Chapter 87 Part 2

 

Just this morning, a piece of news suddenly came that Yuwen Zhi, County Prince Xiping’s Shizi and the Lieutenant General of Longwu Guard, in his eagerness to win accidentally injured his arm while practicing martial arts at his residence. The injury was serious enough that he was unable to control the bow and arrow. Naturally, he could not participate in the competition and had to withdraw from today’s grand archery ceremony.

As one of the four suitors, Yuwen Zhi was the youngest, but he was skilled in archery and horse riding, and his family background was quite advantageous. Therefore, although he was overshadowed by Lantai before the competition, the people of Longwu Guard still had high hopes for him. When the news suddenly came out, it attracted a lot of attention and everyone talked about it. When all the archers participating in the competition appeared and lined up on the Zhuque Terrace to be reviewed by the emperor, he was not among them, confirming that the news was true.

Others would have been fine, at most they felt sorry because he withdrew from the competition at the last minute, which made it less interesting. But the people in the Longwu Guard were inevitably disappointed by this unexpected event.

However, it was not just the Longwu Guardswho were disappointed today.

Many officers and soldiers under the Jinwu Guard were also unable to raise their spirits.

Pei Ji went to Cangshan last month to pay homage to the emperor and stayed there for some time. He then left the day after Pei Xiaoyuan came back from clearing out the remnants of Chen Sida. Many people knew about this.

Just a few days ago, a rumor spread within the guards.

Although Chief Pei was highly valued by the emperor after he came to the capital, and he and the princess had known each other for a long time and had a close personal relationship. This made people thought he was the best candidate for the prince consort, and it was also rumored that Pei Ji’s purpose of meeting the emperor was to ask for the princess’ hand in marriage. However, the emperor must have other considerations and was unwilling to marry the princess to him, so Pei Ji hurried back to the Eastern Capital before the grand archery ceremony was conclude.

This news spread quickly in the Jinwu Guard. Later, everyone discovered that Pei Xiaoyuan was rarely seen after returning from his trip. He was not like Lantai, Hedu and the others, who practiced archery diligently every day. Hedu, in particular, did not know music etiquette, so he followed a musician to learn music.

In contrast, everyone inevitably lost confidence in Pei Xiaoyuan. Many officers and soldiers who had originally bet on him were afraid of losing money and planned to bet on others. However, someone who was too talkative and reported it to Han Kerang. Han Kerang was very dissatisfied and called all the generals under the Jinwu Guard to scold them, blaming them for the bad discipline and the fact that the guard were gambling. Then he ordered that officers and soldiers were not allowed to bet on people from other guards.

According to the current betting rules, bets could be changed before the game starts, but they could not be withdrawn.

In other words, as long as the money was paid, the dealer would not refund it. Those within the Jinwu Guard who had placed bets, intimidated by Han Kezhang’s oppressive authority, dared not defy orders. They could only pin their hopes on luck, praying that the previous rumors were false and that Pei Xiaoyuan would indeed participate in today’s archery competition.

If he took the field, with his riding and archery skills and his exemplary bearing, his chances of surpassing others to claim victory were quite high.

However, like the people of Longwu Guard, the soldiers of Jinwu Guard were also very disappointed, even more dejected than them. It could be said that they had lost both face and money.

Among the dozens of people participating in the grand archery ceremony, Pei Xiaoyuan could not be found at all.

He really didn’t come.

Those who were qualified to participate in the grand archery competition today were all young and outstanding men from various guards. They wore formal attire befitting the occasion, with ceremonial caps on their heads, ritual robes on their bodies, and gold-adorned girdles at their waists. Following the requirements of the archery ritual, they stood in orderly ranks, wearing thumb rings and arm guards. Each held a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, with three additional arrows tucked at their waists. Each looking rather heroic, mighty and strong.

After a round of drum beats, the shooting began.

The first round was equivalent to a display of personal style, and everyone passed it successfully.

The second round of shooting began to determine the archery skills. After four arrows, everyone’s shooting points were different, and the person with superb archery skills began to take the lead.

During the third round of shooting, musicians played the Zhaonan Zuoyu tune from the Book of Songs. Under the gentle yet solemn sound of elegant music, each person shot four arrows in turn. The supervising official judged if the arrows were in rhythm and counted them in the counting sticks.

After three rounds of shooting and twelve arrows were fired, the scorekeepers on the field tallied the results and delivered them to the Archer Master, Prince Ning. Prince Ning went up to the Zhuque Terrace and presented the results to the emperor for review.

The emperor glanced at list and nodded. Prince Ning took it back and handed it to the attendant, who immediately turned to the people who were waiting with bated breath and loudly announced the eight people who would enter the second part of the competition, the horseback archery.

Prince Ashina from Wolf Court, Prince Hedu from Xifan, and Lantai, who had the highest popularity, all entered the horseback archery smoothly without any surprise.

In addition to these three people, the remaining five were also the most skilled archers from each guard. Among them was Fan Yiguang, the son of General Fan Siming of the Longwu Guard.

