Chapter 61 Living a Lifetime with My Cousin
Pei Wu only glanced at Zhao Tuo before receiving a glare in return. The next moment, the official beside him whispered to another official, "Do you think that Southern Prince is glaring at you?"
The official looked at him suspiciously: "Go ahead and stare at me, I didn't do anything."
This small group began to whisper among themselves, but Pei Wu remained silent until the official beside him nudged him: "Lord Pei, who do you think he's glaring at?"
Pei Wu: "It should be Lord Song."
"Huh?" The official who asked the question was stunned.
Pei Wu said seriously, "Look at that pillar, doesn't it just reflect Lord Song's shadow? From this, we can see that he's glaring at Lord Song."
Song Pingzhang: "..."
That's utterly absurd.
No matter how they tried to guess, they couldn't figure it out. The prince of the Southern Kingdom glared at them for a while, then withdrew his gaze in a sinister manner and left with the delegation.
The officials were convinced of Pei Wu's analysis and concluded that the Southern Prince was provoking them, so they decided to teach him a lesson in a few days.
Aside from the first day of paying tribute and the second day of offering incense, the third day is the main event: the warriors of the Great Xia Kingdom will compete in archery and horsemanship with the warriors of the Southern Kingdom, and even the common people can watch.
The area that could be viewed was guarded by layers of soldiers, and one could only glimpse it from one corner. However, the people were so enthusiastic that they crowded that corner so much that there was hardly any room to stand.
Pei Wu was a civil official, so accompanying him meant attending a banquet. Jiang Ru hadn't originally planned to go, but she couldn't resist Song Shu's encouragement and went along as well.
However, they were in a better position. The nearest villa to the archery range had long been acquired by Song Shu, and they could enjoy a panoramic view from the top floor.
The emperor will not appear on this day; it will only be an exchange between envoys from the two countries. Although it is just an exchange between envoys, both sides represent their respective countries, and no mistakes can be tolerated.
Cheng Xu from the Ministry of Rites was in charge of the event, with ten military officers from each side participating. The first event was an archery competition.
The Great Xia Dynasty has a master archer named Chu Shanhe, who currently serves in the Palace Guard. Although the Great Xia Dynasty is not known for its martial prowess, it has a long history of archery, so he is almost certain to win in archery alone.
The first to go is a general from the Great Xia Dynasty. The highest score is five points, and each person can shoot three times. The highest score of the three shots is taken.
The Great Xia side got off to a good start, with the first person scoring four points, while the Southern Kingdom's general scored three points.
Halfway through, the Great Xia was fifteen, while the Southern Kingdom was fourteen.
Next came Chu Shanhe. He drew his longbow and fired three excellent shots, earning five points.
The gap widened in an instant.
By the time the tenth player arrived, the gap had widened dramatically. Great Xia had twenty-seven points, while Southern Kingdom only had twenty-two. Even if they shot into the sky with their eyes closed, it would already be a winning outcome.
After the tenth player entered the game, he hit the second ring, making it a three-pointer.
The envoy from the South had little hope left, but he managed to steady himself and managed to shoot a second ring.
The Great Xia defeated the Southern Kingdom by a margin of four points.
The people outside the fence could no longer contain themselves, and their cheers resounded through the sky. Many scholars also rushed forward to offer poems in praise of the generals of the Great Xia Dynasty.
The officials from the Great Xia were low-key, saying humble things, but they couldn't help but smile.
Unlike the officials, the common people cheered louder and louder, without any attempt to hide their excitement.
The envoys from the Southern Kingdom initially said it was just for fun and shouldn't be taken seriously, but after the actual defeat, their expressions turned grim.
Zhao Tuo, in particular, could barely maintain his composure when the scores were close at first, but his face darkened as the scores widened.
Jiang Ru and Song Shu leaned against the window, having a clear view of the scene. Pei Wu was very close to Song Pingzhang, on the side closest to the main seat. Pei Wu sat upright in the room, unlike the other officials who couldn't contain themselves, and remained calm and composed.
