Chapter 77 The Outcome Is Decided

The drill ground erupted in cheers like rolling mountains and roaring seas. Li Hongji's covert little action was executed with extreme stealth and swiftness, escaping the notice of almost everyone.

Though the general outcome had already been decided, Yang Lian remained extremely vigilant. Suddenly, sensing a trace of danger, he whipped his head up to see a gleaming arrow hurtling directly toward him. He hurriedly raised his arm, swinging his saber downward to intercept the projectile. With a crisp, metallic clink, the arrow was deflected and dropped to the ground.

Seeing this scene unfold, many breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Tie snapped back to his senses and cursed, "Son of a bitch, that fellow has no honor at all!"

Yang Lian narrowed his eyes without a word. Instead, he raised his left hand, extended his pinky finger, and beckoned mockingly at Li Hongji. This blatant provocation incited Li Hongji into a towering rage. He viciously dug his heels into his warhorse's flanks and charged straight at Yang Lian.

Yang Lian gripped his saber tightly, then pulled out a strip of white cloth, binding the hilt and his hand firmly together.

"Commander Yang, let me handle him!" shouted Chen Tie. The opponent also wielded a heavy cavalry spear; he was the very adversary Chen Tie had faced.

Yang Lian shook his head, his voice resolute. "Leave this man to me." With that, he too spurred his mount forward into a gallop.

The two men had initially been separated by more than three hundred paces. As their horses closed the distance, they could finally make out each other's features.

"Let's see how long you can remain so arrogant." A murderous intent flashed in Li Hongji's eyes as he tightened his grip on his heavy spear. Even if he were to lose this battle, as long as he could severely injure or even kill Yang Lian, it would all be worth it.

Yang Lian grasped his saber tightly. The roaring din of the crowd around him seemed to fade into silence. In that single moment, his entire field of vision narrowed to Li Hongji's face, obscured by a black cloth and a dark helmet, and the chilling, murderous gaze piercing through the eye-slits. As the distance closed, their horses crossed paths, and both men simultaneously raised their weapons to thrust forward.

Yet, while their motions were similar, their targets were entirely different. Li Hongji aimed directly for the man; he wanted to kill Yang Lian. After all, they had signed a pact of life and death, where one's fate was left to the heavens!

Yang Lian's saber, however, was aimed squarely at Li Hongji's warhorse. Even though the blade was wrapped in thick layers of cloth, under the tremendous force of the impact, Li Hongji's mount could not withstand the shock. It let out a pitiful whinny, its front legs buckling as it crashed to the ground. The massive momentum violently flung Li Hongji out of the saddle. Although Li Hongji possessed superb horsemanship and had the aid of stirrups to help maintain his balance, the sheer kinetic force was simply too overwhelming.

Li Hongji crashed heavily to the earth, though fortunately, he landed atop his own horse, which was writhing and crying out in agony. While he escaped injury, the situation was utterly humiliating.

Yang Lian slowly reined in his horse, turned around, and looked at him coldly. Pointing his saber at Li Hongji, he declared, "Get up, and fight!"

Li Hongji's face flushed crimson. Had the black cloth not covered his features, he would have died of sheer shame. This battle had taken too dramatic a turn; no one could have anticipated it. And when Yang Lian finally faced Li Hongji head-on, before Li Hongji could even unleash his full martial prowess, he had been unseated in an instant, leaving the spectators utterly astounded.

Princess Huairou suddenly broke into applause, laughing, "He won." Realizing her mistake as she caught the gazes of Li Jing, Empress Zhong, Li Jingda, and the others fixed upon her, she hurriedly lowered her head and fell silent.

Prince of Qi, Li Jingsui, stepped forward and said, "Imperial Brother, this battle has concluded."

Li Jing nodded. His son uninjured was the best possible outcome—even if the spectacle had been somewhat unseemly. Still, for a young man, experiencing a setback every now and then was a good thing.

Empress Zhong asked with a hint of worry, "Is Hongji alright?"

Li Jing smiled and replied, "He is at the age of youthful vigor and arrogance. A small stumble like this is of no consequence."

Out on the drill ground, Li Hongji gritted his teeth and hauled himself to his feet, his armor stained with the blood of his dying mount. He narrowed his eyes to appraise Yang Lian, then glanced at the twitching horse on the ground. A cold smile played on his lips as he said, "Very well. I shall certainly repay this debt."

