Chapter 580

In the Xu family stables,

Sheng Hualan and Rong Feiyan stood on the side, looking into the stall on one side of the wooden fence, where the foal born not long ago was lying on its side next to the Li horse bestowed by the Emperor.

Hearing the movement of Rong Feiyan and the others, the foal tried hard to use its four hooves, trembling as it attempted to stand up.

Looking at the foal's appearance, Rong Feiyan said softly: "It looks, a bit... um..."

Hua Qing on the side smiled: "Miss Feiyan, you want to say it's a bit ugly, right?"

Before Rong Feiyan had even spoken, Sheng Hualan, who was standing on the side, had already begun to nod.

Seeing this scene, Rong Feiyan smiled and said: "Mm! It's also my first time seeing a foal that has just been born."

Hua Qing smiled: "Wait until it grows for a few more months and isn't so thin; it will become better looking. The foal born to that Dragon Horse of the Young Master's before looked about the same."

Thinking of the descendant of that Dragon Horse she had seen before at the Huyan mansion, a look of surprise appeared in Rong Feiyan's eyes.

At this time,

Qingcao trotted in, performed a curtsy toward the group in the depths of the stables, and shouted: "Alan, the mounts of the Young Master and Brother Qingyun need to be led out."

Alan, who was standing behind Rong Feiyan and the others, hurriedly agreed, performed a salute toward Sheng Hualan, Rong Feiyan, and the others, and walked toward the stall of the little Li horse on the side.

In the few years since Sheng Hualan married into the Xu family, she had met Rong Feiyan on many occasions, and when chatting idly with her sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, she more or less understood what this Rong family young lady before her was thinking.

Looking at the expression in the eyes of this younger sister of the favored consort, and then glancing at Hua Erniang, who was no longer looking at the foal but was poking her head out to look outside from time to time, Sheng Hualan said: "I suppose Erniang is missing her brother; how about we go out and take a look as well?"

A look of happiness flashed through Rong Feiyan's eyes, and she looked toward Hua Erniang as if to consult her.

Seeing Hua Erniang nodding repeatedly, Rong Feiyan looked at Sheng Hualan and said: "Madam is right."

"Let's go!" Sheng Hualan smiled and gestured.

In the time it took for the few to speak,

Alan had already opened the wooden fence of the stall, and the sturdy and robust little Li horse didn't need anyone to lead it; it walked out of the stall by itself, glanced at Rong Feiyan, Sheng Hualan, and the others, and then walked outside on its own.

Looking at the little Li horse's figure, the thought "I wonder if it still remembers me" flashed through Rong Feiyan's heart.

Very quickly, the group walked out of the stables and saw Xu Zaijing, Qingyun, Hua Rong, and the other four by the racecourse not far away, twisting their waists and lifting their legs to warm up.

Alan and Xunshu were busy putting saddles and blankets on the two mounts.

Xu Zaijing looked at the group walking out of the stables and nodded with a smile.

"Little Five has been getting up early for morning exercises every day for these years; I haven't really witnessed his skills on the battlefield! Thanks to Erniang, I can take a look today." Sheng Hualan said with a smile.

Hearing this, Rong Feiyan's eyes were also full of curiosity; she had seen Xu Zaijing play polo several times before, but she had never seen him drawing a bow or dancing a spear on horseback!

As they were talking, Sheng Hualan brought Rong Feiyan and the others to the eaves of the wooden house, and when the four of them began to mount their horses, Qingcao brought Yunxiang out of the wooden house with several seats.

When Qingcao smiled and placed a wooden stool beside Rong Feiyan, the maid Ningxiang smiled at Qingcao, and seeing the stool was full of signs of use, she was about to take out a handkerchief to spread on the stool's surface.

But before Ningxiang had even pulled the handkerchief out of her sleeve, she saw her own young lady had already smoothed her sable fur and sat down very naturally.

Ningxiang looked at Seeing Xi Bu on the side with some surprise, and Seeing Xi Bu smiled and shook her head slightly.

