Chapter 39 Chapter Nine Martial Arts Competition

The Second Part of Xiaoqiang Rebellion Chapter Nine Martial Arts Contest In the first month of Jiaxu in the first year of Tongtai in Southern Chu, Zhe Yi, a subject of King Yong, was listed in the Hall of the Great Yong Dynasty. The reward is actually for Princess Changle to choose her son-in-law. Although there are many heroes among them, the princess is silent about it. At the end of the match, the emperor asked the princess about her heart.The emperor was furious at first, and then dejected.The concubine eldest grandson was worried, so she comforted her in many ways, but the princess was silent. Later, the noble lord secretly asked the maidservant, who told her that the princess was watching the battle upstairs, and she didn't pay attention to others. She was only happy to see King Yong Sima, and the concubine was enlightened.

——"The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties·Jiang Suiyun Biography" A pair of big black eyes carefully stared at the "tall" figure, did not move, probably fell asleep, lying on the ground, with two white and tender hands crossed forward, with the strength of the knees, quickly moved forward , getting closer, getting closer, the little hand grabbed the target, it was absolutely as fast as lightning, who knew that someone moved faster, and in a flash, his target was taken away, "Ah!" The little baby cried earth-shatteringly, and then a Both hands frantically picked up the little girl, threatening and coaxing, but the little girl didn't give any face, until the other hand carved the big-headed doll made of cork and wrapped in brocade cotton Putting it in front of the little girl, the little girl laughed through tears, and hugged the doll, which was almost as big as herself, babbling to express her joy.

Wiping the cold sweat off his brow, Xiao Shunzi said: "My lord, you don't have to bully the lady all the time, if the princess finds out, she must blame you for not being prudent." I shrunk my head subconsciously. Yesterday I just purposely lured Roulan to chase me with a toy to exercise her reflexes, so I was called by the princess and trained me through the curtain. Roulan cried, wouldn't it be even worse, quickly check to see if the little eared god is there or not, I nodded with satisfaction, the son Li Jun was called to go by King Yong today because he was going to guard Youzhou on behalf of King Yong soon Yes, this is the result of me reminding King Yong, otherwise, this kid is always standing by and watching me, and he was the one who sued the princess yesterday.

But there is still one obstacle, I looked at Xiao Shunzi and said: "Xiao Shunzi, you should go and watch the martial arts competition, see how their martial arts are, and who is most likely to win, this matter has a lot to do with it." Xiao Shunzi said calmly: "Didn't His Highness send someone there?" I was choked by him, and quickly said: "Didn't I trust you?" Xiao Shunzi said meaningfully: "Isn't the young master thinking of bullying Miss Roulan?" I quickly shook my head and said: "No, no, Roulan is my sweetheart, how could I bully her?"

Xiao Shunzi smiled and said: "The servant will go and have a look, young master, you have to remember that if the concubine gets angry, I'm afraid you will have a better life again." Looking at Xiao Shunzi's back, I grimaced, walked towards Rou Lan who was having a great time playing, and said in my mouth: "Xiao Lan'er, Daddy is here to play with you." The little girl didn't know that she was in a dangerous situation, so she raised her head, dropped the doll, and opened her arms to be hugged by me. I was stunned, a warm current surged from the bottom of my heart, and I couldn't help hugging her up, kissing her like an apple. With a small face, she babbled for a long time, and called: "Daddy." I couldn't help being filled with joy, picked her up and turned around a few times, and laughed like a silver bell, remembering that this is Roulan's favorite game .

After stealing half a day of my life, I walked into King Yong's study in a good mood. Sure enough, King Yong was still reading official documents there, although his expression was calm, but he was faintly displeased. I stepped forward to salute and said, "Your Highness, what is the situation outside now?" Li Zhi raised his head, saw me, his expression relaxed, and said, "Suiyun, who do you think will be better as Changle's son-in-law?" I thought for a while and said, "As far as I know, Wei Ying, Qin Qing, and Xiahou Yuanfeng are the best among them. I don't know who is more suitable for you since you came to Chang'an not long ago."

