Song Chuzhao did not understand Fourth Son Gu, and clearly, his opponents did not really understand him either.
The young man glared at Song Chuzhao for a moment, then turned to glare at Fourth Son Gu.
“Why did you bring him here? With his skills, is he even capable of competing?”
The scholars on the side were dissatisfied and shouted, “The Fifth Young Master’s reputation precedes him. You are insulting us scholars. He couldn’t bear to see it, so naturally he came out to speak up!”
“That’s right, Fifth Young Master’s scholarship is something everyone can trust. He’s the most suitable!”
The person on the other side said, “But today we are competing in archery!”
“I would rather compete with you in something else, but would you even know how?”
“A bunch of useless people who don’t work with their hands, only good at talking! " The man clenched his fist, threatening, “We want to compete with you in something real, do you dare?”
“Fan Chongqing, don’t be so arrogant! by carpreads.pages.dev
Fan Chongqing pointed at him and said, “If you have the guts, stand up and speak! What’s the point of hiding behind the crowd and yelling?”
Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, Fourth Son Gu ignored them. He put his arm around Song Chuzhao’s shoulder and led her inside, laughing, “Fifth Brother, you sit on the side for now, and make your move later. Let me see how I teach these shameless fellows a lesson!”
Seeing the two of them approach, the scholars immediately expressed their great welcome to Fifth Son Gu. Even the matter of scolding was temporarily put aside, their faces instantly changing, they smiled brightly:
“Fifth Young Master, we have long admired your name!”
“We have heard that Fifth Young Master of the Gu family is brilliant and talented, elegant and scholarly. Today, upon seeing you, it is indeed as the rumors say!”
“We have long wanted to make friends with Fifth Young Master, and we didn’t expect to have this opportunity today. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Song Chuzhao had never experienced such a scene of being flattered, especially by a group of young scholars.
It was because she was a woman who had learned martial arts since childhood, and she had been hanging around in the military camp for years, making her an outcast in the eyes of the world. Those scholars, if they didn’t nag her until her ears were calloused, it was already good enough. To ask them to say a few nice words, it was harder than climbing to heaven.
Song Chuzhao suppressed the fluttering in her heart and bowed to everyone in return.
Unexpectedly, this action of hers led to another round of praise from everyone.
“Fifth Young Master is truly humble!”
“Down-to-earth! Completely different from what we heard!”
“Rumors can’t be trusted!”
“Fifth Young Master is truly an untainted* honorable person of our time!”
TN:qingliu, in olden times, to describe scholars who didn’t get corrupted by those in power
Song Chuzhao was starting to feel embarrassed. She felt that even if she burped, these people would find a way to praise her for the loudness of the sound.
She kept nodding.
It turned out that the more books you read, the more eloquently you could flatter. Unlike her younger brothers, their compliments were always the same, “Amazing!” At best, they would turn it into “You’re really amazing!” And if they wanted to be more flowery, they would say, “You’re really, really f*cking amazing!”
While she was having a good time, the few warriors on the other side were green with envy. They kept clicking their tongues and expressing their disdain for the hypocrisy of these people.
One of Fan Chongqing’s men approached him, pressing down on the longbow in his hand, and said in his ear, “Big brother Fan, Fourth Son Gu is so cunning. It seems he wants to cheat his way through this.”
Fan Chongqing’s eyebrows jumped, “So what? Am I afraid of his cunning? If he dares to go back on his word, I will hang him behind my horse and drag him through the streets!”
The younger brother said, “Why do you think he brought Fifth Young Master over?”
Fan Chongqing said, “What does Fifth Young Master have to do with anything?”
The younger brother paused for a moment before saying, “Fifth Young Master is not so bad, but big brother, if things really get out of hand, would you dare to hit him?”
Fan Chongqing puffed out his chest and said, “Of course I would dare!” However, the tone of his voice lacked the confidence of his previous words.
Fifth Son Gu was renowned for his talent and maturity, and he was deeply loved by his elders.
He was obedient, well-behaved, sensible, and a diligent student, yet he was also frail. All these qualities were concentrated on him. Anyone who had a conflict with him would inevitably be at fault.
They had experienced similar hardships before, knowing that if they ever clashed with Gu Fengjian, they wouldn’t stand a chance. A single light punch could land them in their father’s hands for half a month. Fourth Son Gu calling his younger brother over… was truly despicable!
Fan Chongqing was furious, his teeth grinding in anger.
Meanwhile, Gu Fengwei had already removed his outer robe and was walking towards them with a bow and arrow in hand.
“Fan Chongqing, I’ll be the first to challenge you!” Gu Fengwei rolled up his sleeves. “Since we agreed on this, there’s no turning back! I want you to beg for mercy, crying!”
Fan Chongqing raised his hand and laughed, “We’ll see about that after you win! The archery range is over there, go get the horses!”
