The arrivals were officials from Liang's Protocol Office under the Court of State Ceremonial.
With the guard on the arena stage winning so easily, in theory, the next bout had to be arranged.
However, the concubine-born son of the Duke of Wei raised a hand and paused the proceedings immediately.
He then rose and went forward to greet the Liang officials, conversing in hushed tones.
After just a few words, he froze slightly, astonishment showing on his face before giving way to a hint of helplessness.
The official from the Protocol Office had brought unexpected news: Princess Yongning of Liang was choosing a husband, and a screening would be conducted among all the hostages from Great Jin.
This princess was quite famous in Great Liang. Having lost her mother at an early age, she was deeply doted upon by the King of Liang.
She had a penchant for commerce; despite lacking support from her mother's side, she had built up a decent-sized merchant caravan.
She even handed over a portion of her earnings to her royal father. With his private treasury enriched, the King of Liang favored her all the more.
In short, Princess Yongning showed no interest in state affairs, but she carried considerable weight with the King of Liang.
As for the princess's looks... there were no specific reports, but neither her mother nor her royal father was ill-favored, so she couldn't possibly be too unsightly.
The Protocol Office official announced their purpose, stating that the hostages had one month to get themselves into optimal condition.
After he departed, someone stepped forward to ask the concubine-born son of the Duke of Wei, "Shall the bouts continue?"
"Pause them for now," he said, rubbing his brow in distress. "This matter requires careful deliberation."
This was by no means a trivial affair. If a hostage truly married Princess Yongning, it could bring substantial benefits to Jin's diplomatic standing.
The martial arena, originally buzzing with excitement, was thoroughly shaken by this sudden bombshell.
Wu Youren's expression remained unchanged, however. He turned and quietly departed, returning to his quarters.
When he went to the dining hall at noon, no one paid him any mind this time; most were engrossed in discussing the news.
He continued his habit of squatting outside the door to eat. As he wolfed down his food, he overheard bits of gossip regarding Princess Yongning.
Among the hostages, well-informed individuals were certainly not lacking, and they praised Yongning to the high heavens.
Beyond being as fair as a flower, she possessed plenty of wit and talent. Knowing she lacked backing from her maternal clan, she stayed completely clear of state affairs and palace intrigues.
Dabbling in business was her wisest choice. Great Liang was a prosperous realm, and her royal siblings wouldn't begrudge her making a bit of petty silver.
Selecting a husband from among the hostages was yet another way to demonstrate her harmlessness—it severed any possibility of her meddling in state affairs.
Wu Youren, however, felt this had nothing to do with him. It still boiled down to three simple words: he wasn't worthy!
A marriage of this caliber had little to do with looks or talent.
Even if a dignified princess of Great Liang were to marry a hostage, at the very least, he would have to be a descendant of a marquis, right?
Certain sons of earls might also take a gamble, but Wu Youren figured there was no reason for him to entertain foolish hopes.
Back in his quarters, just as he was about to take a brief nap, Liu Jingming showed up again.
He didn't think Wu Youren's prompt surrender was any big deal, for an even brighter path had now appeared.
"Take good care of your health these days. If Princess Yongning takes a liking to you, you'll soar straight to the pinnacle of your life!"
"I wouldn't mind," Wu Youren shook his head nonchalantly, "but it won't be my turn!"
"I think your chances are great," Liu Jingming stated solemnly. "Didn't you notice? The moment you stepped onto the stage, plenty of female guests were staring with wide eyes!"
"Still impossible," Wu Youren continued to shake his head. "With my status, at best I'd be a male favorite. Marrying a princess... that's wishful thinking."
"You really don't mind demeaning yourself, do you?" Liu Jingming chuckled. "A male favorite is going a bit too far, isn't it?"
Yet even as he said that, he was secretly turning it over in his mind.
The grandson of a baron reduced to a plaything for a Liang princess... seemed, well, barely... acceptable?
It wasn't that his mind was twisted, but rather that the precarious, day-to-day existence of a hostage placed an unbearably heavy strain on everyone.
"I don't actually want to become one," Wu Youren raised an eyebrow and remarked helplessly. "Then again, it doesn't seem like I get a say."
"Fortunately, I don't have that burly build. I can only hope... this princess's tastes align with Liang aesthetics."
If the people of Jin prized raw strength and vigor, Liang took it a step further—men had to be burly and thickset!
Liu Jingming laughed at that, his smile rather eerie. "The tastes of those noble ladies... heh-heh, you're still young!"
Wu Youren took it lying down, however. "Forget it. Thinking about it is pointless. I'll just go with the flow."
"You're a card His Highness won't overlook," Liu Jingming asserted with certainty. "If even I can see it, how could others miss it?"
In fact, the Seventeenth Prince and two high-ranking hostages were indeed discussing Wu Youren.
This was the very first time the top trio of the hostage group held a dedicated discussion about this low-ranking hostage.
Without question, they all agreed that the youth stood a very real chance of catching Princess Yongning's eye.
While others' knowledge of the Great Liang princess might stem from hearsay, these three possessed reliable intelligence channels.
