Song Chuzhao returned home in the afternoon, nearing dinnertime.
Master He personally came out to greet her. Gu Fengjian got out of the carriage and gave a greeting, then, under the other man’s piercing gaze, he wisely left.
Master He turned to Song Chuzhao, the wrinkles on his face bunching together, and said with a kind smile, “You’re back?”
Song Chuzhao nodded.carpreads.pages.dev
Master He followed her steps, walking towards the house, and asked, “Did you have fun?”
Song Chuzhao answered happily, “It was fun!”
Master He asked again, “Did you make any friends?”
Song Chuzhao hesitated for a moment.
To call them friends, they seemed more like a bunch of younger sisters.
Master He reached out to help her, “What’s this thing you’re carrying in your arms?”
“Be careful, it’s very heavy.” Song Chuzhao quickly dodged, saying, “I beat Fan Chongqing, and the Emperor gave me this. It’s the long spear that Uncle Fu used to use.”
Master He was indeed very proud upon hearing this, his eyebrows raised in delight, even his beard seemed to curl upwards. He said, “You beat Fan Chongqing? I thought that boy was pretty good, not a good-for-nothing.”
Song Chuzhao nodded vigorously.
Master He asked, “Did you get hurt?”
“No, he didn’t dare hit me, only I hit him.” Song Chuzhao whispered, “General Fu was standing there, how could anything happen to me?”
Master He said matter-of-factly, “Of course he wouldn’t dare hit you. If he hit you, your grandfather would go and hit him.”
Song Chuzhao said, “It was a fair competition, how can you involve elders!”
“Alright, alright, alright, I won’t go.” Master He compromised without any principles, and then tentatively asked, “What were the reactions of the others?”
“Triumphant!” Song Chuzhao was beaming with pride, “They never expected that I could actually win! Fan Chongqing looked a little sullen, and his brothers teased him. The girls were all ecstatic. You wouldn’t believe it, the young County Princess was so excited she almost cried. Before I went on stage, she didn’t think I could do it.”
Master He said, “You’re naturally skilled, how could you not do it?”
The two of them reached a fork in the road. Song Chuzhao was going back to her own courtyard, and said, “Grandfather, I’m hungry.”
Master He patted her head, “I’ve had food prepared for you, quickly put your things away, wash your hands, and come eat.”
Song Chuzhao: “Okay!”
Song Chuzhao carried the box back to her small courtyard. He Wan had just heard the news and was about to go out to greet her. Seeing her carrying a box, she went into the room with her.
He Wan asked, “What is it? Why is it so big?”
Song Chuzhao placed the box on the table, opened the lid, and said, “The Emperor gave it to me, so I brought it back. He said he wanted to use this to ensure safety, it’s a good thought.”
He Wan glanced at it, recognized it, but didn’t pay attention to her, only saying, “Put it away, you’re always so careless.”
Song Chuzhao: “I’m not.”
Song Chuzhao didn’t know where to put this thing. If it was very valuable, it would be safest under her own eyes.
She saw that her grandfather’s sword was placed on the table in his own room, so she also found a wooden stand and was about to place the long spear on the table she rarely used.
Madam He came over and saw this, and exclaimed, “Oh, my Zhaozhao, don’t put this weapon in the bedroom, it has a lot of bad energy!”
Then she moved the long spear to the study, placing it in the most prominent position, as a way to ward off evil spirits. At dinner, she found an opportunity to twist Master He’s arm, saying that he was setting a bad example and teaching Zhaozhao bad habits, and that he didn’t even know about this taboo.
Song Chuzhao glanced at him apologetically, and the two of them exchanged a silent look across the table.
Perhaps because He Wan had returned, Fu Changjun had not been to the He Mansion lately. Song Chuzhao felt awkward about telling He Wan that she wanted to go see Uncle Fu.
General Song, however, had heard about the matter and said that since she had received Fu Changjun’s treasured weapon, she should go thank him personally. Traditionally, a warrior’s weapon was a symbol of their status and could not be given away lightly.
Fortunately, Gu Fengjian also remembered this, and while Song Chuzhao was still thinking about how to go, he chose a sunny day and, under the pretense of going out to buy things, took her with him.
It had been snowing intermittently for the past few days. There hadn’t been such heavy snowfall in years. Even though the sun was out today, the snow on the roadside hadn’t melted completely.
The weather was so cold it was almost bone-chilling. Before going out, Song Chuzhao was forced to wear several layers of heavy clothing, and then she walked with Gu Fengjian.
The places where there was snow were fine, as the footprints left in the snow provided traction. But some of the water on the ground had frozen into ice, and if you stepped on it unexpectedly, you could easily fall.
They both walked very carefully.
Fortunately, the place where the Imperial Insignia Guards trained was not far. They even hitched a ride on an ox cart halfway there, and soon arrived.
Gu Fengjian didn’t want to go in.
He knew very well that if he stepped inside the Imperial Insignia Guards’ gate, he wouldn’t be able to leave without being thoroughly drilled. All those nights of climbing over walls, all those offenses, were being counted against him. Besides, he had indeed come out to buy things on Madam Gu’s orders, and he couldn’t go back empty-handed.
He made an appointment with Song Chuzhao to meet there in an hour and a half, then left alone.
Unfortunately, Fu Changjun was not at the training ground today.
The soldier smiled, “Miss, please have a look around first. I’ve sent someone to inform General Fu. If he’s free, he should be here soon.”
Song Chuzhao thought this was a rare opportunity. She looked around and asked, “Can I touch anything around here?”
