Next, as long as Chu Yunyi passes the third shooting test, he can participate in the martial arts test finals on the Wanshou Festival on June 11th.

As we got closer to Wanshou Street, the capital city became more lively. All the inns in the capital were full, and foreigners and strangers could be seen everywhere.

The atmosphere in the Marquis' Mansion was a little tense. Everyone from top to bottom knew that the eldest young master was going to take part in the martial arts test, and no one dared to play around for fear of disturbing him. Chu Yunmu was extremely looking forward to it, counting the days every day in anticipation of the third archery test. He was even more anxious than Chu Yunyi.

As Chu Yunmu was eagerly waiting, the eighth day of June finally arrived. Early in the morning, Chu Yunmu came to Wanyan Courtyard to wake up Chu Qianchen.

"We have to go early, otherwise we won't be able to see the excitement."

"There must be a lot of people going there to watch the excitement today, so the carriages must be moving slower than usual..."

“…”

Chu Yunmu originally wanted to leave early, but when he arrived at Wanyan Courtyard, he discovered that Chu Qianchen had raised a small black cat with four snow-white hooves. This time, he refused to leave. He played with the little lame cat for nearly half an hour before leaving the house under Shen's urging.

Today, the third archery test was held at the military training ground. Normally, the training ground was not open to the public, but spectators were allowed to enter for the martial arts test.

When they arrived, it was already early morning. The game had already started and the area around the stadium was packed with people who came to watch.

At a glance, there were bustling crowds of people. In addition to the common people of Da Qi, there were also foreigners in strange costumes and with profound facial features. It was very lively.

There were a limited number of seats here, so ordinary people could only squeeze in and stand outside to watch. Shen had already reserved a seat using a name card from the Yongding Marquis's Mansion.

The seats on the high platform were filled with well-dressed men and women, chatting in groups of two or three. Some were gossiping about their daily lives, some were discussing the standing shooting match, and some were speculating about the next competition...

From the conversation between others, we can hear that the standing archery competition of the generals has just ended, and the next one is the horseback archery competition of the generals.

Chu Yunmu listened with great interest for several times, then thought about how he had missed the standing shot earlier and regretted coming late: it was all because of that little lame cat that made him forget the time!

“Boom!”

The horseback archery competition among the generals officially began after a deafening sound of gongs and drums.

Five horses rushed out from the starting point almost at the same time, running wildly with their hooves spread out, and the sound of their hooves was as loud as thunder.

The entire school ground was as noisy and lively as boiling water.

The audience on the platform and around all stared at the knights running in the field, cheering and encouraging them...

There is a row of targets placed at intervals around the arena. The contestants have to ride their horses around the arena and shoot ten arrows at the targets in the process.

Today's competition not only tests the accuracy of archery, but also requires them to complete it as quickly as possible. It tests the precision and speed of horseback archery.

The knights lowered their bodies and rode faster and faster, like lightning.

When they were about thirty feet away from the first row of targets, the knights began to draw their arrows and pull their bows, "Swish, swish, swish..."

The sound of dense feather arrows breaking through the air came one after another. Most of the arrows hit the target, but a few missed the target and flew past it.

"He hit it, second sister, look, he hit it!" Chu Yunmu clapped happily, with a happy look on her face, "Look, the guy in green will definitely be the first in this round!"

"Is it, isn't it?"

Chu Yunmu shouted so loudly that many men and women around him heard it and looked towards the blue-clothed knight he was talking about.

Chu Qianchen also glanced at the blue-clothed knight and casually agreed, "Isn't it?"

Amber looked at her girl with a strange expression.

She saw clearly that the young man in green was deliberately shooting from behind when he was shooting arrows. It could only be considered a show of skill. Although the arrow hit the target, it only barely hit the edge of the target.

Although his movements were beautiful, they were flashy and superficial. How could his daughter not see that he was lying to fool the fourth young master? Amid the thunderous cheers of the crowd, the competition was in full swing. When the knights ran more than half a circle, the winner was already clear. A brown knight was ahead of the others by a full half a horse length.

"call out!"

He shot the last ten arrow with swift movements. The long arrow was like a rainbow piercing the sun, with amazing momentum, and it hit the center of the bull's eye again.

The moment the target hit the bull's eye, his horse also carried him across the finish line.

There was even more enthusiastic applause in the venue, and everyone cheered in unison.

"Isn't that the Prince of Changxing?"

