Chapter 63 (Chapter 63) Lead Me
Pei Wu's gaze wasn't obvious, but for him, even a slight sideways glance was enough to reveal its meaning.
Unfortunately, Jiang Ru was extremely sensitive to Pei Wu's gaze, to an almost eerie degree; she could sense it the moment Pei Wu looked over.
Before Jiang Ru could figure out why he was looking over, Song Shu said, "Your cousin and he fought to a draw."
"Huh?" Jiang Ru asked in surprise, "They didn't win?"
Hearing the people's cheers, she thought Pei Wu had won. Everyone was calling him the top scholar, even though it had been a year since Pei Wu was the top scholar.
Song Shu explained, "His last arrow missed."
Jiang Ru replied without hesitation, "That must be to give way to the Southern Kingdom."
Song Shu: "You blindly follow your cousin."
Jiang Ru shook her finger: "You don't understand. No matter what, Zhao Tuo is a prince. My cousin shouldn't have won against him. The last arrow must have been deliberately shot astray. That's the style of a great nation."
There was some truth to it, and Song Shu actually started to believe it.
Jiang Ru added, "If you don't believe me, go back and ask your great-grandfather. He will definitely say the same thing, and it's very likely that's what he meant."
Song Shu was completely convinced this time. Looking at the people below the field, she couldn't help but say, "Your cousin is a civil official, but his archery skills are quite good."
Jiang Ru said, "His teacher taught him when he was in the academy."
Jiang Ru only found out recently that when Pei Wu was in the academy, the teacher specially arranged for someone to teach him archery and horseback riding, so Pei Wu wasn't exactly without a foundation.
Perhaps because he had practiced a little, he grew very tall at the age of twelve, but later his family had a misfortune and he had no money, so he gave up.
As they were talking, the competitions on both sides were almost over. The generals who had participated in the archery had all been rewarded and paraded through the long street surrounded by the people, who came forward to offer their congratulations and poems.
In the evening, the imperial court would host a banquet for the envoys from the southern kingdoms, and they would go to the banquet after leaving the venue.
Everyone was overjoyed, but Zhao Tuo's expression was not good. Although it was called a draw, no one really thought it was a draw. He couldn't even beat Pei Wu, a civil official, so such a draw was no different from a loss.
Especially when he personally went to see the two deerskins, he discovered that Pei Wu's last arrow had hit the exact same spot as his first arrow.
The chances of such a coincidence are almost zero, so it must have been intentional; he was deliberately trying to humiliate Zhao Tuo.
The Southern envoys following behind him also witnessed this scene. They all knew that Zhao Tuo had made a fool of himself. They exchanged glances, the meaning of which only they knew: Pei Wu was deliberately letting him win.
However, it must be said that Pei Wu's actions did make them lose face, but not too much. If the prince had provoked them and lost, they might as well skip the banquet in the Southern Kingdom that night and go home directly.
Seeing that Zhao Tuo was getting increasingly annoyed, the deputy envoy reminded him in time, bowing and saying, "Please go first, Your Highness."
Zhao Tuo glared at him angrily, then turned and left. But before leaving, he glanced at the distant buildings and gritted his teeth at the windows.
Pei Wu also had to attend the banquet that evening. Jiang Ru and Song Shu went home after watching the festivities. The banquet went on very late, and she couldn't wait for Pei Wu.
The moon was bright and the stars were few. Amidst the clinking of cups and the exchange of toasts, the contest between the two countries came to a temporary end. The atmosphere was relatively harmonious until the officials were drunk and their jade cups were empty, at which point the banquet gradually dispersed.
Pei Wu was with Song Pingzhang, and when they left the banquet, Song Pingzhang specially ordered a sedan chair from the Song family to escort him.
Hearing a noise outside the door, Jiang Ru ran out to greet him.
Although Pei Wu's steps were steady, he was still somewhat drunk, his eyes were glazed and he looked a little dazed. Behind him, a servant was leading a tall, fine horse.
