Chapter 227: The Name of Military Advisor (3)

"The eight of you combined? Are you sure?" He had already seen her superb archery skills when she rescued Gao Hongjian's family. There was nothing to compete about here, but she actually spoke arrogantly about one against eight? This made Yan Hongtian interested again. He didn't believe that one person could use a bow and arrow to such an extreme.

Qingfeng's heart was swaying up and down, not at peace for a moment. It was good that she had changed the confrontation to archery, so even if she didn't hit, she wouldn't have any damage, but why did she have to say one against eight? She was becoming more and more unable to understand this little sister of hers!

Her arrogance indeed aroused Yan Hongtian's curiosity. Gu Yun knew he would definitely agree and continued, "Of course I'm sure. However, I'm used to using a crossbow. The short arrows used by the crossbow and the long arrows used by the bow can also be distinguished, making it easier to see the winner. I wonder if the Emperor can lend me the crossbow that Su Ling sent into the palace today?"

The small crossbow was indeed labor-saving for women. Yan Hongtian didn't think much and said straightforwardly, "Someone, go to the study and get the crossbow."

"Yes." The guard took the order and ran toward the Imperial Study immediately.

Su Ling's hawk-like eyes flashed, and the corners of his mouth, which had been tense, finally raised a very shallow arc. No wonder she kept her head down and didn't speak when the Empress was clamoring just now. She must have been thinking of a countermeasure at that time. Using a repeating short crossbow, her chances of winning were quite high. It could not only resolve the Empress's problem but also follow the army to fight. Her wishful thinking was truly meticulous.

The brilliance in Gu Yun's eyes didn't escape Yan Hongtian's eyes either. Yan Hongtian suddenly laughed and said loudly, "Release the lanterns!" At Yan Hongtian's command, the palace maids took the river lanterns and placed one hundred small river lanterns on each side of the riverbank. For a time, the river lanterns swayed on the lake, which was indeed very beautiful. However, time passed second by second, and the crossbow hadn't been brought yet. The river lanterns had already drifted further and further away. Gu Yun appreciated the beautiful scenery on the lake with a relaxed manner. She used a crossbow, and the range was much farther than a bow. The further it drifted, the more advantageous it was for her, but the expressions of the eight strong men became more and more grave.

"Your Majesty, the crossbow arrows have been brought." Not long after, a guard held a tray, on which sat a small crossbow more than four inches long, and beside it was a long cloth belt with rows of silver short arrows more than two inches long.

"Give it to her." Yan Hongtian waved his hand, and the soldier ran to Gu Yun with the tray.

Gu Yun nimbly picked up the cloth belt, wrapped it around her waist, checked the short crossbow once, and said, "I'm ready, let's start."

The eight guards also picked up their bows, carried their quivers, and stood in a row on the riverbank with Gu Yun. The eight guards stood on the right, and Gu Yun stood alone on the left.

"Light the incense!" The little eunuch held a short incense stick that had been broken until only a small half remained, lit it, and held it high so that the masters in the main seat could see it. After the incense was lit, the eight guards quickly put long arrows on their bows and shot fiercely at the river lanterns that had drifted several zhang away. The long arrows fell into the water with a *whoosh*, and obviously not many were hit.

Gu Yun skillfully pulled out short arrows from her waist, seven at a time, neatly loaded them all onto the crossbow, raised it, narrowed her eyes, and everyone only heard the sound of short arrows breaking through the night sky. Almost at the same time, seven river lanterns disappeared into the lake. Everything happened too fast. Not only were the officials stunned, but the eight guards beside her also widened their eyes. Her crossbow could actually fire continuously?

Gu Yun touched seven short arrows from her waist again without looking, loaded the crossbow, fired, and seven river lanterns disappeared on the lake surface again. Night moving shooting was her specialty. For the river lanterns swaying slowly on the river surface, there was no difficulty. Those guards might not be weak in martial arts, and their strength might be amazing, but they didn't have much chance of winning against her in night shooting. Using her strengths to attack their weaknesses, she was sure to win.

By the lake in winter, the night wind was very strong, and the short incense burned out quickly. The eunuch shouted loudly, "The incense is out."

As soon as the eunuch's shout rang out, Gu Yun still had three arrows on the crossbow that hadn't been fired, but she still stopped immediately. Even so, the lake surface on the left, which was obviously much darker, already explained who the winner was.

"Twenty-eight lanterns left on the left."

"Forty-one lanterns left on the right."

The result was very clear. Gu Yun not only defeated the eight guards but also won beautifully.

Holding the short bow in her hand, Gu Yun turned back to look at Yan Hongtian, who was staring at her with deep black eyes in the main seat, and smiled, "Your Majesty, does this count as me winning against the eight of them?"

In the huge garden, not only were the officials surprised and staring at the thin figure standing in the wind by the lake, but the Empress Dowager also smiled with satisfaction, "Indeed a heroine who surpasses men!"

Xin Yuening almost bit her silver teeth. She was here tonight to make this woman look ugly, not to let her show off! Seeing that Yan Hongtian's interest in her was growing, Xin Yuening said urgently, "Your Majesty, the weapon she used is different from the one used by the guards. Isn't this taking advantage of the situation and unfair?" If it weren't for that strange crossbow, she couldn't have won at all!

Fair? She wanted to talk to her about fairness? Glancing at the burly men standing beside her whose arms were bigger than her thighs, Gu Yun sneered

Once these words were spoken, hushed discussions immediately broke out among the officials. Looking up, the eight burly men stood beside Gu Yun, almost swallowing her up. With such a stark contrast, the word "fair" immediately became a joke. Xin Yuening was extremely embarrassed; she held back her frustration but could no longer vent it. She could only glare fiercely at the few men still standing foolishly beside Gu Yun: "A bunch of dog slaves, if you lose, don't come crawling back to me!"

