94: Chapter 94 Living Better Than You: The General Male Supporting Character 12

Personal Guard Mo Yu had just exited the study door when he ran straight into Nan Jin.

Thinking that Meng Zhu must have finished his business, Nan Jin hopped into the room even more excitedly.

Once inside, she indeed saw Meng Zhu sitting at the desk, looking at her with a smile.

"Husband!"

Accompanied by a fragrant breeze, Nan Jin trotted to the desk, rounded the corner, and without the slightest hesitation, turned and sat right into Meng Zhu's lap.

Meng Zhu caught her, felt the soft and fragrant warmth, and chuckled.

Nan Jin interrupted him, wrapping her arms around his neck like a curious little kitten.

"What were you talking about, Husband? Did The Old Emperor trip you up again?"

She no longer addressed him as His Majesty as she had before, having learned to call him The Old Emperor just like the servants in the mansion.

Meng Zhu's heart softened at her antics; he took hold of her restless hands and kissed them.

"It wasn't The Old Emperor."

He did not hide anything, succinctly recounting the content of his conversation with Personal Guard Mo Yu just a moment ago.

"The Empress can no longer sit still. She wants to select a consort for Prince Liang and is hosting a flower-viewing banquet. The invitation has already arrived."

"A flower-viewing banquet?"

Nan Jin's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

Her heart churned, unable to understand why it had been moved up by so much.

Memories of her past life echoed.

In her memory, this was at least half a year earlier than it should have been.

Back in her past life, as Princess Consort Yu, she naturally attended.

During the event, that arrogant and domineering granddaughter of the Prince of Zhenbei, Li Ruolan, intentionally picked a fight to gain attention in front of Prince Yu.

This led to an argument by the lake, where Li Ruolan feigned a slip and dragged her into the freezing lake water along with herself.

At that time, Xuanyuan Zhan, as her husband, had actually saved Li Ruolan first, without hesitation, right in front of everyone.

Only then did he save her, Nan Jin.

Because of this, some even said that Prince Yu had ruined Li Ruolan's reputation, which eventually led to Li Ruolan marrying Prince Yu as a secondary consort.

Thinking of this, a trace of mockery flashed in Nan Jin's eyes.

Unfortunately for them, these were all things from her past life.

In this life, she is the General's wife, and that Princess Consort Yu has become Nan Li.

Li Ruolan likes Prince Yu, so naturally, she will target the Princess Consort Yu. I wonder if her dear younger sister will be able to endure the coldness of the lake water?

Nan Jin wore an expression of watching a show; she nestled into Meng Zhu's arms, adjusted to a more comfortable position, and spoke lazily.

"What day is it? Will you be going, Husband?"

"You are bored on usual days, so going for a walk would be good."

Nan Jin smiled upon hearing this.

[Why does it seem like Nan Jin is looking forward to this banquet?]

[I know, in the past life Li Ruolan targeted her at this banquet. As for this time, it's targeting Nan Li, which is why Nan Jin is looking forward to it.]

[Have you read the original work? Who is Li Ruolan?]

[I know this too. She is Prince Jing's maternal grandfather's granddaughter—that is, the granddaughter of the Prince of Zhenbei. She has always liked Prince Yu.]

[Nan Jin is going to be disappointed. In the original work, in this life, Li Ruolan and Nan Li both fall into the lake, but Prince Yu saves Nan Li first, and then Prince Jing saves Li Ruolan.]

[Nan Jin is so happy right now because she thinks she can watch Nan Li make a fool of herself, but in reality, she won't see that at all; she will only see Prince Yu's protection.]

[Got it, the little villain, the catalyst for the main couple's relationship.]

[Heh, as someone who has read the original work, I'll tell you a secret: at this banquet, Nan Jin's crying is still yet to come!]

[Indeed, poor Nan Jin, this day has finally come after all.]

A catalyst? Nan Jin crying? Impossible.

Meng Zhu glanced secretly at the comments.

He calculated continuously in his heart.

The comments are talking about the original work; what does that have to do with his, Meng Zhu's, life?

Let alone the villain enhancing the relationship between the main characters—Meng Zhu won't necessarily intervene, it can be considered.

