Watching the intimate interaction between the emperor and the empress in front of everyone, as if they were just a loving couple from an ordinary family, Concubine Xie, who was sitting on the bench, had a smile on her face, and her fingernails hidden in the wide sleeves of her robe almost pierced her palms, which made her grit her teeth in hatred.
The emperor gave the empress enough face in front of others. The empress felt relieved and said with a smile, "Forget it, since the emperor has spoken, I will offer a prize." She raised her hand and called Su Xin, who was serving beside her, over. She whispered a few words to her, and Su Xin retreated. Soon she took a box and presented it to the table of the emperor and the empress with both hands.
"This jade ruyi will be used as a prize." The queen said with a smile, "Whoever wins the prize will get the jade ruyi."
The scene suddenly became lively. After all, the prisoner presentation ceremony was nothing interesting, but now there were entertainment programs to watch, so everyone was naturally happy.
Fu Lemei pulled Mingyu aside and asked with great interest, "How is Lord Anxi's skill? Is he very good?"
Mingyu shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Fu Lemei looked skeptical, "How could you not know?"
Mingyu glanced at Fu Lemei and said slowly, "Then I'll go ask my brother and tell him that Miss Fu wants to know more about Lord Sima..."
Before she finished speaking, Fu Lemei's pretty face flushed red. She waved her pink fist and symbolically slapped Mingyu twice. The force was definitely not enough to kill even a mosquito. She complained in a fake voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you mentioning your brother for no reason? It's none of his business."
"Oh? Who is it that always asks if Xu Mingye is here every time he comes to my house? And who calls him Brother Xu when he sees him, more intimately than calling me, his own sister!" Mingyu said with a wicked smile, blinking her eyes.
Fu Lemei blushed and said incoherently, "Don't talk nonsense. Men and women shouldn't touch each other. If he's at home, I have to avoid him, right?"
Mingyu wanted to tease Fu Lemei again when she heard the crowd around her burst into cheers. It turned out that the competition had already begun.
A dozen straw stacks as high as a person had been installed on the parade ground. Sima Hong and six or seven leaders of the imperial guards rode on horses, each holding a bow in his hand and a quiver on his back. Unlike the usual feather arrows, the arrows here had no iron arrowheads but cotton cloth soaked in dye. The color of the dye on each person's arrow was different. If someone was hit by an opponent's arrow, their body would be stained with the pigment on the cotton cloth with the arrowhead as a mark.
The big drums at the four corners of the parade ground have been beaten. The time limit is one incense stick. Whoever has the least paint on his body will win and take the first place.
Sima Hong had taken off his heavy brocade robe, and was only wearing a single layer of clothing, with a wasp waist and ape arms. Since he mounted Zhuifeng again and picked up the bow and arrow in his hand, his expression was different from before. His eyes were full of solemnity and concentration, as if there was only him and the opponent he wanted to destroy in the world, and nothing else.
As the eunuch in front of the training ground struck the gong, a clear sound was heard, announcing the start of the competition. Sima Hong immediately urged Zhuifeng, who was under him, to quickly shuttle between the haystacks, leaping and turning on the horse's back, dodging the arrows shot like raindrops by the other contestants like lightning.
Most of the arrows shot at Sima Hong were stuck in the haystacks, and the paint flowed down the straw. While the others were fighting, Sima Hong quietly moved out, dodging continuously and finding a gap, nodding his arrow and pulling the string, the arrow flew out, hitting one of the men in the left chest, the momentum was so strong that the man staggered on his horse, and the red paint dyed his clothes red.
The people on the parade ground cheered, and even the emperor smiled. If Sima Hong had used real arrows, that man would have died on the spot. He was worthy of having been on the battlefield for so long, and his moves were quick, ruthless and accurate.
Only five of the six leaders of the Imperial Guards were left. The five men in the melee seemed to have their brains suddenly come to their senses. They drew their bows and arrows and began to attack the enemy in unison, wanting to get rid of Sima Hong first and then determine the winner among themselves.
However, Sima Hong moved extremely quickly. He appeared here at one moment and ran somewhere else the next. The guards lost their target as soon as they drew their bows. Not only did they fail to hit Sima Hong, but Sima Hong took advantage of the chaos to kill three of them.
The scene became tense for a moment. There were only two people left in the Imperial Guards. Although this competition was obviously set up by the emperor to make Marquis Anxi look good, the Imperial Guards also had their dignity and they were unwilling to lose. At least they could not be wiped out and lose too ugly.
The people watching the excitement on the parade ground also held their breath. In the center of the field surrounded by half-man-high cloth, the figure of Sima Hong riding Zhuifeng was looming in the haystack. The remaining two imperial guards simply stood back to back on their horses, drawing their bows and arrows, ready to shoot an arrow at the elusive Sima Hou at any time.
