Everyone in the Hall of Preserving Harmony felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over them. Their bodies were freezing, yet a fire burned in their hearts—a frustration they could only suppress, unable to vent.
Fan Guanshan was so furious his teeth itched, wanting nothing more than to jump into the fray himself.
Sitting on her soft cushion, Song Jinzhao rested one hand on the table and slowly stood up.
This man was incredibly arrogant and conceited; if an explanation wasn't given, the blame would eventually fall on her own head.
"I, the County Princess, consider my martial skills to be no inferior to Prince Wei's. It was precisely because I saw what was happening that I intervened, so no explanation is needed."
"On the contrary, Your Highness, your sword was aimed directly at the hands of the Duke of Qing. Was it because you lacked the ability to control your own blade, or was it intentional? You are the one who should give the Duke of Qing and the Emperor an explanation."
The words Fan Guanshan was about to say choked in his throat.
The civil and military officials all turned to look at Song Jinzhao, too shocked to speak.
Even the Duke of Qing had been defeated, yet she was claiming she was no worse than Gong Linjue.
They knew Song Jinzhao knew martial arts, but they hadn't expected her to boast so brazenly on such an occasion.
Gong Linjue sneered, "Even Chu Liuyun couldn't defeat me. Is County Princess Linghui perhaps more skilled than him?"
Song Jinzhao's expression remained unchanged. "Whether I am skilled or not, Your Highness will know once you try. I'm just afraid you don't dare."
At this moment, the person put on the spot had shifted from the military generals of the Dongzhao Kingdom to Gong Linjue. If he didn't accept, it meant he was afraid.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Xiao Chengjing swallowed hard in astonishment.
Were these words a woman could even say?
Gong Linjue tightened his grip on his longsword; the numbness from earlier hadn't completely faded.
This Song Jinzhao might actually have some skill, but how could he possibly lose to a woman?
"Why wouldn't I dare? But what if the County Princess loses?"
Song Jinzhao curled her lips into a smile. "I will be at your disposal. But what if Your Highness loses?"
Gong Linjue replied, "If I lose, I will apologize to the Duke of Qing on the spot and admit that the final strike just now was a slip of the hand."
Song Jinzhao shook her head and smiled, "This wager is unfair. If Your Highness truly slipped, then my intervention just now was an act of assistance. Not only can Your Highness not blame me, but you should also give me a gift of gratitude."
Gong Linjue's face grew cold. "What do you want?"
Song Jinzhao raised her chin. "The Akhal-Teke horse Your Highness rode when you first arrived in the capital is quite nice. I like it very much. If you lose, give it to me."
The great hall was dead silent as everyone watched the back-and-forth between Gong Linjue and Song Jinzhao.
A martial arts duel wasn't enough; they even had to place wagers.
County Princess Linghui's courage was as big as the sky. With a single phrase 'at your disposal,' wasn't she afraid that if she lost, Gong Linjue would hack her into pieces?
Was it confidence or sheer stupidity?
Gong Linjue pressed his lips into a thin line; in his heart, he had already sentenced Song Jinzhao to death.
"I accept."
After saying this, he turned to face the Emperor, who sat high upon the dais.
"Your Majesty, Emperor of Dongzhao, you have heard the words of your noble country's County Princess. If she loses, she is at my disposal. When the time comes, whether I choose to kill her or slice her to pieces, I hope Your Majesty will not interfere."
Xiao Chengjing could barely swallow his saliva anymore.
He looked at Song Jinzhao with a hint of nervousness. "County Princess Linghui, have you thought this through?"
Song Jinzhao replied decisively, "To reply to Your Majesty, I intervened because I was confident I saw correctly. Since Prince Wei boasts of his high martial arts skills and claims accidents are impossible, I simply must fight him until he is utterly convinced."
Xiao Chengjing took a deep breath and straightened his posture. "Since that is the case, let the duel begin. I haven't watched to my heart's content yet either."
Things had reached a point of no return. At worst, after Song Jinzhao died, he would just compensate the Song family a bit more.
