Chapter 37
◎You must be incredibly happy inside, right?◎
Once the hall quieted down, the emperor pointed at Xie Yutang from afar: "To have a basket of goose feathers shot at in the first round, only a girl like you could come up with something like that. I want to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."
These words struck a chord with the people. The ministers in the hall stopped eating their melon seeds and eagerly awaited Xie Yutang's question, like badger waiting to be fed.
Xie Yutang returned a bright smile, flicked his long sleeves, and pointed outside the hall: "The arrangements for the second round are outside. Please, Father, Mother, and all the officials, move over there."
Her voice was clear and sweet without being cloying. It resonated from her dantian, as if it were right next to everyone's ears. There was no need for eunuchs and servants to relay the message. This one voice alone was enough to show the depth of her inner strength, which made several generals from the Northern Rong turn their heads.
The decorations outside the Linde Hall were personally designed by Xie Yutang and the Ministry of Rites. Lanterns of various sizes and shapes were hung high on the eaves and roof ridges, turning the palace into a city that never sleeps.
Especially the palace road connecting the two palace gates on the central ridge, Xie Yutang specially ordered people to set up a row of lanterns, with lanterns extending from Linde Hall all the way to Taihe Gate. A giant palace lantern hung high in the center of the city gate. Standing in front of Linde Hall and looking out, it looked like a giant dragon soaring into the sky, which was very impressive.
The delegation members were all amazed when they passed by. When Tuoba Xiu entered the palace, he even mentioned the giant lantern dragon to the emperor.
Now, following Xie Yutang's instructions, the guards left only the lights on both sides of the palace road on, and extinguished all the other lanterns.
Xie Yutang personally helped the emperor to stand before the steps, and then spoke amidst the eager gazes of the crowd: "The second round—lighting lamps with arrows, the one with the brightest lamp wins."
The crowd had already guessed what was going on, and after hearing Xie Yutang announce the exam questions, they nodded thoughtfully, with several military officers showing their approval.
Shooting goose feathers was a test of skill and control over the arrow, while lighting a lamp with an arrow is both easier and more difficult than the former.
The ease lies in the skill involved; even a seasoned archer, let alone top experts like Su Lu and A Shan, could do it, the only difference being accuracy. But that's precisely where the difficulty lies—since everyone can light the lamp, the key to this competition is how to make it the "brightest."
After the first round, Ah Shan dared not be careless at all. After thinking for a while, he asked Xie Yutang, "Can we use equipment?"
Xie Yutang had anticipated this and had already instructed his servants to prepare anything that might be needed. At this moment, he presented a document: "Of course, as long as it does not violate the requirements of the question, you two are free to use your talents. If anything you need is not available here, we will do our best to cooperate."
In other words, this question has a much higher degree of freedom. The requirement is very simple: the lamp only needs to be lit by an arrow. As for the method or the tool used to assist, it doesn't matter at all.
Just as Ashan was about to examine the items that had been presented, someone among the officials of Da Yan shouted, "General Ashan made the first move; isn't it our turn now?"
Ah Shan paused as he reached for the tools, looking somewhat embarrassed.
It's obvious to everyone that the person who lights the lamp first has the advantage.
There are countless lamps outside the hall, but even a person who isn't blind can see the brightest one.
Looking along the Linde Hall gate, the central ridgeline extends southward, and the giant palace lantern hanging in the center of the Taihe Gate is clearly the largest and brightest one.
It's obvious that whoever grabs that lantern will win the second round.
This second round was less about the brightness of the lights and more about who could grab the right to light up first.
Ah Shan wasn't embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed. A master of his caliber couldn't be achieved through brute force alone; one's temperament and comprehension must also be top-notch. Hearing this, he said frankly, "Since it's a competition, everyone naturally wants to win. For me, every round is a new beginning, and I must give it my all and compete fairly. If I were to back down in this round just because I shot a few arrows first in the previous round, it would not only be unfair but also disrespectful to Prince Su. I imagine that if Prince Su won the competition because of this, he would also feel ashamed."
That's quite a compliment.
Ah Shan spoke these words without batting an eye, while the old minister of Da Yan who had just angrily denounced Xie Yutang for promoting his "male favorite" to power was so angry that his beard trembled. He pointed at him and stammered "you, you, you" for a long time, unable to think of any other word besides "soliciting nonsense."
"General Ashan is right."
Everyone was stunned and turned their heads to look. They didn't expect that the person who spoke up for him was Su Lu.
