Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 458 Top Three 8
"Fang Xingjian is twenty-three years old this year. His father, Fang Lei, was a heavy infantryman recruited from the former Guangdong and Guangxi regions. He repeatedly made meritorious contributions and rose to the rank of junior officer! He was crippled due to his meritorious service in the second expedition! At that time, I, in consideration of his merits, specially granted him a place in the Military Academy."

Xingjian, among all the students of my Dragon Martial Arts Academy, you are number one in military drills! Number one in military theory! Number one in horsemanship! Number one in infantry combat! Number one in naval warfare! And second in archery!
"I wasn't wrong, was I?!" Looking at the young warrior kneeling before him, exuding heroic spirit, Zhu Zhanhe rose from the dragon throne, walked around Fang Xingjian kneeling on the ground, and finally stood in front of Fang Xingjian, loudly recounting Fang Xingjian's resume.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Fang Xingjian was stunned upon hearing the Emperor's words. He had never imagined that the Emperor would know all about him! Did this mean that the Emperor had always cared about every student in the Martial Arts Academy?
Such a scene could not help but fill Fang Xingjian with excitement.

Not only Fang Xingjian, but countless students of the Martial Arts Academy were also filled with excitement! The Emperor, who was so busy with state affairs, actually valued them, these young students of the Martial Arts Academy, so much that countless students' eyes turned red with excitement!
Even the three top-ranking scholars in the civil service exam, who had been standing behind the left side of Emperor Longwu's throne, were now staring intently at Fang Xingjian, their faces filled with undisguised envy.

Hehe~!

"Bring it here!" Zhu Zhanhe, who was standing in front of Fang Xingjian, chuckled and waved his hand, directly addressing Xiao Xizi, who was standing to the side.

Immediately, Xiao Xizi brought out another tray covered with yellow silk from some corner. However, this time, everyone could see that the tray contained a long, narrow object!
The sword symbolizing the emperor's disciples! In an instant, everyone's mind was filled with thoughts of the sword's origins!

Right now, it was still the eldest prince, Zhu Qiyu, who raised his hand and peeled off the yellow silk from the tray in Xiao Xizi's hands. Instantly, a gilded sword (in the style of the Yongle sword) was revealed inside.

Then, the eldest prince, Zhu Qiyu, reached out and took the sword from the tray with both hands, and respectfully presented it to Emperor Longwu!

With a crisp "snap," Emperor Longwu received the sword from the hands of his eldest son, Zhu Qiyu. Although the Emperor Longwu's voice was low as he received the sword, it seemed to resonate clearly in the hearts of every scholar in the martial arts academy!
"My dear minister, this sword, like the tablet of the top three scholars in the civil service examination, I also made three of them."

It was only before your palace examination that I had the Minister of War personally remove these three precious swords.

Unlike the official tablets used by civil officials, these swords come in three different materials: gold, silver, and bronze!

This one is the golden sword.

Now, I bestow it upon you!
"I hope that in the future you will be able to expand the territory of my Dragon Kingdom and defend the borders against enemies!" Zhu Zhanhe gently shook the sword in his hand twice, and then solemnly placed the sword in Fang Xingjian's raised hands!

"Your Majesty, I, Fang Xingjian, will not fail your trust!" Hearing the Emperor's words and feeling the weight of the sword in his hand, Fang Xingjian gripped the sword tightly, touched the ground with the back of his hand, and kowtowed heavily, saying this.
Hahaha~!

"Xingjian, get up and draw your sword!" Seeing Fang Xingjian's invigorated appearance, Zhu Zhanhe immediately helped him up. And the moment Fang Xingjian stood up, Zhu Zhanhe told him to draw his sword!

"Your Majesty, how dare this humble subject mobilize troops before the Emperor!" Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's words, Fang Xingjian was startled. He immediately raised his sword high above his head and said with a look of panic.

"Draw your sword and tell everyone what words I bestowed upon you on its blade!" Zhu Zhanhe didn't mind Fang Xingjian's panicked expression at all. Instead, he continued to have Fang Xingjian draw the sword and read the words engraved on it.

