The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

However, Xie Weizhou immediately felt uncomfortable after hearing what He Shuangying said.

He no longer pursued He Shuangying, but instead asked the palace maid to pass on the message that he wanted to see the emperor and Concubine Hui.

"...My Lord, please calm down. Please wait a moment and allow me to..."

"I won't wait. I can't. Concubine Hui is brave and I admire her very much, but what right does she have to say that I'm unqualified? I have to have a chance to discuss this with her."

Xie Weizhou had a defiant look on his face and insisted on entering the hall right now.

The palace maid did not dare to offend this upstart with such a great reputation, so she shrank her neck and turned to go into the hall to report.

When He Shuangying saw that her plan had succeeded and she had successfully provoked Xie Weizhou and Concubine Hui, she couldn't help but feel proud. She couldn't hide the smug look on her face for a moment and was seen by Xie Weizhou.

Xie Weizhou said, "Stay away from me. The stench is getting to me."

He Shuangying was stunned and subconsciously smelled her own scent.

It smells very good.

I've used a lot of powder and perfume.

"Where does my concubine stink? Did the Marquis smell it wrong?"

"The skin may not stink, the powder may be choking with fragrance, but the stench from within is simply unbearable."

He Shuangying was both embarrassed and angry.

Tears immediately welled up in my eyes.

"My Lord, why do you have to be so derogatory? My relatives rebelled, but it wasn't me who did it. Why are you forcing a weak woman like me..."

“It stinks!”

Xie Weizhou jumped directly two meters away.

It's like I'm going to avoid you if you don't leave.

He Shuangying was left alone, feeling extremely ashamed and angry. She wiped her tears and got up from the ground. Just as she was about to speak, the palace door opened.

The person who came out was not the palace maid, but Concubine Hui herself.

"Thank you, Lord, for your courtesy. I heard you wanted to explain to me?"

"Your Majesty is polite. I would like to ask why Your Majesty feels that I am unqualified and why you forbid me to go to the Northwest?"

"Lord Xie is a young hero, but his strengths lie in his fists and his courage. However, commanding an army requires brains and strategy. How can Lord Xie prove his strengths in this area?"

"Oh! Your Majesty, that's an interesting question! Your Majesty was born in a wealthy family and raised in the deep palace. You can lead a small team of dozens of people to kill the enemy, but how can you prove your strengths in commanding troops and make people think that you are worthy of the responsibility of rebuilding the Li family army?"

Xie Weizhou was not at all flustered when facing Concubine Hui's questioning, but instead asked Concubine Hui back.

Concubine Hui said, "I am a descendant of the Li family. I have been influenced by them since I was young. I am surrounded by elders who have commanded troops. If I cannot take on this responsibility, who can?"

Xie Weizhou clasped his fists and said, "The Li family is full of loyal and brave people. I admire and respect them. But my lady, I need to remind you that just because you've seen others command troops, it doesn't mean you can do it yourself. If we talk about our ancestors, our Xie family also has many who have fought in wars. Are you competing with your ancestors? Even if your Li family's ancestors are better than those of other families, can you really be better than them?"

Concubine Hui strode down the stairs and came directly in front of Xie Weizhou.

"Thank you, Lord, please leave me alone. I'm talking to you now. How can I entrust the important task of defending the Northwest Army to someone as inexperienced as you?"

Xie Weizhou raised his eyebrows, his face unfriendly: "The old crow is standing on the pig, my queen, please don't just focus on looking at me in a bad light. Before you suspect others, take care of yourself first."

"Xie Weizhou!"

"Hmm? What's up, Madam?"

Both of them were very angry and were arguing with each other.

If they could engage in a battle of glances, the two of them would have exchanged dozens of moves by now.

The palace maids around were all watching closely, fearing that the emperor would be angered.

The emperor came out of the palace.

Cao Bin put a light fur coat on him to keep him warm and put a hand warmer in his hand, fearing that he would catch a cold.

In contrast, Xie Weizhou was wearing a black bamboo plain brocade jacket. He had an upright posture and a tall and slender figure. He was as vigorous and energetic as a young man and did not take the winter cold seriously at all.

"Your humble servant Xie Weizhou pays homage to Your Majesty!"

The young man quickly ended the confrontation with Concubine Hui, knelt on one knee, and saluted upwards.

Concubine Hui also turned around and saluted.

The emperor glanced at the two of them and asked with a smile, "What are you arguing about?"

"I am disrespectful and deserve to be punished for arguing in front of the Emperor. However, Empress Huifei has questioned my ability to lead troops, and I refuse to accept my request. If I am incapable of leading troops, then Empress Huifei need not take charge. In short, no one has experience leading troops, so we should all step down. From now on, there will be no need to promote inexperienced generals in our Daliang army. Let everyone start as privates, which is a good way to train military commanders!"

Xie Weizhou was neither humble nor arrogant. He explained the matter clearly and also gave some advice that seemed reasonable but was actually just out of spite.

The emperor laughed.

"I love your straightforward nature. Concubine Hui, what do you say?"

Concubine Hui's face was filled with dissatisfaction. She said loudly, "Since neither I nor Lord Xie have experience in leading troops, and neither can convince the other, let's see who's the winner! Your Majesty, I request a duel with Lord Xie to determine who's the better!"

Xie Weizhou squinted at her and said, "I don't care. If your Majesty wants to compete, I will accompany you to the end. But, what if I win, what if I lose?"

"Whoever wins will lead the troops, and the loser is not allowed to lead the troops!" said Concubine Hui.

The emperor laughed out loud.

"Concubine Hui, thank you, my dear minister. I agree to your duel. However, I will change the results. The winner will receive an additional 5,000 soldiers, while the loser will receive 5,000 fewer. How do you do that?"

It seems that the emperor wants both of them to lead the troops.

Bringing 5,000 more men or 5,000 less men is just a number to the emperor and the court, but to the commander, the combat effectiveness of the army is different.

Moreover, this concerns the reputation of both of them.

Xie Weizhou and Concubine Hui looked at each other and said in unison: "Who is afraid of who!"

They both bowed upwards at the same time.

"The minister obeys the order!"

"I obey the decree!"

When the emperor left the palace, Fei Wan also walked out of the side hall.

Standing beside the emperor, she said with a smile, "This competition is excellent. Sister Hui and Lord Xie both fought bravely for Your Majesty when the enemy entered the city. Regardless of who wins or loses in this competition, they are both your Majesty's strong arms. Your Majesty, I have an idea."

The emperor saw that Concubine Hui and Xie Weizhou were at loggerheads and neither of them would give in, and he thought Fei Wan's approach to smoothing things over was very good.

His smile deepened: "Zhao Qing, please go ahead and tell me."

"Your Majesty, since you two are competing in the palace, why not invite all the concubines to watch? Firstly, they can appreciate the general's demeanor even from the depths of the palace. Secondly, I propose that no matter who wins, all the concubines in the harem will donate winter clothes and armor for all the soldiers under your command as an encouragement. This will show that the concubines and Your Majesty are united in purpose and care for all the soldiers. What do you think?"

After Fei Wan said this, the emperor pondered for a moment and then looked very pleased.

This is a good idea.

The emperor planned to train the Li family army that Concubine Hui wanted to rebuild and the army that Xie Weizhou was going to command at the border as his trusted military forces.

If these troops received additional clothing and armor sponsored by the concubines on top of the standard military supplies, their loyalty to the king would be stronger than other troops.

The emperor's gaze towards Fei Wan became brighter.