After sending Zhao Hanchao away, Yin Furen looked at Zhao Huanxi with a mix of relief and concern. She asked, “Why are you here at this time? Has your Zufu woken up?” She worried when her son was indecisive, fearing he wouldn’t be able to stand firm, but now that he had strong opinions, she worried he might be too assertive.

Zhao Huanxi replied, “No, but Zufu’s condition has gradually stabilized. I told the steward that he could manage things there for now. I just thought that I haven’t spoken properly with Nian’an these past few days, so I came back to see what she’s up to.”

Yin Furen let out a sigh of relief. As long as he still cared about the family, she felt reassured.

“Then go ahead,” she said with a faint smile.

“Alright.” Zhao Huanxi nodded and headed toward Shenhui Courtyard nearby.

Xu Nian’an was sitting in her room, lost in thought, when she was brought back to reality by the sound of a maid greeting someone outside.

Pulling herself together, she went to the outer room to greet him. Zhao Huanxi entered, closed the door behind him, and led her back to the inner chamber, holding her hand.

“How did it go?” Xu Nian’an asked softly.

“The Emperor intends to send Zhao Huanchao instead. His Majesty believes that, in terms of martial skills and age, he is more suitable than me, and also worried that if I fall on the battlefield, Zufu would have no one to carry on the family line. I then said that I wanted to compete with Zhao Huanchao in a martial art competition, and whoever wins will go. The Emperor agreed,” Zhao Huanxi explained.

“A martial art competition? How skilled is Zhao Huanchao? Are you confident you can win?”

Zhao Huanxi shook his head. “I’m not confident. But I know his intentions, it is not for the Zhao Family, nor for the country or the people. He’s just trying to take a shortcut to secure a future for himself. Before the competition tomorrow, I’ll unsettle his mind so he won’t be able to focus on the match.”

Xu Nian’an looked at him, and for a moment, he seemed almost unfamiliar to her, as if the young boy had suddenly grown into a man overnight.

She tilted her face slightly and asked, “When will the contest take place?”

“Tomorrow, after the morning court session, on the square outside the Chenji Hall.”

“Then soon enough, the palace attendants will come to our residence to inform Zhao Huanchao, and Mother will find out.”

“I just found an excuse to send Zhao Huanchao away,” Zhao Huanxi explained.

Xu Nian’an paused for a moment, then said, “Then tomorrow, just like today, I’ll have someone prepare a horse for you at the back gate. You can leave through there.”

“Dong Jiejie,” Zhao Huanxi grasped her shoulders, gazing deeply into her eyes, “you truly won’t blame me, right?”

Xu Nian’an tilted her head to look up at him and said seriously, “Do you know why, despite our vastly different personalities, we are still drawn to each other and fall in love? It’s because, when faced with major decisions, our choices are often the same. In fact, in this matter, everyone knows that when Zufu falls, you should be the one to go because you are the heir grandson, the one who will inherit his title in the future. Those who object are only doing so out of concern for you. If Mother finds out later, she will undoubtedly oppose it as well. But you need to understand, she’s not saying you shouldn’t do this, she’s just worried about your safety.”

“And you? Will you also always worry about me?”

“I will,” Xu Nian’an said, pinching his cheeks with a playful lightness. “But at the same time, I believe that fortune favors the foolish. You’ll come back safe and sound.”

Zhao Huanxi gazed at her with gentle, warm eyes and nodded.

The next morning, when Zhao Huanxi arrived at the square outside Chenji Hall with a sword in hand, Zhao Huanchao was already there.

Seeing him approach, Zhao Huanchao initially intended to mock him, but the sight of the sharpened sword in Zhao Huanxi’s hand made him frown. “The Emperor said today’s competition is just a sparring match. And yet, you brought a sharpened weapon?”

Standing beside him, Zhao Huanxi kept his gaze straight ahead and replied, “The Emperor didn’t tell me this competition would stop at mere sparring.”

Zhao Huanchao froze, a flurry of thoughts racing through his mind.

“Why do you insist on making things harder for yourself?” Zhao Huanxi said calmly. “Going to the battlefield doesn’t guarantee you’ll achieve fame and success, but Cheng Guogong Residence will undoubtedly try to trip you up. You must have heard of my feud with Zhu Zhifu. Cheng Guogong‘s people have been scheming to kill me for years. Sending me to the battlefield is their best chance, but you just had to jump in and disrupt their plans. If they don’t get rid of you, how can they make me take the battlefield?”

