Chapter Forty-Two: Drills, Always Drills (Part Two)

With the passing of the Qingming Festival, the days grew increasingly warm. Though the heat had not yet reached its peak, heavier robes were already unbearable; a bit of exertion would leave one drenched in sweat. Throughout the palace, everyone hurried to change into thin summer garments. Of course, there were exceptions. Crown Prince Li Hong, frail since childhood and lacking in vital energy, dreaded cold but not heat. Even as the palace maids serving him donned graceful summer skirts, Li Hong remained meticulously dressed, sitting upright behind his table, his figure now appearing somewhat bulky.

“Your Highness.”

As Li Hong buried himself in memorials, a young eunuch hurried in from outside the hall, cautiously approaching the table and addressing him in a low voice.

“Hm.”

Li Hong looked up, glanced at the eunuch, and inadvertently furrowed his brows. He said nothing further, simply uttering a noncommittal sound.

“Your Highness, Prince Zhou has spent these days practicing martial arts at his residence with Li Boyao and Li Sijie, taking no other actions.”

Though Li Hong had not asked, the eunuch clearly understood what the Crown Prince wished to know and dared not delay, quickly reporting in detail.

“Oh?” Li Hong nodded thoughtfully, refraining from immediate comment. After pondering a moment, he suddenly smiled and said, “My seventh brother has always been lazy; who would have thought he now shows such diligence? It is a good thing. Yet, I wonder how much progress he’s made?”

“Your Highness, according to our sources, Prince Zhou has practiced only two things these past two months: running laps and lifting stone locks. He has not been seen practicing anything else.” Upon hearing Li Hong’s question, the eunuch’s face showed a trace of mockery. He curled his lips in disdain and replied.

“Hmph, is that so? Why?”

Li Hong was taken aback that Li Xian’s martial training consisted solely of these activities, and pressed further in disbelief.

“There’s no falsehood, Your Highness. As for the reason, I do not know precisely. Our sources say Prince Zhou’s aptitude is too poor, and Li Sijie is unwilling to teach him, deliberately making things difficult so that Prince Zhou might give up.”

The eunuch bowed, smirking as he spoke.

“So that’s it. Poor seventh brother.” Li Hong laughed at the explanation, his fingers drumming absently on the table. He raised his brows, took up the memorial before him, toyed with it for a moment, and then tossed it lightly into the eunuch’s arms, instructing offhandedly, “Go, deliver this memorial to Prince Zhou, and have him review it carefully.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The eunuch accepted the memorial, glanced at it, and his face immediately changed, but he dared not inquire further. He respectfully answered and withdrew from the hall, heading to Prince Zhou’s residence to deliver the document.

“Little Seven, just what are you planning?”

After the eunuch left, Li Hong sat in silence for a while, murmured softly, shook his head with a bitter smile, and then plunged back into his memorials.

What was he planning? This question puzzled not only Li Hong, but Li Xian himself. Over two months had passed, and he had seen no martial skills taught by Li Boyao—only daily laps and stone lock lifting, sometimes running laps with the stone lock on his back. He was exhausted, as if beaten like a dog, yet had learned nothing. Not to mention the “Wei Gong Military Strategy”—he hadn’t seen a trace of horsemanship, swordplay, spear techniques, or anything else. Even with his good temper, Li Xian had reached his limit.

From the moment the foundation is laid, only when it is firm can the edifice rise high. Li Xian, naturally, understood this principle. Thus, from the start, he did not resist Li Boyao’s relentless foundational training. He had submitted entirely to Li Boyao’s instruction these past months, never slacking nor uttering a word of complaint. But as time went on and Li Boyao’s regimen proved to be nothing but those two exercises, Li Xian could no longer endure. Certainly, building a foundation was necessary, but surely not in this fashion. Besides, if it was only foundational work, there was no need for Li Boyao’s guidance; the prince’s residence was filled with martial men, all well-versed in basic training. If Li Xian truly wished to reinforce his foundation, he could simply ask the guards for advice. Li Boyao’s approach seemed nothing short of a sham. While Li Xian did not expect to become a peerless general, he was unwilling to let Li Boyao use him as a plaything. Frustrated, he resolved not to remain compliant any longer. Early that morning, he arrived at the training ground, determined to confront Li Boyao once and for all.

“Your servant greets Your Highness.”

Li Boyao’s dedication to his duties might be questionable, but his punctuality and adherence to etiquette were beyond reproach. Regardless of whether Li Xian arrived early or late, Li Boyao was always waiting at the training ground, and today was no exception. Upon seeing Li Xian arrive with his attendants, Li Boyao strode forward, meticulously saluted, and offered his greeting.

