Spring had just begun to appear. The snow melted and the ice melted. The plains were covered in green grass, but the mountains in the distance were still covered in pure white ice. The spring breeze was gentle today. The weather was clear and the air was refreshing. White clouds floated in the azure sky. The grassland was overgrown with new grass. The ground was moist and soft like a carpet.
Bi Dushi, the newly appointed County Magistrate Zhang, as well as some military and local officials, had already circled around Chicken Crow Mountain. In front of them was a grassland. A few birds flew across the grass. County Magistrate Zhang was a scholar in the 12th year of Hongzhi. Even though he was a scholar in his thirties, he was familiar with the art of riding a military horse.
Bi Dushi rode beside County Magistrate Zhang. He turned his head and smiled at him. "I always thought that the riding and archery skills in the academy were just for show. Just now, I heard from your advisor that Master Zhang can use a 200-picul bow. Within a hundred paces, no arrow missed its target. You really are a master of both the pen and the sword."
As he spoke, his eyes inadvertently glanced at Ma Lian'er. Ma Lian'er was riding on a red horse, wearing a dark green hunting suit and a dark green thin silk cloak. She was still wearing white bow shoes and a white belt. There was also a small scimitar that looked like an ornament on her ribs. She had a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows on her back. Her valiant attire, which had the charm of the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall, made her even more beautiful.
The spring breeze blew the dark green cloak. The riding outfit perfectly accentuated the curves of her exquisite body. The curves of her youthful body were faintly discernible under the cloak. It was very enchanting. Bi Dushi thought that in two days, he would be able to hold this enchanting little beauty in his arms. He couldn't help but feel a surge of desire.
He really couldn't be bothered with County Magistrate Zhang. He wished that there were only him and Ma Lian'er on the grassland. The two of them could use the ground as their bed and the sky as their blanket. It would be great if they could have sex. However, he was still a high-ranking official of the Imperial Court. Not to mention that Ma Lian'er was not his concubine yet, even if she was taken into his room, he should still be with his colleagues at this time. If he only cared about his beloved concubine, it would be too unbecoming of him.
County Magistrate Zhang listened to City Secretary Bi's' compliment 'and smiled modestly. He stroked his beard and said, "You flatter me, sir. Even though I learned to bow and ride horses in the academy, how can I compare to sir and the valiant generals in the army? As for that three-picul bow … I can draw it, but I never miss. Hehehe, General Bi probably doesn't know, but the archery target in our Min academy has a radius of one zhang."
A huge target with a diameter of ten feet? City Secretary Bi was stunned at first, then he burst into laughter. Most of the officials beside him were northerners or high-ranking military officers. They couldn't help but reveal a smile on their faces. Some hurriedly coughed to hide their laughter. A huge target with a diameter of ten feet. If one said that no arrow missed its target within a hundred paces, there was nothing to brag about. They really didn't expect the archery target in the southern academy to be so huge.
Ma Lian'er rode on her horse with a faint smile on her face. She was in a trance, preoccupied with her own thoughts. Ma Ang carefully peeped at his sister's expression and saw that her expression was calm. He even thought that his sister had seen City Secretary Bi wearing a helmet and armor and had been moved by his heroic spirit. Only then did he feel at ease.
Ma Lian'er had been called out by her brother in the morning. He said that he had invited her to go hunting. Ma Lian'er's heart had found a place to belong. She was happy and did not want to have a bad relationship with her only relative. Besides, when she was outside the Great Wall, she had been riding and shooting almost every day. Ever since she returned to the Central Plains, she had not tried it for a long time. She gladly agreed. Unexpectedly, when she rode on the warhorse that her brother had brought out of the city, she saw a large group of military and local officials. City Secretary Bi was among them. Only then did she understand her brother's intentions.
Ma Lian'er wanted to turn her horse and leave. However, in front of so many uninformed officials, it would be too rude to do so. She was afraid that as soon as she left, there would be a lot of speculation and criticism about her. In the past, she could still be dismissive of other people's looks. Now that she saw herself as a member of the Yang Family, she did not dare to be as unscrupulous as before. She could only follow them onto the grasslands.
After receiving Young-niang's implicit acceptance last night, her future marriage into the Yang Family was set in stone. Ma Lian'er's heart was at ease and sweet. She was completely intoxicated in her own emotions. Her clear and bright eyes, from time to time, followed her thoughts and smiled or blushed. Together with her beautiful and moving facial features, she was indescribably moving.
She also noticed the passionate gaze that City Secretary Bi looked at her with. She saw that City Secretary Bi not only did not dare to come closer to talk to her because of his status, he even had to find an excuse to talk to someone else. He only glanced at her quickly when he was talking to someone else. It was as if he was afraid of losing his dignity as a great general. She only felt amused by his hypocrisy.
Brother Yang, sigh! Brother Yang!
