For the first time, Princess Ruiyang heard about a woman competing in martial arts and didn’t want to miss the excitement. So, she entered the palace with Gu Fu, who had donned a veil.
The chimes hanging from the carriage made pleasant sounds as they moved. Ahead, soldiers of the imperial guard, dressed in black robes and carrying long swords with fish-scale patterns, cleared the way, allowing them to proceed unhindered.
Due to the urgent nature of the emperor’s summons, the carriage did not stop at the palace gates as usual. Instead, it was briefly inspected and then allowed to pass, entering the palace.
The grand and magnificent Hanyuan Hall, where the foreign envoys were being received, had three high steps leading up to it. The emperor’s throne was naturally on the highest step, with tables arranged in descending order of rank on either side below it.
Fu Yan sat on the second tier beneath the throne, along with Prime Minister Zhao Changqi and several high-ranking officials. Opposite them sat the foreign envoys. Among them was one individual, despite wearing men’s clothing and having her hair braided and tied up high, whose beautiful face clearly revealed her to be a woman.
Gu Fu, wearing her veil, entered the hall with Princess Ruiyang to pay their respects. Due to the difference in their ranks, the princess stood to make her salute, while Gu Fu had to kneel and kowtow.
The emperor, seated on the throne, noticed Gu Fu’s veil and remembered something. He glanced subtly at Li Yu, the guard by his side.
To prevent his nephew from losing his composure in public, the emperor spoke before Gu Fu could kneel, ensuring that her veil wouldn’t be dislodged and sparing her the need to kneel. She could simply stand and salute like the princess.
Seeing the emperor grant Gu Fu such a privilege, the ministers who were displeased with her covering her face in the imperial presence kept their objections to themselves.
However, this did nothing to curb Princess Yulou’s disdain for Gu Fu. She stepped forward, performed a foreign salute, and addressed the emperor in accented Central Plains dialect: “Your Majesty, Yulou trains with real weapons. If you underestimate me just because I am a woman and choose a mere girl with some basic martial arts skills to spar with me…”
Princess Yulou tilted her head, her gaze arrogant and pointed as she glanced at Gu Fu. “I fear I might not be able to control my strength and could end up taking her life.”
Her words were audacious, but the emperor merely chuckled, “How can we know who is underestimating whom without a contest?”
The emperor’s tone remained gentle, and he even ordered that the imperial guards’ fish-scale patterned long swords be brought out for their duel.
The fish-scale patterned long sword, similar to a Miao sword but slightly wider, had a shorter hilt suited for single-handed use, with a longer blade. Both the blade and scabbard were adorned with subtle patterns that, under different lighting, revealed shimmering fish-scale designs.
Princess Ruiyang found a spot just below the throne, while Gu Fu, using the veil to shield her face, discreetly admired Fu Yan’s composed demeanor as he sipped his tea. It was only when the eunuch brought the two swords forward that she reluctantly tore her gaze from Fu Yan and turned to take her weapon.
Yulou also stepped down from the platform and took the remaining fish-scale patterned long sword from the young eunuch.
The third tier, the lowest of the steps, was more spacious than the upper two. With a quick adjustment of the ministers’ tables by the palace attendants, enough space was cleared for the duel. The distance from the third tier to the higher levels also ensured the emperor’s safety.
Gu Fu and Princess Yulou stood facing each other. Yulou, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with narrow sleeves, leather boots, and a belt around her waist, exuded the fierce grace of a leopard. Gu Fu, on the other hand, was dressed in a new outfit specially prepared for her birthday—a long flowing skirt, a short jacket with a wide-sleeved outer garment, a sash draped over her arm, and a delicate veil covering her head. Despite holding a long sword, she resembled a domestic cat, one that seemed harmless even with its claws outstretched.
Gu Fu held her sword with both hands, the tip pointing downward, and gave a respectful salute to Princess Yulou. Yulou’s face showed even more disdain, but she returned the salute out of formality.
