Zheng Liang returned to the Dragon Pavilion in the late afternoon after wrapping up his court session. He had planned to enjoy some tea with Yang Ning, but to his surprise, he discovered that she had gone to the training grounds to accompany Xiaowei for the self-defense training session.
Furrowing his brows, Zheng Liang struggled to comprehend why Yang Ning would go to the training grounds. After all, it was Xiaowei who was undergoing training, and the sandy, shadeless harsh environment of the training ground seemed like a difficult place for her to join.
However, upon learning that Yang Ning had gone there, he went to the training grounds to find her. Upon arrival, he discovered that one of the entrance guards had been dismissed from his duties by Yang Ning and was ordered to move to the stables for six months.
The guard who was punished by Yang Ning begged Zheng Liang for mercy, claiming that it was a mistake and he didn't mean to disrespect Her Highness because he didn't recognize her. However, Zheng Liang knew that Yang Ning must have punished him for a reason; she wouldn't punish anyone without cause.
Zheng Liang glanced at the guard who was following him around in Gu Lan's absence and ordered him, "Make it 12 months. Since he is still trying to beg for mercy in front of me in the absence of the Princess and putting the blame on her that he didn't recognize her because of her disguise, I can see that he has no regard for the words of the Crown Princess."
"Yes, Your Highness. I will immediately give orders to extend his punishment to a year." The guard, who was next in seniority to Gu Lan, responded quickly.
"Your Highness!" The guard who was kneeling on the ground cried out in shock. He had thought that the Crown Prince might find the Princess's actions unreasonable because, after all, it was she who was wearing a man's clothes and fooled him by not revealing her position first. However, rather than freeing him from the punishment, the Crown Prince increased it to twelve months.
Now he has to work in the stables and clean horse poop for a year. How humiliating!
As he entered the training grounds, the sounds of enthusiastic cheers reached his ears. Following the noise, Zheng Liang found a group of guards gathered near the entrance of the separate training ground where soldiers were taught archery and other weapon skills. Sensing something unusual, he approached the crowd without alerting the other guards.
Their prayers were short-lived when the man, in admiration of Yang Ning's performance, commented, "I thought women were supposed to be delicate flowers, but our Princess is proving that strength is just as attractive. I wouldn't mind having a strong woman as my wife if she looks this amazing doing it."
"Princess is not just beautiful but also knows how to play with bow and arrows. I feel envious of His Highness; he truly has found a gem for himself as a wife," he added dreamily, his eyes fixed on Yang Ning.
However, after expressing his thoughts, the man suddenly felt a chilling presence behind him, as if someone was ready to unleash a torrent of wrath. Slowly turning around, he found all the guards parting to create a path, leaving him standing alone in the middle.
To his horror, the source of the intense gaze was none other than the Crown Prince himself. "Your...Your Highness!" the man stammered nervously, realizing that his candid remarks might have unintended consequences.
Zheng Liang glared at the guard, a surge of jealousy coursing through him. He knew his wife was perfect—ethereally beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly skilled with weapons like arrows and bows.
He was fully aware that her very presence was enough to command admiration and affection from anyone. However, witnessing the guard openly admiring the Crown Princess, staring at her as if he were infatuated, intensified Zheng Liang's frown and fueled the flames of jealousy in his heart.
As the Crown Prince remained silent, casting a cold glare in his direction, the guard felt beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. Nervously, he gulped and stole a glance at his comrades, who had betrayed him by not informing him about His Highness's presence. They now regarded him with pitiful gazes and felt sorry for his condition, but they couldn't do anything.
It was he who had put himself in this situation, after all, by making such careless remarks about the Crown Princess.
"Your...Highness! Please forgive me for my impudence. It was careless of me to say that. I shouldn't have-" The guard lowered his head and apologized to Zheng Liang, worried that he might be punished harshly for his careless comments. He was praying inwardly to be spared, but before he could complete his words, a soft, mellow voice interrupted him, causing everyone to look in the direction of the voice.
"Oh? How did you come here?"