Chapter 18 Chapter 18 I don’t want to tell you this annoying guy.
Xie Tingyu hesitated for a long time. "I just happened to pass by here today, so I don't have much original insights. But I see you have a lot of papers in your hand, so I guess you have more experience than me."
Seeing her decline, the clerk unfolded the bamboo paper in his hand and said proudly, "Master, you've come at the right time today. This week, the Lantai Pavilion is discussing 'The Character of a Famous General,' and by chance, Captain Wang Xuanji has been chosen."
She pointed to the densely packed annotations on the paper and said, "I've put a lot of hard work into studying Wang Xuanji," her voice suddenly lowered.
Xie Tingyu looked curious and shocked, "Really?"
Someone was actually trying so hard to study her? Glancing at the author on the paper, she asked, "Madam Li, what are your thoughts?"
The minor official's surname was Li, and his name was Li Yan. He came from a branch of the Li family in Longxi.
Li Yan had recently entered the Lantai Pavilion and had hoped to win first place in the journal. Seeing that Xie Tingyu was a Taoist priest and therefore not in competition with her, she had her own opinions and wanted to discuss them. Seeing Xie Tingyu's eagerness to learn, her interest grew, and she immediately opened up.
“I can’t call it a brilliant opinion, but I do have some insights of my own.”
Li Yan pulled out a piece of paper and said, "I have specially prepared many topics for this discussion on Wang Xuanji. Please take a look, Taoist Priest."
Xie Tingyu took a look and found some of them, such as "What would happen if Wang Xuanji was still alive after she returned to the court?", "General Wang Zhuozhang and Captain Wang Xuanji, on the touching revolutionary friendship between women", or "Wang Xuanji's military strategy and courage from the feat of autumn hunting".
...Well, quite varied.
Xie Tingyu asked, "Which one are you going to write?"
Li Yan rubbed her chin with her fingertips. "The Taoist priest just said, 'Some people are dead, but she is still alive.' I plan to approach this from the perspective of assuming that Wang Xuanji is still alive."
Her voice was resounding, her eyes sparkling, "A woman should achieve great things and leave her name in history. Such an upright woman will surely be honored as a noble and a general, bringing glory to the family."
Li Yan sighed again. "It's a pity that Captain Wang is no longer with us. I think we should write a joint petition to ask the current emperor to posthumously confer the title of Loyal and Brave on her to honor her heroic legacy."
"It's ridiculous. It's really nonsense."
A cold voice rang out from behind the screen, "The more I yearn for the long forest, the more I aspire to the lush grass. Since you are not Wang Xuanji, don't impose your so-called worldly views on her."
Li Yan was refuted in public by a man, and he suddenly felt like being slapped in the face, with a burning pain.
Although she didn't know who it was, she still stiffened her neck and retorted, "Captain Wang values the honor and disgrace of his soldiers above all else. You, a mere man, naturally don't understand."
Ji Lian walked out from behind the screen and spoke slowly, "A white crane in the clouds cannot be caught by a net of swallows and sparrows. Wang Xuanji has never been one to seek fame."
Even if you have never seen Ji Lian's true face, you know that this prince has a signature red mole on his lower lip.
Li Yan suddenly felt that the invisible slap on her face just now brought with it a fragrant breeze. She couldn't help but get tongue-tied. "Your Highness, Your Highness, why are you here?"
"Although Wang Xuanji possesses extraordinary courage and was able to personally lead 800 soldiers to attack Prince Helian's tent at night, she was merely following orders. She wasn't doing this for the so-called military honors."
Ji Lian said firmly, "If she were still alive, she would have retired from her armor, riding a precious horse, traversing the green mountains and enjoying the vast deserts and rivers. Since you don't understand her so well, I think you shouldn't even consider this topic."
Xie Tingyu was stunned when he heard this.
Ji Lian's words were like a feather, gently tickling the softest spot in her heart.
She was a little overwhelmed.
When Li Yan saw that it was Ji Lian, he quickly put the paper away, folded his hands and saluted, "Your Highness is teaching you a lesson..." He hurriedly retreated before finishing his words.
Xie Tingyu suddenly asked, "Why does Your Highness regard... uh... Captain Wang in this way?" Her gaze inquired, "Your Highness seems to really care about Captain Wang?"
