21: The second generation surrenders!

He silently chanted in his heart.

The clearer you see, the more thoroughly you will lose.

At the other end of the Eastern Palace, on the training grounds, it was a completely different scene.

"Ha!"

Yuchi Baolin let out a roar, and the heavy horse spear in his hand, like a rushing thunder, descended with a whistling sound that tore through the air!

"Clang!"

With a deafening clash of metal, Cheng Chumo held up his large axe and forcefully parried the blow.

The immense force made his feet sink half an inch into the muddy ground, his arm muscles bulging and veins throbbing.

"Yuchi Black Coal! Are you trying to break my bones?!"

Cheng Chumo roared in a muffled voice, his face beet red.

"Less talk! Again!"

Yuchi Baolin's eyes were bloodshot, filled with excitement and impatience, as he flicked his wrist, and the horse spear, like a poisonous Dragon emerging from its lair, once again thrust towards Cheng Chumo's chest.

The two went back and forth, kicking up dust, the clang of their weapons never ceasing.

By the edge of the training grounds, a group of equally spirited young scions of military families had gathered.

They were all descendants of nobles who followed Li Chengqian, each eager, their eyes gleaming with a desire for fame and the battlefield.

But now, they could only be cooped up in this small Eastern Palace, daily doing nothing but drills, with nowhere to vent their strength.

"Sigh!"

A general stuck his horizontal Dao into the ground, sat down with a thud, and irritably ran his hands through his hair, "When will these days end? When will Your Highness finally go to Jing Province to take up his fief? If I stay like this any longer, I feel like I'm going to get moldy!"

"Exactly!"

Another person echoed, "My father even wrote to me the day before yesterday, asking if I'd only learned to get fat in the Eastern Palace. Dammit, back in the northern lands, I could take down three Turks barbarians by myself!"

"Everyone, stop arguing."

In the crowd, the relatively steady Qin Huaiyu frowned and spoke.

He looked at the two fighting with real fire in the arena, and then at the anxious faces around him, sighing in his heart.

How could he not be anxious?

His father was Duke Yiguo, Qin Qiong, who had spent his life in battle and achieved outstanding merits.

He also wanted to be like his father, to expand territory for His Highness the Crown Prince, to earn a fief for his wife and descendants, and to leave his name in history.

But Your Highness's thoughts were as deep as an abyss, unfathomable to anyone.

Ever since returning from Yi Province, Your Highness had become increasingly calm, spending his days reading, practicing calligraphy, and handling seemingly unimportant documents, showing no sense of urgency about taking up his fief.

"Brother Huaiyu,"

Cheng Chumo was forced back by a spear thrust from Yuchi Baolin, and the two temporarily separated. He wiped the sweat from his face and strode over, "You are closest to Your Highness, what exactly is Your Highness thinking? We can't just be guards in Chang'an City for the rest of our lives, can we?"

Yuchi Baolin also walked over, carrying his horse spear. He was the most fiery-tempered, and directly shouted, "That's right, Huaiyu! You go ask Your Highness! We brothers all came to pledge allegiance to Your Highness with our lives, not to enjoy life! If we don't fight soon, my bones will rust!"

"Ask Your Highness?"

Qin Huaiyu gave a bitter smile.

Easier said than done.

Who would dare to ask?

Although His Highness the Crown Prince was gentle in his dealings with people, his Aura, which commanded respect without anger, was even more formidable than his father Qin Qiong's.

Especially when his deep eyes looked over, they could see through all your thoughts, making you involuntarily lower your head.

"You... you want me to go?"

Qin Huaiyu looked at their expectant gazes and felt his scalp tingle.

"Who else but you?"

Cheng Chumo put an arm around his shoulder, like picking up a chick, "Your brain works better than ours, and you're good with words. If you go ask, Your Highness definitely won't blame you."

"Right! Brother Huaiyu, we'll all listen to you!"

Everyone spoke at once, pushing Qin Huaiyu into the spotlight.

Looking at these hot-blooded brothers, seeing the genuine, urgent desire to achieve great deeds in their eyes, Qin Huaiyu knew he couldn't avoid it.

He bit the bullet and nodded, "Alright... I'll go."

Taking a deep breath, Qin Huaiyu straightened his attire and walked towards Li Chengqian's study.

With each step, he felt as if his feet were treading on cotton.

The study door was ajar, and a faint scent of ink wafted out.

Qin Huaiyu stood at the doorway, hesitated for a long time, then gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A clear, calm voice came from inside.

Qin Huaiyu pushed the door open and saw Li Chengqian standing with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at an old locust tree in the courtyard, lost in thought.

His back was as straight as a pine, and though he wore only plain everyday clothes, he exuded an Aura of profound composure and majesty.

"Your Highness."

Qin Huaiyu bowed in salute, his heart thumping uncontrollably.

Li Chengqian didn't turn around, only asked faintly, "The training grounds, quite lively?"

One sentence instantly choked the words Qin Huaiyu had prepared in his throat.

He... he knew everything?

Cold sweat trickled down Qin Huaiyu's temples.

He felt like a naked man, standing bare before His Highness the Crown Prince, all his thoughts exposed.

"Yes... yes, Baolin and Chumo, they were... sparring."

Qin Huaiyu's voice was a little dry.

Li Chengqian turned around, his gaze calmly falling on his face.

What kind of eyes were those?

Deep, serene, like an ancient well of a thousand years, without a ripple, yet able to reflect all things in the world and perceive the human heart.

Under the gaze of such eyes, Qin Huaiyu felt his breathing become difficult.

He didn't even dare to look Li Chengqian in the eye, only burying his head lower.

"Sparring?"

Li Chengqian's tone revealed no emotion, "I see, it's restlessness, with nowhere to vent."

"Your Highness..."

Qin Huaiyu's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"You came to find me, asking for them, and also asking for yourself. You want to ask me, when will I take up my fief? When will I allow you to go to battle, kill the enemy, and achieve great deeds, right?"

Li Chengqian slowly walked to the desk, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea.

The tea pouring into the cup made a crisp sound, which, in the quiet study, struck Qin Huaiyu's heart like a heavy hammer.

He knew that further concealment was meaningless.

"Yes!"