Having read books in her bedchamber before, Di Lingwei was aware of the two Vice Commanders of the Imperial Guard.
The ‘Little Wan’ Wang Feifei mentioned was Mu Fuwan, a woman. The other Vice Commander was also a woman, named Wei Nian.
From Wang Feifei’s words, it seemed she was closer to Mu Fuwan. Did that mean Mu Fuwan might harbor ill intentions just like Wang Feifei?
With this thought, Di Lingwei gave her order: “Have Wei Nian come to see Zhen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Xing Ruolan, who had been following behind, answered softly, turned, and went to have the palace maids summon her.
Throughout this process, Wang Feifei chattered away like a spring bird beside her. Di Lingwei maintained a dignified appearance, occasionally responding.
Soon after, Wei Nian arrived.
She wore the leather armor exclusive to the Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard. She was of average height and build, with an ordinary appearance. At first glance, she gave off an impression of being a person of few words.
“This Humble Subject, Wei Nian, pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Wei Nian came forward and knelt on one knee.
Di Lingwei observed her, then said plainly, “Wei Nian, go to the training grounds and demonstrate your martial skills. Let Zhen see your ability.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Wei Nian did not know Di Lingwei’s purpose, but she had to obey the Female Emperor’s command.
As Wei Nian walked towards the weapon rack in the training grounds, Wang Feifei muttered from the side, “Your Majesty, this Wei Nian is so boring. She barely speaks a word all day. She’s really off-putting.”
“That shows she is steady and reliable. You should learn from her,” Di Lingwei replied.
“Then wouldn’t Feifei be better off learning directly from General Nie? Feifei feels Wei Nian is just imitating General Nie, and she can’t even do that right. General Nie’s eyes can speak; even without a word, you know what she’s thinking. Wei Nian can’t do that,” Wang Feifei mumbled.
General Nie?
Di Lingwei searched her memory and recalled: during the morning court session, the one standing at the very front of the Martial Officers should be General Nie. Her name seemed to be Nie Bingyu.
Because the other woman’s aura was too cold, Di Lingwei hadn’t paid her much attention then.
“Swoosh, swoosh…”
The whistling sounds from the training grounds brought Di Lingwei back to her senses. She looked up to see Wei Nian gripping a saber and brandishing it. Each strike looked exceptionally fierce, yet it seemed as if its full edge was concealed. The saber momentum appeared to be hiding something, wanting to build up power for a critical moment of eruption.
After watching for a moment, Di Lingwei felt a flicker of doubt. She hadn’t triggered another achievement to view more of Wei Nian’s traits. Did this mean the same action couldn’t unlock achievements for different people?
After thinking for a moment, Di Lingwei asked, “Feifei, how do you think her martial arts compare to yours?”
Wang Feifei raised her head and said proudly, “Wei Nian’s standard is decent, but if she wants to compare with Feifei, she’s still far behind. Otherwise, why would Feifei be the Commander of the Imperial Guard while she’s only the Vice Commander?”
That logic was so sound that there was no retort.
Di Lingwei lifted her chin. “Go and spar with Wei Nian. Let Zhen have a good look.”
“No problem!”
Wang Feifei dashed into the field without hesitation. She first darted to the weapon rack and drew a saber. Then, charging at Wei Nian, she slashed down, and the snow-bright blade light was heart-stopping.
Wei Nian subconsciously glanced at Di Lingwei. Seeing the Female Emperor watching with an expressionless face, she understood that Wang Feifei’s attack was permitted. She immediately focused her mind and dealt with Wang Feifei’s assault seriously.
Both of their martial skills could be considered outstanding. As they clashed, the sounds of clashing metal rang out incessantly, looking incredibly perilous, as if a single misstep would lead to injury.
After watching for only a short while, Di Lingwei’s ear twitched.
Achievement Unlocked: 【Wei Nian in Combat】. Can now view Wei Nian’s Personality Trait.
Detecting the new achievement unlock satisfied Di Lingwei inwardly. However, the fact that it was still a Personality Trait made her realize that the traits were indeed unlocking in sequence.
So, would the difficulty increase when unlocking the next Hobby Trait?
With that in mind, Di Lingwei first used her Mystic Left Eye to look at Wei Nian.
Name: Wei Nian. Identity: Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard. Personality: An extremely silent person. Unless absolutely necessary, she will not initiate conversation. Her presence is also very low-key.
Di Lingwei’s eyes lit up slightly.
‘This is great. A person whose personality finally seems to have no issues has appeared. Heaven has not forsaken me.’
Di Lingwei was truly happy. From a person’s personality, one could basically infer what kind of person they are. Both Xing Ruolan and Wang Feifei gave her a bad feeling. At this moment, probably only Wei Nian could put her mind at ease.
“That’s enough,” Di Lingwei stepped forward and said.
Hearing her words, Wang Feifei and Wei Nian stopped.
“I was just about to win,” Wang Feifei muttered. She had indeed held the upper hand in the fight.
Ignoring Wang Feifei’s words, Di Lingwei said directly, “Wei Nian, your performance was good. Zhen is quite satisfied. From now on, you will temporarily be responsible for guarding Phoenix Perch Palace.”
Phoenix Perch Palace was Di Lingwei’s bedchamber.
Hearing Di Lingwei’s words, Wang Feifei looked over in shock and quickly said, “Your Majesty, Phoenix Perch Palace was originally guarded by Little Wan. Why replace her?”
Even Xing Ruolan looked up in surprise. But since this wasn’t her responsibility, she lowered her head again, looking obedient.
“Does Zhen need to explain Zhen’s decisions to you?” Di Lingwei looked at Wang Feifei, her gaze stern.
“Feifei wouldn’t dare.” Wang Feifei puffed out her cheeks and lowered her head.
At this, Wei Nian was also somewhat bewildered. She hadn’t expected to be transferred to guard Phoenix Perch Palace. It wasn’t a promotion in rank, but why the Female Emperor would make such a decision was worth pondering.
“Wei Nian, do you have any objections to this?” Di Lingwei glanced at Wei Nian again.
Wei Nian immediately knelt on one knee and said, “To be responsible for guarding Phoenix Perch Palace would be this Humble Subject’s honor.”
Di Lingwei nodded with satisfaction. “Very well. Go and hand over duties with Mu Fuwan. Feifei, you go with her.”
Wang Feifei accepted this order helplessly.
She wondered if the earlier fight, where she hadn’t been able to defeat Wei Nian decisively, had made Her Majesty mistakenly think Wei Nian’s strength had improved significantly, thus prompting her to assign Wei Nian as a close guard. If she had known, she would have gone all out.
Di Lingwei did not stay outside any longer.
She was satisfied. She had familiarized herself with the Imperial Palace’s routes and switched the guard of her bedchamber to someone who seemed more reliable. She planned to return to her bedchamber and read more books to understand other aspects better. She had to find and resolve any potential hidden dangers; only then could her position on the throne be secure.
