Storm
After meeting Xiao Luochen that day, Su Musong had become his personal henchman. The two of them were inseparable, much to the amazement of their classmates. They had assumed the Xiao family's children were arrogant and aloof, and therefore didn't want to socialize with others. They had never expected Xiao Luochen to get along so well with Su Musong. Although Xiao Luochen's words had temporarily calmed Qiu Zhao, he still despised Su Musong in his heart and felt that Xiao Luochen had humiliated him in front of his group of followers. Therefore, he was always looking for an opportunity to teach Su Musong and Xiao Luochen a lesson.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen were completely unaware of Qiu Zhao's hostility. Although they were both smart, they were only eight-year-old children after all. They really couldn't imagine what a reckless teenager could do for the sake of face.
In Confucian studies, the six arts of a gentleman must naturally be learned.
In archery class, Su Musong and Xiao Luochen were relatively young among the students, so their strength couldn't compare to Qiu Zhao's group of half-grown boys. Furthermore, Xiao Luochen had been physically weak since childhood, already thinner than his peers, and the gap was even more pronounced. Su Musong's arrows, while not quite hitting the target, at least brushed it. However, Xiao Luochen struggled mightily to even draw his bow.
After two rounds, both of them collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion.
"Ah, that's why you call them weak scholars. If you become an official in the future, I'm afraid you'll be a lazy and incompetent official who doesn't know how to work."
Seeing the two of them like this, Qiu Zhao took the opportunity to come over and laugh at them. In fact, it was he who had taken away the bows they had originally used for student practice and replaced them with adult ones, which was why they were struggling so hard.
Su Musong and Xiao Luochen looked at each other. Although they were unhappy, Qiu Zhao was really good at riding and shooting, so they did not say anything to refute.
"Seeing how hard you're working, don't say I don't care about you, classmates. Use this."
Qiu Zhao took out two bows again, handed them to the two men, and said, "You have weak arms and legs now, so just use these. It takes more than one or two years to build up strength." After that, he walked away.
Su Musong tried it and found that it was indeed much lighter than the previous bow and much easier to use.
"Luo Chen, why is Qiu Zhao so kind today? Is he trying to trick me?"
"That shouldn't be the case. Didn't you try it just now and it was fine?"
Having said that, Su Musong still felt a little uneasy, so he deliberately moved to Qiu Zhao's side during another practice.
Xiao Luochen didn't care much about it. Using the bow given by Qiu Zhao, he shot five arrows in a row and four of them hit the target, which made him very happy.
Xiao Luochen pulled the bow to its full extent, concentrating on shooting another arrow, but he heard a "click" and the bow broke into two pieces. Xiao Luochen fell to the ground, and the broken bow bounced onto his face, hitting his brow bone, causing him to bleed profusely.
When Qiu Zhao saw Xiao Luochen fall to the ground, he clapped his hands in joy. Su Musong immediately realized that it was Qiu Zhao who had tampered with the bow. He was so angry that he pulled out the feather arrow and used all his strength to stab it into Qiu Zhao's instep. The arrowhead was most of the way in, and Qiu Zhao rolled on the ground and howled in pain.
For a moment, the training ground was in chaos. Su Musong was too lazy to look at Qiu Zhao anymore. He ran to Xiao Luochen quickly and saw that he was bleeding profusely, with his face covered in blood. Su Musong had never seen such a scene before, and he burst into tears in panic.
Fortunately, the person teaching horse riding and archery was a general. He calmly ordered people to carry Qiu Zhao and Xiao Luochen away, and then comforted the students and quickly stabilized the situation.
The thorny matter is yet to come. Now the son of the Prime Minister and the son of the General of the Cavalry are injured, and the son of the Duke of Anguo is a suspect of injury. This lawsuit can be big or small. For a moment, Xu Daxueshi, who is in charge of children's education, does not know how to deal with it. But it is always right to send Xiao Luochen and Qiu Zhao back home for treatment. As for Su Musong, many people have witnessed that it was indeed him who injured Qiu Zhao. The Daxueshi had to go to the Duke of Anguo's mansion in person. If he could persuade the Duke of Anguo to take Su Musong to the General of the Cavalry's mansion to apologize, he would act as a peacemaker to reconcile the two families, saying that Su Musong was just careless and did not intend to hurt anyone, perhaps the matter could be resolved. As for Xiao Luochen, he could only punish the person in charge of the armory and let the matter go.
Having made up his mind, Xu Daxueshi personally sent Su Musong back to the Anguo Mansion. Along the way, Su Musong was only worried about Xiao Luochen's injury. As for Qiu Zhao, he just felt that he deserved it and never thought about the consequences of his arrow.
At the Duke of Anguo's mansion, Grand Secretary Xu recounted what happened in the horse riding and archery class, and his words revealed his hope that the Duke of Anguo would come to apologize. Su Maoyi looked at Su Musong while listening, only to see that he looked calm and did not feel that he had done anything wrong.
