Chapter 10: Clever Solution

Ning Fu's statement softened Emperor Jingwen's expression: "Then it's a coincidence that you ran into me today."

Ning Fu pondered it over in her mind. It was not enough to just be willing to compete with the princess. She would definitely not be able to beat the Northern Qi princess who grew up on horseback. She also had to make sure that if she lost, Emperor Jingwen would not punish her.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Ning Yu.

Ning Yu understood what he meant, and he knelt before Emperor Jingwen and apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, my sister has only been seriously learning horse riding and archery for more than ten days, and she was seriously ill in bed a while ago. I am worried about her safety."

Ning Fu felt a little embarrassed. In fact, as a person who had lived two lives, she had studied riding and archery seriously for more than ten days.

But right now, Ning Yu needed to say these words. If she lost, it was because of her short study time and weak body, not because the Lady of the Duke's Mansion or the Lady of Dayan was not good enough. Her loss was understandable and would not bring shame to Dayan.

Ning Fu looked at Emperor Jingwen and said, "Uncle, I have always admired women who are good at riding and shooting. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will be careful when competing with the princess."

The impatience in Emperor Jingwen's heart gradually melted away, and he actually became a bit amiable: "You are really a young girl who is not afraid of tigers. Well, since this is a rare opportunity, you should ask the princess for advice."

Ningfu felt relieved. The fact that Emperor Jingwen used the word "ask for advice" meant that he had determined that she was not as good as the princess, which meant that he didn't care whether she won or lost.

Ning Yu wanted to say something, but Emperor Jingwen waved his hand and said, "I promise you that your sister will not be hurt at all. Sanlang, the fourth lady is from the same school as you, so you will be responsible for protecting her."

"I obey your command." Zong Si stood up and clasped his fists.

Seeing this, Ning Yu said nothing more and returned to his original position.

Nyingfu said to the Princess of Northern Qi: "The Princess's riding and archery skills are superb and well known in Dayan. My riding and archery skills are far inferior to yours. I hope the Princess will not despise me."

There was unconcealable admiration in his tone.

Although Nymph's desire to compete with the princess was not genuine, her admiration for the princess was truer than gold, so her words did not sound hypocritical.

At the beginning, the Princess of Northern Qi did want to curb the arrogance of the Queen of Dayan.

But she was very pleased with Nymph's sincere flattery and said cheerfully, "Everyone starts from not knowing how to ride and then learn. When I was a kid, my brother laughed at my poor riding skills. Don't worry, I'm not such a rude person."

Horse riding and archery are competed separately, with archery being competed first.

The princess' bow is about half a person's height, with the Northern Qi royal totem inlaid on both sides. It is heavy and powerful. This type of bow is usually used by men. It is not easy for women to use this kind of bow maturely.

In comparison, Nymph's bow is much smaller and more exquisite. The bow arm has a delicate texture and clear patterns. The back of the bow is inlaid with black jade. Anyone who knows the business can tell at a glance that this is a good bow.

The Sixth Prince said with a smile, "It's a waste of natural resources."

In the Sixth Prince's opinion, it was natural that Nymph, a delicate woman with a face as white as snow, would not be very good at archery.

Wouldn't it be a waste of such a good bow if it fell into the hands of a female monarch who couldn't ride or shoot?

The drums roared and the competition began.

The princess looked calm. She held the bow in her left hand and pulled the string with her right hand. She shot an arrow with ruthlessness and decisiveness. The arrow landed exactly on the bronze cup. Due to her great force, the cup shook violently.

Everyone couldn't help but applaud.

"Great!" The envoy from Northern Qi who was traveling with them cheered proudly.

Nymph secretly admired that even most men could not reach such a level.

There is no doubt that she will lose today, but she knows her own level and will not lose too badly. After all, she is a student taught by Zong Si himself. The master is top-notch, so the student is naturally not too bad.

Nymph's strength was not as good as that of the Princess of Northern Qi, but her skills and accuracy were not bad at all. Although the first arrow did not hit the cup, it just brushed past the edge of the cup, just a little bit off.

She knew her own weight, but for others, it was unexpected.

In addition, although her accuracy is not very good, her archery skills are extremely entertaining.

Emperor Jingwen couldn't help but praise and laughed, "It seems that I underestimated this girl from the Duke's Mansion. She is extremely talented to have reached this level in just over ten days."

The Sixth Prince raised his eyebrows and became interested.

