Chapter 1695: Chapter 1688: Lin Yu Disappoints

Her words were genuine enough, but her voice was soft, sweet, and seductive, sounding as if it carried an intentional allure.

Chu Jinling’s expression turned cold.

Ye Hongru rubbed his forehead, choosing to act as though he hadn’t heard anything.

Lin Sisi took a deep breath. She was determined to have Saint Ruan give her medicine to change this voice.

Damn it!

Shit!

"In short, Lin Yu may be a good seedling, but her thoughts are impure. She can’t focus entirely on martial arts. That makes her unfit to be a qualified soldier, let alone a future female general. Ye General, if you wish to win her over, it’s worth reconsidering." Lin Sisi advised earnestly.

After finishing, she grabbed Saint Ruan and walked away.

Saint Ruan didn’t forget to turn back and throw a flirtatious glance at Chu Jinling, "Your Highness, come visit if you have time~"

What a shameless tease!

Chu Jinling pinched the space between his eyebrows. Fortunately, he had long been acquainted with Saint Ruan’s antics.

However, what Miss Chu had said about Lin Yu lingered in his mind.

He turned around and saw Lin Yu crouching on the stage.

She was crying, crying very bitterly.

Chu Jinling slowly ascended the stage. Standing tall and dignified in front of Lin Yu, he said, "My Sisi would never cry like this."

Lin Yu suddenly lifted her head. "Li—Ling Wang Your Highness!"

She quickly stood up, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "I—I wasn’t crying!"

Fearing she would leave a bad impression on Chu Jinling, she wiped her tears clean and stood straight before him. "Your Highness, I really wasn’t crying. I was just momentarily emotional. I can still keep fighting."

"But what Miss Chu said earlier made a lot of sense. Do you truly understand your own heart?" Chu Jinling gazed deeply at her, his tone weighty.

He recalled everything about Sisi and repeated something she had once said, "Since I was young, I made it my ambition to be a hero as grand as the Ninth Prince,

just like my father, a female general galloping across the battlefield!

Because of this goal, I have never slackened my martial arts practice for a single day. While my sisters played the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, I studied and trained martial arts. While they arranged flowers and sipped tea, I worked on forming military strategies on sand tables. When they went out with young masters to enjoy the city, I was in the military camp sparring intensely with soldiers.

There were times I envied them, but my heart always stayed firm. I knew what I wanted to do, and I was never confused or uncertain, never wavering from my conviction!

My father used to say that girls like me wouldn’t fare well in marriages and might never find a husband. But I wasn’t afraid!

For a woman to pursue martial arts and join the army is a path full of obstacles and thorns, but since I’ve chosen it, I will dedicate myself to walking it with unwavering determination.

With single-minded focus!"

Chu Jinling recited these words to Lin Yu, word for word.

He gazed at her and said, "You claim to admire Sisi and want to be a female general like her. But ask yourself—are your convictions and aspirations as steadfast as hers?

Are you as fearless and resolute as she is?"

"But... women are born to get married, aren’t they? Even General Lin is betrothed to Your Highness, right?" Lin Yu mistakenly thought that Lin Sisi, as a daughter of a prominent military family, had not only benefited from her upbringing and training but had the additional advantage of having Chu Jinling as her fiancé!

Even though she didn’t marry him before her death.

Still, that must have been her source of confidence!

"Wrong."

Chu Jinling’s lips curved slightly upward. "Before meeting me, Sisi had already defeated every opponent in the military camp. She had lived in the camp of General Lin, fought in the camp of Great General Su Hao, and ultimately became a leading general under my imperial uncle. Every step of the way, she cleared obstacles herself. I never lent her the slightest help."

"In fact, Your Highness couldn’t play any role in her success! If we were to duel one-on-one, I might not even be her match." Discussing Lin Sisi, Chu Jinling’s expression softened, and even his smile carried a warmth that made others feel like a spring breeze.

It was impossible not to feel that he was blessed.

Speaking of a beloved brought immeasurable happiness.

Overflowing.

Lin Yu stood dumbfounded, entirely forgetting that Chu Jinling was there to lecture her.

Chu Jinling realized he had strayed off-topic. He patted Lin Yu’s shoulder and advised her, "In the end, Sisi never considered marriage a fallback option. Her future was a path she paved herself, and even her retreat was hers to defend. You need to understand—if you’ve chosen this path, you must walk it with single-minded focus."

Single-minded focus.

Lin Yu had never felt the weight of those four words as heavily as she did now, a weight she could hardly bear.

After Chu Jinling finished, he returned to his study, wanting to linger a little longer in places where he and Sisi had spent time together.

But Lin Yu’s gaze toward him had changed.

She admired Lin Sisi deeply. She also admired Chu Jinling deeply.

How could there be such a gentle man, one who so thoroughly understood a woman, supported her, admired her, missed her?

"Lin Yu? Lin Yu!"

Ye Hongru called out to her several times before she snapped back to her senses.

Ye Hongru said, "The martial arts examination in the imperial court is in one month. During this month, you must prepare well. You cannot fail! You are the person both I and Great General Lin have the most hope for!"

Ye Hongru’s hand fell heavily on her shoulder, full of expectation.

But Lin Yu’s face looked troubled. She didn’t respond to him.

Chu Jinling patiently taught her, encouraging her to continue down the path of the martial arts examination.

But she had developed feelings for Chu Jinling that she shouldn’t have!

A noble-born, exceptionally handsome, deeply devoted man.

If she had the chance to serve him by his side, why would she need to become a female general?

For a woman to pursue martial arts, enter the imperial examination hall, join the military camp, and rise to the rank of a general, the road was too lonely, too tough!

She had only walked a fraction of it and already wanted to give up!

Lin Yu shut herself in her room for several days without training. Ye Hongru was so worried that he thought she was ill and quickly summoned Saint Ruan and Miss Chu to examine her.

Ye Hongru broke into her room forcefully, asking Lin Sisi to hold her down so Saint Ruan could take her pulse, determined to cure her.

Saint Ruan checked her pulse and let out a cold laugh, "There’s no illness. She’s strong and healthy!"

If there were an illness, it would have a one-letter name—laziness.

"You’re not sick?" Ye Hongru stared incredulously at Lin Yu. "You’re not sick, so why haven’t you gone to train? It’s been three days! Do you think you still have plenty of time? Aren’t you afraid of losing to Yang Xianhui and Fu Yuan?"

"I’m not afraid," Lin Yu murmured softly.

If she didn’t want to compete, what was there to fear losing?

"You..." Ye Hongru’s anger flared. "I’ve always known you for your diligence. Why are you slacking now, at such a critical moment? Lin Yu! Have you forgotten your humble background and the fact that it’s thanks to your martial arts that you have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a chance to rise to where you are today?"

The village she came from favored boys over girls. Her parents were simple farmers who named her "Dog." They often left her hungry and poorly clothed, forcing her to flee famine and arrive, skin and bones, at the Ye Residence.

He still remembered the vow she made to him back then, "Young general, teach me martial arts. I swear I’ll be a woman who stands tall and proud! I want to bring glory to my ancestors and return home in splendor!"

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