My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

Liu Yangxin changed the subject, saying, "Alright, let's not talk about these annoying things. Zhongqing, let's go to the Marquis of Ruyin's residence first and resolve the follow-up matters regarding your entry into the Imperial Academy, so as to avoid any unexpected complications later."

The Marquis of Ruyin's residence was neutral, neither favoring Lü nor Liu.

But now the Lü family is in power, and if someone really tries to trip up Wei Qing because of the Liu family, there might actually be trouble.

Wei Qing responded and, carrying two old, worn-out swords, rode in a phoenix-shaped carriage, quickly arriving at the Marquis of Ruyin's residence from Yangxin Prefecture.

However, this time they did not enter the main courtyard, but went straight to the training ground at the back.

Although it's called a martial arts training ground, it's actually located in a huge hall filled with all sorts of learning and practice equipment; calling it a martial arts hall would be more appropriate.

These tools were jointly created by the military strategists and the Gongshu family, with even the Mohists providing assistance. They could be used not only for training but also for testing.

It's basically useless today. Wei Qing and the others just went through the motions when they came; they won't actually test anything.

What if someone fails the test?

Will you still give me a letter of recommendation?

If we give it to them, it won't sound good and it will give people something to talk about. If we don't give it to them, we've already agreed to it, so how can we take it back?

Liu Yangxin escorted Wei Qing to the outside of the martial arts arena: "You'll have to go in by yourself later. Women aren't forbidden from entering the arena, but they must have been on the battlefield. Otherwise, even if I, a princess, or Empress Lü came, she would only be able to wait at the entrance."

Not only the Han Dynasty, but armies in any realm look down on women unless you can make them submit.

The Han Dynasty was the same; only men were allowed to enter the martial arts arena. Women could also enter if they had either fought on the battlefield or were preparing to do so.

As for men... aside from eunuchs, if the front lines need them, even if you are a prince or nobleman, you have to go.

However, with hundreds of years of peaceful life, this rule gradually began to change at some point.

Liu Yangxin had forgotten about this until he arrived outside the training ground.

Considering the current situation, it's just a formality. Wei Qing isn't a spoiled brat, so what unexpected things could happen?

He didn't take it to heart, and after watching Wei Qing enter the training ground, he went to chat with the old lady of the Xiahou family.

Upon entering the training ground, Wei Qing discovered that quite a few people had already arrived.

Most of them were in groups of three or five, with elders bringing younger ones, but he came alone.

Why make such a big fuss over such a trivial matter?

As Wei Qing was thinking this, the others also looked at him.

Some of the older nobles or powerful figures frowned upon seeing Wei Qing, their eyes revealing disdain.

Wei Qing was full of questions and really wanted to ask: What are you looking at?

In the end, I suppressed my curiosity and stood there quietly waiting.

A moment later, it seemed that everyone who was supposed to come had arrived. Xiahou Ci then hurriedly came over from outside, carrying a stack of papers and several jade tokens.

There were tables but no chairs in the training ground, so everyone had to stand, and Xiahou Ci was no exception.

He placed the paper and jade tablet behind the table, turned to the group of guests, and said, "Is this your first time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Ci, upon seeing Wei Qing, suddenly stopped.

what happened?

Why would a slave appear in the training ground?

The group of nobles watching the show nearby also looked at Wei Qing with great interest, as if they were enjoying the spectacle.

The fact that this person was able to enter the martial arts arena indicates that he did not enter by mistake; he must have been recommended by someone.

There are also exceptionally talented individuals among the slaves. It's not unreasonable to recruit them into a family and then ask the military strategist for help in recommending them for further studies at the Imperial Academy.

But at the very least, shouldn't we at least free the slaves from their social status?

The crucial point is that they sent the slave alone?

Who are you looking down on?

.....

Meanwhile, at the Pingyang Marquis's residence on the other side, Cao Ying had just returned from outside.

To catch the silver spider, he squatted outside the cave for a whole day and two nights without daring to close his eyes even once.

Fortunately, hard work pays off, and they finally managed to capture the silver spider alive. They'll go back and ask the weaver family about the price.

The clothes of the weavers can be bought with money and status, but the soft armor is not for sale.

You either have to exchange something for it, or help the weavers complete certain specific tasks.

The silk spun by the silver spider happens to be a high-end textile material.

Now, you might be able to trade a lively, bouncy silver spider for a set of close-fitting soft armor.

Cao Ying, lying on the soft couch, turned over and realized that she seemed to have forgotten to do something.

Oh right, it's about removing the Wei family from the register.

Let's talk about it after I wake up, there's no rush anyway.

As a result, the matter of removing Wei from the household registration was delayed for another day.

Chapter 19: Liu Yangxin, don't go too far!

"What's your name?" Xiahou Ci asked Wei Qing.

