Emperor Zhaowu asked, "Is your father well?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My father has had a relapse of his old illness, but it has gotten much better with the recent warm weather."

"What is this old illness? Is it serious?"

"These are injuries sustained over the years, nothing serious for now."

Emperor Zhaowu said "Oh" and coughed lightly, "Prince Jingyuan has guarded the border for thirty years and has devoted himself to his work. He is the most meritorious minister of Dasheng. I hope he takes good care of himself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will pass this message on to my father."

Emperor Zhaowu asked again, "I heard that you were not feeling well in recent days due to the fatigue of the journey. Are you feeling better now?" The fact that Feng Ye refused to let the visitor in naturally could not be hidden from the emperor's eyes and ears.

Feng Ye didn't even twitch his eyebrows: "Your Majesty, I am much better now."

"Is it much better, or is it cured?" Emperor Zhaowu leaned forward slightly and squinted his eyes, trying to see the expression on Feng Ye's face clearly.

Feng Ye thought for a moment and said, "...Okay."

"Okay, that's good. My Lord, I heard that you followed your father to the battlefield when you were eleven years old, and you have outstanding martial arts and extraordinary courage. I also heard... uh... I heard that you can use a one-stone spear and a two-stone bow. Is it true?"

Feng Ye bowed and said, "I dare not lie, it is true."

There was noise all around.

An average adult man weighs less than a stone. It is really shocking that this young prince, who is so young, dares to make such a bold statement.

"Impossible." A rough voice sounded, and a burly man with a full beard came out and clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I am rude. I don't believe it."

"Hahaha." Emperor Zhaowu pointed at the man and said, "Feng Ye, this General Chang Shichang is the strongest man in the capital. The bow he uses is usually impossible for anyone to pull. Do you dare to give it a try?"

Feng Ye glanced at Chang Shi, his eyebrows showing a calm arrogance: "Why not?"

Chang Shi snorted and shouted, "Bring me my bow."

Liang Sui grabbed Yan Sikong's sleeve excitedly: "Sikong, do you think the young master can pull it off? He...he is only half as thin as General Chang."

Yan Sikong said: "If I can't open it, it's just a loss of face, what's the big deal."

"Hey, do you think he is someone who can afford to lose face?"

Yan Sikong stared at Feng Ye. Ten years had passed, and this man was only more arrogant than when he was young, but not as lovable as he was back then. He actually hoped that Feng Ye could "lose some face". He would be taught a lesson sooner or later for being so arrogant.

Changshi's bow is a circle larger than an ordinary bow. The bow body is black and as thick as a python. Even if it is not used as a bow, but as a crooked stick, if it is really used to hit someone, it will probably cause a bloody head.

Chang Shi called two soldiers over and said, "You two try this bow, don't let people accuse me of fooling everyone."

The two men looked at each other, and one of them had to hold the bow while the other tried to pull the bowstring. However, he held the string with both hands, his whole body leaned back, his face flushed from holding his breath, and the bowstring was only slightly stretched, as if there was an invisible force sucking it inwards, and no matter what he did, he couldn't pull it open.

The soldier clasped his hands and said, "General Chang, we really can't pull them apart."

"Back off."

The corners of Feng Ye's mouth trembled slightly, with a mocking look on his face.

Chang Shi took the bow, let out a low cry, bent his waist slightly, and pulled the bowstring hard. The muscles in his arms bulged as if their clothes would be torn immediately. He stood up, aimed at the target in the distance, and shot an arrow.

Just by listening to the sound of the arrow breaking through the wind as it leaves the bowstring, one can imagine the power of this arrow. It hits the vertical pole of the target head-on and breaks the entire target in half.

Shouts broke out from all around: "Good!"

"Awesome!" Everyone applauded.

Yan Sikong clapped his hands and couldn't help but say "stupid" in his heart.

Chang Shi took a deep breath, looked pleased, and turned to Emperor Zhaowu to claim credit: "Your Majesty, I have done an ugly job."

Emperor Zhaowu said happily: "General Chang is indeed a brave general of our Great Sheng. Come here and give him a reward of 100 taels of silver."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone on the field looked at Feng Ye.

Chang Shi was famous for his strength like an ox. Apart from him, no one else could wield this bow. Although Feng Ye was tall and strong, he still had the thinness of a teenager. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't look like he could pull this two-stone crossbow.

Feng Ye walked over, and his elderly attendant followed behind him, put on the hand guard for him, and then quietly stepped aside.

Feng Ye took the bow, weighed it in his hand, and smiled.

Yan Sikong couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Like most people present, he didn't believe that Feng Ye could really pull the bow.

Feng Ye suddenly raised the bow high and thrust it into the ground with force. The small piece of wooden handle sticking out of the bow was inserted into the soil, and the bow just "stood up" like that.

