At the other end of the lawn, Gu Heng saw from afar that the carriage he had sent to pick up Qin Zhao had arrived, and said to the people around him, "According to the plan, just scare him, don't really cause any trouble, understand?"
There were four or five teenagers around him, one of whom was riding on a horse and looked at him teasingly: "Brother Heng, why are you so afraid of him?"
"I'm not afraid!" Gu Heng retorted, "He is the first choice selected by the prefect, and he will take the prefectural examination in August. If anything happens to him, my father will kill me."
"A nerd..."
The young man snorted, raised his eyes and looked over there, just in time to see Qin Zhao leading Jing Li out of the carriage.
Jing Li wore his favorite pomegranate red coat today, which made his skin look white and his waist look slim. He was led by Qin Zhao, but he looked curiously at the horse grazing on the roadside, his eyes were bright and seemed eager to try.
The young men on this side of the lawn were all staring in fascination.
Only Gu Heng said vaguely: "He...his husband is really good-looking..."
Qin Zhao quickly led Jing Li to the lawn, glanced at everyone, and then stopped at Gu Heng: "You didn't say you were coming to the racecourse today."
“Is that so?” Gu Heng had been scolded by Qin Zhao for a few days. He felt scared when he heard him say that. He forced himself not to show his fear in front of his friends. “Today’s weather is good, suitable for horse racing, so… so…”
Jing Li didn't want to pay attention to Gu Heng, so he looked up and asked the boy on the horse: "Do you want to compete?"
The boy's face instantly turned red, and he stammered, "Competition... competition, yes, we have to compete."
"Okay, then we won't keep you any longer, let's get started." There were spectator seats all around the racecourse. Jing Li pulled Qin Zhao's sleeve and said, "That's a good spot, let's go there and watch."
After saying that, he pulled Qin Zhao to the spectator seats, leaving the teenagers looking at each other in bewilderment.
The person Jing Li questioned was Zhou Qi, the young master of the Zhou family who organized the party. He watched Jing Li's back as he left and said to his companion, "Why don't you get on the horse quickly? What are you dawdling for?"
Everyone: “…”
The rules of formal mounted archery are that the contestants ride their horses around a track and shoot arrows at targets fixed beside the track.
Within a quarter of an hour, the number of laps run and the number of targets hit are added together to determine the final score.
Jing Li asked: "What if we run slowly and just aim to hit the target?"
"It's not that easy." Qin Zhao said, "Each quiver is only equipped with nine arrows, and there are a certain number of targets on the field, and they are unevenly distributed. If you run too slowly, the targets will be taken by others before you reach them."
"Besides, even if all nine arrows hit the target, it's only nine out of ten. Speed will still determine the winner in the end."
"But we can't just pursue speed blindly. There is a rule in horse racing that if more than three arrows miss the target, the person will be disqualified."
"It's so difficult..." Jing Li held the small fish tank and looked at the group of teenagers preparing off the field, "I don't know who came up with such a perverted method."
Qin Zhao smiled and said, "In the early years, the nomadic tribes in the north repeatedly invaded the border. They were best at riding and shooting, and the army sent by the court suffered a lot. Therefore, the late emperor implemented this horse racing rule, asking the people to strengthen their riding and shooting skills in case of emergency."
Jing Li asked: "So how do you play the horse racing game you mentioned? Do you bet on who will win?"
"Yes, do you want to try it?"
"Uh-huh!"
Off the field, several young men had already put on their protective gear, and at the sound of drums from the servants waiting outside, they all rode out on their horses, raising a cloud of dust.
Jing Li looked at the field with great interest, and saw Gu Heng's horse running in the front, almost approaching the first target.
Without slowing down at all, he pulled an arrow from his quiver.
"Gu Heng looks quite capable." Jing Li said with interest.
Qin Zhao shook his head: "My lower body is not stable, I can't hit it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Heng's arrow flew out, but missed the target.
Miss the target.
The opportunity was fleeting, and the target was hit by Zhou Qi who followed closely behind, and instantly shattered into pieces.
The targets used in horseback archery competitions are different from those used in ordinary archery competitions. Not only are they much smaller than ordinary targets, but they are also made of thin pieces of wood, and will break if an arrow is shot at them.
This ensures that one arrow hits one target.
"Sure enough, it's still not that good." Jing Li muttered and continued to look for other targets. "How about that one, number three."
Qin Zhao looked over and shook his head: "He can't even ride a horse properly. If he continues at this speed, he will probably fall off."
Sure enough, the boy number three soon lost his grip on the reins and began to slow down.
This kind of entertainment for rich young men is naturally not as good as professional horse racing. Before they had finished a few laps, several teenagers either lacked physical strength or missed the target too many times, and lost their qualifications one after another. Only Zhou Qi and Gu Heng were still competing seriously.
The boy who was left behind did not even stop, but just ran slowly around the track.
A young man looked at the two men riding away and asked, "Isn't this a little strange?"
"I think so too..." another person said absentmindedly, "What was our plan?"
This place was originally their main destination for outings in the suburbs. Gu Heng suggested that everyone come here not just for horse racing, but also to scare Qin Zhao.