Sheng Hualan, on the side, took in this scene without changing her expression.

Seeing Rong Feiyan, who had sat down, look over, Sheng Hualan hurriedly adjusted her expression, looking at Rong Feiyan with some confusion and anticipation.

Rong Feiyan looked at Sheng Hualan and smiled: "Madam, to tell you the truth, I also have a soft bow for women in my home; when I'm idle, I also practice a bit to strengthen my body!"

Sheng Hualan looked at Rong Feiyan, smiled, and nodded: "Then Miss Feiyan must certainly know more about bows and arrows than I do! When I was a young lady in my maiden home, my pastimes were just pitch-pot, hammer-ball, and shuttlecock."

Rong Feiyan smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I also started liking archery by chance."

Sheng Hualan rolled her eyes, smiled, and nodded: "Returning to my maiden home two days ago, I heard my mother say that my Fifth Younger Sister was clamoring for a soft bow, saying that without a soft bow, it's hard to chat with the noble ladies of various families; I thought she was just talking nonsense! Since Miss Feiyan is playing with one, then it's no wonder!"

Rong Feiyan waved her hand with a smile: "Han Wulang Da Niangzi of the Duke of England's family and Miss Zhengzheng of the Chai family are both playing; I, my skills aren't that great."

Sheng Hualan smiled and nodded.

Listening to the conversation between the two, Hua Erniang, who was sitting on the side, had a look full of eagerness in her eyes.

On the other side,

Xu Zaijing was riding on his horse, holding a powerful bow in his hand, and along with the other three, let the horses trot to warm up.

Rong Xian, who was riding behind Xu Zaijing and walking side-by-side with Qingyun, asked in confusion: "Brother Jing, how do you intend to test Brother Hua Rong's skills today?"

Xu Zaijing in front smiled, turned his head, and said to Hua Rong on the side: "It's quite simple; when we run the horses later, whichever target I shoot at, Brother Hua Rong just needs to follow and shoot at the same target. How about that?"

Hua Rong looked out at the archery targets arranged in various places around the Xu family racecourse, nodded with full approval, and said: "Alright! But how many targets do I need to hit to be considered qualified?"

Qingyun, behind Hua Rong, smiled: "Brother Hua, if you can keep up with the Young Master's speed and hit five out of ten targets, you'll be even more formidable than the personal guards of my Marquis."

Hearing this, Hua Rong nodded repeatedly while observing the positions of the targets.

Looking at Hua Rong's expression, which was quite determined, it seemed he meant that for every target Xu Zaijing hit, he himself would follow with two arrows.

"Let's test the arrows!"

Xu Zaijing said beside Hua Rong.

"Alright!"

Hua Rong pulled a feathered arrow from his quiver with nimble movements, drew his bow, and the moment the bow arms had finished bending and storing power, he released his fingers.

"Thwack."

Looking at the feathered arrow nailed to the center of the bullseye on the target, Hua Rong's eyes were full of surprise.

"Fifth Young Master, your feathered arrows are truly easy to use!" Hua Rong exclaimed.

While exclaiming, the look in Hua Rong's eyes as he looked at the quiver in front of him was full of affection, quite similar to the look He Guan had in Bai Gao.

"Haha, Eldest Brother, you don't know! Brother Jing's feathered arrows were meticulously crafted by the Ministry of Works; they are no ordinary items!"

"Try again?" Xu Zaijing said.

"Mm!"

Bending the bow and drawing the arrow, the sharp arrow shot out.

"Thwack!"

This time, the feathered arrow hit the bullseye dead center.

Seeing this scene, Xu Zaijing didn't give any notice and directly tapped the horse's belly lightly.

Before anyone else could react, the little Li horse under Xu Zaijing's seat had already dashed out at high speed.

"Ah?"

Watching Xu Zaijing dash out three or four steps, Rong Xian said: "Brother Jing, aren't you going to shout 'start'?"