The horse was almost as tall as Jiang Ru, with a long neck; Jiang Ru even had to crane her neck to see its head. She looked at Pei Wu, then at the horse, and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you bring it back?"
Pei Wu explained, "This is the reward I received for shooting arrows today."
He gave her some gold, silver, and jade, as well as this horse; the reward was quite generous. Jiang Ru looked into the horse's large, bulbous eyes and couldn't help but ask, "What's its name?"
Pei Wu: "Treading on snow."
Pei Wu had been drinking again today, and he smelled slightly of alcohol, though not unpleasantly. Jiang Ru noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed and waved her hand in front of his eyes, saying, "Are you still sober?"
Pei Wu nodded: "It's alright."
After the servants saw Pei Wu off, they returned home. Jiang Ru and Pei Wu stood at the side gate. Xiao Fang was about to lead the horse back when Pei Wu stopped him. He looked at Jiang Ru seriously and asked, "Do you want to ride a horse?"
Jiang Ru's eyes lit up: "Is that okay?"
After asking the question, she realized there was no suitable venue and it was already night, so she said, "Let's talk about it when we have time. It's not a good time now."
Perhaps because he was drunk, Pei Wu was being a bit reckless: "Sure, I'll hold your hand."
Jiang Ru was still hesitant, but when Ta Xue lowered her head and nuzzled her, her heart melted instantly: "Then I'll give it a try."
The horse was too tall for Jiang Ru; she could only climb on a stool, and with Pei Wu's help, she managed to get on. Then, she blankly scratched Ta Xue's mane: "What do I need to do now?"
Pei Wu pulled on Ta Xue's reins and said, "Just sit tight, I'll lead you."
Perhaps knowing that Jiang Ru was timid, Ta Xue walked very slowly. The night was very quiet, and the sound of Ta Xue's horse hooves was faint. Jiang Ru's tense body gradually relaxed a little. Pei Wu led Ta Xue and slowly led her around in a small circle.
The cool moonlight cast a long shadow of Pei Wu, whose figure was elegant and gentle. Jiang Ru looked down at him and could see his slightly reddened ears.
Ta Xue was extremely docile, not making a sound. The three figures circled around and then returned. Jiang Ru, still excited, remembered what had happened during the day and asked Pei Wu, "Were you deliberately letting Zhao Tuo win today?"
After taking two more steps, Pei Wu replied, "Yes."
Jiang Ru knew this was how things were, and smiled knowingly: "I knew you were deliberately letting him win."
Pei Wu shook his head: "No."
He looked up, and the moonlight, like ripples on a lake, gently rolled into Pei Wu's eyes. His eyes held the winding moonlight, like shallow lake water. He said earnestly, "It's not what I meant. I want to beat him because I hate him, but Song Pingzhang won't let me win."
Jiang Ru: "..."
You could tell he was very dissatisfied; he was already addressing Song Pingzhang by his full name.
Jiang Ru suppressed a laugh: "How is he annoying?"
Logically, Song Pingzhang should dislike him more, since he was even eyeing Song Pingzhang's granddaughter.
Pei Wu paused for a moment, then said, "He deliberately tried to make me shoot arrows at your windows today. Shameless."
No wonder Pei Wu is still holding a grudge. It turns out he knew where she was, which is why he deliberately looked over. Jiang Ru was silent for a moment: "So you deliberately looked at me today."
There was nothing to hide, Pei Wu admitted: "I was afraid you would think I was useless, that I couldn't even beat him."
Jiang Ru: "How could that be? My cousin is the best."
She started praising him without thinking, and Pei Wu took it seriously. He looked up and stared at Jiang Ru for a long time. Jiang Ru felt a little uncomfortable: "What are you doing?"
Pei Wu raised a slight smile: "Thank you for the compliment, cousin."
