Walking inside the training grounds, Yang Ning was amazed by the sheer size of the area. The bordering walls were fortified with large walls and pointed fences, providing protection. These defenses were designed to deter anyone attempting to cross the walls by causing severe harm.
While exploring the training grounds in amazement, Yang Ning heard a series of loud voices of men shouting and realized that the guards must be in the midst of their training. She glanced at Xiaowei with a bright smile and said excitedly, "They must be that way. Let's go there."
Seeing Yang Ning suddenly excited, Xiaowei nodded and followed her without saying anything. However, she was aware that the area they were heading to was where all the equipment was kept for learning archery.
It was the same place where Gu Lan had taken her yesterday for training. The memory of half-naked men training gave her goosebumps and made her cheeks blush in embarrassment.
Not knowing the reason for Xiaowei's hesitation, Yang Ning followed the noises from the direction they were coming and entered another separate training ground connected but separated by a wall and an iron gate, where the guards were practicing archery under the guidance of Gu Lan.
Xiaowei and Yang Ning stood there at a certain distance so as to not disturb them and watched as they shot their first arrows under the instructions of Gu Lan.
While Yang Ning was engrossed in watching the soldiers shoot arrows diligently, Xiaowei's gaze wandered to the man instructing them. She suddenly felt that Gu Lan looked different during training.
He appeared more charming when focused on his work. Despite his gentleness with her yesterday, witnessing him train the guards with a cold demeanor reminded her of how the other guards referred to him as a devil among devils.
For her, he might just be His Highness's guard, but in reality, Gu Lan held a much higher position.
After releasing the arrows, the other guards heard someone clapping and, curious about the disturbance, they turned to see two women dressed in training attire. They recognized Xiaowei from the previous day, but the identity of the other woman puzzled them. Gu Lan's sudden thunder-like words broke through their confusion.
'Her Highness? The Crown Princess?' The guards were in disbelief. The area was not only prohibited for women, but they certainly didn't expect the Crown Princess to appear in the dirty, sandy training grounds that were filled with sweaty men.
"Greetings to your highness!" The guards immediately bowed and greeted Yang Ning enthusiastically. It was a thrilling moment for them, as new guards still in training rarely got the chance to interact with royals, let alone the Crown Princess.
Yang Ning smiled at their excitement and acknowledged their greetings. Just then, Gu Lan, still perplexed, asked her, "Your Highness, how come you are here? If you have some work for me, you could have called for me." He was confused, trying to understand the reason behind her unexpected visit.
""I heard from Xiaowei that you're teaching her self-defense and archery. So I tagged along as I wanted to practice archery as well. After all, in danger, I should know how to protect myself too, don't you think?" Yang Ning replied casually, not giving Gu Lan time to ponder. She then clapped her hands and addressed the other soldiers.
"I heard from Xiaowei that you all work hard. So I brought some snacks for you to try. I hope you'll like it." With this, Yang Ning gestured for Xiaowei to pass the snacks basket to the soldiers, who gladly took the snacks and thanked Yang Ning.
"Now don't stand on ceremony and go and eat these snacks. I got them made fresh, so they must still be warm enough to eat and enjoy," Yang Ning urged them, encouraging the soldiers to indulge in the treats.
Excited and happy, they left to enjoy the snacks, grateful for the afternoon break provided by Gu Lan's permission and the benevolence of the Princess.
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