Chapter 22: Unforgettable Pain

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Shen Ning took Shi Qin and Shi Qi around the palace for half a day.

The Prince Regent's Palace is so big that you can't finish it in half a day.

Jinlin Courtyard is the main courtyard of the palace. It is located in the center of the entire palace. Outside the courtyard, there are rockery lakes, pavilions and pavilions. The scenery is beautiful, and the winding corridors connect to the back garden of the palace.

Yanranju is located in the southwest corner of the palace, slightly far away from Jinlin Courtyard. It has a corridor and a bridge, and is separated by two courtyards and a waterside pavilion.

In the northwest corner is the palace grounds. There are many soldiers in the Prince Regent's palace. Except for those on duty, everyone else will practice on the grounds for at least an hour before changing shifts.

There are rows of barracks and armory here, with ninety-nine barracks.

There are more than a dozen fixed targets set up at one end of the school ground, with rows of weapons on both sides for the elite soldiers in training to use at any time.

Shen Ning watched from a distance, a sadness gradually growing in her eyes.

The military camp used to be her world.

When the new Emperor Nan Zhao ascended the throne, there were frequent wars in those years. The vassal kings of all parties disobeyed the emperor, violated the imperial ban, and repeatedly expanded the size of the troops in their fiefdoms in an attempt to establish themselves as emperors.

The neighboring countries' cavalry invaded, and their ambitions were clear. Nan Zhao was troubled internally and externally, and the country was on the verge of collapse.

The generals in the DPRK have to put down rebellions, defend against foreign enemies, and deal with the persecution of a party of traitorous ministers in the DPRK. They are almost unable to do both.

It was at that time that her soon-to-be-married husband gently asked her to take command and go out to pacify the country for the emperor. He promised her that he would wait for her for as many years as she would fight and would never break his promise.

A sarcastic sneer flashed across Shen Ning's lips.

The tenderness in the man's smile, the eager expectation in his eyes, the unwavering emotional commitment, and a precarious country.

She had no choice but to agree.

Amid the doubts from the civil and military officials of the court, she took command to quell the chaos time and time again, and returned victorious time and time again, with numerous major and minor injuries. She stabilized the empire for the emperor's brother and earned a bright future for her nominal husband-in-law.

It took three and a half years for the civil strife to end. The vassal kings were powerful and difficult to deal with. The generals in the court were dead and wounded. When the vassal king was completely weakened, there was no one left to defend the border.

Her injury was not healed, so she rushed to the border with her eight thousand spirits to deal with the ambitious Western Zhou Dynasty. She stayed there for another three and a half years.

In more than seven years, the reputation of the God of War Princess spread throughout the world.

Perhaps even she didn't expect that so many wars would create the legend of a female war goddess.

On the day of his triumphant return to Beijing, people all over the city lined the streets to welcome him.

She seemed to see that the mountains and rivers she protected were about to usher in a prosperous age.

She was twenty-five years old that year.

With military power and great glory, everyone in the civil and military dynasties was jealous and envious of her power and status.

The husband who had sworn to wait for her return fulfilled his promise and prepared a grand wedding ceremony for her under the emperor's decree.

Shen Ning leaned against the pillar, feeling a huge pain in his heart.

Is it true that no matter how strong a woman is, she is destined to be unable to escape a man's sweet words and tenderness?

In such a grand and prosperous wedding, she thought she was about to usher in the next few decades of stability in Nan Zhao and the rest of her life.

However……

After becoming Shen Ning, she had almost no time to think about the past in those two days. When she thought about it one by one, unforgettable pain and despair swept over her, making her feel as if something was blocked in her heart, and her breathing changed. It was extremely difficult.

The person she loved most gave her poisoned wine on their wedding night, which completely disabled her martial arts and reduced her to a useless person. This was not enough, and even used black iron chains to lock her hands and feet, as if she was worried that she would have the ability to fly to the sky and escape from the earth. .

In her shocked and disbelieving eyes, he ruthlessly tore off the mask of tenderness and affection, destroying all her hopes with vicious and sarcastic words.

"You are my first wife, and you will always be. Whether you live or die, no one will take your place in this position."

"You are the famous female war goddess. The emperor is proud of you, I am proud of you, and the people of the world are proud of you. How beautiful you are! How could I let someone else be my wife? Isn't that a slap in the face of the royal family? I It can't be that stupid."

"But there are too many people who want you to die, too many..."

"Your Royal Highness, I want to be a powerful minister, not a consort, do you understand? What I want is never the position of consort!"

"They all said that I relied on your military exploits to achieve my current title and power. Why do they say that? I just want them to see if I can rise to power in the court without you as the eldest princess!"

"From now on, you will be a prisoner slave and stay in the inner courtyard. Don't go out to meet people again. The generals under your command will not have the chance to see you again."

"If you disobey me, don't blame me for being cruel."

"The Emperor will not see you either. If you are in the situation you are in today, without the Emperor's instructions, how brave do you think I would be?"

"Mom thinks that you have delayed me for so many years, so I should set rules for you. It can be regarded as a meeting gift for you on the wedding night."

"One hundred lashes, it's hard to bear."

The sharp whip fell through the wind, hitting her body one after another, tearing her wedding dress and shattering her pride.

Breathing quickly, the pain revived, and the scene seemed to be clearly presented before his eyes.

Shen Ning broke out in cold sweat on his forehead.

"Princess." Seeing her abnormal expression, Shi Qin looked at her worriedly, "What's wrong with you?"

The air froze slightly, Shen Ning opened his eyes in an instant, and recovered from his dream, the panic flashed in his eyes.

She took a deep breath and calmed her breathing: "It's okay."

Looking up at the training ground in the distance again, Shen Ning turned around and walked back: "Let's go back to Jinlin Courtyard."

"Princess, don't you want to go shopping?"

"No."

"If the princess wants to practice martial arts, the training ground is available." Shiqin followed behind her, "I and Shiqi can practice with you."

Shen Ning paused slightly. During the seven years she was on the battlefield, she had eight female guards around her. They not only took care of her daily life, but also fought with her.

Unfortunately, four people died in the seven years. When they returned to the capital after the war, there were still four left. Two of them were granted marriage by the emperor, and the other two were taken into the harem by him.

Shen Ning exhaled lightly, no longer thinking about it, and only said: "My arm strength is still a little difficult to draw the bow. I will start with basic training tomorrow morning."

Anyway, she had nothing to do in the palace, and this was the best opportunity to recover her skills.

She knew martial arts skills and moves, and riding and shooting were her strengths.

The only thing this body lacked was stronger physical strength.

As for physical strength, as long as you are not afraid of hardship or fatigue, it can be improved in the shortest time.

After walking for half a day, the sky gradually darkened.

After returning to Jinlin Courtyard to wash up, Shen Ning sat alone in front of the couch, quietly looking out the window, her face was as indifferent as frost, as if covered by a layer of mist, making it difficult to see the emotional fluctuations in her eyes.

Shiqin led people to prepare dinner.

But she didn't expect that Gu Yanran, who fell ill because of the beating of Wu Ma Ma in the morning, would come to Jinlin Courtyard again.