It was already outrageous enough that the two of them were riding horses for a walk in the middle of the night, but now they were gazing at each other affectionately and talking. The four people on the other end shuddered. Xiao Zhu asked, "Are you and your wife possessed?"
Xiao Fang was confused: "Why haven't we finished riding yet? I want to ride a horse too!"
Xiao Chen chimed in, "I want to ride a horse too."
Xia: "I want to too."
Xiaozhu looked at everyone and said, "I'd like to too."
Xiao Fang: "Then I'll hold your hand and you hold mine later."
Finally, Jiang Ru and Pei Wu returned.
Jiang Ru couldn't jump off the horse and still had to step on a chair to get down. She tentatively stretched out her foot, and Xia was about to help her, but Pei Wu reached out his hand first.
Perhaps he was drunk, he opened his palm to Jiang Ru, forgetting all manners. Jiang Ru took his hand and held it tightly before jumping off her horse.
Then, Xia and the others rushed forward and dragged Taxue to ride horses. Taxue snorted twice in dissatisfaction, but no one paid any attention.
The warmth and softness of his palm still lingered. Pei Wu stood there, frowning and clenching his hand. His head was a little dizzy and a little sore. He felt like he should grasp something, but he couldn't grasp anything at all.
He had used up the last of his conscious will to walk with Jiang Ru just now, and he had no other thoughts left to think about.
He stood there, stunned. Jiang Ru took two quick steps and turned back to call out to him, "What are you doing standing there? Drink some hangover soup and go to sleep."
Pei Wu stopped thinking about it, said "Oh," and followed Jiang Ru.
Logically, once all the procedures were completed, the envoy from the Southern Kingdom should have returned by the same route. However, due to a problem with the return gifts from the Ministry of Rites, the envoy from the Southern Kingdom would stay in the capital for a while longer.
This made things even more convenient for Zhao Tuo. He had originally planned to find some other reason to stay in the capital, but now that he was feeling sleepy, this was just the right opportunity to fulfill his wish.
Upon receiving the news, Jiang Ru immediately sent a message to Song Shu, telling her not to go out for the next few days, as Zhao Tuo would definitely try every means to run into her.
To keep Song Shu from being lonely, Jiang Ru went to the Song residence to keep her company. The two looked at the flowers and chatted, and the day passed quickly.
As evening fell, Jiang Ru bid farewell to Song Shu and went home. Pei Wu had just hired two strong men that day, and having learned from the previous incident, these two men would accompany Jiang Ru to protect her.
Jiang Ru didn't want to go at first, but when Zhao Tuo blocked her way, she realized Pei Wu's good intentions and how farsighted he was.
Zhao Tuo's opening remarks were calculating: "Young Lady Jiang, you just returned from the Song residence."
Jiang Ru's alarm bells rang, realizing that Zhao Tuo harbored ill intentions. She gave him a wary look and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Tuo gave a forced smile: "I'm just asking. I've met Miss Jiang twice before, and today makes it three times."
He dares to bring that up? Why didn't he mention when he almost shot Jiang Ru with an arrow?
Jiang Ru rolled her eyes: "Oh, but I don't want to be destined to be with you."
After she finished speaking, she gave a wink to the strong men beside her, indicating that she was about to leave. The two strong men immediately stepped forward to stop Zhao Tuo, but Zhao Tuo spoke again: "Miss Jiang, I came here today to see you."
Jiang Ru didn't care who he was looking for and continued walking forward.
However, Zhao Tuo raised his voice: "I wanted to ask, is Miss Jiang married?"
Jiang Ru stopped abruptly, turning back with a look of incredulity and utter disbelief.
Has Zhao Tuo gone mad? He just finished harassing Song Shu, and now he's harassing her instead.
Jiang Ru even had the urge to slap Zhao Tuo twice. If Zhao Tuo wasn't considered too brain-dead in the past, now he was truly out of his mind.
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Author's Note: There will be a second update later.
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