Imperial City

Before dawn on the second day, with the sound of birdsong, Wei Qi and others got up and entered the emperor's tent to serve.

The imperial camp is composed of the yellow tent, the mantle city and the net city.There are more than two hundred tents in it, which is the inner city, and more than one thousand tents outside the inner city, which is the outer city.The inner and outer cities are the residences of the descendants of the royal family and the soldiers of the Twelve Banners, while the ordinary imperial guards are scattered around the grassland.

Tomorrow the sage will be shortlisted to start hunting. Following the old practice, today he needs to go to the city to watch the crowd.Watching the siege is mainly to observe the formation method of the siege and hunting forbidden army and the number of wild animals in the siege.

Buwei was commanded by the Huang people, with the red and white flags as the two wings extending and surrounding, and the blue flag pressing the ground, stretching for thirty or forty miles.

After the red and white flags were closed from east to west, under the order of the commander, the encirclement circle was narrowed until people stood side by side and horses stood side by side.After the first encirclement, a second layer was set up outside to prevent wild animals from escaping. Today's encirclement is strict and orderly, which shows that the imperial guards have not slacked off on weekdays.

Wei Qi followed behind and boldly climbed up to look far away, and all he could see was the verdant spring scenery, with various flags flying in the distance, and guards in armor standing on their horses shouting long live, it was indeed a grand scene of Chu.

The emperor in front of him wore armor, an iron helmet on his head, and a sword on his waist. He said: "Yes, take my bow."

An Xi had already made preparations, and the subordinates presented a gold peach-skin bow with ox horns. Last summer when Miao Miao, Wei Qi had not yet been transferred to the imperial court, so he had never seen the heroic appearance of the emperor's prey.

I heard that the emperor used this bow to hunt a fierce tiger at that time. The tiger skin was intended to be used as a cloak for the ancestors. The emperor kept the things for himself, so the white tiger skin is still kept in the House of Internal Affairs.

When the bow came, the emperor took it with one hand, and someone else served the arrow, and the arrow was a fast arrow.The emperor took the arrow and pulled the bow, pushing and pulling in one go, and the armor collided between the movements, making a dull sound of metal clashing.

Wei Qi raised his eyes and peeked, and saw him raising his arms and bowing towards the sky, his eyes were fierce, and the jade ring on his finger was shining.

A few moments later, the applause shook the sky, and the news spread all the way. The forbidden soldiers waved their guns and shouted long live, surging like the waves of a huge sea.

A wild goose falls in the paddock.

Wei Qi raised his head abruptly, his eyes widened in disbelief.

The sun rises in the east, the orange-red light illuminates the grassland, the sky fades from darkness and gradually reveals its true color of light blue, geese flocks scatter, birds cry, and reunite in the distance.

Standing in the spring sun, that man's figure was even taller than before, and he said loudly: "Tomorrow, whoever will win the deer hunt will be rewarded!"

The voice was deep and powerful, and the spring breeze sent it to the vast grassland.

Wei Qi had never seen the emperor speak so loudly, as if he was very happy.

What responded to him was the shouting of the crowd, the loudness and momentum of the shouting made Wei Qi's heart go numb.

He finally knew why during the winter hunt four years ago, the servants who accompanied him would say that the Holy One was the real dragon emperor appointed by God and personally pointed out.

In a moment of panic, mixed with ups and downs, he heard his heart beating like a drum and thunder. It was the point that was shouted out, locked in his heart for a long time. ambition.

He thought, if it wasn't for his ridiculous status, embarrassing status and hatred across the family, he should have wanted to serve such a king, and he had hoped to enter the court to serve Mingjun.

It's just that now, the king is a rare wise king, but he can't be a capable minister, he is an eunuch who sacrifices his flesh and blood.

The spring breeze blew the bright yellow cloak behind the emperor, and the gorgeous silk floated to Wei Qi's eyes. His palms stretched out and then curled up. The thought of touching the imperial power flashed, but he still didn't move.

Accept your fate, it was a joke of an ignorant and naive child nearly ten years ago, with a weak wish, panting and living with a mutilated body, you really shouldn't worry about it, you should let it go.

The emperor went down to visit the city, and summoned his princes and relatives to watch his archery in person.

There are three princes in the palace, the oldest elder brother is eleven this year, born of Concubine Jing, the other two are both nine years old, Er Niang is only the master of the concubine.

The princes were young and not tall in stature, and they walked forward in riding clothes with their heads bowed. The half-grown children were all calm, and they spoke sternly when they spoke.

They were all enlightened at the age of four, and learned riding and archery at the age of five, so their archery skills must not be bad.

Wei Qi seldom saw the emperor get along with his sons, but this time he saw that he was indeed a strict father, his face was so cold that he didn't seem to be greeting and caring for his son, but rather he was going to collect debts from his enemies.

