As Chen Gang was secretly preparing his men, the imperial recruitment also began in full swing.
The conscription was carried out in a branch military camp outside the main city.
Early in the morning, countless young strong men headed to the camp to enlist.
Among them, many were affluent young masters from noble families in the main city.
After all, in Yulin, inheriting noble titles was not a matter of simply waiting for it; one had to achieve merit to rightfully pass down the family's honors.
Thus, the number of young masters joining the army each year was not small.
However, these young masters, accustomed to wielding power in the main city, found it hard to change their habits even in the military camp.
Coincidentally, there were soldiers who enjoyed being in the company of these affluent young men, and these young masters were generous with their spending. Gradually, the military camp had split into two factions.
When Old General Ji was still in charge of the camp, any division within the army was at least conducted in secret. But now, even before joining the army, one could clearly see the rich young masters standing in one group, while the men from ordinary families stood apart.
And the young masters, who were currently being doted upon, looked down with contempt on the men from impoverished families.
Suddenly, a stir arose from the crowd.
Everyone turned to see a woman in a form-fitting long robe stride forward.
She moved with light steps, exuding an aura of natural grace. Her dark hair, tied back, accentuated her unadorned face, making it appear even more fair and delicate.
"That, isn't that the second daughter of the Ji family!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd became even more agitated.
The people of the imperial city knew that the Ji family held special privileges, allowing women to enlist. However, through generations, no woman from the Ji family had ever truly joined the army.
Now, seeing Ji Zixiu walk confidently through the crowd, everyone was too stunned to recover.
It was only then that the men present realized that women were not always delicate and graceful; they could also be as heroic and spirited as men.
"The Ji family has truly fallen on hard times, even their women have to join the army." In the group of affluent young masters, someone sneered.
The young masters beside him also chuckled.
Though the other men felt a sense of disagreement, they dared not speak up for Ji Zixiu due to the power wielded by the wealthy young masters.
The young master who had spoken earlier, seeing no one dared to retort, became more audacious. He shouted at Ji Zixiu, "Have all the men in the Ji family died? Is no one managing these dismissed women anymore? I say, it's better to quickly find a good family to marry into. Even becoming a concubine or a concubine's maid would be better than disgracing yourself in the army."
The continuous sarcastic laughter was like sharp knives, piercing Ji Zixiu, who stood frozen in place.
In normal times, Ji Zixiu would have already whipped out her whip and left their faces bloody.
But now, even though her hands were clenched so tightly that they turned pale, she remained silent.
The two words, "military camp," held immense significance for the Ji family, a military lineage.
Having been immersed in the world of military affairs by her male relatives since childhood, Ji Zixiu understood the sanctity of the word "army."
Ji Zixiu took a deep breath, pushing away the surrounding mockery.
Today, she was here to enlist, and she would not cause trouble for fleeting satisfaction.
Her elder sister had told her that as long as she could achieve her goals, any act of forbearance was not shameful.
Yulin's military discipline was strict. Even affluent young masters had to sign a life-and-death waiver along with everyone else. Then, they would throw their names into a bamboo tube and each person would draw a name as their opponent for the pre-enlistment trials.
However, the so-called drawing of lots still had to be done by the affluent young masters first.
Others who wished to enlist could only wait silently on the side.
Soon, the affluent young masters stood in a line and drew a slip of paper from the bamboo tube.
The officers in the military camp opened the slips and read out the names one by one.
Those whose names were called were filled with despair.
If their opponents were anyone else, it would have been fine. But it happened to be these affluent young masters whom they could neither offend nor insult.
If they won, their families would inevitably be troubled by these wealthy young masters afterward.
But if they lost, they would be assigned to the lowest rank of grunt soldiers, only serving the daily needs of other soldiers.
"Ji Zixiu!"
Another name was called out loudly.
This time, everyone's gaze fell on Ji Zixiu once more.
Ji Zixiu was also surprised that her name was called. She instinctively looked up to see her next opponent.
And that so-called opponent was precisely the affluent young master who had been most mocking of Ji Zixiu just moments ago.
Their eyes met. Ji Zixiu's dark eyes deepened, her expression calm.
The affluent young master, however, trembled all over and his face turned pale.
He dared to mock Ji Zixiu, but he did not dare to truly fight her.
Who in the imperial city didn't know that the second daughter of the Ji family's whip was sharper than a blade?
But military orders were absolute. Once an opponent was determined, no one could change it, no matter who they were.
After the military officers had announced all the opponents' names, they arranged for those who had come to enlist to rest temporarily, with the trials scheduled for the afternoon.
The affluent young master, with a pale face, got into a carriage outside the military camp. Looking at the delicious food laid out inside, he had no appetite.
The woman sitting in the carriage frowned slightly at this sight. "You want to inherit your father's position, and joining the army is the only way. It's only a few years, just bear with it."
The affluent young master sneered, "You became Princess Yun'an by inheritance without needing to join the army, so of course you can speak so easily."
That's right. The woman sitting in the carriage at this moment was Princess Yun'an, who had attempted suicide a few days ago.
And the affluent young master sitting opposite Princess Yun'an was her own younger brother, Cao Yan.
Princess Yun'an knew her brother's character and suspected he was facing some difficulty.
Patiently, she inquired and indeed learned that her brother's opponent was Ji Zixiu.
Cao Yan trembled uncontrollably at the thought of facing Ji Zixiu's whip in a while. "No one in the imperial city knows that the second daughter of the Ji family is a madwoman. There's no one in the entire imperial city she dares not whip!"
Thinking of what he had just said, Cao Yan wished he could just turn around and go home.
Princess Yun'an saw her brother's fear and could not just let it be.
Her father was getting older, and as a princess who could be betrothed at any time, she could not solely support the manor.
If her brother gave up this time, he would likely be even more reluctant to join the army next year.
Just then, a maid hurried past the carriage.
Princess Yun'an looked out through the carriage window and saw the maid, carrying a food basket, had found Ji Zixiu.