Sitting in his seat, Xiao Rongyan clenched his fists tightly, afraid he might burst out laughing on the spot.
He had never seen anyone rush so eagerly to their death. It would be best if Gong Linjue killed Song Jinzhao; that would truly vent his anger.
Song Jinzhao selected a long spear from the weapon rack.
After stepping onto the stage, she said, "Your Highness expended some stamina just now. Do you want to rest a bit, lest you claim after losing that my victory was dishonorable?"
The sword in Gong Linjue's hand gleamed in the light. "They were all incompetents; how much stamina could they possibly drain from me? The County Princess shouldn't intentionally stall for time."
Song Jinzhao raised her eyebrows slightly, pointing her spear directly at Gong Linjue's eyes.
"In that case, let us fight."
A cold wind howled past the hall outside, sending a chill into the room and lifting the long hair draped over Song Jinzhao's shoulders.
Sitting on his cushion, Chu Liuyun was so tense he hardly dared to breathe. If it weren't for saving him, Song Jinzhao wouldn't have gotten into this trouble.
It was he who had underestimated the enemy.
Tapping the ground with her toes, Song Jinzhao gripped the spear and lunged straight at Gong Linjue's face. The heavy spear, weighing over a dozen pounds, was like a bamboo pole in her hands, wielded effortlessly.
Sword and spear clashed. A loud clang echoed like a thunderbolt striking inside the room, startling the surrounding officials so much that they trembled.
Gong Linjue's long, elegant eyebrows furrowed deeply. His legs sank half a foot down, and the webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand instantly split open.
This force was millions of times heavier than the cup flicked at him earlier. How could she have such monstrous strength?
Without giving Gong Linjue a moment to react, Song Jinzhao increased the force in her hands, raising her right leg to strike directly at his lower body.
Gong Linjue quickly bent over to dodge, using the momentum to twirl his longsword against Song Jinzhao's spear.
Her slender wrists rotated with incredible agility, the spearhead blurring into a swift silver shadow.
Before Gong Linjue could even steady himself, the second spear strike chopped down toward his head.
So fast!
Gong Linjue's heart skipped a beat, and he decisively threw himself to the ground to avoid it.
Crack.
As the spearhead and shaft smashed into the ground, the wooden floorboards of the circular stage instantly exploded, sending wood splinters of all sizes flying in every direction.
Song Jinzhao's seat faced the side of the stage. A dumbfounded Princess Yongjia had turned into a statue; it was only because a palace maid timely shielded her with a hand that the wood splinters didn't hit her face.
"Princess, it's a bit dangerous here. Let's return to your seat."
Xiao Yongjia shook her head woodenly, her gaze locked unblinkingly on Song Jinzhao fighting on the stage.
"No, I can see more clearly from here."
Why did it feel like Song Jinzhao had the upper hand!
As the wooden boards of the stage were flipped up one by one by Song Jinzhao, leaving him nowhere to hide, Gong Linjue had no choice but to gather his breath and leap through the air.
However, Song Jinzhao's reaction speed was even faster.
With a slight flick of her wrist, the spear tip swung vertically upward, snagging Gong Linjue's collar before slicing straight forward.
"Ah!" All the female guests present hurriedly covered their eyes with their hands, but the image in their minds simply wouldn't fade.
A stark strip of bare white skin, a dark mass of black—they saw everything.
Gong Linjue had barely stabilized his footing, unable to even care about his exposed body, as Song Jinzhao's next spear thrust charged right at him.
The clashing of metal rang out like a fierce storm. The sharp wind whipped up by the spearhead stung his cheeks, feeling as though thousands of needles were piercing his skin.
Song Jinzhao was incredibly strong and astonishingly fast. Every move and stance left Gong Linjue powerless to fight back, forcing him to dodge continuously.
Suddenly, Song Jinzhao gripped the spear with both hands and, using all her strength, brought it crashing down.
With nowhere to evade, Gong Linjue had no choice but to swing his sword with both hands and brace for the impact.