After Xu Daxueshi finished speaking, Su Maoyi did not take up the conversation or make any comments, which made the Daxueshi quite embarrassed. It was Su Musong who hurt people in the first place, and now he was trying to find a way to help cover it up, which was considered to be his utmost kindness. However, Duke Anguo did not seem to appreciate it.
"My Lord, look at this..."
"Master Xu, I would like to hear Mu Song describe what happened at that time."
Su Maoyi knew that Qiu Zhao was indeed injured by Su Musong, but he also knew that Su Musong would never hurt anyone for no reason.
Su Musong had never told his family about the ridicule and bullying he suffered at school before, but this time he told them without reservation everything about the troubles Qiu Zhao and his gang had caused him and Xiao Luochen on a daily basis.
Xu Daxueshi felt very uncomfortable listening to this.
"Qiu Zhao gave Luo Chen that bow. He must have tampered with it, otherwise how could the bow break?"
Su Musong was indignant and very annoyed. He wished he had stopped Luo Chen from using the bow.
"Master Qiu is indeed a bit naughty on a daily basis, but he would not do such a vicious thing as harming someone's life. Perhaps the bow has just been used for too long, so it broke."
Scholar Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead. The situation in the court was delicate. The son of the General of Cavalry murdered the son of the Prime Minister. Such a thing could easily cause a huge storm. He just wanted to live peacefully for a few years and then retire to his hometown. No matter what the truth was, it would be best for him not to make a big deal out of it. Therefore, he could only try his best to find some excuses for Qiu Zhao.
Hearing Xu Daxueshi defending Qiu Zhao, Su Musong became a little anxious.
"I've seen it. The bow isn't old at all. He did it on purpose."
"Young Master Su doesn't often see bows and arrows, so it's normal that you can't tell whether they're new or old. No one saw whether the bow was given by Qiu Zhao, but everyone saw you wound him with your feather arrow. Since you hurt someone, you should come and apologize."
"I won't go. He was the one who hurt Luo Chen first. I didn't do anything wrong, so I don't want to apologize to him!"
Su Musong turned around angrily and rushed into Changsun Qinan's arms, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked stubborn and aggrieved, which made people feel unbearable.
"Master Xu, I'm sure you know the truth. If the bow has been tampered with, you can find out by taking the broken bow. Why bother arguing with a child? As for who should apologize, our two families will figure it out. Thank you for sending my son back today. I have some matters to attend to at home, so I won't keep you here any longer."
Seeing that Su Maoyi was not buying it, Xu Daxueshi became a little anxious. The reason why he asked to be transferred to Tongxue was that he wanted to retire peacefully and return home. He must not be implicated in this matter in any way.
"My Lord, it's just a quarrel between children, a little playful. A little friction is perfectly natural. Your son accidentally hurt someone, so he should come and apologize. My Lord, you've just arrived in Kyoto, and this is the time to make friends. Why would you antagonize the General of the Cavalry over such a trivial matter?"
"Someone, show the guests out."
Su Maoyi didn't want to listen to his nonsense anymore and ordered him to leave.
"Your Excellency, the Duke, the General of the Cavalry is here to visit."
Su Maoyi glanced at Xu Daxueshi and thought, well, why not take this opportunity to make things clear.
"Please come here, General."
Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Xu felt uneasy. The General of the Cavalry had a hot temper, and if he came to kill him this time, there was no way this matter would end well.
Xu Dashi broke out in a cold sweat. He watched the Duke of Anguo and his wife, who appeared unperturbed, as he assumed Su Maoyi and his wife were new to the capital and unfamiliar with the General of the Cavalry's temper, hence their nonchalant attitude. He wondered how this incident would end. After all, the victim had been injured while studying, and the General would likely take his anger out on them. At this thought, Xu Dashi unconsciously moved back, as if hoping the General would completely ignore him.
The General of Cavalry did not come alone. He was followed by four personal soldiers, carrying a sedan chair, on which lay Qiu Zhao, who had been injured in the instep by Su Musong. The arrow was still stuck in his instep, and it was obvious that he did not receive medical treatment after being sent home.
From the look of it, you can tell without asking that he is here to call for punishment.
Changsun Qinan held Su Musong in his arms and stepped back.
"I wonder what brings you here, General?"
Su Maoyi asked the question even though he knew the answer, but the General's next move was unexpected.
"My son's words were rude, and I, Qiu, have come to apologize. I beg Your Majesty to forgive him for his youth and ignorance."
After saying that, the general took Qiu Zhao down from the sedan chair and threw him at Su Maoyi's feet. Qiu Zhao grimaced in pain, his face distorted, but he refused to make a sound.
In this situation, Su Maoyi couldn't tell whether the general was sincere or not.
"I'm just a businessman, so I can't say whether I'm forgiving or not."
"If it weren't for the Duke's donation of food and fodder, and his advice to defeat the enemy, I'm afraid I would have lost my life in Xizhou, let alone achieved any meritorious service. The Duke is my benefactor. My son is ignorant and offensive, truly having no sense of what's good for him. I've brought him here today, and I'll leave him to your disposal."
