Chapter 96 The Grand Archery Ceremony: The Demeanor of a Female General
The archery ceremony officially began.
The competition will last for two days, starting with the hunt.
The group galloped through the mountains and forests, shooting down birds of prey and beasts, with the winner determined by the number of prey hunted.
The scoring methods differ for different prey such as rabbits, pheasants, eagles, deer, wild boars, and tigers and leopards, but the most valuable prize is the specially marked wild beasts that are released at irregular intervals.
Unlike men, women are not bound by many rules and can freely form teams, with a maximum of ten people.
Mrs. Qiao gave her a few instructions: "Don't rush to the front in everything, and don't think about being the first to come out on top. You should come back unscathed, just like you went there, understand?"
Ji Qingwu smiled and replied, "I know, Mother. I'm all grown up now. I'll be careful."
Mrs. Qiao grumbled worriedly, "Yes, you've grown up, but you're also a mother now. Think about Qiuqiu and don't do anything reckless."
Ji Qingwu repeatedly assured Qiao that he would not be injured before Qiao released him.
She picked up the despotic bow and arrow and the crossbow, braced herself with one hand on the side railing, exerted a little force in her waist and abdomen, and landed gracefully after a side somersault.
His unrestrained and elegant demeanor drew gasps of amazement from several people nearby.
Ji Qingwu could feel the gazes on her from the high platform.
She gripped the saddle tightly, took a deep breath, and leaped up, her slender legs straddling the saddle in mid-air. With clean and crisp movements, she mounted the horse, her figure both graceful and powerful.
Ji Qingwu did not look back at the high platform, but instead looked down at his own dark red riding outfit.
This riding outfit fits so well it looks like it was tailor-made.
When worn, the body lines are smooth, the back is thin and the waist is slender, and the waist is well-cinched. If it is cinched an inch more, it will be too tight, and if it is looser, there will be room.
Ji Qingwu's long, straight legs were planted firmly on the stirrups, her long hair was tied up high, and she looked heroic and valiant, unlike her usual delicate appearance. She had the demeanor of a female general on the battlefield.
Just then, someone rode over on horseback and ordered, "You'll be in my group."
Ji Qingwu, who was holding the reins, turned his head to look.
Princess Qingyun arrived on her chestnut pony at some point and asked imperiously, "Fifth Cousin, I see you're alone. Have you teamed up with anyone?"
The princess was accompanied by several women from prominent families. Ji Qingwu recognized their faces; she should have seen them before, but she couldn't tell which family they belonged to.
Besides, most of these noble ladies looked down on her, so there was no need for her to go up and talk to them, lest she make a fool of herself.
Princess Qingyun raised her chin, as if granting a favor, and said, "I remember you are quite skilled in archery, so come to my camp."
Ji Qingwu didn't want to be tied down by their side, especially since the two of them had a past conflict, and she might have to endure some mistreatment.
So she casually replied, "Your Highness, I am good at archery, but I am not good at riding. Besides, I am used to being free and easy, so I thought I would like to take a walk in the woods."
The woman in bright blue snorted, "Ungrateful! Princess, let's go, let's ignore her."
They just thought Ji Qingwu's archery skills were pretty good, and they wanted to bring her in to hunt more game to save face for the princess.
This time, Consort Wei and the other ladies of the harem also joined the fray. Since the Empress Dowager and Wei Liru were at odds, Princess Qingyun also wanted to help her mother save face.
Princess Qingyun would not have lowered herself to seek favor with Ji Qingwu if she hadn't been forced to.
Unexpectedly, Ji Qingwu flatly refused. She raised her head high, gave a coquettish shout, and rode away.
Ji Qingwu watched them leave and smiled.
After seeing the riding and archery uniform that day, she made up her mind to participate and even practiced diligently for a while.
She touched the blisters on her palms that hadn't healed yet, and the newly formed calluses. Why should she do something for someone else?
As long as she has fun, that's fine.
With the guidance of guards along the way, Ji Qingwu successfully found the hunting grounds.
The hunting areas for men and women were separate, and the animals within them varied in ferocity. This hunt was divided into eight directions, and Ji Qingwu, after some thought, headed towards the southeast, a direction no one had chosen before.
Since she was all alone, she didn't plan to hunt large animals; catching wild rabbits, pheasants, and deer would be enough.
In an hour and a half, she hunted six rabbits, three pheasants, and one deer. The arrows were marked, and guards would come to collect them and score them later.
Ji Qingwu had no intention of competing for a high ranking; she decided to quit while she was ahead and leisurely rode her horse into the woods.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and the horse's hooves crunched over the fallen leaves and mud, a sound that felt incredibly comforting to her. It was a brief respite in this world where she could breathe freely.
But this pleasant feeling didn't last long.
Unfortunately, they ran into a group of people coming from another direction.
Ji Qingwu looked closely and recognized him as an old acquaintance.
Princess Qingyun, still looking down on everyone, asked, "Fifth Cousin, did you shoot any prey?"
Actually, there was no need to ask. She squinted and saw that Ji Qingwu's quiver was already more than half empty, which meant he must have hunted quite a lot. The group of them together had only hunted two pheasants.
They had just encountered Consort Wei, who had hunted quite a few prey and even asked with a smile if they wanted some.
Princess Qingyun refused with pride, determined to hunt it down herself and overshadow Wei Liru.
But Ji Qingwu stared at the ground in the southwest direction and did not answer her question.
"Why don't you answer the princess's questions!" the woman in bright blue scolded.
Ji Qingwu put her index finger to her lips and shushed them, saying, "Don't talk yet."
She made a new discovery on the ground: there should be animal footprints and droppings.
Ji Qingwu dismounted first and approached the mark for a closer look. She guessed that it must have been a large carnivorous beast that had just left.
It is very likely the ferocious beasts with special markings that the supervising guards mentioned, which are released irregularly.
Why would a wild beast appear in a no-go zone for women hunting...?
Ji Qingwu straightened up and said, "Judging from the depth of these footprints, the animal is quite large. Judging from the smell and color of the feces, it should be a young male. We should leave quickly."
Upon hearing this, the women's expressions turned strange.
The woman in the bright blue dress said disdainfully, "You actually got so close to look at it? Don't you find that thing dirty?"
Princess Qingyun covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, looking displeased, feeling that her fifth cousin, who grew up in the countryside, was uncouth and vulgar.
Ji Qingwu then remembered that the noble ladies of the capital were very disgusted by things like animal excrement.
But as a doctor, she was used to it.
Precious Chinese medicinal materials such as silkworm excrement, night-shining sand, five-spirit dung, and moon-gazing sand are all extracted from animal excrement. These women may have ingested, used, or applied them.
After a brief period of discomfort, Princess Qingyun became enthusiastic as she analyzed the possibility of a ferocious beast with Ji Qingwu.
He exclaimed excitedly, "Let's follow the footprints and go meet that wild beast!"
She wanted to go deep into the forest to hunt for the "top prize".
Ji Qingwu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