After their exchange, they led a group of younger brothers towards the inside, heading for the open space near the archery range.
Soon, someone came from afar leading two horses, handing the reins to them.
Song Chuzhao wanted to go forward and take a look, but she was held back by a group of people who grabbed her sleeve. They told Song Chuzhao to sit by the viewing platform and simply watch.
The two men on the field, full of youthful vigor, rode their horses with great spirit, circling the archery range to estimate the distance and familiarize themselves with the route. When they faced each other, they exchanged taunts. Their words weren’t particularly harsh, but their tone was full of provocation.
Song Chuzhao asked, “Why are they competing in equestrian archery?”
The person beside her, fanning himself, said with a sarcastic tone, “Those boorish men, there’s nothing much to compare them with. Equestrian archery is the only thing that falls under the Six Arts, so it’s the only thing they can barely compete in.”
Song Chuzhao felt a mix of emotions.
She thought to herself, don’t judge me by my appearance, I’m actually the person on the other side. I’m a boorish person too.
Seeing her cold expression, the others misunderstood her and comforted her, saying, “Fifth Young Master, don’t worry, brother Gu excels in equestrian archery, it’s not so easy to defeat him.”
“Fourth Young Master is skilled in both literature and martial arts. Since he accepted the challenge, he must have prepared for it. Fan Chongqing and the others, while brave, lack prudence. Even if they win, we have reasons to retract our agreement.”
Song Chuzhao frowned at their words.
“This is not the behavior of a gentleman,” Song Chuzhao said. “Do you look down on those who practice martial arts?”
The group replied: “Fifth Young Master, you don’t know, they don’t think much of us either.”
“It was they who were relentless, forcing Fourth Young Master to accept the challenge. You heard what Fan Chongqing said earlier, how could we tolerate that?”
“They’re probably spreading rumors about us. We’re just trying to avoid losing face.”
“I’ll be blunt, those boorish men, they rely on their tall stature to bully us! I despise them! They even tried to bully Huang Qicheng, how can we let them have their way!”
Song Chuzhao wanted to speak several times, but knowing they wouldn’t listen, she held back.
At this time, Fan and Gu those two returned to their starting positions, ready to begin the competition. The crowd stood up and cheered for them.
Twenty targets were set up in a row in front of them. There were also over twenty arrows scattered on the ground at varying distances. It was a race to see who could grab the arrows first with their horses.
The one who hit the most targets would win.
The sound of a gong echoed, and the two men immediately spurred their horses forward.
The first arrow was snatched by Fan Chongqing. Gu Fengjian did not hesitate, he bypassed him from the side, bent down to grab the second arrow.
Both of them were skilled in martial arts. The arrows flew out of their hands, rushing towards the target. They did not linger, and continued to compete for the remaining arrows.
The scene was quite heated, and they were almost evenly matched.
Song Chuzhao also stood up. She did not expect Fourth Son Gu’s martial arts to be so extraordinary.
“Fourth Young Master! Fourth Young Master, go for it!”
“Brother Fan! Take down that little brat!”
The cheers from the sidelines seemed to be more targeted.
The arrows flew one after another, leaving behind several afterimages in the air.
There were only twenty arrows in total, and the competition ended in a flash.
Everyone went forward to check the arrows according to their memory. After counting the rings, Gu Fengjian had actually lost by one ring.
However, one ring was still one ring. Losing was still losing.
The people on Fan Chongqing’s side rose to their feet and cheered, while Song Chuzhao’s side was filled with dejection.
Everyone stood in the middle of the open space again, unable to maintain even the surface peace. They all looked like they were about to tear each other apart.
Fan Chongqing dismounted and raised his arm, shouting, “Who else dares to challenge me?”
Gu Fengjian looked at him coldly.
Fan Chongqing swept his gaze across the opposite side. Seeing no one speak, he laughed loudly, “Haha, you lost! Gu Fengjian, you lose, you must abide by the bet! First, beg for mercy from your grandpa, then hand over Huang Qicheng, and I will let you off!”
Fourth Son Gu touched his ear and blew on his finger in a perfunctory manner, “What if I don’t?”
“You want to go back on your word?” Fan Chongqing’s face darkened, and he sneered, “Since that’s the case, let’s settle this with our fists! Don’t blame us for being rude!”
Fourth Son Gu raised his eyebrows and turned to Song Chuzhao, winking at her. He was trying to get her to help him out.
He meant to ask his fifth brother to come and help him scold the other party, or to argue a few words.
His fifth brother was full of wit and eloquence. When he scolded people, he was both elegant and insidious, so poisonous that it could make people die. He would definitely be able to turn black into white and make Fan Chongqing speechless.
Song Chuzhao did not want to get involved in their mess between the literary and martial arts factions. Fourth Son Gu walked up to her and whispered in her ear, “Huang Qicheng was beaten by them with their heads covered for half a month before he recovered. They still want to teach him a lesson. If you hand him over, something might happen. Fifth brother, you help me save him, it’s a good deed.”