Ji Lian, who was eloquent just now, seemed to be choked now?
What can he say?
If he told Xie Tingyu truthfully that he dreamed of Wang Xuanji, would she believe it?
Thinking of this, Ji Lian's expression changed.
wrong!
Why should I tell her.
She and I are not close enough to talk about anything.
I don't want to tell her!
Ji Lian turned his head away and didn't look at Xie Tingyu. "I don't want to tell you, you annoying guy." He picked up the bamboo slips and left leisurely.
……Why?
Xie Tingyu chased after him and said, "If Your Highness tells me, I will let Your Highness play a game of backgammon."
Ji Lian got angry when she heard this. "Don't look down on me. Who asked you to give in? One day, I will definitely beat you to a pulp."
The sound of their argument gradually faded away.
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Two carriages with red wheels and gorgeous hubs drove into Jiankang City and separated from Zhuque Road. One carriage headed towards Qingxi River, while the other meandered along the Qinhuai River, crossed Zhuque Bridge, and finally stopped at the entrance of Wuyi Lane.
On both sides of Wuyi Lane are houses with high walls and black tiles. The mansions of the two most outstanding families are adjacent to each other, namely the Xie family of Chenjun and the Wang family of Langya.
When the doorman saw him, he immediately went forward respectfully with a horse stool in hand. A servant boy ran in from behind and shouted, "The master is back." Immediately, more than a dozen maids, slaves, and Wei Fenghua hurried out, stood in a line, and respectfully welcomed this person back to the house.
The carriage door opened, and out stepped a figure dressed in a dark purple brocade skirt, a black brocade belt inlaid with jade around her waist, and a magnolia hairpin slanted diagonally in her hair. This figure had a refined face, sharp eyes, and an air of authority that emanated from her brows.
This person is the head of the Chenjun Xie family, Xie Qingyan, who now holds the position of Grand Tutor, and concurrently serves as Grand Tutor and Chief Justice.
Xie Qingyan got off the carriage with steady steps, holding one hand in front of him as usual.
"Where are Tingyu and Bianwei?"
Bianwei is exactly the name of Lord Xie.
Lord Xie's full name was He Bianwei, and he came from the Chenjun He clan, a prominent local family. The two had known each other since childhood, their engagement arranged by their respective mothers and fathers. It could be said that their marriage was a perfect match, a natural outcome.
Wei Fenghua replied, "The master is drinking tea with his wife in the pavilion."
Xie Qingyan nodded. "First, take the sandalwood box off the carriage. Bianwei told me that Tingyu wants to learn archery and horseback riding. The best horses in the Great Zhou are still Dayuan horses. I've already written to Sugte Sabao and have Tingyu bring my jade seal to choose two five-year-old horses."
When Lord Xie's letter arrived at Xie Qingyan's hands at full speed, she had already begun to arrange for Xie Tingyu to draw the bow and shoot the arrows.
Furthermore, a good horse from Dayuan is worth a hundred gold coins, but Xie Qingyan gave two of them as a gift, which shows that Xie Tingyu holds a special position in her heart.
Xie Tingyu was chatting and laughing with Master Xie when he turned around and happened to see a purple figure at the other end of the small bamboo bridge. Wei Fenghua and a group of maids followed behind it with respectful looks on their faces, and four or five of them were carrying a large box.
Apart from the head of the Xie family, who else could command such awe from his servants?
Xie Tingyu understood everything, immediately put down his teacup, and stood up to greet Xie Qingyan.
She walked quickly to Xie Qingyan, bowed deeply, and said, "Mother, your daughter Xie Tingyu greets you."
Having not seen each other for twelve years, Xie Qingyan, disregarding the dignity of the head of the family, changed his usual solemnity and walked forward to hug Xie Tingyu, patting her back vigorously. "Tingyu, why is my dear girl so thin? Is the food at Shangqing Temple too bad?"
Xie Tingyu was deeply embarrassed by the sudden motherly love. She squeezed her face out from her bosom and said, "The food is not bad. Since I returned to Jiankang, I have eaten two bowls of rice for every meal. I have gained five pounds."