The only sound that could be heard on the field was the clatter of Sima Hong's horse's hooves as he ran. Just as the two imperial guards were concentrating on aiming, waiting to shoot as soon as Sima Hong appeared in their sight, an arrow broke through the air, passed through the gap behind the two men, and lodged in the haystack. The arrow was so powerful that the tail feathers were still trembling after it penetrated the haystack.
The two generals of the Imperial Guard were shocked at the same time. They turned around quickly and rode their horses towards the direction where the arrow came from. However, just as they turned around and lowered their guard, the second arrow came and hit one of them in the left chest with lightning speed.
It turned out that Sima Hong had already jumped off Zhuifeng silently, leaving Zhuifeng running around in the training ground by himself, creating an illusion for the remaining two generals and interfering with their judgment. He himself ran quickly between the haystacks on his own legs, and when the time was right he drew his bow and shot an arrow.
The crowd cheered. The competition was so exciting, much better than the fancy spears on the stage! The young ladies on the training ground covered their faces with silk fans, but they couldn't help but get excited. This Lord Anxi was really as rumored, a hero with real kung fu skills!
"Hey, do you think he can kill the last one?" Fu Lemei asked nervously, pulling Mingyu's sleeve, staring at the central enclosure without blinking, afraid of missing the exciting and important parts.
Mingyu glanced at the center of the venue. The weather was fine today. The sun was strong and warm near noon. Sima Hong's figure would appear from time to time in the haystacks. The thin shirt on his back was already wet with sweat, sticking to his body, revealing the strong and muscular back. The sweat on his forehead flowed down his cheeks and ran from his neck into his wheat-colored chest.
"I don't know." Mingyu's face turned red as she looked away. It was said that these young ladies valued etiquette the most. Why did Sima Hong stare at them so intently? She felt embarrassed to watch any further. In her opinion, such competitions were meaningless. Winning or losing was not important. The most important thing was to survive in the battlefield full of swords, guns and arrows.
As soon as Sima Hong appeared in the enclosure, the remaining general quickly put his arrow on his head and shot it. The arrow pierced through the haystack, but unfortunately Sima Hong dodged it quickly. Mingyu was shocked. The remaining general was indeed quite capable.
While the general was sitting on his horse, looking down at Sima Hong, Zhuifeng continued to trot happily in the paddock. The only sound in the paddock was the clatter of Zhuifeng's hooves. The general knew that the sound of the hooves was just a distraction, so he ignored it.
The haystacks were wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, so the general just had to lower his eyes. As long as Sima Hong was still moving, his legs and feet would definitely appear in the space between the haystacks. However, just as the general was concentrating on looking for Sima Hong, a feather arrow seemed to appear out of thin air, flying low and straight towards the general.
The general was startled, but after he came to his senses, his body had already reacted. He lay down on the horse's back, trying to avoid the arrow. However, the arrow was not aimed at him. Instead, it hit the horse's forehead. The blood-red dye flowed down the horse's forehead. The general's horse was frightened and immediately kicked.
At this time, the general was lying on the horse's back to avoid the arrows. He was not prepared for the horse's fright and was thrown to the ground without any suspense. When he turned over quickly and prepared to get up to fight again, he found Sima Hong riding Zhuifeng in front of him. The youngest marquis in history had a fully drawn bow and arrow in his hand, aiming at him from above, and the red dye of the cloth covering the arrow was still dripping down and falling on the ground beside him.
"My Lord, your martial arts are indeed superb! I accept defeat with all my heart!" The general bowed on the ground and admitted defeat with a tone of admiration.
The emperor was overjoyed, he stood up from his seat and cheered loudly: "Great! You are all pillars of the Great Chu, you will all be rewarded!"
Cheers broke out in the crowd, and everyone looked at Sima Hong with envy, admiration, and also love and longing.
Sima Hong took the towel from Baihao's hand, wiped the sweat off his body, put on his brocade robe again, knelt before the emperor to express his gratitude, and took the prize of this competition - the jade ruyi sponsored by the queen.
The jade ruyi was originally an object for women to enjoy, and the queen's jade ruyi was no ordinary item. It was one foot square, made entirely of mutton-fat white jade, engraved with auspicious clouds and waves, and inlaid with several large sapphires.
The emperor couldn't help but tease him, "Which beautiful lady does Marquis An plan to give this jade ruyi to?"
If it were a thin-skinned civil official, such as Lu Hao, he would have blushed at this moment. However, Sima Hong was born thick-skinned. In addition, he had been in the army for so long that he didn't know what shyness was. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise. This is exactly what I meant!"
After Sima Hong took the jade ruyi, he began to look around in the parade ground. He seemed to see the familiar person among the crowd watching the excitement.
Wherever his eyes went, the young ladies blushed and lowered their heads, their hearts beating like deer. They were shy but also looked forward to it, hoping that this true hero and real man would give them the jade ruyi.