But as for Prince Jing saving Li Ruolan, Meng Zhu is one hundred percent against it.

Prince Jing's influence in the military is already a bit too large. It's not that Meng Zhu is afraid of him, but if his influence grows any further, it will be very difficult for Meng Zhu to do things in the military without Prince Jing noticing.

So this time, he might have to intervene a little bit.

Coming back to his senses, Meng Zhu pinched Nan Jin's cheek dotingly.

"You already know about the invitation, but what about you? Just now in the study, I heard my wife calling for me repeatedly in the courtyard. What was the matter?"

Being reminded by him, Nan Jin finally remembered the real reason she came.

Her face flushed slightly, and she acted a bit coy.

"Husband, I... I don't want to learn the sword anymore."

"Hm?"

Meng Zhu raised an eyebrow.

"Since the night of the Lantern Festival, it was you who vowed to learn martial arts. How much time has passed, and now you don't want to learn... and it's still you?"

"It's not that I'm not learning martial arts anymore!"

Nan Jin lifted her head and defended herself hurriedly, fearing he would misunderstand that she only had a fleeting interest.

"I just don't want to learn the sword..."

She paused.

"I heard from Bai Ni that Husband's martial arts prowess is the best in the entire army, and the most formidable is your spear technique."

"And so?"

Meng Zhu looked at her with great interest.

"So if I'm going to learn, I want to learn the best!"

Nan Jin's eyes shone with brilliance as she grabbed Meng Zhu's lapels and shook them incessantly.

"So Husband, will you teach me the spear? Please?"

Meng Zhu was both amused and exasperated, and he flicked her nose.

"The spear is the king of all weapons; its power is fierce and domineering. You are just beginning to learn martial arts; practicing the spear... will be very arduous."

"I'm not afraid of hardship!"

Nan Jin immediately straightened her back, meeting his scrutinizing gaze without the slightest hint of retreat.

"Husband, I really want to learn the spear! Please, will you?"

"Alright, alright, alright!"

After a long while, unable to resist this little ancestor, Meng Zhu sighed, his eyes filled only with indulgence and helplessness.

Half an hour later, on the training grounds in the backyard of the Generals Mansion.

"Hold it steady."

Meng Zhu took a long spear from the weapon rack and handed it to Nan Jin.

Next, Nan Jin finally discovered the side of Meng Zhu as a martial general.

His tall figure almost completely enveloped her; he extended his arms, wrapped them around her from behind, and placed his broad, thick hands over her fair, delicate ones, leading her to grip the cold spear shaft together.

"Focus."

Meng Zhu's chest pressed tightly against her back, his deep voice resounding in her ear.

"The spear is the king of all weapons; it can be used from near or far, open and sweeping. The essence lies in 'courage' and 'momentum.' To practice the spear, one must first cultivate courage. Once you hold it, you must not have a shred of timidity."

His voice was not loud, but every word was resonant and forceful, as if carrying the sounds of battle.

"Lower your body, take a horse stance; your legs must be as if rooted to the ground, so that your hands can be as steady as a rock."

As he spoke, he gently tapped the back of her legs with his knee, guiding her to lower her center of gravity and stabilize her horse stance.

Nan Jin was also a person with perseverance and patience, and she didn't even feel it was hard.

"The eyes precede the spear, the intention is at the spear tip."

As his voice fell, he guided Nan Jin's arms, and her waist exerted force suddenly.

"Hum—"

The long spear shot forward like an arrow from the string, with the sound of breaking wind, piercing forward with absolute precision.

"Did you feel it?"

"Force rises from the ground, power is unleashed from the waist, the strength of the whole body, force concentrated at the spear tip!"

In this way, one willing to teach and one eager to learn, the whole afternoon passed by.

Nan Li wanting to learn martial arts was not entirely for the sake of the lightness skill from the night of the Lantern Festival.

For one thing, learning martial arts strengthens the body, and she also wanted to understand Meng Zhu better through martial arts.

For another, she didn't want to always be a burden if she encountered danger in the future.

Meng Zhu probably never imagined that Nan Jin would truly persist, and that she would be so diligent every single day.