Xie Jue spent his days in the Prince Manor very comfortably. When the manor was first established, he had to manage the household affairs, but now he has handed everything over to Mingzhu. Mingzhu is also starting to manage the assets of the Prince Manor, so Xie Jue can now relax without any worries, nurturing flowers, playing chess, accompanying Ruyi in calligraphy practice, and teaching Mingzhu to paint. Mingzhu, as a Beiman Woman, is not fond of the Northern Pavilion Women’s embroidery and painting. There are nursing nuns in the manor, who sometimes firmly compel her to learn. Although Mingzhu is unwilling, she is influenced by her environment. Her friends at the Imperial College, who also practice martial arts, engage in feminine crafts, so she is forced to learn as well.

Xie Jue looked at Mingzhu’s uniquely drawn paintings and recalled Fengyu’s paintings, unable to suppress his laughter. Mingzhu’s temperament made painting more unbearable than drinking medicine.

"You really don’t want to learn?"

Mingzhu was an honest girl, "I don’t want to learn. Can I choose not to learn?"

"Of course!"

Mingzhu rejoiced, but suddenly wondered if she might be too audacious, "But all the clan girls have learned; they can balance archery, horse riding, and feminine crafts."

"Everyone has their strengths and shouldn’t compare themselves to others. If there’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t have to do it. You are the great Princess of Beining—if you desire fine embroidery, you have embroiderers to assist you. If you want to admire beautiful paintings, you have painters serving you. Don’t make things difficult for yourself; do what you want to do." Xie Jue didn’t know how to raise girls but could only learn from how the Marchioness raised his sisters. He himself didn’t want Mingzhu to compromise. If she didn’t enjoy it, why bother? She’s a princess, and people vie to serve her in whatever she wishes.

"Yes, Father, I understand." Mingzhu was delighted; she disliked studying those things. If the nursing nuns pressured her again, she would bring up her father, and they wouldn’t dare trouble her.

Mingzhu discovered Fang Chuning practicing at the martial training ground when she arrived. He was wielding a long spear while dressed in a sleek, waist-tied black robe; the silver spear was full of vigor, with its red tassels dancing along with his moves—a dazzling flame accompanying him. Mingzhu couldn’t help but watch intently, secretly thinking his performance was more impressive than her Master Wu’s, as it combined force and elegance.

Her Master Wu had taught her spear skills, which seemed burdened with too much killing intent; unlike Fang Chuning’s spear technique—graceful and fluid, like flowing clouds and water, complemented by his dignified demeanor—it was captivating.

Mingzhu couldn’t help associating Fang Chuning and Xie Jue with the rumors, which were rife among the capital for a while; the hearsay amused the masses. The civil and military officials, having been warned by Xie Xun, kept their children from discussing it to avoid trouble. However, children as they are, tend to mention it helplessly. Mingzhu’s schoolmates were mostly of similar age, teenagers, including rebellious ones. Despite being disciplined by their elders and living pampered lives with no hardships, they spoke indiscriminately about the matter, even making fun in the Imperial College.

Whenever two boys were close, sharing a meal, people would laugh and compare them to Xie Jue and Fang Chuning. Children are the most innocent yet inherently mischievous beings, oblivious to the impact of their words; Mingzhu, spontaneous by nature, would not hesitate to roll up her sleeves and fight.

Her martial prowess was superb, leaving those young gentlemen battered with bruises. Naturally, their elders found it unacceptable, but the matter couldn’t be reported to the authorities; explaining the circumstances would mean certain disaster, as Xie Xun would surely impose penalties. Adults found it inconvenient to intervene, so they executed a plan to have slightly older clan children teach Mingzhu a lesson, treating it as a typical kids’ spat.

Thus, Mingzhu endured torment from clan girls at the school, often making a fool of herself, also getting blocked by several youths, almost getting pushed into the lake on one occasion. If not for her companions assisting, it wouldn’t have ended peacefully. Mingzhu didn’t wish to bother Xie Xun and Fengyu, yet was unable to swallow the insult or tolerate anyone disparaging Xie Jue. If anyone dared to punch her, she would kick back. Consequently, after being tripped by a boy, Mingzhu with several companions retaliated by tossing him into the lake.

This back-and-forth solidified the grudge. Mingzhu’s high status deterred excessive rudeness, but knowing her care for Xie Jue’s reputation, they discussed the affair between Xie Jue and Fang Chuning in front of Mingzhu even more boldly, claiming Xie Jue disregarded morals, dragging her down as the Prince Manor’s oldest daughter, assuming she’d struggle to find a decent match.

The more infuriated Mingzhu got, the more brazen they became, causing chaos at the school. The scholars came from clans and scholarly backgrounds, inherently disapproving of the affair,—so they naturally wouldn’t support Mingzhu nor report, allowing bullying in the school to become prevalent. This inevitably led to resentment towards Fang Chuning, blaming him for tarnishing her father’s reputation, resulting in criticism.

"Would you like to learn?" Fang Chuning noticed the young girl standing beside him long ago. After finishing his spear routine, he asked Mingzhu with a smile.

Mingzhu replied curtly, "No!"

She turned away without acknowledging Fang Chuning. However, after a few steps, she felt irritated—why was she the one who must leave? This was her home, her family’s practice grounds.

She returned to grab a sword specifically made for her from the weapon rack, intending to fortify her swordsmanship skills that her master had imparted.

The young girl’s sword style, firm yet supple, was commendable. Fang Chuning raised an eyebrow after watching her complete a series of swordplay, "Xie family has a very impressive swordsmanship formation—every male of Xie family learns it from a young age. Do you want to learn it?"

Mingzhu’s eyes lit up with surprise, but she warily asked, "How do you know Xie family’s swordsmanship?"

"I observed your father during practice and learned it from him. Do you want to learn it?"

"No, my father will teach me!"

Xie Jue watched Ruyi write for over an hour but didn’t spot Fang Chuning. Casually asking about Fang Chuning’s whereabouts, Ying Er responded, "Mr. Fang is at the training ground teaching the Princess swordsmanship."

"Them?" Xie Jue raised his eyebrows. Mingzhu didn’t like Fang Chuning and was stubborn, so why would she be willing to learn from him? Fang Chuning naturally wouldn’t treat the young girl spitefully—Mingzhu might show aversion, but wouldn’t cast venomous words. Although he sat for a while, he felt somewhat concerned. Ruyi said crisply, "Daddy, I want to watch sister practice swordsmanship."

"Sure, Daddy will take you for a walk." He didn’t want the child confined to calligraphy practice for too long, so Xie Jue decided to take him to the martial training grounds, to see how Fang Chuning and Mingzhu were getting along.

Prince Manor’s expansion didn’t alter its internal arrangement; the training ground remained as originally built. Actually, Xie Jue didn’t frequent it often; his brothers Xie Zhang and Xie Xun used it instead—the training ground was lined with weapons they were familiar with. Xie Jue watched the lively Ruyi, "Ruyi, do you wish to learn swordsmanship?"

Ruyi shook his head, "No, at school, there’s so much homework; it’s very exhausting."

Xie Jue, "..."