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

Later, when I was older, one day everything changed.

No more worries about being beaten or scolded, no more humiliation, no more worries about three meals a day, no more wearing those patched coarse linen clothes.

Some say it's because the three daughters of the Wei family are beautiful, and the steward wanted to train them to be singers for the guests' entertainment. Others say it's because some noble family took a fancy to them and wanted to take them back as playthings.

Although they were all slaves, it wasn't bad to have singing girls and playthings who could eat and dress warmly.

But no one expected that nine years would pass in the blink of an eye, and the three Wei women would still be staying in the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, as if they had been forgotten.

During this time, the second sister, Wei Shao'er, even had an affair with a minor official surnamed Huo and gave birth to a baby boy.

However, illicit affairs among slaves were common in the Han Dynasty, and the heads of households often turned a blind eye.

Anyway, the children born will be slaves in the manor, so this is a win-win situation.

Until a few days ago, the Marquis of Pingyang suddenly helped a family get their household registration removed from the register.

As a result, the previous rumors spread throughout Pingyang Prefecture once again.

Could it be that someone really has their eye on these three sisters and wants to take them as concubines?

Just as speculation was rife in Pingyang Prefecture, the steward specially instructed the carriage driver to take the Wei sisters to Princess Yangxin's residence.

Wei Zifu was about twenty-nine years old. She was not considered a beauty that could topple kingdoms. Instead, people's first impression of her was that she was delicate and ethereal, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting of court ladies and descended to earth.

"It should be Aqing..."

"Aqing? Who is that?"

News was relatively scarce in Pingyang Prefecture, and the news of Wei Qing's arrival in Chang'an was only circulating among the noble circles.

The reason why the story spread was not because of Wei Qing's talent, but because of Liu Yangxin's gossip.

Is this princess really going to marry a slave?

"Our younger brother."

Wei Shao'er asked with a puzzled expression, "Do we have a younger brother?"

"Yes, I used to live in Pingyang County, but I recently came to Chang'an."

Wei Shao'er gasped in surprise and turned to look at her older sister, Wei Junru, beside her: "Ah... Big sister, do you know about this?"

Wei Junru was unsure whether his second sister, Wei Shao'er, was referring to this younger brother, or whether this half-brother had arrived in Chang'an.

She recalled, "It seems there was such a younger brother, but he was sent to his biological father shortly after birth, and there was no contact after that. He... came to Chang'an?"

It's unclear where Wei Zifu learned of this, but she opened the window and looked towards the direction of the Imperial Academy: "They've arrived! Not only have they arrived, but it probably won't be long before the name Wei Qing is being talked about everywhere."

In Wei Junru's memory, his younger sister Zifu was always calm and composed no matter what happened, but today he could vaguely hear a hint of sorrow in her words.

what happened?

On the contrary, Wei Shao'er, who was carefree, hurriedly went to Zifu's side and asked expectantly, "Zifu, Zifu, why? Is it because our little brother has become successful? Will we be able to benefit from it in the future?"

Wei Zifu lowered the curtains, turned to look at her silly-looking older sister, then looked down at the child in her second sister's arms, and could only shake her head and say, "Perhaps, it's hard to say."

"Squeak"

The carriage stopped.

"The three young ladies have arrived."

"it is good."

He opened the carriage door and got off.

Qiao Lan, who had been waiting at the door for a long time, came forward gracefully: "Maid Qiao Lan greets the three elder sisters."

Wei Junru and Wei Shao'er felt a little flattered for a moment. Even if they didn't understand, they could tell from Qiao Lan's clothes and appearance that she was no ordinary maid in Yangxin Mansion.

The two quickly returned the greeting, saying, "No, no, we wouldn't dare."

Qiao Lan, her face as rosy as a peach blossom, said, "You're too kind, sisters. His Highness specifically instructed us before he left that we should treat this place as our own home and not stand on ceremony. It's hot outside, let's talk inside."

Wei Zifu nodded gently, indicating to her two elder sisters not to overthink it and to come inside the mansion first.

Stepping into Yangxin Prefecture, a cool breeze caressed my face, instantly invigorating me; the temperature was noticeably lower than outside.

"It's so cool."

Qiao Lan explained, "His Highness learned that my three elder sisters were coming today, and specifically ordered me to retrieve the millennia-old ice from the manor's storage. This ice, combined with the Mo family's mechanical arts, can maintain a relatively comfortable environment in the manor even in the sweltering summer."

"this..."

Even the usually carefree Wei Shaojun felt somewhat awkward upon hearing Qiao Lan's explanation.

They were born into slavery and did not deserve this treatment.

Could it be... really because of that younger brother that Zifu mentioned, whom she had never met?

Just as Wei Junru and Wei Shaojun were hesitating about how to start the conversation, a hurried shout came from behind: "Sister Qiao Lan, Sister Qiao Lan, I'm back!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned around at the same time. It was another of Liu Yangxin's personal maids, who was rushing over from outside.

Perhaps it was because of the non-stop travel and the unbearable heat of the day, her clothes were soaked with sweat, but this still couldn't hide the joyful expression on her face.

"Sister Qiao... Sister Qiao Lan, at the Imperial Academy... Young Master Wei over there..."