This soldier obviously knew about her defeating Fan Chongqing last time. He thought she was familiar with the military camp since childhood and didn’t need to be treated like an ordinary woman. He smiled and said, “Feel free, Miss. Just be careful.”
Song Chuzhao nodded happily and ran to the side.
She wanted to play with the horse that Fu Changjun had been riding, but she couldn’t find it after searching everywhere. She wondered if Fu Changjun had hidden it.
The soldiers were being led to practice their moves in the open space, leaving the archery range empty.
She picked up a bow that was leaning against the side and tried it out on the target. She found that the bows and arrows in the capital were much more exquisite than those in the border areas. With the same amount of strength, the arrows were clearly more powerful.
She saw a bow with a more distinctive style hanging on the wall, placed alongside other weapons. It didn’t seem particularly special, so she went up and took it down, wanting to try it out as well.
The soldier was giving the young soldiers instructions when he suddenly heard Song Chuzhao yelling “Ah, ah, ah” in a flustered way from the side. He quickly ran over and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Song Chuzhao took a deep breath, “This bow—”
The soldier glanced at it and exclaimed in horror, “That’s the General’s bow!”
Song Chuzhao said, “I didn’t know! It was just lying there, and I thought it was like the other bows. Who knew it couldn’t be pulled open!”
The soldier was flustered, “What… what do we do?”
Bows required extremely careful maintenance.
Shooting an arrow without a target or with insufficient force could damage the bow. Martial artists were always very careful with their weapons, especially this kind of specially made, powerful war bow. Song Chuzhao hadn’t expected that out of all these weapons, there would be one that was so unusual.
Pulling the bow required a lot of strength. Song Chuzhao was already struggling to hold it, and she was about to give up. Seeing that the soldier was still standing there dumbfounded, she wanted him to help.
The soldier was hesitant because of the difference in gender, and although he was worried about the weapon, he didn’t dare to step forward and help. Song Chuzhao was so anxious that she kept yelling, which made him angry.
At that moment, a pair of hands reached around from the side, and a warm chest pressed against her back. The person grasped her hand, pulled back the bowstring with force, and when it was fully drawn, gestured for Song Chuzhao to release it with him.
The arrow flew out, and Song Chuzhao nervously turned her head, meeting Fu Changjun’s expressionless face.
“You came here just to play with my bow?” Fu Changjun had a faint scent about him, likely from the incense burning in the room. He looked at Song Chuzhao with a hint of amusement in his eyes and said, “What’s this? You took my spear, and now you want to take my bow? Unfortunately, this bow is beyond your capabilities.”
Song Chuzhao whispered, “Actually, your spear is too heavy, I can’t use it either.”
Fu Changjun hung the bow back up and asked, “Who told you to come here? Or are you just bored and decided to wander over?”
Song Chuzhao said, “I wanted to thank you for the things you sent me. I don’t really need them, so if you need them back, I can return them to you.”
Fu Changjun said, “No need. Once I give you something, it’s yours.”
Fu Changjun turned and walked towards the exit, saying, “It’s cold today. If you have nothing else to do, you should head back early to avoid catching a chill.”
Song Chuzhao silently watched him from behind.
Perhaps her gaze was too pitiful and too intense, because Fu Changjun, after taking a few steps, turned back around with his hands behind his back. He frowned and said, “Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to come to the training ground to ride horses and practice with the soldiers here?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Didn’t you say it wasn’t possible?”
Fu Changjun paused and asked, “Did I say it wasn’t possible?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Uh-huh.”
Fu Changjun insisted, “I did not.”
The corners of Song Chuzhao’s lips gradually turned upwards, eventually forming a radiant smile. “Then…”
Fu Changjun raised his arm, signaling for everyone present to be quiet. Then, using his internal energy, he announced to everyone, “Come! Today, anyone who surpasses Third Miss Song in equestrian archery will receive a month’s salary from me! If no one surpasses her, everyone will have extra training tomorrow!”
“Oh——!”
The soldiers erupted in a clamor.
Song Chuzhao also shouted, “Uncle Fu, you’re the best! I can win!”
As Fu Changjun walked towards a raised platform on the side, he said loudly, “I want to see who will be defeated today due to underestimating their opponent. I’ve offered the reward, so it’s up to your skills to decide the outcome! Third Miss Song, if you lose too badly today, don’t come back!”
Song Chuzhao jumped up and raised her hand, “What if I don’t lose today? What if I help you win? How would that be counted?”
Fu Changjun flicked his robe and sat down on the platform with a hearty laugh, “Ask them. If you lose so badly, what face will you have to come back here?”
Song Chuzhao crossed her arms and laughed loudly, “Then this government office will be open to me whenever I want to come and go, right?”
A soldier standing nearby laughed, “Hey, Third Miss Song, don’t get too cocky. We’re not like Second Young Master Fan, we’ve lived on the edge of a knife, seen the world, and we’re not easily provoked by someone like you.”
“That’s right!”
“Winning at horseback riding won’t be easy for you. And archery is even more out of the question.”
“Third Miss Song’s hand-to-hand combat skills are impressive, but I wonder how her horsemanship is.”
Song Chuzhao knew that the so-called “seen the world” meant having a thick skin. Old soldiers were generally shameless.
Fu Changjun said meaningfully, “These old soldiers need some face, don’t go snatching the reward. Leave the opportunity for the new recruits.”
Someone protested, “General, you didn’t say anything about old soldiers or new recruits earlier, why are you protecting Third Miss Song now? I don’t agree!”
A group of burly soldiers feigned outrage, “No fair, no fair! We don’t agree! We all rely on our own skills!”
Fu Changjun laughed, “All of you, shut your mouths! How dare you say such a thing?”