Young Miss from the Feng Family - FJXM Chapter 23

“You don’t know how hard I had to work to convince my old man to let me come here,” Xiao Mingyu said as he plopped down beside Feng Jiu Ge.

Noticing that Feng Jiu Ge hadn’t even started packing her belongings, he added, “It’s getting dark. Why haven’t you started packing yet? Let me help you!”

“Why does the Emperor trust the War King so much? Isn’t he worried that the War King might end up filling the entire court with his own people?” Feng Jiu Ge mused aloud.

“Shh, you can’t just say things like that! The War King only trains military officials, not civil ones,” Xiao Mingyu replied, lowering his voice. “These military officers, though highly capable, aren’t really favored by the Emperor.”

As he continued, Xiao Mingyu realized he might be saying too much and quickly shut his mouth. “I should just help you pack.”

“No need, I can do it myself. How about you go find out when dinner will be ready? I’m starving,” Feng Jiu Ge said with a sigh, wondering why she always seemed to meet overly familiar people like Xiao Mingyu.

Suddenly, she found herself missing that little boy from her childhood.

Looking at the bed she was supposed to sleep in, Feng Jiu Ge frowned. Though she had lived her life as a man, she was still a girl at heart, and some situations were just too inconvenient.

“Where’s your Wangye? I need to talk to him,” she demanded.

“Gu Gongzi, you can discuss anything with me,” Mu Qing offered.

“Can you make decisions?” Feng Jiu Ge asked, clearly skeptical.

“Well, I can try, but what’s on your mind?”

“I’d like to request a room for myself.”

Before Mu Qing could respond, Leng Tian Ao entered the room. “Gu Jiu Ge, don’t treat this place like your Gu Manor. Now that you’re here, you better leave those spoiled brat habits behind,” he said, his gaze resting on Feng Jiu Ge. She looked so frail and delicate, he almost pitied her.

Mu Qing looked at Feng Jiu Ge apologetically. “Gu Gongzi, you see…”

“Is he always this overbearing?” Feng Jiu Ge muttered, annoyed that she wasn’t even allowed to finish her request.

“That’s military discipline for you.”

“Jiu Ge, are you holding up okay?” Xiao Mingyu called out, watching as Feng Jiu Ge struggled to run laps around the training grounds. She looked like she could pass out at any moment.

Feng Jiu Ge hadn’t expected that the first challenge would be a grueling physical training session. She had always known her physical stamina was lacking, but she had never had the discipline to improve it. Now, here she was, being forced to train.

“I’m fine…” she replied weakly.

“Are you sure? You look worse than some of the girls I know,” Xiao Mingyu said, genuinely concerned. How could she be so weak after just the first day? How would she handle the days to come?

“Hey, Jiu Ge!”

“Mu Qingshi, Jiu Ge just fainted!” someone called out. Before Mu Qing could even react, someone rushed past him, reaching the scene faster than anyone else. The War King himself stood frozen, staring at the unconscious figure on the bed. He didn’t understand why he was so concerned—was it just because this person’s name reminded him of her?

Inside the room, Feng Jiu Ge slowly stirred, her body aching all over.

“You’re awake?” the War King’s voice cut through the haze. “If you’re awake, get back to training,” he commanded, interrupting Mu Qing before he could say anything.

Feng Jiu Ge’s mouth twitched. This man was relentless.

“Wangye, look at me—I’m in no condition to train today. Can’t you give me a break?”

“Sure,” the War King responded unexpectedly.

Surprised by his sudden leniency, Feng Jiu Ge stared at him for a moment. “You’ll be excused from today’s training if you copy the military rules ten times,” he added with a straight face.

As she flopped back onto the bed, Feng Jiu Ge muttered to herself, “I knew it. No way he’d let me off that easily.”

“My head hurts, Mu Qingshi. I think I’m suffering from heatstroke,” she complained, trying to buy herself more time.

An hour later, Feng Jiu Ge found herself standing under the blazing sun, grumbling to herself as she started the task of copying the military rules.