Yue Mingxuan imdiately rolled his eyes and said, "Am I not good? If I’m not, then don’t co over tonight, go sleep on your own."
The words ca out sounding a little ambiguous, but there was no one nearby except him and Shang Qinghua, along with a few palace attendants who stood far away.
It was said that Rong Zishen had left the palace, so it was rare that Yue Mingxuan could co out without a pair of hawk-like eyes fixed on him.
But what gave Yue Mingxuan the most headache lately was that the sisters at Piaoxiang Courtyard kept saying his diocre skills were worse than having none at all—lying there waiting to die would probably be more comfortable.
So they grabbed him and, no matter what he said, they insisted on teaching him martial arts.
What surprised Yue Mingxuan was that this body actually had a solid martial foundation, and its internal energy was quite strong.
It was sothing he had never noticed before.
Yet in his mories there was no explanation for where this power ca from, not the slightest impression.
In his mind, the life of Prince Yue was clear and complete, with nothing missing, and he firmly believed there were no gaps in mory. But then where exactly had this strength originated?
Every night he was forced to train.
Shang Qinghua would even stand nearby watching and occasionally offering pointers but never stepping in to help.
Yue Mingxuan once complained that it was easy to talk when you weren’t the one suffering, and sure enough, his waist ended up aching for real since he held a horse stance for an entire hour.
From observing his stance, Shang Qinghua had concluded that his lower body lacked stability.
So now, the first thing Yue Mingxuan did upon arriving at Piaoxiang Courtyard each day was to start practicing horse stance.
Sohow Tang Lubao heard about it and ca to join the fun as well.
He focused on Yue Mingxuan’s basic martial foundations and found them astonishing.
Yue Mingxuan’s internal energy was deep and his natural talent extraordinary, yet it always felt as though sothing was missing.
Whatever others taught him he could learn, but there was always just that tiny bit lacking.
"What on earth is going on?" Yue Mingxuan muttered.
Behind him stood Sui He who is kneading his shoulders.
Every morning after returning he would be sore all over, his back and waist aching, discomfort everywhere.
Gongsun Xing also agreed, life now was fraught with constant danger, and Yue Mingxuan had faced peril several tis when he could not help at all and often realizing only when it was already too late.
In order to prevent such situations from happening again, Gongsun Xing had begun to lend a hand as well.
Every day when Yue Mingxuan returned, Gongsun Xing would bring a large assortnt of dicinal herbs for him to soak in.
The baths strengthened the body and relieved fatigue.
Sotis Yue Mingxuan’s whole body would be covered in bruises, but after soaking, they would fade considerably.
"Sigh... why do I have to be this exhausted..."
Starting martial arts at his age was truly not a pleasant thing.
He was so worn out and completely drained.
Shang Qinghua sat off to the side and speaking in a tone of amused spectatorship. "We all went through this. You’ve got it much easier than I did. Back when I couldn’t rest day after day, you were still lying comfortably in bed. Say one more word and you’ll hold horse stance for two hours tonight."
Yue Mingxuan imdiately fell silent.
At noon, Rong Qinglei ca by and Yue Mingxuan’s eyes imdiately lit up when he saw him. "Rong Qinglei, you haven’t been here in a while. How have you been? Any discomfort lately?"
Rong Qinglei shook his head.
The attendants behind him set dishes on the table one after another.
The food from Rong Qinglei’s small kitchen was excellent at least it suited Yue Mingxuan’s taste perfectly.
Yue Mingxuan ate voraciously; training consud a trendous amount of energy.
While he was eating, people kept coming and going at Rong Qinglei’s side, all of them reporting various matters.
Yue Mingxuan lowered his head while stuffing food into his mouth, but out of the corner of his eye he watched those ssengers.
Intelligence gathered by Piaoxiang Courtyard indicated that recently a group of foreign rchants had set up operations in the imperial capital of Beirong, seizing a great deal of business from local traders.
Rong Qinglei sensed sothing unusual and ordered his subordinates to investigate, so these visitors were coming back with their reports.
Rong Qinglei had an exceptionally sharp mind, but in the past his poor health often left him unable to do as much as he wished.
Now that his heart condition was no longer a problem, he had more ti to manage affairs and handled everything with ease.
The Emperor thought highly of him.
With the Crown Prince not yet decided, anyone had a chance.
Seeing Rong Qinglei stand out like this sotis made Yue Mingxuan worry for him.
But Yue Mingxuan had also noticed sothing by chance: hidden in the shadows behind Rong Qinglei there was always a secret guard.
Information from Piaoxiang Courtyard said this person belonged to the royal assassination division and was assigned specifically to protect him.
"I still can’t shake this unease. I keep feeling that sothing might happen to Rong Qinglei soon. Go follow him, except when he uses the privy, you’re to stay with him at all tis. If he notices, just say you’re there to protect him. No need to hide it."
That night, Yue Mingxuan sat on the top floor of Piaoxiang Courtyard.
The candlelight flickered dimly, filling the room with deep shadows.
His voice was soft as he spoke through a veil of red gauze.
From outside, his face could not be seen clearly, but the figure beyond looked small.
Probably a very young child, yet moving with crisp efficiency.
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