Di Lingwei saw the newcomer and her left eye swept over her.
Name: Wang Feifei.
Identity: Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Other traits currently locked.
“This Humble Subject, Wang Feifei, pays respects to Your Majesty.” Wang Feifei approached, knelt on one knee, and spoke respectfully.
“Rise.” Di Lingwei’s expression was stern.
Wang Feifei immediately stood up and said with a beaming smile, “I haven’t seen Your Majesty for days. Feifei has missed you to death! Whether eating or sleeping, I’ve been thinking about Your Majesty.”
Seeing Wang Feifei’s demeanor, Di Lingwei’s heart skipped a beat.
Although the other party’s status as Commander of the Imperial Guard suggested a reasonably close relationship, this attitude implied they were far closer than she had imagined. Could there be some kind of improper relationship between them?
Sometimes, being too close wasn’t a good thing. It meant the other person might notice she was different from the original host… Well, normally, people wouldn’t leap to the conclusion that someone close had been replaced by another person. She didn’t need to worry too much.
“Smooth talker,” Di Lingwei said, maintaining her stern expression. “Always grinning and playing around. Have you been training properly to improve your martial arts?”
“Of course! Your Majesty told Feifei to practice hard, and Feifei wouldn’t dare forget.” Wang Feifei seemed very lively and didn’t act overly formal with Di Lingwei.
Judging by Xing Ruolan’s unsurprised expression, this was how Wang Feifei had always interacted with the Empress.
“Is that so? Then Zhen shall inspect your martial arts skills.” Di Lingwei said promptly.
She planned to use Wang Feifei to understand the general limits of martial power in this world. As the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Wang Feifei’s combat ability, even if not quite at the world’s absolute peak, couldn’t be far off.
“Would Your Majesty like to spar with Feifei?” Wang Feifei’s eyes immediately lit up.
‘I didn’t say that, I don’t want that!’
Di Lingwei was secretly horrified. Although she wanted to inspect Wang Feifei’s martial arts, she had absolutely no intention of personally engaging. What would happen if the martial-art-supreme Heavenly Mandate Empress was instantly defeated?
Outwardly, Di Lingwei remained calm and unsmiling. “Spar? Zhen has no intention of bullying you. Go to the training grounds and demonstrate your skills by yourself.”
“Oh, I see.” Wang Feifei was immediately somewhat disappointed.
If she could spar with Di Lingwei, she felt she would receive excellent guidance. But if the Empress was unwilling, she wouldn’t dare push.
“To the training grounds.”
Di Lingwei rose and stepped out of the pavilion.
During her earlier tour of the palace, she had learned that there was a training ground near her bedchamber. It was probably originally reserved for the original host’s use, which explained why it was so close to the bedchamber.
Wang Feifei and Xing Ruolan followed behind Di Lingwei. As they left the Hundred Flowers Garden, the numerous palace maids waiting outside also fell into step behind them.
In a short time, Di Lingwei arrived at the training grounds.
The space here was vast, the bluestone floor flat and hard. Weapon racks stood on the field, holding a variety of arms.
“Feifei, go ahead. Show Zhen whether you have regressed.” Arriving there, Di Lingwei stood with the commanding presence of a lofty mountain and a still lake.
“Feifei will perform a martial display for Your Majesty right away.”
Wang Feifei entered the training grounds, drew a long saber from a weapon rack, and began showcasing her martial prowess on the spot.
Her movements were very agile; the heavy weight on her body was not a hindrance. The slashes of her blade were exceptionally sharp, and even from a great distance, one felt a sense of being lacerated.
As Wang Feifei danced with her saber, the sharp blade light was a swath of brilliant white. The air whistled as it was cleaved. For a moment, her entire being radiated a sharp, piercing aura of keenness.
However, seeing this, Di Lingwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
‘It seems the martial power level in this world is still within a relatively normal human range. That’s good. The lower the power levels, the less of an impact on me.’
Di Lingwei was quite pleased with this situation.
Achievement Unlocked: [Wang Feifei at the Training Grounds]. You may now view Wang Feifei’s Personality Trait.
Suddenly, a prompt rang out in Di Lingwei’s mind.
After a moment of shock, she was delighted. She had unlocked another person’s trait so quickly. It seemed obtaining achievements to unlock traits wasn’t as difficult as she had thought; interacting more was enough.
However, the trait unlocked for Xing Ruolan before was Personality, and now Wang Feifei’s was also Personality. Could it be that the traits unlocked in a fixed order: Personality, Hobby, Martial Power, Regret, Heart’s Desire, Weakness?
With only two examples, Di Lingwei couldn’t be sure. She could only check Wang Feifei first.
Name: Wang Feifei.
Identity: Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Personality: Outgoing and carefree, seemingly unthinking and easy to control. In reality, is rough but shrewd. Due to an unspoken secret hidden deep in her heart, her true temperament is somewhat gloomy, though this is well concealed.
Di Lingwei: “??”
Upon seeing the description of Wang Feifei’s personality, Di Lingwei was utterly dumbfounded and simply couldn’t accept this answer.
Why was Wang Feifei disguising herself? Logically, only those with ill intentions would need to wear a mask, right?
This revelation nearly made Di Lingwei cough up blood. She felt her fate was truly bitter. Why were all the people around her harboring sinister motives? Was there not a single honest person?
Given these circumstances, Di Lingwei naturally didn’t dare trust Wang Feifei anymore. With the other woman’s martial power, harming her would be incredibly easy.
A short while later, Wang Feifei finished her demonstration and came cheerfully to Di Lingwei’s side. “Your Majesty, how was Feifei’s performance? Have I regressed at all?”
Looking at Wang Feifei’s innocent and charming face, Di Lingwei found it hard to believe the expression was feigned. Still, she trusted her left eye, and her heart filled with caution.
“It was acceptable. Remember not to slack off in the future,” Di Lingwei said in a flat tone.
“Thank you for your acknowledgment, Your Majesty.” Wang Feifei smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed into crescent moons, looking like someone instinctively delighted by praise, projecting a completely guileless aura.
But Di Lingwei could no longer appreciate Wang Feifei’s smile.
At this moment, Di Lingwei felt terribly unsafe. Both the Chief Palace Steward and the Commander of the Imperial Guard seemed deeply problematic. This meant her safety was completely unguaranteed. She absolutely needed someone she could trust.
After thinking it over, Di Lingwei asked Wang Feifei, “Zhen has a question. What is your opinion of the Imperial Guard’s two Vice Commanders?”
Wang Feifei tapped her chin with a finger, thinking for a moment before replying, “Feifei thinks that between the two Vice Commanders, Little Wan is far more interesting. Wei Nian is too rigid and boring.”
