CMWKSD -Chapter 256 Looking in the Mirror

At first, when Jiu Yue proposed three hundred against a thousand, the delegations from other countries kept complaining about the unfairness of Daqi using few to fight many.

After three days of the training exercises, they all fell silent. The final scene had been far too shocking for anyone to continue complaining. It was entirely thanks to Jiu Yue’s insistence that the three-hundred-to-a-thousand setup was allowed.

Ji Yiqing, seeing the two sides arguing so bitterly, hurried to smooth things over.

“Not to hide anything from everyone—our soldiers in the special training camp are each extremely skilled in martial arts, and their strategies surpass others. That’s why they don’t consider anyone else in their calculations,” he explained.

“Therefore, what Princess Xuyu intends is actually to let our far-traveled guests understand a principle: there are always those stronger than yourself.”

“To show them what failure looks like.”

“To properly teach these arrogant youths a lesson.”

Hearing “there are always those stronger than yourself,” both the Crown Prince and Jiu Yue exchanged a glance, then quickly lowered their heads and shrugged unconsciously. After all, the Crown Prince had only recently said almost the same thing—though he had phrased it as “there is Xuyu above Xuyu.”

The Crown Prince nudged Jiu Yue with his elbow, his voice sly: “So that’s what you really meant?”

Jiu Yue shot him a fierce glare.

The Crown Prince clicked his tongue again, sighing: “With the mouths of the Ji brothers, if you set them up at the front during a battlefield confrontation, this way of twisting truth and calling black white, all without flinching—it would save so much trouble.”

Jiu Yue watched Ji Yiqing and the other delegates praising how utterly oblivious Daqi’s soldiers were to their own limitations. It was clearly a complaint in disguise—but she and the Crown Prince could see the delegates rolling their eyes behind them. Their expressions practically screamed, “Keep bragging, we can see it all.”

After the training, everyone realized more deeply what “there is Xuyu above Xuyu” really meant. Jiu Yue spent three full days with the delegation, letting the special training camp operate freely. She essentially threw them into the mountains and let them run wild, going home to sleep without a care.

Three days later, Jiu Yue appeared on the training field in a sleek, black silk outfit. From afar, Emperor Fengyuan saw her storm toward the few early-finished trainees. Each person received a kick—some to the legs, some to the body, even some were knocked over. But every single one acted the same: after being knocked down, they straightened up as fast as possible before Jiu Yue, hands clasped behind their backs, silently looking down at the small princess at their chin level.

No choice—if they didn’t look down, with Jiu Yue’s height, it simply wasn’t possible. But though their heads bowed, their hearts held Jiu Yue in the highest respect.

Jiu Yue didn’t care enough to scold them. Several of them had gotten injured during previous exercises, from tripping while chasing enemies in excitement or breaking limbs. Yet when she kicked someone over, even the young man with bandaged hands immediately returned to his team.

Watching this, the heads of the families who had sent their children to the camp felt a mix of emotions. Their children truly seemed different now. During the exercises, they couldn’t even believe these spirited young men were theirs.

Jiu Yue snorted. “Shameful!”

A few sons of noble families, led by Wen Yu, pouted, clearly not agreeing. They had been overconfident.

“Give us another chance! We could definitely take down ten or eight of them!”

Jiu Yue snorted coldly. Seeing Wen Yu’s defiance, she didn’t suppress him—she had never done so.

“Wen Yu, do you know what in this world is absolutely fair, with no shortcuts or tricks?”

Wen Yu and the others, who had been eliminated early, could only exchange glances while the other young men continued their battles in the mountains.

Absolute fairness? Impossible. They were born into privilege. Even if not heirs, their families were wealthy and powerful. They were loved and spoiled. They knew early on that the world held no true fairness.

Wen Yu admitted bluntly: “There isn’t.”

Jiu Yue gave him a cool glance. “There is. That is life. Whether you are poor or rich, powerful or talented, you all have only one life. Lose it, and that’s it.”

She looked toward Emperor Fengyuan on the high platform. This was what he had told her once. Perhaps she had not fully understood it at first, but now she did.

Wen Yu and the others shivered, bowing their heads in shame for their previous arrogance. They had been excited and overzealous, thinking their training justified bold action. Moreover, this was only an exercise—“death” wasn’t real. That was why they had treated it lightly and even injured themselves early on.

But if this had been a real battlefield, death would have been real. War is merciless; mistakes cannot be tolerated. One decision, one small misstep, could change the tide of battle.

The previously boastful noble sons now stood quietly to the side. Seeing comrades returning from the field, they immediately stepped in to help.

Jiu Yue walked casually toward the platform. Though a petite girl, wherever she passed, people instinctively paid attention.

Emperor Fengyuan waved at her from afar. The Crown Prince also looked at her.

Jiu Yue wasn’t wearing court attire, nor the jewels a princess of her rank should wear. She was in black silk, neither fully masculine nor feminine. Her hair was adorned only with a simple white jade hairpin. No crown today. Out of regulation, yes—but watching her approach, every movement exuded heroic flair, making her shine.

All officials on the platform felt honored. Even if some secretly thought she was coarse and unfit for formal appearances, they dared not voice it. Not in front of her, not even on their faces.

Jiu Yue bowed before Emperor Fengyuan. The emperor was overjoyed. Though initially few believed in her, he had always trusted she could achieve it. Jiu Yue was Daqi’s lucky star—and his.

Indeed, she had done it. Victory was certain. Only a few had yet to finish.

Before he could tell her to relax, the sound of horse hooves at the mountain pass reached them. Everyone rose on tiptoe to see—but the sound arrived before the riders.

Amid cheers and dust, the last twenty or so had turned into the illusion of a hundred. Leading them was none other than Princess Ling Yue, daughter of Prince Ling. She waved a whip in one hand, shouting joyfully, showing big teeth in delight. Someone on her horse was being jostled terribly, even rolling their eyes. The group looked like bandits descending to snatch a lady—cheerful chaos, impossible to tell friend from foe.

Emperor Fengyuan glanced at Jiu Yue. She felt strangely like she was looking in a mirror.