"That's him! His riding and archery skills are indeed outstanding, and his reputation is well-deserved. I think he will definitely be able to participate in the finals on the birthday day."

"How about we make a bet?"

“…”

Chu Yunmu also got excited after hearing the others talking so excitedly. He pulled Chu Qianchen's sleeve and asked, "Chu... Second Sister, how about we also bet on the first place in the next round?"

"Where's the bet?" Chu Qianchen raised his eyebrows and teased him.

Chu Yunmu was in high spirits and suggested, "How about reducing our monthly allowance?"

Chu Qianchen agreed with a smile, and generously let Chu Yunmu choose first.

Amber looked at Chu Yunmu with a subtle expression, thinking that the fourth young master really didn't know how high the sky was and how deep the earth was. Who gave him the courage to bet on horses with his own girl? The result was just as Amber expected -

In the second game, Chu Yunmu bet on the second son of the loyal and brave general's mansion, but he lost.

In the third game, Chu Yunmu bet on Liu Jingli of the Jinwu Guard, but lost again.

He gambled twice and lost all his monthly wages for June and July.

"Are you still gambling?" Chu Qianchen asked Chu Yunmu with a smile, intending to teach this naughty boy a lesson and teach him the harms of gambling.

Chu Yunmu was still unconvinced and was about to say "bet" when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure appearing at the starting point from the corner of his eye. He changed his words: "Big Brother is here!"

Starting from the next game, the teenagers under the age of fifteen will take the stage.

Although Chu Yunyi is not yet twelve years old, he has been practicing martial arts since he was a child and has an upright physique. At this moment, he is standing in the training ground wearing a blue lapel Hu clothing, holding a longbow in one hand. The blue clothing is bright, and he has the spirit of a young man in bright clothes.

"Second sister, look, it's big brother's turn!" Chu Yunmu raised his hand and pointed at Chu Yunyi on the court, and Chu Qianchen said "Oh" casually.

Chu Yunyi also looked towards Chu Yunmu and the others on the platform, and his eyes happened to meet theirs.

"Brother has seen us!" Chu Yunmu waved happily at Chu Yunyi again, his eyes shining with excitement.

In comparison, Chu Qianchen seemed so calm. He sat upright in his seat, looking at Chu Yunyi quietly, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Chu Yunyi tightly gripped the longbow in his hand, a gleam of stubbornness and competitiveness flashed across his eyes.

Chu Qianchen really came! He had to make her look at him with new eyes today. He wanted to let her know that among all the young men in the capital, his archery skills were among the best.

It’s such an honor to have a younger brother like him!

Chu Yunyi held his head high and chest out confidently, standing in front of a row of targets with other young men.

Another burst of "dong" gong sounds rang out.

More than a dozen young men bent their bows and drew their arrows almost at the same time. Since these young men had come to the third round of the competition today, they were all very skilled and each of their arrows hit the bull's eye.

Then they stepped back ten steps and started shooting the second arrow.

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!”

Every arrow hit the bull's eye.

Chu Yunmu looked down, his heart in his throat, and he kept shouting: "Brother hit the bull's eye again!"

"Do they have to retreat ten steps for every arrow?"

"Haha, the guy on the far left missed the target with his fourth arrow. He's definitely going to be eliminated."

"Look, second sister, big brother's fifth arrow has also hit the target..."

“…”

Chu Yunmu was so excited that his voice was almost hoarse from shouting. Chu Qianchen even took the opportunity to stuff a lozenge into his mouth.

After taking some sugar, Chu Yunmu's voice became a little unclear, but this did not affect his enthusiasm for the game at all. He clapped and waved his fists from time to time.

Suddenly, Chu Yunmu was stunned for a moment, tilted his head and said "Huh" in confusion.

The others had already shot the sixth arrow, but Chu Yunyi, who was standing in the middle, was a beat slower. He had pulled the longbow to its full length but had not yet let go of the string.

"Second sister..." Chu Yunmu pulled Chu Qianchen's sleeve. Before he could finish his words, he saw Chu Yunyi below finally let go of the bowstring.

“Whoosh!”

His arrow flew out with great force and hit accurately the tail of another feathered arrow on the target. Then he split the arrow in half, with the tip of the arrow hitting the center of the bull's eye.

The whole room was in uproar!

Someone nearby shouted, "Chasing arrows!"

Others also shouted "tail-chasing arrow" one after another, and some recognized Chu Yunyi's identity, and from time to time they heard words such as "Yongding Marquis' Mansion" and "Eldest Young Master" floating over.

