Two days later, on the fourth floor of Tian Waitian Restaurant, the four young scholars of the Upper Study were gathered once more.
Though it had not been long since they first met, Cen Yiyi's appearance and bearing had undergone a striking transformation.
Likely the result of over a year of rigorous martial training, the once chubby cheeks of the little girl had slimmed considerably. Her complexion was no longer quite as fair as before, and the soft innocence of her youth had been tempered by something far more resolute.
Though she came unarmed today, having left her sword behind out of respect for the occasion, the wind in her step and the heroic glint in her eyes still left an unmistakable impression. Upon seeing her, one could not help but think: a young heroine.
Well… perhaps the word "young" ought to remain for now. After all, Cen Yiyi had grown a bit taller over the past year, but she still had not quite reached one meter forty.
"Your Highness!"
As soon as she stepped inside and saw that Yun Shu and the others had already arrived, Cen Yiyi's eyes lit up. Her smile curved like a crescent moon, carrying faint traces of her former sweetness.
"Why are you all here so early? I thought arriving a stick of incense ahead of time would give me a chance to sneak in my gifts and surprise you!"
"You brought gifts for us?"
"Of course!"
She turned and waved toward the door, where a few steps behind her, maids and attendants entered carrying several chests. Cen Yiyi personally lifted the largest one and brought it over to Yun Shu.
"I've actually been preparing these gifts for quite a while. Now that I'm about to head to Qiongzhou, I don't know when we'll meet again. So I figured I should just bring everything today."
As she spoke, she opened the chest and carefully lifted out a finely crafted bracelet.
"Your Highness, look closely. There's a hidden mechanism in this bracelet. Now that you are the Crown Princess, if some villain were to plot against you, you only need to twist here. It will fire a poisoned needle.
The bracelet can hold up to eight needles. It should serve you well for self-defense. And as for this—"
She placed the bracelet into Yun Shu's hand, then pulled out a beautifully embroidered belt.
"Normally, this would be the best place to conceal hidden weapons. But since Your Highness has never trained in martial arts, you likely would not know how to use them effectively. So instead, I filled it with medicinal powders.
There are mild knockout agents, soft bone powder, and even one that temporarily disrupts inner energy. I also included a few healing powders, all in small pouches. They are light and well concealed. Of course, it would be best if you never have to use them. But in an emergency, they might just save your life."
And that is not all—"
Cen Yiyi took out each item in turn, disguised as everyday accessories, and gave a detailed explanation of their uses. After introducing every piece, she finally let out a long, worried sigh.
"It wasn't until your birthday banquet that I realized just how dangerous it is to be the Crown Princess.
You truly should have learned martial arts with me."
Yun Shu was speechless.
Was it really… that dangerous?
From the look of this gear, Cen Yiyi seemed determined to arm her to the teeth. If someone walked in now, they might think she was about to venture into the jianghu instead of attending a farewell banquet.
"Staying in the capital is not nearly so perilous."
The Deposed Crown Prince was long gone, and the Empress had quietly "passed away from illness" at Longhua Temple.
Imperial Father did not have many sons. The Third Prince and Fourth Prince, along with Yun Chuhuan, had no real desire for the throne. Only the Eldest Prince still held ambition.
But the Eldest Prince would have to be a complete fool to make an attempt on her life. If anything happened to her, regardless of who was truly behind it, Emperor Xuanwu's first suspicion would undoubtedly fall on him.
"Still, I do quite like your gifts."
They were incredibly cool.
She had only read about things like these in novels. Seeing them brought to life was another matter entirely.
In front of Cen Yiyi, Yun Shu slid the bracelet onto her left wrist and admired it sincerely. Then she reached into her own box and pulled out the gift she had prepared.
"I once promised that when you passed the imperial martial exam, I would give you a peerless sword. At the time, I thought there would be many years yet to prepare, so I was in no hurry.
I never expected you would be leaving for Qiongzhou so soon. There was no time to forge a custom weapon. I had to settle for a decent blade from Father Emperor's private vault. It is not perfect, but it should serve you well for now."
"This is hardly a compromise!"
From the moment Yun Shu began unwrapping the sword, Cen Yiyi's eyes never left it.
Coming from a family of military generals, she could tell at a glance that the weapon was no ordinary blade.
"It may not be a peerless treasure, but it is certainly worthy of being called a famous sword."
"Your Highness, are you certain you can give this to me? What about His Majesty?"
"Do not worry. I already spoke with Father Emperor beforehand. He said I could choose freely."
Watching Cen Yiyi cradle the long sword with such affection, Yun Shu smiled and retrieved another small stack of books.
"And these. I heard they are ancient military texts once thought lost. I figured you would enjoy them."
"Lost texts?"
Cen Yiyi gasped softly. As she accepted the books, her movements grew noticeably gentler.
"Then I must take care of them properly."
"There is no need to be so cautious."
Yun Shu chuckled.
"I transcribed them myself later on. They are not original manuscripts."
"That makes them even more precious!"
Cen Yiyi held the volumes closer to her chest.
A joke, perhaps, but not entirely. The Crown Princess once went so far as to develop printing techniques simply to avoid copying texts by hand.
For someone who hated transcribing to go out of her way to personally write out military manuals for her…
This was worthy of being passed down as a family heirloom.
Like a squirrel guarding its hoard, Cen Yiyi clutched the books with unshakable resolve, clearly unwilling to let anyone else touch them.
Yun Chuhuan, watching from the side, suddenly felt a sour pang in his chest.
He could not help but mutter under his breath.
"Surely not, surely not. This Prince took special leave just to attend a certain someone's farewell, and that someone is only giving gifts to Fifth Elder Sister?"
"I have gifts for you as well."
Cen Yiyi, long accustomed to Yun Chuhuan's sarcastic tone from their days in the Upper Academy, did not even blink.
With a wave of her hand, she had her attendants deliver smaller boxes to both Yun Chuhuan and Liu Ziming.
The boxes were not large, certainly not compared to the one she had given Yun Shu.
At first, Yun Chuhuan did not think much of it.
Then he opened the lid, peeked inside, and instantly exploded.
"Cen Yiyi, what is the meaning of this? You gave Fifth Elder Sister so many exciting and unique gifts, and for me you bring this?"
He yanked out a few volumes of the sages' teachings from the box with visible outrage.
"Do I look like someone lacking in Confucian texts? This is an insult. You are clearly brushing me off!"