When the princes replied, they spoke softly and looked gentle and gentle, which made the emperor even angrier.

Raised in the palace so delicately, he doesn't have the aura of begging for a living on the back of the Xiao family's horse.

The emperor frowned, and said in a deep voice: "I have brought your bow and arrow, and I will see how well you have mastered Kung Fu."

"Hey." The princes clapped their hands in response.

The servants fetched bows and arrows, and the eldest prince opened the bow first. The grass target was more than thirty feet away (100 meters) away from the arrow. It was easy for an archer to hit the bull's-eye, but for an 11-year-old half-sized The child is in trouble.

As expected, the arrow missed and the target was not even hit.The eldest prince blushed with shame among the many generals.

The biggest one doesn't hit the bull's-eye, let alone the last two.

The emperor's face became more and more gloomy, he didn't expect to let these ineffective ones hit it in one shot, but it's too shameful that they can't even hit the target.

Considering that at his age, he can hit the target while riding on horseback, he is really too spoiled.

The third prince was young, seeing that the two elder brothers missed the target, it was already a two-way battle, and his hands began to tremble before the bow was fired.

The emperor couldn't stand it, and approached him and reprimanded him in a low voice, "How did the master of bow and arrow teach you, all the appearances are wrong, crooked and crooked, Yao'er is better than you."

Yao'er was the only princess in the palace, and the emperor said that because he treated his daughter more leniently than his son.

When the third prince heard his father say that he was not as good as the younger sister, he was even more ashamed, and he couldn't even stand up while bowing.

The emperor kicked him, "The front elbow is at shoulder level, you can see for yourself."

The third prince choked with sobs, "Yes, my son knows."

"There's no need to cry, just watch." The emperor stepped behind his son in two steps, and slapped his elbow hard, "I only teach you once, if you don't learn well, go back and think about your mistakes."

He held his son's still thin palm and bent over to cover it.

The left hand is like Tuotai Mountain, the right hand is like holding a baby, the bow is stretched to the extreme, stretched like a full moon, and the arrow goes like a shooting star.

With a bang, it hit the red bull's-eye.

Everyone was amazed, the third prince in his father's arms

Stupidly raised his head to look at his majestic and powerful father, his eyes showed admiration.

"Son, I thank my father for teaching." This arrow, this rare father-son warmth is enough for him to remember for a long time.

The emperor looked down at him, his face was still indifferent, and he did not become friendly in response to the admiration and flattery in it.

"You study hard, don't lose my face."

"Hey, the son knows, he will practice hard and live up to his father's expectations."

Wei Qili stood behind and took everything under his eyes. If he had such a strict father when he was a child, then his archery skills would not be a mess.

But it's still too cruel, 11-year-olds can be harsher, no matter how nine-year-olds are treated like this.

That night, Wei Qi kept watch at night and slept with another slave on the floor near the tent door to take a nap.

When the emperor woke up, he was just sleepy, and the servant beside him jolted him awake with an elbow.

Dazed, the two cheered up, and asked cautiously, "My lord, what are your orders?"

The emperor walked from the dark place to the candlelight, and his figure gradually appeared, "Follow me to go outside and have a look."

In the middle of the night without rest, why go out for a stroll.

Although the two felt strange, they didn't dare to ask any more questions. Perhaps it was something urgent to open the siege tomorrow.

Wei Qi served his clothes, and the other went outside to ask the guards to call Mr. An to get up.

The emperor wanted to go outside to see the night view of the grassland on a whim, and all the servants had to accompany him.

It was Zhiyin time when they left the tent, and the guards outside the tent still stood upright. When they saw the Holy Majesty coming out, they all half-kneeled and saluted, and greeted him softly.

After a while, Zi Anxi also rushed to the emperor's tent. Others did not dare to say more, but he bowed and asked, "Master Ziye, you are in such a good mood at night, where are you going to hang around, so you can ask your servant to have a look." prepare."

The emperor looked at the night, "Walking casually, not going far, why are you nervous."

The palace is so stuffy, you can't easily leave the bedroom at night, even if there is any movement, you are afraid to startle the ancestors, now it is easy to come out twice a year, and I don't want to let you out.

"Hey, the servant knows." It's not just that you want to ride a horse to prey at night.

How can he hunt? Wei Qi chose a uniform when he was serving, and he didn't wear any armor. The emperor didn't blame him when he saw it.

The wind in the spring night was still cold, and seeing that the emperor was properly dressed, with the rare gray wolf fur cloak on his outside, An Xi felt at ease.

If he didn't take a good walk and slipped out of an illness, how would he explain it tomorrow, ten heads would not be enough to chop off.

It was Wei Qi who was safe and useful. He glanced at the man standing behind the emperor with his head bowed. With this boy's attendant clothes, the Holy One would even wear a cloak.

It's not the same, after all, people who have a skin-to-skin relationship are different.

