After being reborn, I was won over by the heartfelt words of my loyal bodyguard.

Chapter 13: The Worship of Martial Power

Gan Yanling had a headache listening to this. He knew Xu Zhang. His elder sister recruited Xu Zhang to support the army. Zhao Taifu couldn't find any other dirt on his elder sister, so he cobbled it together.

I simply don’t know what it means.

"He refused when I made Zhao Wuji my son-in-law, and he still refuses now that I've set him free. How can a grown man be more pretentious than a woman?"

The other adults laughed unkindly.

"Your Majesty is right. It's one thing to be ungrateful for the Princess's favor, but to dare to disrespect her and flirt with Miss Xu at the Princess's residence is simply absurd."

Xu Xiang, who had been dragged into this mess, refused to accept it.

"What does this have to do with my daughter? She was going to see her cousin. Who knows what tricks Zhao Wuji used?"

Grand Tutor Zhao could not tolerate his son being slandered, and immediately pointed at Prime Minister Xu's nose and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? Everyone in the capital knows that Xu Jinxin likes Wuji."

It's common knowledge and bringing it to the table are two different things. Prime Minister Xu also cares about his reputation. He allowed Xu Jinxin to contact Zhao Wuji before because it would put the Princess under his feet. The man the Princess liked liked Xu Jinxin, which would not only make him laugh at the Princess, but also make him laugh at the royal family for not being able to keep the person they liked.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Jin Xin only admired Zhao Wuji's talent. Now it seems that his character is flawed, so his talent is useless."

"Ha, as if everyone knows what you're thinking. Xu Jinxin always imitates the Princess's clothes and style, but it's a pity that no matter how she imitates, she can't even imitate a tenth of the Princess's style."

As Gan Yanling listened, he sensed something was amiss. Weren't they here to impeach the Empress? Why were they praising her instead? These two people, practically half-buried, were still so unreliable.

"Enough! All you do is stare at the Imperial Sister all day long, without doing anything of substance. Is the Eastern Xuan Kingdom truly at peace?"

Grand Tutor Zhao and Prime Minister Xu fell silent, realizing that it was beneath their dignity to argue in court at their advanced age.

Gan Yanling sighed; when it came to serious matters, everyone became mute.

"Retreat."

Gan Luo slept until dawn. Lin Fengmian was already kneeling by the bedside, trying his best to minimize his presence as usual. However, the warmth of her waist was still there, so it seemed that he hadn't been awake for long either.

"Go and call Green Bamboo in to help me with my hair and makeup. Also, Yuan Zheng, I need to inspect the city guards."

Lin Fengmian left like a ghost, and when he returned, there were three of them.

"My lord, the soldiers of the city guard have been notified. Does Your Majesty intend to hold a martial arts contest or go hunting?"

Unlike the scheming censors, the city guards admired military might and genuinely respected Gan Luo, though rumors circulated that they were oppressed by him.

Gan Luo was much more at ease in the city guard than in the imperial court, since he didn't have to use his brain as much.

"First, we'll have a martial arts contest, then we'll go hunting."

Since we're going, we should make the most of it.

This was Lin Fengmian's first time going out with Gan Luo and witnessing the grand princess's entourage. Gan Yanling did not yet have an empress, and Gan Luo was the most honored woman in the entire Dongxuan Kingdom, so whatever she asked for was not excessive.

After Zhao Wuji was sent back, he dominated public opinion for several days before being replaced by new gossip.

The only non-royal king of Dongxuan Kingdom, the Prince Yu, was to come to the capital to report on his duties, a practice that took place every three years. However, this time, Gan Yanling did not issue an imperial decree. The Prince Yu's power was also growing stronger day by day, so his return this time was somewhat intriguing.

Only Gan Luo was unafraid.

"He's just a prince. At most, he'll bring a hundred guards into the capital. What trouble can he possibly cause with the city's guards?"