Given Xiao He's past as a dead-soldier, it naturally wouldn't be convenient for Yin Ning to meet her with great fanfare. So Yin Ning simply boarded Shi Qingyuan's carriage parked outside. The moment she laid eyes on Xiao He, she understood why Shi Qingyuan had said Xiao He's eyes looked different from ordinary children's. In Yin Ning's view, if she had to use a metaphor, Xiao He's eyes resembled those of a lone wolf cub—watchful and alert, with a sharp, predatory edge hidden beneath a seemingly calm surface.
However, seeing that there was no black mist above Xiao He's head, Yin Ning understood Xiao He's current attitude toward her. She directly exchanged points to have the 007 system assess Xiao He's value for recruitment. The 007 system worked with lightning speed, immediately giving a score of 96. Recalling that Liu Sanqi had said on the Sky Canopy that Xiao He was the most skilled dead-soldier in terms of martial arts, it was obvious where Xiao He's talent lay. In the past, Yin Ning had only encountered this score of 96 on one other person—Su Yu, who was currently far away in the northwest.
At that thought, Yin Ning felt she didn't need to consider any further. Not recruiting Xiao He into her service would be a disservice to herself. But before Yin Ning could speak, Xiao He, who had been staring at her expressionlessly since her appearance, coldly threw out a question: "Coming out like this, aren't you afraid I might attack you? I'll have you know, I've killed people before!"
Hearing this, Shi Qingyuan looked at Xiao He with a flash of wariness. She turned to Yin Ning, about to suggest that she reconsider, when Yin Ning gently patted her arm, signaling her not to worry. In Yin Ning's eyes, Xiao He's behavior was like that of a wounded wolf cub baring its teeth and trying to scare off humans. "I know you won't hurt me." "Don't be overconfident!" Xiao He said coldly. Yin Ning smiled sweetly. "Thanks for your concern." "...I wasn't expressing concern." "Mm-hmm, I understand. You're just shy and too embarrassed to say it directly."
Xiao He fell silent, still looking at the grinning Yin Ning. Finally, she couldn't help but say, "Up there, you weren't so thick-skinned!" "Hahaha, fine, since you don't believe the truth I just told you, I'll have to tell you a lie instead. My lie is: if I were so scared of an eight-year-old child that I didn't dare meet her, I'd spend my whole life hiding in the palace like a turtle. Then the only world I'd ever see would be this little patch of the imperial palace!"
Hearing this explanation, a glimmer of belief appeared in Xiao He's eyes. She felt this was more in line with the Emperor Jingwu she had seen on the Sky Canopy. Yin Ning looked at Xiao He with a smile in her eyes and asked, "So, have you decided? Will you follow me from now on?"
Xiao He nodded without hesitation. "I trust my future self." When she had first seen on the Sky Canopy that she would become a dead-soldier tasked with assassinating Emperor Jingwu, she had only felt she needed to escape that place immediately, or else those above wouldn't let her off. But after she actually escaped, she found that though the world was vast, she had nowhere to go. The reason she had chosen to come to Yin Ning was not because of the Emperor Jingwu's achievements mentioned on the Sky Canopy, but simply because she trusted the judgment of her future self.
Yin Ning naturally heard from this answer that Xiao He was not truly convinced of her. She just smiled, not taking offense, knowing that even gold couldn't please everyone, let alone herself. "Since you've decided to follow me, you can't go back on it." "If I do, you can kill me directly." "Alright, then let's work together happily!" Saying this, Yin Ning extended her right hand to Xiao He with a smile. Xiao He looked at her in bewilderment. Seeing this, Yin Ning directly took Xiao He's right wrist; Xiao He instinctively tried to pull back her hand but found that Yin Ning, who appeared weak and easy to bully, was actually stronger than her. Xiao He looked at Yin Ning in surprise, only to see Yin Ning pull her hand over and press it into her own palm. Yin Ning gently shook their clasped hands—one white, one dark, one warm, one cold. With a smile, she said, "Shake hands, be friends!"
Xiao He had originally thought Yin Ning was going to do something else, but never imagined it was just a handshake. Thinking of the countless wary thoughts that had surged through her mind the moment her hand was grabbed, she couldn't help but glare at Yin Ning and grit out, "Has anyone ever told you that you're really childish?!" Seeing Xiao He finally lose her temper like other children, Yin Ning burst into laughter. She even turned to Shi Qingyuan with a wide grin and said, "Teacher, she just insulted me!" "...I didn't hear anything." "Sigh!" Yin Ning sighed dramatically. "It's true—out with the old, in with the new!" Xiao He looked at Shi Qingyuan. "Is she always like this?" "Pretty much." "..."