Ma Lian'er thought of Yang Ling and her heart was filled with sweetness. City Secretary Yang did not care what others thought or how they saw him. That day when the two of them returned to the city from the mountains, City Secretary Min, City Secretary Jiang, and the others were all at the top of the city wall. However, when City Secretary Yang entered the city, he only hugged the crying Young-niang tightly in his arms. He coaxed and teased her as if there was no one else around. When he looked at Young-niang, it was as if he was looking at a treasure in his heart.
Ma Lian'er couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart when she thought of this. If one day, he could look at me with such loving and caring eyes, not to mention three years, even if it was thirty years, or even a lifetime, she would be willing.
As she thought about this, Ma Lian'er couldn't help but smile lightly.
Jiang Bin, who had been staring at her from the side, saw her smile, which was like the blossoming of a peach bud, and his eyes went straight. That day, when Ma Lian'er came back from outside the city, her clothes were dirty, her hair was disheveled, and in his eyes, she was already a goddess. Now, with her light makeup and tight clothes, she was so beautiful that it took one's breath away. My heavens, if I were to press such a big girl under my body...
Jiang Bin gulped down a mouthful of saliva and raised his head to glare hatefully at Bi Chun. He thought to himself, "Damn it, if I were a great general, no matter what, I would get a woman like this. Then I wouldn't have lived my life in vain."
He had heard some rumors from the personal guards of City Secretary Bi Chun that Bi Chun wanted to take Ma Lian'er as a concubine. Today, Bi Chun had invited all the local officials for a spring outing, but he had only brought this one woman. In fact, not only him, but most of the officials present had also somewhat guessed.
Suddenly, a fat roe deer sprang up from the underbrush in front of them and charged toward the nearby bay. Guan Shouying shouted loudly, "Daren, look over there, there's a roe deer!"
These people all carried military bows on their backs, and at this moment, they were all holding their bows in their hands. However, none of the officials made a move. The bodyguards fired their arrows in succession, only blocking the deer's path and scaring it away. Prey? Of course, it was left for the General to shoot.
That pitiful and foolish roe deer was frightened by the accurate archery of the personal guards and fled in all directions. The leader of the military generals, City Secretary Bi Chun, and the leader of the civil officials, County Magistrate Zhang, both had bows and arrows in their hands, but neither of them moved. They were still pushing and shoving each other, being humble to each other. They were only saying things like, "Daren, please shoot an arrow first, hit the jackpot, and let us broaden our horizons."
Ma Lian'er saw that they were so hypocritical and polite even when hunting, completely lacking the joy of an outing and hunting. She could not help but secretly snort and turned her head away in disdain. City Secretary Bi Chun's personal bodyguard, Zheng Dapeng, galloped to the front and said to City Secretary Bi Chun and County Magistrate Zhang, "Daren, today Miss Ma is the only woman among us. I think there is no harm in asking Miss Ma to shoot the first arrow. Miss Ma is dressed in military attire, her archery skills must also be extraordinary."
Official Zheng, who was known to be able to use a three-picul hard bow and shoot an arrow within a hundred steps, was really a little apprehensive when faced with that fat roe deer a few dozen steps away. He was afraid that this arrow would really hit the jackpot: the whole hall would be full of boos. So when he heard Zheng Dapeng's words, he felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He immediately clapped his hands and laughed, "Very good, very good. Women are not inferior to men. Please shoot this arrow, Miss Ma, we will wait and see."
City Secretary Bi Chun was exactly what he wanted. His pair of triangular eyes became gentle. He finally had the chance to openly look at Ma Lian'er and talk without fear of being ridiculed by others. He immediately turned to look at Ma Lian'er and said with a smile, "Miss Ma, how about you show your skills?" As soon as he said this, everyone immediately moved aside to make a path, making way for Ma Lian'er in the middle.
Actually, asking Ma Lian'er to shoot first was really because of Zheng Dapeng's careless words. Bi Chun only wanted to please her on the spur of the moment. However, Ma Lian'er did not know the inside story. She thought that Bi Chun had colluded with his bodyguards to set up this trap. She felt even more disgusted.
She squinted her eyes like crescent moons and said with a smile, "General Bi Chun has been through hundreds of battles and his murderous aura is oppressive. Official Zhang can shoot a willow leaf a hundred steps away and never misses an arrow. I am just bluffing by carrying a bow on my back. How would I dare to make a fool of myself in front of the two sirs? I would still like to see the bravery of the two sirs. "
Her voice was soft and sweet. Actually, she was just purposely making her voice crisper. However, when it came from the mouth of such a beauty, others would feel that her voice was coquettish and unspeakably moving.
When Ma Ang heard this, he knew that it was bad. He knew his sister's temper the best. He knew that when his sister spoke in such a tone, it meant that her patience was running out and she was about to lose her temper. He wanted to rush forward to mediate the situation but unexpectedly, when Jiang Bin heard Ma Lian'er's enchanting tone, his bones softened and he almost fell off his horse.
