"Huan'er, have you found out who intended to assassinate Prince Jing?" Xue Zi Ning asked Huan'er, who had just returned from outside.
Huan'er walked over and said, "I haven't found out who assassinated Prince Jing, but it's said to be someone from the Imperial Guards."
Imperial Guards?
Xue Zi Ning's eyes narrowed.
"Brother Feng, why are you so interested in the assassination attempt on Prince Jing?"
Xue Zi Ning was startled and smiled, saying, "Just a little curious."
Hearing this, Huan'er whispered, "Sister Ning, could the friend you are looking for be the one who assassinated Prince Jing?"
Xue Zi Ning was stunned, and she shook her head, "No, my friend wouldn't be so reckless."
Huan'er said with disappointment, "So that's how it is."
"Brother Feng, Huan'er needs to go to the training grounds," Ye An called out from outside the tent.
Xue Zi Ning stood up and said, "Huan'er, let's go quickly!"
Huan'er nodded, "Okay." After Xue Zi Ning left the tent, she quickly scattered the things in her sleeve into a corner of the tent and then left.
Upon arriving at the training grounds, the Chief Instructor of the Imperial Guards, Yao Chen, stood on the training stage with a beaming smile, his tone quite smug.
Huan'er, standing beside her, said, "Brother Feng, look how smug he is today, when he was so terrified yesterday."
Xue Zi Ning glanced at Yao Chen on the stage. He had been injured by Song Jiang yesterday, and today he was so energetic. She was certain that Song Jiang and his group were the ones being framed as the assassins of Prince Jing.
She subtly clenched her fist in her sleeve, feeling an indescribable emotion.
She had never known that the fate of the Feng Guards in this life would be like this.
Initially, she hadn't planned to find Feng Wu and the others, but later she found out that Feng Wu, who was now Song Jiang and the others, had been abandoned by Prince Jing and thrown into the Imperial Guards. What kind of place were the Imperial Guards? It was a place where the capable could thrive, but also where those who wanted to advance could punish their subordinates.
Here, life and death were determined by fate, and wealth by heaven.
One could also die without anyone knowing.
She just didn't know how they had offended Prince Jing to be thrown here.
She didn't want to acknowledge them. Her appearance had already altered the original course of events here. If she acknowledged them again, it might…
But could she watch them disappear before her eyes?
Obviously, she couldn't.
Since she couldn't, she would act according to her heart and be willful for once.
Yao Chen was feeling pleased. He hadn't expected Prince Jing to help him vent his anger. It seemed that the Shadow Guard would likely lose a layer of skin, if not die.
Serves him right. A Shadow Guard who couldn't even keep his own master, dared to be unrestrained in front of him, the dignified Chief Instructor of the Imperial Guards. How could he tolerate that?
Suddenly, a pair of cold eyes fell upon him. Yao Chen felt a killing intent, a desire for him to die.
He looked up towards the crowd but could no longer find that killing intent.
Could he have been mistaken? Impossible. He had always been confident in his own senses.
"You have trained for two days. Today, I, your Chief Instructor, will test your progress. Of course, if you feel you are not up to it, you can go over there and write down your names," Yao Chen said.
Ye An pulled Huan'er and said, "Let's go write our names!"
Huan'er was startled and asked, "Why?"
Ye An said, "Do you really intend to participate?"
Huan'er scratched her head and said, "If we don't participate, won't we have to go back? Brother Feng is still here, I can't go back."
Ye An said, "Writing down our names just means spending some money. This test will be considered passed."
Xue Zi Ning and Huan'er were both stunned. Huan'er asked, "This is allowed?"
Ye An lowered his voice and said, "I asked the old guards. They said if you pay ten taels of silver, this test will be considered passed."
"This... these Imperial Guards are supposed to protect the imperial city. If things go on like this, if someone really breaks in, won't that be a deception?" Huan'er said in disbelief.
Ye An heard this and said dismissively, "The four kingdoms are at peace now, where is the war? Besides, it's not our place to charge into battle, is it?"
Huan'er nodded, then looked at Xue Zi Ning and said, "What you said is also true." Then she looked at Xue Zi Ning, "Brother Feng, what do you think?"
"Huan'er, you and Ye An go ahead," Xue Zi Ning said.
Huan'er was startled, "Brother Feng, you..."
"I want to take the test," Xue Zi Ning said, and then suddenly leaped forward, landing on the training stage.
Huan'er stomped her feet in anger, "How... how can she do this?" The Prince told her to protect her well. If something happened to Sister Ning, how would she explain it to the Prince?
Yao Chen was thinking about how much money he would collect when he didn't expect someone to come before him.
"Chief Instructor, I, Ning An, have come to learn!" Xue Zi Ning cupped her fists and said.
Yao Chen was stunned, his originally smiling mouth froze, "You... you..."
"I am Ning An, and I accept the Chief Instructor's test."
"You... aren't you afraid?" Yao Chen asked.
He saw a plain face, but the eyes on that face were exceptionally clear, like morning dewdrops, radiating a unique brilliance in the morning light.
"I want to become a qualified Imperial Guard and fight bloodily for the court and the people of the imperial city," Xue Zi Ning said powerfully.
The people below the stage were stunned. She continued, "Although it is a time of peace now, we cannot guarantee what will happen in the future. Therefore, I want to hone my skills so that if I can contribute to the court, the people, and the country one day, I would not regret even sacrificing everything. Only by protecting the country can we have our homes. Without the nation, where would our homes be?"
After a moment, thunderous applause erupted from below the stage. Some people shouted in agreement, "He's right, we should also strive for the country and the people..."
Hearing this, Yao Chen was so angry that he wanted to kick the person on the stage down. Wasn't this disrupting things? If this continued, how much money would he lose?
"Chief Instructor, please give me your guidance," Xue Zi Ning stepped forward and said.
Yao Chen was stunned, he gritted his teeth, "Have you thought it through?"
"Yes," Xue Zi Ning said firmly.
Yao Chen beckoned to the person beside him and said, "Go call Song Jiang."
Xue Zi Ning was stunned. Song Jiang? Was it not Song Jiang who attempted the assassination yesterday? Then who could it be?
Just as she was thinking, a man in dark clothing walked over. He was now on the stage, and the people below the stage exclaimed in surprise. Who didn't recognize this person? The man who defeated the Chief Instructor last night. This was clearly setting them up for a lesson.
"I heard this person was a Shadow Guard before," someone below the stage said.
"Shadow Guard? Aren't they the ones who do dirty work?"
"Of course, they are people who kill without batting an eye."