"Why are you here? Who asked you to come? Why are you crying?" Xie Nanfeng walked up to Xie Nanjia and asked repeatedly.
Xie Nanjia had no time to hide her sadness, and said sadly: "I saw that the general was choking, so I brought tea for him to rinse his mouth. I heard that the general missed his family, and I felt the same way, and I couldn't help crying."
Xie Nanfeng glanced at her suspiciously, took the teapot, poured a glass of water and handed it to his father.
Xie Zhanting had already suppressed his grief, took the tea and rinsed his mouth, then said sadly: "I'm fine, little brother, please go back. If the emperor asks, just say I'm outside to take a break."
"Yes!" Xie Nanjia bowed and responded, then said, "General, don't grieve too much. Relax your mind and look forward. Take care of yourself for the sake of the Crown Prince's wife and the people of the Great Zhou. Although the Crown Prince's wife is gone, fortunately there is still blood left. When the young master grows up, he will definitely be filial to you and the lady."
Xie Zhanting was not prepared for Zhao Jingyu's servant to say such heartfelt words to him. He was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "I understand. Go back now, little brother!"
Xie Nanjia didn't want to leave and wanted to say a few more words to her father, but her father didn't know it was her and had no intention of talking to her, and kept asking her to leave.
With no other options, she had to carry the tray and leave.
Xie Zhanting watched her walk away, and asked Xie Nanfeng in confusion: "Isn't he Zhao Jingyu's servant? Why is he so concerned about me all of a sudden?"
Xie Nanfeng said, "Father, haven't you figured it out yet? This boy is a girl in disguise. She was the little girl who stopped me from killing Zhao Jingping during my sister's seventh-seventh-day memorial service."
"Is it her?" Xie Zhanting asked in surprise, "I thought something was wrong, but I didn't think about it. It turned out to be her. Didn't you say she was serving the Fourth Young Lady during the Mid-Autumn Festival? How come she is with Zhao Jingyu now?"
"Who knows!" Xie Nanfeng said, "She is an excellent cook. Maybe Marquis Dingyuan and the old lady were afraid that Zhao Jingyu would not eat well outside, so they specially asked her to serve. These days, Zhou Yuncheng and others have been running to Zhao Jingyu's place to eat. Isn't it because of her that even the emperor is alarmed now?"
Xie Zhanting's expression slightly changed, and he asked belatedly, "So, she also made the soup tonight?"
"It should be." Xie Nanfeng said, "Is there anything wrong?"
Xie Zhanting hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "It's exactly the same as what your sister did."
Xie Nanfeng was not very sensitive to food. The soups his sister cooked were all added with medicinal herbs to nourish his father's body. He seldom ate it, so he didn't taste anything special.
Hearing his father say that it was the same thing his sister did, he didn't take it seriously and said casually, "She is close to Hua Lou, maybe she learned it from Hua Lou."
Xie Zhanting didn’t think so, but now was not the time to delve into this, so he didn’t say anything more and took his son back to the tent.
Su Jincheng was standing guard outside the tent. Just now, Xie Zhanting left in a hurry, and he was not aware of the situation, so he did not follow him. Now that he saw that there was nothing serious, he clasped his fists and called him "General", and then whispered, "What's wrong with uncle?"
Xie Zhanting waved his hand: "It's okay, just do your job well and don't worry about it."
As he said that, he entered the tent first.
Xie Nanfeng patted his cousin on the shoulder from behind and followed him in.
The atmosphere in the tent was full of wine, as the guests at the banquet were all his brothers and nephews. It was a rare opportunity for Song Wanji to put aside his status and join in the fun. To add to the fun, he asked the eunuchs to place two double-handled copper pots in the middle of the tent for everyone to play the game of tossing pots.
Everyone was somewhat restrained and didn't dare to let loose and play, so Song Wanji took the lead and called on Xie Zhanting to compete with him. The loser had to drink three glasses of wine as a penalty.
These two were brothers who lived and died together on the battlefield. They were both very good archers. Although Song Wanji became emperor and no longer practiced every day like before, he was still as powerful as before. He shot eight bamboo arrows, and all of them hit the target.
Everyone applauded and praised him for his continued skill.
Xie Zhanting did not give in to Song Wanji just because he was the emperor. Not only did he hit all eight shots, he also hit the ball through the ears and the pole, which was better than Song Wanji.
Song Wanji drank some wine and pretended to be angry, "You are so good, Xie Zhanting, you even dare to beat me!"