The contrast between the two was striking, yet it created an oddly captivating visual. A historian, who usually remained unnoticed, furiously scribbled notes, while an artist beside him captured the scene with quick strokes.
The court musicians, standing by the bronze bells, were signaled to begin. As the deepest, largest bell in the row was struck, its deep, resonant sound filled the hall. At that moment, Princess Yulou lunged at Gu Fu with her sword, her fierce technique and unyielding momentum so intense that it nearly caused Princess Ruiyang to cry out in alarm.
In the next instant, Gu Fu, who had remained stationary, calmly raised her long sword. With a sharp clang, she deflected Princess Yulou’s attack, the blades clashing and sparking as they met. Yulou, slightly surprised, decided to take the match more seriously. However, her increased effort only revealed her own vulnerabilities. Gu Fu, initially content to merely block Yulou’s strikes, suddenly came to life. It was as if a tiger disguised as a domestic cat had awakened, shaking off its disguise and prowling with lazy steps before pouncing on its prey.
The resonance of the bell had barely faded when Gu Fu and Princess Yulou exchanged dozens of blows, forcing Yulou into a continuous retreat. Yulou strategically moved toward a pillar, planning to use it to evade Gu Fu’s attacks and strike at her from behind. But Gu Fu was faster. She spun around and, with a powerful swing of her sword, struck Yulou’s blade. The force of the blow was so immense that it not only numbed Yulou’s hand but also shattered the prized fish-scale patterned sword crafted by the imperial armory into two pieces.
The broken blade spun through the air, narrowly grazing Yulou’s neck before embedding itself deeply into a nearby pillar, thick enough to require two people to wrap their arms around it. The force was such that the blade quivered and hummed, echoing the fading notes of the bell and completing its lingering resonance.
Li Yu, who had initially regarded the match as little more than a skirmish between amateurs, was taken aback. Although he had noticed Gu Fu’s skill, it wasn’t until she shattered Yulou’s sword that disbelief flickered in his eyes.
Could this be real? Was she truly a woman, or was there a man in disguise behind that veil, trying to deceive everyone?
The head of the Imperial Armory nearly leaped from his seat, his face full of shock. This was the fish-scale patterned sword they improved annually! How could it possibly be broken so easily?!
The durability of the fish-scale patterned sword was something only military officials and those from the armory truly understood. To the uninitiated, it was just a spectacle. Upon seeing Gu Fu’s victory, one of the civil officials couldn’t help but mock, “If the Yulou Princess can’t even defeat one of our Dayong’s noblewomen, she should stop insisting on challenging our military generals.”
Other officials quickly chimed in, bringing a wave of laughter.
Princess Yulou, holding the broken sword, trembled, whether from the terror of nearly losing her life or the humiliation of being ridiculed.
Gu Fu, peering through the edge of her veil and gazing at the floor, seemed to consider something. She suddenly turned and bowed to the emperor. “Your Majesty, Princess Yulou wished to challenge our generals. Coincidentally, I share her desire to test my skills against the warriors brought by these envoys. I humbly request your permission.”
Li Yu, who suspected that Gu Fu might be a man in disguise, was momentarily stunned. He found her voice oddly familiar, and though her loose sleeves obscured her figure, her silhouette stirred a vague sense of recognition within him. Unfortunately, before he could fully explore this feeling, the emperor’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“In that case…” The emperor looked toward the foreign envoys. They weren’t from a single group; some were from southern tribes, while others were emissaries from the southeastern Kingdom of Lei. They had arrived in the capital at different times but had been staying at the guesthouse for a while before being summoned to the palace today.
When Princess Yulou expressed her desire to challenge Dayong’s generals, these envoys had eagerly fanned the flames, hoping to witness a spectacle. Now that the tables had turned, it was too late for them to back down. One of the foreigners, who spoke the central plains’ dialect fluently, was particularly persuasive. However, given that he had instigated the situation the most, any attempts to back out would be countered by the words he had previously spoken, making it a case of reaping what one sows.