After returning to Prince Yong's mansion that day, Li Zhi told me that this martial arts show had a purpose. It turned out that Li Yuan wanted to make up for Princess Changle, so he wanted to choose a son-in-law for her. It is inconvenient to publicly choose a son-in-law, so in the name of performing martial arts, let the eldest grandson noble concubine and Princess Changle have a look at Dayong's young heroes, so that they can choose a son-in-law with a decent appearance and character. This news is now very secret, except for the harem. No one other than the empresses knew the truth, but Li Zhi learned about it from his concubine, Gao Shi. In the past few years, the elder concubine Sun Guifei has been empty at her knees. Gao Shi has always been virtuous and filial. , so Gao Shi was often asked to visit the imperial concubine in the palace. These two people have long been in love with mother and daughter, so the eldest grandson Guifei asked Gao Shi for her opinion.

I didn't mention it to King Yong. Ever since I knew the purpose of this martial arts performance, I was very angry. It wasn't because Dayong didn't care about the existence of Zhao Jia, the lord of the country, because from the beginning to the end, Princess Changle never took the initiative to show her true love to the country. I even suspect that there was a reason for Princess Changle’s miscarriage, but although I sympathize with Princess Changle’s experience, I don’t agree with her behavior. In any case, the king is still alive, so she can’t be so anxious even if she wants to remarry, at least You have to wait until you lose your status with the country's lord before remarrying.In fact, I have been very angry, if not for the existence of Roulan, who soothed my heart, I am afraid that I would have already lost my temper.After calming down, I thought again, forget it, Princess Changle is the proud daughter of heaven, why should I think of her too beautifully, maybe it was the tears she shed under her makeup when she was married, and when she met with the palace. Her gentleness and pleasantness made me feel sympathetic and fond of her.

Now that King Yong asked about it, I will try my best to comment on the impact of this matter in an objective tone. Glancing at King Yong's expression, I said: "The emperor's love for the princess is like a bridge in the eyes of those who care. If the princess is not suitable for others, it will not only be detrimental to His Highness now, but will also hurt the princess' heart in the future. Firstly, I am afraid that His Highness will never be able to get the understanding of the emperor and the imperial concubine. The best possibility is of course that the princess marry the person His Highness prefers, and the second is to marry someone who is neutral. Although I don't know the actual inclination of these people , but the neutrality of General Qin Yi is certain, if the princess marries Qin Qing, it is probably the best choice."

Li Zhi showed joy, but then said again: "You don't care about Qin Qing's humiliation to you. To be fair, I admire you very much, but Qin Qing is afraid that it is impossible. Back then, he and Changle's childhood sweetheart, if Changle hadn't married far away. I am afraid that he has already become a son-in-law, but I asked the concubine to ask the concubine what she meant. The concubine said that when Changle married far away, Qin Qing asked Changle to elope, but Changle refused. Changle said to him "This palace is a noble daughter of the royal family, and is supported by the people. How can I disregard the country and the overall situation of the country. If I flee privately, it will not only damage the reputation of the royal family, but also hurt the hearts of my father, mother and concubine. Even if my father sends other daughters Marrying far away will inevitably lead to a loss of sincerity, and it will cause Southern Chu to be divorced. The marriage between the two countries will fail. I am afraid that there will be endless disasters. The imperial concubine and empress knew it, but they cared about General Qin's face, and they felt pity for Changle, so Qin Qing was not punished. Now Qin Qing wanted to reconcile with Changle, but Changle was determined not to do so. That's why the selection of a son-in-law is done through a grand ceremony, and outsiders don't know about it? But Qin Qing's busy work is probably wasted."

