Chapter 17

That night, Jiang Mingyu stayed overnight in the Donggong, as usual sleeping alone in the guest chamber, but tonight sleep eluded him completely.

Every time he closed his eyes, images flooded his mind—the Crown Prince whispering softly in his ear, and helping him shed his green robe and inner shirt!

It sent a shiver of goosebumps crawling over his skin.

Jiang Mingyu didn’t sleep a wink all night—he never imagined the Crown Prince was a faggot!

Fine, you’re a faggot, but why the hell are you setting your sights on me? I’m a straight-as-an-arrow man!

Yet the Emperor’s grace is boundless; if I refuse, I may lose my position—or even my life. But if I yield, how can I ever face the people of Jiangdong? I’m truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

Jiang Mingyu decided to pretend ignorance, stall with excuses, and delay as long as possible; if all else failed, he’d have to seek help from the Heron Chancellor.

Sigh, I still lack strength. If I were a supreme minister, the Crown Prince would think thrice before acting. For now, I’ll just take it one step at a time...

The next morning, before dawn, the Crown Prince arrived at the palace with the Crown Princess, paying respects to the Emperor; accompanying them was half a cart of Mo Huan Mushrooms.

Each mushroom was packed in a brocade box, one per box, stacked into a small mound.

The imperial palace stood right next to the Donggong, separated by only two walls; taking the inner imperial road, you’d pass through two gates and arrive.

The Crown Prince and his wife came and went in barely half an hour.

After returning to the Donggong, the Crown Prince, under the servants’ care, swiftly donned his armor.

Fish-scale plates overlapped, the breastplate guarding vital points, a conical helmet shielding sky and sun, a long sword at his waist, clad in silver armor and golden helmet, gleaming brilliantly!

Once mounted on his exclusive steed—the white, sweat-blooded treasure horse—he radiated such heroic splendor that Jiang Mingyu was instantly awed and deeply admiring.

The sweat-blooded horse reared its hooves, the Crown Prince swung his long sword as if he could cleave heaven and earth. His straight back, broad shoulders, exuded imperial grandeur and bold spirit.

The Crown Prince's galloping figure exuded imperial might, yet subtly carried scholarly elegance.

It embodied the boldness of a hero laughing at the world, and the sorrowful lament of a man burdened by life.

For a moment, Jiang Mingyu understood why so many willingly followed the Crown Prince, swearing loyalty unto death.

Such a man was born to possess the empire and its loyal ministers, destined to achieve great deeds.

Sigh, if only the Crown Prince wouldn’t set his sights on me, Jiang Mingyu silently muttered.

The Crown Princess led the Donggong maids and eunuchs, kneeling on the ground to respectfully see off the Crown Prince.

Jiang Mingyu, a civil official without armor, wore only his green court robe and black gauze cap; after mounting his horse, he rode with the Crown Prince’s guard, heading east, exiting the inner city, passing through the Qinglong Gate, soon arriving at the Left Guard Command’s headquarters.

At this hour, the parade ground was already filled with three hundred fully armored soldiers, wielding tower shields and long spears, training.

They trained in pairs: one held the spear, the other the shield, engaging in close combat against another identical pair, attacking and defending alternately.

Standing on the command platform overseeing training, the infantry commander—Du Gu Qiu Bai—saw the Crown Prince arrive, gave a command, and all three hundred armored soldiers instantly ceased combat, swiftly forming ranks; soon, three neat, uniform squads stood before the platform.

The Crown Prince rode his sweat-blooded horse slowly onto the parade ground. A breeze blew, lifting his purple-gold crown tassels and cloak, making him look extraordinarily martial.

The Crown Prince surveyed the field: three hundred fierce warriors stood like statues, upright against the wind, faces stern, exuding overwhelming grandeur.

Du Gu Qiu Bai was also fully armored, his armor heavier still; each step rang with metallic clinks.

By military custom, Du Gu Qiu Bai, clad in armor, was exempt from the full kowtow; he merely bowed and clasped his hands to the Crown Prince as formal greeting.

After saluting, Du Gu Qiu Bai respectfully invited the Crown Prince to inspect the troops.

The Crown Prince and his party walked slowly to the front of the squads; the soldiers shouted in unison: “We humbly welcome Your Highness’s inspection!” The roar was deafening.

Three hundred warriors raised their spears and tower shields in perfect unison to salute the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince smiled faintly, inwardly deeply impressed.

My Longyang Army truly lives up to its reputation—training such a strong, disciplined force is no small feat.

The Crown Prince waved his hand to signal dismissal; three hundred warriors immediately lowered their weapons, bowed in perfect unison to the Crown Prince, then dispersed to resume training.

As the Crown Prince inspected the troops, Jiang Mingyu followed behind.

On this scorching autumn day, every soldier on the parade ground sweated profusely, gasping for breath; even the Crown Prince, clad in full armor, was drenched in sweat after walking only a few steps.

Jiang Mingyu, in light summer attire, felt remarkably cool.

“How much longer will the training last?” the Crown Prince asked.

“Your Highness, less than half an hour remains; today’s morning drill will conclude soon,” Du Gu Qiu Bai replied respectfully.

“Good...”

The Crown Prince then instructed: “Jiang Da Ren has rarely accompanied me to inspect the Left Guard Command today. Have them perform the ‘Five Elements Mandarin Duck Formation’ for Jiang Da Ren’s enlightenment.”

“Your servant receives the order!”

Du Gu Qiu Bai immediately turned and commanded the three hundred soldiers below: “All troops, switch to Five Elements Mandarin Duck Formation weapons—begin!” The three hundred soldiers responded swiftly, precisely, and orderly, changing weapons.

