Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 520: Does He Deserve a Punishment That Much?
"The imperial edict has arrived!"

"Princess Ankang received the order—"

Early in the morning, the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial edict arrived outside the gate of Jingyang Palace.

The three little ones had just finished their morning exercises and were about to have breakfast.

These days, Zhao Feng was busy digesting his own Tao, so the matter of guiding Yu'er in the morning was put on hold.

Anyway, Yu'er's cultivation is now on the right track, and all she needs next is time to settle down. Besides, she has the famous teacher Li Xuan to guide her, so Zhao Feng only needs to be present when she teaches the skills.

Zhao Feng usually insists on teaching Yu'er. On the one hand, he is more responsible and wants to see if Yu'er can successfully practice the Three Transformations of Fish and Dragon left by this friend.

Secondly, they could get some breakfast at the same time. There were so many dishes that the three kids couldn't finish them all. Zhao Feng often ate with them with the attitude of helping out.

There are not many rules in Jingyang Palace, which is why Zhao Feng is willing to come here for free meals.

Obviously, Zhao Feng has a more flexible attitude towards rules than Shang Zongguan.

Of course, the main reason is that Zhao Feng is willing to interact with the three little ones.

Ever since his adopted son Zhao Bugao got into trouble, Zhao Feng always felt empty inside. Only when he interacted with the three little ones could he make up for this lack.

Perhaps because he is getting older, Zhao Feng has unconsciously started to like playing with the younger generations.

But no matter what, when the three little ones heard the noise outside, they immediately put down their bowls and opened the door to receive the order.

The content of the imperial edict was similar to what Chief Steward Shang had said some time ago, asking Princess Ankang to go to the advance army's camp tomorrow to participate in a Cuju game.

Several princes and princesses who performed relatively well in the Cuju competition at the last Double Ninth Festival banquet were invited.

That is, the eldest prince, the third prince, the eighth prince and Princess Ankang.

They were also the players who reached the semi-finals of the Cuju competition at that time.

This was an imperial edict, so Princess Ankang naturally had no way of refusing it and could only accept it obediently.

And there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with just playing a game of Cuju.

They have already been to Qianxing Pavilion this month, and Li Xuan can now ask Master Ye for advice on cultivation at any time.

The financial market outside the palace gradually stabilized, and Li Xuan no longer needed to frequently instruct Zhu Shimin.

It seems that everything is on the right track, at least the three little ones can live in peace for a while.

After seeing off the father-in-law who delivered the imperial edict, the three children began to prepare for the Cuju competition tomorrow.

After all, she was attending a formal occasion under the order of Emperor Yongyuan, so she had to be particular about her dress and could not be as casual as usual.

"Sister Yu'er, let's just put on our Cuju uniforms and go over."

"There's no need to pick out other clothes, right?"

Princess Ankang was confused when she saw Yu'er rummaging through her closet and picking out several sets of clothes.

"Your Highness, we can't just go out and play Cuju and come back. If there are other activities after playing Cuju, we can't show up all sweaty."

"Anyway, I have Xuan to help me carry things, so it's definitely not a bad idea to prepare more."

In this regard, Yu'er is more thoughtful.

If they were just going for a formality, a set of Cuju uniforms would be more than enough, but they were worried that there would be a banquet or something.

These are Yu'er's professional work. Princess Ankang and Li Xuan still respect her very much and sit aside watching Yu'er busy.

"Ah Xuan, I didn't expect that we would be playing football again."

"I've always heard from Big Brother that there are many Cuju masters in the army, so it's a good opportunity for us to go and see them this time."

While Yu'er was busy picking clothes, Princess Ankang picked up Li Xuan and started teasing him.

While Yu'er was busy, she listened to the laughter of the man and the cat, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

……

Early the next morning.

The three little ones rode out of the palace in a carriage, met up with others outside the palace, and then went to the advance army camp together.

In addition to Princess Ankang, others also prepared the frame.

The carriages of other people were naturally not as gorgeous as Princess Ankang's. Although they were a little inferior, they were also extremely luxurious.

It’s just that the driving order was a bit strange. Princess Ankang was the one sitting in the front, and the other three princes were behind her.

Li Xuan felt strange, but when he looked through the car window, he immediately realized that this was the ranking of the last Cuju competition.

After realizing this, Li Xuan couldn't help but smile.

It is not known whether these details were thought up by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or specifically ordered by Emperor Yongyuan.

It seems that the protagonist today is undoubtedly Princess Ankang.

"I heard before that the nobles are more supportive of Emperor Yongyuan."

"But this Cuju game doesn't seem that simple."

Ever since Princess Ankang won the Cuju competition at the Double Ninth Festival banquet, Li Xuan could feel that Emperor Yongyuan was pushing Princess Ankang more and more to the forefront.

The same thing happened before, when Princess Ankang was asked to reorganize the government office that was not well prepared for war, and when she was appointed as the royal silver and money envoy, each time was more high-profile than the last.

I'm afraid that Emperor Yongyuan also has some deep meaning behind playing Cuju with the military this time.