Chu Yunyi's arrow was indeed more skilled than the other teenagers'. The others had different expressions, some admired him, some were amazed, some were not convinced, and some were timid.

After the examiner announced, the boys retreated ten steps again and then shot the seventh arrow.

Chu Yunyi's seventh arrow was still a tail-chasing arrow, and thunderous applause broke out in the field.

His outstanding performance influenced the other teenagers. Two of them panicked and wanted to learn how to shoot the tail-chasing arrow from him, but the arrows they shot missed the center of the target, causing some laughter.

Gradually, everyone's eyes were focused on Chu Yunyi, some pointing, some clapping, and some cheering.

Chu Yunyi was not disturbed at all. His mental power was highly concentrated and the noise around him could not reach his ears.

In his eyes and heart, there was only the target in front of him. A female voice that seemed close yet far away came to his ears: "Keep your mind calm, your eyes steady, and your hands steady."

Chu Yunyi steadily shot the eighth arrow, the ninth arrow, and the tenth arrow.

Every arrow is a beautiful and clean chase arrow.

The five arrows behind him split all his first five arrows in half.

The audience around was so excited that they stood up from their seats one by one.

At this moment, among all the young men on the training ground, Chu Yunyi has become the undisputed protagonist, and all the others have become his foils.

With these five successes, he proved to everyone present that his tail-chasing arrows were not coincidences or luck, but the result of his strength.

“Pah…”

“Pah pah pah…”

Thunderous applause broke out in the venue again, like waves, one higher than the other.

In this match, even though the examiner had not yet announced the winner, everyone knew that Chu Yunyi was undoubtedly the number one in this competition.

Amid the applause from the audience, the corners of Chu Yunyi's lips curled up slightly, and he raised his eyes to look at Chu Qianchen and the others on the podium.

In the past few days, he has been practicing the tail-chasing arrow diligently, just for today!

He is so smart and can learn things quickly. It is obviously more fulfilling to teach him than to teach Chu Yunmu, right?

Just then, there was a commotion at the entrance of the training ground.

A young eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, "The Emperor has arrived!"

From the entrance, a bright yellow canopy swayed like auspicious clouds, and the emperor in a bright yellow dragon robe came down, surrounded by a group of nobles, close ministers, and imperial guards.

The arrival of the emperor made the whole place go wild. Everyone present knelt down and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor!"

The shouts were deafening.

The emperor looked around at everyone, smiled amiably, and said, "No need to be polite!"

Everyone then stood up. It was a rare opportunity for the common people to see the emperor, so they all stretched their necks to look in the direction of the emperor. However, the emperor was surrounded by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Imperial Guards, like a high wall, and most people could not even catch a glimpse of the emperor's face.

Eunuch Ni whispered something to the emperor, and the emperor looked at Chu Yunyi and said in an admiring tone: "You are so young and you can shoot a tail-chasing arrow. Your archery skills are not bad!"

The emperor was in a good mood. He believed that these young men would be the rising stars of their Great Qi. He held this martial arts test to show the power of Great Qi to the pilgrims from all the nations that came to make pilgrimages.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your praise!" Chu Yunyi clasped his fists in thanks, his young face radiant and full of vigor.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

He couldn't help but look towards Chu Qianchen again, wanting to see if she was looking at him.

Chu Yunmu met Chu Yunyi's gaze, raised his arm and waved at him again, and shouted: "Chu Qianchen, big brother is watching us."

However, he didn't get any response.

Chu Yunmu turned to look at Chu Qianchen. Chu Qianchen was not looking at the training ground. Her eyes were looking in a certain direction below the stage. Chu Yunmu followed her gaze and looked over there.

In the bustling crowd, a little girl of seven or eight years old in pink clothes was looking around blankly, with panicky eyes like a frightened little white rabbit.

There were many people around, and inevitably some people pushed towards her. She was so scared that she kept backing away, and gradually she retreated to the corner of the wall, with nowhere to retreat.

The little girl squatted down, curled herself up into a ball, and shivered.

Chu Qianchen frowned slightly, recognized the little girl, turned to Shen and said, "Mother..."

Before she could finish her words, she was overwhelmed by Chu Yunmu's voice: "Second sister, isn't this Qi Niang? Why is she alone..."

Upon hearing this, Shen's face changed and she quickly asked, "Where is Qi Niang?"

