Chapter 544 Tang Jiao's Tacit Understanding (First Update)
These words were absolutely fatal.
What's even more damning is that Tang Yueshan actually uttered the last two sentences.
The entire grassland fell silent, even the sparrows in the woods stopped moving. Tang Yueshan, finally realizing what he had said, felt as if a few crows flew overhead...
Tang Yueshan wasn't always so sharp-tongued. It wasn't because he was magnanimous or had a big belly, but because there really aren't many military generals who are quick-witted.
He can't lose a fight, but he can't win an argument.
But ever since he became roommates with Gu Chengfeng, he has been subjected to constant teasing. After being teased so many times, it became a habit, and just now he couldn't help but say whatever was on his mind.
It's all Gu Chengfeng's fault!
I absolutely refuse to admit that I'm standing up for Gu Jiao!
It doesn't exist!
impossible!
The atmosphere was so awkward that you could dig out the entire Bishui Hutong with your toes. Eunuch Wei stared dumbfounded at Princess Ning'an, then at his own emperor; neither of them looked too good.
It's over, Marshal Tang, you're finished.
Why did you have to offend Princess Ning'an of all people?
Don't you know that Princess Ning'an is His Majesty's darling?
Tang Yueshan, on the verge of tears: ...I was telling the truth, but is it too late for me to regret it now?
"What happened?"
A cool, clear voice rang out from behind them.
Eunuch Wei turned around in surprise, bowed to the newcomer, and said, "Miss Gu? What brings you to the palace today?"
"I've come to see my great-aunt," Gu Jiao said.
I've been busy taking care of Mo Qianxue these past few days and haven't had a chance to go to the palace to see how my great-aunt is doing.
She had just passed by the Imperial Garden when she heard a marshal's incoherent roar, so she came over to see what was going on.
The emperor glared coldly at Tang Yueshan, suppressing the urge to drag him away and beat him to death, and said gently to Gu Jiao, "It's Jiaojiao."
"Your Majesty, Princess Ning'an, and Grand Marshal Tang," Gu Jiao greeted them in turn.
Her tone wasn't particularly enthusiastic, nor did it reflect the politeness Xiao Heng deliberately displayed after becoming an official; it was rather cold and indifferent, sounding somewhat nonchalant.
If anyone else had spoken like that, the emperor would have been angry, but Gu Jiao was just like that, so the emperor wouldn't think she was being disrespectful to him and Princess Ning'an.
"Are you shooting arrows?" Gu Jiao saw the target not far away, judging from the distance, it was about fifty paces.
Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "Yes, does Miss Gu know how to shoot arrows?"
Gu Jiao thought for a moment and said, "Well, I know a little, but I'm not very good at it."
Eunuch Wei, being a shrewd man, quickly asked with a smile, "Would Miss Gu like to give it a try?"
"Okay." Gu Jiao nodded.
“Uh…” Eunuch Wei glanced at Princess Ning’an with difficulty, as he had only prepared one bow.
Princess Ning'an handed the bow in her hand to Eunuch Wei.
"Thank you, Princess." Eunuch Wei extended both hands and respectfully handed the bow to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao was holding a bow in her right hand and an arrow in her left.
This made both Eunuch Wei and the Emperor turn their heads. Gu Jiao didn't seem to be left-handed usually, so why would she use her left hand to draw a bow?
Could it be that he's really not very skilled, so he doesn't even know which hand to use to draw the bow?
Not being very skilled, Gu Jiao took three arrows from the guard's quiver, nocked them, aimed, and fired them deftly!
Three arrows were fired simultaneously, each hitting the exact center of the target and passing right through it, piercing the bullseye!
The emperor was so shocked that he gripped the armrests of his chair and sat up straight: "This... this is what you call not very proficient?"
"Hmm." Gu Jiao nodded and said seriously, "The archers of the Tang family can fire four arrows at once, and each arrow hits the bullseye from a hundred paces away. This bullseye is so big, and it's only fifty paces away. A Tang family archer could hit it even with his eyes closed."
She also needs to open her eyes to see, and even if she were at a hundred paces, she wouldn't be able to shoot with such accuracy.
The emperor glanced at the target pierced by Gu Jiao's arrow, then at Princess Ning'an's arrow that had only hit the edge of the bullseye. In a daze, he realized that Tang Yueshan's words, "Even a blind man could shoot better than you," were not an insult, but an incredibly cruel truth...
"Is it really that powerful?" the emperor asked Tang Yueshan in a serious tone.
"No, no."
Tang Yueshan said he dared not, but he drew his Tang family bow and fired four arrows with a whoosh.
He seemed to have hit nothing, but when Eunuch Wei led his guards to retrieve the arrows he had shot, they discovered that each arrow had struck the stem of a flower and pinned it firmly to the branch.
This is much more difficult than shooting an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away; at least willow leaves aren't that thin.
Eunuch Wei brought the flowers back.
