Di Lingwei decided to choose Mu Fuwan.
The reason for this was the lingering influence of the Original Host’s choices. Now, Di Lingwei inexplicably felt a greater sense of trust towards Mu Fuwan.
After all, the obvious personality flaws of Xing Ruolan and Wang Feifei beside her were already apparent. She truly didn’t dare to get too deeply involved with those two. What if a single misstep cost her her life?
So, even though she had unlocked a Hobby Trait for one and a Personality Trait for the other, Di Lingwei still chose Mu Fuwan.
Having made her decision, Di Lingwei looked over at Wang Feifei.
“Your Majesty.” Seeing Di Lingwei’s gaze upon her, Wang Feifei immediately responded.
“With Wei Nian dead, the Imperial Guard is short one Vice Commander. Who do you think should be promoted to fill the position?” Di Lingwei inquired.
“This…”
Wang Feifei fell into thought.
Seeing that Di Lingwei didn’t seem to be blaming her for the Wei Nian incident, Wang Feifei breathed a sigh of relief.
However, recommending someone for the Vice Commander role was not an easy matter. The person holding this position would spend long periods in the Imperial Palace and interact frequently with Her Majesty, so the choice had to be made with great consideration.
After thinking it over, Wang Feifei said, “Feifei doesn’t have a particular person to recommend. Quite a few people meet the requirements, and their differences don’t seem that significant at first glance. Perhaps Your Majesty could summon all the candidates for a competition, and let the strongest one become Vice Commander.”
“I have noted your suggestion. If there is nothing else, you may withdraw,” Di Lingwei said, her expression betraying nothing of her inner thoughts.
The vacant Vice Commander position of the Imperial Guard naturally needed to be filled. But as for who would take the role, in Di Lingwei’s view, she had to choose someone loyal. That was far more important than martial power. But the unfortunate reality was that discerning loyalty was no easy task.
In her past life, she had read online about how emperors cultivated loyal guards – generally, it involved training them from childhood, instilling the concept of loyalty, making the guards understand that sacrificing for the emperor was the greatest honor.
However, Di Lingwei couldn’t replicate that method. She feared she might not live long enough to see guards trained from childhood grow up. She could only choose from the available candidates. But people’s hearts were unfathomable; even Wei Nian, whose personality seemed unproblematic, had issues. It was difficult to trust the others.
Wang Feifei withdrew.
As Mu Fuwan was also about to take her leave, Di Lingwei stopped her. “Walk with Zhen for a while.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mu Fuwan followed.
Di Lingwei casually led her out of the bedchamber. Seeing this, Xing Ruolan quickly followed as well, as she was Di Lingwei’s personal attendant.
As they walked, Di Lingwei found herself unsure of what to say. Her status was extraordinary, making casual conversation with subordinates impossible; it would damage the Female Emperor’s dignity. Furthermore, the Original Host hadn’t been the type for small talk anyway.
After some thought, Di Lingwei simply led Mu Fuwan to the Training Grounds.
“Go. Perform a martial display for Zhen. Let Zhen see if you have made any progress recently,” Di Lingwei commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Mu Fuwan immediately stepped into the spacious Training Grounds.
She was skilled with the sword. Drawing a blade directly from the weapon rack, she began to move, her actions graceful and beautiful, yet losing none of their sharp lethality.
Di Lingwei watched for a moment, then said to Xing Ruolan beside her, “Later, bring Zhen a set of files. All those qualified to compete for the Imperial Guard Vice Commander position – don’t leave a single one out.”
She had ultimately decided to select the next Vice Commander by reviewing records.
“This servant understands,” Xing Ruolan replied meekly.
She didn’t immediately rush off to do the task. After all, Di Lingwei had said “later,” not “immediately.” As someone who personally attended the Female Emperor, Xing Ruolan paid very close attention to the specifics of her wording.
They continued to admire Mu Fuwan’s martial performance.
To hold the position of Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, Mu Fuwan’s strength was naturally exceptional. Her sword danced, creating layers of afterimages. One could foresee her opponents struggling to distinguish reality from illusion, easily falling to her blade.
After watching for a while, Di Lingwei called out loudly, “Return.”
Mu Fuwan in the training grounds stopped her performance, placed her weapon back on the rack, and then respectfully returned to Di Lingwei’s side.
At this moment, Di Lingwei felt a bit disappointed. Having Mu Fuwan perform martial arts here had also been partly in the hopes of unlocking an Achievement for her. Unexpectedly, no Achievement had been unlocked. It seemed she’d have to try another approach.
After thinking for a moment, Di Lingwei turned and headed towards the Hundred Flowers Garden. Mu Fuwan and Xing Ruolan followed closely.
It didn’t take long for Di Lingwei to reach her destination.
In the Hundred Flowers Garden, hundreds of flowers bloomed in competition, strange and jagged rocks were piled everywhere, pavilions dotted the landscape, and small bridges crossed flowing streams. The scenery was extremely beautiful.
Arriving beside a stone table, Di Lingwei noticed black and white game pieces placed upon it, and her interest was immediately piqued.
If she remembered correctly, Xing Ruolan’s Hobby was listed as enjoying various board games?
Although Di Lingwei’s current main target was Mu Fuwan, she took this opportunity and said, “Ruolan, play a game of chess for Zhen to watch. Commander Mu, you will be her opponent.”
Mu Fuwan was taken aback and hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, this subject is not good at chess.”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as you know the rules, you may begin,” Di Lingwei’s tone carried an indisputable finality.
Since Di Lingwei had spoken thus, Mu Fuwan had no choice but to comply.
Xing Ruolan certainly had no objections either. The two stood opposite each other at the stone table and quickly began placing pieces on the board.
Di Lingwei watched from the side. She found it was similar to Go, but the method of play was not entirely the same, which looked quite novel.
Xing Ruolan’s hobby was board games, so her skill was naturally strong. Even though Di Lingwei could only understand bits and pieces, it was enough to see that Xing Ruolan gained an absolute advantage from the start. In no time, the situation became completely one-sided.
The result was, predictably, a clean loss for Mu Fuwan.
After it was over, Di Lingwei asked Xing Ruolan, “You like board games, correct?”
Xing Ruolan said gently, “This servant does indeed enjoy them.”
“How come Zhen never sees you playing with the other palace maids?” Di Lingwei asked casually.
“Very few palace maids know how to play City Chess,” Xing Ruolan replied.
This type of chess, somewhat similar to Go but not exactly the same, was called City Chess. The two players were like generals leading armies into battle, making it very complex. It appeared highly challenging, so it wasn’t strange that the palace maids didn’t know it.
“Complex City Chess is indeed not fun for the palace maids. Perhaps you could try playing a simpler game with them,” Di Lingwei suggested.
“A simpler game?” Xing Ruolan was slightly stunned. Puzzled, she said, “But all chess games are quite complex, no less so than City Chess.”
“Can’t you just invent one yourself?” Di Lingwei said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