Xiao He felt that the Yin Ning sitting before her now didn't seem like the awe-inspiring Emperor Jingwu on the Sky Canopy. But looking at her hand still held in Yin Ning's, feeling the steady warmth emanating from Yin Ning's palm, she couldn't help but relax the nerves that had been tense for so long. "Since you've come to me, I have a task for you." At the word "task," Xiao He's expression instantly became serious again, her gaze sharp as a drawn sword. But the next second, Yin Ning messed up her hair as if she were petting a cat. Feeling the gentle weight of Yin Ning's hand on her head, Xiao He's eyes showed confusion and surprise. She didn't understand why, even in her state of high alert, she hadn't been able to dodge Yin Ning's hand.
Yin Ning looked at the slightly dazed Xiao He with a smile. "This task is simple for you—it's a study task. No need to be so alarmed." Then she turned to Shi Qingyuan. "Teacher, I want to send her to Teacher Su, to study martial arts and military classics with him." Yin Ning herself had studied martial arts under Su Zheng for many years, and she knew his skills were formidable. Moreover, the last person with the same recruitment value as Xiao He—Su Yu—had also studied under Su Zheng as a young apprentice. Judging from Su Yu's brilliant performance on the battlefield these past years, Su Zheng could be said to produce excellent students.
Shi Qingyuan hadn't expected Yin Ning to go so far as to send Xiao He to study under Su Zheng. She immediately understood how highly Yin Ning valued Xiao He. With a shift in thought, she said to Yin Ning, "The Su family has no female elders. If Xiao He lives there long-term, it might cause inconvenience. How about this: since I live alone now, I could adopt Xiao He as my foster daughter. That way, after finishing her martial arts training at the Su residence every day, she can come straight back to my place."
Shi Qingyuan had lived alone for years after her shocking divorce from her husband more than a decade ago. In her view, if Xiao He lived at the Su residence all the time, her emotions might gradually lean toward the Su family. If one day Yin Ning and the militarized Su family came into conflict, which side would Xiao He choose? So she thought it better to prevent trouble before it started—good for everyone.
Yin Ning hadn't realized how much was going through Shi Qingyuan's mind in such a short time. She simply brightened at the suggestion of Shi Qingyuan adopting Xiao He. Having a child like Xiao He by Shi Qingyuan's side would make things livelier. Yin Ning looked at Xiao He. "Xiao He, you heard. What do you think of my teacher's and my arrangement?"
Xiao He had never expected Shi Qingyuan to want to adopt her. In her eyes, as Yin Ning's teacher, Shi Qingyuan should have disliked her after being threatened by her last night. But she knew that becoming Shi Qingyuan's foster daughter would greatly benefit her future. So she nodded without hesitation. "No problem." "Haha, then everything is ready except the east wind. As long as Teacher Su agrees to take Xiao He as his disciple, she'll be my junior apprentice sister."
Xiao He had already been shocked when Shi Qingyuan offered to adopt her. She had never imagined that the Teacher Su Yin Ning had arranged for her was the same teacher Yin Ning herself had studied under. She, an orphan as worthless as a blade of grass, could become Emperor Jingwu's junior apprentice sister?! Her shock was so intense that even her usual stoic expression cracked, and she stared at Yin Ning in disbelief. Seeing Yin Ning's genuine smile, she pursed her lips and finally lowered her gaze, speaking in a somewhat subdued voice: "I wasn't lying earlier. I really have killed people... The first time, I killed a pair of thirteen-year-old twin brothers. When the older brother was dying, he begged me to spare his younger brother, but I still killed him. Then, two months ago, I killed a girl who was probably fifteen. She had smiled at me once a few years ago."
After saying this, Xiao He pulled her hand out of Yin Ning's. Her hand, which had begun to warm, instantly turned cold as ice again. Yin Ning had already stopped smiling. She looked at Xiao He, who was lowering her head, and said, "Are you trying to tell us that you're not a good person?" "Yes. You don't need to treat me so well. Just give me other tasks to d—" Xiao He's words cut off abruptly because Shi Qingyuan, who had been sitting beside her, gently pulled her into an embrace. Tucking Xiao He's disheveled hair behind her ear, Shi Qingyuan noticed how dry and straw-like it was, and pity flickered in her eyes. In her view, if Xiao He were truly indifferent to killing, she wouldn't have remembered so many details. It was because she could never let it go that she kept those memories. Lowering her head to look at the girl, now rigid as a statue in her arms, Shi Qingyuan said softly, "The environment you were in before was different from a normal society. There was no right or wrong, good or evil—only kill or be killed. We can't judge your survival behavior back then by normal social standards. That would be hypocritical kindness and justice, and it wouldn't be fair to you at all."
