Tang Zhirou insisted on sharing a room with Song Chuzhao. They heated water outside, washed up, and returned to their tent.
Song Chuzhao stretched her muscles before bed, as was her routine… She had to admit, she had gained a little weight.
Because she hadn’t eaten well for so long, after returning to her own body, she had indulged herself to her heart’s content. Now, looking at herself, it was a bit… tragic.
Tang Zhirou sat beside her, watching her busy herself. After a while, she sighed and said, “Sigh, you’re about to get married. What am I going to do?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Why are you worried about my marriage?”
Tang Zhirou spread out her blanket and lay down, propping her head up with her hand. She said, “You don’t understand. My father has been urging me to marry lately. I’m getting older, and he’s been looking for a suitable match for me. But I’m always worried that I’ll marry some bad person.”
Song Chuzhao said, “If you marry the wrong person, just leave. You’re a County Princess. Go back and complain to your father. If that doesn’t work, complain to the Emperor. You’re not afraid to use your power, are you?”
Tang Zhirou thought to herself, that’s easier said than done. Once you’re married, it’d be a family shame that can’t be publicized, and her father might not even stand up for her.
She turned over and asked, “Third Girl, will you be like that after you get married?”
Song Chuzhao asked, “Like what?“carpreads.pages.dev
“Like everyone else,” Tang Zhirou said. “Stay at home, be a wife and mother. Live a harmonious life with Fifth Son Gu?”
Song Chuzhao paused, involuntarily pondering the image she described.
It sounded peaceful and serene, but it didn’t quite feel right.
People need to do something else, don’t they?
Tang Zhirou felt her tone was a bit off, so she added, “It’s good, too. I didn’t mean to say it’s bad. Fifth Son Gu is much better than many others. He’ll understand you and he wouldn’t bully you.”
Song Chuzhao climbed over to her side and asked, “Have you been listening to too much gossip lately?”
Tang Zhirou said, “But those things are true.”
“Then don’t plan on swallowing your bitterness. They are them, you are you.” Song Chuzhao said, “If they tell you, ‘Women have to rely on men, even if they’re bullied, they have to accept it. There’s nothing you can do.’ Don’t believe them.”
Tang Zhirou asked, “Then what should I believe?”
Song Chuzhao thought for a moment and said, “The border isn’t always peaceful. When there are foreign invaders, the men in nearby towns are also pulled in to help patrol the streets. So, there aren’t many able-bodied men left in the city. Who’s going to farm the land, treat the sick, teach children to read and write, and do the accounting and cash register in the shops? It all falls on the women, doesn’t it? When you really need people, they don’t care if you’re male or female. That’s why those women are all tough. If they’re pushed too hard, they’ll even dare to fight. The people in the city are also fair. They’ll stand up for whoever is right.”
Tang Zhirou said, “From what you say, the border is better than the capital.”
“Every place has its own rules. But this also proves that there are no unchanging truths in the world.” Song Chuzhao said, “Don’t think the worst. Your father loves you, and his judgment is better than yours. He won’t let you marry that kind of man. Besides, even if you do meet someone like that, don’t think about just letting it go. You’ve read so many books, you’re not necessarily worse than men.”
Tang Zhirou was surprised. “You really want to compete with men?”
Song Chuzhao said, “If someone really provokes me, why shouldn’t I compete with them?”
Tang Zhirou: “So you’re going to the martial arts competition tomorrow?”
Song Chuzhao fell silent.
At the time, she was just being quick-witted and trying to avoid awkwardness. And Gu Fengjian wasn’t serious about it. Why would she go up there and make a fool of herself?
Tang Zhirou sighed in melancholy, “Sigh…”
Song Chuzhao couldn’t stand it. She gritted her teeth and said, “…I’ll go! Let them see the bravery of the Song women. Don’t act like women only have one way to live, by accepting whatever comes their way.”
Tang Zhirou sat up again, excited. “There’s never been a woman on the martial arts stage! Let alone winning.”
Song Chuzhao thought to herself, of course not. When the previous Emperor was alive, women didn’t even have the right to go up there.
Tang Zhirou pondered for a moment, finding the scene quite impressive, and couldn’t help but laugh. She diligently smoothed out the bedding for Song Chuzhao and invited her, “Go to sleep, go to sleep early! Rest well, you’ll need your strength tomorrow.”
Song Chuzhao took off her outer robe and lay down.
Tang Zhirou closed her eyes, but couldn’t fall asleep. After tossing and turning for a long time, she pulled Song Chuzhao’s hand again and said, “Third Girl, why don’t you tell me more? What can I do?”
Song Chuzhao: “…” How would I know?
The next morning, as the sunlight began to brighten, there were already people walking outside.
Song Chuzhao and Tang Zhirou got up and found that they were building a platform for the martial arts competition.
The two went to a nearby table, drinking freshly brewed hot soup and eating some steamed buns and fried cakes.
Tang Zhanglian came out to stretch. He was wearing a black outfit today, his hair neatly combed, looking valiant and imposing.
On the other hand, Fan Chongqing’s side didn’t look so good. Although those young men were equally energetic, their hair was tied up in a messy and loose way, with a touch of sloppiness, clearly not accustomed to taking care of themselves.
By the time Tang Zhanglian finished breakfast, the martial arts platform was almost ready. Fan Chongqing and the others had warmed up, arms crossed, waiting on both sides of the platform.