"This~"
"Your subject obeys the decree!" After hesitating for a moment, Fang Xingjian finally agreed with a worried expression after seeing the serious expression on Emperor Longwu's face.

A resounding clang, like a sword being drawn from its sheath, seemed to reach everyone's ears. In an instant, all eyes were fixed on Fang Xingjian!
Because Fang Xingjian was the first person in the Dragon Kingdom to dare draw his sword in front of Emperor Longwu! Even the request to draw the sword was made by Emperor Longwu himself!
Even though he had only pulled the sword out a tiny bit, Fang Xingjian was still extremely nervous!

However, upon looking up and seeing Emperor Longwu's serious face, Fang Xingjian had no choice but to continue pulling the sword out inch by inch, his movements trembling. But soon, Fang Xingjian stopped. At this moment, less than 20% of the sword's blade was already drawn from its sheath!

The main reason was that Fang Xingjian had already seen the four large characters on the spine of the sword! The words "Unparalleled Loyalty and Courage" were clearly written on the spine of the sword in front of Fang Xingjian!
Fang Xingjian, who was about to shout out those four words, suddenly caught sight of the three scholars from the literature department. A thought struck him, and immediately, Fang Xingjian flipped his sword over!

Immediately, Fang Xingjian saw four large characters again: Disciple of the Emperor!

A disciple of the Emperor! Unparalleled in loyalty and courage! After silently repeating these eight words in his mind, Fang Xingjian felt a surge of passion coursing through his body!
With a "whoosh!" Fang Xingjian raised his hands high, drawing part of his sword, and shouted loudly to the countless people below the imperial road:

"Your Majesty, this sword is inscribed with: Disciple of the Emperor! Unparalleled in Loyalty and Courage!" As if to show off, Fang Xingjian shouted loudly to the countless people below the imperial road!
For a moment, everyone under the imperial road couldn't help but shrink their eyes!
The top three in the liberal arts are the emperor's disciples! Now, judging by this trend, the top three in the martial arts are probably also the emperor's disciples!

With a crisp "whoosh," Fang Xingjian raised his sword high above his head once more and knelt down before Emperor Longwu with a thud.

"Xingjian, this precious sword originally had no name."

But just now, I suddenly thought of a good name!

These three precious swords are called the Crown Prince's Disciple Swords!

Today, I bestow this precious sword upon you all.

I hope that in the future, you will serve the country and its people, and live up to my expectations.

"I hope you will be loyal to your country and brave and invincible! Live up to your bravery!" Zhu Zhanhe gently helped Fang Xingjian up again and gave him his instructions.

"Student, I will forever remember your teachings!" Fang Xingjian changed his way of addressing his teacher, raising his sword and bowing deeply once more.

"That's for the best." Zhu Zhanhe lifted Fang Xingjian up while simultaneously taking the sword that Fang Xingjian was holding in his own hand. Seeing this, Fang Xingjian quickly released his grip on the sword.

The next moment, to everyone's astonishment, the Dragon Emperor, dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a crown, actually bent down slightly and tied the golden sword in his hand directly to Fang Xingjian's waist!
"Your Majesty!" For a moment, Fang Xingjian froze on the spot. After a moment of stunned silence, he could only anxiously try to dissuade him, but he dared not move his body.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Emperor Longwu bowed slightly and personally tied the golden Emperor's Disciple Sword to the waist of Fang Xingjian, the champion of the martial arts examination!

Almost instantly, everyone felt the atmosphere on both sides of the imperial road and below it become incredibly intense! Countless people's eyes practically bled from their stares! They wished they could replace their square swords with their own!
The emperor himself bent down to tie the sword to his waist—what an honor! At that moment, Fang Xingjian's blood surged, and his heart was filled with boundless pride!
At this moment, even if Emperor Longwu ordered Fang Xingjian to die, he probably wouldn't even blink an eye!

The saying "a scholar will die for his confidant" couldn't be more fitting!

(End of this chapter)