Chapter 245

Chapter 245: Being a Soldier Worked Too

When Tian Meng Nian arrived, Yang Jun Nan was in the study.

Yang Jun Nan felt helpless about this brother-in-law who was nearly twenty years younger. When Yang Jun Nan heard Tian Meng Nian asking about Shang Xing Yu, Yang Jun Nan frowned. “You picked a fight with him?”

Tian Meng Nian emphasized, “He picked a fight with me!”

Tian Meng Nian quickly added, “Right, Brother-in-law, someone said Shang Xing Yu took first place in the Drill Ground winter hunt. That’s impossible, right? He’s just a rich wastrel…”

“It was true,” Yang Jun Nan said.

Those three words made Tian Meng Nian’s voice stick in his throat.

Yang Jun Nan said, “This Shang Xing Yu isn’t simple. Stay farther away from him in the future.”

Shang Xing Yu had saved the Princess, shone at the winter hunt, and became the Princess’s consort. Every time, Shang Xing Yu only seemed to use a bit of cleverness, but that kind of perfectly timed cleverness could just as easily be calculation.

To keep Tian Meng Nian from ignoring him, Yang Jun Nan briefly described what had happened at the Drill Ground.

Tian Meng Nian listened as his face grew worse and worse.

In the end, Tian Meng Nian dropped straight onto the floor. “It’s over… th-then if Shang Xing Yu goes to Mo Bei, my land and my estates-won’t they all be gone?”

Yang Jun Nan jolted. “What? He’s going to Mo Bei too?!”

In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Chong Sheng was in a complete panic.

Over the past few days, Emperor Chong Sheng kept thinking about who to send to support Mo Bei. The person Emperor Chong Sheng wanted was Shang Tian Hao, and Emperor Chong Sheng had almost decided it.

But at this critical moment, Shang Tian Hao fell ill.

Emperor Chong Sheng personally had several imperial physicians examine Shang Tian Hao, and Shang Tian Hao was not pretending.

That left only Pei Ling Yuan.

Pei Ling Yuan could fight head-on, but when it came to tactics and strategy, Pei Ling Yuan fell short.

Yet aside from Pei Ling Yuan, there was no one else in court to use.

Emperor Chong Sheng was already worried sick, and now Shang Xing Yu came to add chaos.

What could a useless fool who had never fought a war do in Mo Bei? Offer his head to Northern Di?

Emperor Chong Sheng waved a hand, ready to order someone to throw Shang Xing Yu out.

Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke. “Imperial Father, why not summon Young Master Shang Er in? Did Imperial Father forget how Young Master Shang Er plotted against two Northern Di generals at the Drill Ground?”

Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun smiled as he continued, “Perhaps Young Master Shang Er requested to go to Mo Bei because Young Master Shang Er has a clever plan to deal with Northern Di.”

Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun’s lips held a smile, but something vicious flashed in Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun’s eyes.

What happened between Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun and Ming Jia that day had nothing to do with Shang Xing Yu.

But if not for Shang Xing Yu, Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun would not have suffered such a humiliating disgrace.

So, since Shang Xing Yu was seeking death, Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun would gladly help.

A useless fool dared go to Mo Bei? Maybe Shang Xing Yu had won the Drill Ground competition once with a bit of cleverness and actually thought he had real skill.

Shang Xing Yu even wanted to go to war like Qi Shu Xian.

[Idiot.]

After saying all that, Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun did not really expect Emperor Chong Sheng to agree.

Yet Emperor Chong Sheng’s eyes sharpened. Emperor Chong Sheng thought for a while, then actually ordered someone to bring Shang Xing Yu in.

Emperor Chong Sheng was treating a desperate situation like a last resort.

What if it worked?

After all, no one had expected that day that Shang Xing Yu, leading a bunch of rich wastrels, would end up taking first place.

When Shang Xing Yu entered, Shang Xing Yu saw several princes and important ministers present, but Shang Tian Hao was not there.

Shang Xing Yu was not surprised at all.

The medicine had been sold by Shang Xing Yu’s people.

Shang Tian Hao had earned his achievements on the battlefield when Shang Tian Hao was young. Now, with the woman Shang Tian Hao loved staying by Shang Tian Hao’s side, Shang Tian Hao no longer had the courage to gamble everything.

To avoid going to the Frontier Passes, Shang Tian Hao actually made himself “fall ill.”

How ridiculous.

But Shang Xing Yu did not show any of it. Shang Xing Yu respectfully knelt and saluted.

Emperor Chong Sheng asked, “I heard you want to go to Mo Bei?”

Shang Xing Yu answered clearly, “Yes!”

Shang Xing Yu said, every word firm, “Your Majesty, this minister wanted to go to Mo Bei and kill Northern Di soldiers!”

Not lead troops. Not command a war.

Kill Northern Di soldiers.

Anyone who did not know better might think Shang Xing Yu had some deep blood feud with Northern Di.

The court ministers around them looked at Shang Xing Yu with strange expressions.

Then Shang Xing Yu pulled out a sheet of paper and presented it in indignation. “Just now, someone actually said Northern Di soldiers were strong and that no one in Sheng Kingdom could compare. This minister couldn’t stand it, so this minister made a bet with him. He said that as long as this minister could kill ten Northern Di soldiers, all these things would belong to this minister!”

As Shang Xing Yu spoke, the anger on Shang Xing Yu’s face turned a little embarrassed. “Your Majesty, you also know this minister’s money has been tight. This minister is about to marry the Princess, so this minister wanted to scrape together a bit more for the betrothal gifts.”

The court ministers’ mouths twitched.

Of course. A useless fool was still a useless fool.

Was going to the battlefield something you could bet on?

And killing ten Northern Di soldiers?

If Shang Xing Yu really reached the battlefield, Shang Xing Yu would probably be the first one to get scared out of his mind.

Emperor Chong Sheng’s eyelid twitched hard as Emperor Chong Sheng looked at the document Su De Yun brought forward.

Two estates, over three hundred mu of land, and it was in Ting Zhou.

Shang Xing Yu was really going to Mo Bei just to gamble for this much?

Emperor Chong Sheng should never have expected anything from a rich wastrel.

Furious, Emperor Chong Sheng flung a hand and tossed the paper aside.

Shang Xing Yu quickly crawled forward on Shang Xing Yu’s knees, picked the paper up, and put it back into Shang Xing Yu’s robe.

Then Shang Xing Yu looked up and asked, “Your Majesty, could Your Majesty agree? If it really doesn’t work, this minister can even be a soldier!”

A soldier?

Emperor Chong Sheng narrowed his eyes and sneered. “Fine. Since you aren’t afraid of death, then go. Pei Ling Yuan, you’ll take him when the time comes!”

Pei Ling Yuan’s eyelid jumped. “…Your Majesty, should we ask Grand General Shang first? If Young Master Shang Er really has an accident on the battlefield, this subject fears this subject won’t be able to explain it to Grand General Shang.”

Shang Xing Yu smiled obediently. “General Pei, don’t worry. Father even said this morning that Father suffered a serious illness and couldn’t go to Mo Bei, and Father felt guilty. If Father knew I could go in Father’s place to kill enemies on the battlefield, Father would surely be comforted.”

Pei Ling Yuan was deeply moved when Pei Ling Yuan heard that.

So when Shang Xing Yu left the hall, Shang Xing Yu had become one of the soldiers in the army heading to Mo Bei.