Chapter 572: Qing Dynasty Transmigration Spirit Spring System (23)

Before Xie Yang had even returned to the camp, the story of her sweeping through a pack of wolves with a single sword had already reached the ears of Kangxi, and had even been sent back to Jingcheng along with letters.

Si Ye could not believe his eyes when he received the letter; he rubbed them again and again—he hadn't misread it, had he? That was what the letter said! But when did Haiyin learn martial arts? He hadn't found a martial arts master for her, and the last time he had taught her horse riding and archery was two years ago when he had found the time; he hadn't seen her practice much in these two years either.

Puzzled, he sent people to investigate.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the granddaughter of Imperial Physician Chang also possessed the same skills; it was said she had learned them together with Haiyin, and even claimed to have learned them from a Martial Arts Secret Manual. That so-called manual was something Haiyin had found in a yellowed, old medical book.

Si Ye: "..."

"Si Ye, you wouldn't know, but a year ago, when Pei Lan was practicing martial arts with us brothers, she couldn't even hold a horse stance steadily, yet now she can defeat the three of us brothers one-on-one," Chang Peilan's eldest brother said with a helpless smile.

Si Ye curled the corner of his mouth.

What was defeating three people?

His daughter, at the Mulan Paddock, had defeated thirty prairie wolves one-on-one! She had killed every single one with a single strike!

Looking at it this way, it wasn't entirely the credit of the Martial Arts Secret Manual; one could only say his daughter was a natural-born martial arts prodigy.

No! Not just martial arts! She was also quite skilled at Planting flowers and plants!

Si Ye thought of the six pots of Immortal Grass his daughter had successfully grown.

Lao Shi had hired experienced herb farmers to tend to them day and night at the Farm, but in the end, not a single Immortal Grass Seed had sprouted.

The handful of Immortal Grass Seed he had presented to the Emperor was said to have been handed over to the gardeners in the Imperial Garden most skilled at raising seedlings for careful cultivation, yet to this day, he hadn't heard of a single one successfully sprouting.

It had to be his daughter; she had grown six! If this wasn't talent, what was?

Pity...

At the thought that such a capable daughter would, in all likelihood, still be married off for a political alliance by an imperial decree in the future, Si Ye closed his eyes in pain.

The Emperor... the Crown Prince...

Was it only by sitting on that throne that he could spare his daughter from the fate of being married off to the Mongols?

At this moment, a seed named "ambition" sprouted in the depths of Si Ye's heart.

Mulan Paddock.

After the autumn hunt ended, there was an incredibly lively victory banquet.

At the banquet, besides Kangxi rewarding the outstanding participants, there were also many entertainment programs.

There were song and dance performances, instrumental music, wrestling matches, and so on.

Xie Yang sat in a corner, contentedly drinking delicious lamb soup boiled from the ribs of a tender lamb, gnawing on fragrant, crispy lamb leg meat roasted over aromatic wood, and enjoying the performances in the arena with great relish.

Suddenly hearing someone mention her name, she looked up in confusion to see a burly youth with a simple, honest smile.

But she had been too busy enjoying the food and the performances to hear clearly what he had just said.

Lemin Junzhu, who had run over to sit with her halfway through the meal, translated for her: "His name is Ba Ersi, the bravest Baturu of the Barhu Banner; he wants to spar with you."

Xie Yang raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said to the youth: "Why look for me to spar? You should look for them."

She pointed to the neighboring table where her fifteenth uncle, Yin Wu, and several other royal descendants of similar age were sitting.

The youth blushed instantly, scratching his head before he could say anything, while a nobleman from his same tribe laughed heartily: "Is Ba Ersi taken with Haiyin Gege? Does he want to ask for Gege's hand in marriage?"

Yin Wu moved closer to Xie Yang and whispered an explanation: "The tradition of the Barhu Banner is like this: unmarried men can name an unmarried woman to spar with; if they win, they can ask to marry her."