Song Chuzhao asked, “Who is Huang Qicheng? Why do they want to beat him?”
“It’s a long story.” Fourth Son Gu said, “The literary and martial arts factions have always been at odds, and it’s not unusual for them to look down on each other. He may have been wrong, but Fan Chongqing is so relentless, which is truly excessive.”
Song Chuzhao: “If you win the competition, what are the benefits?”
Fourth Son Gu laughed and said, “The other party has to listen to one of my requests.”
Song Chuzhao: “Give me the benefits.”
Fourth Son Gu responded repeatedly, “Okay, okay, okay! But you have to win first.”
Fan Chongqing said unhappily, “What are you two whispering about? Fifth Son Gu, you are known for your reputation, don’t collude with him and engage in shady dealings.”
Song Chuzhao nodded and reached out to grab Fourth Son Gu’s longbow.
Fourth Son Gu was puzzled. He tightened his fingers, but did not force her, and let her take the thing away.
Everyone was waiting to see what she would do next.
Perhaps she would swing the bow and directly smash the other person’s head?
If she could hit the target, that would be fine! After all, the other party wouldn’t dare to fight her.
Fan Chongqing was also nervous when he saw her move. He kept his distance from her, on guard.
But Song Chuzhao stood still, and tried to pull the bow. The taut bowstring did not curve to a satisfactory arc. Song Chuzhao knew that this was not a bow she could use.
She returned the thing, silently walked to the side, and from the basket where the weapons were stored, she picked and chose, selecting a relatively suitable one.
The people on Fan Chongqing’s side looked at each other in bewilderment, and even forgot to mock her.
Song Chuzhao selected a bow, then took a few arrows, and faced the target range.
In the eyes of everyone’s disbelief, she drew the long bow, and with a full stance, shot an arrow.
That first arrow, which everyone was watching, missed the target completely. It landed in front of the target, about half a meter away.
Fan Chongqing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
A roar of laughter erupted from the crowd.
“I really thought you could shoot arrows. What great archery skills! Fifth Son Gu!”
“As expected of Fifth Son Gu!”
Fourth Son Gu was displeased. “Shut your mouths! Fifth brother, what are you doing?”
Song Chuzhao remained unmoved, picked up the second arrow from the ground, and once again drew the bow, ready to shoot.
The second arrow flew higher and farther. Everyone’s eyes followed the black long line as it drew an arc, and they saw it pass directly above the target.
Fan Chongqing, who had not yet stopped laughing, burst into laughter again. The martial arts practitioners all fell back and forth, laughing so hard that the literary practitioners were simply embarrassed.
Fourth Son Gu said, “Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Did my fifth brother mock you for not being able to write poetry?”
“But I didn’t hold up my poems in front of you and show off!” Fan Chongqing laughed so hard that he was about to drool. He paused, pointed at Song Chuzhao, and said, “You called your fifth brother over to entertain us? It’s really funny! Much funnier than you!”
Fourth Son Gu stepped forward and grabbed his collar. “If you say another bad word about him, Fan Chongqing, I’ll never end it with you!”
Fan Chongqing pushed him away fiercely, gritting his teeth. “I’m not done with you now!”
Song Chuzhao confirmed Gu Fengjian’s arm strength, put away the bow, walked back, and said to Fan Chongqing, “I know I don’t have the strength, so I’ll only compete with you in accuracy. The same competition as before, should be fine.”
“You’re sure you want to compete with me in accuracy?!” Fan Chongqing pointed to the bamboo arrows that had missed the target and landed on the ground. It was as if he had heard something funny. “I’m not trying to mock you, Fifth Son Gu, are you crazy?”
Song Chuzhao was not crazy, of course. She was very calm. She walked to the horse, kicked her foot against the ground, and mounted the horse.
Gu Fengjian wanted to stop her, but she waved him away with one hand.
Song Chuzhao ignored everyone’s gaze, tightened her legs on the horse’s back, and gestured to Fan Chongqing. “Come.”
Seeing her serious expression, not like a joke, Fan Chongqing gradually put away his smile, glared at her unkindly, and sneered.
Song Chuzhao said, “If I lose, I will testify for you. People should keep their word. You’re right.”
Fourth Son Gu exclaimed urgently, “Fifth Brother! What are you doing? Whose side are you on? Come down, riding a horse is not fun.”
The members of the literary faction were also completely bewildered.
Song Chuzhao, her stature heightened by the horse, lowered her gaze, raised her chin, and strolled to the starting point of the previous competition, waiting for Fan Chongqing to come over.
Fan Chongqing stared at her intently, “Are you sure?”
“Sure.”
“No regrets?”
Song Chuzhao slowly shook her head, “No regrets.”
“Good!” Fan Chongqing said, “You are more decisive than them! I will compete with you then.”