“General Li, there’s no need for such formality. Rise. I intend to train today—please advise me.”

Li Xian had resolved to confront Li Boyao, but did not plan to quarrel straight away. He remained exceedingly courteous.

“Please run five laps first, Your Highness, and then we’ll discuss what comes next.”

Finished with his salute, Li Boyao stood upright and spoke calmly.

Running laps? Again? Damn it! Hearing that today’s regimen was again laps, Li Xian’s anger flared instantly. He glared at Li Boyao, ready to lash out, but in the end, forced himself to hold back. He said nothing, turned, and began running laps around the training ground. Surprisingly, after two months of continuous exertion, though he had learned no martial arts, his physique had improved considerably. What once required all his strength now felt as easy as drinking water; after five laps, his muscles were warm, and his breathing steady, his complexion no longer the sickly gray it once was.

“General Li, I have completed the five laps. May I ask what comes next?”

Though Li Xian was barely out of breath, his tone was no longer as amiable as before—the word “report” was laden with sarcasm. Clearly, his patience was nearly exhausted.

“Stone lock lifting—twelve sets, twelve repetitions each.”

Li Boyao seemed entirely unfazed by Li Xian’s near outburst, replying with unwavering calm.

What? Again? Is there no end to this? Even with his good disposition, Li Xian could no longer suppress his anger when faced with the same routine. He gritted his teeth and spoke coldly, “Is there anything else?”

“Your Highness may abstain. If so, I will cease instruction.”

Li Boyao was unmoved by Li Xian’s icy words.

“Fine. Very well!”

Li Xian was about to explode, but at Li Boyao’s words, he changed his mind. With a dark face, he nodded, refrained from further argument, strode to the stone locks, picked up a thirty-pound pair, and began training in silence. Perhaps out of habit, or perhaps from spite, what normally took over an hour, he completed in just half an hour, though his breath was somewhat irregular and his face flushed. Still, he had no intention of resting. He marched over to Li Boyao, shook his head to scatter the sweat, and looked at him challengingly. “General Li, what’s next?”

“That’s all for today,” Li Boyao replied, glancing at Li Xian with the same unruffled composure.

“Really? That’s it?”

This time, Li Xian couldn’t hold back. He rolled his eyes, clenched his teeth, and spoke from between them with a chilling tone.

“Yes, that’s it.” Li Boyao ignored Li Xian’s glare, dropped the words, and walked away without so much as a backward glance.

Damn it, playing games with me? Looking for trouble! Li Xian was furious. He was about to order the guards to stop Li Boyao, but before he could speak, Li Boyao, still walking away, called out, “Tomorrow, we start sword training!”

What? Sword training? At last, some progress! No more running laps! Wonderful! Swords are good—perhaps I’ll really become a swordsman. That would be something! Hearing that sword training would begin tomorrow, Li Xian was elated, his mind filled with wild fantasies. By the time he regained his composure and sought Li Boyao to ask for details, he found the man had vanished.

Hmph, why leave so quickly? Really, he didn’t even specify which kind of sword training—how dull! Seeing that Li Boyao was gone, Li Xian’s enthusiasm was greatly diminished, but he had no choice. He forced himself to contain his excitement, took the damp towel handed to him by Yan Hong, wiped his face, and turned toward the residence. He intended to freshen up, but as he lifted his foot, he saw Gao Miao accompanying a young eunuch hastily approaching from the west courtyard gate. Li Xian composed himself and stood still.

“Your Highness, this is Wang Dequan, Deputy Steward of Xiande Hall in the Eastern Palace, sent by order of the Crown Prince.”

Upon seeing Li Xian standing there, Gao Miao hurried over, bowed, and introduced the eunuch.

“Your servant greets Prince Zhou.”

Though Wang Dequan’s rank was low, he was the Crown Prince’s most trusted attendant and carried himself with dignity. Even when offering greetings to a prince, his manners were impeccable, though his tone held a faint trace of arrogance.

“Oh, so it’s Eunuch Wang. No need for formalities. What brings you here?”

With experience from a prior life, Li Xian knew well what sort of person stood before him and would not stoop to petty squabbles. He raised his hand with a smile to signal Wang Dequan to rise, and asked kindly.

“To inform Your Highness, I have come at the Crown Prince’s command to deliver a memorial for your review.” As he spoke, Wang Dequan drew a memorial from his wide sleeve and respectfully presented it to Li Xian.

“Oh?” Li Xian had been exceedingly low-key these past months, rarely leaving his residence, let alone participating in court affairs. Now, hearing that the Crown Prince had suddenly sent a memorial, he was puzzled. Still, he reached out and took it—only to be utterly stunned by its contents…