Although I don't understand why Princess Changle rejected Qin Qing, but the current result is that I have to consider the adults. After thinking about it, I said: "Xiahou Yuanfeng is very talented, I'm afraid I can't be considerate to the princess, and his father is the prince. Although Mr. Wei Guan, a member of the party, is inclined towards the crown prince, he will not do it openly, Wei Ying is of extraordinary character, if the princess can get such a good match, happiness can be expected." King Yong sighed and said: "This king also thinks so, but it is rumored that the crown prince is trying to protect Xiahou, and he also talked about motivating the queen, saying that Xiahou is both talented and beautiful, and he is not involved in court disputes, so he can take good care of the princess. He also said that Xiahou fell in love with the princess at first sight. It is certain that the husband and wife will not turn against each other because of the past events. Wei Ying is a dragon among men, and it is inevitable that he will be prominent in the future. If he despises the princess, it will inevitably turn into a disaster. The emperor also dotes on Xiahou Yuanfeng, which seems to be quite permissive." I said with a serious expression: "Could it be that the crown prince intends to obtain the power of the princess, and the princess is favored, and everyone knows it. If Xia Hou borrows the power of the princess, I'm afraid he can't be restrained." Li Zhi smiled wryly and said: "I also wanted to send people to join, but I have a lot of powerful generals under my command, but it is too difficult to find such well-rounded and elegant people. If I send someone here, I am afraid that Qin Qing will be the first to bear the brunt. No matter whether he succeeds or not, he will offend Qin Qing. Besides—" Li Zhi hesitated to speak, I continued: "Besides, it makes people think that His Highness is greedy for the power of the princess, and there is no relationship between brothers and sisters Affection." Li Zhi smiled wryly, looked at me and said, "Although I don't want to hinder Changle's happiness, if she marries Xiahou Yuanfeng, it will be really bad for me. What do you think this king should do?" I bowed my head and thought about it, and said: "Your Highness, don't worry, no matter what the emperor and empress think, the princess is the one who decides, and the opinion of the imperial concubine will also affect the princess. Your highness, why don't you ask the princess to persuade the imperial concubine? I am afraid that the empress will not rest assured that the princess will marry Xiahou, after all, he is too young and not stable enough, and the princess has been through many hardships, so she needs a caring, gentle, steady and dignified person to take care of her." Li Zhi said happily, "That's right, speaking from the bottom of my heart, even if I don't worry about Changle marrying Xiahou Yuanfeng, he is too young and too unstable." On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, outside the Suzaku Gate, the martial arts performance is at its critical moment. Yesterday's preliminaries are over, and today is the day to compete for the leader. On the wide field in front of the gate, there is a battle between dragons and tigers. On the west side of the Yanwu Building, the emperor, The empress and concubine Changle accompanied Princess Changle to watch the martial arts performance, while the other empresses sat in the back. It was rare for these empresses from the harem to come out, so they were all in high spirits. It was the last horse race at this time. Among the contestants, Wei Ying and Xiahou Yuanfeng were the most popular for winning the championship. Not as good, but his riding skills are better than Wei Ying's, so the outcome is also close to five or five.As soon as the red flag was displayed, both of them rushed out first, leaving the other horses far behind. When they reached the end of the track, they turned their heads and turned back. Xiahou won by virtue of his excellent equestrian skills, but Wei Ying was not bad. , Coupled with the power of the bloody BMW, they still caught up. In the final sprint stage, both of them did their best. In the end, Wei Ying won and became the leader of the first event. The imperial concubine said happily: "Wei Langzhong is indeed versatile in both civil and military affairs, and my concubine still thinks he is more suitable for Zhen'er." The queen said, "Actually, Yuan Feng is not bad. If it wasn't for his poor horse, he might have surpassed Wei Ying. Besides, he has to participate in three races. Even if he takes second place, it won't be easy." Li Yuan also nodded and said: "Xiahou is indeed a young hero, but Wei Ying has a good character, both civil and military, and he is also a good candidate." Concubine Changsun was a little worried, she looked at Princess