This martial arts competition was mostly for those brothers who had won the hunting yesterday to practice their skills. There were no clear rules, it wasn’t formal, but the rewards were generous. If anyone else wanted to go up, they could, as long as they weren’t afraid of getting beaten.
Winners like Fan Chongqing would consciously line up at the back, to avoid losing too many times and making the scene too ugly.
Song Chuzhao and Tang Zhirou stood among the crowd, watching Tang Zhanglian finish his opening remarks and personally strike the drum, announcing the official start of the day’s martial arts competition.
In an instant, everyone raised their arms and cheered, the cheers even louder than when the hunt began yesterday.
Tang Zhanglian sat back on the platform, legs crossed, clearly much more interested than yesterday.
Well, watching people ride horses is not as fun as watching people fight, right?
Four skilled Imperial Insignia Guards stood at the four corners of the platform, holding swords, maintaining order.
This competition emphasized restraint and entertainment. But with so many spectators, it was inevitable that some people would lose their temper and lose their composure during the fight. They were there to prevent this.
The leading Imperial Insignia Guard shouted loudly, “Who will go first?”
A black figure jumped onto the platform, responding with a deep, hoarse voice. He was tall and sturdy, and the entire platform seemed to tremble when he jumped up.
Everyone looked closely and found that the first to appear was a warrior in his thirties. He boldly took off his outer garment, revealing a body of knotted and strong muscles.
It was still snowing yesterday, and today the snow had melted but not completely. The man’s breath was hot, and he seemed not to feel the cold.
His physique alone was intimidating. The girls on this side let out a small gasp at the man’s disrobing, but were also firmly subdued by his aura.
Tang Zhirou’s scalp tingled, and she whispered, “The first one up is so strong? He looks like a tough guy.”
Song Chuzhao observed for a while and said, “Although this man has broad shoulders and a strong back, he is indeed strong and powerful, but looking at the muscle patterns on his body, he probably didn’t come from a legitimate martial arts background. Such a person may be able to integrate various skills and be difficult to break through, but if he doesn’t have any martial arts talent, he will also have many weaknesses and be easy to break through. It depends on whether the person who accepts the challenge is skilled.”
Tang Zhirou couldn’t help but look at her deeply, admiringly saying, “Third Girl, you’re amazing!”
Song Chuzhao couldn’t help but smile and modestly said, “Not at all. After all, we are all martial arts practitioners.”
The girls nearby heard this and gathered around, saying to her, “We don’t understand these things, Third Girl, why don’t you explain it to us?”
Song Chuzhao readily agreed, “Okay.”
Soon, another person went up.
The man’s physique was noticeably thinner, and he was even a head shorter than the other.
“Oh!” exclaimed someone beside Song Chuzhao, “These two are so different in size! How can they fight? Is he just going to go up there and surrender?”
“That’s Wang Gongzi from the Wang family. I thought he was always quiet, but he’s quite bold.”
The two on stage didn’t give them much time to discuss, they both agreed to fight without weapons, exchanged a bow, and began to fight.
The burly man launched a punch, the thin man surnamed Wang swayed like a phantom, and quickly retreated.
The battle seemed to be one-sided, the outcome decided in an instant.
After just one move, Song Chuzhao sighed, “Sigh, the gap is too big.”
Tang Zhirou nodded, holding her tightly, “I see a big gap too. What’s the point of this? That Wang family’s young master, he’d probably be flattened with one punch. I’m scared just watching.”
“You’re wrong.” Song Chuzhao pointed to the two on stage, “A person with great strength, if they know how to use it, is indeed frightening. But look at that man’s attack just now, he’s clearly not a professional, his offense and defense have been seen through by the other. It’s the Wang family’s young master you’re talking about, he’s more skilled than I thought. His moves are all very standard, his strikes are swift and decisive, he must be from a legitimate school with deep roots. He’s perfectly capable of countering the other.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the man surnamed Wang, in the rhythm of his retreat, suddenly changed his movements, launching a counterattack. In the blink of an eye, his curled knuckles were aimed at the burly man’s forehead. One step closer, and he could pierce the man’s brain at the acupoint.
The Imperial Insignia Guards immediately declared young master Wang the winner.
“Wow—that’s amazing!”
While there was no surprise among the young men, the girls were filled with exclamations of wonder.
But their admiration wasn’t for the pitiful young master Wang, it was all directed at Song Chuzhao.
So there really are people who can tell the difference between martial artists at a glance! In the storybooks, only the greatest masters can do that!
Just how skilled is Song Chuzhao?
The young men across the way looked over at the sound of their voices.
Gu Fengjian smiled faintly at her through the crowd, probably finding them amusing.
Song Chuzhao saw it and said shyly, “Nothing special, just the basics.”
The admiration in the eyes of the group of girls grew even stronger: A master is a master! Look how humble she is!
They crowded closer, introducing her, “Third Girl, you don’t know, young master Wang isn’t just some nobody. His father is known in the army as the Ghost Mantis. I used to think it was just people exaggerating, but it seems the Wang family really is that good.”
Song Chuzhao nodded, “I see.”
The girls continued, “Usually when I watch these competitions, I just watch for the excitement, I thought most of it was just luck. Now that Third Girl has explained it to me, I realize there’s so much more to it.”
“I understand why those men are so excited! I can barely contain myself.”
“I wonder if Third Girl could go up there and fight them.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Song Chuzhao scratched her cheek, thinking to herself, these girls in the capital… are too easy to win over.