Xie Zhanting cupped his hands and said, "To protect the stability of the country, I dare not slack off for a day. If I can't even play pot tossing well, can Your Majesty trust me to entrust the safety of the border to me?"
Song Wanji stroked his beard and laughed: "Okay, okay, well said. I have seen Nanfeng's rapid progress in the past two years. He has gradually acquired the demeanor of your youth. In time, he will be a good general who protects the country of our Great Zhou!"
Xie Nanfeng hurriedly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed to accept your praise."
"Why not?" Song Wanji said, "Come on, you can also throw a game, let us see what it means to be a hero when you are young!"
"Yes, sir!" Xie Nanfeng responded and stepped out.
"Your Majesty, your nephew would like to play a game with Master Nanfeng." The eldest son of Prince Jin stood up and said.
Song Wanji agreed and used his jade ring as a prize for the two men, and the one with the higher score would win.
Xie Nanjia had just returned to the tent and was highly praised by Song Wanji, who said that her cooking skills were superb and the food was a delight to eat.
Because she was Zhao Jingyu's person, she also praised Zhao Jingyu, saying that he was good at identifying and using people and that his filial piety was commendable.
Zhao Jingyu did not hide his pride at all. He called Xie Nanjia to stand beside him, as if he was showing off in public that the person who made the emperor happy was mine.
Except for Xie Zhanting and his son, the whole room was filled with the emperor's relatives. However, Zhao Jingyu, a bastard of humble origin, was rewarded by the emperor, and all the princes were very dissatisfied.
Therefore, before Xie Nanfeng and the eldest son of Prince Jin started to bid, the second son of Prince Dongshan had already reserved Zhao Jingyu, saying that he wanted to compete with him in the next game.
Zhao Jingyu didn't seem to want to play and didn't accept the challenge immediately, so several princes provoked him: "Why, Second Young Master Zhao, don't you dare or don't know how to do it?"
Before meeting Hu Qianshan that night, Xie Nanjia would probably have thought that Zhao Jingyu would not dare to do so, but now she absolutely did not believe that Hu Qianshan's disciples could not even throw the pot accurately.
Sure enough, Zhao Jingyu smiled faintly and said, "It's not that I don't dare, nor that I can't. It's just that I'm too lazy to move without a good start."
"What prize do you want?" asked the second son of King Dongshan.
Zhao Jingyu said lazily, "I don't lack anything, and I don't have anything I'm particularly interested in. How about this, if I win, I'll pick any of your things, and if you win, you'll pick any of mine. What do you think?"
"No problem." The second son of King Dongshan responded without hesitation.
Song Jingxing suddenly interrupted, "With such a prize, I also want to compete with Mr. Zhao Er."
"No problem." Zhao Jingyu smiled disapprovingly, "But everything has a first come first served basis. Even though you are the crown prince, you still have to rank behind the second prince."
Song Jingxing's expression changed, and he smiled stiffly: "Of course."
While a few people were talking, they suddenly heard Song Wanji take the lead in shouting "good job". It turned out that Xie Nanfeng had made the first throw with a pole.
The bamboo arrow leans diagonally against the mouth of the pot without falling to the bottom of the pot, and you get fifteen chips.
Everyone followed suit and clapped and cheered.
The eldest son of King Jin was also not weak. He made two consecutive shots and turned the disadvantage around.
However, whether Xie Nanfeng intended it or not, he hit the pole again with the second strike.
When he hit the pole with his third shot, everyone fell silent.
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but be moved. She stood beside Zhao Jingyu and turned her face away to hide her gaffe.
The reason why Xie Nanfeng was so adept at throwing the jig was because of a bet between him and his sister.
They were still young at that time. Su's cousin gave her a talking parrot. Xie Nanfeng liked it and wanted it. Xie Nanjia couldn't resist him and was reluctant to give the parrot to him, so she gave him a difficult question, saying that she would give him the parrot when he could hit six consecutive shots on the pole.
In order to get the parrot, Xie Nanfeng practiced for almost half a year. When he finally succeeded, the parrot fell ill and died. Xie Nanfeng was sad for a long time and didn't speak to her for more than a month.
Just as she was reminiscing about the past, applause and cheers broke out again, and Xie Nanfeng won the emperor's jade ring with eight pole moves.
Song Wanji was extremely surprised and praised Xie Nanfeng for being a hero at a young age and being better than his teacher.