Changle, but saw that the princess was not happy, she just looked at the martial arts arena silently. At this time, Concubine Yan Gui suddenly said: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness King Yong are here." Concubine Changsun looked out, and saw Prince Li An and Yong Wang Li Zhi were all dressed in casual clothes, and there were special seats for them under the Guanwu Building, but they didn't show up in person two days ago, and today they all came by coincidence .When Princess Changle heard that King Yong was coming, she couldn't help looking, and she was indeed beside King Yong. She saw that man, still dressed in green clothes and plain clothes, with elegant literary talents. That handsome and feminine young man in Tsing Yi seemed to sense her gaze, and looked over coldly, that cold gaze made Princess Changle feel chills, as if she had seen such a pair of cold eyes, and a person with such temperament before, At this time, the boy stepped forward to pour tea for him. Although it was upstairs and downstairs, the distance was not very far. Princess Changle could clearly see those pale hands, and Princess Changle's heart almost jumped out. He, it was him, she looked at the handsome face in her memory again, could it be him, the mysterious man who drove Liang Wan crazy, forced dozens of spies to death, but let her go.If it was really him, then Princess Changle wouldn't be surprised why he let her go. She still remembered the only meeting and the poems he sent to the palace. She vaguely felt that this The elegant and elegant young man has long understood his own thoughts and difficulties, and will not blame himself for leaving Nanchu.Showing an incomparably gentle and joyful smile, Princess Changle suddenly became sad. There was no future for him and her. She lowered her head, and she almost wanted to leave this place immediately.At this time, the emperor Li Yuan said happily: "Good arrow skills." In the second round of archery, Qin Qing pierced Yang with a hundred steps, and the arrow hit the red heart. Xiahou Yuanfeng did not show any weakness. In the end, the two tied for first place. Qin Qing was very unconvinced. If he really went to battle to kill the enemy, the situation would not be like this, but Since the emperor had made such an assessment, he had no choice but to accept it. Li Zhi shook his head slightly, he has been in the army for a long time, he knows that it is easy to shoot a target like this, but it is not so easy if it is a riding shooter, but this is martial arts, not a military competition, so there is nothing to do, he said to Jiang Zhe: "If it is a competition Archery should be tested on horseback. In our army, scouts report military intelligence, and they need to use bows and arrows. Five hundred steps away, when riding a horse, they must shoot the sounding arrows with information to the archery target outside the camp of the Chinese army. , such an archery competition is useless." I couldn't stop talking, no wonder King Yong's military skills are known all over the world. The emperor and the empress looked at the silent Princess Changle, a little worried, the empress asked in a low voice: "Changle, the Ai family sees that Xiahou is really good, don't you like it?" Concubine Changsun quickly said: "Zhen'er, if you don't like him, Wei Ying, Qin Qing and other young talents, no matter which one you like, your father will not stop you." Princess Changle was still silent, Li Yuan smiled and said: "There is still a competition, maybe Changle will have a favorite candidate." But his smile was a bit forced.He must have seen Princess Changle's silent objection. At this time, on the martial field below, Xiahou Yuanfeng stood opposite a young man in black. The young man in black had a sharp face, calm and indifferent.His body shape is similar to Xiahou Yuanfeng's, not like Xiahou's, which is like a jade tree facing the wind. He has a husky aura all over his body, as if his body contains explosive power, and his every move is as graceful as a black panther. I looked at the young man in black, full of admiration in my heart, and asked, "Your Highness, who is this person?" Li Zhi said: "His name is Pei Yun. He used to be a vanguard under the command of the King of Qi. He was a lay disciple of Shaolin. It is said that this man has excellent martial arts. A few years ago, his two elder brothers both died in battle. His father, Zhongshu Shilang Pei I respectfully write to my father, requesting that he be transferred back to Beijing. My father is sympathetic to the fact that the Pei family only has this line of cigarettes, so I specially ordered him to return. He is now the commander of the Northern Camp of the Imperial Army. This man is loyal and brave, and is deeply loved by his father and General Qin. Doting, it's just that his temperament is a little weird, and he doesn't like