Chapter 95: Reactions from All Sides

“Ah—” Li Yuechen stepped out of the corridor, spreading her arms to stretch lazily and let out a massive yawn. She rubbed her slightly moist eye rims, lifted her legs, and walked toward Anfu Hall.

Just now in court, Li Zhi had set the matter in stone with one hammer, leaving no room for rebuttal. But the troubles had only just begun. Li Yuechen could guarantee that this news would spread across the land at the fastest speed. What would happen next remained to be seen.

Upon returning to Anfu Hall, just as she removed her shoes and entered the main chamber, Fulei and Xiaohe bowed together in unison. “Congratulations, Your Highness!”

“Huh?” Li Yuechen turned her head. “What is there to celebrate?”

Fulei smiled. “From today onward, Your Highness will serve in court as an official!”

“Is that so?” Li Yuechen scratched her hair. “Is the Minister of Revenue bigger, or am I the princess?”

“Well… of course it is the princess.”

Li Yuechen sat at the desk. “Then it’s settled, isn’t it?”

Fulei, taken aback, stammered, “B-but…”

At that moment, two older sisters burst in. Yiyang Princess rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Chen’er is truly amazing. Now she’s serving in court as an official!”

Xuancheng Princess leaned in and pinched her cheek. “And Chen’er is still young. She will surely rise even higher in the future!”

“I’m so tired,” Li Yuechen said with a helpless expression. “Sister, don’t forget you promised to help me!”

Xuancheng Princess continued to pinch her cheek and shake it. “Chen’er, don’t worry. I won’t forget!”

Before long, the sisters were playfully bickering.

Beside them, Shangguan Wan’er watched the commotion with her bright eyes, a faint trace of envy flickering across her face. If only I could play like that with Your Highness…

Meanwhile, at Zhengguan Hall, the court session had just ended. The hundred officials hurried out of the imperial city with anxious expressions, their steps quick and urgent.

As they walked, they discussed in low voices how the matter had turned into such a chaotic situation.

But no matter how they felt, they needed to prepare early.

Now that a princess had entered court as an official, two outcomes would inevitably follow: either a full suppression of women, or the sure appearance of a second…

Nevertheless, these ministers had decided that upon returning home, they would strictly discipline their own daughters.

The momentum raised by the emperor with his own hands was not so easily extinguished. In the future, more women would likely enter court as officials, and they must prepare in advance.

The news that Princess Taiping had become Minister of the Ministry of Revenue could not be hidden. In just one day, it had spread throughout the Eastern Capital, known to everyone.

Soon, whether in wine houses, brothels, or alleyways, almost everyone began discussing the matter.

In general, the discussions split into two camps: supporters and opponents, with the opponents forming the majority.

The opponents’ arguments centered mainly on gender. Almost no one cared about her status as a princess; they simply believed that women should not hold office, or it would bring chaos to the world.

The supporters argued that now there was a record of the first woman in office, so perhaps a second and third would follow. They gave no thought to whether this had anything to do with her identity as a princess.

The entire Eastern Capital had gone mad. Nobles, merchants, and even beggars were all discussing the matter.

In just three days, the news was already known to every corner of the Eastern Capital.

In this era without the internet or telephones, such a rapid spread of information was truly terrifying.

When Li Yuechen arrived at Jixian Ward by carriage, the soldiers guarding the area looked at her with very different expressions. Some were surprised, some incredulous, and others were fervent and worshipful.

Li Yuechen could understand their reactions. She smiled gently at them and walked inside.

Just as they entered the gate, Wu Da and Wu Gouzi bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Your Highness the Princess. Congratulations, Your Highness…”

“Alright, alright,” Li Yuechen waved her hand to interrupt. “These past few days, this matter has made me feel quite annoyed.”

“Got it!” Wu Da agreed and stepped aside.

Wu Gouzi, however, raised his head and said, “Your Highness, my tutor has left.”

“Left?” Li Yuechen, who had been about to enter, paused. “Why?”

“I don’t know either,” Wu Gouzi scratched the back of his head and shook it, looking puzzled. “Before he left, he still looked displeased and muttered something about ‘a hen’…”

Upon hearing that, Wu Da felt something terrible was about to happen and slapped his son on the head. “Shut your mouth!”