Not to mention Xiahou Ci, everyone else present was quite curious as to who had recommended this kid, who seemed to have no sense of etiquette at all.

Do you really think that the elders came all this way to show off their wealth?

What a joke, it's all just to give the Xiahou family some face.

The fact that the elders came in person shows how much they value this matter.

When it came to you, not only was the person who came a slave, but he also came alone, as if he didn't care about the matter at all.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a slap in the face to Xiahou Ci, but it would certainly make people feel a little uncomfortable.

Wei Qing noticed that everyone was looking at him, but he remained calm and composed.

I've been chatting and laughing with the second most meritorious official of the Han Dynasty since I was a child. In terms of seniority, I'm older than all of you. I've already been more considerate than you are to not have to call me "Grandpa". Don't push your luck!

"Wei Qing." After saying that, Wei Qing paused for a few seconds, then felt it necessary to add something, and said, "He was recommended by His Highness Yangxin."

So it was His Highness Yangxin! Now everyone understood.

There were no men in Yangxin Prefecture; to avoid suspicion, it was all maids who weren't qualified to enter the martial arts training ground. So it was understandable that Wei Qing came in alone.

As everyone analyzed the situation, they suddenly felt something was amiss, especially those who had heard some gossip about last night's royal banquet. They looked at Wei Qing and Xiahou Ci with amused smiles.

What does Princess Yangxin mean by this?

Are they trying to cause trouble?

When Xiahou Ci heard that Wei Qing was recommended by Liu Yangxin, his face turned ashen, and his anger surged uncontrollably.

Wei Qing was completely bewildered, and his right hand subconsciously tightened its grip on the hilt of the woodcutter's knife at his waist.

If this old man suddenly decides to attack me, I should strike first and kill him with a single blow, then try to escape.

The nobles all twitched at the corners of their mouths when they saw Wei Qing's actions.

Hey bro, what do you mean by this? Are you really planning to kill someone?

Although they were not afraid of Wei Qing, he was just a mortal with limited strength, no matter how fiercely he fought.

Among the crowd present, there were three "enemies of ten thousand men," so what other tricks could you pull?

The main shock came from Wei Qing's sudden and aggressive stance, as if he were about to draw his sword at the slightest provocation.

Xiahou Ci took a deep breath, reminding himself that there was no need to get angry with a slave. It would be beneath his dignity, and if word got out, it would be a disgrace to the Xiahou family. He said to Wei Qing in a calm tone, "I won't make things difficult for you. You can leave."

The nobles all nodded in approval when they saw that Xiahou Ci had finally given in.

Xiahou Ci was not bad; he did not do anything that would be beneath his dignity.

Of those present, Wei Qing was completely bewildered, wondering to himself: Had this old man taken the wrong medicine? Something felt off.

Forget it, it's better to avoid trouble. Since there's no intention to take action, there's no need to create problems for myself.

Thinking of this, Wei Qing slowly released his right hand and said, "Oh, thank you. By the way, my letter of recommendation from the Imperial Academy..."

Letter of recommendation?

How dare you even mention a letter of recommendation?

Xiahou Ci's anger, which had just been suppressed, suddenly flared up again.

The nobles around him gaped in astonishment, and several of the younger ones couldn't help but give Wei Qing a thumbs up, exclaiming, "You're awesome!"

Before the new year, Princess Yangxin had caused the death of Xiahou Ci's son, Xiahou Po, a fact that had been widely discussed in Chang'an.

This caused some friction between the two companies, which is hardly news.

Fortunately, Yangxin dismissed all the male servants in the mansion to avoid suspicion.

In addition, due to the vested interests involved, they managed to avoid a complete falling out. Those who should call him uncle still did so, and those who should call him niece still did so.

A few days ago, Princess Yangxin went to Pingyang County to visit Cao Can, and she returned with a young man.

I heard that this young man is a genius even Cao Shen praised, so that makes sense.

The fact that figures like Liu Heng and Liu Qi didn't place much importance on geniuses doesn't mean that geniuses are just commonplace.

Ordinary nobles, if they really encountered such a buried genius, would recruit him into their ranks immediately.

Therefore, apart from a few gossips, most nobles didn't take it seriously.

Interestingly, as is often the case, explosive news came from the palace yesterday: Empress Lü plans to send Yangxin to marry the Xiongnu Chanyu!

In addition, there was even more explosive news: Empress Lü revealed the prophecy that Xu Shenxiang had made to Princess Yangxin.

If I were to marry in this life, I could only marry the lowest of slaves.

Xu Shenxiang's calculations were flawless; this was universally acknowledged in the human world.

Since Yangxin can only marry a slave, it would be better to send her to the Xiongnu barbarian territory and marry the Xiongnu Chanyu.