Prince Ning then announced that the horseback archery competition would begin in a quarter of an hour.

Amid the cheers of the whole crowd, Chengping, Lantai, Hedu and others entered the competition ground holding bows and arrows. After riding around the arena for the whole cycle and showing their glory, the eight of them lined up in a row in the middle of the arena and performed a military salute to the emperor from a distance.

Li Hui once again secretly looked at the emperor who was not far from him and saw that he was smiling and ordered someone to pass on a message to encourage the eight people. Then, his expression turned solemn, with no expression of joy or anger, which was the look an emperor should have in such an occasion.

However, Li Hui always had a feeling that the emperor did not seem to be affected by the atmosphere of today’s grand archery ceremony at all. In fact, if he were asked to make a bold guess, he always felt that the emperor was absent-minded.

He then looked at his aunt princess. She once again dressed in the splendid clothes. However, her golden ornaments and beautiful attire not only failed to overshadow her allure but instead accentuated her raven-black hair and luminous eyes, making her beauty all the more striking. At this moment, she was holding a round fan, seated gracefully, her gaze passing over the multitude before her. With a faint smile, she looked into the distance at the Qilin Platform set in the center of the competition ground.

The target used in the horseback archery competition was different from the earlier rounds. It was placed on the top of this high platform, with a gilded bronze Qilin sitting on top. In the Qilin’s mouth, it held a colorful ball, suspended mid-air by a cord no thicker than an infant’s finger.

Whoever could shoot the thin rope first and take the colorful ball that drops from the Qilin’s mouth would be the final winner of today’s grand archery ceremony and was called the Qilin Warrior.

During the entire process, there were no rules or restrictions except that the use of swords and hidden weapons was not allowed.

The players must try to win while preventing the opponent from successfully shooting the arrow.

It was conceivable how exciting the scene that follows would be.

On the Qilin platform, the flag-bearing officer in charge of refereeing was making a final check on the target to ensure that there were no problems.

The eight players rode in, and waited for the competition to begin.

They drew lots to decide the groups and competed in pairs.

As they appeared, the atmosphere of the arena was brought to a fiery climax in an instant.

However, at this moment, Aunt Princess still looked calm and composed, which was in stark contrast to the emperor’s solemnity.

She was the person involved today, but she looked so nonchalant, as if she was not involved in it. instead it was Li Hui who kept fidgeting, turning his head to look at the spectators in the stands amid the cheers.

There were people everywhere, each guard was separated by a flag and occupied a space, surrounding the competition ground so tightly that no one could get in or out.

Li Hui looked for a while and could no longer bear it. Using the excuse of needing to change clothes, he rose from his seat, descended from the viewing platform, and wove through the crowd. At last, his eyes lit up as he spotted Qingtou. Noticing Qingtou leaving the stands and sprinting toward the Qinglong River to the north of the competition ground, he hurried to follow.

Qingtou ran at full speed to the nearby Qinglong River. Only then did he stop, panting heavily and shouted: “Master! You’re still here bathing your horse! How can you stay so calm? Just now, General Han told me to let you know, if you don’t go now, the brothers under your command will be drinking the northwest winda.ka. starving next month! Everyone’s counting on you to show up!”

On the bank of the gurgling water, there was a dismantled saddle. Pei Xiaoyuan was combing Jinwuzhui’s hair with a bristle brush.

Jinwuzhui’s four hooves were floating in the water. It was enjoying the service from its master, half closing its eyes comfortably, and not moving a muscle.

Its fur glowed glossy in the sun, as if it was covered with fine black satin. Crystal clear water droplets rolled down the horse’s back, which was extremely beautiful.

Qingtou shouted from behind him, but Pei Xiaoyuan acted as if he didn’t hear it. He didn’t even turn his head and continued to take care of Jinwuzhui.

At this time, the sound of drums came from the direction of the competition ground behind him, carried by the wind.

Qingtou knew that the horseback archery was about to begin, paused, and turned around sharply.

Li Hui also looked at the competition ground and heard a burst of cheers from the audience.

He turned around and stared at the figure in front of him. He was hesitating when he suddenly heard him say, “What are you doing here, instead of observing the archery competition?”

Pei Xiaoyuan spoke without turning around.

Li Hui had no choice but to come out from his hiding place.

“Master, you go and rest, I’ll do it…”

“No need. I have nothing to do myself,” he said.

When Li Hui first learned horseback archery from him, he told him that mounts were extremely important to soldiers, especially on the battlefield. Mounts were no different from comrades, and at critical moments, they could save lives. So he taught Li Hui that if he had time on weekdays, he might as well bathe the horse himself instead of leaving it to the groom or the stable officer. Only in this way could he become familiar with the mount and establish a relationship of mutual trust.

Li Hui was silent for a moment.

“Master…are you really not going?”

Heavens knows how much he hoped that his master can become the prince consort and his uncle.