Song Shu patted Jiang Ru: "Did you see the generals on the field?"
Jiang Ru: What is it?
Song Shu's question was a complete waste of breath. Every time she asked something indirectly, she was definitely up to something bad.
Song Shu asked hesitantly, "Among those who just shot arrows, do you think there's anyone who looks like your ideal husband?"
Jiang Ru had been so focused on the archery and Pei Wu that she hadn't paid attention to looking at faces. She racked her brains for a moment and asked, "Is there anyone who is very handsome?"
I don't think so, otherwise how could she not have noticed?
She looked around the field and felt that no one could compare to Pei Wu. Although Pei Wu did not participate, Jiang Ru thought that he must be very good at archery. After all, she had heard that Pei Wu could even shoot birds in the sky.
Since Song Shu had asked, Jiang Ru decided to help her take a look. The military officers were all dressed in neat black uniforms, which made Jiang Ru's face blindness almost kick in. She was overwhelmed by the choices and could only manage to pick one out.
She pointed to the tallest of the military officers and said, "Let's go with him. He's tall and has a good build."
Song Shu glanced at him and recognized him as Chu Shanhe, who had scored full marks in all three rounds.
She looked him over carefully: "His appearance is not bad, and his archery is passable, but his official rank is a bit low..."
To be honest, there are almost no people who can reach a high position at this age, let alone military officers in the Great Xia Dynasty, where promotion is even more difficult.
Jiang Ru chuckled and said, "His low official rank doesn't affect you..."
Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered what Song Shu had said about an ideal husband, and her expression became slightly strange: "What did you mean by that just now?"
Song Shu pursed her lips and said with distress, "My great-grandfather told me to take this opportunity to see if there is anyone I like. I'm not young anymore, and it's time to arrange a marriage."
Jiang Ru was shocked: "You're only a few years old and you're already engaged?"
If she remembered correctly, Song Shu was only eighteen.
Song Shu frowned: "I'm eighteen. At this age, most girls would be engaged long ago, even if they weren't married yet."
Jiang Ru's expression froze. Song Shu's age would be equivalent to just finishing the college entrance exam in modern times. What's the rush?
Jiang Ru asked, "So, do you want to get married?"
Song Shu nodded and then shook her head. She sighed, "I want to get married, but I don't want to. I always feel that I can still do a lot for my great-grandfather, and I don't want to leave him."
"I understand," Jiang Ru thought for a moment and said, "Don't rush things. Maybe you'll meet your Mr. Right someday. You should get to know him better first. If you rush into marriage, your future might not be so easy."
"Haven't you ever had a crush on anyone? You have to choose someone you like, right?" Jiang Ru said.
Speaking of this, Song Shu hesitated, "Yes, there are, but..."
Jiang Ru: "But what?"
Song Shu lowered her eyes: "Let's not talk about it for now."
It was obvious that she had some girlish thoughts on her mind, and the person in her heart was someone she couldn't talk about. Jiang Ru gave her a meaningful look: "I thought you didn't have those thoughts, but it turns out you already have someone in your heart."
Song Shu blushed slightly, tacitly agreeing. But seeing Jiang Ru's gloating expression, she couldn't help but retort, "And what about you? Don't you have someone you like?"
Jiang Ru really didn't. All she wanted to do now was live a good life, and she was content as long as Pei Wu was there.
She naturally spoke to Song Shu according to her own ideas. After hearing her words, Song Shu looked at her strangely: "Then you'll spend the rest of your life with your cousin?"
It's hard to say for sure, whether she can even live that long is a question. Jiang Ru pondered and said, "We'll see, if we can keep living."
She didn't think Pei Wu would ever get married. After all, she was already twenty-five in her previous life and had never heard of the Regent Prince marrying. He had always been a lonely man.
Now that he has her in this life, Pei Wu has gained a cousin, so he's no longer a lonely man.
Song Shu's expression went blank for a moment before she couldn't help but say, "If you keep clinging to your cousin like this, what will he do when he gets married? Even if you are cousins, his wife's family will definitely kick you out if they don't tolerate you."