Zhao Huanchao turned his head to glare at him. “Since you know all this, why are you still fighting me for it?”

“I am the heir grandson personally appointed by Zufu. I have responsibilities I cannot shirk. And you? What are you, exactly?”

Zhao Huanchao’s face darkened, and he tightened his grip on his sword.

“Though they say fortune favors the bold, one must still have the confidence to seize it,” Zhao Huanxi said coldly. “After all the humiliation and harm you and your mother have inflicted on mine over the years, do you really think I’d stand idly by while you use this chance to turn your fortunes around and climb higher step by step? Stop dreaming. Obey Zufu’s arrangements, stay far away, and spare me the sight of you. I might even pretend you don’t exist. But if you insist on jumping in front of me like this, don’t be surprised if someone feels like swatting you dead with a single strike.”

Zhao Huanchao sneered. “Swat me dead? And with what? Your mouth?”

Zhao Huanxi said, “You don’t believe me? Even if you win today, once you reach Liaodong, won’t you still have to follow General Li’s orders? General Li is one of Zufu’s old subordinates. By then, I could simply write a letter in Zufu’s tone, asking him to give you some special attention. For example, having you charge into the frontlines or take on a dangerous mission to demonstrate the bravery of the Zhao Family’s men. What do you think? Would he do me this favor?”

Zhao Huanchao stared at the tall steps before him, his jaw tightening as he remained silent.

Zhao Huanxi knew his words had unsettled Zhao Huanchao’s mind, so he said no more.

The two stood upright in the square surrounded by the Imperial Guards, motionless, until the sun climbed high and the court session ended, with officials filing out.

The Emperor, accompanied by his officials, emerged from Chenji Hall. It seemed the matter of the duel had already been discussed during court, as he wasted no time and had Hong Feng step forward to remind the two not to inflict fatal injuries before declaring the start of the match.

Zhao Huanchao, though ambitious, was not particularly skilled in martial arts. However, his years of training gave him a solid foundation. On the other hand, Zhao Huanxi, having been personally taught the Zhao Family sword techniques by Guogong Yé, held a slight edge in terms of technique.

Initially, Zhao Huanxi hadn’t been confident about winning. But Zhao Huanchao’s mind was unsettled after their earlier exchange, and while Zhao Huanchao carried an unsharpened sword, Zhao Huanxi wielded a sharpened one. With their skills being relatively close, the odds were now tipped in Zhao Huanxi’s favor.

In the end, Zhao Huanxi narrowly secured victory by slicing Zhao Huanchao’s arm.

The Emperor, seeing that Zhao Huanxi, though youthful and seemingly frail, truly had skill with sword, was greatly pleased. He immediately filled in Zhao Huanxi’s name on the pre-prepared imperial edict and had Hong Feng publicly announce it.

Zhao Huanxi was appointed as a thrid-rank associate Yunhui General, a Sanguan, with no actual duties. Zhao Huanxi was conferred the title of General of the Yunhui, a rank of the sub-third grade; it was a prestige title and carried no actual functional post.

从三品 (cóng sān pǐn): Sub-third grade (or "junior third rank"). In the nine-rank system of imperial China, each rank (pin) had a "principal/senior" (zheng) and a "sub/junior" (cong) level. The third rank was quite high, usually reserved for high-level court officials or generals.

散官 (sǎnguān): Prestige title or honorary rank. This defined an official's social status, salary, and ceremonial standing, but did not give them any actual work to do.

The news quickly reached Liu Fuyi. Reclining on a concubine couch, she stroked the back of her cat while pondering to herself: If that boy still showed up for the duel after last night, it must mean she approved. In that case, forget it, I was just being meddlesome.

After receiving the imperial edict, Zhao Huanxi returned to the Jing Guogong Residence, once again slipping in through the back gate.

Yin Furen was still kept in the dark, until the court sent an eunuch to the Jing Guogong Residence to deliver armor, an imperial edict, and a fish tally to Zhao Huanxi. It was then that Yin Furen learned of the matter.

鱼符 (yúfú): Fish tally. A tally made of metal (gold, silver, or copper depending on rank) in the shape of a fish. It was used as a form of identification or credential for officials to enter the palace or verify their identity.