Although Zong Si was surprised, he could see at a glance that Ning Fu's archery skills could not be learned in more than ten days. The person who taught her had obviously put a lot of thought and patience into it, otherwise Miss Ning Si's advantage would not have been brought into play to such an extent.

But when he looked at the second arrow, he frowned unconsciously and his expression turned cold.

The trick of using clever strength that the fourth Miss Ning used was not from Mr. Guanyang, but was clearly a technique that Zong Si had researched on his own.

No one except him knew where she learned it from.

Zong Si couldn't help but rub his eyebrows.

Naturally, the Fourth Miss Ning could not place spies around him, but the same could not be said for her grandmother, Princess Kang Yang, as Kang Yang had always been at odds with Prince Xuan's Palace.

If this is true, Princess Kangyang's Mansion must want to interfere in the affairs of the Crown Prince, so we have to be on guard.

.

In the archery competition, each person shot ten arrows. The princess shot six arrows into the cup. Nymph's first few arrows missed and only one arrow went in. But she found her feeling in the last few arrows and shot two arrows in a row, for a total of three arrows. Although she lost to the princess, she still won with honor.

Emperor Jingwen was so delighted that he said "good" three times in a row.

"Miss Ning is such a pleasant surprise." The princess smiled. This competition was much more interesting than she thought.

Nymph admired and said: "The princess really opened my eyes. She is more capable than any man." Women are truly as good as men.

"I'm looking forward to the equestrian competition soon," said the princess.

Being recognized by the princess was a happy event, and Ning Fu was extremely happy. However, when she saw Zong Si's somewhat cold and inquiring look not far away, she realized something belatedly and her smile faded.

But then she thought that both Lu Xingzhi and he were disciples of Mr. Guanyang. Even if he noticed something, she had Lu Xingzhi as a shield, so she didn't take it to heart.

In the subsequent riding skills, Nymph also performed well.

When she was riding a horse, her eyes were sharp, her movements were decisive and free-spirited, yet she was still beautiful.

The Sixth Prince Meng Ze felt the blood rushing down his body and drank a cup of cold tea to suppress the heat. This autumn hunt had been austere for half a month, so he could not resist the temptation.

With Zong Si's escort, the entire competition went smoothly without any accidents.

The two competed in horse riding skills. Although Nymph still failed to beat the princess, her performance was remarkable.

Emperor Jingwen smiled and said, "The princess is indeed worthy of her reputation, and Afu is also worthy of praise. Both of them should be rewarded."

It is a great honor to be bestowed by His Majesty.

Nymph said happily: "Thank you, cousin."

The princess also said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jingwen said to Lu Xingzhi, "Xingzhi, your teaching skills are quite good. It seems that the princes and princesses in the palace will need your advice in the future."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment." Lu Xingzhi said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Nymph glanced at him, wondering when he came.

She thought that teaching the princes and princesses how to ride and shoot was a good idea. If she could be promoted to the Prince's Tutor in the future, it would be a good official position, stable and not too busy, and she would also be respected.

Ning Fu looked for her brother and Wei Ziyi again, and felt relieved to see that they were relieved.

In this competition with the princess, Nymph stole the show.

She used to be able to find comfort in an inconspicuous corner, but now she is being watched and has to be more cautious in her words and actions. In addition, the princess specifically asked her to accompany her, so she and Lu Xingzhi no longer have the chance to meet.

Otherwise, Nymph would like to hear how a man of few words like him would praise her.

When accompanying the princess on outings, she would also teach the nymph some riding skills, from which the nymph benefited greatly.

When the two climbed to the top of the mountain that day, the princess spread out the blanket she brought and placed cakes on the table, intending to take a rest there.

"Have you got engaged?" the princess asked her curiously.

Nymph shook her head: "Not yet."

The princess got excited and moved closer to her: "The person you like is Mr. Lu? From the way he looks, he is someone who can make you happy. He seems to be a very indifferent person, but he is definitely a ruthless person in bed."

The princess was bold and unrestrained. If Nymph had not been a married woman at heart, she would probably have found it difficult to resist her.

Nymph touched her nose. As a little lady, she couldn't respond to such words.

"Do you know why I came to Dayan to find a husband?" the princess asked again.

"Why?" Nymph was also somewhat confused.

The princess said meaningfully, "In our Northern Qi, the men from Dayan have a better reputation in bed. Although the men from Northern Qi are stronger, they are useless. Only those with strong waists like the prince are powerful."