The Mandarin Duck Formation’s weapons were more complex: forked pikes, wolf-brushes, rattan shields, long spears; the formation also differed entirely from the previous arrangement—now five men per group, ten per squad.

Behind each rattan shield soldier stood two spear soldiers, one forked pike soldier, and one wolf-brush soldier; these five formed a unit, paired with another five to form a squad.

Due to the variety of weapons, flexible tactics, and two units forming a squad that supported each other like horns, it was called the Five Elements Mandarin Duck Formation.

Jiang Mingyu, ignorant of military affairs, watched the three hundred soldiers on the field wielding shields and spears, dancing and leaping for half a long while—he knew what they were doing, but not why. The Crown Prince and Du Gu Qiu Bai, however, pointed and commented, chatting and laughing.

Jiang Mingyu touched his old chest wound, recalling last year’s memory of being pierced by the Crown Prince’s spear—his heart trembled! He silently prayed: Oh heavens, please don’t make me fight someone later!

Half an hour later, Du Gu Qiu Bai ordered: “Drill concluded.” The entire army began moving toward the mess hall.

The Crown Prince and Jiang Mingyu, led by Du Gu Qiu Bai, entered the mess hall together; lunch would be eaten here at the Left Guard Command.

The soldiers’ rations were coarse, nothing compared to the Donggong.

Jiang Mingyu sat alone at a low table; two soldiers brought him two baked flatbreads, a bowl of meat soup, and a large jug of cloudy wine.

Soon after, Xiao Chengzi approached.

He pulled a gourd-shaped bottle from his sleeve and said: “Jiang Da Ren, this is pepper salt—it’ll enhance the flavor of your bread and soup!” He then sprinkled several pinches into Jiang Mingyu’s soup and flatbreads himself.

Midway through the meal, Jiang Mingyu began feeling unbearably hot; he unconsciously unbuttoned his collar to cool himself.

He thought of the soldiers around him, still clad in full armor—how could they eat like this?

But when he looked up, the soldiers in the mess hall were laughing, eating bread in big bites, gulping wine, showing no sign of discomfort.

Jiang Mingyu turned his head and caught the Crown Prince’s gaze—he was watching Jiang Mingyu, a strange smile on his face!

As if waiting for something.

Jiang Mingyu thought: Oh no—could it be... Xiao Chengzi’s pepper salt was poisoned!

Instantly, Jiang Mingyu set down his half-eaten flatbread and dared not touch the soup again—only drank from the jug of cloudy wine.

When the soldiers had mostly finished eating, Du Gu Qiu Bai suddenly ordered: “All troops, remove armor!”

The soldiers responded with lightning speed, stripping off their armor, undergarments, bindings, and wrist guards—all at once! Three hundred armored men became three hundred bare-chested giants, gathered in the mess hall!

Jiang Mingyu hadn’t yet figured out what was happening.

Beside him, Xiao Chengzi was already helping the Crown Prince remove his armor; soon, the Crown Prince sat bare-chested at his table, wearing a look of pure delight!

The Crown Prince: “Jiang Da Ren, why are you still dressed?” Before he finished speaking, Xiao Chengzi had already stepped behind Jiang Mingyu, ready to help him undress!

At that moment, Du Gu Qiu Bai walked over, grabbed Xiao Chengzi’s right wrist, and said: “Xiao Chengzi, come help me take off my armor first; I’m old, my hands aren’t steady.”

With that, he forcibly pulled Xiao Chengzi’s arm and strode swiftly toward the back chamber.

Jiang Mingyu stared like a stunned cat, watching Xiao Chengzi vanish from view; when he snapped back to reality, he met the Crown Prince’s eyes again.

“Aren’t you hot?” the Crown Prince asked.

“N-no, not hot.”

Jiang Mingyu spoke haltingly: “I’m from the south; right now... it’s still quite cool for me!”

The Crown Prince nodded, said nothing more, took another sip of wine, then turned to his deputy, “Sen Lang,” and ordered: “Let the soldiers have some fun.”

As Sen Lang shouted: “Tong Shi Cao Ge!” the soldiers erupted in cheers, immediately pairing off, facing each other in fighting stances!

In an instant, the mess hall filled with muscular men, veins bulging, raw power exploding in arms and chests.

They wrestled in pairs, strength and technique entwined, chaos greater than battlefield chaos.

Three hundred men roared like thunder, deafening; sweat poured like springs, nourishing the power and beauty of combat.

Beneath skin like bronze and iron, blood pulsed wildly, boiling hot.

They had forgotten life and death, caring only for victory; only this brief, fierce struggle could quicken the heart, stir the blood, and embody the ultimate glory of being human.

Victory shifted back and forth, no clear winner; in their frenzy, they sought only the fleeting, feather-light ecstasy that drove them mad.

Three hundred mighty men stirred a storm in the cramped space, churning waves, merging into one, splashing an endless rain of hot blood.

The mess hall was thick with absurdity.

What should have been a solemn day in military life now felt profoundly strange.

The three hundred mighty men seemed to have forgotten their identities, obsessed only with indulgence, chasing the feather-light, fleeting joy.

To Jiang Mingyu’s eyes, this scene was absurd and jarring.

Even though Jiang Mingyu was a reincarnator, the three hundred wild men before him were shattering his understanding; at this moment, his values, worldview, and life philosophy were collapsing rapidly!

Jiang Mingyu finally understood—the “ge” in Deputy’s phrase “Tong Shi Cao Ge” wasn’t “spear.” It was “ge”—as in “Tong Shi Cao ‘Ge’!”