It is extremely dangerous to watch horse archery live, and it is common for arrows to miss the target.
After the horse race starts, they will deliberately shoot arrows in Qin Zhao's direction, which will definitely scare him away.
But... what are you doing now? Are you putting on a show for others
But the two young men on the field were so engrossed in the competition that they didn't think about it at all.
They have now completed the same number of laps and have missed the target twice respectively. Gu Heng has three arrows left in his quiver, while Zhou Qi has only two.
Zhou Qi leads by one point.
Jing Li asked Qin Zhao: "Who do you think will win?"
Qin Zhao: "You want to gamble, why are you asking me?"
Jing Li sighed: "But what I said is not accurate."
Qin Zhao was right, Jing Li was indeed not suitable for gambling.
I don’t know how he does it, but whoever he bets on is eliminated, and he perfectly avoids all the correct options.
Qin Zhao said: "You are just prejudiced against Gu Heng."
Jing Li bet on almost everyone on the field, but he never said that Gu Heng would win. That was because he was still upset about Gu Heng occupying the restaurant and taking Qin Zhao to the casino, so he refused to bet on him.
"Okay, then I'll bet on him and see if he can win." Jing Li snorted coldly, "If he loses, you have to agree to one of my requests."
Qin Zhao laughed: "You bet on him in the horse race. If he loses, it means you lose. Why should you punish me?"
Jing Li: "Whoever I let push will be eliminated. It would be so unfair if I just let them do what they want."
He knocked on the fish tank: "You agree with this, right?"
The little fish lifted its tail happily.
Qin Zhao: “…”
Qin Zhao was helpless: "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Things were changing rapidly on the field. While the two were talking, the two people on the field had already shot an arrow each, and both hit the target.
Zhou Qi was still leading by one point, but he did not stop and immediately pulled out the last arrow.
The hourglass at the starting point records the competition time. There is not much time left now. Even a novice like Jing Li can see his purpose.
Zhou Qi wanted to shoot the last arrow first and then ride his horse one more lap.
In this way, even if all of Gu Heng's remaining arrows hit the target, he would still be one point behind him.
Qin Zhao watched his actions and just shook his head slightly.
The next second, Zhou Qi drew his bow and shot an arrow, but the moment the arrow flew out, it was knocked off course by another arrow that flew out horizontally. His arrow pierced the lawn, but the arrow that followed shattered the bull's eye.
Zhou Qi was startled and subconsciously tightened the reins, but Gu Heng rode past him.
The outcome is decided.
"That arrow just now was so powerful!" Jing Li exclaimed.
He had never been interested in any sports event before, and when Qin Zhao talked to him about it before, he didn't understand the fun of betting on horses.
But after watching this scene, my heart beat faster and my blood boiled.
Jing Li's eyes lit up, and as Gu Heng's last arrow hit the bull's eye, he jumped up excitedly amid the cheers of the servants around him.
Qin Zhao: “…”
The other rich young men who left early and returned to the audience seats: "?"
Qin Zhao pulled him back and gently pinched his face: "You're still so happy after losing?"
Jing Li blinked, then realized that they had a bet.
"I lose, anyway..." Jing Li paused, and suddenly realized, "You knew that Gu Heng would win, and you deliberately let me win him just now!"
Qin Zhao smiled helplessly: "Yeah, I originally wanted you to win once, but who knew someone would change the rules at the last minute."
He still lost after changing the rules, he is worthy of it.
Jing Li: “… Hum.”
He looked into the distance, and saw the two young men who had finished the race riding their horses slowly back. Regardless of other things, this was indeed a hearty race for the two young men. They were sweating profusely, and the two horses were panting heavily.
Qin Zhao stared at them for a moment, then leaned over and whispered in Jing Li's ear: "Don't be angry, I'll apologize to you, okay?"
Jing Li: "How do you make amends?"
Qin Zhao's eyes showed a hint of smile: "Let me show you what real horseback archery is like."
After saying that, he took Jing Li's hand and walked towards the track.
Although the two teenagers were tired, they were still in good spirits, laughing and chatting as they walked back. Suddenly, they saw Qin Zhao standing on the side of the road, and the smiles on their faces froze.
…What was their original plan
Qin Zhao didn't care about it at all, and said calmly: "You performed well, my husband was very happy to see it, thank you."
Jing Li was silent for a moment, thinking that Qin Zhao might be deliberately trying to anger these two people.
Sure enough, the expressions of the two young men suddenly became very interesting.
Gu Heng gritted his teeth: "No need to thank me, it's my duty."
Qin Zhao continued, "But you all need to practice more, especially Gu Heng. You are very talented in horseback archery, but you are a little impatient, which affects your performance. If you can improve, you should be better than now."
Gu Heng was even more displeased when he heard him say that, and said angrily: "You know so much, why don't you try it on the horse?"
Qin Zhao was thinking the same thing, so he nodded and said, "Bring the horse over here."
Gu Heng looked at him suspiciously, and ordered a servant to bring a horse over.
The horse was brown all over, and it was snorting restlessly while being led by someone, and it seemed that it was in a bad mood.