Fulei’s face instantly darkened. “Your Highness, this servant will go and bring him back.”

Li Yuechen shook her head indifferently. “Since he did not name names, forget it. Our Great Tang has no precedent for punishing someone for their words.”

With that, she lifted her legs and walked inside.

Fulei’s expression remained somewhat gloomy, but in the end he said nothing and followed her in.

After inspecting the area and asking about recent events, confirming nothing unusual, he gave a few instructions and left.

Although the outside world was in an uproar these days, Li Yuechen remained unaffected and continued to appear calm. Instead, Fulei could not help but speak up. “Your Highness, Lord Wei Xuantong has still not sent an invitation. Is this…”

In his view, the princess was still the princess, and Wei Xuantong, as Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had made no move for several days. Clearly he was deliberately making things difficult for her.

Li Yuechen waved her hand indifferently. “No need to bother.”

She truly did not care. To be honest, she had never been one to enjoy socializing. Now that she was a princess, her status was higher than this superior, so there was no need to fawn over him.

“Yes…” Fulei nodded in agreement, but his expression still looked displeased.

“You don’t have to wear that face,” Li Yuechen suddenly smiled. “I entered court as an official for my parents, not for myself. To be honest, I really don’t want to do it.”

Fulei thought she was reminding him and bowed. “This servant understands. Our hearts will always be with Your Highness.”

“I have known your intentions since I was a child,” Li Yuechen nodded. “So that is why I said not to bother with him. By the way, after lunch tomorrow, come to the Ministry of Revenue and bring the account books or whatever to Anfu Hall for me to check.”

“Yes.”

The next morning, Li Yuechen went to Liu Rentai’s residence as usual so he could test her recent progress.

The master and disciple did not discuss Li Yuechen’s entry into court; just like before, they began practicing their routines in the courtyard.

Liu Rentai, sipping yogurt from the pavilion, watched the entire time with a smile on his face and nodded repeatedly.

Before long, Li Yuechen finished a set of punches, grabbed the railing, and flipped into the pavilion. “Master, how is it? If there are any errors, please point them out!”

“Your Highness has outstanding talent with no mistakes whatsoever,” Liu Rentai said with a smile, turning the health ball in his hands twice. “This foundation is already quite solid. From today onward, add weapon training.”

“Weapons?”

Li Yuechen tilted her head. “But are we going to do combat training?”

“No,” Liu Rentai shook his head. “Your Highness’s body is still growing. It is simply adding weapon routines.”

“Alright!” Li Yuechen nodded indifferently. After all, the fist routines and weapon routines were the same—they were all about building foundations.

Liu Rentai stroked his beard and thought for a moment. “Your Highness is still not yet ready to learn mounted archery. So first, learn foot-combat weapons.”

“Then what kind of weapons should the disciple learn?” Li Yuechen knew nothing about this, so listening to the master’s advice was best.

Liu Rentai gave no definitive suggestion. “That depends on what Your Highness particularly likes or excels at. This master suggests one long weapon and one short weapon.”

Listening to the explanation, Li Yuechen nodded in understanding.

Long weapons were mainly chosen for mounted combat charges and similar situations. After all, the longer the weapon, the stronger it was, and in direct confrontation, the side with the longer weapon held a great advantage.

Short weapons, on the other hand, were mostly used in close combat, especially against knife-and-shield soldiers or heavy infantry.

After all, long weapons could not be handled in close quarters, and near-range fighting was quite dangerous. Weapons should therefore be flexible.

“Of course, Your Highness does not necessarily need to go to the battlefield to fight, but since this is training, it is better to consider this aspect,” Liu Rentai reminded with a smile.

Li Yuechen nodded in understanding and then lowered her head to think.

According to Liu Rentai, weapons must first be something one likes and second be suitable.

Considering these two points, Li Yuechen felt heavy weapons suited her best.

Although she did not know the exact reason, at only seven years old she already possessed strength comparable to adults, which would become even more apparent as she grew.

Perhaps it was because her bone density and muscle strength were higher than ordinary people’s, but no matter the cause, heavy weapons seemed more suitable for her.

Combining what she had seen before and in dramas, for long weapons the first thing that came to mind was Lü Bu’s Fang Tian Hua Ge!

As for short weapons… the first thing that came to mind was Li Yuanba from Sui Tang Yanyi!