Chu Yunmu obediently pointed in the direction. Shen also saw Gu Zhiyan and became anxious. She quickly stood up and said, "I'm going to find Qi Niang. You stay here."

Shen and two maids hurried down from the platform. Nanny Chen stayed on the platform, staring at Gu Zhiyan curled up in the corner from above, muttering, "Why is the county lady there alone..."

No one can answer this question, including Chu Qianchen.

After a while, Shen and two maids pushed through the crowd and came up to Gu Zhiyan.

Shen approached Gu Zhiyan cautiously, with a gentle and concerned look on her face, calling her name.

But Gu Zhiyan seemed not to hear anything and did not seem to recognize Shen. Her eyes became more panicked and her body trembled even more violently.

Shen leaned down and tried to reach out to touch Gu Zhiyan's shoulder. Gu Zhiyan screamed hysterically like a beast that was forced into a desperate situation, waving his hands wildly, and slapping and scratching Shen's hands.

Her crazy look attracted the attention of some people around her, and many people were frightened and took several steps back.

Chu Qianchen frowned even more tightly, and stood up decisively and said, "Madame Chen, you guys look after the Fourth Young Master, I'll go down and take a look."

She left Nanny Chen and four or five other servants to look after Chu Yunmu, and she went down the platform with Amber.

“Ah! Ah! Ah…”

Gu Zhiyan was still shouting hysterically, refusing anyone to get close to her. Shen could only stand three steps away, not daring to get any closer, for fear that Gu Zhiyan would hurt herself in her excitement.

"Mother, let me do it." Chu Qianchen walked to Shen's side and motioned for Shen to step back.

After Shen stepped back, Gu Zhiyan seemed to relax a little and stopped shouting, but her body tightened even more and she wished she could just shrink into the wall.

Chu Qianchen squatted down, trying to look Gu Zhiyan in the eye, smiling slightly, revealing a very friendly smile.

She took off the crescent-shaped sachet on her waist, placed it in her palm, and handed it to Gu Zhiyan, "Qiniang, take it."

The crescent-shaped sachet came into Gu Zhiyan's field of vision and stopped a foot away from her.

Chu Qianchen looked at her with a smile, maintaining this posture motionlessly.

Dongmei, the maid standing behind Shen, was a little anxious and called out softly, "Madam..."

At Shen's glance, Dongmei swallowed the rest of her words.

After a while, Gu Zhiyan finally moved, and slowly, slowly raised her right hand, looking at Chu Qianchen vigilantly. Seeing that she hadn't moved, he quickly grabbed the crescent-shaped sachet in her palm, and then held it tightly in his palm, as if he was afraid that someone else would snatch it away.

The familiar fragrance from the sachet penetrated into her nose. Gu Zhiyan put the sachet on her nose and sniffed it. After a while, her body finally stopped shaking.

Chu Qianchen handed her his hand again and said, "Give me your hand."

Gu Zhiyan obediently gave her her free left hand. Chu Qianchen pulled the little girl up from the ground, held her hand and said to Shen: "Mother, let's go."

Shen breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chu Qianchen with gratitude. Fortunately, she was there, otherwise she really didn’t know what to do with Qiniang.

They took Gu Zhiyan back to the seat on the podium. Gu Zhiyan held Chu Qianchen's hand with one hand and tightly grasped the sachet with the other hand. Her eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, with a frightened soul hidden in her eyes.

Chu Qianchen asked Gu Zhiyan to sit down, first roughly checked her hands and feet, and after making sure that she was not injured, he took her pulse.

Chu Yunmu watched curiously from the side.

Everyone's attention was focused on Gu Zhiyan, and no one cared about the competition on the field.

Shen asked nervously, "Sister Chen, how is Qi Niang?"

"It's okay, I was just a little frightened." Chu Qianchen said as he massaged several major acupoints on Gu Zhiyan, over and over again, impatiently.

Gradually, Gu Zhiyan's eyes became calmer and calmer, his expression relaxed, and his body was no longer like a taut bowstring.

Shen ordered the maid, "Dongmei, go find the princess. Qi Niang can't have escaped by herself."

Dongmei immediately took the order and took two maids downstairs to look for someone.

Shen finally felt relieved. She touched Gu Zhiyan's shoulder lovingly and sighed, "Last time, my third sister said that Qi Niang was much better..."

"Sister Chen, it's a good thing you saw her, otherwise, it would be terrible if she was kidnapped by Paihuazi..."

