Chapter 254 Lu Zhaoruo's Horse Riding Competition
The atmosphere on the field became subtle yet intense as Xiao and Meng faced off.
At first, a few young men were unwilling to be outdone and tried to compete with him, but after several attempts, they all missed because the difficulty was too high. They all looked ashamed and reined in their horses to retreat to the sidelines.
Yan Junwang's face was gloomy. He also shot several arrows with all his might. Although three of them hit the target, they were far less effortless and dazzling than those of Xiao and Meng.
A barely perceptible glint of malice flashed in his eyes. He reined in his horse, silently retreated to the side, and coldly observed the contest taking place.
The center of the arena had become a two-way battleground between Xiao Yeming and Meng Xi.
Xiao Yeming's gaze was calm. He drew his bow to its fullest extent, and the arrow pierced the air with a "whoosh," snapping a willow branch cleanly and decisively.
Almost at the same instant his arrow struck the willow branch, Meng Xi's arrow followed, the bowstring twanged softly, and another willow branch fell neatly to the ground.
Xiao Yeming shot another arrow to the left, while Meng Xi's arrow darted to the right.
Xiao Yeming aimed at the slender branches high up, while Meng Xi took the drooping branches low down.
The back-and-forth exchanges were so fast they were almost suffocating, yet they also carried a strange sense of tacit understanding and composure.
Xiao Yeming finally noticed something was wrong.
This is no longer a competition; it's more like a relentless, targeted attack.
He suddenly turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Meng Xi.
Meng Xi felt his gaze, but only lazily looked back, a half-smile playing on his lips, and asked in a relaxed tone, "Brother Xiao, shall we continue?"
These words were light and casual, yet they carried a provocative tone.
Xiao Yeming's eyes darkened, and without saying another word, he drew his bow and shot at the few remaining willow branches in the field.
Meng Xi acted almost simultaneously.
The two men fired their arrows in rapid succession, the sound of them piercing the air never ceasing.
To everyone's astonishment, in just a short while, all the willow branches that were the target were shot down completely, without missing a single one!
On the high platform, Shu Heng clapped his hands and laughed, praising repeatedly, "Excellent! Excellent! Truly the two heroes of our great Shu! Absolutely brilliant!"
The emperor's cheers broke the tense atmosphere, and Xiao Yeming and Meng Xi simultaneously put away their bows and stood still on their horses.
Yan Junwang stood in the crowd, his face dark and inscrutable, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.
A buzz of discussion immediately arose from the crowd. While they were impressed by the two men's superb archery skills, they couldn't help but have even greater doubts in their hearts:
"These two young men... their skills are truly astonishing!"
"But... their confrontational stance, neither willing to back down, could it be that they've developed a grudge sometime ago?"
No one could understand the reason behind it; only the two people involved knew the truth.
Shu Heng was overjoyed and clapped his hands, laughing, "Brilliant! Minister Xiao and Minister Meng, today you know what true horsemanship and archery are! A reward! A generous reward is due!"
The eunuch immediately announced loudly: "His Majesty has decreed that General Xiao and Young Master Meng shall each be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold and one imperial horse, in recognition of their bravery!"
Xiao Yeming and Meng Xi dismounted together and bowed to express their gratitude.
Their eyes met briefly. Though they spoke no words, they both knew that the contest they had just had not yet determined life or death, nor had it revealed who was superior.
After the two men stepped aside, Shu Heng looked with a smile towards the other side of the stands and said loudly, "Ladies, our lads have already displayed their prowess; now it's your turn. The rules are simple: start from here, travel thirty li to the turnaround point to retrieve your flag, and the first to return and present the flag to me will be the champion—"
The turnaround point is located at the northern foot of the Western Hills. This distance requires a fine horse and a tenacious spirit, and is a true test of riding skills.
Shu Heng paused briefly, then raised his voice and swept his gaze across the entire room: "The champion will be rewarded without reservation! He may bestow upon them pearls, jade, and brocade, or grant them any request, as long as it does not violate the law or etiquette!"
These words instantly ignited the atmosphere in the stands.
A royal decree! This is an immense honor and opportunity!
In an instant, more than ten noble ladies dressed in various gorgeous riding outfits stood up, eager to try.
Among them, Lady Yunxiu, dressed in a bright pomegranate red riding outfit, was dazzling and instantly attracted everyone's attention.
In stark contrast to her was Lu Zhaoruo, dressed in a simple, moon-white riding outfit.