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

Feng Ye raised one of his long legs and stepped on the bow. He grasped the string with both hands, leaned back, shouted softly, and pulled the two-stone bow with force!

"This...is this considered a foul?" Liang Sui muttered softly.

Yan Sikong had a smile on his face that he himself didn't even notice: "Since it's pulled apart, how can it be considered a foul?"

The bowstring is drawn tightly, and the arrow flies out like lightning!

In an instant, everyone's heads turned and looked at the target.

The arrow actually pierced through my heart!

The scene was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Feng Ye put down his bow, clapped his hands, and said, "A villager can carry a big stone, but no one can carry a stone to kill the enemy. If the arrow does not kill the enemy, what is the use of a heavy bow?"

Chang Shi's face suddenly turned red.

Yan Sikong frowned slightly.

There was a moment of silence, followed by thunderous applause.

Emperor Zhaowu also came to his senses and looked towards the audience in a somewhat bewildered manner.

Yan Sikong followed his gaze and saw Xie Zhongren giving the emperor a soothing gesture. He became alert. It seemed that Yan Zilian was right. Today they were deliberately trying to intimidate Feng Ye, and they were afraid that this was not the end.

A young eunuch ran up to the stage and whispered something in Emperor Zhaowu's ear. The emperor smiled and calmed down: "My dear, you are truly a hero in your youth. It's incredible that the Feng family army will have successors."

Feng Ye said respectfully, "I don't deserve it."

"Since you really pulled the bow, I will reward you greatly." Emperor Zhaowu clapped his hands, "Come here, bring the horse that General Di brought as a tribute."

"yes."

"Feng Ye, I recently captured a horse, a fierce horse." Emperor Zhaowu pretended to be mysterious. "This horse is the king of horses on the Tianshan grassland. General Di personally led a hundred elite riders and surrounded it for three days and three nights before capturing it. It is said that this horse can travel a thousand miles a day without stopping. It is worth a ton of gold. A good horse should be paired with a good general. This horse has an extremely explosive temperament. So far, no one has been able to ride it. If you tame it today, it will be yours!"

Feng Ye's eyes lit up and he became interested.

After a while, a clear neighing and the sound of hooves were heard coming from a distance.

Everyone leaned over to look, and saw a proud and handsome horse coming towards them. It was red like cinnabar and flames, with shining fur and flying long mane. Its shiny fur covered its knotty muscles. At first glance, it looked more like a beast than a horse, and it took three men to hold it down.

Everyone praised it: "What a good horse! You can tell it's a top-notch horse at first glance."

Yan Sikong was even more fascinated. In the past ten years, he had only survived starvation thanks to his horse-raising skills. His love for good horses was no less than any other military general. This horse was undoubtedly the best horse he had ever seen.

The horse was tied to the tying stone.

Feng Ye's eyes were filled with surprise as he slowly walked around it. Its huge nostrils flapped vigorously and its four hooves tumbled impatiently, ready to kick anyone in front of it to death at any time.

Feng Ye asked, "Your Majesty, does this horse have a name?"

"It has no owner and no name."

Feng Ye showed a determined smile: "Then I must think of a good name for it."

Yan Sikong, with his experience of raising horses for more than ten years, concluded that this horse could not be tamed by one person. It was not a domesticated horse, but a wild horse, just like a lion on the grassland, a fierce beast. The horse was not even saddled, and if Feng Ye fell off the horse, it would be embarrassing, but he might even lose his life.

Yan Sikong glanced at Emperor Zhaowu and Xie Zhongren with vicious eyes. Do they... want to kill Feng Ye?

He stood up suddenly.

Liang Sui grabbed him and said, "Sikong, what are you doing? This is going to be a good show."

Yan Sikong waved his hand and said, "I really can't hold it any longer. I'll be back soon."

"You, you, hurry up."

Yan Sikong hunched over and left his seat. Fortunately, they were sitting far away from the main seat, so Feng Ye didn't notice him. He walked around the people who were sitting or standing and ran towards someone.

"Old man." Yan Sikong patted the man gently on the back.

The man was startled and turned around. He was Feng Ye's attendant. He was unsure of Yan Sikong's identity, so he asked, "What do you want, sir?"

Yan Sikong asked politely, "Can I have a word with you?"

He thought for a moment and left the crowd: "Sir, please speak."

"How do you address me?"

"My surname is Xue."

Yan Sikong said quickly: "Uncle Xue, please be sure to tell His Royal Highness that first, don't force it, first irritate the horse and consume its strength, second, don't mount the horse from behind, but when it raises its hooves, get under its armpits and hug its neck..."

Xue Bo stared blankly at the handsome young man in front of him, not knowing what to say.