Qiao Lan helped her younger sister Mei Yan up; it was Mei Yan who accompanied His Highness to the Imperial Academy this morning.

The fact that they're back now means they must have received a result from the Imperial Academy.

"Take your time, no rush. What's the result from the Imperial Academy..."

"About the Imperial Academy..." Meiyan was about to speak when she suddenly noticed Wei Junru and the other two beside her and asked curiously, "Three sisters... could you be sisters from the Wei family...?"

Wei Junru quickly replied, "I dare not accept such praise. May I ask if the matter concerning the Imperial Academy is related to my younger brother?"

Meiyan nodded hurriedly, congratulating him with a smile: "Today in front of the Imperial Academy, the lecturers of the command department, along with two high-ranking officials, had their military spirits severed by Young Master Wei's sword, turning the tide of battle in one fell swoop! After this battle, Young Master Wei's name will resound throughout Chang'an."

............

I finished writing my reflections yesterday and went to sleep. When I woke up at noon today, a friend messaged me privately and said: "When I saw the title of your chapter, I thought you had given up."

I:? ? ?

Chapter Two: Happiness Came Too Suddenly

The same news spread throughout the entire upper-class aristocracy in less than an hour.

Anyone who cares even slightly about the Imperial Academy will find out the general outline of what happened through various channels.

Of course, depending on the source of information, the version of the story you hear will vary slightly.

Manager Zhou of Baibingge was still in his study organizing recent orders. Unlike armor shops, the competition among weapon shops was much fiercer.

The market is only so big; if you lose a piece of it, it will be immediately divided up.

Not only in the market, but also within the Hundred Weapons Pavilion, the struggles have never ceased.

Especially in recent years, the Pavilion Master's family has been dealing with more and more matters, and he has rarely inquired about the situation of the Hundred Weapons Pavilion recently.

It's likely that the Pavilion Master will have to return to fight for the position of family head soon, so he plans to promote a steward to the position of deputy Pavilion Master before leaving, to manage the Hundred Weapons Pavilion on his behalf.

Right now, the managers are practically fighting tooth and nail over the position of vice-pavilion master.

Yesterday, without consulting his superiors, he made the decision to buy the Blood Blade for 100,000 gold coins. The crucial point is that after he paid the money, the Blood Blade was taken away by someone else.

It is also said that Princess Yangxin personally vouched for him, which means that Wei Qing was the founder of the Han army.

It's not that people don't believe Princess Yangxin's words, but who knows if there's something fishy going on?

One hundred thousand gold coins might not seem like much to the entire Hundred Weapons Pavilion, but for one of its managers, it's a considerable sum.

Sure enough, just one day later, I heard countless rumors and gossip.

Saying they misjudged the situation and the investment failed is being polite; the more unpleasant things said were that Manager Zhou conspired with Wei Qing to cheat Baibingge. In short, the other managers were going to any lengths to eliminate their competitors.

Manager Zhou believed that the Pavilion Master, with his keen insight, would not believe such rumors, but if Wei Qing's side faltered and something unexpected happened, it would be difficult for him to explain to the Pavilion Master.

So when he learned that Wei Qing was going to the Imperial Academy to register today, he sent people to the Imperial Academy early in the morning to find out the news.

I don't ask for anything else, I just hope that Wei Qing can successfully enter the Imperial Academy, that would be enough.

When noon came, no news came, so Manager Zhou sent someone else over.

It's afternoon now, and two groups were sent out before, but not a single one has come back!

Could something have gone wrong?

Even if there are more students applying to the Imperial Academy recently, it shouldn't be that we haven't heard anything by now.

The more Manager Zhou waited for news, the more anxious he became. Should he go and see for himself?

Since I can't concentrate on processing these orders anyway, I might as well go and take a look myself.

Just as I was thinking this, the study door was suddenly pushed open.

"Steward Zhou, there's news from the Imperial Academy."

"What news!"

Manager Zhou didn't have time to blame the shop assistant for coming in without knocking. He hurriedly asked, "How is it? Has Wei Qing entered the Imperial Academy?"

The shop assistant, extremely excited, exclaimed, "It's in! It's in! Not only is it in... the Imperial Academy, but..."

"And what?"

Manager Zhou watched him panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat. What on earth was wrong?

"Moreover, Wei Qing also defeated the lecturer of the Imperial Academy."

"What! Say that again!? You beat the lecturer? Wei Qing had a conflict with a lecturer from the Imperial Academy?"

Manager Zhou was initially startled, but quickly got used to it.

This guy dared to kidnap even the direct descendants of the Lü family, so it's not hard to understand why he would clash with a lecturer at the Imperial Academy.

Go on, it's a small matter. I, Zhou Peng, have been in charge for thirty years. What haven't I seen?

He picked up the teacup filled with cool tea, handed it to the shop assistant, and said, "Have a sip of water first, then speak slowly and carefully, making sure you don't miss anything."

The shop assistant gulped down a few mouthfuls of water and continued, "This morning at the Imperial Academy's admissions plaza, second-year students from the Imperial Academy's command department came to cause trouble for another human student. As a result, Wei Qing couldn't stand it and started fighting with the two of them."