to associate with people. If it weren't for this, he would probably be the candidate for the son-in-law that his father favored. Said that he and Xiahou Yuanfeng are the number one young master in Chang'an, there is a lot of controversy, usually due to their status, they can't compete in martial arts, this time they took the opportunity to compete in martial arts." I looked at Xiao Shunzi and asked, "You watched their previous contest, who do you think is more likely to win the championship?" Xiao Shunzi said indifferently: "Pei Yun is a master of Shaolin. I think he may have practiced the invincible diamond power among the seventy-two unique skills, and he has already achieved 70% of his strength. In ten years, Xiahou Yuanfeng must not be him. rival." Li Zhi heard the words, "So now he is not as good as Xiahou Yuanfeng?" Xiao Shunzi said: "His Royal Highness, Xiahou Yuanfeng's martial arts style is feminine, so he advanced very quickly, but he would inevitably suffer setbacks in the later stages. I am afraid that it will be difficult to reach the peak, so now his martial arts are stronger than Pei Yun, but it is not easy to win, because fighting in martial arts depends on various factors. The number of defeats is four or six, Pei Yun still has a chance." At this time, the two people saluted each other on the field and started to fight. Xiahou Yuanfeng used a sword, and Pei Yun used a saber. It's the snow light flying, but Pei Yun's saber technique is dignified and steady, very tightly guarded, and the moves are even more strict and ancient, giving him an air of mastery. Xiao Shunzi looked at it seriously, and his eyes were very hot. I couldn't help but ask, "How is it? Who has the upper hand now." Xiao Shunzi replied: "Pei Yunshi's Liuhe saber technique is a direct inheritance from Shaolin. It is very different from the outside rumors. It has reached the point of perfection. Xiahou Yuanfeng's sword technique is the Yuenu sword technique. What has been handed down is broad and profound, and although Pei Yun defends it firmly, it is of no use if he cannot fight back. I think Xiahou Yuanfeng's internal energy is also very pure, and I am afraid that he will not be weak in the future." At this time, Pei Yun suddenly gave a soft reprimand, and the saber technique changed. The saber technique became sharp and fierce, but it still had a faint sense of compassion. This kind of contradiction made people think about it.Xiao Shunzi was pleasantly surprised: "This is Shaolin's secret Shura sword technique. It is really extraordinary to use Shura means to realize compassion." For a moment, the swords and knives on the field were brilliant and brilliant, but a strong sense of blood emerged. .At this time, Xiahou Yuanfeng jumped up, turned around in the air, and slashed down with a sword. Pei Yun raised his long knife and received the sword abruptly. Although Xiahou Yuanfeng was condescending, he did not occupy At the slightest advantage, he bounced up again, and saw that he was as vigorous as a goshawk, floating in Pei Yun's sea of ​​blades and blades, fighting like a goshawk and a rabbit, and coming and going like a spring swallow. yes loud cheers.Pei Yun was forced to parry left and right, flustered. At this moment, Xiahou Yuanfeng was unable to fight for a long time, and seemed extremely angry. Suddenly, his sword merged and stabbed at Pei Yun like lightning. Pei Yun blocked the long knife in his hand. This sword was Xiahou Yuan Feng did it with all his strength, but Pei Yun was a little hasty. There was a crisp sound, but the long knife snapped. Xiahou Yuanfeng passed by Pei Yun, but his figure turned strangely. The streamer movie pierced Pei Yun's heart. There was only a broken knife in Pei Yun's hand. There was a burst of exclamation from the audience. With his figure separated, Xiahou Yuanfeng's face was gloomy and cold, which made his handsome face a little pale, while Pei Yun's sleeves fluttered like butterflies, and his skin was faintly golden under the forearms of his hands, but he was completely unscathed. At this time, gongs sounded from the Guanwu Building, and after a while, an eunuch came down to deliver an order, saying that His Majesty ordered that Pei Yun's weapon be broken, and it would be regarded as defeat.Although Xiahou Yuanfeng had won, his expression was faintly unhappy, and he stepped forward to give an order to thank him.Pei Yun's expression was indifferent, and he withdrew after receiving the order. Dayong's grand martial arts performance ended in this way. Xiahou Yuanfeng became the leader with two firsts and one second, and Wei Ying and Qin Qing each had a first place, which is also satisfying, but Contrary to King Yong's and I's expectations, the emperor did not announce the result of choosing a son-in-law, not even promulgating the rewards that should be given.What exactly is going on?