The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1324 - 1324 646 Second Watch_2

Chapter 1324: 646 Second Watch_2 Chapter 1324: 646 Second Watch_2 “This will be beneficial for you personally as well. If you can make a name for yourself in one battle, perhaps you’ll have the chance to stay in Shengdu in the future.”

Gu Jiao was unmoved.

Master Wu had a headache.

Aren’t you quite combative? What’s the matter? Is Cuju beneath you?

Gu Jiao said earnestly, “Master Wu, my studies aren’t good, and I need to focus more on learning. I’ll put aside competitions for now and prioritize my academics.”

Isn’t it, when you copy homework every day, why don’t you say this? Do you think I don’t see you nodding off in class?

Master Wu was baffled!

Gu Jiao cupped her hands in respect, turned, and walked towards the stable.

The students in the stable were discussing the upcoming Cuju tournament.

“Hey, have you guys heard? The Cuju tournament is being held at Lingbo Academy again, it’s the third time at their academy.”

“Lingbo Academy? Is that the one with the Genius Class?”

“That’s right! That one!”

“Hey? Isn’t Canglan Women’s Academy right next to Lingbo Academy? Do you think… the students from Canglan Women’s Academy will come to watch the match?”

“They came in previous years, so they’ll probably come this year too, right?”

Gu Jiao turned back, “Master Wu, what are the rules of the competition?”

Master Wu: “…”

Weren’t you not participating?

Meanwhile, in the dean’s office, Dean Cen had a friendly talk with Mu Qingchen alone.

“Here’s the thing. I know you don’t usually get involved in academy affairs, but I hope you can participate in this Cuju match.”

Mu Qingchen was one of the rare students who excelled in both literature and martial arts, and his Cuju skills were so high, he could rank among the top in Shengdu.

Dean Cen smiled, “Your classmate Xiao Liulang will also participate. He’s a novice and reportedly has no prior experience in playing Cuju. I hope you can guide him.”

…

After leaving the dean’s office, Mu Qingchen walked towards the grassland.

“Fourth brother!”

Halfway there, he was suddenly called by a young student who burst out from the side.

This person was none other than Mu Chuan, the student from Mingfeng Hall who had dined with him on the second floor.

Mu Chuan’s father and Mu Qingchen’s mother were siblings, making the two cousins by blood, but as Mu Qingchen took after his mother, Mu Chuan always regarded him as a member of the core Mu Family.

It was also a coincidence that Mu Qingchen was the fourth among the males of his generation in the Mu Family.

“Don’t you have classes?” asked Mu Qingchen, looking at Mu Chuan.

“I snuck out!” Mu Chuan said.

“What’s up?” Mu Qingchen asked indifferently.

Curiously, Mu Chuan inquired, “Just now my classmate passed by the dean’s office and overheard that you agreed to participate in the Cuju match. Is it true or not?”

Mu Qingchen gave him a sideways glance, “You skipped class just to say this?”

Mu Chuan chuckled, “I just wanted to know!”

Mu Qingchen continued walking, “Go back to your classes.”

Mu Chuan caught up with him, “If you’re participating, so will I!”

Mu Qingchen walked away.

The Cuju match was a competition between two teams, with four players each, including two Cuju strikers—one principal, one assistant—a ball passer, and a defender.

The ball passer mainly interfered with the opponent’s actions and fed the ball to the two Cuju strikers, while the defender guarded their own team’s goal post to prevent the other team from scoring.

When Mu Qingchen arrived at the grassland, Gu Jiao had just finished discussing the Cuju rules with Master Wu and was picking out a mallet on the side.

“This one’s good!” Zhou Tong picked up a mallet and said to Gu Jiao.

“Your cue stick is a bit worn out; use this one instead.” Zhong Ding picked another one and handed it to Gu Jiao.

A crowd was gathered at the edge of the grassland, selecting a cue stick for Gu Jiao.

Just as Mu Qingchen was about to walk over, suddenly, an impressive procession of people arrived from the other side of the grassland.

To say it was impressive might be a bit of an exaggeration—the group numbered no more than twenty. However, their aura was particularly strong, evoking the image of an army of thousands of horses.

Among those people, a young man with a soft and gentle demeanor approached Mu Qingchen and greeted him with a cupped fist salute. Mu Qingchen nodded slightly after hearing what he said and went with him.

Zhong Ding’s gaze was inadvertently drawn to the group. Among those with the powerful auras, it seemed that a youth in magnificent clothing was being surrounded.