"The third one is the most important. You must remember it clearly. Your Highness should take off your shoes and use your toes to find the horse's last rib. Then kick it hard under the ribs, which is similar to the Zhongwan point in humans. The horse will feel great pain. As long as Your Highness can endure it on the horse, it will definitely give in."

Xue Bo was stunned: "Ah... this..."

Yan Sikong looked sternly: "Did you remember it?"

Xue Bo was shocked by Yan Sikong's aura and nodded repeatedly.

"Go quickly."

"May I ask, Your Excellency, what is it?"

“Go quickly!”

"Yes, yes." Xue Bo ran towards Feng Ye who was waiting for an opportunity to mount his horse.

Yan Sikong hid in the crowd and watched quietly. Whether Feng Ye could subdue the horse depended on how long he could stay on the horse without being thrown off.

Xue Bo stood on tiptoe and spoke something into Feng Ye's ear. Feng Ye frowned suspiciously and looked towards the place where Xue Bo had just stood, but didn't see anyone, so he nodded.

Everyone was also talking a lot, waiting for Feng Ye to mount his horse.

Feng Ye was no longer in a hurry to mount the horse, but continued to circle around the horse. The horse was provoked and became furious, but its neck was tied and it could not reach Feng Ye.

The stalemate lasted for a whole incense stick, and then someone started to make a noise: "Prince, don't wait until the sun sets!"

"Is the prince afraid?"

"Prince, get on the horse quickly."

Feng Ye frowned.

Yan Sikong muttered in his heart: "Wait a little longer, wait a little longer..."

Feng Ye squatted down and took off his shoes.

Yan Sikong sighed, his temper was still so impulsive.

This action was quite puzzling. Before we could see clearly what Feng Ye was going to do, we saw him jump up on the spot and rush towards the horse like an arrow.

The horse let out a long roar, and its long and powerful hooves left the ground and kicked towards Feng Ye.

This huge horse hoof can undoubtedly send someone to see King Yan in one go.

Feng Ye, however, was like an eagle skimming over the water. He crouched low and slid along the grass, dodging the horse's hooves beautifully. Then he stepped forward, leaped forward, hugged the horse's neck with both arms, and straddled the horse with his long legs. In a flash, he was already on the horse.

The audience gasped.

Yan Sikong couldn't help but smile, thinking of how Feng Ye had to step on two stirrups to get on a horse when he was a child. He was completely different from the young general who was as agile as a wolf now.

After getting on the horse, the challenge officially began. The horse really went crazy and jumped on the spot, trying to throw Feng Ye off its back.

Feng Ye grabbed the horse's mane tightly, clamped his thighs tightly around the horse's belly, and tried hard to find the horse's ribs with his toes.

The horse kept struggling, and it was difficult for Feng Ye to keep his body steady. He gave up several times. He gritted his teeth and stubbornly counted his ribs.

One, one, the last!

Feng Ye's eyes flashed with shrewdness and he kicked him hard in the ribs.

As expected, the horse's body trembled violently and a painful hiss came from its throat. Feng Ye had no time to be happy because the horse was completely enraged and jumped even more wildly. Feng Ye's teeth collided up and down and bit its tongue, and his mouth was immediately full of blood.

Feng Ye knew clearly in his heart that if he was thrown off like this, he would be crippled at the mercy of the beast, if not killed. He had no choice but to tame this fierce beast!

The horse continued to struggle fiercely, but Feng Ye gritted his teeth and kicked the acupuncture point hard, again and again.

Yan Sikong clenched his fists, his mouth was dry, and his eyes were bloodshot.

The people on the field watched with such a loud breath that they dared not breathe. They saw Feng Ye's face covered with sweat, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, his face was extremely ferocious, and his eyes seemed to be glowing with green light. They clearly saw a wolf pounce on the horse's back!

This silent contest lasted for a whole incense stick of time. The horse's struggle finally slowed down and it was obvious that it was tired.

Feng Ye did not dare to take it lightly and remained firmly on his horse.

Finally, gradually, the horse stopped struggling, its four hooves stood firmly, its head dropped, and it surrendered.

Feng Ye let out a long breath, all the strength drained out of his body, his limbs went limp, and he lay on the horse's back, almost unable to move.

This time, no one shouted or applauded. They felt as if they were watching a ferocious fight between wild beasts and could not come back to their senses at all. The words "close the wilderness" had already been engraved in everyone's eyes.

Yan Sikong breathed a sigh of relief and slowly left the crowd.

Emperor Zhaowu had no choice but to give the horse to Feng Ye. He probably didn't want to continue "testing" Feng Ye's abilities, so he announced the start of the spring hunt and ordered his princes to set out to hunt.

Although Feng Ye was exhausted, he had just gotten a precious horse and was very interested. He spat out the blood in his mouth, saddled the horse himself, and rode it to go hunting.

Yan Sikong watched Feng Ye's gusty figure leave, smiled faintly, turned around and left.