Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 834: Li Xingsheng & Ling Yuezi Side Story (06): So She Was Here!

Chapter 834: Li Xingsheng & Ling Yuezi Side Story (06): So She Was Here!

The Regent King smiled, "Well, Princess Yue truly has courage!"

Such an ignorant young girl!

Ling Xingyun was worried about Ling Yuezi, but Ling Yuezi urged Ling Xingyun to make a decision quickly.

Ling Xingyun had no choice but to agree.

He asked the Regent King how the competition would be.

The Regent King wanted to embarrass Ling Yuezi, so he said, "As the National Guardian General, one should win by martial prowess, with literary skills secondary. Let’s compete in riding, archery, and sword techniques, and then in troop maneuvering."

Ling Yuezi said, "Then it’s settled!"

She agreed readily, surprising the civil and military officials, who all looked at her in astonishment.

The Regent King slightly curved his lips, and then announced the competition’s time, three quarters past dawn two days later.

The location, the training grounds in the northwest of the inner city.

.

When the news of the martial officers’ competition in the Capital spread, the city populace became excited, eager to see what the abilities of this Princess Yue truly were.

Daring to become the National Guardian General, does she really have any true skills?

With the competition happening in the city, people from outside the city rushed in to watch the spectacle.

At dusk, a tall, handsome young man wearing a bamboo hat and ordinary Southern Yue attire rode a horse towards the city gate.

A fair-faced, chubby boy followed him.

The chubby boy’s attire was similar to the young man’s.

It seemed to be their first visit to the Nanyue Capital, Luocheng, watching the bustling passersby at the city gate, they frequently glanced around.

With a special event in the Capital, everyone entering the city was checked.

Guards at the city gate stopped the young man and chubby boy, "Dismount, identification card, identification card!"

"Of course we have them." The tall young man dismounted, took a wooden identity plaque from the pouch at his waist, and handed it to the guard.

The chubby boy also handed one over.

The guards inspected their identity plaques, found no issues, returned the plaques to them, and waved them on, "Go, go, move along." Then he shouted at the people behind them, "Move faster, come forward quickly!"

Once in the city, they did not ride their horses but led them, looking around as they walked.

"Second brother, it’s getting dark. We need to find a place to stay."

"Today’s Luocheng seems particularly lively, what’s happening?" The tall man was Li Xingsheng, here for a covert visit to the Nanyue Capital, Luocheng.

Prefect Lou wanted Lou Chengye to gain some experience, arranging for Lou Chengye to accompany Li Xingsheng.

It’s both for experience and to ensure good relations between brother-in-law and brother-in-law.

Relationships, of course, improve with interaction and grow distant without it.

This is true for couples, friends, and brothers alike.

Constant interaction fosters affection.

If Li Xingsheng succeeds in the future, he won’t forget Lou Chengye.

Lou Chengye, an adventurous youth, was eager to go when he heard Li Xingsheng was covertly visiting the Nanyue Capital, hurriedly urging Li Xingsheng to move faster.

"To my knowledge, it’s not a major Southern Yue festival at this time, why is the city so bustling?" Lou Chengye was curious too.

"Let’s inquire about what’s happening in the city." Li Xingsheng walked towards a tavern ahead.

It gathered people from all over, where various news could be gathered.

As the two approached the tavern, the waiter at the entrance immediately greeted them with a smile, "Please, come inside."

The border between Southern Yue and Zhen An Prefecture was populated by people from the same tribe, the Yue people.

Later, the Yue were divided into several branches; one headed further south, establishing the Nanyue Country, another went east, establishing Dongyue, and some villagers south of Zhen An Prefecture remained, not moving southwards or eastwards.

Additionally, some ventured out to the sea for a living.

Hundreds of years ago, they were of one family, making their accents similar, and by slowing down their speech, they could communicate without barriers.

Li Xingsheng was a language genius; he could learn to say a few words in various dialects after studying for a few days, and after staying with dialect speakers for a month or two, he could speak fluently.

Although he was from the Northern Land, upon arriving in Zhen An Prefecture, he first learned the local dialect of the villagers in Zhen An Prefecture.

After being in the county town for a few days, he also learned some of the official language from there, now he mastered the elegant speech of the Prefecture City while staying in Zhen An Prefecture.

During his stay in Feihu Village with Ling Yuezi, he learned Ling Yuezi’s Southern Yue dialect.

Lou Chengye spoke Southern Yue with limited, awkward daily phrases.

Li Xingsheng’s Southern Yue speech had become superb, indistinguishable from the local accent.