"..."

Damn it!

Xie Yang hurriedly looked toward the main dais at Lao Kang, whose expression was unreadable.

The old man wouldn't just blurt it out and actually promise her away, would he?

"Apologies!" Xie Yang stood up and bowed to the youth in apology.

Before the youth could say anything, Xie Yang turned to bow to Kangxi and said in a clear voice: "Imperial Grandfather, Haiyin does not want to marry! Haiyin is determined to become a female general who fights on the battlefield, to achieve glory on the battlefield! To guard the nation's territory! To share the worries and solve the difficulties for Imperial Grandfather!"

"!!!"

Kangxi was momentarily dazed, and the fragrant tribute wine spilled from the wine cup in his hand.

The others were also too shocked to speak.

Even if the nobleman of the Barhu Banner was unhappy in his heart, feeling that Haiyin Gege was looking down on the Baturu of their banner and that talking about fighting on the battlefield and becoming the first female general of the Great Qing was simply an excuse.

But even if it was an excuse, what could be done at this moment? He could only go along with Xie Yang's words and praise her for having ambition, with a spirit not inferior to a Baturu.

Kangxi took the opportunity to raise his wine cup and toasted the other party: "This granddaughter of mine has been tough since she was small, and she is the only daughter of the Fourth Prince who has survived, so she has been a bit spoiled; if there is any offense, I hope everyone will be magnanimous."

"Your Majesty is too polite!" The nobleman of the Barhu Banner felt much better after hearing this, stood up, and cupped his hands, "It is a good thing that Haiyin Gege has such a grand ambition; it was Ba Ersi who was reckless."

The noblemen of other tribes also raised their cups one after another to pay tribute to Kangxi.

The scene returned to its previous state of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

This matter passed just like a minor interlude.

The Prince of Zhijun came back to his senses and clicked his tongue, thinking to himself: does the Fourth Prince know his daughter is this fierce?

The Crown Prince rubbed his wine cup and lowered his eyes, hiding the appreciative smile in the depths of his gaze.

Even the Sixth Princess, Lanyue, looked at Xie Yang with a hint of longing in her eyes.

If only she had the courage and boldness of her niece Haiyin, how good that would be.

Xie Yang sat back in her original seat with a calm expression and continued to eat and drink.

Lemin Junzhu was dumbfounded: "Haiyin, do you really want to join the army and become a general?"

"Mm." Xie Yang nodded, "Men can be soldiers and generals, why can't women? In what way are we women inferior to men?"

Lemin Junzhu: "..."

Thinking about it carefully, Haiyin was a female warrior who had killed thirty wolves all by herself! Even the Prince of Zhijun and the Crown Prince combined hadn't killed as many as Haiyin alone.

So she nodded in agreement: "That's right! Who says women are inferior to men!"

Yin Wu and the others, who heard their conversation: "..."

She kept her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, pretending she had heard nothing at all.

Let Fourth Brother worry about his niece Haiyin!

Two days later, Si Ye received the letter: "..."

Indeed, his head was aching as if it were a tangled mess.

Yet he still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing that his daughter had only said such things to politely decline the marriage alliance with the Barghut, and that she did not truly want to become the first female general of the Great Qing and join the army after her coming-of-age ceremony, right?

Campaigning on the battlefield is not something to be taken lightly.

Throughout history, it is not that there have been no female generals who could carve out a path to survival on the battlefield, but they are few and far between. Especially in these few years since the Qing army entered the pass, when has one ever seen a woman join the army?

Si Ye was anxious beyond measure. He longed for his daughter to return to Peking University more than anyone else, and when she returned, he would certainly have a good talk with her. She could not choose the most difficult path for herself just because she did not want to be married off to the Mongols.

He did not even dare to tell Si Fujin and Li Shi about this matter, fearing they would be so anxious they would wipe away tears.

Yet even though he had not spoken, Si Fujin still found out—she heard it from the wives of other princes.