"Forget it. There's no point in me thinking about it."

"You'll know when you get there."

Li Xuan looked at the little girl who was leisurely enjoying the scenery along the way, and whooshed directly into her arms, transformed into a catworm, and started to cocoon.

"Hehe, Ah Xuan just knows how to act like a spoiled child every day."

A sweet laugh as sweet as a silver bell suddenly rang out in the carriage.

The carriage traveled for nearly two hours before the group arrived at the advance army camp.

The camp was located in an open area thirty miles outside the west gate of the capital, with flags covering the sky.

From a distance, the three little ones came to the car window and looked at the camp.

The camp was built in an orderly manner, implying a certain pattern, which made it pleasing to the eyes even for laymen.

Li Xuan had learned from the two general managers that the camp in front of him was filled with elite troops drawn from the eight imperial guards in the capital.

Among the eight forbidden guards are the Imperial Guards, Dragon Guards, Divine Guards, Shen Ce, Suzaku, Azure Dragon, White Tiger and Black Tortoise, totaling eight armies.

The Eight Imperial Guards are the eight most combat-effective troops in Daxing, and they have inherent advantages in terms of equipment and manpower.

Most of the children of nobles basically joined the Eight Imperial Guards directly and started their military career.

Most of the remaining troops rely on recommendations from other local troops.

In other words, only the elite in the army are qualified to join the Eight Imperial Guards.

The Eight Imperial Guards are different from ordinary troops stationed in the capital. In addition to being stationed in the capital, they are transferred to the front lines every year to participate in actual combat. They are not a group of fancy boys led by them, but a powerful army with truly strong combat capabilities.

Every year, depending on the actual situation, two to four armies of the Eight Imperial Guards will be transferred to the front line to participate in the war.

According to the situation in recent years, being able to stay in Beijing for two years is considered the best luck.

After all, war means death, even for the eight most elite guards.

But even if people would die, the eight guards still begged for the opportunity to be transferred to the front line.

After all, if these generals want to get promoted, accumulating military merits is the fastest way.

Soon, a group of carriages and horses arrived at the gate of the camp.

Just by getting close to the camp, one can sense a murderous aura.

This made Li Xuan very curious, as he had never had such close contact with the soldiers of Daxing before.

When they got closer to the camp, the three little ones retracted their heads that were sticking out of the car window.

After all, with so many outsiders, those messy rules have to be followed again.

After the soldiers outside the camp confirmed their identities, they let them pass.

Just when Li Xuan was wondering why no one came to greet him, he soon heard a familiar hearty laugh.

"Hahaha, Your Highnesses, you must have worked hard after traveling so long."

At this time, their carriage was also parked in an open training ground.

Princess Ankang then carried Li Xuan and got off the carriage with Yu'er's help.

The other three princes also got off the carriage.

None of them expected that the person waiting for them here would be Duke Hu himself.

In addition, behind Duke Hu stood a group of young generals who looked about the same age as the eldest prince.

"You've made Duke Hu wait here for so long."

The eldest prince said this, and led his brothers and sisters to return the gift to Duke Hu. In this situation, the third prince and the eighth prince did not interrupt the eldest prince, and followed suit and saluted respectfully.

They are now representing the royal family and cannot be disrespectful.

Princess Ankang discovered that the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince were also able to get along well, and she couldn't help but smile secretly.

After all, he is the prince of the current dynasty. He is locked in the imperial garden, so it is okay for his family members to say a few unpleasant words to him.

I would never do this in front of Duke Hu and others.

What's more, there are a group of young generals behind Duke Hu. The fact that these people can follow Duke Hu shows that they are the best among their peers.

After some greetings, Duke Hu led several people who came to participate in the Cuju exchange competition towards the big tent.

Judging from the specifications of this tent, it should belong to Duke Hu.

It was only after Princess Ankang and others came here and talked with Duke Hu that they found out that he was the commander of the advance army.

For the nobles, this is a good job.

The fact that Duke Hu was able to secure the position of commander-in-chief of the advance army shows that he was deeply trusted by Emperor Yongyuan.

"Your Highnesses, please allow me to introduce you to them."

"They are your opponents today."

Duke Hu said this and introduced the young generals behind him to Princess Ankang and others.

There were quite a few people, so I just simply announced their names.

Princess Ankang smiled and nodded along with the other three princes, and it was unknown how many names she remembered.

But by listening to the surnames of these young generals, one can guess their respective backgrounds.

Most of them had the same surname as the dukes they had met before.

These young generals all looked to be around twenty years old, and some of them looked even more childish.

However, many of them already have fluctuations of true Qi in their bodies, at least at the sixth level like the third prince.

It seems that the Third Prince's cultivation is very good among all the princes and princesses, but among this group of young generals, he does not seem so special.

Li Xuan curled up in Princess Ankang's arms, blinking his big curious eyes and looking around.

Among the young generals who introduced themselves, many of them took a second look at Princess Ankang and the black cat in her arms.

It is worth mentioning that there are several female generals among these young generals.

That’s five out of the twelve, which is a small half.

