The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The Dingyuan Marquis's residence was located in Yongningfang, east of the capital, and its area was not very large.

The stone lions in front of the gate were not as imposing as those at the Grand Commandant's mansion.

However, the blue bricks on the training ground in the mansion were smoother than those of any other mansion in the capital.

Those were worn down by generations of Han family members using the soles of their boots.

Marquis Han Chong of Dingyuan was stationed in the northern border for many years, and all the affairs of his household were managed by his wife.

Lady Han came from a military family, yet she managed the household with great order and efficiency, keeping the Marquis's mansion in perfect harmony.

That afternoon, the Second Prince's principal wife, Lady Han, returned to her parents' home in an inconspicuous blue-curtained sedan chair.

She didn't bring many attendants, only two personal maids and a few boxes of newly made palace pastries.

Madam Han was waiting in the main hall early on, and the mother and daughter were naturally very affectionate when they met.

Han handed the snacks to her mother and inquired about her father's health in the north. As they were talking, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by a clear voice: "Eldest sister is back! Eldest sister!"

The curtain was suddenly thrown open, and a girl dressed in a red outfit rushed in.

She was about twelve or thirteen years old, and her figure had not yet fully developed, but she already had some of Han Chong's heroic spirit in her eyes and brows.

His long, jet-black hair was tied high at the back of his head with a red ribbon, and a few glistening beads of sweat clung to his forehead, clearly indicating that he had just come down from the training ground.

She rushed in and grabbed Han's arm, her eyes crinkling with laughter, "Big sister, you're finally back! You said you'd take me to the palace to see the lanterns, but we hadn't heard from you since. I thought you'd forgotten about me!"

"Youwei, how old are you and still so impetuous? Aren't you afraid your older sister will laugh at you?" Madam Han glared at her reproachfully, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

"Mother, eldest sister won't laugh at me, right, eldest sister?" Han Youwei winked at Han Shi, released her arm, and sat down opposite her casually. She picked up the teacup Han Shi had drunk from and took a big gulp, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Eldest sister, why did you have time to come back today? Were you bored in the palace? Or did the Second Prince bully you again? If he bullies you, I'll go and get revenge for you!"

Madam Han couldn't help but laugh out loud. She picked up a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead, her tone filled with a mixture of doting and helplessness: "His Highness treats me very well, so don't worry about it. But you, I just heard from Mother that you've gotten into trouble again."

"The other day you had an archery contest with the son of Vice Minister Zhao of the Ministry of War, and you shot through his hat. I had to personally go to apologize. When will you ever learn to be more composed?"

"How can you blame me!" Han Youwei immediately sat up straight, widening her eyes as she argued, "He said he wasn't afraid of my bow and told me to shoot as much as I wanted. I didn't shoot his body, only his hat, which was already showing mercy."

"If it were the archery technique my father taught me, that arrow would have ripped off his belt, making him drop his pants in public. That would be truly humiliating!"

Mrs. Han held her forehead, her face showing an expression that said, "I don't know this daughter."

Madam Han laughed and shook her head, then reached out and flicked the tip of her nose: "You really have a sharp tongue, you never let things go when you're right. But I'm back today because I have something to tell you."

She paused, her gaze lingering on Han Youwei's face for a moment, "It's about your marriage."

Han Youwei was about to take a second sip of tea when she heard this and suddenly stopped.

She put down her teacup, looked at Madam Han suspiciously, then glanced at Madam Han beside her who was smiling silently, and asked warily, "Marriage? What marriage? Mother, what are you arranging for me this time? I've told you so many times, the person I marry must at least be able to beat me in the martial arts arena."

"I don't want those weak scholars who can only recite poems and compose essays."

Madam Han and his wife exchanged a glance, then Madam Han picked up her teacup, took a slow sip, and put it down before speaking unhurriedly: "He is not a weak scholar, but the Ninth Prince of the current dynasty."

The main hall was silent for a moment, then Han Youwei suddenly stood up, her voice rising several notches: "The Ninth Prince? You mean that Ninth Prince who stays holed up in the side hall all day and never goes out? Big sister, you're not kidding me, are you?"

"I saw him at the palace banquet. He was thin and small, sitting in the corner, and didn't speak to anyone the entire meal."

"He can't even hold a knife properly, can he? I heard he only completed his Foundation Establishment stage a few years ago. You want me to marry someone like that?"

Han did not answer immediately, but instead picked up her teacup, took another sip, and gently stirred the tea leaves floating on the surface with the lid, waiting for her impatience to subside.