He even imitated the tone of Ling Yuezi when she spoke.

Lou Chengye could understand about seventy to eighty percent of the Southern Yue dialect spoken by the waiter.

Li Xingsheng, however, had no difficulty whatsoever in understanding.

He nodded, handed over some Copper Coins commonly used by Southern Yue people, "We’re here to eat, please look after our horses."

Before coming to the Nanyue Capital, he exchanged some silver ingots for Copper Coins at a local market.

"Sure, no problem." The waiter gladly took the Copper Coins and went off to tend to the horses.

Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye entered the tavern and chose a table that was vacant.

Soon, another waiter approached and asked what they would like to eat.

Li Xingsheng glanced at the next table and ordered similar dishes and drinks.

When the food and drink were served, Li Xingsheng and Lou Chengye ate while listening to the conversation at the next table.

The drinkers were talkative, discussing everything from the heavens to the earth, and even stories from places far away, creating tales out of things that never happened.

It was all worthless chatter.

But as he continued to listen, Li Xingsheng noticed something new.

The two drinkers at the neighboring table had started betting.

One said, "Princess Yue will definitely win; I admire such a courageous woman."

The other said, "Give me a break, how can a delicate lady possibly defeat those men from the barracks? You admire Princess Yue just because she’s attractive, don’t you?"

"Bullshit, I truly admire her. If you disagree, add more to the bet!"

"Fine, I’ll add, who’s afraid? I’ll bet two hundred Copper Coins! Let’s see if you dare to raise the stakes!"

"Of course I dare! I have three sons, I’ll raise it to three hundred!"

Lou Chengye blinked and whispered, "Second Brother, it seems like they’re betting on who will win—some princess fighting with soldiers."

Li Xingsheng took the jug, picked up a cup, and sat at the next table, "Brothers, what are you discussing? Can I hear more?"

He poured each of them a jug of wine.

In taverns, dishes made from the same ingredients tasted similar, but the wine varied greatly, aged ten years, fifteen years.

The food on Li Xingsheng’s table was the same as the others’, but he had ordered fine wine, aged fifteen years, costing one hundred and twenty Copper Coins per jug, while theirs was a five-year-old wine, costing only thirty Copper Coins a jug.

A wine lover can tell the quality just by the aroma.

The two men looked at the wine Li Xingsheng had poured, their eyes lit up, and they both expressed their gratitude, "Thank you, brother."

Li Xingsheng smiled, "I just returned from abroad and I’m unaware of the city’s happenings. Listening to your lively conversation made me curious to learn more."

"You asked the right people, we’re the gatekeepers at the training field. The day after tomorrow at 7:45 AM, you should go to the training field at the west of the city for some excitement," one of the thin-faced men laughed.

"What’s the excitement?" Li Xingsheng squinted his eyes.

Another round-faced man laughed, "The Emperor wants to appoint Sister Princess Yue as the National Guardian General, but the Regent King claims she’s not capable and wants her to show her true skills. A notice was posted among the garrison outside the city, inviting all men to challenge Princess Yue. The winner can become the National Guardian General. Brother, isn’t this an exciting event?"

"Many have placed bets; brother, do you want to place a bet too?" The thin-faced man patted Li Xingsheng’s shoulder, "Have some fun, bet three hundred Copper Coins, what do you say?"

He bet on Ling Yuezi losing and hoped that Li Xingsheng, who appeared well-dressed, would also place a bet so he could win.

Li Xingsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, "Princess Yue? When did we have a Princess Yue? The Emperor doesn’t have siblings, does he?"

To his knowledge, the parents of the Southern Yue’s Little Emperor died early, leaving him without siblings. Since when was there a sister?

The thin-faced man, trying to coax Li Xingsheng into betting, smiled, "Brother, you just returned to the city, so of course, you wouldn’t know. Just yesterday, the Emperor’s sister returned. Since her name is Yuezhi, everyone calls her Princess Yue!"

Yuezhi?

The royal family of Nanyue bears the surname Ling, Ling Yuezi?

This woman?

Astonished, Li Xingsheng realized this woman had come here!

She is actually a princess of Nanyue!

Ha!

Li Xingsheng bit his teeth and sneered. No wonder she didn’t want him anymore—she returned to be a princess!

"Brother, why are you laughing? Place a bet; betting on Princess Yue to win is a sure bet." The thin-faced man urged Li Xingsheng again.

Li Xingsheng gritted his teeth, "I’m betting!"

Clap—

He slammed a thousand silver on the table.

"Who’s in?"