"Teacher is right. All the blame should be on that lunatic Qi Wenyuan. He's the one who truly needs to reflect and take responsibility!" Yin Ning patted Xiao He's thin shoulder. "My Imperial Father will probably announce his execution in the street after spring begins. I'll bring you to watch his beheading then!" "...Mm." Xiao He looked up at Yin Ning and Shi Qingyuan. "Even if Teacher Su doesn't accept me as his student, I will work hard to learn martial arts!" Xiao He felt that the reason she was sold into that dead-soldier training camp was because she was too weak then to resist. She believed that as long as she kept getting stronger, she would definitely be able to help Yin Ning and Shi Qingyuan in the future.
Hearing Xiao He's worry that Su Zheng wouldn't take her as a disciple, the corners of Yin Ning's mouth lifted again. "Don't worry. I know Teacher Su's personality well. He cherishes talent above all else and would never let go of a rough gem like you!"
Xiao He was surprised to find that after hearing Yin Ning's words, her heart steadied considerably. Realizing that she had begun to trust Yin Ning in such a short time, she felt a little surprised, but also found it quite natural. "I'll follow you for the rest of my life."
Just before Yin Ning got off the carriage, hearing Xiao He blurt out these words, she turned her head back, the carriage curtain already lifted in her hand, and smiled radiantly. "No problem! Leave it to me! You definitely won't regret it!" With that, Yin Ning jumped out of the carriage.
As she watched Yin Ning's retreating figure, Xiao He pursed her lips, suppressing the smile that threatened to curl at the corners of her mouth. When Shi Qingyuan noticed, a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing.
After Yin Ning left, Shi Qingyuan quickly took Xiao He to the Su residence. Su Zheng had been watching his young nephew Su An practice martial arts in the courtyard. When the butler hurried in to report that Shi Qingyuan had come to visit him with a little girl, he immediately shot up from his stone stool. "Uncle Liang, have you invited them in?" The butler nodded. "I've seated them in the main hall and served tea." "Good!" Su Zheng then strode out quickly, but just as he was about to leave the courtyard, he suddenly stopped as if hitting the brakes, straightening his collar and sleeves. Still not satisfied, he turned to Uncle Liang and asked, "Uncle Liang, do I look presentable? Is there anything out of place?"
Uncle Liang was about to shake his head when Su An, who was following behind Su Zheng, spoke up. Having been raised by Su Zheng since childhood, Su An was quite casual in his attitude toward his uncle. Seeing his uncle so concerned with his appearance—“a man making himself beautiful for his lady”—Su An couldn't help teasing him. "Oh my, little uncle, Miss Shi has come to discuss serious business with you. You should hurry over. Why care so much about your looks?"
In the Great Jing Dynasty, the female official in charge of teaching the princess was called a 'Zhufu,' so Su An and the others always respectfully addressed Shi Qingyuan as 'Miss Shi' (Shi Zhufu). Hearing his nephew's teasing, Su Zheng immediately turned and glared at him. "Are your bones itching? Do you want double today's training?" Su An stiffened his neck. "Even if today's training is doubled, I still have to loudly say that little uncle is handsome! You're the most handsome little uncle in all Jingshi, bar none!" Seeing Su An clowning around like this, Su Zheng, who had been nervous due to Shi Qingyuan's visit, couldn't help but laugh. He gave Su An a disgruntled look. "When we get in front of Miss Shi, keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything careless!" Su An naturally nodded immediately, knowing what his uncle was hinting at. Every time his father wrote from the frontier to his little uncle, seven times out of ten, the letter contained a scolding, telling his uncle he'd lost the Su family's spirit—having liked Shi Qingyuan for so many years since youth and not daring to confess even once.
Chapter 33 Before meeting Shi Qingyuan, Su Zheng was still nervous and unsure, but when he appeared in front of her, he behaved with great composure and dignity, as though treating her as an ordinary guest. Shi Qingyuan, accustomed to this businesslike attitude, directly stated her purpose. When she learned that the strange child by her side was exactly the dead-soldier Liu Sanqi had mentioned on the Sky Canopy, both Su Zheng and Su An couldn't help but glance at Xiao He. Facing their obvious scrutiny, Xiao He sat quietly in the grand chair, her expression unchanged. Seeing that, despite her young age, she remained so calm, a hint of admiration flashed in Su Zheng's eyes. So after learning that Yin Ning wanted him to take Xiao He as a disciple, he said to Shi Qingyuan, "Miss Shi, I'd like Su An to test Xiao He's current foundation in martial arts."
