At first, no one knew who Wu Wanning was. From the sound of it, she was probably some noble young lady from the capital.
Later, Great Zhou conquered Xirong, and a young general rose to prominence, winning one glorious victory after another.
But on the day Great Zhou’s soldiers returned to the capital, someone reported that the young general who had rendered such outstanding service was in fact a woman—the long-lost daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites, Wu Wanning.
After that, the emperor pardoned the young general for the crime of deceiving the throne, but ordered her to return to being a woman. Wu Wanning became Wu Wanning once more, and married.
Not long afterward, Wu Wanning killed her husband. She was sentenced to death and died amid a chorus of curses.
Princess Shengping had once spoken of Wu Wanning. She said that Wu Wanning had seen the world beyond these walls and could no longer tolerate being controlled by men.
Some palace maids also said that the husband Wu Wanning had married was no good, and that she had killed him only after enduring more than she could bear.
But what she heard most often was that Wu Wanning had killed countless people. People called her evil. They said she had gone to the battlefield simply so she could kill. They called her a wicked wife.
At the time, she did not understand. She did not understand why Princess Shengping had said such things, nor why everyone had different opinions of Wu Wanning—some saying she was good, others saying she was not.
But now she had grown cleverer. Thinking back on many things from the past, she could more or less understand.
Wu Wanning was an incredibly, incredibly impressive person! She had done so many things that ordinary people would never have dared to do!
Rongyao was very curious.
She was curious how Wu Wanning had become a general, what abilities she possessed, why she had married, why she could not continue being a general, and why she had killed her husband…
“Greetings, Princess!” The Vice Minister of Rites’ wife pulled Wu Wanning to her feet, and the two bowed to Rongyao.
Rongyao tilted her head back to look at her. Wu Wanning was so tall—an entire head taller than her.
“How… how old are you?” Rongyao asked.
Wu Wanning pointed at herself and scratched her head. “Me? I’m seven.”
Rongyao said, “You’re only one year older than me, yet you’re already this tall!”
Wu Wanning gave Rongyao a simple, good-natured smile. “Me? I eat a lot, so of course I’ve grown a little taller. I’m stronger, too.”
Rongyao’s eyes lit up. “I eat a lot, too! Would you be willing to stay in the palace with me and be my study companion? Then we can eat lots of delicious food together!”
Wu Wanning nodded vigorously. “All right!”
Rongyao walked over, took Wu Wanning’s hand, and looked up at her solemnly. “Then from now on, you’re my study companion.”
Wu Wanning replied, “Mm-hmm! As long as you let me eat delicious food every day, I’ll do anything you want.”
Rongyao’s eyes curved into crescents, and she could not help laughing.
If Sister Wanning were here, Mother definitely would not complain about how much she ate.
Nearby, Cui Huaiyin saw that her daughter had chosen a tall, sturdy little girl and was very pleased.
At a glance, it was obvious that this little girl was strong. If Yaoyao ever found herself in danger, or got into an argument with someone, this girl would certainly be able to shield her.
Good. This one was excellent!
After Rongyao and Sister Wanning had come to an agreement, she walked over to the empress and bowed.
“Mother, Fuxi chooses Wu Wanning, daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites.”
The empress glanced at Rongyao, then at the girl who seemed to know nothing but eat. She felt that the two children were a good match, since both of them loved food.
Besides, the Vice Minister of Rites was hardly worth mentioning among the officials present today. The empress nodded in satisfaction.
“Wu Wanning, eldest legitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites, shall henceforth be Princess Fuxi’s study companion.”
Rongyao returned happily to her mother’s side.
Seeing her daughter return, Cui Huaiyin smiled. “Yaoyao chose very well. That girl is a good one.”
Rongyao said, “Mm! She’s wonderful. She’s willing to be Yaoyao’s study companion, and she’ll become incredibly, incredibly formidable in the future!”
