was stirring once again, and life for the commoners had become quite sustainable.

“Zijin is truly remarkable. She came up with the idea for this cement herself. It failed to set several times midway through, but she kept tirelessly adjusting the formula until we had what you see now,” Su Wanrou said, her voice brimming with pride.

Chen Jing now felt a phantom headache whenever she heard the words “Did you know?”. She quickly cut in, “Lord Lu is indeed a person of extraordinary ideas. Let us go and see the factory.” Chen Jing shifted the topic, breathing a sigh of relief as she watched the four-man patrol squads circling the cement factory.

In the neighboring area, Cheng Ji had heard that Lu Youming was skilled in archery and hunting, so he sought her out during her break for a contest. Cheers could be heard from that direction every so often. Lu Youming held her bow, eyes fixed on a target thirty meters away. With a whoosh, the arrow left her hand and thudded firmly into the target.

“Good! Not bad! Now watch me.” Cheng Ji calmed his breathing, and his arrow also flew true, hitting the center and causing the shaft to vibrate slightly.

Both were skilled archers, so the target was moved back another twenty meters. At fifty meters, the difficulty increased. Lu Youming adjusted the tension in her wrist, held her breath, and aimed for the bullseye. The arrow pierced the air and nailed the straw target once more, drawing a round of applause.

“Brother Zijin, your archery is beyond reproach. Very steady,” Cheng Ji said, looking at her in surprise. Knowing that Lu Youming didn’t come from a formal military lineage, reaching such a level of skill was truly impressive.

Lu Youming smiled modestly. “I cannot compare to you, Brother Changsheng. Your arrows are exceptionally stable, and you use a bow that is a full dan heavier than mine. You truly live up to your Imperial Forest Army background.”

Cheng Ji laughed toward the sky, clearly proud of his military roots. Though he had only spent a year in the Imperial Forest Army before being transferred to lead the Princess’s guards, he wore the title with pride. “Brother Zijin, you have a sharp eye!” Cheng Ji gave her a look of approval and then eagerly dragged her off for another match.

Lu Youming was forced to take up a long spear to spar with Cheng Ji on the newly built martial arts field. The red tassels on the spearhead danced as the two went back and forth in a fierce exchange. The guards practicing nearby stopped to watch the fight, their eyes shining with excitement.

Lu Youming moved with agility, her robes fluttering as her spear blocked a heavy downward slash from Cheng Ji’s blade with a loud clang. Her eyes flickered; she retreated quickly on her toes, using a clever flick of strength to strike the back of his blade.

Unbeknownst to them, Su Wanrou and Chen Jing had entered the martial arts field. The fight was spectacular, but every time the blade got close to Lu Youming, Su Wanrou’s heart jumped into her throat. She clenched her hands tightly, watching Cheng Ji press forward with relentless slashes while Lu Youming narrowly parried his strikes.

Lu Youming arched her back, barely blocking a horizontal sweep. She was breathing heavily when Cheng Ji finally sheathed his blade. She used her spear as a staff to steady herself as she stood up.

“Lord Lu, your technique is excellent, but your physical stamina is a bit lacking,” Cheng Ji remarked with regret. He sighed, “Why did you choose the path of a scholar?”

Lu Youming: “…”

Su Wanrou: “…”

Chen Jing: “…”

Chen Jing could hardly look at the simple-minded man. She clapped her hands, and the field erupted in applause. The others finally remembered—Lu Youming was a scholar. For a scholar to hold their own against a military general’s blade was incredible. In this era, under the second Emperor, the court still highly valued martial prowess, including the elderly Emperor himself, who went hunting every autumn and returned with a full haul.

Scholars, wanting to keep up with the Emperor’s vigor, worked hard to master the “Six Gentlemanly Arts.”

Lu Youming gave a helpless, bitter smile. She had just taken a direct hit from Cheng Ji, and now her hands were trembling and her wrists were sore. She sighed with a laugh, “Brother Changsheng, you are a general. I am just an ordinary person.”

Under Chen Jing’s pointed stare, Cheng Ji scratched his head in embarrassment. He seemed to finally remember that Lu Youming wasn’t like him, who had practiced martial arts since childhood. But still, he was impressed. “Brother Zijin, don’t sell yourself short. If your stamina were a bit stronger, you might have won today.”

He was telling the truth. Her technique was solid; it was only her strength and endurance that lagged. With more training, she could definitely beat him. “In the future, when there’s time, you should train with us,” Cheng Ji invited sincerely.

“Alright, Changsheng, stop chasing Lord Lu around. You’re a true martial addict, wanting to drag everyone into training,” Chen Jing stepped forward to smooth things over for the big lug.

“Hahaha, when there’s time, when there’s time,” Lu Youming rubbed her wrists, shaking her head at the worried Su Wanrou to signal she was fine.

However, this sparring match made their relationship even more harmonious. Cheng Ji, being straightforward, felt a kinship with Lu Youming and invited her to go hunting tomorrow. Lu Youming realized it had been a long time since she went out; even Zhufeng was getting fat at home. Besides, winter was coming, and she wanted to hunt some furs for Su Wanrou.

“Deal. I’ll come find you tomorrow morning,” Lu Youming agreed. Chen Jing also wanted to join, as she knew how to hunt. She looked at the gentle Su Wanrou and thought that Lu Youming should teach her wife to hunt as well—since both would likely be promoted in the future, it would be beneficial for Su Wanrou as a female official to be skilled in archery.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Court, the atmosphere was growing increasingly tense. Some were now hinting that the Emperor should release the princes currently under house arrest. The Emperor ignored them, and since the voices weren’t loud, it wasn’t a major issue yet.

However, the Eldest Prince grew anxious. He was only in power because his younger brothers had made mistakes. For years, due to his love for poetry and his health issues, he hadn’t been allowed into the court. Now that he was finally the only prince in the administration (excluding the young Seventh Prince who was still studying), he had grown from being flattered to being arrogant.

Refusing to let his brothers return to share the power, the Eldest Prince began secretly spreading rumors about their past misdeeds. The scandals the Emperor had suppressed began to leak into the streets of the capital.

Passerby A: “Hey, did you hear? The floods last year only happened because of the princes.”

Passerby B: “Really?”

Crowd: “It’s true! I heard they embezzled the money meant for the levees, and that’s why the flood was so bad.”

Others: “No way! The world belongs to their family, why would they do that?”

Under the push of someone with an agenda, the scandal grew out of control. When it reached the Emperor’s ears, he was furious. “Investigate! Find out who started these rumors and punish them severely!”

The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army took the order. When he discovered the source, he broke into a cold sweat. He had no choice but to report the truth. The Emperor flew into a rage and summoned his “good son” to the palace.

Grand Princess Shaoyang had been busy with border affairs and hadn’t been paying attention to her brother. By the time she found out, the Eldest Prince had already been scolded and sent back to his manor to “study,” with the Emperor asking him if his “brains had been eaten by a dog.”

The insult became known throughout the city.

Shaoyang: “…”