Shi Qingyuan naturally understood. So Su Zheng quickly led them to the training ground. Though Xiao He and Su An were only four years apart in age, Su An was nearly twice Xiao He's height. Looking at the slight figure before him, Su An felt an odd sense of guilt about bullying a child. Su Zheng knew his nephew well and immediately grasped his attitude toward this assessment. "Su An, give it your all! Excellence comes first; if you lose this assessment, you'll have to call Xiao He 'Senior Sister' from now on!" In Su Zheng's view, Xiao He, who possessed such a calm gaze at only eight years old, was no opponent to be underestimated.
Hearing Su Zheng's stern reprimand, Su An snapped to attention, quickly setting aside all his previous contempt for Xiao He. A moment later, at Su Zheng's signal, the assessment began. Originally, Su Zheng's worst expectation was a stalemate where neither side could overcome the other. But three minutes later, seeing Su An knocked flat by Xiao He's sweeping side kick, Su Zheng fell silent. He now understood why Yin Ning wanted him to take Xiao He as a disciple. He suddenly felt that he would certainly go down in history, envied by many—because in his life, he had encountered three such supremely talented disciples.
Seeing Su An get up, wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and charge at Xiao He again, Su Zheng stopped him. The outcome of this assessment was already decided; even if Su An persisted for ten days and nights, the result wouldn't change. Su An looked dejected and frustrated, his face full of disappointment. Su Zheng walked over, gently patted his shoulder, and was about to comfort him when suddenly the Sky Canopy appeared in the sky, and Liu Sanqi's distinctive clear voice reached everyone's ears: "Bao-zi, Sanqi is back! Ever since I started this live-stream series on Emperor Jingwu, many of you have asked for an episode about Emperor Jingwu and her King Consort Su Yu. So in this episode, let's analyze the emotional state between Emperor Jingwu and Su Yu."
Under the Sky Canopy, Su An, who had been feeling sad about losing to Xiao He, immediately perked up at hearing Liu Sanqi mention his brother Su Yu's name, staring intently at the Sky Canopy. Even Xiao He, whose expression hadn't changed, couldn't help but look up curiously. "From ancient times to now, the relationship between Emperor Jingwu and her King Consort has always been a hot topic. Many firmly believe that their marriage was purely political, with only cold interests and no feelings. After all, theirs was an arranged marriage made by Emperor Jingming before his death. The reason Emperor Jingming married her, then still a princess, to the northwest was because he was wary of the Su family's military power and wanted a princess to act as the imperial family's nail in the Su household." On the Sky Canopy, Liu Sanqi laid out Emperor Jingming's considerations regarding the marriage of Yin Ning and Su Yu in great detail.
Under the canopy, in the northwest, at the Marshal's Mansion, Su Lei's sword-like brows were drawn together, his eyes blazing. When he heard that Emperor Jingming had intended Yin Ning to be an imperial spy, even though he'd already figured this out, his hot temper made him curse directly to the strategist Wen Changrong: "Yin Kai! That old bastard's been rotten since his youth!" Wen Changrong, with his lean face, hearing Su Lei address Emperor Jingming by name and call him an old bastard, simply smiled calmly. "Marshal, with your fiery temper, it's no wonder the emperor is wary of you. The emperor merely wanted to marry the princess into the Su family, hoping that the next generation with imperial blood would ensure the Su family's loyalty to the Great Jing in the future. Compared to other methods, this is quite a mild way to keep us in check."
What Wen Changrong feared most was that Emperor Jingming might harden his heart, ignore the Su family's influence in the military, and forcibly summon Su Lei and Su Yu back to the capital. If that happened, unless they wanted to be branded as disobedient to the imperial decree, they'd have no choice but to obediently return. Su Lei knew Wen Changrong was right, but he was still very unhappy and snorted heavily.