The eldest son of King Jin returned to his seat with a dejected look on his face.
In the second game, Zhao Jingyu and the second son of Dongshan King came on stage.
The Prince of Dongshan could not hold his head up in front of the Emperor for several years because his eldest son brought his concubine to the hunting ground. He was counting on his second son to fight for his reputation and help him regain the lost face. Therefore, he was more nervous than his son and kept encouraging his son.
After all, they are a family, and the other princes also cheered him on.
Zhao Jingyu was alone, his father was not there, his only brother didn't come either, and there was no one to encourage him.
Xie Nanjia felt sorry for him and gave him some encouragement while helping him up.
Zhao Jingyu gave her a charming smile and whispered, "First take a look at what good things the second prince has. When I win, I will give them to you to play with."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
As they were talking, the two men walked off the field, each holding eight bamboo arrows, and stood side by side at the same distance.
Zhao Jingyu said: "The Second Prince must have extraordinary skills. It's meaningless to just compare accuracy. Why not add another item and see who is faster?"
"As you wish." The second son of King Dongshan was confident.
Song Wanji was delighted when he saw the two handsome young men. He took the initiative to play drums to accompany them, and stopped when one of them finished playing.
When the drums started beating, the bamboo arrows in the hands of the two men were thrown continuously at the copper pot, making it dizzy and impossible to tell whose arrows belonged to whom.
The drum beats became more and more frequent, and the bamboo arrows were thrown faster and faster. With the last drum beat, all the bamboo arrows in Zhao Jingyu's hand had been thrown out, and none of them missed. Although none of the bamboo arrows in Dongshan King's second son missed either, there was still one last arrow that he had not let go.
The winner was decided immediately. Zhao Jingyu smiled and bowed: "Second Prince, admit it!"
The second son of King Dongshan replied with a stiff smile, "Second Young Master Zhao is more skilled, and I am convinced. If you have any of my possessions that you like, just tell me."
Zhao Jingyu smiled and waved to Xie Nanjia: "Come, tell me what you like about the Second Prince."
Everyone was stunned.
This Zhao Jingyu was really outrageous. He even dared to use a servant to humiliate the prince.
The second son of King Dongshan's face immediately turned red, and he was very angry.
Although he was angry, he had to accept the defeat and give the boy whatever he wanted.
King Dongshan looked at the emperor, hoping that he could help reprimand Zhao Jingyu.
But Song Wanji just looked at Zhao Jingyu with a smile, as if he didn't think Zhao Jingyu was being excessive. He was waiting with great interest to see what the boy would pick.
Xie Nanjia was forced to come to the center of the field. In front of everyone, he gritted his teeth and looked at the second son of King Dongshan from head to toe. Just when he was thinking of asking him for a piece of silver, Song Jingxing suddenly stood up and shouted, "Wait a minute!"
"What's the matter, Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you have something to say?" Zhao Jingyu asked with a smile.
Song Jingxing said with a straight face: "Second brother is a guest from afar. I will pay for his bet. We still have one round. If you win, you can ask me for two things. If I win, you give me this servant. How about that?"
Because of this servant, everyone went to drink with Zhao Jingyu, leaving him, the prince, aside. Now even his father praised the servant in every way, allowing Zhao Jingyu to take the opportunity to gain attention again. It was really despicable.
Xie Nanjia didn't expect Song Jingxing to propose to use her as a bet. Her heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously looked at Zhao Jingyu. She saw that Zhao Jingyu's face gradually turned from bright to gloomy.
"Your Highness, you are really calculating. You want to win my people away by throwing a bamboo stick." Zhao Jingyu said coldly, "Then I want to ask your Highness, do the two random things you mentioned include your position as the crown prince?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar.
Xie Zhanting was thinking of his old relationship with Marquis Dingyuan, and was afraid that the emperor would hold Zhao Jingyu accountable for this, so he quickly stood up and said, "Zhao Jingyu, stop talking nonsense and apologize to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Song Wanji was also troubled by his arrogance, and said in a deep voice: "Zhao Jingyu, don't be presumptuous!"
When everyone saw the emperor getting angry, they all bowed their heads, but in their hearts they were gloating and wishing that the emperor would sentence him to death in a rage.
Zhao Jingyu laughed, "Look how nervous you are. I am not of royal blood, so my victory does not count. I am just reminding Your Highness that you value something, and I value something too. Although yours is the Lord of the East Palace, and mine is just a servant, it is very precious in my eyes. Therefore, I will not use it as a bet."