Li Xuan was surprised by the gender ratio among the generals.

Due to the influence of the two holy emperors, gender equality is reflected in all aspects of Daxing.

That's right, otherwise Emperor Yongyuan would not have arranged for Princess Ankang to participate in this Cuju exchange match.

After a brief greeting, Duke Hu didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"Your Highnesses, it's getting late. Why don't we start the exchange competition as soon as possible so that we can start the lunch banquet as soon as possible."

Princess Ankang and others set out from the palace early, and when they arrived at the camp, there was still an hour left before noon.

With this arrangement, we can have lunch directly after playing Cuju, and the process is very neat and tidy.

Naturally, the eldest prince and others had no objection to this.

The camp is different from other places. Even if they are princes and princesses, they cannot stay here at will.

After finishing the exchange activities early, they returned to the palace early.

Next, under the arrangement of Duke Hu, they walked out of the camp.

Only then did they realize that while they were talking in the tent, someone had already set up a Cuju field in the training ground.

Playing Cuju in the army was not as complicated as the Double Ninth Festival banquet. Two goals were simply set up on both sides of the training ground and the lines were drawn.

Compared with the Cuju games in the palace, it is of course much more shabby, but it is completely enough to play Cuju.

From this we can see that the military emphasizes efficiency in its approach to work.

If Duke Hu makes the scene too elaborate, Li Xuan will have to worry.

After all, apart from fighting in battle and killing the enemy, the less the soldiers in the army have to think about other things, the better.

Otherwise, there will be too much interference and the soldiers will not be pure.

Duke Hu brought twelve young generals today, plus Princess Ankang and the other four, a total of sixteen people.

It can be divided into two teams, with eight people in each team.

Duke Hu did not say anything more. He immediately asked someone to prepare the lots and then draw them to form teams.

The skewers are also very simple, just a broken wooden stick with half of it dyed red.

Soon, everyone was divided into teams.

The four princes and princesses were divided into teams by drawing lots separately, and the same went for the young generals.

Finally, Princess Ankang and the eighth prince were in one team, and the eldest prince and the third prince were in another team.

As for the division of the young generals, it was interesting. Four of the five female generals were assigned to Princess Ankang's side.

But no one was dissatisfied with this team lineup. They just walked to their respective sides quietly and prepared to kick off the game.

Accustomed to the complicated competitions in the palace, Princess Ankang and the Eighth Prince were a little uncomfortable with the sudden efficiency and simplicity.

The eldest prince and the third prince started talking to the team members and began to get to know each other.

Since the Third Prince often mingled in the army, he seemed to be old acquaintances of many of the young generals. He quickly livened up the atmosphere and was not as reserved as Princess Ankang and the others.

Princess Ankang is also a tough girl at home, but she is extremely shy in front of strangers.

At this time, the outgoing Eighth Prince came in handy.

"Everyone, Ankang is the champion of the Cuju competition at the Chongyang Banquet. There will be no problem with her around."

"Let's work hard together and win this game."

The Eighth Prince smiled and spoke to the young generals in his team, hoping to boost their morale.

"This kid pretends to be quite serious."

Compared to the past, the Eighth Prince now behaves like a prince.

Whether it is from the demeanor, posture, tone or movements, it is impeccable and makes people feel like spring breeze.

But the Eighth Prince kept smiling for a long time, but he found that the atmosphere was a little wrong.

"Ok?"

He found that his encouragement did not achieve the expected effect at all.

The several young generals in his team remained silent, as if they did not hear what the eighth prince said.

Four of the female generals even looked at each other coldly and did not treat the Eighth Prince well at all.

The Eighth Prince silently retracted the smile on his face and glanced at Duke Hu outside the field in confusion.

It turned out that Duke Hu's face had turned red at some point, and his body was trembling, as if he was enduring some great pain.

The Eighth Prince immediately understood what was going on and withdrew his gaze with a stern face.

Princess Ankang at the side couldn't help but ask:
"Myna, why are they ignoring you? Isn't this too disrespectful to you?"

"You are a prince after all."

The Eighth Prince sighed as if resigned to his fate:

"Don't mention it, they all seem to be my distant relatives."

"Ankang, if they don't play football but kick me later, please help me stop them."

"Ah?" Princess Ankang was puzzled when she heard this, but then she thought about the Eighth Prince's character and felt that it was possible, so she asked uncertainly, "Not really?"

These young generals all have bright futures. Even if they have deep hatred for each other, they should not beat the prince in public.

But then Princess Ankang discovered something was wrong.

Apart from them, there were no other spectators around the training ground.

Logically speaking, they were holding an exchange match today to boost the morale of the advance troops. How could that be possible without soldiers as spectators?

When Princess Ankang thought about it, it was not completely impossible for the Eighth Prince to be beaten.

Considering that Hu Guogong was the eighth prince's grandfather, he became more convinced of this possibility.

But Princess Ankang didn’t quite understand. Since they were distant relatives of the Eighth Prince, why did they still beat him?
"Mynah doesn't usually deserve a beating, does he?"

(End of this chapter)