He almost stubbornly felt that only his master was the most suitable consort for his aunt princess.

No matter how good others were, they would not be as good as him.

“Master, if you go now, it’s still in time…”

Li Hui murmured.

However, this time, he did not respond. After combing Jinwuzhui’s hair, he led it to the shore and began to wipe the water marks left on its hair.

Li Hui gritted his teeth and blurted out, “Master, do you really not like my aunt?”

He paused, then turned around and looked over.

“You can go back. The few people left today are all experts in horseback archery. It’s a rare opportunity to see them together. It will be a pity if you miss it.”

Pei Xiaoyuan smiled at him and spoke. His expression still looked stable, without any fluctuation.

Li Hui didn’t dare to mention it again, but he was unwilling to leave like this, so he just stood on the side dejectedly.

Pei Xiaoyuan did not say anything else to drive him away. After carefully taking care of Jinwuzhui and putting the saddle back on, he returned to the water’s edge and began to pack up the things on the shore in an orderly manner.

At this time, accompanied by a burst of cheers from the sky above the arena behind them, Qingtou appeared again in a hurry and ran towards here.

“Master! Master!” he shouted.

“The first round is over! There are only four people left! Prince Ashina is an excellent rider and was the star of the show just now! He kicked his opponent off his horse, hit the target on first shot, and won!

“Lantai, Hedu, and Fan Yiguang have each defeated their opponents. The four of them are competing for the second round!”

“The lots have been drawn. Prince Ashina faces Lantai, and Prince Hedu faces Fan Yiguang!”

After Qingtou finished reporting the latest battle results, he took a breath and saw that his master was still unmoved. He just stood on the shore, staring intently in the distance. No one knew what he was looking at.

Qingtou paused in disappointment, then noticed Li Hui standing beside him. Because he was anxious to watch the battle, he didn’t bother to say anything. He just bowed to Li Hui, turned around and ran back.

After Qingtou left, a new round of horseback archery battles began soon. Both sides competed at the same time, and the cheers and shouts on the arena were endless. The sound was so overwhelming that the birds in the woods by the river were startled and flew out.

Li Hui accompanied his master silently, without moving.

After another moment, accompanied by cheers from the field, Qingtou came running over again.

“Master! Master!”

He roared at the top of his lungs, waving his hands as he ran.

“The second round is over! Guess what—”

He rushed toward Pei Xiaoyuan but couldn’t stop in time, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Completely out of breath, he clutched his stomach, aching from the run, and began coughing uncontrollably.

“What happened? Who won?”

Li Hui hurried over, patted him on the back, and asked impatiently.

Qingtou opened his mouth and gasped heavily. After a lot of effort, he finally managed to catch his breath.

“Yes…it was Prince Hedu who defeated the Fan family boy! Prince Ashina was also very brave and defeated Lantai!”

After Qingtou finished speaking, he started coughing again.

In other words, the final and much-anticipated Qilin warrior would be decided between Prince Ashina and Prince Hedu.

To be honest, Li Hui was quite surprised by this result.

Judging from all the previous signs, the emperor obviously prefers Lantai. Under this premise, Lantai should not be out so early.

As to whether it was due to Lantai’s own ability or some other “luck” factor, it was hard to say.

Everyone knew this truth, which was why so many people were optimistic about Lantai and betting on him.

It would be more accurate to say that they were guessing their superior’s mind rather than believing in Lantai.

Li Hui reacted and subconsciously looked at Pei Xiaoyuan, noticing that his demeanor had completely changed.

He turned his head with a serious look in the direction of the competition ground, motionless, as if he was thinking about something.

Gradually, his brows furrowed, and a heavy expression of doubt and unease crept onto his face.

“Master?”

Li Hui called him softly.

His eyes did not blink, as if he was concentrating on distinguishing the mixed sounds coming from the competition ground.

Li Hui didn’t dare to speak again and fell silent.

At this time, the sound of drums came from the other side again.

“It’s…it’s starting!”

Qingtou struggled and climbed up from the ground.

“Master, if you don’t go now, and if the Xifan prince wins, Miss Ye…”

He paused.

“The princess, she will suffer in the future!”

He howled in anger, his eyes turned red. Abandoning his master, he ran towards the competition ground again.

The drums stopped, and the noise of the spectators slowly died down, until finally, there was complete silence.

It was as if the entire Cangshan, between heaven and earth, was empty at this moment.

However, Li Hui knew that it was not because the competition ground was far away, but because everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the final horseback archery competition to begin.

“Master!”

A feeling of anxiety surged in his heart, and he could no longer hold back and called out again.

At this moment, Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly turned around and whistled at Jinwuzhui.

The horse raised its hooves and galloped towards him. Without even using the stirrups, he vaulted directly onto its back. In one swift motion, he turned the horse around and spurred it into a full gallop, racing straight toward the competition ground.

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Translator’s note: 

Merry Christmas for those of you who celebrating, may this holiday season fill you with warmth.