The crowd standing nearby and watching were deeply moved by the scene of deep love between mother and daughter.
Especially Master Xie. He turned his head away and quietly pressed the corner of his eyes with the corner of his sleeve.
Xie Qingyan took Xie Tingyu's hand, and the two walked to the pavilion together.
"On my way back, I happened to pass by a bow shop, so I bought you two bows. My dear daughter needs a good bow to practice archery."
The maids following behind him immediately opened the sandalwood box with foresight, only to see two completely different bows inside.
The smaller bow was a horn bow, with layers of ox sinew, glue, and lacquer wrapped around it, making it ideal for archery while riding. Xie Tingyu was captivated by it and pretended to pull it. The bow was so light and convenient that it could draw three stones.
The other one is a long bow used in the army. The bow body is long and narrow like a crescent moon. It takes the strength of the waist and back to draw the bow. It can pull five to six stones. This kind of bow is more commonly used in the army. The arrows can penetrate heavy armor.
Moreover, Xie Qingyan was thoughtful. This sandalwood box also contained matching rings, arm guards, quivers, etc., as well as thirty-six carved feather arrows.
"Thank you for your kindness, mother." Xie Tingyu picked up the quiver and slung the horn bow over his shoulder. "I had originally planned to go to the East Market to choose some arrows after my work in the palace was over, but I didn't expect you to be so considerate. I'll go to the back garden and practice shooting a few arrows now."
Without waiting for Xie Qingyan and Xie Zhujun to react, Xie Tingyu turned around and left.
"Hey, kid, your wife hasn't even spoken a few words to you..." Lord Xie smiled and winked, and Cen Xiu, who had been waiting beside him, immediately followed.
"Nothing," Xie Qingyan waved his hand and took a sip of tea. "We're all together now, and there'll be time to talk later. It's better to let her relax for now."
Xie Tingyu walked around the corridor and came to a secluded corner of the West Garden. There were lush flowers and trees here, and the rockery was rugged and scattered, with several green vines entwined in the holes in the stones.
She climbed up the rockery and used her high vantage point to see where in the mansion she could practice.
Xie Tingyu narrowed his eyes and spotted a group of four or five people gathered under a sycamore tree. They were dressed in indigo-colored uniforms, with swords at their waists and red silk bands with the Xie family crest tied around their arms. They looked like soldiers employed by the Xie family.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, aristocratic families were allowed to keep private soldiers, which were private armies authorized by the court. They were used to protect their residences and could also be deployed as troops.
According to the law, a top-tier clan, such as the Xie family of Chenjun, could maintain a core elite force of up to 500 soldiers, while the peripheral troops scattered across the manor could number over 2,000. These soldiers had to take turns training on a daily basis and were not allowed to slack off.
But in broad daylight, this group of people actually dared to shirk their duties and gather there to play mahjong.
Pai Gow tiles were scattered on the stone table. The leading soldier was holding a grass stem in his mouth, throwing a card high into the air. Xie Tingyu was not polite at all. He took out a carved feather arrow from his back, drew his bow and aimed. With a slight tremor of the bowstring, the arrow flew through the air.
The soldiers who were still busy counting money had no idea that disaster was about to happen. They were looking at the cards above their heads with a smile. Suddenly, with a "whoosh" sound, an arrow came like a ghost, with undiminished momentum, and accurately penetrated the center of the spinning cards in the air, nailing them straight to the sycamore tree behind them.
The soldiers were so stunned that the grass stems in their mouths fell to the ground.
Cen Xiu, who was standing next to Xie Tingyu, was also stunned.
...Huh? No way? Really?
There are at least fifty steps between the rockery and the sycamore tree. The young master was able to shoot through the playing card with one arrow. This was much more difficult than the last time he shot through three rings with one arrow on the lake!
The author has something to say:
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1. The more I yearn for the long forest, the more I yearn for the lush grass. --- "Letter to Shan Juyuan Breaking Off Friendship" by Ji Kang, a writer of the Wei and Jin Dynasties
2. A white crane in the clouds cannot be caught by a net of swallows or sparrows. (A New Account of Tales of the World: Praise and Reputation)
It's great that the number of collections has reached 180, which is 100 more than when I first wrote the article.
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