The emperor was now completely speechless.
Princess Ning'an said, "Miss Gu's archery skills are very similar to those of Grand Marshal Tang. Did Miss Gu learn archery from Grand Marshal Tang?"
"No."
"no."
Gu Jiao and Tang Yueshan both denied it.
The next second, the emperor and the others saw the two of them take out handkerchiefs at the same time to wipe their bows. Their wiping movements were perfectly synchronized, and after wiping, they both habitually dusted the bowstrings with the handkerchiefs.
emperor:"……"
Everyone: "..."
The emperor was so angry with Tang Yueshan that he almost forgot about the important matter. He only remembered when he saw Tang Yueshan wiping his bow.
The Emperor said, "Princess Ning'an greatly admires Minister Tang's archery skills. Minister Tang, if you have time, please give Princess Ning'an some pointers."
Overall, the emperor was a benevolent monarch. This benevolence was a double-edged sword, which made him loyal and affectionate to those around him, but also made him lenient towards ministers who verbally offended him.
If the late emperor were here today, Tang Yueshan would be stripped bare, no matter how much value he still had.
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Tang Yueshan knew that his life was spared. He breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am a rough man and do not know etiquette. I am afraid I have offended Princess Ning'an. If Princess Ning'an really wants to learn archery, I can recommend one or two candidates for her."
Having just experienced Tang Yueshan's sharp tongue, the Emperor was worried that Tang Yueshan might offend Princess Ning'an again, so he looked at Ning'an beside him.
Unexpectedly, Princess Ning'an said without any concern, "It's alright. Grand Marshal Tang is straightforward and outspoken, and he's much more comfortable to be around than those two-faced scoundrels."
Tang Yueshan was extremely unhappy.
The Tang family's archery skills are not something that can be easily passed on to outsiders. Back then, Princess Ning'an was able to learn some archery skills from the Tang family because her father had agreed to it after drinking too much. He was too embarrassed to go back on his word afterward, but he didn't teach her for very long.
It was said that Princess Ning'an had completed her apprenticeship after only a few months.
"Is Grand Marshal Tang unwilling?" Princess Ning'an asked.
This is a life-or-death question.
Tang Yueshan coughed and said, "I just feel..."
“He can’t teach him,” Gu Jiao said. “He was injured at the border and needs to do rehabilitation when he returns to the capital. Archery will affect the effectiveness of his rehabilitation.”
The situation became awkward once again.
Eunuch Wei's gaze darted back and forth between the various masters. Princess Ning'an was His Majesty's darling, but the little divine physician was also very favored. Who would His Majesty ultimately listen to?
Is it his beloved younger sister who has doted on him since childhood, or the little miracle doctor who saved his life?
Just as the atmosphere became awkwardly tense, the chubby Qin Chuyu came running over, howling like a banshee.
"Father! Father! Save me!"
He almost recklessly threw himself into the emperor's arms, his chubby little hands gripping the emperor's clothes, his chubby body trembling.
This demeanor was so unbecoming of a prince that the emperor frowned, yet he also felt a pang of sympathy for his chubby little son.
"What's wrong?" the emperor asked in a deep voice.
Qin Chuyu cried so hard he could barely breathe: "My dog... my dog..."
The emperor frowned: "Speak properly. What's wrong with your dog?"
Qin Chuyu cried out, "Huangfu Xian killed my dog!"
Everyone's expression changed.
Huangfu Xian's eccentric personality was no secret in the palace, but killing a dog, especially a prince's dog, was going too far.
The emperor frowned and tried to help the chubby boy up from his arms: "Are you mistaken? Why would your cousin kill your dog?"
Qin Chuyu refused to get up from his father's embrace, burying his head tightly in his father's chest: "I saw it with my own eyes! Jingkong saw it too! He was right there! Right over at Taiye Pond! If you don't believe me, Father, go see for yourself!"
Ning An stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I'll go take a look."
The emperor said, "I will go with you."
Qin Chuyu gripped the emperor's robe tightly: "Father, don't go!"
The emperor said, "Didn't you send me?"
Qin Chuyu cried, "What will I do if you leave? I'm scared!"
It's really a headache to see a prince so timid. The emperor sighed and said, "Have Eunuch Wei escort you back to Kunning Palace."
Because of this sudden turn of events, the emperor was temporarily unable to deal with Tang Yueshan's instruction of archery to Princess Ning'an, so he and Princess Ning'an went to Taiye Pond.
Watching the group's departing figures, Tang Yueshan muttered, "These delicate princesses, you can't hit them or scold them when they practice archery. Whoever teaches them is doomed!"
After he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that Gu Jiao was staring intently at the Tang family bow in his hand, her eyes gleaming with greed...
Tang Yueshan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pulled Tang Jiagong into his arms: "Don't even think about it! I won't let you touch it! If you do, I'm a donkey!"
(End of this chapter)
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