Whether Gu Fu could actually defeat the warriors they had brought was not something that concerned the crowd. Like Princess Yulou, Gu Fu was a woman. If she won, it would be a disgrace to them; if she lost, it would still be a hollow victory, rendering it a win-win situation for them.
But no one expected that Gu Fu would emerge victorious against all challengers.
It didn’t matter who came forward—whether they were burly warriors, decorated with battle scars, or wielding intimidating weapons. Be it spears spun with precision or heavy hammers swung with terrifying force, each and every one of them was effortlessly defeated by Gu Fu, leaving them without any chance to retaliate.
After breaking Yulou Princess’s sword, it was evident that Gu Fu had held back during the fight. The officials who had previously mocked that if Yulou Princess couldn’t defeat Gu Fu, she had no chance against Dayong’s generals, now fell silent—this was clearly not the “noblewoman” they had imagined.
“Enough,” the Emperor finally spoke, calmly calling for the end of the match after Gu Fu had defeated all challengers. Gu Fu, who had switched to a spear halfway through due to the sword’s unsuitability, was in high spirits. She obediently stepped back when the Emperor ordered her to stop.
A palace maid led Gu Fu to a side hall to rest. Once seated, Gu Fu removed her veil—several of the generals had attempted to knock it off during the fight, and though unsuccessful, they had left a few tears in it. Gu Fu was now troubled, wondering how she would explain this damage to Miss Wei later.
Suddenly, she heard a palace maid’s surprised voice from outside, “Commander Li?”
Gu Fu froze, nearly dropping the veil. During the fight, she had deliberately altered her fighting style and technique to avoid being recognized by Li Yu.
Outside the side hall, Li Yu calmly lied to the palace maid, saying, “The Emperor sent me to check on her.”
The maid hesitated, unsure whether to let Li Yu in. Gu Fu, deciding she needed to hide, started looking for a place to do so when another voice rang out—
“When did the Emperor send Commander Li to the side hall? Why wasn’t I informed?”
The voice was cold and unmistakably belonged to Fu Yan.
Gu Fu breathed a sigh of relief; her beloved Fu Yan was indeed her timely savior.
As the Imperial Prefector’s fiancée, it was improper for Li Yu to insist on seeing her in Fu Yan’s presence, no matter how curious or determined he was. He had no choice but to leave, disappointed.
After Li Yu left, Gu Fu quickly put her veil back on and ran to the door, her steps light and quick—she hadn’t had a one-on-one fight in a long time, and the recent match had thoroughly exhilarated her.
But Fu Yan felt the complete opposite—an overwhelming sense of frustration. Despite all the reports and intelligence he had gathered about Gu Fu’s military service in the northern territories, nothing he read had prepared him for the shock of witnessing her effortlessly overpower several renowned generals with a sword and spear.
Fu Yan had never so vividly realized that the bustling capital was too small to contain someone like Gu Fu. If she had been born a man, she would have undoubtedly achieved unparalleled feats and secured her place in history, rather than having her five-year military career tragically cut short, leaving only the lament, “Died young.”
Even though Gu Fu had mentioned she had other things she wanted to pursue now, Fu Yan couldn’t help but feel indignant on her behalf.
Unable to vent his frustrations, Fu Yan couldn’t resist coming to find her, intent on taking her out of the palace.
Gu Fu, puzzled, asked where they were going.
Fu Yan replied, “To see a gift.”
The dirty-minded Gu Fu hesitated, “…”
In broad daylight? Isn’t that inappropriate?
Though her mind protested about impropriety, her body was honest as ever. She quietly followed Fu Yan out of the palace and boarded the carriage with him.
The carriage drove away from the palace gates and soon arrived at Xingle Street, adjacent to Xuan Yang Street. It stopped in front of a large mansion on Xingle Street.
The road had been cleared in advance, and barriers had been set up, so no one else was on the street.
Gu Fu stepped down from the carriage, looking at the unmarked gate of the mansion, and asked, “Where is this?”
Fu Yan informed her, “The residence of Marquis Zhongshun.”
Gu Fu was surprised.
This was… her residence?
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