The emperor walked out slowly with his hands behind his back, followed by a group of slave guards silently behind him.

It's very cold, I don't know what to look at.

Wei Qi shrank his neck, unable to block the cold wind whistling into his body.

The emperor strolled to the shooting range in the inner city, where the princes practiced arrows only at noon yesterday.

"Bring my bow."

"Whoo."

It turned out that I wanted to practice archery at night, maybe to warm up my body for opening the siege.

All the torches around the shooting range were lit, illuminating the grass very brightly.

The emperor drew his bow and held his breath, his black eyes narrowed slightly, and he fired three arrows at once, swish swish, and the arrows hit the bull's-eye.

Wei Qi couldn't hold back his breath.

The former flicked the bowstring and turned slightly to look at him.

Wei Qi was frightened and avoided, his forehead was congested and his ears were red.

It's just that he has never seen the world, the emperor chuckled in his heart.

"come here."

"Hey." Wei Qi moved cautiously.

The emperor handed his ox horn golden peach skin bow to Wei Qi's eyes.

"Try it, let me see."

"I don't dare." Wei Qi said this, but he really wanted to try it in his heart. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, so he was unavoidably curious.

"I told you to try it, why don't you dare?"

"Hey, the servant obeys."

Wei Qi took it.

Good... good... Shen Na.

He gritted his teeth and lifted it up.

The posture is very good, the gentleman's six arts have been practiced for three years, and I have seen the Holy Master teach this morning, and now I only have this idea and the posture is still decent.

The emperor swiped up and down, thinking: It's not bad, the movements between the elbows and legs are not bad.

The slave below is offering arrows, Wei Qi can't lift the bow with one arm, how can he take the arrow with his hands free.

The emperor smiled lowly, thinking to himself that it was too early to boast.

In fact, it can't be blamed on Wei Qi's uselessness. The bow used by the emperor, except for the imperial army, can only be lifted by idle men, but it is not easy to draw the bow to the full.

Wei Qi exerted all his strength, his face turned red.

I don't believe it, I don't believe that I am so weak that I can't even draw a bow!

He shook the arm holding the bow, freed it to take the arrow, put it on the bow and pushed it out vigorously.

Very good, two feet away.

The emperor clenched his fists and coughed against his lips.

Come on, don't play tricks on others anymore, this slave is so stubborn that he doesn't have to break his hands.

"This bow is too heavy, it's inconvenient to use strength, take another lighter one."

"Hey." So the birch bark bow was presented, this bow was used by the prince in the palace, and it belonged to children in their teens.

Wei Qi didn't know, he just felt that it was a good idea.

With one arrow out, it was finally ten feet away.

He was really downcast at the moment.

"Move closer."

Anxi: ...

"Whoo."

So the guards moved another grass target, twenty feet away.

Wei Qi lifted his heart and shot another arrow.

Finally fifteen feet away.

"Closer," said the emperor.

"Whoo."

Anxi: I don't rest at night, playing tricks on others, the master is really in a good mood.

Fifteen feet away.

Wei Qi also knew that the emperor was teasing him, so he put down his bow.

"The slave is stupid. He has failed His Majesty's expectations and asks His Majesty to punish him."

The emperor's eyes were stained with a smile, looking at his blushing face under the orange flame.

Taking two steps closer, he said, "Try again."

"Whoo."

Wei Qi's eyes were shining, and he pursed his lips tightly. He also knew that archery uses the force on the wrist and elbow.

Finally hit the target.

Wei Qi bowed his head and wanted to turn around and kneel down to plead guilty. The warm breath behind him approached, and the emperor's body was close to each other. It was close and far away, between seriousness and ambiguity, and the boundary was blurred.

He bowed his head and whispered in Wei Qi's ear, "I will teach you."

Wei Qi's heart was beating wildly, and it was about to pop out of his throat.

Anxi and the others didn't dare to look any further, and turned around to avoid it.

It was the first time for the two of them to be so close in a place other than the dragon couch, and it was still in front of everyone.

Wei Qi was trembling all over, unable to speak a word from his mouth.

"We need to use such force." He murmured, Wei Qi had no way to hide, but bumped into the emperor's arms instead.

A scorching palm wrapped around Wei Qi's cold other.

The arrow goes out, three points into the wood, and hits the red heart.

The guard at the other end announced the good news.

Wei Qi looked up at the emperor.

For the first time, he was in boundless panic, at a loss, desperate, as if he was bound by a net, and he couldn't help him to break free.

The emperor put down his bow and patted him on the head: "It's impossible to be stupid."

Anxi: If you were so lenient when you taught your own son yesterday afternoon, why would the little masters not be able to learn, and how would they be afraid of you.

It's a pity that teaching a son is the same as teaching a favorite slave.

The former is a must-know princely skill, while the latter is just for fun.