Cui Huaiyin smiled and pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Mm. If Yaoyao says she’ll be formidable, then she certainly won’t be ordinary.”
After Princess Fuxi finished choosing her study companion, it was Princess Shengping’s turn.
Just as before, the empress instructed Princess Shengping to make her choice.
Princess Shengping walked down from her place. Unlike Rongyao, who had searched aimlessly, she went straight to a certain little girl.
Before long, she led the girl before the empress.
“Mother, I choose Sister Xiangyu.”
Many people recognized the little girl holding Princess Shengping’s hand. She was a daughter of the empress’s maternal family, named Li Xiangyu, and she addressed the empress as Aunt.
No one needed to say anything. Everyone could see that this had been the empress’s arrangement.
The empress’s expression did not change. She merely nodded kindly and let the two girls return to their places.
Next came the several princes.
The study companions chosen for the three princes were different from those chosen for the princesses.
If nothing unexpected happened, the families of the children selected as study companions would support and follow the prince they served in the future.
That made the matter somewhat delicate.
At that moment, the empress smiled and glanced at the noble ladies seated below, as well as the children beside them.
“I have three imperial sons who are all about the same age. Let the three younger ones choose together.”
“The empress is wise.”
The empress nodded and summoned Third Prince Dantai Chang, Fourth Prince Dantai Yi, and Fifth Prince Dantai You.
She instructed them kindly, “There is no need to be nervous. All the children below are excellent. It makes no difference whom you choose.”
“Yes, Mother,” the three little princes replied in unison.
The three princes walked down together.
Although they were roughly the same height, their expressions and manner could not have been more different.
Third Prince Dantai Chang looked somewhat bewildered. He glanced at one child, then another, clearly still unable to make up his mind.
Fourth Prince Dantai Yi, meanwhile, kept shifting his gaze from the front to the back. It seemed he had two possible choices but could not decide between them. In any case, he was so hesitant that his face had turned red.
Fifth Prince Dantai You did not look anywhere else. He walked straight in a certain direction, clearly following the instructions Consort Liu had given him beforehand.
Dantai You went directly to the young master of the Duke of Loyal State’s household, Zhang Xianyu.
He was the very Zhang Xianyu whom the Cui family had once saved.
The Duke of Loyal State’s household clearly had not expected the Fifth Prince to come over, much less choose their family’s son. The duchess’s expression darkened, but when Dantai You said that he wanted Zhang Xianyu as his study companion, she did not voice her opposition.
Zhang Xianyu, on the other hand, was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. Every so often, he glanced toward Rongyao’s side.
“I’m willing! I’m willing!”
The old madam of the duke’s household was left speechless, a black line seeming to appear across her forehead.
And so, Fifth Prince Dantai You chose the young master of the Duke of Loyal State’s household, Zhang Xianyu.
The two boys held hands, and both seemed very pleased with the other.
Next came Third Prince Dantai Chang and Fourth Prince Dantai Yi.
With everyone watching them, the two princes still had not found suitable choices, and they both grew somewhat nervous.
Seeing this, the empress frowned and said, “Simply choose according to your hearts. All the young masters here are excellent.”
Fourth Prince Dantai Yi looked up at his mother, as though he had confirmed something, and walked to one side.
Who could have expected that after taking only two steps, his foot would slip, sending him tumbling toward the ground?
“Yi’er!”
“Fourth Prince!”
At that critical moment, some people were so frightened that they closed their eyes. When they opened them again, they found that the Fourth Prince was perfectly fine. He had not fallen at all—instead, a young boy had caught him.
That young boy was exceptionally tall—perhaps the tallest among the children entering the palace today. He caught the Fourth Prince effortlessly, ensuring that the prince was not hurt in the slightest.
Gu Shen'an set the Fourth Prince down and asked gently, “Are you hurt anywhere?”
The Fourth Prince, Dantai Yi, seemed frightened. He stared blankly before answering, “N-no, I’m fine.”