After Zi Na's superb archery skills, piercing several birds with a single arrow, no one dared to associate him with frivolous words like "using his looks to please others." This even aroused the secret sympathy of some newly entered officials, who imagined hundreds of thousands of words of melodramatic stories. In these stories, Xie Yutang was a licentious and ruthless imposter princess, while Su Shizi was the son of a general who endured humiliation and remained loyal. The noble young prince was ruthlessly crushed into the mud by fate, enduring the princess's torment while working hard to improve his martial arts skills. Even after suffering all kinds of humiliation, he never lost his sincerity and was always ready to serve the Great Yan.
How could such a scene not be deeply moving!
The purists imagined things so realistically that when he stepped in to smooth things over, they all felt that this young master Su had really suffered too much injustice, so much so that their eyes looked at him with a touch of pity.
Su Lu lowered his eyelashes. Although his expression didn't change, it inexplicably made people feel colder: "The general needs time to prepare, and so do I. Why don't we start preparing together? The one who is ready first can start, how about that?"
Ashan was taken aback when Su Lu didn't seize the opportunity to fight for his own interests. He gave him a deep look and said, "What you say is exactly what I was thinking."
Xie Yutang nodded: "In that case, let's do as Young Master Su says and begin preparations now."
Ashan had already examined all the presented items without picking any out. He then called over a person from the Northern Rong delegation and whispered a few instructions to him. The person nodded and left.
Ah Shan then gave Xie Yutang a perfunctory fist salute: "Your Highness has not prepared anything to my liking. May I prepare something myself?"
The officials of Da Yan who were watching around did not look too good.
This clearly shows a lack of trust in Da Yan.
Moreover, he only spoke after giving the instructions, clearly showing he didn't respect the person.
Xie Yutang, with his good manners, didn't mind at all: "Of course."
After a moment of stunned silence, everyone slowly came to their senses. If the Northern Rong had lost the match using their own equipment, then there would be nothing more to say.
But will the opponent lose so easily this time?
At the same moment, Song Zhen, the deputy in charge, tactfully asked Qing Sulu what he needed to prepare, and without wasting a word, he immediately ran off to prepare it. As the deputy in charge, he was naturally much more efficient than others. Several senior officials in the hall nodded in approval, thinking that this young man was indeed good at handling things.
Although those who remained inside the hall remained silent, they all secretly hoped that their own people would finish preparing first, and they all kept a close eye on the connecting corridors at both ends of the hall.
Soon, a figure appeared under the eaves.
A moment later, the Northern Rong delegation showed joy, while the officials of Dayan could not hide their disappointment.
The first to return were the Northern Rong people, carrying a quiver of arrows.
The quiver was made of camel hump and engraved with intricate patterns of the Northern Rong royal family. It was said to be a reward bestowed upon Ashan by the Northern Rong king after a great victory. The arrows in the iron quiver were made of fine iron, and the arrowheads were hand-polished by the best craftsmen of the Northern Rong, making them extremely sharp. Each arrow was marked.
Ah Shan treasures it so much, the fact that he took it out today means he's really serious.
But everyone's attention was not on the sword sheath, but on the iron bucket the man was carrying.
This iron bucket looks ordinary, could there be some special mechanism inside?
Just as everyone was about to take a closer look after Ah Shan lifting the bucket, Song Zhen led his men back along the east corridor at a jog.
The officials of Da Yan perked up and all looked at Su Lu. Although they were a little slower, they weren't far behind. As long as they could get there before the Northern Rong—
With a sizzle, Ashan hung the iron bucket on the arrow and loudly clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd: "I am ready, let's begin now."
...
The ministers of Da Yan were stunned. While cursing A Shan in their hearts, they looked at Su Lu with even more eager eyes, wishing they could take the package for him and start working without saying a word. The Northern Rong delegation stared at Su Lu warily, afraid that he would use tricks to trip them up at this crucial moment. A Shan also looked at Su Lu cautiously, fearing that he would also clasp his hands and say that he was ready.
The scene became eerily quiet for a moment.
Su Lu calmly took the package from Song Zhen and placed it on the ground. As if only then noticing everyone's gaze, he blinked and looked at A Shan, who was all ready and eager to go: "General, are you waiting for me?"
The ministers of Da Yan: ...
Northern Rong Mission: ...
Ah Shan choked, coughed, and turned his gaze away to focus on adjusting the bow angle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Su Lu take out a... pen from his package.
Before Ah Shan could react, her gaze had already drifted over again. She saw a servant bring over a low table, and Su Lu calmly placed the items on it one by one, laid out paper and ground ink, seemingly preparing to write.
...
Ah Shan was so engrossed in the performance that he only snapped back to reality when the Imperial Advisor cleared his throat beside him.