Jiang Ru replied without hesitation, "No way."
Song Shu: "Are you saying he won't kick you out, or that he won't get married?"
Jiang Ru declared confidently, "Of course I won't get married."
"What if you actually marry him?"
Jiang Ru, having experienced things in her previous life, knew that Pei Wu wouldn't get married before the age of twenty-five, so she vaguely said, "Anyway, he won't get married before he's twenty-five."
"What if he's over twenty-five?" Song Shu pressed on.
Jiang Ru: "..."
She had never really thought about this question, and the thought of Pei Wu possibly getting married made her very uncomfortable, as if her carefully laid plans had been disrupted. It wasn't that she disliked the person who might appear, but mainly that she hadn't considered how to accept this possibility.
But after Song Shu said that, Jiang Ru felt a pang of unease at the thought of that possibility. She remained silent for a moment and then said, "We'll see when the time comes."
Seeing that Jiang Ru had no plans for herself, Song Shu originally wanted to say a few sarcastic words, but seeing that Jiang Ru was not happy, she said, "It's okay. If your cousin treats you badly, I will ask my great-grandfather to take you as his adopted granddaughter. From now on, you will be a member of the Song family."
Jiang Ru forced a smile and said, "Thank you so much."
She didn't want to be included in the Song family genealogy; she still wanted to be surnamed Jiang.
During the conversation, the ministers on both sides exchanged ideas and composed poems on the spot.
Pei Wu was pushed forward by Song Pingzhang, and Jiang Ru quickly nudged Song Shu, saying, "Look, it's my cousin."
Song Shu glared at her, annoyed. Her opinion of Pei Wu was the same as that of her great-grandfather, Song Pingzhang. She knew that Pei Wu was talented, but he was an unapproachable person. No matter what, he always had a sense of distance from others. Even though he didn't show it, that's how she felt.
It's strange that such a cold and aloof person cherishes his cousin so much.
Pei Wu, needless to say, is a first-rate poet, but the voice over there was too soft and Jiang Ru couldn't hear him clearly. She looked a little regretful and said, "It's still too far away."
The surrounding Xia officials were making a fuss, but Pei Wu calmly nodded to them and was about to retreat.
However, at this moment, Zhao Tuo stepped forward. Ever since the archery competition, he had been resentful of his envoy's failure, and now that he saw the Great Xia in the limelight again, he felt dissatisfied.
He stepped forward and said, "Lord Pei's literary talent is exceptional, but I wonder how the civil officials of Great Xia are in horsemanship and archery?"
Pei Wu raised his eyes slightly, knowing what Zhao Tuo meant, and simply said, "Since I am a civil official, my horsemanship and archery skills are naturally inferior to those of you military generals."
Zhao Tuo's sudden words startled the envoys beside him, who knew that their ancestor was up to something again. However, they had just suffered a crushing defeat, and even if Zhao Tuo wanted to compete again, he shouldn't have chosen Pei Wu.
Since Pei Wu was a civil official, if he won, it would be an unfair victory for Zhao Tuo; if he lost, he would be considered a useless person from the South who couldn't even defeat a civil official.
In any case, it's the South that's lost face.
Even the people outside the fence couldn't help but boo, mocking Zhao Tuo for his lack of vision.
Zhao Tuo asked this question not only to avenge yesterday's grievances, but also to dampen Pei Wu's arrogance.
Song Pingzhang quickly stopped him: "Your Highness, the previous competition has already ended..."
Zhao Tuo interrupted him, saying, "I just find Lord Pei pleasing to the eye and would like to exchange some pointers with him. It's not a competition."
Although it's not called a competition, once you step onto the stage, it's considered a competition.
Everyone around fell silent, worried for Pei Wu. Pei Wu raised his eyes and said calmly, "I think Your Highness is very approachable. There's no need for a sparring match. If Your Highness is interested, then I will naturally accompany you."
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Author's Note: I'm late! Could I please get lots of water (comforting comments)? [pleading]
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