Of course, after arriving in this era she had carefully researched the information and, by chance chatting with Li Zhi, learned that this person did not actually exist.

But among Emperor Taizong Li Er’s brothers, there was indeed one named Li Yuanji, whose combat strength was very high.

Based on the materials she had read, this man might have an IQ below average, yet his combat prowess was extraordinary. He might very well have been the prototype for Li Yuanba.

Thinking of this, Li Yuechen raised her head and said, “The disciple thinks long weapons should be chosen as a halberd, and short weapons… just hammers!”

Liu Rentai nodded. “Mm, hammers are good weapons and have a miraculous effect against knife shields and heavy infantry!”

In the future a thousand years later, weapons and armor were completely imbalanced; bullets had attack power so great that they could not be defended.

In this era, even leather armor had considerable defensive power; a dozen cuts might not pierce through.

Therefore, blunt weapons became the best choice against heavy armor—one hammer strike, and one would not die but would still lose half one’s life.

However, when Liu Rentai came out holding a wooden pole and a pair of hammers, Li Yuechen raised her eyebrows and muttered incredulously, “Damn, is this not a joke?”

I can understand using a wooden pole to practice long weapons, but what is this pair of hammers supposed to be?

It was nothing like the huge hammers she had imagined. It was simply a hammer handle less than half a meter long with a small ball slightly larger than an egg in front.

After Liu Rentai handed it over, Li Yuechen examined it up close. The small ball was about the size of a table tennis ball.

She weighed it in her hand. It felt around a jin in weight—light as a piece of paper to her.

Although she knew in reality such a massive hammer like Li Yuanba’s, as big as a water bucket, could not exist, this thing was far too small!

“Master, won’t this hammer… be a bit too light?” Li Yuechen tilted her head and asked.

Liu Rentai shook his head smilingly and explained, “It is indeed not heavy to hold, but when swung it is not light either. For short weapons, not only must it be powerful when swung, but also fast and convenient when retrieved!”

Hearing the explanation, Li Yuechen swung it herself and tried it, nodding in understanding.

Indeed, this weapon had its center of gravity forward, making it easy to swing out but hard to bring back. Therefore, one must ensure to hit when swinging, or the consequences would be severe!

Liu Rentai came to the courtyard. “Today this master will first teach Your Highness the movement process, after which Your Highness may practice it back at the palace, is that acceptable?”

“Okay.” Li Yuechen agreed.

Then the master and disciple practiced in the courtyard; Li Yuechen followed his movements to imitate them for later practice.

While practicing, every now and then she would come over for him to check and adjust the irregular or erroneous parts.

At this moment, Liu Huang, who had been wandering outside all day, returned, looking filthy with several footprints on his body, clearly having fought again outside.

Just about to return to rest, he suddenly saw Li Yuechen practicing weapon routines in the courtyard.

So he leaned against the pillar and watched.

The two in the courtyard had already noticed him, but neither stopped their movements.

Li Yuechen paid no attention, while Liu Rentai inwardly regretted not having taught him well.

Usually, when teaching him, he always found excuses to slack off and not study seriously.

But now he was watching with full attention, as if afraid to miss even a point. If he had possessed this spirit before, he would not have spent every day playing around outside.

Liu Rentai knew very well what his grandson’s thoughts were, but he was too lazy to say anything.

After all, he was still young, and saying it would be pointless. In a few years he would naturally understand that this princess was not someone he could think of.

…

Li Yuechen’s memory was still excellent. After a morning of learning, she had basically memorized all the routines.

Liu Rentai also explained clearly that the routines were to temper her body and remember the movements. The actual combat techniques that could be used on the battlefield were not many; most of it still depended on the instincts honed through usual training.

She did not care about that. After all, she was learning martial arts to temper her body. Could it really be that she would have to go to the battlefield?

Even if she did, she should be a role similar to a commander. Otherwise, a princess of a country going around slashing would feel somewhat incongruous…

When she returned to Anfu Hall, it was just in time for dinner. Now it had become a routine for the two sisters to sit and eat with her.

Seeing that the date cakes and mutton on the table had increased a bit more than usual, Li Yuechen shook her head. It seemed that Xiaohe and them had also noticed that her appetite had gotten bigger recently…