Death was not uncommon in the harem.
But one or two eunuchs serving Li Chengzhen died every month, which was really strange. Shen Wei ordered Cai Ping: "Keep sending people to keep an eye on it. If there are any new bodies, find a way to stop them."
Cai Ping nodded: "Master, rest assured, I have someone watching you at all times."
...
...
A few days later, it was the holiday.
It was a bright sunny day in the training ground, and Li Yuanjing ordered his men to call all his sons to the training ground. Four years after Li Yuanjing ascended the throne, only Concubine Lu Xuan gave birth to a son in the harem.
But before he ascended the throne, there were already many sons in the backyard of Prince Yan's mansion. Over the years, eight sons survived.
Li Chengzhen, born to the Queen, the third prince Li Chengxun, born to Concubine Qiao, three sons born to other concubines, Chengtai and Chengyou, born to Concubine Chen Wei, and Chengjue, born to Concubine Shu.
"Your Majesty, the princes have arrived." De Shun came forward respectfully to report.
Except for Lu Xuan's son, all other princes who could walk were present. Li Yuanjing asked the children to come over mainly to check their archery skills and literary foundation.
A number of tailor-made bows and arrows were presented to the princes.
Li Yuanjing sat under the pergola, sipping lotus tea and watching the children shooting arrows.
The oldest is Li Chengzhen, who is already twelve years old. He drew the bow skillfully and the arrow landed steadily on the target.
He shot ten arrows in a row, and three of them hit the bull's eye, which is considered excellent.
Li Chengzhen proudly put down his bow and arrow, walked to the side, and took the cold water handed to him by the old nanny to quench his thirst. The Queen and the Tan Tai family spent a lot of effort on Li Chengzhen, spending huge sums of money to hire the best riding and archery teachers and teachers to train Li Chengzhen from a very young age.
Although Li Chengzhen's talent is not high, after years of hard practice, his archery skills are already very good among his peers.
"Second brother, your archery skills have improved." Li Chengyou sat on a small chair next to him, holding a fresh peach in his hand, with appreciation and admiration in his eyes.
Li Chengzhen snorted coldly: "Of course, it's better than a little brat like you who uses a child's bow and arrow."
Li Chengyou snorted: "I'm only four years old. When I grow up, I will definitely be better at archery than my second brother."
Li Chengzhen didn't take it seriously and didn't take the little brat seriously.
The other princes began to shoot arrows one after another. Among all the princes, Qiaopin's son Li Chengxun was older, but his archery skills were average. Only two out of ten arrows hit the target.
His face flushed with shame and he shrank into a corner, not daring to look at his father and other brothers.
Next, several sons of unfavored concubines also started shooting arrows. The level was even worse, which made Li Yuanjing frown frequently.
Finally, it was the turn of the eighth prince Li Chengtai. Li Chengtai was only four years old and could not pull an adult's bow and arrow, so he could only use a small bow that was tailor-made for him.
Li Chengtai is very imposing, wearing a black and gold vest, small leather boots, his two little hands holding a small bow and arrow, with a cute little face and serious eyes as if he is going to the battlefield.
Draw the bow, draw the arrow——
Snap——
The small bow and arrow pierced the target not far away. It's a bit far from the red dot in the center. But Li Chengtai was not discouraged. He continued to draw the bow and arrow, adjusted the direction, and shot the arrow again.
Snap, snap, snap——
Ten consecutive arrows landed on the small target. There are three more, hitting the dark red bull's eye.
"Brother, you are so awesome!" Li Chengyou cheered immediately, his eyes full of admiration.
Li Yuanjing, who was watching his sons shooting arrows not far away, also showed admiration.
Li Chengzhen's face turned cold, he silently clenched his fingers, and snorted: "Small bow and arrow, it's useless."
Li Chengyou had excellent hearing and heard everything Li Chengzhen said. He pouted in dissatisfaction.
Finally, it was the turn of the youngest, Lee Seung-woo. Li Chengyou eats a lot, so he grows up to be dark and plump, with a very strong little body. He took the bow and arrow for young children handed to him by the eunuch, stretched his little neck, twisted his chubby waist, and walked to the shooting range with great momentum.
He closed his eyes and felt the strength of the wind in the training ground. Then he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze bright and sharp, like an eagle circling in the sky.
Draw the bow, draw the arrow——
Snap, Snap——
Ten arrows were shot one after another.
Five or six of them hit the red bull's eye in the middle, and the others were scattered around the edge of the red bull's eye, all excellent.
Li Chengyou held the small bow and arrow, walked to Li Chengzhen, and shook the small bow in his hand: "Who said this bow and arrow is useless? This bow and arrow is amazing."
Lee Seung-jung: ...
After showing off, Li Chengyou happily ran to Li Yuanjing and grabbed Li Yuanjing's sleeve eagerly, like a kitten eager for praise: "Father! I shot six bull's eyes! I want to eat fried crabs tonight!"
Li Yuanjing touched his son's dark face and said, "Okay."
Looking at his dark and strong little son in front of him, Li Yuanjing seemed to see his former self. When Li Yuanjing was young, he didn't like studying very much. He always took advantage of his brother's time to sneak into the training ground to ride a pony and practice archery.
Lee Seung-woo spun around happily and ran to tell Lee Seung-tae the good news: "Brother, we're having deep-fried crabs tonight!"
Li Yuanjing asked Deshun to call Li Chengzhen and Li Chengxun over.
Li Yuanjing rubbed his brows and said, "There are soldiers in Anguo Temple who teach riding and archery. How did you two practice? There has been no progress in several months."
The two children looked reserved, and when they saw Li Yuanjing, they were like mice seeing a cat.
Especially Qiaopin's son, he wished he could bury his head in the ground.
Li Chengzhen lowered his head and stammered, "My child...I know I was wrong and I will practice hard."
Li Yuanjing grabbed Li Chengzhen's hands, spread them out to examine them, and asked, "Is this how hard you practice?"
People who practice archery every day will have calluses on their knuckles. But there was only a thin layer of calluses on Li Chengzhen's finger joints.
It can be seen that he has not practiced hard.
Li Chengzhen said nothing.
After examining archery and horse riding, Li Yuanjing called a few children and asked them some literary knowledge. The children's performances varied, and it turned out that Li Chengtai had the most knowledge.
Li Yuanjing had a clear mind and had a general understanding of his sons' levels.
...
...
The night was overcast and the weather was unusually hot and muggy. In a remote palace, candles were always lit in the study. Under the lamp, Li Chengzhen held an ancient book in his hand, reading one page over and over again, trying to understand the meaning of the ancient book.
The text is obscure and the meaning is difficult to understand.
Li Chengzhen's eyes were red, and he wished he could memorize every word in the ancient book. But the more he tried to remember, the more he couldn't remember.
The old maid who was serving him felt sorry for him and said softly, "Your Highness, it's getting late. I will take you to rest."
Li Chengzhen tightly grasped the book and shook his head in pain: "I don't want to sleep! Why, why can Li Chengtai memorize these obscure things, but I can't!"
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