Although Ningfu knew that the princess was just joking with her, she couldn't help but blush when she thought of the scene of sleeping with Zong Si in her previous life.

"I'll bring you something good to drink." The princess raised the wine she brought with her. "This is the jade juice provided by Northern Qi for the royal family to drink. It is based on the May Concubine's Smile and is flavored with the July Fairy. The aroma of fruit and wine are well preserved. Apart from the tribute to His Majesty, this is all we have."

Nymph doesn't like to drink, and Lady King of Dayan rarely drinks either, but after living a second life, her thoughts are different, so why not try it?

So Nymph gladly accepted it and said, "Thank you, Princess."

The wine is good. When you first take a sip, you taste the fresh lychee fruit, as sweet as spring water. When it goes down your throat, it exudes a light wine flavor, stimulating your taste buds and making you feel completely refreshed.

She had never experienced anything like it before and drank three cups in a row.

Nymph was greedy and inexperienced, and didn't even realize she was drunk.

The princess was used to being generous and outgoing, and she had no sense of propriety, and she was so drunk that she passed out.

The two were enjoying themselves in the mountains, but they made the people down there anxious.

It was not until the evening that the servants discovered that the princess and the nymph were missing. They were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they hurried to report the matter.

The princess was missing, and it was not easy to make it public, so Emperor Jingwen only secretly ordered several princes to look for her.

Ning Yu was very worried when he learned that Ning Fu was missing.

The Sixth Prince comforted Ning Yu, saying, "The Fourth Miss doesn't look like someone who has no scruples. The princess also knows some martial arts, so it won't be a problem for her to protect herself. Maybe she just got lost."

Ning Yu thanked him, but still couldn't let it go.

After discussing it, the few of them split up to search.

Zong Si and Lu Xingzhi went up the mountain, and the latter was no less worried than Ning Yu.

Soon two roads appeared, one on the left and one on the right. Zong Si was about to go right when he heard Lu Xingzhi say, "If they are in danger, please save Miss Ning Si first."

This is extremely disrespectful.

Zong Si raised his eyelids but didn't respond.

"If the prince agrees to me, I am willing to be his staff or work for him." Lu Xingzhi was silent for a cup of tea, and then said, "I am also doing this for the prince's good. If you listen to me, you will not regret it in the future."

It is obviously not a wise move to exchange your future for a woman.

Lu Xingzhi was a little different when facing Ningfu, as if he had known her for a long time.

Zong Si glanced at him, but for him this was a good thing that came right to his doorstep, so there was naturally no reason to refuse.

After walking a few hundred steps, the trees on the top of the mountain were more luxuriant and brighter, making it more difficult to find the way. The noise of walking startled the birds and animals, and the mountain birds kept chirping in the forest, and the princess's horse also neighed in agitation.

Zong Si looked around for a moment and walked towards Ma Yin's direction.

When he found the nymph and the princess, they were sleeping on a blanket, huddled together because of the cold. In the corner of the blanket, there were jars of wine and snacks lying all over the place, but they were not in any danger.

Zong Si was alone, so he couldn't take two drunks back with him. Just as he was about to leave to find help, he heard a weak and confused voice: "My dear."

When I turned around, I saw Nymph sitting up.

Although her headdress was messy, it did not affect Miss Ning's beauty.

Zong Si pondered for a moment, then walked up to her holding a fire starter.

She was still drunk and her eyes were not clear. There were tears in her eyes. Although she was still young, it seemed like she had countless sad things in her life.

"Who taught you archery?" Zong Si stared at her and asked slowly.

Now he can take the opportunity to ask about this matter. Of course, if it weren't for this matter, he wouldn't step forward.

"You taught me that." Nymph looked at him for a moment and said softly.

"Why would I teach you?" He patiently guided her to continue.

Nymph bit her lip and said, "Because you couldn't resist the temptation and wanted to have sex with me."

Zong Si: “…”

"I don't actually want to learn horse riding and archery. I just want to find an excuse to stay with you for a while longer." Nymph gently pulled his sleeves, pouring out her grievances, "Every time you finish sleeping with me, you ignore me."

Zong Si rubbed his eyebrows and pulled back his sleeve that she was holding.

This ruthless action brought Nymph back to consciousness from the chaos. Her voice was like smoke, which was blown away by the wind and was almost inaudible: "I am dead, I think you should be happy."