When the noble ladies saw Lu Zhaoruo enter the arena, they all looked surprised and then whispered among themselves, their words filled with undisguised contempt.
"Her? That merchant woman from Yunshang Pavilion?"
"Really... overestimating herself. Is this the kind of occasion she should be attending?"
Lady Yunxiu glanced at Lu Zhaoruo sideways, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Her voice, though not loud, was loud enough for those around to hear: "A mere merchant woman dares to come to a horse race? She probably can't even sit properly in the saddle."
The spectators were also discussing the matter, mostly expressing shock and confusion at Lu Zhaoruo's actions.
However, they were unaware that Lu Zhaoruo's purpose in coming here was clear.
She wanted to show her talent to the emperor and win the title of Imperial Merchant for Yunshang Pavilion!
She was determined to fulfill this imperial wish.
Xiao Yeming sat back down in the stands, his gaze fixed on Lu Zhaoruo.
Seeing that she remained calm and composed despite the criticism, and that she mounted her horse with swift and steady movements, a smile involuntarily crept onto his usually cold lips, and an undisguised look of amazement flashed in his eyes.
He knew of her business acumen, but he was unaware of her exceptional horsemanship.
On the other side, Meng Xi leaned back lazily in his chair, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the scene before finally settling on Lu Zhaoruo's simple and elegant figure.
He had personally witnessed her skill in taming her wild horse "Feihong" in Jizhou City, and he knew her riding prowess well.
Seeing the disdain on everyone's faces and no one having any faith in her, he subtly raised the corners of his lips.
Chang Hong, standing behind him, was far from calm. He clenched his fists nervously, staring intently at the arena, muttering to himself, "Madam Lu, show them what you've got!"
His posture made it seem as if he were competing on the field himself.
Meng Xi glanced at him lazily, not stopping him, and said casually, "What's your hurry?"
The bugle sounds loudly!
More than ten fine horses charged out like arrows released from a bow.
Lady Yunxiu took the lead, displaying superb riding skills and fierce momentum. Dressed in fiery red, she instantly became the leader.
What's even more surprising is Lu Zhaoruo!
She lay on the horse's back, her eyes sharp, and her horsemanship was incredibly skillful and sophisticated, completely different from her usual elegant and quiet demeanor!
She constantly adjusted her center of gravity, looking for opportunities to overtake, her movements were crisp and clean, and she was heroic and dashing, in no way inferior to any noble lady who had been learning to ride since childhood. She even kept close behind Yunxiu!
Horse hooves flew, dust billowed.
In the blink of an eye, they were far from the stands, their figures disappearing at the end of the winding track in the distance.
The spectators could only crane their necks and look into the distance, judging the progress of the race by the faint sound of horses' hooves and the dust they were kicking up.
Only a few agile palace horse trainers followed closely behind on horseback.
Their purpose was twofold: to ensure the safety of the team and to monitor the progress of the competition.
Yunxiu County Lord led the way, her pomegranate-red riding attire fluttering in the wind like a blazing flame.
She frequently cracked her whip, urging her fine steed forward, leaving the other women far behind.
Taking a moment to look back, she saw that Lu Zhaoruo's white figure had been left several horse lengths behind and was struggling to catch up in the middle of the group. She was extremely pleased with herself and a contemptuous sneer curled at the corner of her lips.
How dare a mere merchant's daughter contend with this Lady of the County?
She swung her riding whip even faster.
She repeatedly pleaded with the Grand Princess to ask the Emperor to grant her a marriage and make Xiao Yeming her son-in-law, but the Grand Princess always refused with a stern face.
He also reprimanded her for not respecting herself, saying that as a noblewoman of imperial lineage, how could she take the initiative to ask for marriage like an ordinary woman? She had unjustly lost her dignity and propriety!
But now, this "wish" personally granted by the Emperor is right before our eyes!
As long as one wins the championship, one can legitimately request His Majesty to grant them a marriage.
At that time, even the mother will have nothing to say, right?
Thinking of this, her heart burned with excitement, and her gaze became even more intense as she stared ahead, as if she could pierce through the dust and see the flag at the finish line.
"Lu Zhaoruo... wait until I stand rightfully beside Xiao Yeming, then let's see how you'll have the face to continue clinging to him!"
She spurred her horse, urging it to gallop forward like a blazing fire, determined to shake off and crush the white figure behind her.
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