The audience laughed:
"The Second Young Master is really good at talking!"
"Let's see how good your highness's martial arts are!"
Amidst everyone's discussion, Xie Qing drew his bow and shot an arrow, holding his breath and concentrating. He shot the arrow steadily. With a crisp "ding" sound, the arrow flew over the copper coin and seemed to be just a little bit away from the silk thread.
"good!"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince has excellent archery skills!"
Both civil officials and military generals applauded. The distance was really far. Even if they were only shooting copper coins, the military generals were not sure of hitting the target. Xie Qing's first arrow just missed the target, which made people look at him differently.
Xie Qing seemed not to hear the discussions around him. Without any pause, he bent his bow and shot the second arrow.
"bite"
There was another crisp sound, and the copper coin fell to the ground.
Qin Yan was extremely surprised. He ran over to pick up the copper coin and checked it. He saw that there was no thread end on the copper coin. He immediately realized that the bullet did not hit the silk thread hanging the copper coin, but the silk thread wrapped around the copper coin.
This is simpler than shooting the silk thread directly. After all, the silk thread is suspended in mid-air. Considering the influence of wind and airflow, it requires skill to shoot it through.
Although it is a trick, isn't the question about the thread breaking and the coin falling?
The silk thread broke and the copper coin fell.
Qin Yan placed the copper coin in Xie Qing's palm: "Your Highness, please."
Xie Qing stepped into the third courtyard. At that moment, all Qin family members, friends, and the civil and military officials who came with Xie Qing to welcome the bride followed him.
This is the main courtyard of the entire compound, and Qin Zhan, the head of the Marquis's family, lives here.
The layout of a general's house is naturally different from that of others. All kinds of weapons are placed on both sides of the yard, and there is even a war drum.
In the middle of the yard, there was a screen, a table and a chair placed out of place.
Guarding this checkpoint was Qin Wan's third uncle, Qin Bai. He pointed to a poem on the screen and said with a smile, "This is a poem I recently composed. Your Highness, if you can paint a picture in the time it takes to stick an incense stick, you'll pass the test."
Before Xie Qing finished reading the poem, someone had already read it out loud.
To be honest, it doesn’t fit the joyous atmosphere of today, but it fits the layout of this courtyard very well and is quite grand and majestic.
“Good words, good words!”
The civil officials all cheered, and some even looked at Qin Bai:
"I didn't expect Mr. Qin San to have such literary talent."
"I wonder if Mr. Qin San is interested in taking the imperial examination next spring?" The Minister of Rites asked with a smile. As everyone knows, since Qin Zhan retired, only Qin Sheng has passed the imperial examination to become an official in the Qin family, while the rest have either gone to farm or do business.
Qin Bai has such talent and is in his prime, so it is the right time for him to revitalize the Qin family.
Qin Bai smiled and waved his hand: "As for me, I'm in charge of a pawnshop. How comfortable is that? I can read when I want to, write when I want to, and go out to play when I want to. Being an official isn't fun either."
A group of people burst into laughter. The Imperial College's chief academic officer was eager to recruit talented people: "Don't you want to become a doctor at our Imperial College after you have achieved academic success? You can live freely there just as well."
Qin Bai glanced at Jijiu. This guy had written a letter to Master Penghao, saying that one could become a doctor in the Imperial College even without any official title. Now he changed his mind?
But he had refused it before, and now he would not go: "No need, I'm not interested in it."
The chief priest wanted to persuade him again when he saw Xie Qing move.
He picked up the inkstone and splashed it on the screen.
The ink drew an arc on the screen and dripped down. A group of people were stunned. The chief priest was also stunned. What kind of method was this?
"Cinnabar." Xie Qing said.
Prince Du immediately picked up the paint beside him and mixed it for him.
Xie Qing took it, picked up an unused brush, dipped it in cinnabar and flicked it twice on the screen.
After changing several paints in succession, the colors on the screen covered each other, some paints mixed together, and the colors became strange.
"This painting is quite difficult, can you do it, Prince?"
"The time is short. If it were someone else, it would take at least several days. This problem is really difficult."
"Perhaps the Qin family originally wanted the prince to draw a random picture, but he wanted to show off his real skills?"
Some people think they have found the truth and move forward.
At the front were Qin Bai, the chief academic officer, the Minister of Rites, the Hanlin Academy and other civil servants. They all looked at the screen curiously, wanting to see how Xie Qing painted.
Although the generals did not understand painting, they found this style of painting new and stood on tiptoe to look inside.
After Xie Qing finished splashing the paint, he grabbed a brush in his hand, and Master Du stood beside him holding an inkstone and a brush washer.
Xie Qing took turns to paint with several pens. Gradually, the outline of the painting began to take shape. Before the incense was half burned, a magnificent picture of mountains and rivers appeared before everyone's eyes.
"The setting sun is round over the mountains and rivers."
“Nice painting!”
"good!"
"I didn't expect the prince to have such talent!"
The chief priest cheered and applauded, and the people in the Hanlin Academy were all stunned. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who had always been good at riding horses in parades, walking birds and fighting dogs, was actually a man of both civil and military talents!
Xie Qing carefully put down his pen and checked that there was no ink or paint on his body. Then he looked at Qin Bai and said, "Uncle San, did you pass?"
"It passed, very good." Qin Bai couldn't help but be happy, and quickly ordered people to carry the screen to his yard. Such a good work, and it was also the prince's first painting to be shown to the public. It could be a family heirloom!
"Hey, hey, hey, don't carry it away, we haven't seen enough!"
Xie Qing ignored the civil and military officials behind him and walked quickly towards the inner house.
At the second gate, a group of female relatives didn't make things difficult for him. They asked for a few red envelopes and let him in.
Xie Qing arrived at Qin Wan's courtyard with ease. Even though he had been there many times before, he was still a little nervous standing at the door. He took a few deep breaths. Amidst Du Shizi's teasing, he raised his hand and knocked on the door: "My lady, I'm here to take you home."
"Come in."
Qin Wan spoke and the door opened.
Xie Qing looked at Qin Wan, who was sitting on the bed with a round fan in her hand, and he wanted to take the fan away immediately to see what she looked like now.
He suppressed his excitement, took two steps at a time, walked to Qin Wan, extended his hand, and said again: "My lady, I'm here to pick you up."
Qin Wan raised her eyes and looked at Xie Qing from behind her round fan. She put her hands on his with a smile on her face and slowly stood up.
After bidding farewell to their parents, the brother should have carried Qin Wan out, but Xie Qing took the lead and picked up Qin Wan.
"Hey, hey, hey, that's against the rules!"
Qin Can was very angry. How could someone take his job?
But Xie Qing ignored him and walked out with Qin Wan in his arms.
Qin Wan raised her eyes and met Xie Qing's smiling eyes, and she also smiled.
"Let's go home!"
"Well, let's go home." Qin Wan's eyes curved. Even if there were dangerous places ahead, she was willing to take the risk as long as she had a close friend by her side.
The sound of music at the door never stopped. Before the newlyweds even arrived at the gate, firecrackers were lit, making a crackling and lively scene.
In the alley across the street, Lu Yan watched all this with red eyes, his heart aching.
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