Most of the crowd was amazed by Gu Yun's superb archery skills. Yan Hongtian was clearly more interested in the weapon in her hand. "Is this crossbow a new weapon forged by the Su Family Army?" When Su Ling submitted his memorial a few days ago, he had mentioned that the Su Family Army had forged a new weapon. When it was delivered to the palace this morning, he had only glanced at it briefly, assuming it was just a smaller-than-usual bow and crossbow. He never imagined it would be such a powerful, sharp weapon!

Gu Yun glanced at Su Ling in the distance and replied, "Yes."

The faint cunning in Gu Yun's eyes made Su Ling's heart skip a beat. When he had sent those hundred-plus short crossbows to her, he had told her that making the thin spring plates for the short crossbows required a very special Fengxi Stone. This stone was extremely rare; to make those hundred-plus pieces, he had already used up everything that could be found in the capital. If they wanted to forge more, they would have to mobilize the entire nation to search for it. This was also the reason he had specifically presented the short crossbows to Yan Hongtian.

Could it be that she chose this method of competition precisely because she wanted Yan Hongtian to see the power of the short crossbows and subsequently help search for the Fengxi Stone? If that were truly the case, her mind was far more meticulous than his.

The brilliance in Gu Yun's eyes did not escape Yan Hongtian's notice either. Yan Hongtian suddenly laughed and said loudly, "For the campaign to suppress pirates in the East Sea, I hereby appoint Qing Mo as the military advisor to accompany the army."

"Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty!"

Not only did Xin Yuening and Lou Suxin gasp in shock, but all the officials present also sucked in a cold breath. Letting Qing Mo accompany the army was one thing, but to appoint her as a military advisor? This was truly absurd; since ancient times, there had never been a precedent for a woman to serve as a military advisor!

Lou Xiyan, who had been silently observing all evening, also raised his eyebrows slightly. Su Ling was arrogant; if he wanted Qing Mo to accompany the army on the expedition, he wouldn't need to tell anyone—he would just take her along. The fact that Qing Mo had requested the Emperor's permission meant that Su Ling had not allowed her to go. Now that the Emperor was appointing Qing Mo as military advisor in front of all the officials, it was clearly meant to undermine Su Ling. No wonder Su Ling's eyes had almost spewed fire when he heard the words "military advisor."

Yan Hongtian seemed accustomed to the questioning and even opposition from the officials. He said with authority, "A monarch's word is final."

A single phrase—"a monarch's word is final"—sealed everyone's lips. How could the words spoken by the Emperor be treated as child's play?

Gu Yun replied generously, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Thus, Gu Yun not only joined the expedition but also gained the title of military advisor.

Until the palace banquet ended and Qingfeng returned to her palace, she remained completely bewildered by everything that had happened that night. What had happened over this past year? Her eldest sister, who used to faint at the sight of blood, had suddenly become a forensic expert admired even by the Criminal Justice Official. Now, even her youngest sister, who was timid by nature and always delicate, had become a military advisor with extraordinary skills! Were they still the sisters who had grown up with her and spent every day together for over a decade? An inexplicable fear gripped her heart, yet she dared not reveal a shred of her doubts to anyone. Regardless, they were her only kin—her closest kin!

Outside the palace gates, two elegant figures walked slowly through the night. Zhuo Qing laughed, "You were really brave today." Fortunately, her heart had long been tempered to be strong and calm by Yun. "That Empress must already hate you to the bone." The incident with Gao Hongjian had already created a grudge, and tonight, when her retaliation failed and instead let Yun gain an advantage, it would be strange if she didn't hate her.

Gu Yun shrugged and replied indifferently, "I don't care if she hates me to the bone; there's nothing she can do to me. It's just that life in the imperial palace is not easy for Qingfeng." Even though it was her own child, she hadn't been able to hold it once all night. The Empress had ill intentions toward her, and the Empress Dowager didn't even take her seriously.

"Hmm." Zhuo Qing also replied helplessly, "Yan Hongtian is currently treating Qingfeng reasonably well. I suspect it's first because of the child, and second, because he finds her interesting. She is living a much harder and more dangerous life in the palace than we are."

Gu Yun suddenly remembered something and asked, "Can the scar on her face still be healed?" Qingfeng was extremely beautiful, but the scar ruined that crystalline, translucent beauty. If it could be healed, she would absolutely outshine the entire harem. What man doesn't love a beauty? Even if Yan Hongtian's interest in her waned, he wouldn't be able to let go of such beauty. Although both of them disdained relationships maintained by physical appearance, in that harem filled with beauties, one's appearance had to be said to be a woman's most important asset!

Zhuo Qing shook her head and sighed, "If this were the modern era, skin grafting and plastic surgery might be possible, but now..."

"Let's each think of a way." Healing it might be impossible, but making it look less obvious should be doable, right?

"Hmm." It was very late; Su Ling and Lou Xiyan had been waiting in the distance for a long time.

This naval battle was bound to be extremely dangerous, otherwise Su Ling wouldn't have forbidden her from going. Zhuo Qing's inner worry remained unspoken; she only patted Gu Yun's shoulder and said, "Go early and return early, take care of yourself."

Warmth melted bit by bit in her heart. Gu Yun returned a smile, "Don't worry, I will."

The two said nothing more. Zhuo Qing boarded Lou Xiyan's carriage, and Gu Yun flipped onto her horse to ride away alongside Su Ling.

Some feelings and attachments do not need to be spoken, because each has already treasured them in their heart.

(End of chapter)