Jing Li pulled Qin Zhao's sleeve: "Qin Zhao, do you really want to try it? This is so dangerous..."
"Don't worry." Qin Zhao tried the bow handed to him by the servant and asked, "Is there a lighter one?"
Someone in the audience cheered: "The nerd can't even draw a bow, and he wants to learn horseback archery. My bow is too light, give mine to him."
Qin Zhao was preparing slowly. Behind them, Zhou Qi pulled Gu Heng aside and said, "Didn't you say not to make a big fuss? This horse has just been trained for a few days and has a very bad temper. What if someone dies?"
"I..." Gu Heng hesitated for a moment and shouted, "I don't care about him. I just can't stand his arrogant attitude!"
"Get on the horse, get on the horse!"
Shouts came from the audience seats, and Qin Zhao jumped on his horse.
The reddish-brown horse really had a bad temper, and it stamped its hooves hard, trying to throw the person off its back. Qin Zhao tightened the reins, sat firmly on the horse, stroked its mane soothingly, and chuckled: "I still have to behave well in front of my husband, so don't trip me up."
Jing Li's heart was beating wildly as he watched from the side. The little fish in his hand had huddled in the corner, too scared to continue watching.
The reddish-brown horse tried for a long time but failed to shake Qin Zhao off, and finally it calmed down a little.
Qin Zhao took the bow and quiver handed to him by the servant.
His quiver was full of arrows, not just nine as before.
This is another way to play horse racing.
Within the specified time, the horse runs one lap on the track, and the one who hits the most bull's eyes wins.
Qin Zhao held the bow in his left hand and adjusted the position of the quiver with his right hand. He tilted his head and smiled at Jing Li: "Remember to help me keep time."
Jing Li nodded worriedly. Drums sounded on the sidelines and Qin Zhao rushed out like an arrow.
The rich young men who were originally sitting in the audience seats watching the show, Gu Heng who was standing behind the crowd waiting for him to make a fool of himself, and Jing Li who was anxiously waiting at the starting point, all of them were stunned.
Qin Zhao's speed was completely different from that in the previous game.
Almost in an instant, he approached the first bull's eye.
Due to the change in the gameplay, there are more than three times more bullseyes on the field than before.
Jing Li stared at the galloping reddish-brown horse without blinking. He saw Qin Zhao's body sinking, his right hand loosened the reins, and he quickly pulled out three arrows from the quiver.
call out-
The three bullseyes shattered!
Qin Zhao's movements were clean and quick. He pulled out three more arrows almost at the same time as the previous batch of arrows dropped out of his hand.
Twenty-one arrows, every arrow hits its target.
There were even more enthusiastic shouts than before in his ears, but Jing Li's mind was blank. He couldn't think of anything for a while. All he could see was the figure flying towards him from afar, which was gradually becoming clearer.
Qin Zhao rode his horse to Jing Li's side and asked with a smile, "How many numbers are there?"
There was not a speck of dust on his body, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his expression was more lively than ever.
At that moment, Jing Li could almost foresee how high-spirited Qin Zhao would be if he were ten years younger and had not yet been poisoned.
Jing Li opened his mouth, then realized that he didn't have time to count.
However, someone in the audience gave him the answer: "Twenty-three numbers! This is too amazing. This breaks the best record of Jiangling Casino, right?!"
"Not to mention Jiangling Prefecture, there are not many people in the capital who can exceed this number!"
In this era, there is no concept of seconds, and people can only count by hand, which is not absolutely accurate.
Qin Zhao laughed, threw the bow in his hand to the crowd, and stretched out his hand to Jing Li: "Come up."
Jing Li stretched out his hand and grabbed it, and was pulled hard onto the horse.
Qin Zhao ignored the shouting crowd around him, patted his horse's back, and walked towards the woods with his young husband without looking back.
At the back of the crowd, Gu Heng was stunned and couldn't utter a word.
Beside him, Zhou Qi murmured in disbelief: "Where on earth did he come from? Are all the scholars in the capital city so powerful now?"
After getting away from the hustle and bustle, Jing Li gradually came back to his senses.
He held the small fish tank in his arms and leaned against Qin Zhao's chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly.
Fresh and warm.
Those rich young men would never understand the shock Jing Li is feeling right now.
He had personally seen this man lying in bed with a high fever, unable to even lift a bucket. He had felt sorry for him and lamented the injustice of fate, but it was not until today that he finally understood the unwillingness in this man's heart.
No matter who has had such ability, no one would be willing to become a useless person.
"Are you scared?" Qin Zhao held the reins with one hand and lowered her head to kiss Jing Li on the forehead. "I didn't expect my husband to be so powerful?"
Jing Li felt a sore nose and nodded slightly.
"This is not good." Qin Zhao hadn't raced horses so happily for a long time, and he was in a good mood. "If it was before, I could have gone twice as fast."
This body was too badly damaged by drugs. He could recall those techniques, but his strength and reaction were no longer as good as before.
However, Qin Zhao was mentally prepared and did not act rashly.
"before?"
Jing Li looked up at him: "Did you remember something?"