"Yang Lian stands firm and fears no reckoning; I will be waiting for you to exact your revenge. But I am deeply curious: behind all your mystery and vicious methods, who on earth are you?" Yang Lian's voice rang out clearly, carrying far enough for many soldiers across the battlefield to hear.

Chen Tie gripped his heavy spear and shouted loudly, "Indeed! Who the hell are you?"

Li Hongji let out a cold snort, his gaze dark and venomous as he swept it over Yang Lian and Chen Tie. "You two are not yet worthy to know my identity." With that, he turned and limped away.

Yang Lian watched his retreating figure, momentarily tempted to tear away his disguise. But after a second thought, he decided against it. Exposing Li Hongji's identity prematurely would likely invite a cascade of unnecessary troubles. To endure hardships and bide one's time—much like the three thousand Yue troops capable of devouring Wu—Yang Lian still needed to exercise patience.

At that moment, Prince of Qi Li Jingsui hurried forward and announced in a booming voice, "The victor of this match is Commander Yang Lian of the Shenwu Army!"

Seated in his saddle, Yang Lian bowed to the Prince of Qi, though his arm was still trembling slightly. To forcefully intercept a charging warhorse—how immense was that destructive force? Yang Lian was made of flesh and blood, so naturally, he was not entirely unscathed. He could feel that the web of his thumb and forefinger had split open, but he could not afford to show any weakness, having just issued a further challenge to Li Hongji.

He was more than glad that the Prince of Qi had stepped in promptly to declare the winner. Dismounting, Yang Lian unwrapped the ropes from his hand and retrieved his saber. Sure enough, the skin between his thumb and forefinger had burst wide open, blood flowing freely. He casually wrapped a strip of white cloth around the wound before heading off to see the Emperor.

Led by the Prince of Qi, Yang Lian entered the pavilion and immediately sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat abnormal. Empress Zhong's face was flushed, looking thoroughly agitated; Yang Lian deduced that this match had undoubtedly offended her to the core. Li Jing, on the other hand, maintained an expression of absolute calm, possessing a depth of composure that made his inner joy or anger entirely unreadable.

"Yang Lian of the Shenwu Army pays his respects to Your Majesty and the Empress," Yang Lian saluted the two of them.

"Rise," Li Jing waved a hand, then suddenly chuckled. "Minister Yang, today's battle has truly opened my eyes."

"Thanks to Your Majesty's boundless fortune, your humble subject merely won by luck and dares not claim any credit," Yang Lian replied with an expression of grateful relief, before adding, "If two armies were truly clashing in real warfare, such a tactic might not necessarily succeed. One must remember that battlefield conditions change in the blink of an eye, and until the very last moment, no one dares claim victory lightly."

Stroke by stroke, Li Jing stroked his beard, his estimation of Yang Lian rising a notch further. A man who remained unarrogant in victory possessed many fine qualities; it was simply a pity that—though Li Jing harbored intentions of promoting him—the man's very name remained a thorn that made Li Jing deeply uncomfortable.

"Do you know the identity of the person you fought against?" Li Jing suddenly asked.

"He covered his face with a black cloth; this foolish subject was blind to it," Yang Lian answered.

Li Jing nodded. "That is not your fault." Turning his gaze toward the inner chamber, he called out, "Hongji, are you still not coming out?"

Clad in a full suit of black armor, Li Hongji slowly emerged. His face was gloomy and depressed, and the black cloth had already been removed. The moment Yang Lian laid eyes on him, he recognized him instantly as Li Hongji.

"So it was the Duke of Dongping," Yang Lian hurriedly bowed to him, adding, "This subject was unaware it was Your Grace; I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"Haha, since the pact of life and death was already signed, what crime could Minister Yang possibly have committed? Furthermore, I saw it very clearly—Hongji fired an arrow, and had Minister Yang not reacted with such speed, I might well have lost a formidable general today." Li Jing laughed heartily, acting as though he cared not a whit.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty," Yang Lian saluted once more, his expression a picture of respectful terror and profound gratitude.

Prince of Qi Li Jingsui smiled faintly and asked, "Your Majesty, since Yang Lian has won, what shall be his reward?"

Princess Huairou glanced at Li Jing, bit her lip, and inched slightly closer.