Princess Yongning's fondness for pretty boys had reached an almost incurable degree!
She disliked burly men—or at least had no enthusiasm for them—and preferred handsome young lads, surrounding herself with countless male favorites.
Moreover, she was extraordinarily jealous; once a man caught her eye, she would not tolerate any other woman approaching him.
Yet this was her private life, posing no conflict with Liang's interests, so the royal family naturally turned a blind eye.
The Seventeenth Prince believed they could make good use of this card, having Yongning put in a good word or two for Jin when needed.
The other high-ranking hostage agreed that this plan was entirely feasible; the only concern was whether Yongning would actually fancy him.
The concubine-born son of the Duke of Wei held a different opinion. "The boy knows how to adapt to circumstances, but Your Highness... once tacitly approved challenges against him."
Certain matters seemed reasonable on the surface, but could not bear close dissection and scrutiny.
He suspected Wu Youren might harbor a grudge; once he linked up with Princess Yongning, the consequences would be hard to predict.
As for his family back in Great Jin? Once he had latched onto a princess of Great Liang, would family or whatever... even matter?
Even if he turned to Liang, would it truly be proper for Great Jin... to carry out reprisals against his family?
The Seventeenth Prince, however, could tell that the man was somewhat dissatisfied with his previous handling of the situation.
He stated bluntly, "I wasn't the one orchestrating this, but the entire process can still be called fair and just."
"He should have been satisfied just getting on the list in the first place. He's past fifteen now; it's time he learned to solve his own problems."
"That's... hard to say," the other man sighed softly. "The key issue is that Liang has other hostage manors!"
In recent decades, Great Liang's civil and military achievements were extraordinary; they truly had no shortage of hostages, and Jin was merely one of them.
The Seventeenth Prince could hear that this one, too, harbored a slight disapproval of his handling.
That left him somewhat irked: *Did I... do anything wrong in this matter?*
As he walked along mulling it over, he suddenly caught sight of a sturdy, burly woman. "Sanmin, what are you doing?"
"Greetings, Your Highness. I just went over to the guards," Yan Sanmin replied respectfully.
"To ask when Princess Yongning's female official will arrive at Jin Garden."
A royal princess choosing a husband was no small matter. All the hostages had received notice to adjust their physical condition to its peak.
It was only natural for the female official in charge of the affair to arrive early and make arrangements.
"Mm," the Seventeenth Prince nodded, then asked offhandedly, "You're familiar with that Wu Youren... Should we have him examined first?"
Anyone familiar with matchmaking shows like *If You Are the One* knew that in terms of order, the very beginning and the end were the most unfair to participants!
He didn't want to shoulder blame, let alone bear a bad reputation, so he struck a compromise—give the fellow a chance, but not much of one.
"Everything is at Your Highness's discretion," Yan Sanmin replied deferentially.
After a brief pause, she added, "It's just that I heard his late father... was an illegitimate son of the baron."
Every hostage had their own messy tale, and Wu Youren was no exception.
His father had been born of his grandfather and a female weaver...
The baron had never paid any heed to this illegitimate son, but the weaver woman possessed great backbone and quietly raised her son to adulthood.
During the war between Jin and Liang, Wu Youren's father had been helping with logistics when he met an untimely death.
Jin lost that war and paid heavy war indemnities; survivor pensions were meager, and compensation for commoners was scarcer still.
Back then, the baron had left a sum of silver to sever any connection, while the baroness maintained a vigilant guard against them.
Only when the Hostage Conscription Order arrived did the baron's family recall there was an illegitimate child outside.
Back then, Wu Youren's household was in dire straits. If the baron were willing to help, many of their problems would be resolved easily.
In the end, both sides reached an agreement: Wu Youren would go as the hostage, and the baron's clan would cover everything else.
His predecessor felt no love for this grandfather, yet harbored no deep hatred either; it was purely a business transaction.
Hence why so many inside secrets of the hostage group could never be leaked to Liang—if this got out, where would the noble pedigree be?
How could the hostage group even have the face to call themselves "hostages"?
Yan Sanmin bringing it up now was an implicit reminder to His Highness: once this person slipped from their grasp, his reliability would be... rather questionable!
Three days later, the temporarily suspended martial tournament resumed, with injuries strictly forbidden.
Princess Yongning was choosing a consort, to be sure, but sending hostages to the Martial Academy was also of great importance.
Curiously, Wu Youren's challengers had vanished without a trace—his spot in the Martial Academy was practically locked in.
This unexpected turn bewildered everyone, even the man himself. *If I remember correctly, didn't I... concede?*
Others were disgruntled and complained up the chain, claiming something was amiss.
Yet the concubine-born son of the Duke of Wei said placidly, "Wu Youren did concede, but at the time... was his opponent declared the victor?"
There truly hadn't been time to declare it, because the officials from Liang's Protocol Office had arrived right at that moment!
Since that was the case, the outcome of that match remained undecided, and now, the guard had withdrawn his challenge application.
Bizarrely, the remaining four challengers had likewise withdrawn their applications.
Wu Youren was utterly bewildered: *One twist after another—what kind of drama is this?*
Chapter 7