At this moment, everyone was listening to Ma Lian'er's words. He was also the closest to Ma Lian'er. Immediately, all eyes were focused on him. Although Jiang Bin was thick-skinned, he was also a little embarrassed. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and quickly said with a smile, "Aiyo, when Official Zhang said that women are not inferior to men, I am reminded of Yang Yicheng's wife.
Since when were women allowed on the battlefield? But that day when the Tartars attacked the city, Madame Yang disguised herself as a man and helped our army to kill the enemy bravely. Wasn't that Hua Mulan who is not inferior to men? Madame Yang killed a Tartars who were challenging the city with one arrow. When I went down the city to clean up the corpse, I saw that the arrow entered the person's neck from the back and came out three inches below his throat. It pierced through his body and killed him in one shot. What good archery, haha, good archery. "
When Bi Dushi heard this, he chuckled and said, "Yang Yicheng does not have the strength to truss a chicken. I did not expect Madame Yang to have such good martial arts skills. Miss Ma, don't decline. Why don't you show off your skills as well? " Actually, he did not care how good Ma Lian'er's archery skills were. He was just trying to make her happy and have some fun. Even if she missed, he would just laugh at her. Women!
Ma Lian'er could be said to be grateful to Han Youniang and had already treated her as her closest sister. But human psychology is the most delicate thing. Subconsciously, she was afraid that Young-niang would receive more recognition than her. Her future status would no longer be comparable to Young-niang's. If Young-niang was better than her in every aspect, she would feel even more insecure.
So when she heard Jiang Bin mention that Young-niang's archery skills were outstanding, Ma Lian'er's competitive spirit was immediately aroused. She did not decline anymore and took out her bow and arrows. Her right hand reached behind her and actually took out five arrows from the quiver. Everyone could not help but exclaim in surprise, not knowing what she was going to do. Some of the officials who did not know martial arts were secretly laughing, thinking that she did not know archery at all.
Ma Lian'er pulled the reins and urged the horse to gallop forward a few steps. She abandoned the reins and picked up the bow. Her right hand held the eagle feather quiver with four arrows. She only nocked one arrow on the bowstring. She took a deep breath, as if hugging the full moon. She suddenly pulled the bowstring and shot out an arrow.
Before anyone could turn their heads to see if the arrow hit or not, Ma Lian'er, as if performing a magic trick, twisted her right hand and nocked another arrow on the bowstring. Her movements were incomparably fast. They could only hear the sound of the bowstring being pulled and five arrows shot out like meteors chasing the moon. One arrow after another was shot out. The arrows came in succession and were shot out in one go.
After the five arrows were shot, Ma Lian'er put the bow back on her shoulder and turned her horse around. She said with a smile, "This little girl has missed."
Everyone was dumbstruck. When they heard this, they raised their heads and saw the tails of the five arrows flying in this direction. They formed a pentagonal shape and surrounded the shivering roe deer in the middle. The distance between the five arrows was almost exactly the same, as if they were measured.
After a long while, one of Bi Dushi's generals cried out in surprise, "Rapid Arrow Technique! Legend has it that the fastest Tatar archer, Jebe, can shoot nine arrows in one hand. Miss Ma can actually shoot five arrows in rapid succession. Amazing! Amazing! "
Hearing this, everyone, regardless of whether they understood or did not, was full of praise. Bi Dushi was surprised and delighted. He was even more generous with his praise. Ma Lian'er's big, black eyes glanced at Jiang Bin as if to show off. Her face was filled with pride.
At this moment, a rider galloped over from afar. Everyone turned their heads to look and saw that the person was getting closer and closer. When he got closer, they could see that the person was wearing the uniform of a courier station. He was riding a courier horse and pulled on the reins. He was patrolling the crowd with an anxious expression.
When Ma Lian'er saw him, she recognized that he was Young-niang's big brother, Han Wei. She hurriedly galloped two steps forward and asked, "Big brother Han, why are you here?"
Han Wei's face was covered in sweat. It was unknown whether it was from anxiety or exhaustion. He raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face and said, "Miss Ma, I've been looking for you for a long time. A eunuch suddenly came to the capital with the Emperor's imperial edict, summoning Yang Ling to enter the capital immediately. My sister and brother-in-law asked me to tell you, but I didn't know where you were hunting. I've been running all over the place... "
Before he could finish, Ma Lian'er let out a cry of surprise. She pressed her legs against the horse's abdomen and galloped towards the rooster without looking back. The officials looked at each other. The officials from the county yamen were whispering among themselves. Their expressions were strange. When Ma Lian'er heard that Yang Ling had left, she didn't even say a polite word. She and Yang Ling were not related, nor were they friends. Who would believe that they didn't have an affair?
Bi Dushi's face was ashen. His triangular eyes shone and his body trembled slightly. Ma Ang galloped to his side and said timidly, "Bi... Official Bi..."
Bi Dushi laughed coldly. He turned his body and nocked an arrow. The bowstring wailed and the sharp arrow whooshed through the deer that was trapped by five arrows.
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