"Receiving Your Majesty's trust to command the Imperial Guards is already the greatest honor imaginable; this subject dares not ask for further rewards," Yang Lian hurriedly stated.

Princess Huairou could not help but roll her eyes inwardly. She had been intending to put in a good word for Yang Lian, only for him to resort to playing hard to get yet again.

Li Jing gave a hearty laugh and said, "Before the competition began, I already stated that the victor would be rewarded. My word as the sovereign is not mere child's play; how could I treat it lightly?"

Feigning a conflicted expression, Yang Lian cupped his fists and said, "This subject is deeply grateful for Your Majesty's bounty. However, with external enemies pressing at our borders and ordinary people within our lands crying out in hunger, Your Majesty's reward ought not be overly lavish, lest this subject lacks the fortune to enjoy it."

Li Jing grunted softly. "You currently hold the rank of a commander of the lower fifth rank, yet you still reside in an inn—that is truly unbefitting your station. I have a courtyard near the Imperial Academy; I bestow it upon you. In addition, there are many fertile fields outside the city of Jinling; I decree that three hundred mu of top-tier farmland be granted to you. As for your subordinates, I shall ensure they are duly rewarded as well."

Li Jingsui smiled. "Since Imperial Brother has already set the example, how can I, your younger brother, offer nothing? How about this, I..."

Before Li Jingsui could finish, Yang Lian spoke up loudly, "Your humble subject Yang Lian thanks Your Majesty for the reward! As for the courtyard, I accept it with gratitude, but as for the farmland outside the city, this subject knows nothing of farming—what use would I have for it?"

Li Jing cast a subtle, imperceptible glance at Li Jingsui. Seeing him standing there looking momentarily stunned and foolish, Li Jing could not suppress a smile. He knew that Li Jingsui had never been one for schemes, but Yang Lian was certainly no fool. By directly cutting off the Prince of Qi mid-sentence, Yang Lian was signaling that he refused to accept favors from the Prince of Qi. After all, this realm belonged to the Emperor, not the Prince of Qi.

*Discreet and tactful.* Li Jing mentally revised his assessment of Yang Lian once more. Handled properly, this man could well become a pillar of the state, enfeoffed as a marquis or appointed as a chancellor. A definite plan began to form in Li Jing's mind.

"Minister Yang, you are truly too pedantic," Li Jing said with a smile, though inwardly he thought: *You are not pedantic in the least; you are clever to a fault.*

"Even if you do not farm yourself, you can hire laborers to till the land. If you are too busy to oversee it, simply appoint a few competent stewards," Li Jing laughed.

Seeing that Li Jing had put it that way, Yang Lian hurriedly replied, "In that case, this subject thanks Your Majesty." To refuse any further would appear overly affected and hypocritical; after all, for Li Jing to have ascended to the throne, his intelligence and emotional quotient could not possibly be low.

Li Jing waved a hand. "You've toiled for a whole day, and I am growing tired. All of you may withdraw and rest early; the day after tomorrow, we return to Jinling."

"Understood!" Yang Lian acknowledged and backed away.

Li Jing narrowed his eyes, watching Yang Lian's retreating silhouette. Seeing him bow respectfully every step of the way until he reached the door, where he finally turned and clicked the door shut, the Emperor could not help but smile faintly. Although Yang Lian was somewhat calculating and quick-witted, his loyalty to the imperial court remained steadfast.

The results of these repeated tests left Li Jing reasonably satisfied. Content at heart, he strode away. Empress Zhong also rose, walked over to Li Hongji, and inspected her son. "Hongji, are you injured?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty's concern, this son is unhurt," Li Hongji replied.

Empress Zhong nodded. "Hongji, that Yang Lian is a rare talent. Even though he defeated you today, it was a fair combat between two armies, where personal biases have no place. Since you escaped injury, you must not seek trouble with Yang Lian again."

"This son understands," Li Hongji promised.

Only then did Empress Zhong smile. "Look at you, covered in blood. Hurry back to wash up and come to my quarters for a meal. It has been a long time since we last had a proper talk."

Only then did Li Hongji remember that it had been over a month since he last entered the inner palace. It was not that he lacked the desire, but ritual and law strictly forbade him from entering the palace at will. He hurriedly nodded and said, "This son obeys."