A hint of gloom flashed across Song Jingxing's handsome face: "A servant, speaking so sincerely, in the final analysis, he just can't afford to lose."
He calmly tricked Zhao Jingyu. If Zhao Jingyu didn't gamble, it was because he couldn't afford to lose. If he gambled, all his words would be in vain as he would just be slapping himself in the face.
At this point, no one else can say anything, and only the emperor can stop them.
But the emperor didn't seem to have any intention of stopping it. Instead, he looked like he was enjoying the show.
Xie Nanjia didn't want to embarrass Zhao Jingyu, so he bowed deeply to him and said in a voice that everyone could hear: "Second Master, I am willing to make a bet. You can gamble with the prince!"
Zhao Jingyu glared at her with displeasure and was about to ask her to leave when he suddenly saw her blinking at him.
Zhao Jingyu was stunned. Could it be that she was sure that she would not be won over by the prince
He exchanged doubts with her eyes, and she blinked again.
Zhao Jingyu gritted his teeth and decided to trust her for once. He turned to Song Jingxing and said, "In that case, I will gamble with you."
He had already spent a lot of energy in the previous game with the second son of King Dongshan, and was not sure he could beat the prince, so he did not dare to bet on Xie Nanjia.
Song Jingxing's plan succeeded, he raised the corners of his lips slightly, and said with a cupped hand: "Then please!"
"How do you want to bet?" Zhao Jingyu asked.
Song Jingxing said, "You've already pitched one round, so I won't play tricks this time. Just follow the rules, or you can accuse me of taking advantage of you."
Zhao Jingyu sneered: "Not everyone can take advantage of me."
The eunuchs arranged the bamboo arrows and rearranged the two copper pots. Zhao Jingyu and Song Jingxing stood side by side. They both had the same tall figures and handsome faces, and it was very pleasing to the eye standing together. Accompanied by the emperor's drum beats, the two attacked at the same time.
With two puffs, two bamboo arrows were thrown into their respective pots at the same time.
The first arrow hit Hukou, and the player named Youchu got ten chips each.
The drumbeats continued, and the two men threw down the second one.
The second arrow also hit the Hukou point, which is called a consecutive hit, and each player gets five points.
After throwing the same number twice in a row, everyone found it strange. Gradually, they forgot their previous fear and focused on watching the game.
Then, something strange happened. Each of the two men threw the same arrow until each of them had only one arrow left in his hand, and the score was still the same.
There was only one hand left, and everyone became nervous, holding their breath and staring at the two people's hands, not daring to blink.
The air around the two men froze. They looked at each other, turned around at the same time in tacit understanding, turned their backs to the copper pot, took a deep breath, and attacked at the same time.
The drums stopped, the game ended, and the tent was silent.
Both of them had exhausted their energy, their faces were pale and covered in cold sweat.
The eunuch who was acting as the archer shouted with a trembling voice: "Your Highness the Crown Prince shot the dragon's head, and the second young master Zhao shot the dragon's tail!"
The dragon head is also a kind of supporting pole. The arrow head is aimed at the player who is throwing the pot, and he gets 18 chips.
The dragon's tail is also a kind of supporting pole. When the tail of the arrow is pointed directly at the player who is throwing the pot, he gets fifteen chips.
Zhao Jingyu lost to Song Jingxing by three points.
There was applause in the tent.
Song Jingxing let out a long sigh and gave Zhao Jingyu a smug smile.
Zhao Jingyu gritted his teeth, slowly turned around and met Xie Nanjia's eyes.
He suspected that he had been fooled by the little girl.
She looked down on everything in the Marquis' Mansion, perhaps because her ambition was not in the Marquis' Mansion. The Marquis' Mansion was just a stepping stone for her. She had been lying dormant for so long just waiting for an opportunity to soar to the sky.
She winked at him, not because she had any good ideas at all. She just wanted to trick him into letting his guard down and into accepting the bet with Song Jingxing.
Now, she has got what she wanted.
She made him lose to Song Jingxing.
He can lose to anyone, but not to Song Jingxing.
Zhao Jingyu felt that the blood in his body was flowing backwards, and his heart ached as if someone had stabbed him hard.
He covered his chest and stared at Xie Nanjia hatefully.
Xie Nanjia sensed his anger and was about to tell him not to worry, but then she saw him sway a few times and stagger backwards.
(End of this chapter)