Before Rong Xian had finished speaking, Hua Rong had already flicked his reins, kicked the horse's belly fiercely, and shouted: "Giddyap!"

By the side of the racecourse,

Rong Feiyan, Sheng Hualan, and the others sitting near the wooden house,

were also attracted by the movement of Xu Zaijing changing from a slow walk to a wild gallop, and began to look toward the field.

In the field,

Hua Rong, who was riding to keep up with Xu Zaijing, had excellent archery skills; naturally, he had a pair of eyes with outstanding vision.

At first, Hua Rong's eyes were still full of a determined look.

After all, whether in Qingzhou Prefecture or Bozhou, Hua Rong had competed with many archers in the army, and among those who competed with him, ninety-nine percent were defeated by his archery skills.

Let alone beating him, there were very few who could even tie with him.

However,

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!"

As the sounds continued without stopping,

Watching the ten archery targets neatly arranged by the side of the field being hit in the bullseye one by one in the time of four or five breaths, Hua Rong's eyes were full of shock.

The reasons for the shock were: first, the shooting was too accurate; second, the shooting speed was too fast; third, the little Li horse was galloping wildly!

Although Hua Rong was shocked in his heart, as he rode his horse near the targets, he didn't stop his hands either; he hit the bullseye for the first five and hit the targets for the last five!

Especially when Hua Rong shot the last target, because his shooting speed was slightly slower and his mount was running, Hua Rong had to use the "looking back at the moon" posture to draw his bow and shoot.

After shooting the last arrow, just as Hua Rong turned his head back, he saw Xu Zaijing had already hit the five targets in front again!

Compared to the first ten, these five targets were overall a size smaller, and they would fall over if hit.

Moreover, when the fifth target fell, there was a grass ball that was knocked flying into mid-air, and then Xu Zaijing shot it flying with his sixth arrow.

Seeing this scene, Hua Rong suppressed the shock in his heart and directly picked up two feathered arrows, following behind Xu Zaijing to begin shooting; he hit four out of six.

Although he missed two shots, the final target and grass ball were both hit.

Afterward,

The remaining dozens of targets by the side of the field began to get smaller and smaller, finally reaching the size of a palm.

Xu Zaijing was still riding his horse and drawing his bow without stopping, hitting every single shot.

Finally, Xu Zaijing, from across more than half of the racecourse, shot his last feathered arrow far away at the first ten targets.

By the side of the field,

Hua Erniang, who was sitting beside Rong Feiyan and had been full of eagerness just a moment ago, looked at the scene in the racecourse with her mouth agape.

For those last ten arrows, Hua Erniang, like Sheng Hualan and Rong Feiyan, had her gaze moving from left to right following the feathered arrows.

Contrary to Xu Zaijing's expectations,

Hua Rong, who was following behind him, actually still had some strength left here; he drew his bow with all his might, and after the feathered arrow crossed the racecourse, he hit two out of ten!

Hua Rong was panting heavily, looking at the relaxed Xu Zaijing before him, a look of slight frustration appearing in his eyes.

He had seen it clearly while following behind just now; Xu Zaijing hadn't missed a single shot, but as for himself... he had no heart left to count how many arrows he had actually hit; he was just shooting the feathered arrows out with all his might.

Behind Xu Zaijing and Hua Rong,

Rong Xian and Qingyun hurried to see how many they had hit after finishing their shooting in front.

After seeing Xu Zaijing and Hua Rong's last ten arrows, Rong Xian rode his horse beside the astonished Qingyun and said: "Qingyun, did Brother Jing use his full strength to test the skills of the Hua family's eldest son?"

Watching Qingyun shake his head, Rong Xian said with an incredulous look: "Brother Jing is like this, and he still didn't use his full strength!?"

Qingyun nodded: "Second Young Master, usually if the Young Master wants to practice archery in the morning, he would have to do another six or seven laps like this..."

"Six..."