He asked in a murmur, “Who are those people?”

Zhou Tong stretched his neck to get a better look and exclaimed in surprise, “Good heavens, they’re from the Crown Prince’s estate!”

“How do you know?” Zhong Ding asked.

Zhou Tong, not daring to point with his hand, gestured with his eyes instead: “They are the Crown Prince’s embroidered guards; I’ve seen them in the inner city.”

Zhong Ding said incredulously, “The Crown Prince’s people have come to our Academy?”

Good heavens!

Was he dreaming?

In his lifetime, to actually see the Crown Prince’s people from afar!

Zhou Tong continued, “That youth… he must be the King of Mingjun from the Crown Prince’s estate.”

“The Crown Prince’s son?” Gu Jiao asked.

“Mm-hmm,” Zhou Tong nodded. “The Crown Prince’s legitimate son.”

Gu Jiao looked in that direction; although it was quite a distance away, her eyesight was excellent, and she could clearly see the youth’s profile.

It was a face brimming with confidence and the dignity of someone of high status. He was speaking with Mu Qingchen, his demeanor gentle and from time to time the smile between friends appeared.

Zhou Tong said with envy, “Only Young Master Qingchen has such clout, to have the King of Mingjun from the Crown Prince’s estate condescend to visit him. Unlike us, we don’t even qualify to approach the King of Mingjun to pay respects and inquire of his well-being.”

The King of Mingjun from the Crown Prince’s estate was incognito, not allowing the general public to welcome him. After greeting Mu Qingchen, he went with Mu Qingchen to Dean Cen’s office.

“The King of Mingjun used to be a student at Tianqiong Academy as well,” Zhong Ding said to Gu Jiao after Zhou Tong and others were called away.

Gu Jiao was still selecting a cue stick.

Upon hearing this, she didn’t respond.

What did the Crown Prince’s people have to do with her?

Zhong Ding looked around and couldn’t help but contain his burning curiosity. In a low voice, he said to Gu Jiao, “When the people from Yan Country were here, I didn’t dare to speak. Do you know about the Crown Prince’s affairs?”

“I don’t know,” Gu Jiao replied indifferently, picking up another cue stick.

Zhong Ding was someone who liked to talk. Regardless of whether Gu Jiao wanted to listen, he said what he wanted, otherwise it would be uncomfortable to keep it inside.

He lowered his voice and said, “The Crown Prince wasn’t originally the heir apparent, and the King of Mingjun had not yet been titled as such.”

The cue stick also wasn’t right—too light. Gu Jiao frowned and called for another one.

Zhong Ding moved to stand in front of her and said, “The estate of the Crown Prince belongs to the second son of the King of Yan Country, with his mother being Imperial Concubine Han of the Han Family. You know about them, right?”

“I don’t know,” Gu Jiao said.

Zhong Ding continued, “Neither do I, but in any case, they’re a rather formidable clan. The original heir was the Princess, born of the Empress.”

Hearing this, Gu Jiao finally showed some reaction. Her hand holding the cue stick paused, and she turned to look at Zhong Ding, “A Princess? Can a Princess be the heir apparent?”

This was indeed a surprise to Gu Jiao.

Zhong Ding hurriedly said, “There had never been such a precedent before; the Princess of Dayan was the first. Do you know who the Empress’s brother is?”

He asked not waiting for Gu Jiao’s answer but continued on his own, “He’s the war god Xuanyuan Li of Yan Country! The sister of Xuanyuan Li became the Empress, the mother figure of the nation, and bore a daughter for the King of Yan Country. At the full moon celebration, the king decreed her the Princess of Dayan. Truly, she was the apple of everyone’s eye! Her father the king, her mother the Empress, and her uncle the head of the Xuanyuan Family wielding an army of a million… Tsk, there’s no one under the heavens more noble than her.”

“What happened afterward?” Gu Jiao asked. She rarely took an interest in unrelated events, but perhaps because she was using Xuanyuan Li’s divine weapon, she was a bit more curious about matters related to the Xuanyuan Family.

Zhong Ding spread his hands and sighed, “Afterward, well, there was no afterward. The Xuanyuan Family rebelled, the Princess was deposed, the Empress was sent to the Cold Palace, and the war god fell from grace.”

Gu Jiao paused, then asked, “The Princess… how old was she?”

Zhong Ding thought for a moment: “About the same age as the Crown Prince? Her son is only a year older than the King of Mingjun, and the King of Mingjun is eighteen this year.”

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