When she heard that the imperial decree had been issued, the official title had been conferred, and in a few days he would be heading to Liaodong, Yin Furen felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her head, and she fainted on the spot.

After half a day of dizziness, Yin Furen woke up to find that it was already dark. She opened her eyes and saw Zhao Huanxi by the bedside, and immediately recalled what had happened during the day.

She suddenly sat up from the bed, pointing at Zhao Huanxi and said, “You must feign illness at once! If you really dare to go to the battlefield, I… I’ll die in front of you!” As she spoke, she got out of bed, looking for something with which to harm herself.

“Mom, I know you will oppose this, but I must go,” Zhao Huanxi knelt before Yin Furen, looking up as he spoke.

“Why must you go? The Zhao Family has so many sons and grandsons. Why must it be you? I do not agree, I do not agree!” Yin Furen was emotionally unstable, shouting loudly.

“The Zhao Family has so many sons and grandsons, yet Zufu only passed down the title to me. As a descendant of the Zhao Family, I have enjoyed years of honor and comfort under Zufu’s protection. Now, the Zhao Family is in trouble, and Zufu is in trouble, One cannot shrink back or hesitate.”

“As a descendant of the Zhao family, living in comfort under your Zufu’s protection? What honor has the Zhao Family given you all these years? What protection has your Zufu provided? Twenty taels of silver a month? Three new outfits each season? If it’s worth that much, I’ll return it to him! From childhood to adulthood, it was me who protected you and allowed you to live in comfort and honor! It was my dowry from the Yin Family that supported you! The person you should be most grateful to is me!” Yin Furen screamed hysterically, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, and exclaimed, “It was Nian’an who influenced you to do this, wasn’t it? Yes, if it weren’t for her intentionally encouraging you, how could you have hidden this huge disaster from me? I’ll go find her!”

With that, she wiped the tears from her cheek and was about to storm out.

“Mom, it has nothing to do with her! This is my own decision!” Zhao Huanxi cried out, shouting after her retreating figure.

Yin Furen stopped at the door.

“From childhood to now, it has always been you who protected and sheltered me, afraid I would get hurt or into trouble. You took care of everything for me, and I felt like a bird kept in a cage. No one could harm me. But in return, I lost my freedom. When I was younger and didn’t understand, I secretly resented you for it. I was very conflicted back then. On one hand, I knew you were doing it for my own good, but on the other hand, I felt that the reason I was so incompetent and unloved was because you controlled me too much.”

Yin Furen slowly turned around, looking at her son, who was kneeling on the ground, crying as he spoke.

“Later, Nian’an came into my life, and she taught me many things. I began to understand your actions, and I realized that in order to make you let go and stop worrying about me, I had to stand on my own. Perhaps it’s because I never received a father’s love and, after becoming close with Zufu, I genuinely admired and respected him from the bottom of my heart. I learned martial arts for myself, but I learned the sword specifically for Zufu. Besides learning the sword from him, I also followed his example to learn how to be a man of honor, standing tall in the world. Zufu passed over Father and named me as the heir, which went against the rites, yet the Emperor still approved it. That made me wonder, why did the Emperor agree? Was it because of the meritorious deeds Zufu had accumulated over the years, or was it because Zufu, despite his illness, insisted on going to war?”

Zhao Huanxi wiped away his tears with his sleeve, lifting his head to look at Yin Furen and said, “Mom, Zufu is seriously ill, and we don’t know how much time he has left. I don’t want him to leave this world with the regret of having no successor. At least, let him know that he didn’t make a mistake in trusting me. Let him know that his grandson, Zhao Huanxi, has the courage to go to war on his behalf. Some things, even if missed at the time, can still be made up for later. But some things offer only one chance in a lifetime; if missed, beyond carrying regret and pain for the rest of one’s life, there is no way to remedy them. Mom, I beg of you, don’t make me live with regret and pain for the rest of my life. Please, just dote on me once more, for the last time.”

The word he used was 疼 (téng). While it can mean "pain," in this context it means to "love deeply with concern" or "to care for someone with pain in one's heart".
Normally, "doting" involves keeping a child safe and at home. Here, he asks her to show her love by letting him go into danger, recognizing that his growth as a man is more important than his physical safety.