Before Rong Xian had finished speaking, the words were stuck in his throat; afterward, he shook his head with some discouragement and said: "Sigh, Brother Jing, he is truly... formidable!"

As they were talking,

Rong Xian and Qingyun arrived beside Xu Zaijing.

Hua Rong was still panting, looking at the two, and said: "Second Young Master, Brother Yin, how many did I hit?"

Rong Xian scratched his head and looked toward Qingyun.

Qingyun looked at Hua Rong with admiration and smiled: "There were sixty-five targets in total; Eldest Brother, you hit thirty-nine."

Xu Zaijing nodded and smiled: "Mm, that's very good! When I came to the racecourse, I heard Brother Xian say this is your newly bought mount; I also took advantage of the mount, the bow and arrows, and the field."

Hua Rong shook his head and said with some frustration: "Fifth Young Master is being too modest."

Qingyun looked at Hua Rong's appearance and advised him on the side: "Eldest Brother, don't be so discouraged! Do you know who I mentioned earlier who could reach half of the Young Master's archery skills?"

Without waiting for Hua Rong to ask, Qingyun said: "One is surnamed Di, named Jing, who is now a military commander; another is surnamed Lu, named Junyi, who is now by my family's heir's side and has a bright future. As for the other personal guard brothers, being able to hit thirty percent is already considered formidable."

Hearing Qingyun's words, Rong Xian's eyes lit up; he rode his horse to Hua Rong's side, patted Hua Rong's shoulder, and said: "Hiss, with Qingyun saying that, you kid are still a general's material!"

Hua Rong, being advised by Qingyun like this, felt his frustration diminish slightly, and the expression on his face relaxed a lot.

Xu Zaijing smiled: "Brother Hua, I saw you chose a silver spear just now; rest a while, and let's have another round!"

Looking at Xu Zaijing's appearance, Hua Rong cupped his hands and agreed.

When the four of them walked their horses to the side of the wooden house, Rong Feiyan first looked at Xu Zaijing with admiration, then said to Rong Xian: "Brother, how was it?"

Rong Xian proudly lifted his chin and said: "Sister, can the person I picked be bad? Not to mention anything else, Hua Rong's skills are... this!"

Saying this, Rong Xian held up his thumb.

Rong Feiyan turned her head and glanced at Xu Zaijing; seeing Xu Zaijing nod and affirm with a smile, Rong Feiyan also couldn't help but smile: "That's good!"

Looking at Xu Zaijing's gaze, Rong Feiyan turned around somewhat embarrassedly, held Hua Erniang's hand, and repeated: "That's good!"

Hua Erniang looked at her brother with eyes full of happiness, and when she looked at Xu Zaijing, her eyes were full of awe.

Afterward,

Hua Rong rubbed his arms himself to relax a bit, then picked up the silver spear, and began to fight with Xu Zaijing in the field.

Xu Zaijing rarely made a move, mostly defending, gradually figuring out that Hua Rong's skills on horseback were no less than those of his own cousin, Zhu Qinghu.

Rong Xian rode his horse and watched with Qingyun on the side; seeing Xu Zaijing attacking and defending with ease, Rong Xian asked with some worry: "Qingyun, is Hua Rong's spear technique on horseback a bit average?"

Qingyun shook his head: "Second Young Rong, seeing the Hua family's eldest son's moves are swift and have considerable force, his spear technique on horseback can be called outstanding."

Rong Xian nodded and said: "By the way, Qingyun, I forgot to ask you just now, how does your archery compare to Hua Rong's?"

Qingyun looked at Rong Xian somewhat embarrassedly and said: "Replying to Second Young Master, I can barely hit fifty targets."

"What, fifty?"

Looking at Rong Xian's astonished appearance, Qingyun said: "I'm just skilled from practice."

Rong Xian smiled and shook his head: "Heavens, it seems that when you beat up those servants of mine back then, you were still showing mercy."

Qingyun cupped his hands somewhat embarrassedly, indicating that Rong Xian was right.

(End of chapter)