"General, you are wrong. This is not the Sikou Mansion. I cannot make judgments, so how can I deal with them? Besides, the child is just venting his anger. If I pursue him, wouldn't I be petty?"
"Then the Duke has forgiven me?"
"However, your son's actions were not merely childish bickering. He is suspected of tampering with the bow, causing the Prime Minister's son to be injured. Therefore, the general's drama of apologizing by carrying a thorny branch should not be performed in the Duke of Anguo's mansion. The Prime Minister's mansion should be the stage for the performance."
Su Maoyi was not a mean person, but he saw that the General of Cavalry was saying nice things but actually trying to brush off the fact that his son had intentionally injured someone with a few words, so he lost his good face for a moment.
"I have come here sincerely to apologize. If Your Majesty feels that this is not enough, then I will break this brat's other leg to appease Your Majesty."
After saying this, the General of the Cavalry actually picked up the staff held by his personal guard and smashed it towards Qiu Zhao's uninjured leg. This frightened Xu Daxueshi, who was standing by, so much so that his heart jumped into his throat and he quickly turned his head away, not daring to look.
But the pole did not fall on Qiu Zhao's legs. At the critical moment, Changsun Qinan took action. He jumped forward in a flash, snatched the pole, and smashed it into pieces with one palm.
The General of Cavalry and the Grand Secretary Xu were so shocked that they could not speak for a long time when they looked at the wood chips all over the ground. They had not expected that the wife of the Duke of Anguo, who looked delicate and bright, had such powerful skills.
"That's enough, General. Your son shouldn't have bullied his classmates, but Mu Song also injured your son. So our two families are even. You don't have to apologize, and we don't intend to apologize to you. As for whether he deliberately murdered his classmates, after all, Mu Song was not injured. This is a lawsuit between you and the Prime Minister's Mansion. My Anguo Mansion is not the lobby of the Sikou Mansion. The right and wrong should be settled by your two families. There is no need to waste words here."
After Changsun Qinan said this, the General of the Cavalry came to his senses. Qiu Zhao was not seriously injured. It seemed that there was no need to continue to pester the Anguo Mansion. Even if they reported it to the emperor, he had shown enough sincerity today. It was they who did not want to pursue the matter. If they brought it up later, it would mean that they had bad intentions. It was a good result for now to be able to clear things up with this side.
"In that case, I won't bother you anymore."
The general achieved his goal and was about to leave, but was stopped.
"General," Changsun Qinan, took out a medicine bottle and handed it to the General of the Cavalry, saying, "Although your son's wound isn't deep, if treatment is delayed it could fester and his leg could be destroyed. Whatever you decide to do next, you should first have someone treat your son's wound. This is a family ointment that's incredibly effective for healing external injuries. I hope it can be of some help."
The General of the Cavalry took the medicine bottle with a complicated expression, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Thank you, Madam, for the medicine."
After saying this, he took his personal soldiers and hurriedly left carrying Qiu Zhao.
Xu Daxueshi knew that if he stayed any longer he would only bring himself boredom, so he also took his leave.
Seeing Changsun Qinan giving medicine, Su Musong was unhappy and said angrily
"Mother, he bullied me and harmed Luo Chen, why did you give him medicine? You should have just broken his legs."
"Mu Song, just because I didn't ask you to apologize to Qiu Zhao today doesn't mean you didn't do anything wrong, understand?"
Su Musong was very dissatisfied when he heard his mother say that he was wrong.
"I don't understand. He was the one who did the wrong thing first. I was just teaching him a lesson."
"You made three mistakes. First, he's older than you, and you're no match for him. If you use an arrow to hurt him, you'll likely get hurt in return. It's foolish to easily put yourself in danger at any time. Second, force should be used for self-protection, not to vent anger. Using an arrow to hurt him out of anger was wrong. Third, you were bullied outside and didn't tell your parents."
After hearing this, Su Musong was like an eggplant hit by frost, and his originally proud little head immediately drooped down.
"I won't punish you for these three mistakes, but I hope you'll keep them firmly in mind. Especially the third point. No matter when or what happens, Daddy and Mommy will protect you, so if you have any problems, you must tell us. Do you understand?"
Su Musong nodded obediently
"Mu Song remembers it."
Seeing that Su Musong accepted the instruction, Changsun Qinan felt very relieved. He took Su Musong's hand and Su Maoyi's arm and prepared to go to the backyard. When he turned around the screen, he suddenly saw a person standing behind the screen. Changsun Qinan secretly cried out in dismay, he actually forgot that the emperor was still here.
Just now, Grand Secretary Xu came to visit unexpectedly. Su Maoyi did not want others to know that the Anguo Mansion was close to the emperor, so he asked the emperor to leave. However, the emperor was really curious about how Grand Secretary Xu was going to deal with this lawsuit, which was not a big deal but not a small one. In order to prevent the emperor from being exposed by listening to any noise at the wall, Changsun Qinan made a prompt decision and pointed out the emperor's acupoints and hid him behind the screen.
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