Madam Han frowned, her tone somewhat displeased: "Youwei, although the Ninth Prince is not the Empress's son, he is still His Majesty's own child. How can you be so rude?"

"Mother, I'm not being rude, I'm just telling the truth." Han Youwei sat down again, crossed her arms, raised her chin slightly, and said with a hint of resentment, "I grew up with Father in the Northern Army Camp since I was a child, and I've seen my way through countless battles."

"The man I want to marry, even if he can't fight on the battlefield, at least has to have some real skills."

"That Ninth Prince, I've heard he's read a lot of books, but what's the use? How many of those civil officials in the court are actually good fighters?"

"Elder sister, tell me, what makes him worthy of my respect? In terms of martial arts, can he defeat me? In terms of talent, what official duties has he performed in court? In terms of reputation, who among the civil and military officials has ever mentioned the Ninth Prince's name?"

"I, Han Youwei, want to marry a man who is upright and strong, not a child who hides in a side hall reading books."

After she finished speaking, Han gently placed the teacup on the table, the bottom of the cup making a very light and crisp sound as it touched the tabletop.

She looked at her third sister, who had been spoiled by their father since childhood, and the smile on her lips slowly faded, replaced by a serious and gentle scrutiny.

She understood her third sister's thoughts, of course.

The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan grew up on horseback and was accustomed to seeing the battle-hardened generals under her father's command. She had an almost instinctive admiration for heroes.

Her ideal husband was a general as skilled in battle as her father, or at least a hero like the Second Prince who could compete with her in archery on the training ground.

In her eyes, the Ninth Prince was nothing more than a transparent prince who was "neither good at literature nor martial arts," and he even complained that the bowstring was too heavy when he accompanied her to shoot arrows.

But it was precisely because she knew her third sister so well that she understood that this seemingly carefree girl was actually more sensible than anyone else.

She just hadn't seen what that person actually looked like standing in front of her yet.

"You said he hid in the side hall reading, but do you know what he was reading?" Madam Han's voice was not loud, but steady and clear. "Last year, during the northern tour, the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince went to the northern border together."

"At the Yunzhou post station, the Fifth Prince was busy with military affairs, while the Ninth Prince helped to inventory supplies and comfort the wounded."

"After returning to the capital, Lord Guo Pu, who accompanied the emperor, reported to His Majesty that when the Ninth Prince was in Yunzhou, he compared several books on the geography of the northern border and found several errors in the maps of the Ministry of War's Bureau of Military Affairs, even clearly marking the abandoned beacon tower lines."

"After the destruction of the Church of Longevity's stronghold in Yunzhou City, he was also the first to discover that the layout of that abandoned military camp corresponded to the map of the northern military towns."

"After hearing this, His Majesty remained silent for a long time. He did not allow these matters to be publicized, but quite a few people in the court knew about them."

Han Youwei's resentment lessened somewhat, but she still hadn't completely let her guard down.

She picked up her teacup and took a sip, then looked up at Madam Han, her tone carrying the stubbornness and tenacity typical of a daughter of a military family: "So what? Even if he's read a few books, can he compare to Father? Can he compare to the Second Prince? Eldest sister, I don't look down on him, I just think he's too quiet, too quiet to be someone who can handle things."

"The man I want to marry must be more capable than me, at least to the point of making me truly respect him. He either has to beat me in the martial arts arena, or he has to prove himself worthy in some other way. You can't expect me to marry someone who is inferior to me in every way, can you?"

Madam Han did not refute her, but gently held her hand, her tone gentle and earnest: "Alright, let's meet first and then talk. In a few days, I will take you to the palace, just like going to the Phoenix Palace to talk with the Empress Dowager."

"If your ninth brother is also there, and you still don't like him after meeting him, I will not force you."

Han Youwei hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Then let's meet him first. But let me make this clear: if he's really as timid as the rumors say, I won't give him a good look."

Han simply smiled and shook her head, picked up her teacup and took another sip, but secretly thought to herself.

The sentence we discussed that day at Fengyi Palace.

The Second Prince once asked his mother what she thought of his Ninth Brother. His mother said something profound: "Your father watched him grow up, watched him stay quietly in the side hall, not causing trouble for anyone, nor showing favor to anyone."

In your father's heart, Xiao Jiu looks a lot like him back then.

How bad could someone be to make the Empress Dowager say such things?

She looked out the window. The blue bricks of the training ground in the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion gleamed faintly in the midday sun, and several unknown birds were flying over the training ground.