Do not let the other party's pretentious tricks affect your mind.
A-Shan focused his mind back on the arrowhead, but for some reason, he had a sense of foreboding. He closed his eyes, suppressing the agitation in his heart. In the small space in front of him, the arrow was steadily poised to be released. After releasing his hand, he replayed every place and every detail that the arrow had passed through in slow motion in his mind, down to the millimeter.
There is no error.
There were no oversights.
He was absolutely confident in his plan; he was certain that after this arrow, the kid would have no chance of turning the tables.
When A-Shan opened his eyes again, all he could see was the entire path the arrow had traveled. He had abandoned all distracting thoughts and entered a state of perfect unity with the arrow.
Song Zhen glanced around, and taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on A-Shan who was about to shoot an arrow, he leaned close to Su Lu and whispered, "Unhappy?"
Su Lu paused for a moment, setting the wolf-hair brush aside before glancing up at him.
"Dude, stop pretending." Song Zhen put his hands behind his back, and pointed a finger out from under his sleeve, pointing in several directions in the room. "You were calm when people looked you up and down like they were looking at a male concubine, but now that they're 'showing affection' to you, you're unhappy."
Su Lu had seen all kinds of looks before, and he could see right through those Qingliu's thoughts at a glance.
"Just because people are making fun of your master in their minds."
Song Zhen gave him a "don't get too carried away" look, propped one elbow on the table, winked and whispered, "Actually, when others think you're your male concubine, you're probably feeling pretty good inside, aren't you?"
After Su Lu finished rummaging through the things he needed, he twirled the candle in his hand, and suddenly the table slid forward a few inches, almost causing Song Zhen to fall flat on his face.
Ah Shan hung the iron bucket on the arrow shaft, and everyone could see it clearly by the light—it was just an ordinary iron bucket, the kind used to fetch water, the kind you could easily find in the kitchen.
He's just lighting a lamp, why is he carrying a metal bucket meant for holding water?
The ministers of Da Yan looked at each other, their eyes then shifting to the Northern Rong. They saw that the Northern Rong were also puzzled, but that didn't stop them from being calm and composed, with smug expressions on their faces.
This game is in the bag.
Ashan stood in the middle of the palace path, at the very end of the row of fire dragon lanterns, the arrowheads aimed directly at the largest palace lantern in the center of the Taihe Gate.
A short, sharp sound as a blade sliced through the air.
Upon seeing the scene before them, everyone's pupils dilated in shock.
Although the lanterns hanging on the lamp racks were extinguished, the lamp oil inside was still there. The round cups containing the oil were suspended from the inside by wire and attached to the bottom of the lanterns, leaving a gap of about half an inch. The cotton rope inside the lanterns hung down into the round cups containing the lamp oil.
Ashan's arrow, traveling from north to south, from outside the Linde Hall to the Taihe Gate, precisely pierced the wire hanging from the bottom of every lantern on every lamp stand.
The round cups fell one after another, landing perfectly in the iron bucket suspended from the arrow shaft, creating a series of crisp, clinking sounds, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
There were a total of one hundred and ninety-nine lamps; the iron bucket contained one hundred and ninety-nine round lamps, along with the lamp oil.
Not a single cup was wasted.
The iron tub filled with lamp oil collided with the city wall, making a dull thud.
The fine iron arrowheads, engraved with the patterns of the Northern Rong royal family, pierced straight into the wall, followed by a final soft sound.
—At the center of Taihe Gate, the largest palace lantern's bottom wire snapped, and the round lamp filled with oil fell into the iron tube, along with a white cotton wick about the thickness of a thumb.
The cotton core was visibly soaked in oil the instant it was inserted into the iron tube.
The hundred or so people outside the hall fell silent for a moment.
Ah Shan's second arrow has already left the bowstring.
The arrow was skillfully controlled in its force; it was launched upwards, and after reaching its highest point, it fell helplessly, landing precisely in the palace lantern above the Taihe Gate. A tiny flame on the arrowhead brushed against the cotton wick, instantly igniting the lantern.
A hushed gasp escaped from the crowd.
Everyone was so shocked that they were speechless.
The enormous palace lantern, filled with the oil of 199 lamps, was enough to burn continuously day and night.
The other lamps, not to mention not being lit, would quickly go out due to lack of oil, even if they were lit. And the only one that was lit, who can say it wasn't the brightest?
Song Zhen was stunned, his mouth agape for a long while before he murmured, "What a brilliant move to undermine our strength."
He looked at Su Lu, swallowed hard, and asked the question on everyone's mind: "How...how can you compete with this?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