Shen had a complicated expression, and she was still a little scared: if Qi Niang got lost again, she really didn't want to imagine what would happen to her third sister.

"Sister." Gu Zhiyan called softly, grabbing Chu Qianchen's skirt with one hand. It seemed that she had recognized Chu Qianchen.

"Qiniang, who am I?" Chu Yunmu pointed at himself and asked Gu Zhiyan.

Shen patted him on the shoulder unceremoniously and said, "Call me cousin!"

This kid is becoming more and more disrespectful.

Chu Yunmu was afraid that his mother would punish him by making him copy scriptures or not let him ride a horse, so he quickly changed his words: "Qiniang cousin."

Gu Zhiyan tilted her head and looked at him, calling out cooperatively, "Brother."

Then she stopped talking.

For Shen, it was already a gratifying thing that Gu Zhiyan was willing to call someone.

Shen also imitated Chu Qianchen's previous behavior, squatting down and letting Gu Zhiyan look into her eyes, "Qiniang, how about you watch the competition with your sister and brother?"

Gu Zhiyan nodded obediently.

She sat between Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu and went to watch the horse riding and archery competition.

The horseback archery competition has entered its second round, and the five young men in the second round are riding their horses and taking their positions at the starting point.

Chu Yunmu said with regret: "Huh? Big brother has finished the competition."

His regret lasted only a moment, and the next moment, the five young men rode out on their horses, and his attention was diverted.

He explained to Gu Zhiyan with great interest: "Qiniang... Cousin, look, they are setting off, and the one leading is the Sixth Young Master of General Li's Mansion!"

"However, I don't think his advantage will last long."

"Haha, as expected, he was caught up by Liu Si!"

"Liu Si can't win either. I watched his standing archery competition just now, and his archery skills are not that good..."

“…”

Chu Yunmu said, and Gu Zhiyan was responsible for listening.

Shen looked at the cousins ​​and a smile gradually appeared at the corners of her lips.

After a while, there were hurried footsteps and anxious calls from behind: "Qiniang...Qiniang."

Shen, Chu Qianchen and the others all looked over when they heard the voice, and saw Shen Wan trotting towards them in a hurry, with her hair in disarray.

She was sweating profusely, with beads of sweat on her forehead. Even her makeup was smudged, and she looked disheveled.

Gu Zhiyan turned her head and looked at Shen Wan without moving. Shen Wan rushed towards her, hugged her tightly in her arms, and cried bitterly: "Qiniang, you scared me to death!"

"Mom is so worried, but I can't find you anywhere..."

Shen Wan's voice trembled slightly, and the arms that were holding Gu Zhiyan were also shaking.

Seeing this scene, Rong Mama, Dongmei and others who followed behind also sighed, especially Rong Mama, with slightly red eyes and tears in her eyes, repeatedly shouting "Buddha bless you".

After a while, Shen Wan calmed down a little, and handed a handkerchief to her sister.

Shen Wan wiped her tears and smiled shyly.

At this time, Chu Yunmu shouted excitedly: "It missed the target, I knew he was not good at archery!"

Gu Zhiyan was attracted by Chu Yunmu's voice and went over to watch the competition.

Seeing that her daughter wanted to watch the competition, Shen Wan did not dare to provoke her and let her go. She just said softly, "Qiniang, you and Mu Ge'er watch the competition here."

Gu Zhiyan nodded, his eyes still fixed on the young men who were shooting arrows in the field.

Shen Wan sat down next to Shen, and after tidying up her appearance, she said, "Big sister, it's a good thing you found Qi Niang."

"What's wrong with Qiniang?" Shen asked with concern, "I thought she was much better before, but just now..." Shen told her how she found Gu Zhiyan just now and Gu Zhiyan's hysterical behavior at that time.

Shen Wan was sad and panicked, and said at a loss: "A few days ago, I took Qi Niang to see Taoist Xuan Jing to perform a ritual. Qi Niang had always been very nice. Today I took her out to play, but when she went to the bathroom just now, she suddenly broke free from the nurse's hand and ran away."

"There are so many people here, she disappeared in a flash. I took people to look for her everywhere but couldn't find her. Fortunately, Dongmei came to tell me that she is here with you..."

Shen Wan felt heartbroken as she looked at Gu Zhiyan's petite back in front of her.

She didn't know what happened to Qiniang.

Do you still have monthly tickets? Don't waste them during the double period~~ 　　This book is not long. It won't take many monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)