Chapter 724: Maybe, She Seduced Her Way Up?
“Hmm? Miss Lou, please do.”
Lou Qianxue was truly a genius, and the Crown Prince trusted her very much.
Using a voice transmission with her Essence Martial Power, Lou Qianxue relayed her suggestion to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince’s eyes widened. “Amazing! Miss Lou, your plans are very thoughtful.”
A while later, the Crown Prince Yu, Lou Qianxue, and Dan Taiyuan exited from the tent together.
Outside the tent, the 20,000-strong troops had camped on the ground and gathered around the campfire. They rested and talked about everything under the sun.
“Crown Prince has been sick for more than ten years, and he does not have any accomplishments. He might not even be able to cultivate, yet the Emperor made him our general. Isn’t that taking our lives lightly?” Someone grumbled.
“Hmph. Crown Prince has a high status, so never mind him. But the assistant general is a joke! She’s only an eighteen-year-old lass! Eighteen years old! Even if she started cultivating in her mom’s womb, how formidable can she be?”
The 20,000 soldiers were deployed from various cities under the Tian Zhao Empire.
They lived far away from the Imperial city. Furthermore, with the renaissance of martial arts, even though Emperor Ying was the only known Heavenly Martial Realm expert, other Heavenly Martial Realm experts had secretly emerged in other cities. Hence, the authority of the imperial powers had decreased. These people were not as fearful of imperial power as they were before.
Moreover, they had immediately set off with the troops once they had reached the Imperial city; they did not even enter the city. Naturally, they had not heard about Lou Qianxue’s reputation.
Crown Prince Yu, Lou Qianxue, and Dan Taiyuan heard the conversation the moment they stepped out of the tent. Their brows instantly frowned.
“Brother Xu, four years ago, you and I fought together. You beheaded ten generals by charging into the Nandu Nation alone. You were so heroic! Why did the emperor choose a young lass as the assistant general and not you? That’s so unfair!”
Xu Tailang’s face became pale and gloomy. He only smiled at the person after hearing these words.
In the martial arts competition, Lou Qianxue’s “Whirlwind Obliteration” had sucked away half of his Essence Martial Power. His cultivation had instantly fallen from the Heavenly Martial Realm to the second level of the Mystic Martial Realm. He had been in a terrible mood ever since and did not want to speak to anyone.
However, someone beside him spoke, “Before I arrived at the Imperial city, I heard that the emperor instructed Zhen Guogong to organize a martial arts competition to recruit aspiring youths. Only the winner would’ve gotten to be the assistant general. But I don’t believe that an eighteen-year-old lass can defeat Brother Xu! Something underhanded might have happened…”
Just as this man finished saying that, another person hesitantly added, “Before we set off, I saw how Lou Qianxue looked at a distance. She’s really quite beautiful. Maybe…”
Others immediately understood the unspoken words. “Maybe she seduced her way up?”
The crowd was discussing the matter when…
“Crown… Crown Prince!”
Suddenly, a soldier saw Crown Prince Yu, Lou Qianxue, and Dan Taiyuan. His face turned as white as a ghost, and he immediately stood up to bow.
The others were shocked as well. No one had expected that the Crown Prince would pass by them just as they were grumbling about him.
How much did he hear…
Crown Prince Yu’s expression was grave, and his gaze turned cold when he looked at these soldiers. “Zhen Guogong, what do we do to soldiers who gossip and are disrespectful to their superiors?”
Zhen Guogong respectfully replied, “Your Highness, they shall be punished with 100 strokes of the bludgeon as a warning to others!”
“Then, what are you waiting for? Carry out the punishment now!”
However…
“Hold on!” A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes growled and furiously stood up. “Crown Prince! We worked hard to cultivate, but we are inferior to Lou Qianxue just because we don’t have her gender and looks! I don’t understand why she is the assistant general! Why is she higher ranked than us?!”
Crown Prince Yu became furious. He was about to speak when…