Meanwhile, at the palace, Emperor Jingming was in Empress Xu's Kunning Palace. Hearing his intentions publicly laid out by Liu Sanqi on the Sky Canopy, even Emperor Jingming felt a bit embarrassed. Especially with Yin Ning and Empress Xu sitting right across from him, the mother and daughter both looking at him, saying nothing yet saying everything. To Empress Xu, Emperor Jingming felt he was clearly in the wrong, but to Yin Ning, he felt he could be justified. "I asked you the other day if you wanted to cancel the marriage to Su Yu, but you said no!" Empress Xu hadn't known that Emperor Jingming had asked Yin Ning about this. She turned to Yin Ning with a surprised look, clearly expecting an explanation. Previously, Empress Xu had been very dissatisfied with Su Yu being Yin Ning's betrothed—she thought Su Yu's personality was too strong and not a good match. Before, it wasn't possible to break off the engagement, but now that it was, she couldn't understand why Yin Ning refused.
Yin Ning hadn't expected Emperor Jingming to redirect the blame to her. She smiled obediently at Empress Xu. "Mother, I think Imperial Father's concerns about the Su family are not groundless. So it's better to keep this marriage than to break it off." Hearing Yin Ning pass the buck back to him, Emperor Jingming couldn't help but glare at her. Yin Ning completely ignored it, as if she hadn't felt his killing intent. Empress Xu, hearing this explanation, understood that Yin Ning valued the political benefits of this marriage more. At the thought, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She remembered when Yin Ning was first born, looking at her innocent, cute face, she had only wished that this little daughter would have a smooth and happy life. As Yin Ning grew older, her hopes were only that she would find a good man to love for life and spend her years with. But now, it seemed that Yin Ning's marriage to Su Yu was indeed, as Liu Sanqi said on the Sky Canopy, a purely beneficial political alliance. "Forget it. I'm not going to bother with these troublesome matters. Like father, like daughter." Hearing this, Emperor Jingming was truly speechless. He strongly felt that Empress Xu was taking out her anger on him. He even felt that her attitude toward him had become much more casual than before. If it were before, no matter what, Empress Xu wouldn't have dared to say 'like father, like daughter' to his face. Thinking about the cause of this change, Emperor Jingming glanced at Yin Ning but ultimately said nothing. Though he was the Son of Heaven, he was still human, with emotions and desires, and also yearned to be sincerely treated. This kind of 'offense' was actually another expression of true feelings. He pretended not to have heard Empress Xu's words and continued to watch Liu Sanqi on the Sky Canopy.
"Just as Emperor Jingming hoped, after marrying into the northwest, Emperor Jingwu quickly implemented sweeping measures to strengthen the imperial family's influence in the military. As a princess, and the youngest daughter favored by Emperor Jingming at the time, Emperor Jingwu's dowry was naturally exceptionally generous. But besides a huge amount of gold, silver, and jewelry, before her marriage, Emperor Jingwu specifically requested a medical team of a hundred people from Emperor Jingming. Obviously, she had done thorough research before going to the northwest, knowing that medical resources in the northwestern border army were extremely scarce. At that time, due to a severe lack of doctors in the military, after each battle, the number of soldiers who died from their injuries was often several times the number of those killed in action. Some of you might wonder whether the shortage of doctors was Emperor Jingming conspiracy to weaken the Su family's influence, but it really had nothing to do with him. Leaving aside our current era, take the 1960s as an example: why did we promote 'barefoot doctors' in rural areas back then? Because medical resources in the countryside were pitifully scarce; most doctors gathered in cities or towns. Many villagers who fell ill could only tough it out, and if they couldn't, they lay at home waiting to die. In Emperor Jingming's time, the northwestern border region was constantly harassed by tribes from beyond the passes. Naturally, it was impossible to have many medical resources! So when Emperor Jingwu distributed her hundred-member medical team throughout the military, the soldiers of the northwestern border army were extremely grateful. Because Emperor Jingwu not only ordered the team to treat the wounded in the army but also required each of them to take on five soldiers as apprentices and teach them medicine by their side."
Under the canopy, in the northwest, at the Marshal's Mansion, Su Lei was now excited, his eyes shining as he said loudly to Wen Changrong: "A hundred doctors, each taking five apprentices—then our army will never have to worry about a shortage of military doctors in the future!" Wen Changrong, as a strategist, rationally poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "The princess is going to ascend the throne in the capital. It's impossible for her to marry into our northwest." Hearing this, Su Lei's excited expression instantly wilted like an eggplant hit by frost. He had wanted to say that it would be better if the Sky Canopy hadn't appeared, so Yin Ning could still come to the northwest. But the next second, remembering that Emperor Jingming's original choice of successor was Yin Rui, the tyrannical Emperor Jingli, he quickly swallowed the words that had reached his lips.